Hotel Room Sizes at Disney World
The size of your hotel room might be an important factor in determining where to stay at Walt Disney World. In this post, we compare the square footage of every standard hotel room so you can decide which hotel is the right size for your vacation. We often hear that room size is important, but it’s often difficult to translate what these numbers mean relative to one another.
If I told you a particular hotel room was 325 square feet, without any context, would you know whether that’s large or small? Unless your name is Dwight Schrute or you’re a Disney blogger, I’m guessing the first thing you do when you get to a hotel room is bust out a tape measure. It’s thus hard to visualize how square footage numbers translate to actual rooms. Obviously, a higher number is better, but beyond that…? Or, maybe I’m totally wrong and I’m the only one with no concept of room sizes when presented in isolation. I’ll readily admit that a single square footage number meant little to me until I became more familiar with the hotel industry.
So, what is average? According to New York University Center for Hospitality and Tourism professor Bjorn Hanson, one of the nation’s leading hotel management experts, about 330 square feet (so that 325 square feet room is small!), down from 350 square feet two decades ago. Sizings are trending downward further, as minimalist designs and a focus on other amenities becomes more prominent. This is partially due to space-saving designs, and partially the fault of millennials (isn’t everything?).
The turning point for me was when Len Testa & Laurel Stewart shared a photo of their driveway with Walt Disney World room sizes tapped off. The photo demonstrably illustrated just how significant the size difference is between Value and Deluxe Resorts. This, coupled with starting to travel and spend more time in hotel rooms made me give a lot more thought to room size. Prior to then, that it was just the two of us and we were taking short trips with mostly park time made it matter less.
I think it’s also true that once you’re spoiled by the Deluxe Resorts, it’s hard to go back to the Value Resorts. (Cautionary words before you decide to TREAT YO SELF.) When we recently stayed at All Star Sports, I found myself asking, “have the rooms always been this small?!” Of course, I knew Disney hadn’t shrunk the rooms in its latest round of cuts. It still felt like returning to your childhood home and realizing it was far more modestly sized than you remember.
Now that we have context in terms of a United States’ average for hotel room size, let’s compare the sizes of various hotel rooms at Walt Disney World to one another…
Value Resorts: 260 Square Feet
In terms of size, none of the standard Value Resort rooms offer any advantages over the others–not even the newer and more expensive Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation. By standard rooms, we mean non-suites; preferred rooms differ only in location, not in layout or size. Standard Value Resort rooms feature either 2 double beds or 1 king. As compared to the industry norm, rooms at the Value Resorts are pretty small. This has never been an issue with just the 2 of us (although I do notice it now), but if you’re a family of 4 taking a week-plus vacation to Walt Disney World, you might want to splurge on a larger room to avoid the costly fallout from cabin fever down the road.
All of the Value Resorts currently utilize this space the same way, so they all “feel” the same size, too. Expect this to change in the near future. Well, maybe. Disney is currently testing new rooms at Pop Century Resort (it’s a fantastic looking retro-modern style!) and while these rooms are not any larger than the rooms at other Value Resorts, they utilize space much better. While the exact design is likely subject to change, the layout changes borrow elements from remodeled Moderate Resorts and the Value Resort Family Suites, so those are more likely to come to fruition.
While Disney’s Value Resorts can feel a bit cramped, these layout changes are a silver lining. The shift from CRT televisions to flat-panel LCD televisions was described to me as “revolutionary” for Disney’s design plans due to the space-saving possibilities it opened. We have noticed Disney’s recent room designs leveraging these possibilities along with other creative design approaches…and more tasteful decor! It all makes us wonder if Disney hired some new blood to revitalize its lagging room designs, as recent refurbishments have been fresh and inspired. But we digress–back to room sizes…
Moderate Resorts: 314 Square Feet
Now we’re getting closer to the current industry average. The 50-some extra square feet makes these rooms “feel” larger than Value Resorts, but the there’s not much more empty floor space since the standard 2 double beds at the Value Resorts are upgraded to 2 queen beds at Moderates. This is nice when it comes to sleep comfort, but in practical terms, it doesn’t translate to much of a noticeable difference in useable space. Now, if you compare a king bed Value to a king bed Moderate, it’s totally different, and the size gain can be felt big-time. Everyone’s preferences will vary, but we feel satisfied with the size of a Moderate Resort with a king size bed, and find it to be sufficient.
The uniform size across every Moderate doesn’t tell the whole story. Caribbean Beach Resort and the Alligator Bayou section of Port Orleans Riverside both have replaced clunky dressers that used to hold televisions with slimmer fold-down beds. This is a negligible difference in terms of walking space around the room, but we think it opens the room up a bit. For us, the fold-down bed makes the room “feel” larger and it’s another place to sit as opposed to just being a dresser that (in our case, at least) was dead space. Maybe this is all in our heads, but that’s our assessment. It’s far from a huge difference (it matters much more that it enables these rooms to sleep 5), but it helps.
Deluxe Lodging: 344 Square Feet
Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge (get it, Deluxe Lodging?! Yeah…I’m a dork) are slightly larger than the Moderate Resorts, and smaller than the other Deluxes. Given that the Lodges are typically in between Moderates and other Deluxes in terms of price, this makes sense.
These are two of our favorite resorts in all of Walt Disney World, but if I’m being honest, the size difference between the Moderates and Deluxe Resorts is not all that noticeable to me. Both are sufficient, size-wise, but I feel like the difference between the Lodges and other Deluxes–or even the Lodges and Deluxe Villas–is greater than the Moderates and the Lodges. Maybe it’s the way they utilize space, or maybe it’s all in my head. I dunno, but that’s my take.
Deluxe Villas/DVC Studios: ~355-365 Square Feet
This is the level at which we start to really notice the differences among resorts that are similarly situated. Most Deluxe Villa studios are within 10 square feet of one another in the 355-365 range. Saratoga Springs studios are 355 square feet, Wilderness Lodge studios are 356 square feet, BoardWalk Villas studios are 359 square feet, and Beach Club Villas studios are 365 square feet. Animal Kingdom Villa studios are also mostly 365 square feet.
Then, there are outliers. The “value” studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge is the smallest at 314 square feet, while the Old Key West studio is the largest at 390 square feet. Old Key West was the original Disney Vacation Club resort, and Disney started big with it. (Although legend has it that Conch Flats’ first mayor was Jimmy Buffett himself, and he demanded the larger rooms. Yet another reason Jimmy Buffett is a national treasure.)
Disney decided to “trim the fat” off of its room designs at Bay Lake Tower, and its studios came in at 339 square feet. This concerned some DVC members, who worried it would start a trend of Disney trying to squeeze more rooms into the buildings. Fortunately, this was a one-off, and the trend was reversed with another outlier, the 374 square feet rooms of the Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Even more impressive are the Polynesian Villas, which can shapeshift T-1000 style from 447 square feet to 465 square feet, depending upon who you ask (they’re actually 465). Either way, they are the largest villas (since they are a retro fit of the also large standard Poly rooms).
Joining DVC spoiled us with these larger studios with a bed, couch, and kitchenette. The pull-out couch in place of a bed really makes a difference in terms of how spacious the room feels. The first time we stayed in a studio, it was in the BoardWalk Villas on our honeymoon, and being able to crash on the floor and do snow angels after a day of Drinking Around World Showcase was the ultimate triumph. (What…no one else does this…?) Pictured above is historical footage of the actual location where said snow angel action took place; the style has changed a bit since back in the day.
We have friends who scoff at even the studio rooms and insist upon the larger 1-bedroom villas. For those of us who don’t dive into a pool of money, Uncle Scrooge-style, every night, the studios are a great option. (You don’t have to be a DVC member to book these–anyone can book them as Deluxe Villa Studios.) Even though they can be significantly smaller, I think these rooms stack up really well to their larger Epcot and Magic Kingdom Deluxe counterparts (especially if those counterparts have 2 queen beds…which is admittedly an unfair comparison).
Epcot Deluxes: 370-380 Square Feet
The room sizes at the regular Deluxe Resorts pretty much track prices. The Crescent Lake resorts near Epcot are middle of the road in terms of both price and size, with BoardWalk’s rooms being 370 square feet and Yacht & Beach Club rooms both being 380 square feet.
There are a few different room arrangements possible at these resorts, with the most common choices being 2 queen beds or a king bed and sleeper couch. If you want to get your snow angel-on, you’ll want the rooms with king beds and sleeper couches.
Magic Kingdom Deluxes: 394-440 Square Feet
Excluding Wilderness Lodge (discussed above) there are 3 Magic Kingdom Deluxes, all of which are pretty large. Over at the Polynesian, standard hotel rooms are 415 square feet (disregard other numbers that you might find–they aren’t right.) Disney’s Contemporary Resort has 437 square feet rooms.
Then there’s the Grand Floridian. At 440 square feet, it’s the largest standard hotel room at Walt Disney World. Makes sense, because guests at the Grand need extra space to set up their inflatable money pool (perfect for travel!), to store their Swarovski Cinderella Castle, and for the stacks of other royal treasures they acquire from Arribas Brothers.
Cabins & Beyond: 500-2800 Square Feet
Perhaps it’s fitting irony that guests who choose to “rough it” are rewarded with 504 square foot rooms, the largest standard option at Walt Disney World, in the Fort Wilderness Cabins. At price points lower than many Deluxe Resort options, the cabins offer solid value, especially for larger parties.
Beyond the cabins, there are the family suites, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and Grand Villas, all of which offer increasing amounts of space at price points to match. To my knowledge, the largest rooms at Walt Disney World are the Grand Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian, at a whopping 2,800 square feet. It’s a good thing that these are way out of our price range, because if we booked that room, I’m pretty sure this would be me the entire trip:
Literally. I’d never even visit the parks.
It wouldn’t surprise me if there are even larger specialty suites at Deluxes so exclusive that commoners like us don’t even know they exist. I’ve been in a few different Grand Villas, and I’m pretty sure I could live in any of them without ever stepping foot in the outside world again.
In the end, a lot of factors come into play when choosing a resort hotel at Walt Disney World. Budget, theme, location, dining, and amenities all matter. Now, I’ve either thrown a wrench into this by adding another variable to the mix for those who had not considered room size (sorry?) or hopefully helped clarify things for those who wondered about size but didn’t have a frame of reference (you’re welcome?). The sweet spot for ideal room size is basically a Goldilocks kind of scenario, but now you have some objective info plus our subjective take on it. Hope that helps!
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Your Thoughts
What’s your “sweet spot” for hotel room size? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of the “feel” of different rooms? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
Pop Century rooms now feature 2 queens. One bed is a fold-down queen bed. Dressers and TVs have been replaced with sleeker and slimmer models. There is now also a coffee maker in the room and a somewhat split bathroom area with a separate vanity area outside of the shower/tub/toilet. All Star Movies has already begun with these renovations to their rooms.
The update at Pop definitely helps make it a consideration for folks wanting to try a skyliner trip without needing around an inflatable pool of expendable cash.
Well, a bit late to the party, but this is a good resource guide, so I thought I’d add one thing I’ve noticed. One resource our family has used for decades is Birnbaum’s guide, the “official” Disney guide. That “official” tag, of course, has pluses and minuses that come with it. But one thing in it (and has been for decades) is a description of the Caribbean Beach Resort rooms being 340 sq. feet, which is bigger than the 314 sq. feet at Port Orleans. My understanding is that this is because CBR was Disney’s first attempt at a “value” resort (not counting Fort Wilderness and the campgrounds), Disney was more generous with room size than they would be in later versions of both moderate and value resorts.
Oh, and as for your loving space, I’ve no idea how much there was, but the long-gone Fairway Villas were pretty darn sweet.
Size matters when you have older teens or a family of 5. We can’t afford a 2nd room for our 2 older boys, so we have been priced out of going.
Have you checked in to renting DVC points? We have done this during our last four trips and will continue to do so unless/until we buy into DVC ourselves. It allows us to stay in deluxe accommodations at a price that is somewhere between value and moderate pricing.
I never thought too much about hotel room sizes… until we stayed in a ~600 square foot room in NYC. That spoiled us!
In Disney terms, the values were tight with a stroller in the room, but seem perfectly adequate to us otherwise. An post-stroller, they work fine. The extra space at a moderate is appreciated, but we’re not the types that are in the room for much more than sleep and a shower.
Dang… posted on the same article twice. 🙂 These really need dates on the header.
Since we don’t spend a ton of time in our room other than for sleeping, the size doesn’t bother me as much as no microwave or even a coffee maker in the value resorts. C’mon Disney…you can do better even in a small space. We’ve stayed at Port Orleans…LOVED, and the Caribbean…was ok. This time we’re trying Pop Century. We’ll see how it goes.
Hi Tom! Love the blog. Do you know if the beds in any of the values can actually be moved, as in, pushed together to make room for say, a twin air mattress?
Last year we stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort my daughter used a twin air mattress and it worked fine with out moving the beds. (having an 18yr old son and a 20 yr old daughter, she didn’t want to sleep with me again) She didn’t want to sleep by the door so we placed the mattress in front of the TV area. In the morning we moved it between the bed and bathroom wall. She was happy and it worked out well for us.
I can attest that you REALLY feel the difference when moving to a smaller room. Last trip our flight was canceled last minute and we had to stay an extra two nights- so we downgraded from our Poly DVC studio to a room at all star movies.
For two adults and a baby with a pack and play those 260 dingy square feet of a 1990 motel room were not pleasant.
I’m an engineer, so square footage works perfectly well for me. Heck, I’d even go with square meters. 😀
But I appreciate the post! we find the smaller rooms adequate, particularly once we were past the age of needing a stroller. But larger rooms are certainly a plus. I’m curious what the average European hotel size is compared to American. From my (quite limited) experience, the Value resorts would be big by continental standards.
I’m curious about price per square foot compares across the board. Will have to do some number plugging!
The Studio Villas at Beach Club resort and Bay lake towers are Super small especially BLT, like SUPER small.
Tom, I just wanted to tell you that you are not the only one who had no concept of square footage. It means absolutely nothing to me!!! That picture of the rooms mapped out on the driveway was actually really awesome to see and helped my brain understand the size differences! In any event, we always stay at Value, because we are thrifty (sounds better than cheap or poor, right??) and it’s just the two of us, so we really don’t need extra space. We usually request a king bed at Pop, which always makes the room feel bigger. I’m sure if we had kids (or if we could afford to spring for Deluxe), we would change our minds, but for now the value rooms work fine for us!
Maybe I should start staying at Shades of Green again. I knew they were some of the largest on property at 480 sq. ft. I did not realize they were bigger than the MK Deluxe rooms! Pretty eye-opening that you have to get into a Deluxe to have a room that is the size of an average American hotel room. Hmmm.
“Then there’s the Grand Floridian. At 440 square feet, it’s the largest standard hotel room at Walt Disney World. Makes sense, because guests at the Grand need extra space to set up their inflatable money pool (perfect for travel!), to store their Swarovski Cinderella Castle,”
I almost spat my coffee out laughing at this. Especially since we’re staying at the Grand this year…………..and that I collect Swarovski.
Do I need to find and Anonymous group or something? (or just buy the inflatable pool? 😉
Dare you to post this comment on the DISboards. Would give me WEEKS of entertainment.
Ha, it’s all in good fun. 🙂
Just after I wrote the article, I was thinking that maybe we should give Grand Floridian another shot. Then I looked at prices, and even with a discount, it’s more than I want to spend.
I looked at DVC availability after that, and I’m thinking maybe we’ll do the GF Villas for our Christmas trip. Just have to be ready when our 7-month window opens!
I love it!
We recently swapped from the Contemporary Theme Park View. We had a TPV in the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel over Christmas and I don’t think the Contemporary compares. Also the Grand is the closest in theme to my favourite Disney hotel – The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. I don’t think it’s as good though.
We stayed in the Grand Floridian for a conference. While it was very enjoyable, especially with small children and being so close to the MK, I would absolutely not pay rack rate for it. The conference rate was >50% savings and put it well within the same range as moderates. It’s a lovely hotel with lovely space, and the extra size was nice, but the bathrooms are still a little cramped. I compare it to the Aulani, which I think the rooms are technically smaller, but the layout and some of the small details (room under the beds for suitcases, separate toilet room, small cabinet with hot water heater and room for food) actually make it feel as spacious and more functional. to my mind, the reason to pay for the GF is the proximity to the MK, not that the rooms are so amazing.
I’m really glad you made this post! I recently spent the better part of a day looking up floor plans and their square footage to see how a crib or pack n play would work in them.
We have booked a trip for November and will have a baby at that point, and this would have been super helpful!
We’ve stayed in most of the Disney hotels (sans children) and, maybe because we’re older, have realized that we don’t care about room size. We’ve gone from value to moderate to deluxe and back to moderate and value again, and, honestly, have been quite comfortable in each room. Perhaps we value money more than square footage. Who knows.
Each category has something to offer. Value resorts save money, which can be used toward fine dining experiences. Or, in some cases, it could be either a value resort or none at all. IMO, moderate resorts are almost as comfy as deluxe ones. I think what I’m saying is, being able to vacation at Disney World is more important to us than room size.
Always look forward to your topics Tom. They’re interesting and informative. Fun too.
Any chance that you’re going to do a post on the Pop Century trial? I’d love to hear more about the changes to the room. Especially if you managed to get photos.
Unfortunately, I can’t say much more or post photos. Obviously, style is a matter of preference, but it almost reminds me of Bay Lake Tower-lite, with space-saving elements borrowed from CBR and the Art of Animation Suites.
Regardless, it’s still very early on, and the design could always change. If they do go forward with a top to bottom remodel like Caribbean Beach Resort, we’re probably looking at 2 years from now (at the earliest) before that would be done. It’s not a simple matter of swapping out some furniture.
Even though you can’t say much right now, thank you for at least reporting that there’s a test happening! My husband and I stayed at Pop Century on our last trip and didn’t find it too bad (we lucked out and got a King room). We would love to stay there with friends on our next trip, but we are definitely worried about sharing such a small room with double beds (my husband is 6’4″). I wonder if there would ever be a chance of them upgrading to queens, but I’m thinking probably not. Please report on this in the future… if you can! 🙂
Great info thanks Tom! Which hotel room is featured in your first photograph with the red couch? I can’t tell if it’s a moderate or deluxe.
I clicked on the pic, and it says it’s the Grand Floridian.
How do the Shade of Green rooms compare to all of this?
Wow that’s a lot of cool info. Thanks for taking time to write this up.
The “motel” style of the moderates is a big turn off to me, since no non Disney hotels in that price range would have doors opening to the outside.
That’s a key point of distinction for us. The Deluxes use interior corridors and have outside facing windows and balconies. The Value/Moderate use exterior corridors and the windows face out to them, so the shades are almost always closed.
Being able to step out and read a book while the kids nap is huge. Maybe it was DCL verandah rooms that ruined us, but we can only stay Deluxe now for this reason.