Just this week, Disney announced a large overhaul to the booking process for resort stays at Walt Disney World. Previously, when booking a stay at a Walt Disney World resort, guests were presented with a plethora of different options for room categories depending on the hotel – sometimes as many as a dozen different room types & categories per resort. This often led to a confusing booking process for the guest, increased prices for each extra category, & delays in assigning specific rooms to guests arriving early.

Now, however, Disney is simplifying most room types down to just 3 categories: Theme Park View, Water View, & Resort View. These 3 categories have already gone into affect when searching for Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World, & it is assumed that the changes will continue to roll out over time for most Moderate & Value Resorts, as well.

There are a large number of room categories that are no longer able to be booked per resort & have been grouped into the new 3 room types, including lagoon view, pool view, garden view, marina view, preferred view, standard view, & many more. Over the past few decades, more & more room categories were introduced across each resort on Walt Disney World property, further complicating the booking process & adding higher fees to each new room category that was added. This new move should help alleviate many of those headaches & price increases.

WHAT DO THE 3 NEW CATEGORIES ENTAIL?

Theme Park View is the least common of the new categories, & is a room with an un-obstructed view of a Theme Park, such as rooms overlooking Magic Kingdom at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, & a few others.

Pool View is a room with a view of the resort pool, nearby lagoon or lake, or other water (and, in some cases, garden) view. Examples of this are rooms overlooking Bay Lake at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, rooms overlooking the lagoon at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, or any room with an un-obstructed view of a resort pool.

Resort View is the most common of the 3 new categories, & will be the general all-encompassing room type for obstructed views of water or a theme park, & any other views facing a parking lot, building, or other resort area. In general, most rooms previously dubbed “Standard View” will now be deemed Resort View rooms.

ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS?

Of course, there are still exceptions to the new rule, & many resorts have yet to roll out the new categories. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, for example, will still have “Savannah View” rooms among their room categories, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge will still have “Fireworks View” categories, & many Value Resorts still have “Preferred View” rooms listed, as well. It is unknown if these room categories will be phased out over time or will remain at some select resorts, such as Disney’s Pop Century Resort or any of the Disney All-Star Resorts.

It is important to note that guests may still request a specific room type or view not listed in the 3 new categories, but these are only available on a limited basis & requests may not be guaranteed, especially if the request is for a room in a higher-tiered category than what was booked.

New room categories will also be affect for all Walt Disney World Resort bookings in 2024, which officially open on May 30th of this year. Fill out the form below to get your own complimentary quote from a Magic Family Getaways Travel Advisor for your next Disney vacation!