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Since opening in 1971, Walt Disney World in Orlando has become an American family ritual. Nowadays, Disney World offers dozens of hotels with different themes, clienteles, and rates.
While every Disney hotel or resort is dependable and well-run, some stand out, perhaps with a brilliant location, an amazing water park, or sensational dining. Here's the cream of the Disney Orlando crop for a range of budgets, starting at the top.
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort
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Carl & Ann Purcell/Getty Images
Disney's Grand Floridian is the top Disney-branded resort in Orlando, with room rates to match. Centrally set just one monorail stop from the Magic Kingdom section, Grand Floridian is as elegant inside as it is out.
It appeals to hotel guests who like the tradition and charisma of a large, dignified resort whose guests feel part of its legend. The resort's gracious design-recalling Palm Beach's golden era of the early 20th century-has become a template for lookalike Disney resorts in places like Hong Kong.
The Grand Floridian is loaded with guest amenities: club-level upgrades; a full-service spa; two vast pools with cabanas; one of Florida's most-awarded restaurants (Victoria & Albert's); and endless diversions for tots, tweens, and teens.
Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort
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Four Seasons
Resembling an Amalfi palazzo, Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort delivers high-end luxury in every way: accommodations, amenities, dining, service.
One of the very best hotels in Orlando (Disney World or no). Guests enjoy the Four Seasons brand's trademark comfort and beauty plus exclusive Disney offerings and access.
Four Seasons Orlando delivers a superb vacation experience for guests of all ages. The resort steps up for young guests, treating them to a complimentary kids' camp and free meals for those under 5. Adults can enjoy an adults-only pool and a golf course.
Disney's Contemporary Resort
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Dazzling modern design and dead-center convenience distinguish Disney's Contemporary Resort, a high-end property that is one of the three original Disney World hotels. It is near Magic Kingdom's gate, but catching the complimentary Resort Monorail as it breezes through the tower is even more fun. (Epcot is just one transfer away).
Rooms are sleek and modern, with club-level upgrade options. The design centerpiece: a 90-foot-tall mural celebrating the American Southwest and Grand Canyon. Guests can splash in a waterslide or quiet pool; once dried and dressed, savor California Grill's coastal cuisine and 15th-floor view of nightly fireworks. Kids love the resort's immersive Pixar Play Zone, too.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
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Doug Neill/Flickr/CC BY 3.0
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort is an African safari experience. This Deluxe resort, with a club-level option, perches within a 33-acre wildlife animal preserve. Its savannas and their critters are visible from many guest rooms, suites, and villas (tip: get one with a balcony). Among the exotic animals you'll spot are zebras, giraffes, and kudu (an antelope with spiral antlers).
The imposing African theme extends throughout this atmospheric resort, with tribal art and artifacts, African flavors in three restaurants (Jiko, Boma, and Sanaa), and the waterfalls and meandering streams of Uzima Springs Pool.
Disney's BoardWalk Inn Resort
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Disney's Boardwalk Inn Resort Orlando Disney World
Disney's BoardWalk Inn Resort transports guests back to good-time seaside haunts like Atlantic City, Coney Island, Santa Monica, and Galveston. Like those summer havens, this resort's hub is a boardwalk entertainment district, with saloons, arcades, and a dance hall.
The BoardWalk's splendid dining ranges from prime steak and fresh seafood at Flying Fish to fresh custard and saltwater taffy outdoors. The boardwalk itself is an ongoing carnival lively with roving musicians and acrobats. By day, guests soak up the vibe (and sun) at carnival-themed Luna Park Pool.
The resort is considered Deluxe, with high rates and a club-level upgrade option. Accommodations include rooms and suites (some over the boardwalk) and a villa section. Guests are a quick walk to Epcot and a longer stroll to Hollywood Studios and Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort
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Disney Saratoga Springs Resort Orlando
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa was inspired by the upstate New York town that offered early Americans thermal springs, spas and horse racing. This Orlando counterpart shares the elegant antique look of Saratoga Springs, with a sumptuous spa in place of the Adirondacks' hot springs. One way this Saratoga Springs outdoes its inspirational town is with championship golf at the Lake Buena Vista course.
Accommodations at this high-end Disney World resort range from trim studios to two-bedroom villas to adventurous Treehouse Villas high off the ground, with three bedrooms, two baths, and a kitchen. The resort is a pleasant stroll or quick boat ride to the Disney Springs area (formerly known as Downtown Disney).
The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
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Disney Fort Wilderness Resort Orlando
The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort is Disney World's best bargain. Many families return to its well-equipped campgrounds year after year (quite a few with their furry family members). The camp's 750-acre wooded site can accommodate every type of shelter that guests come with, from pup tents to massive RVs. Guests can also rent cabins with full kitchens and a variety of sleeping arrangements.
Campsite guests feel close to nature, yet creature comforts are many: a pool complex; privacy-enhancing landscaping; water, cable TV electrical, and sewer hook-ups; a picnic table and charcoal grill. Back country diversions include trekking, kayaking, horseback riding, and wildlife spotting. The Campsites are in the Magic Kingdom section of Disney World, and boat shuttles whisk campers back and forth.
