Best DVC Resort Playgrounds

When families travel to Disney theme parks, they do so with an expectation that the attractions will entertain the kids the whole time. Then, parents quickly realize otherwise. 

When a child leaves the park, the Disney dream goes away for a while. So, they get bored. They need entertainment at the hotel as well. 

Thankfully, Disney officials really have thought of everything. Here are the best Disney Vacation Club resort playgrounds, the places that will keep your kids distracted while you relish vacation mode.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House

Something I admire about DVC resorts is their commitment to theming. For example, the playground at Jambo House maintains the Jambo theme. Even the playsets feature a straw roof!

This area is also larger than most Disney hotel playgrounds. It’s like a double area with a tall, thin playset and a substantially wider one. Kids relish their choice of several different slides, giving them plenty of entertainment options.

This area also includes some interactive elements and even a bit of netting to run through. For parents, there’s a bench that provides a panoramic view of the serene setting. So, you can relax while your child whoops and hollers.

Disney’s Old Key West Resort

Everything in life is better when you feel the sand between your toes as you do it. That’s why the playground at Old Key West deserves a mention.

Disney has stuck a play set with four slides on the beach, which makes the whole area that much more entertaining. You’ll temporarily forget that you’re at Disney and experience a vacation beach day instead. 

So, parents can sit in the sand and watch the Old Key West pool’s lighthouse while their kids play happily. It’s one of the purest sources of family entertainment at Old Key West. 

Disney’s Riviera Resort

For the longest time, I would have argued that the Grand Floridian offers the best children’s play area, one we’ll discuss in a bit. Recently, the Riviera has surpassed it, though.

When the Riviera Resort opened, it introduced a new aquatic play area, S’il Vous Play. This video displays the immaculate theming on display here:

Disney pays tribute to Fantasia’s Dance of the Hours segment, the one with the hippo in the tutu. Several creatures from Fantasia appear in statue form here. 

Also, children will find many interactive elements like wheels they can turn. Your kid will want to do that just because. It’s how kids are.

There are also water cannons here that adults will enjoy firing at each other. So, you can imagine how much children will adore it! 

This aquatic playground proves more stylish than most others at DVC resorts, but it doesn’t sacrifice the fun. In fact, it steals one idea from the Grand Floridian, a tipping bucket of water. 

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Saratoga Springs Resort’s giant campus features multiple play areas, one of which is aquatic. At this spot, kids love the waterfall feature that drips water on their head. 

Another aquatic playground comes with a cannon squirt gun that children loooove to aim at their parents. Afterward, they can stream down either of the two waterslides, one of which is in a tunnel. 

Still, my favorite playground here is non-aquatic. It’s a gorgeous play set that looks like one a billionaire built for a Disney Princess fan. It’s exquisite. 

The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 

All Disney playgrounds are excellent in their own ways, but the Grand Floridian holds itself to a higher standard. For that reason, Disney tipped the scale for the playground’s quality by…tipping a scale. 

When you visit the aquatic play area themed to Alice in Wonderland, you cannot help but notice the giant Mad Hatter hat filling with water. This visual spectacle leads to a delightful payoff. 

Once the water reaches a certain level, it tips over, drenching the kids with water. You can hear the raucous laughter from across the beach. 

Disney has added twin slides on the sides of this play area. So, the children love to race to slide down before the hat tips over and douses them. Fortunately, there’s a warning bell, which acts as the signal that they should go.

Honorary Mention: Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas 

I’ve prioritized Walt Disney World on this list, but Aulani deserves special mention. First, kids will find any number of aquatic play areas on the Aulani campus. Second, this resort offers some play options that aren’t available anywhere else at DVC.

Finally, Aunty’s Beach House provides something you’ll adore while you’re in Hawaii. It’s basically free babysitting for you and eclectic interactive entertainment for your kids!

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