Hello Thomas! Welcome to planDisney! Just knowing that you want to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel is a great start to planning your vacation!
Staying at a hotel that is owned and operated by the Walt Disney World Resort is a great idea! Not only are you staying completely immersed in the magic of Disney, but you will also have access to a great perk known as the Early Theme Park Entry benefit! This perk allows Guests of a Disney Resort Hotel to enter any theme park, on any day, 30 minutes prior to the scheduled opening time! Also, if you choose to stay at a deluxe resort hotel, you will also have access to the Extended Hours benefit which means you can stay in designated parks on designated evenings after the scheduled closing time!
So, you’re probably wondering, “What hotel should I select as my Disney home away from home?” I’m happy to make a few suggestions. First, the Walt Disney World Resort offers hotels in three budget categories: value, moderate, and deluxe. In the value range, I recommend
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort or Disney’s Pop Century Resort! These are both located near the Disney Skyliner which provides convenient (and fun) transportation to both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Also, I find Disney's Art of Animation Resort to be the "Disney-est" of all of the hotel offerings!
In the moderate category, I recommend vacationing at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter, or
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort - Gran Destino Tower! All three of these resorts offer a relaxing vacation getaway in picture-perfect settings at the Walt Disney World Resort!
Finally, in the deluxe category, I recommend
Disney’s Riviera Resort,
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, or
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort! I’ve stayed in all three of these hotels and love everything about them from their dining offerings, to the pools, to their beautiful vacation settings. You can’t go wrong! Of course, all three of these deluxe hotels are also eligible for the Extended Evening Park Hours benefit!
Thomas, you can visit all of these resort hotels (and many more) by heading to the Walt Disney World Resort website! One final tip, when you decide to book your resort hotel, I recommend you book a vacation package. This will include your room, as well as theme park tickets for the number of days that you wish to enter the Disney Parks!
Hakuna Matata! Jonathan