Are Disney Deluxe Resorts Worth It? We've Stayed at ALL of Them
Disney Travel Secrets - How to do Disney
Kerri Stuart
3.2 • 995 Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2026
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
473 - Once you go Deluxe… you'll understand why.
In this week's episode of the Disney Travel Secrets Podcast, #1 best-selling authors and Disney travel experts Rob & Kerri Stuart break down everything you need to know about Disney World's Deluxe Resorts — and why guests who stay at one find it nearly impossible to go back to a moderate or value resort.
Let us take away the stress or planning your next Disney Vacation - START HERE
What you'll learn in this episode:
- The fascinating history behind the FIRST two Disney World resorts (hint: they were both Deluxe, and they opened on October 1, 1971!)
- A full breakdown of every Deluxe Resort at Walt Disney World — from the Magic Kingdom monorail resorts (Contemporary, Polynesian Village, Grand Floridian) to the Epcot resort area (Yacht Club, Beach Club, BoardWalk Inn), Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Wilderness Lodge
- Why location matters MORE than you think — and how staying Deluxe can transform your entire park strategy
- The truth about Club Level — Disney's most underrated (and underbooked) offering
- World-class dining you'll want to plan your whole vacation around: Victoria & Albert's, Narcoossee's, Topolino's Terrace, Citrico's, Jiko, and more
- Why Stormalong Bay might deserve its own episode
- The scoop on Deluxe Villa properties like Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and Riviera Resort — and how non-DVC members can book them
- The secret walkability advantage of Congress Park at Saratoga Springs
Whether you're a first-time Disney visitor or a seasoned parkgoer weighing your resort options, this episode gives you the insider knowledge to decide if a Deluxe Resort is right for your family's Disney vacation.
🎙️ Rob & Kerri share personal stories from having stayed at every single Disney resort, their favorite Deluxe picks, and why they host their annual Agent Palooza event at a Deluxe property every year.
🔍 Keywords: Disney World resorts, Disney Deluxe Resort, best Disney hotels, Walt Disney World resort tips, Disney vacation planning, Disney World insider tips, Magic Kingdom resort, Disney monorail hotel, Grand Floridian, Polynesian Resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge, BoardWalk Inn, Disney Club Level, Stormalong Bay, Disney DVC resorts, Disney World family vacation, Disney travel hacks, Disney World 2025, best Disney resort for families, Disney travel agent tips, Disney podcast, Disney World hotel comparison, Disney Springs resort, Saratoga Springs Disney, Disney Vacation Club
Subscribe, follow, and leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review — and if you've stayed at a Disney Deluxe Resort, drop a comment and tell us your favorite!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Walt Disney World's deluxe resorts are not just bigger rooms that cost more. They are a destination |
| 0:07.5 | within a destination. And today we're going to show you why Disney fans who stay at a deluxe resort |
| 0:13.1 | find it hard to go back to a moderate or a value. And did you know the very first two resorts |
| 0:19.3 | at Walt Disney World were deluxe resorts? |
| 0:22.6 | Which ones were they? |
| 0:23.8 | I bet a lot of you know the answer to that. |
| 0:26.0 | So, hello, my friend, and welcome to this week's episode of the Disney Travel Secret Show. |
| 0:30.4 | We are your travel agent, hosts, and bestselling authors, Robin Carey Stewart, and we are sitting right here in the CMV studio in Windermere, Florida. |
| 0:38.4 | This is episode number 473, original air date March 9th of 2026. |
| 0:45.2 | Yeah, and tomorrow, March 10th, we are headed to Europe for the rest of the month. |
| 0:50.6 | And yes, we are going to do this with carry-on-only. No checked bags. |
| 0:55.3 | What makes this trip a little more stressful by doing carry-on-only is that for the first seven to eight days-ish, we're going to be in Amsterdam, which is very much northern Europe. |
| 1:05.5 | And then we're going to be going to Marseille in southern France. |
| 1:10.4 | Which means we're packing for two different climates, which you sometimes also have to do at Disney like this past week. |
| 1:18.4 | That was crazy. |
| 1:18.7 | Two different climates. |
| 1:19.8 | So on the day that we're writing this, we woke up to 35 degrees here in Disney. |
| 1:24.6 | And then later on in the day, it's going to get up to the low 70s. That is a huge |
| 1:29.6 | swing. Well, just a couple days ago, it was 88 degrees, so that's a crazy 50 degree swing in just a |
| 1:35.0 | matter of days. And if you joined us last week, you know it was all about the moderate resorts |
| 1:39.8 | over at WDW. This week, it's all about the best of the best. |
| 1:45.0 | And that is the deluxe resorts and villas. And yes, there is a reason that these resorts |
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