Disney Springs Resorts

If you would like to have a super evening at Disney Springs waterfront restaurants, it's great to stay in one of the Disney Springs Resorts that has a ferry service. It's super fun to catch the ferryboat and so much nicer than getting in your car again. At night it's romantic! You can do this from four resorts: Port Orleans French Quarter (moderate-priced), Port Orleans Riverside (moderate-priced), Old Key West (a timeshare resort), and Saratoga Springs (deluxe-priced).

We have such magical memories of our stay at Saratoga Springs, which is built to look like an 1880s upstate New York resort. We explored the two large pools, our daughter running exaltantly through the splash pad past a Donald Duck statue, and enjoyed our room with a jacuzzi tub and large windows surrounded by lush landscaping. The life!
To walk around the Disney Springs resorts if you're not a guest, use the free parking at Disney Springs. Saratoga Springs can be accessed by foot from Disney Springs, at the bridge near Disney's Wonderful World of Memories store. Disney Springs' Lime Parking lot is the closest if you're walking to Saratoga Springs. Old Key West Resort can be accessed by the pretty Conch Flats Nature Path (which has many employee golf carts whizzing by but beautiful scenery), from Disney Springs at the Strawberry Parking lot (which is sometimes closed- use the Orange Parking Lot to park for this walk if you want shaded parking or the Strawberry Parking Lot is closed), a 24 minute or 1.2 mile walk, or by the free ferries at Disney Springs. A nice plan is to walk one way to Saratoga Springs or Old Key West and then catch the ferry back! The ferry dock for the two Port Orleans hotels is near the Wonderful World of Memories store (park in the Lime Parking lot to be closest to it). 
If you want to park directly at a resort and aren't staying there, you need a breakfast/lunch/dinner reservation at one of the restaurants on the property. These must be booked online.
Another great spot to be able to ride to is Boardwalk, where there are street performers and restaurants. You can take a ferryboat to Boardwalk, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios from these resorts: Boardwalk Resort, Beach Club, Yacht Club, World Dolphin and World Swan. Beach Club and Yacht Club are a very short walk from Epcot's International Gateway opening. 
You can catch a ferryboat to Magic Kingdom from these resorts: Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Polynesian, and Wilderness Lodge. Polynesian and Contemporary are a short walk to Magic Kingdom. You can also catch the monorail (which sometimes has long lines) from Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom. 
The Skyliner gondolas connect you to Hollywood Studios and Epcot's International Gateway Entrance from these hotels: Caribbean Beach (moderate-priced), Riviera (a timeshare resort), Art of Animation (value-priced), and Pop Century (value-priced). If you stay at Caribbean Beach, you can check out the live performers at the pool bar as well as the 1.4 mile walking path around the lake.
All Disney resorts have dancing and games for the kids by the pool. The lower priced resorts have less shade and trees by the pool, which is rough in the Florida sun! The ritzier Disney resorts have beautiful greenery and calmer pools with shade, and are usually a short walk to one of the theme parks. Saratoga Springs, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian have splash pads that kids adore. There are poolside movies and marshmallow toasts at some of the resorts. In addition, you save $25 on the parking at Disney World if you stay at any Disney resort hotel.
If you stay at a Disney hotel you get to enjoy extra magic hours in the parks, plus you can book your fastpass rides 60 days ahead rather than just 30 days ahead.

Directions

There are many Disney resorts to choose from and you can see the prices for all of them in one spot on the Disney Resorts webpage after you enter the dates you want to stay. The All-Star Resorts are the most affordable, but if you can splurge, I recommend Saratoga Springs.

Click on map for interactive view