Disney World Moderate Resort Hotels – Should You Book?

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels are divided up into several categories – Value, Moderate, Deluxe and Villas.

Disney’s Moderate Resort Hotels are the mid tier hotel category. Below is a guide to all of these resorts and tips for choosing the best one for your next WDW vacation.

Disney Moderate Resort Hotels

There are 5 hotels that fall into the Moderate Resort category:

• Caribbean Beach Resort – read the reviews
• Coronado Springs Resort – read the reviews
• Port Orleans Riverside Resort – read the reviews, read our family’s review
• Port Orleans French Quarter Resort – read the reviews
• Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – read the reviews

What to Expect at a Disney Moderate Resort

Disney Moderate Resorts are the middle category of Disney owned hotels feature several pools (quiet pool(s) and a larger pool with water slide), food court and full service dining options and a few on-site activities for guests.

Moderate Resorts are less in your face when it comes to Disney theming and draw inspiration from the area which they’re trying to represent – pastel colored exteriors at Caribbean Beach Resort, Spanish Colonial architecture at Coronado Springs, mansions and bayou themed buildings at Port Orleans Riverside Resort and a little bit of Mardi Gras flair at the French Quarter.

The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort combines rustic charm with villa like amenities – a log cabin with full kitchen and outdoor eating area.

Moderate Resorts use bus transportation between parks and Downtown Disney.

The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort has their own internal bus transportation system as well as boats to Contemporary Resort and Magic Kingdom.

Guests staying at Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter can take a bus or boat to Downtown Disney.

With the exception of Port Orleans French Quarter Resort, all moderate resorts have a full service restaurant so it’s not necessary to travel far if you’re looking for a quiet place to eat after a busy day at the parks. French Quarter guests are only a few minutes walk from Boatwright’s — Port Orleans Riverside’s full service restaurant.

Standard rooms can accommodate up to 4 people and have 2 queen beds or 1 king.

Some rooms at Port Orleans Riverside Resort can accommodate up to 5 people (2 queen beds + a murphy bed) and a baby crib.

Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort can accommodate 6 people (2 double beds + bunk bed) and baby in a crib. Cabins are also equipped with a full kitchen including a fridge, stove, microwave, dishwasher and toaster. There’s a dining table as well as a patio deck with a charcoal grill so guests can eat in or outside.

Many of the moderate category resorts have gone, and are undergoing renovations and upgrades to create business class rooms, suites and themed rooms.

For those who want their room to be a bit more Disney-fied, there’s the Pirate Rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort and Royal Guest Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside.

How Much Is This Going to Cost?

According to the Disney website, Cabins at Fort Wilderness is considered a moderate resort although the pricing is a bit higher than the others in this category.

Depending on the season, here’s what you can expect to pay for a room at a Disney Moderate Resort:

• Standard Room (max 4 or 5  people + baby in crib): $180 to $320 per night
• Cabins at Fort Wilderness (max 6 people + baby in crib): $330 to $560 per night

Why Choose a Disney Moderate Resort?

If spending time, relaxing at the resort is important to your family, then a Disney Moderate Resort Hotel may be worth the extra cost.

Here are a few reasons why you should consider a Disney Moderate Resort:

• You’re looking for a bit more space – standard rooms are a little over 310 square feet and cabins at Fort Wilderness are 500 square feet.
• Resort like amenities including family friendly activities (movie under the stars, campfire activities, fishing hole, paddle boats, horse drawn carriage rides),  themed pools with slides and interactive water features, and food court and full service restaurant on site.
• Less is more décor – no big Disney character statues or primary colored exteriors.
• You want to take advantage of Disney Resort guest perks.

Best Large Chain Comparison? Holiday Inn

Looking for more information about Disney World Resort hotels? Read these posts.