8 Totally True Facts About Walt Disney World Resorts

Guests who visit Walt Disney World can be sure to get the most out of their vacations by staying on property at a Disney Resort. With over twenty options to choose from, Disney Resorts are broken down into three categories with Deluxe being the most expensive, Value being the most reasonable, and Moderate falling somewhere in the middle. No matter what Disney Resort a guests chooses, they are sure to enjoy unique themes, pools, amenities, dining, shopping, transportation, and recreation. With so many amazing experiences to be had at Disney Resorts, it is no wonder why guests love staying there and often have a favorite “home resort” which they return to time and time again. Here are eight totally true facts about Walt Disney World Resorts that guests might not have known!

8. Scales

Guests who stay at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort can feel as though they have been transported to New Orleans through charming streets, wrought iron details, jazz music, and a festive atmosphere. A favorite feature of the Disney Resort is the pool area Doubloon Lagoon. The area features playful alligators who play jazz instruments and squirt water, a kiddie pool, and a slide that is sure to thrill all guests. The slide is unique in that it is comprised of a massive serpent who is winding his way around the pool and being ridden by Poseidon. The beast’s tongue is the actual slide which guests can enjoy flying down into the waters below. Many guests probably recognize the serpent, but might not realize that his name is Scales!

7. Stormalong Bay

One of the most amazing pool areas in all of Walt Disney World can only be accessed by guests staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort or Disney’s Beach Club Resort. Stormalong Bay features three acres of aquatic fun including an elevated sun deck, water slides, hot tubs, a kiddie pool, lazy river, and a zero depth entry sand bottomed pool. With so many amazing features to enjoy and relax with, it is no wonder why so many guests love Stormalong Bay.

6. The Biggest Pool

While many of the pools in Walt Disney World are huge, the largest can be found at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort in the Finding Nemo section. The Big Blue Pool features larger than life statues of the characters from the Pixar classic Finding Nemo as well as underwater speakers, a zero depth entry, the Schoolyard, and Squirt’s Righteous Reef making it fun for the entire family to enjoy together.

5. Disney’s Yacht Club Resort’s Hidden Mickey

Guests who stay at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort can enjoy a nautical theme rich in detail and ambiance. The beautiful lobby features a massive globe for guests to enjoy when they first enter. Those who look closely on the globe can even spot a classic Hidden Mickey in the waters near Madagascar right next to a sea serpent.

4. Quiet Waves

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort invites guests to enjoy the spirit of the South Seas with white sand beaches, a tiki theme, burning torches, and a swaying tropical breeze. While the beaches are beautiful, Imagineers originally had installed a wave machine on the floor of Seven Seas Lagoon to create realistic waves to help guests believe that they were really at the ocean. Unfortunately, the wave machine quickly caused unwanted erosion and it was soon turned off to remain dormant at the bottom of Seven Seas Lagoon.

3. Disney’s Contemporary Resort’s Construction

One of the most architecturally interesting buildings in all of Walt Disney World is Disney’s Contemporary Resort on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon. The Disney Resort features a modern design with a lobby featuring soaring glass paneled sides and a monorail station in the middle of it. Guests might be surprised to learn that Disney’s Contemporary Resort was actually put together piece by piece and rooms were slid into place on the building’s frame upon completion.

2. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort’s Inspiration

The flagship Disney Resort is Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa which allows guests to relax in Victorian opulence from a time in the past. The lobby of the Disney Resort features a beautiful glass atrium ceiling and intricate white lattice work transporting guests back in time. While Victorian details are used throughout Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, the exterior of the Disney Resort might look familiar to some guests thanks to its main inspiration from the famous Hotel del Coronado in Coronado Springs, California.

1. Original Art

A favorite Disney Resort of many guests is Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge which invites them to step directly into Africa with an amazing theme and a sweeping savannah full of animals like giraffes and zebras. Part of what makes the Disney Resort’s theme feel so cohesive is the extensive amount of artwork and artifacts scattered throughout the lobby and different areas. What some guests might not realize is that every piece of artwork at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is authentic from Africa!