Of course, most of us must book our resorts according to our budget. I just ask for a quiet room away from the pool, and since I am only there to sleep, I'm happy.
Timestamps: 1:15 DFB Guide to hotel rooms QR Code 1:31 The Tiny Riviera Studios 5:31 The Second/Third Story Rooms At Caribbean Beach 7:51 Noisy Rooms 11:18 The Little Mermaid Rooms At Art Of Animation 14:05 Rancho Rooms At Coronado Springs 16:49 Paying a lot of money for things you might not need 19:05 A Bathtub-Less Room 20:47 A Room That’s ADA Compliant (When You Don’t Need One) 23:04 FREE DFB Hotel Guide
Can confirm. The Little Mermaid rooms are by far the worst rooms i've stayed at in the entire WDW campus. ESPECIALLY now that the all-stars have had a revamp. I LOVE the new shows at the All-Stars so when I go on solo trips where i just need a bed, i always stay at Movies.
You always pick on Caribbean Beach for not having elevators. But did you know…. All of the Alligator Bayou rooms at Port Orleans Riverside also do NOT HAVE elevators? That’s over half the resort. Caribbean Beach resort only has two story buildings. No one can ‘take their sleeping kiddo up to the 3rd floor via stairs’ because it doesn’t exist at the resort. The resorts without stairs (Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans Riverside) are only allowed by building code to be two stories max.
I have stayed at Caribbean beach and it SUCKED, depending on where you’re staying it can be a LONG walk and people do not want to walk up a flight of stairs after walking that much. Riverside and port Orleans is much smaller in comparison and doesn’t exhaust you to all hell. Edit to add: the lobby to Caribbean beach is also separated from a lot of the near hotel building in that area, so that means you also have to do a great deal of walking just to get breakfast/dinner and back the entirety of this resort just requires a lot of walking to and from bus stops, lobby and the sky landers. I also just don’t recommend this resort
@@Onyx_isgone I guess it depends of your needs. I love caribbean beach. I ask for a room close to the skyliner. We basically never have to go to the lobby and we go to the quiet pool. I really don't walk that much more. But I guess that if you go to the lobby every day and want to use the skyliner, you will walk a lot or ride the bus a lot.
@@Onyx_isgone It definitely is big and can be a factor. The one time I stayed there (this was several years before they built the Tower and pre-Skyliner), I had a room in the Trinidad South section. I may not have had THE farthest room from the common areas, but it was very close! ;) My normal routine each day during visits is to go grab some breakfast at the Resort's quick serve area, then go back to my room and head to the parks. The first day I was there, I clocked the walk from my room to the food court area and it took me at least 20 minutes to walk each way, IIRC. Since I am a person who drives around anyway, I simply drove to breakfast each morning after that and skipped returning to my room before heading to the parks. But that first morning slowed me down just a little bit in my start.
@@Onyx_isgone Stayed at Old Key West and Caribbean beach and I don't understand people's complaints about walking far... we stayed in the farthest away rooms at OKW and walked to the lobby almost nightly for drinks etc. It's 10 minutes, max 15, and there's nowhere in other resorts where you'd need to walk further than that. Maybe it's a cultural thing, being from Europe I am used to walking everywhere, whereas in the US nobody walks anywhere. Personally I think if you don't want to walk, stay somewhere you don't need to. I loved CB resort and would highly recommend it
I have DVC at the Riviera, and always make sure to request a room where I can view the fireworks from the miniature balcony. The godsend levels of stress saved by leaving the park before the pressing crowds do all at once, and still being able to watch the show right before retiring for the night instead of waiting in insane lines to get back, makes it completely worth it for me.
Have certainly done this before! My parents have DVC over in the BLT, and we one time checked in just as the fireworks were going off. That felt amazing.
We are DVC at Bay Lake and enjoy the fireworks from our balcony or the walkway to contemporary and it’s seriously the best way to view MK fireworks. We can shower and be ready for bed, check the fireworks with no stress and like you said, hop into bed right after. A huge benefit to resorts like this.
Just an FYI... I volunteered for the Make A Wish foundation and Disney World is one of the most requested wishes. They do an AMAZING job. Wheelchair accessable pools, etc. we just had to call a number and they took care of everything. A sister of one of the wishers said that it was the first time she ever had ice cream bc of her brother's condition.
Years ago I requested a water view at Port Orleans French Quarter. I wound up with a pool view. It was fine, but I really was thinking "river" when I booked that water view. Now I know to be as specific as possible when booking.
Caribbean Beach Resort is the best hotel in Disney World because it has the Skyliner, making it an Epcot hotel but costs half as much. Skyliner to Epcot is 8 minutes, to Hollywood Studios is 5 minutes, both no wait most of the day. It surrounds a lake and has extremely beautiful water view, especially at night. It has an excellent food court that is very popular. Most importantly, it is next door to Riviera, which has a superb food court. You are basically living at the Riviera but paying half the price. It is large and spread out, with beautiful white sand beaches, numerous swimming pools, a large playground, garden area with seating, hammocks. It can serve as a vacation destination all by itself, there is so much to do. For Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, you can use the Riviera bus back, which is often less crowded. There are drawbacks: when the Skyliner is closed due to weather (which happens quite often, for both lightning or strong wind), you have to walk clear across Epcot to the front bus stop, which is a long haul. The Skyliner's line is very long at park closing at Epcot, but not as long at Hollywood Studios. Despite the drawbacks, the Caribbean Beach Resort is extremely popular, more expensive than the other moderate Disney hotels but still mostly taken and offer few discounts. I recently stayed there and had a wonderful time. We got a boarding pass for Guardian of the Galaxy in the afternoon, and when it was ready, we just Skylinered it there, rode the ride, then came right back and relax. You do have to be willing to walk a lot (or use scooter), but that's true of going to Disney World in general.
I stayed in Pop Century near the lobby. It was near the pool, but we went in December so no one was using it. We liked being close to the lobby, so we could easily go eat. It also was a short walk to the skyliner. The only downside are those thin walls. Me and my friend were laughing about something and got a knock on the door telling us to quiet down. Also the rooms are kinda small, Yes you can put the bed away for more room. But during our stay, it was too much of a hassle to keep putting the bed up.
The Riviera tower studio has been adopted at the new Disneyland villas as well. It’s nice but yes, it’s teeny. Once the bed is pulled down, your room is basically a bed.
The Dolphin Resort also has weird bathrooms and cooling systems. The sink is separate in some rooms which is nice, but there are no vents for the toilet and shower. Just makes the room damp feeling.
She said Caribbean Beach has 3 stories, nope, only 2 stories, the stairs to the second floor aren’t bad, i have mostly stayed on the first floor but did stay on the 2nd once. My favorite that I always request is Jamaica, and always the closest building to the bridge to OPR.
My wife and i (just the 2 of us) love the Tiny Tower rooms.........its the least expensive offering at the Riveria but it gets us in the resort. Its not for everyone but when we rent DVC we pay less.......guess its a personal thing
You know, when you're right, you're right. My wife and I stayed in a Little Mermaid room on one of our first trips. Now, my son and his fiancé stay in one while the rest of us are in a Lion King family suite when we go. We like the Little Mermaid room, but the issues raised are 100% valid. They could definitely use a refurbishing, and it feels like FOREVER to get there from the Magic Kingdom bus at the end of the day.
Not sure about all the buildings, but I stayed in Alligator Bayou at Port Orleans Riverside and those buildings did not have elevators either. I thought Caribbean Beach Resort was the only one without elevators, so just a heads up!
If a building only has two floors it will not have an elevator - so use that as your guide for what area to request. If a building has three floors they are required by code to have an elevator.
Stayed at Caribbean Beach for the first time in May, and we were SO lucky. We ended up in Aruba, and at one of the buildings at the very end by the Riviera Skyliner and in front of a bus stop. The walk to the main hub wasn't bad at all, either. We had a great time at that resort, but the room we got is definitely a huge reason why. I wish everyone could be that lucky there!!
One time, we were staying at Boardwalk, and wound uo with a second floor room overlooking the water slide (at the time, the "Kiester Coaster," which I think they have removed/replaced since then). Not usually a problem, EXCEPT first thing in the morning when they started up the water slide. We were woken up every morning by what sounded like a giant toilet flushing.
This was an amazingly accurate episode! Thanks so much for helping folks make the best choices in choosing their Disney home away from home! I am personally looking forward to a Grand Destino Tower stay someday in my future! ❤
I can see the tiny Riviera rooms being a good fit for a single person, or an elderly couple, perhaps one of them with a wheelchair. They wouldn't need a large room, the shower, "at least in this video", looked to be wheelchair accessible. For me any hotel without an elevator is a deal breaker.
LOL work colleagues don't generally share rooms. It's an HR violation. I'm sure it happens, but I have traveled a ton for work and there's zero assumption I would share living space with my colleagues (although we did once flirt with sharing an AirBnB).
I love how this channel occasionally throws in some „worst“ videos just to come off as still being critical, and then it’s always totally harmless stuff
@@jaikenmainy You can select accessible rooms when booking and they're not more expensive than regular rooms. The concern about the number that are accessible is real, but it's always a struggle between building more floor rooms versus going more vertical and they can't gatekeep who books the accessible rooms. More ground floor rooms is also an accessibility issue for non-wheelchair bound people since you end up with something like Caribbean Beach Resort where it's a half mile to the skyliner.
my son and i stayed in a little mermaid room at art of animation a few years ago that had the same discount as others and we loved it! we wanted to be on the skyliner and it was totally worth it. we also didn’t like the vibe of pop century; wanted a very disney-themed space and this fit the bill. 👍🏻
Totally!! That’s why it’s ALWAYS worth checking the discount fine print - because if there’s one you CAN apply to the room you’re wanting to stay in, that’s such a win-win!
My favorite Disney resort is gran destino tower love that resort ❤so beautiful very luxurious amazing dining and love the steakhouse too plus I love that if u stay in a club level room u can go to the theme parks 30 minutes before they open which is amazing 🤩
Positive to Caribbean Beach is you can hang out at the "beach" and watch the fireworks from HS! The family loved getting a Joffrey's Coffee before going to HS and Epcot on the skyliner! The other part of our split stay was at the Gran Destino Tower which felt luxurious and we loved out room. Negative was just having the bus for transportation.
I don't like the refurb'd All-Star rooms. You used to get a table and a second bed, now the bed folds down onto the table so I lose the table when the bed is down.
We stayed in the Little Mermaid rooms on our last trip and they were shockingly small and very dated for the price. The theming was neat, but that was it.
1:21 sharing a bed might also be a little awkward on a best-friends trip. But I do agree, it would make more sense if these studio rooms were meant to be budget rooms.
August 2022 we were put in a room in "the attic" at the Boardwalk - a corner room at the end of the hall farthest from the elevator. It was truly awful and looked like no one had used it in a long time. The sofa was filthy, the carpet was not clean, and the furniture was very old and worn. We had dropped our luggage and gone to Epcot, so it was after 7pm when we entered the room. I called down and the head housekeeper came right up. She immediately told us we would be moved. We were staying for a week and the following morning we were given a beautiful room overlooking the main pool.
At the all star resorts or lowerr end moderate resorts my only issue is there are never enough luggage carts even at universal .they need to fix this more carts disney
Even if I went back to Disney World which I have no desire to, I would never stay in the Little Mermaid rooms again. The theming is mid and the distance from the lobby is way too far. They have to be a half mile.
I get your points, but those Tower Studios are always booked, so they're doing something right. If it was just my wife and I, we'd book that if we could.
We stayed at All Star Movies and it was the worst nights sleep we ever had! All the rooms had connecting bathrooms, so you constantly heard other guests flushing toilets and using showers! Ask to be on the top floor, with no joining door if you want to sleep!
Fun fact about me: I always always ALWAYS request top floor rooms for hotels. But I think that’s because, back in my college days, I had an apartment on the bottom floor and never slept a WINK because of how loud my upstairs neighbors were. And now I carry that worry to every hotel 🤣🤣
I don't care about a fancy hotel.or restaurant or the amenities. As long as room is clean and functional for sleep then I am good. I go for the Parks!!
It’s funny, because worst and best can be subjective. I prefer the Epcot resorts because of convenience. They are close enough to walk to two theme parks, plus there is water taxi and skyliner service. They are loaded with restaurants and shops. The wait times for the buses are pretty regular. A place that I’m not ever staying again is Saratoga Springs. The resort is fine, the pools are clean, and it’s right next to Disney Springs. The things I don’t like, the wait time for a bus, the long walks to and from the main lobby for any services. The lack of maintenance on the HVAC system. The limited food options, although the Artist’s Palette is a good quick service breakfast option. The Turf Club used to be a favorite, the crab cakes and fried calamari used to be out of this world. Now, not so much. Surprisingly, OKW is a nice place to stay even though it’s out of the way. The buses do take some time to get around, but if you walk to the Hospitality House…it’s not a long wait at all. Olivia’s is a good place for breakfast or a snack, weren’t really pleased with lunch and dinner options. We didn’t suffer though because we always had a full kitchen in our villas.
One of the worst locations is at Poly. I was given a ground floor room at the DVC building facing the pool, beside the sliding door entrance and it’s next to the elevators! That my friend has to be the worst one I have had. I will walk for miles at AKL and OKW over that.
Regarding the noisy rooms: at Yacht Club we once got a room on the first floor, just inside the door from the quiet pool, directly across the hall from an elevator, and right next to the ice and laundry machines. We love Yacht Club, but that was a noisy room.
2:05 Jake from Bright Sun Travels reviewed one studio room from the Riviera that he stayed in. It had me pondering what exactly Disney was thinking make such a room. I cannot imagine staying in a room like that 😭
I don't like the all stars resorts i feel like a cheap motel was built then they just added lots of tacky theming but i do understand kids will probably like it i just think they are way overpriced
If budget is not the first consideration, pay attention to where you want to spend most of your time. I love the Riviera, but when my visit is primarily Magic Kingdom it's a little bit of a pain. If it's Hollywood Studios and Epcot it's a dream, but probably not as much as Beach Club or the Swan and Dolphin (although they have double beds instead of queens 🤔Marriott Hotels whatcha doing?). I sprang for The Contemporary this time because the Halloween party is the night before we leave and because it's at a discount that I thought was as reasonable as it ever will be. My husband's eyes lit up when I told him.
I used to work front desk at Yacht & Beach and would have to move guests everyone once in a while. The Yacht Club side was pretty quiet most of the time but the Beach Club side in where all the action was. And room requests to were subject to availability.
Yes - they appear to be working for DVC. If it’s an individual or couple on a shorter trip i’m sure it makes sense for points usage. I’d definitely be happy with one on a solo trip but I have only seen it come available once at Riviera for a cash stay.
Hi guys, is anyone know if i want to reserve a cake for my friend’s birthday in the restaurant in Disney, but what if we cannot finish the cake and we still want to hangout in the park so anyone have any good solutions for me since I don’t want to carry the cake around but also don’t want to leave and go back to the hotel and cone back 😢 please give me some advices thank you
I have a question for anyone who has slept in one of Disney's murphy beds. Are they just as comfortable as a regular bed or are they similar to a pull out couch? I've noticed that instead of 2 queens, Disney has been putting in 1 queen and a Murphy bed. We are going in Sept and I'm afraid of the murphy bed. Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks.
Most Murphy beds are fine and no issue. The pull out coach is nearly as comfortable and at AKL is a firm NO. I usually switch one of my home resorts because of the pull out coach. I usually stow the Murphy bed before we leave because most are tight space. We did POR and AllStars for RunDisney….no issue. I have a teenager.
You do have to wonder: Why initially build such a tiny studio room in the Rivera? Is that Disney thinking people wouldn't care? Why purposefully leave off elevators at the Caribbean place? Weird decision. Great advice about bringing white noise makers. A few hundred extra steps for some peace and quiet? Rancho section at Coronado sounds great to me.
Building codes do not require elevators for two story buildings. The tiny studios are a hit with DVC because they help people maximize their points usage.
or ya know, If you don't need the "wheelchair button" just put tape or sticky notes on it. SIMPLE it's not rocket sicence. I love The French Quarter, but are you that broke that you can't provide a sliding door on the bathroom? or is that some weird historical thing?
This is just my opinion. I mean, I’m thinking why would anyone want to go to Disney when all you have to do is compete for everything. From dinner reservations to hotel rooms that are super overpriced food that is mediocre at best. We went one time and that was enough, it was nothing but pain stress and heartache. I do not think it’s the world’s happiest place not a longshot once again just my opinion.
Sorry that you had a negative experience but not everyone does. Disney has its pros and cons but is still a magical place for me. Now I will say that I dont know what the hype is about Universal Studios. Once last summer was enough for me.
I really think the Riviera Tower Studio was supposed to have a split bath. Compared to the size of the bedroom/living room the bathroom is enormous. My best guess is someone vetoed the split bath at the last minute.
