WDW hotels ranked #1 - #26 on Trip Advisor

[TheLittleKatie]

Hi dis-ers

So I just checked out Trip Advisor's list of Disney World hotels.
These are ranked #1 - #26 based on customer reviews.

(I think a couple of these are known as Downtown Disney Hotels, but aren't official Disney Hotels. But I'll include them anyway.)

1. Holiday Inn Orlando - Lake Buena Vista
2. Wilderness Lodge
3. Villas at the Wilderness Lodge
4. Animal Kingdom Lodge
5. Bay Lake Tower
6. Port Orleans French Quarter
7. Saratoga Springs
8. Boardwalk Villas
9. Grand Floridian
10. Double Tree Suites at the Hilton - Lake Buena Vista
11. Boardwalk Inn
12. Old Key West
13. Beach Club
14. Port Orleans Riverside
15. Yacht Club
16. Beach Club Villas
17. Polynesian
18. Pop Century
19. Hilton - Lake Buena Vista
20. Swan and Dolphin
21. All Star Music
22. Contemporary
23. All Star Movies
24. All Star Sports
25. Caribbean Beach
26. Coronado Springs

I thought this would be an interesting conversation starter!

Personally I'm surprised at Coronado Springs being last on the list. I've never actually visited this resort, but the photos always look beautiful. Maybe it's last because it's so big and difficult to navigate?

I'm also fairly surprised that the Poly and the Contemporary are so far down the list. I'm assuming this is a price / value for money issue.

So what do you guys think of this list?
Anything that surprises you?

 

[DisneyChristmas]

Yes, our favorites are the Contemporary and Poly. They're at the top of our list!

I think that you're correct about Coronado being so large and hosting many large groups. I've not stayed there but have heard from friends that it's too convention like and not as "Disney" feeling.

 

[nkereina]

Also surprised about CSR. It is large but certainly not difficult to navigate - it's a big circle, essentially. I'd think CBR would be harder to get around. I think with CSR, the conventions are a turn off and we found the food to be bad - it's different than other Disney food as the restaurants/food court are run by a third party vendor. We ordered a pizza and it was NOT the same as Disney pizza. It was a flatbread/thin crust type pizza. Not good. So that might put some people off.

Are these rankings just from best to worst? Is there any kind of weight on them based on the number of reviews?

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Yes, our favorites are the Contemporary and Poly. They're at the top of our list!

I know the Poly has a big following, I was expecting it to be much higher, at least top 10!

Are these rankings just from best to worst? Is there any kind of weight on them based on the number of reviews?

The ratings are determined by the number of reviews, how favourable the reviews are, and how old or recent the reviews are.

Trip Advisor say they "use a proprietary algorithm to take into account what real travellers like you think - quantity, quality and recency of TripAdvisor reviews."

 

[Danadanes]

I imagine the low Coronado rating stems from the fact that a LOT of people staying there and reviewing it (conventioneers) never wanted to be in Disney World in the first place. And, for the price no Disney moderate will stack up to a Marriott or a Hilton. They just aren't as nice. You pay for the bubble, but if you never wanted to be in the bubble in the first place...low rating.

 

[elaw]

I imagine the low Coronado rating stems from the fact that a LOT of people staying there and reviewing it (conventioneers) never wanted to be in Disney World in the first place. And, for the price no Disney moderate will stack up to a Marriott or a Hilton. They just aren't as nice. You pay for the bubble, but if you never wanted to be in the bubble in the first place...low rating.

Good Point!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We're not surprised at WL's high ranking. It offers so many Disney deluxe amenities in a beautiful location at a comparatively good price. It gets the value points for us!

 

[XtraEdGe]

Hi dis-ers

So I just checked out Trip Advisor's list of Disney World hotels.
These are ranked #1 - #26 based on customer reviews.

(I think a couple of these are known as Downtown Disney Hotels, but aren't official Disney Hotels. But I'll include them anyway.)

1. Holiday Inn Orlando - Lake Buena Vista
2. Wilderness Lodge
3. Villas at the Wilderness Lodge
4. Animal Kingdom Lodge
5. Bay Lake Tower
6. Port Orleans French Quarter
7. Saratoga Springs
8. Boardwalk Villas
9. Grand Floridian
10. Double Tree Suites at the Hilton - Lake Buena Vista
11. Boardwalk Inn
12. Old Key West
13. Beach Club
14. Port Orleans Riverside
15. Yacht Club
16. Beach Club Villas
17. Polynesian
18. Pop Century
19. Hilton - Lake Buena Vista
20. Swan and Dolphin
21. All Star Music
22. Contemporary
23. All Star Movies
24. All Star Sports
25. Caribbean Beach
26. Coronado Springs

I thought this would be an interesting conversation starter!

Personally I'm surprised at Coronado Springs being last on the list. I've never actually visited this resort, but the photos always look beautiful. Maybe it's last because it's so big and difficult to navigate?

I'm also fairly surprised that the Poly and the Contemporary are so far down the list. I'm assuming this is a price / value for money issue.

So what do you guys think of this list?
Anything that surprises you?

Glad to know we're staying at the #2 ranked WDW resort this coming trip.

We're not surprised at WL's high ranking. It offers so many Disney deluxe amenities in a beautiful location at a comparatively good price. It gets the value points for us!

This is true. The location and the price that we got were the reasons why we chose this resort.

 

[toodycat]

It's not surprising that the less expensive deluxes, WL and AKL, are near the top. Both are excellent and the price tags are not quite as off putting as GF or Poly where the prices are more likely to elicit the "This certainly wasn't worth x dollars per night"'review.Also, there is a cohort of trip advisor contributors who begin a lot of reviews with "I have stayed at many five star properties and this is not a TRUE five star" and that type of review would depress the rankings of some deluxes. I'm not surprised that CSR was at the bottom. If I were at WDW for business, I'd rather be at the Swan or the Dolphin. My last trip to CSR was over a decade ago, so it certainly may have improved since we decided not to return. But, we didn't find CSR food particularly great and the property was lacking in amenities business people might look for. The theming reminded me of a Hilton I stayed at Phoenix, which was not an atmosphere I was eager to replicate. As for navigating CSR, my mother-in-law stayed there for a charity convention and did not appreciate getting stuck in the rain waiting for the bus to get to the main banquet area. Certainly, there are resorts on that list with fewer amenities than CSR, but they probably lived up to the expectations of their guests more consistently.

 

[TheLittleKatie]

I imagine the low Coronado rating stems from the fact that a LOT of people staying there and reviewing it (conventioneers) never wanted to be in Disney World in the first place. And, for the price no Disney moderate will stack up to a Marriott or a Hilton. They just aren't as nice. You pay for the bubble, but if you never wanted to be in the bubble in the first place...low rating.

That's a good point! I wouldn't have thought of that.

Glad to know we're staying at the #2 ranked WDW resort this coming trip.

Have a great time!!

Another thing that surprises me about this list is the difference between Port Orleans French Quarter (#6) and Port Orleans Riverside (#14). I MUCH prefer POR

 

[aimeebarb]

I'm surprised and pleased to Saratoga so high up. Based on how little it's discussed on disboards, I am sort of expecting an 'eh' experience. Maybe it's because tripadvisor has more international travelers and they stay here more often due to price and dvc rentals? I don't know.

 

[aimeebarb]

Removing dupe post

 

[andyman8]

LOL at putting a Holiday Inn above GF. Personally, that's my favorite resort, so it'd be number one in my book!

Also, disappointed to see CBR so low. In my opinion, that resort offers a much better value than most of the others with Disney often offering some of the best specials for that resort. The size has never been a big deal for me (I usually get put close to OPR anyway) and the theming is just great!

 

[blackmamba10000]

I'm surprised and pleased to Saratoga so high up. Based on how little it's discussed on disboards, I am sort of expecting an 'eh' experience. Maybe it's because tripadvisor has more international travelers and they stay here more often due to price and dvc rentals? I don't know.

My husband's family live in Wales in the UK. This is where they stayed when they came to Disney World. I too was surprised to see it ranked so high.

 

[ParrotBill]

I use Tripadvisor a lot and write a lot of reviews there too. Placement is heavily dependent on # of reviews and their age.

Some resorts are now celebrating their Tripadvisor status and working hard to encourage guests to post reviews. It used to be only those truly delighted or truly unhappy posted reviews. Now there is a wide range and you need to read those reviews to understand what the motives may be.

I stayed at a resort in the Riviera Maya south of Cancun last week where the staff hands out little cards with tripadvisor info and the person's name suggesting you recognize their service. Brilliant. As a result, Hacienda Tres Rios has many reviews and a great standing among many resorts in their area.

If a few people post bad reviews, and there aren't many positive recent reviews, a hotel's status can fall like a rock! I always read recent bad reviews and try to figure out why they had a bad time. Most of the time they had bad expectations, or a bad meal, or ran into a cranky staff person. I look for the truly bad, like hot water not working, or hidden charges, before I decide if I agree with the rating.

 

[TheLittleKatie]

It used to be only those truly delighted or truly unhappy posted reviews. Now there is a wide range and you need to read those reviews to understand what the motives may be.

This is true, it's good to check out the 4* and 3* ratings to get a good idea of the pros and cons of a hotel.
I'm definitely going to start doing some reviews

 

[tinkerbella16]

Glad to see my favorite in the Top 10 at #6! Surprised that Riverside is #14... This is such a popular resort and one that can cater to a family of 5, so they can save a bit by staying there instead of deluxe. But I am glad to see WL and AKL do so well in the ranks- they are reasonably priced without going too far like the others.

If it were my list POFQ would be at the top at #1 with Riverside at #2.

 

[disney meema]

Our upcoming stay is at #4 animal kingdom lodge and number #9 Floridian ... The holiday inn surprised me the most

 

[Happyjen27]

I think that CR and Poly are both suffering from the syndrome a PP mentioned, at that price point, one expects a lot more. Expectations set by a dollar amount are not met. The reason I gladly pay that price point is only in comparison to what I would get elsewhere on Disney Property.

When comparing hotels outside of the Disney Bubble; what the same dollars buy me elsewhere is staggeringly depressing when compared to the rooms at Poly and even CR.

 

[saskdw]

I imagine the low Coronado rating stems from the fact that a LOT of people staying there and reviewing it (conventioneers) never wanted to be in Disney World in the first place. And, for the price no Disney moderate will stack up to a Marriott or a Hilton. They just aren't as nice. You pay for the bubble, but if you never wanted to be in the bubble in the first place...low rating.

This is exactly what I was going to say!

Most of the reviews don't reflect Disney vacationers.