This is part five of my series on traveling solo to Walt Disney World. In part four, I discussed the solo traveler’s transportation options at Disney World.  In section five, I will review lodging options.

Disney's Boardwalk Inn

Where should the solo traveler stay at Disney World?

Many people prefer to stay on-site in a Disney resort for easy access to the parks and resort facilities and the “magic” of staying on property.  Other advantages to staying on-site are access to Disney’s (free) Magical Express bus to and from the airport, being able to charge expenses to your room via your room key, and participating in Extra Magic Hours. (Each day, one Disney park opens an hour early and one closes late to allow guests extra time to enjoy the park.)  Perhaps not surprisingly, my entire panel of solo travel experts stay on property.

Fran from Pittsburgh says, “Any Disney hotel is great. There are four levels of hotels at Disney: value, moderate, deluxe and home away from home.  I’ve stayed at all levels.  While the value hotels are fine, there are tons of kids, so my preference are the deluxe hotels.  My favorite is the Polynesian for the theming and incredibly relaxing atmosphere, although the Yacht Club and Boardwalk Inn are both great for their proximity to Epcot & Hollywood Studios.  The Beach Club is in the same area but there are soooo many kids there I tend to avoid it because of the noise level in the lobby.  I also really like Port Orleans Riverside (moderate).  Even though it’s a large resort, I enjoy the lush landscaping and the walkways.”

Fran’s point about children is well-taken. If you are traveling without children, ask yourself if you want to be surrounded by them (and the higher noise levels) all day in the parks and at night in your hotel, or if you would prefer a more relaxing, quieter environment at a resort where there are fewer children?  There are three resorts on Disney property that are considered “more adult” than the others, because conventioneers often stay there:  The Swan and the Dolphin (owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, but located in the Boardwalk area) and Coronado Springs, a moderate resort.  These might be good options for anyone looking for a higher ratio of adults to children during their stay.  The beauty of staying in hotels hosting conventions is that during the convention meeting times, other guests pretty much have the run of the property.  Which means you probably won’t have to hunt too hard to find a lounge chair by the pool.   You can also find nearby hotels off-site that are predominantly business hotels.  You won’t get the same magic you would at a Disney hotel, but you’ll still get great amenities and be surrounded by other adults.

Disney's Coronado Springs resort

If you’re looking for peace and quiet and fewer children, you should probably avoid the Value Resorts .  They tend to attract more families and youth groups, such as cheerleading teams.  They also do not offer table service dining at the resorts, if that is important to you.  They have very basic amenities. Refrigerators in the rooms are not complimentary here, but you can arrange for one for a modest fee.

I stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter (a moderate) and I don’t recall there being an overabundance of children or noise (except at breakfast), but then, it was a less crowded time of year.  The grounds were lovely, and the greatest benefit of this resort is the boat service to Downtown Disney.  I probably would not stay here again, though, because of the lack of a table service restaurant (you have to go over to Port Orleans Riverside for that).

Bill Brown from CA has different priorities for his preferred hotel.  He likes the Pop Century Resort (a value resort), which is also very popular with families, because “it has its own buses to and from the parks and POP is value priced, which allows me to enjoy a longer WDW visit with less of a drain on my wallet.” Pop’s dedicated bus system is a plus if you do decide to stay at a value resort.  The other three value resorts all share one bus system, which means it takes longer to get anywhere and the buses are more crowded.  Bill’s point about price is important.  Budget is a big consideration for all travelers, but especially for solos, since you have no one to share the room cost with.  Your heart may say “deluxe,” but your wallet may say “value.”  What is your budget and how long do you want to be at Disney?  Which is more important to you–staying at a resort with all the amenities or having more days at Disney?  This will determine what level of resort you can afford.  To get an idea of what each resort level offers for amenities, check out the resort comparison chart at Disney’s website.

If budget is your primary consideration, and you plan to have a car anyway, you might consider staying off-site and driving to and from Disney.  You can generally find better bargains off-site.  This would especially make sense if you plan to do more in Orlando than just Disney (Sea World, Universal, downtown Orlando, etc.).

Another factor for the solo female traveler is security.  Where will you feel safest?  For my money, it would be a Disney resort.  I can’t imagine not feeling pretty safe on Disney property.  Betsy from WDWForGrownUps.com prefers Disney’s deluxe hotels because “they offer better room service, more options for spa treatments, a gym/workout room, and decent dining options on-site.  They offer a tad more security as well: you can valet your car and not have to make the walk from the parking lot, through the outdoor hallways, to your room.”

Obviously, taste in hotels, budgets and priorities are all very personal.  Only you can decide  where you will feel most comfortable.  The variety of options in and around Disney World are plentiful.  You should do some careful research online before you make your decision about which one is right for you.  Not all hotels are created equally.  Tripadvisor is a great resource for getting the “inside scoop” from other travelers about what a hotel is really like.

If you are certain you want to stay on-site, though, the best piece of advice I can give you is to save yourself a lot of time and consult a Disney travel specialist.  (There is no fee for this service.)  As I have mentioned in this blog before, I booked my Disney World stay through Debbie Kuhns of Magical Journeys.   She and her colleagues know everything about Disney resorts and the discounts available to you and will do everything they can to get you the best deal possible.  Let them do the heavy lifting for you; after all, it’s your vacation!

Next up:  Solo Dining at Disney