Disney Moms and Dads know that the magic you’re dreaming of is waiting for you in the parks. But magic begins at home, or in this case, your home away from home! If this is your first Disney trip with a toddler, this Disney adventure will look and feel different than any you’ve taken before. You’ll probably be spending more time in your Walt Disney World Resort Hotel than you ever have before, and when you do go out, you’ll have more stuff with you than you’re used to.

Disney World Hotels for Toddlers

Picking the right resort means more magic for all of you. Remember, it’s okay to make choices based on what’s going to make things easier for you. Happy Moms and Dads make for happy Disney toddlers.  Here are a few picks to help you choose the Best Disney World Hotel For Toddlers!      

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

• Category: Value Resort.
• Resort Area: Wide World of Sports Resort Area.
• Best For: Toddlers for whom the fun never stops!

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is overwhelmingly popular with young families, which means Disney Dad can relax, no one is rolling their eyes as he struggles with that folding stroller for the morning bus… we’re all on the same team here! What makes Disney’s Art of Animation Resort such a great choice for families with a toddler is that just about everywhere you go, your little Mouseketeer will encounter something nearly as thrilling to their young eyes as anything they will find in the parks. Beautiful decor along the walkways features stars of the Lion King and massive courtyard statues of friends and fiends from the Little Mermaid make for thrilling, no-queue photo-ops. The pool area in the Cars wing is wonderfully immersive and regularly has little guests as excited as they would be by a full character meet of Lightning McQueen and his friends.

The Big Blue pool at Art of Animation is the largest pool at any resort, with a Splash Pad and interactive play area that your toddler can get fully and properly exhausted in, and cool off for nap time when they (and you) need it. The quick-service restaurant, the Landscape of Flavors, is one of the biggest in any resort, with 5 food-service areas preparing different options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Your little one may not be glad of the variety that makes the resort able to offer, but you will be! You may find yourself a little more tied to your resort restaurant than you were in your pre-toddler days, and options make for well-fed Moms and Dads and, by extension, happy toddlers!

The Art of Animation Resort is also just steps further from the Skyliner station at the Pop Century Resort (see below), just another point in its favor as you search for the perfect home away from home.

Disney’s Pop Century Resort

• Category: Value Resort.
• Resort Area: Wide World of Sports Resort Area.
• Best For: Toddlers who want to get where the action is!

Disney’s Pop Century Resort is home to one of the Skyliner stations, Disney’s innovative transportation system of aerial gondolas designed to move lots of guests in a fast, stress-free manner that will help the whole family start a day of theme park fun. Once on the Skyliner you will be able to quickly make your way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT without setting foot on a bus. In fact, if you have a single stroller or a back-to-front double stroller, you won’t even have to fold up your stroller at all! (double-wide strollers have no such luck).

Photo by Morgan Flaherty

Disney’s Pop Century Resort is a sister resort to the Art of Animation and will feel familiar in many ways. The courtyard decor is just as striking, though the theming revolves around pop culture through the years, and you are more likely to see an enormous Rubix’s Cube than visit with Tow Mater. The main pool, the Hippie-Dippie Pool is nearly as large as the Big Blue Pool, and just as entertaining. The quick service restaurant, Everything POP! Does not have quite the same range of options as Landscape of Flavors, and you may find yourself taking a jaunt over the bridge to eat at Art of Animation, but the extra ease of use on the Skyliner is more than worth it. 

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside

• Category: Moderate Resort.
• Resort Area: Disney Springs Resort Area
• Best For: Toddlers who need to move at their own pace.

In general, my feeling is that Value Resorts like Art of Animation provide what most families traveling with toddlers need. But not all toddlers are built the same and for some, the pace of an average Walt Disney World Vacation, with the constant focused activity, is more stressful than magical. If your toddler tends to thrive with quiet time and a certain amount of self-directed exploration (with Mom or Dad following along, of course), you may wish to consider spending some time at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside. As a moderate resort, you can expect a little more space, both inside the cabins of Alligator Bayou or out and about on the quiet paths and boardwalks of Ol’ Man Island, where you are likely to discover some of the resort’s many hammocks.

Photo by Laurie Sapp

The main pool area also includes a charming kiddie pool that is more toddler friendly, and there is regular boat service between Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and its sister resort Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter and the Disney Springs shopping district. The boat ride is a leisurely 20 minutes either way and is in itself a lovely, quiet activity for a little one who values such things. This kind of stay would depend on spending more time in the resort than you might be accustomed to, but if you feel your child would enjoy a stay with that kind of energy, and get more from the theme park experience by not pressing for too much, then  

 Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside is a wonderful place to try it.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

• Category: Deluxe Resort.
• Resort Area: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Resort Area
• Best For: Toddlers who find real giraffes more exciting than cartoon mice.

In general, I do not think booking a Deluxe resort hotel when traveling with a toddler is the best use of resources. The extra space is lovely to have, and Moms and Dads who are accustomed to a deluxe stay may be reluctant to give that up, but if your dreams for this trip include a focus on time in the parks, your toddler’s needs may be such that the extra cost for a Deluxe stay may be difficult to justify. 

Photo by Tatjana Lazar

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is the exception for some families because what it offers is so genuinely unique. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is home to more than 200 African hoofed animals and birds, more than 30 species in all, including zebras, giraffes, gazelles, kudu, and flamingos in a stunningly created savannah area, and ready to appreciate in a variety of observation stations – or right from the balcony of your hotel room if you book a Savannah View room. It is an experience unlike any other, and if your little one is passionate about animals, they will certainly find it thrilling – if Mom and Dad are content to spend the time appreciating this encounter with nature to its fullest.

How to Find the Perfect Hotel for Your Toddler (and Whole Family)

Choosing the right hotel for your kids’ age matters so much. This will be the base camp for your Mouseketeer’s first Disney World adventure, and you want to make sure that it is the Best Disney World Hotel for Toddlers. Share your expectations and dreams with your planning partners, and make sure that your vision of a perfect Disney holiday meets the practical needs of your toddler. You know this strange little person better than anyone else – you are the expert here! As much as you want to share all of the Disney magic that you love with them, careful planning and literal baby steps will make for a happy family and magical memories. 

Our preferred travel agent partner is an excellent resource for free help choosing and booking the hotel that is right for your family! Visit this page for a free vacation estimate and more.