Dreaming of a future trip: the best resort for a northeastern Canadian?

azrivest

Chasing the rDream
Joined
Jul 15, 2020
It might be months or years before we can travel back to Orlando, so we're thinking of piling up our money and splurging on a once-in-a-lifetime trip when we go back next time. We would never have even considered Deluxe resorts before... We've only ever stayed at POP or CBR.

In a time when we need to dream of escapism, which WDW resort would you suggest if budget was not an issue? Like, which resort would be the "Disneyest"? Or which resort would offer the most immersive decor?

I'll be selective though :) Resorts like Wilderness Lodge or Yacht Club don't really interest us since we're so close to New England. Even though people seem to think it the least Deluxe of the Deluxes, I'm really attracted to AKL, since it's so different to anything we could do travelling locally, and Animal Kingdom is my favourite park.

Any other suggestions?
 
Of the deluxes we have only stayed at Yacht Club, and Stormalong Bay was pretty amazing, as was being able to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. But since you don't want to stay there I'd suggest Boardwalk, also walkable to Epcot and HS however the pool doesn't look great to us. Contemporary, being walkable to Magic Kingdom, would be pretty nice. Grand Floridian if I was going adult only, Poly is supposed to be nice as well but seems to always have some sort of construction going on. I'd love to stay at AKL for the animals, but I'd probably want to split stay with one of the others.
 
Of the Deluxe / DVC resorts we’ve stayed at Boardwalk Inn, Wilderness Lodge, Old Key West, Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Polynesian.
If money was no object I would stay a week at the Polynesian, or a split stay with the Polynesian and Boardwalk. It would be nice to be so close to Magic Kingdom for half the trip and Epcot for the other half. There’s something so special about both areas. We loved Animal Kingdom Lodge as well, and its the only one we’ve stayed at twice on that list.
Honestly if the decor appeals to you the most go with your gut and stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It’s beautiful.
Wow .. I miss Disney .
 
Animal Kingdom and if going all out do the Concierge level. Stayed a couple of years ago and they offered special pre opening Safaris that you could sign up for that was fantastic for Concierge guests.
 


The deluxes we have stayed at :

AKL (Jambo) - beautiful and the kids loved it. Dining choices were phenomenal. I found the hallways a bit long and would probably stay at Kidani next time for the better pool.

Saratoga Springs - This was great in terms of walking distance to Disney Springs. The size of the Resort and layout wasn’t my favourite though.

Beach Club - we just love it there. The proximity to 2 parks , overall vibe and Stormalong Bay are huge draws. The whole Boardwalk area is beautiful.

Polynesian -Our absolute favourite !! We are from the northeast too and this place truly feels like vacation. I love the music, the tiki torches, the pools... the Monorail is awesome as well. It’s our home DVC Resort so i am biased, but we would choose Poly nearly every time even when given the choice to stay elsewhere. Dh describes it as the atmosphere of AKL with the convenience of Beach Club.
 
I can recommend both the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian. They are both considered to be Magic Kingdom resorts, and both are on the monorail. I would add that the Grand Floridian is a newer build, the Poly dates back to the opening of WDW and some areas can feel somewhat old. I would not recommend Club Level at WDW, as Disney Club Level is not equal to concierge level in a non-Disney resort. It’s a lot of money for comparatively fewer perks.
 
My advice would be to rent DVC points and stay at Boardwalk. The number of points needed to stay there is low, and the ability to walk to EPCOT and DHS makes it one of the best resorts IMO. Location, location, location! If you have park hoppers, it's a relatively quick walk through EPCOT to hop onto the monorail for MK. If you love using the pools, also consider renting points for Beach Club. Slightly more points to stay there, same benefits with respect to location. Either way, you'll stay at a deluxe for the price of a moderate.
 


As a fellow Canadian. Animal Kingdom is amazing with a topical feel at the pool and the animals. I love the resort itself. The only drawback is how far it is from mostly everything. If you don’t mind bus rides and waiting a little for the buses, go for it. If you plan a few days for pool I enjoyed the remote feel to the resort. Polynesian is probably one of my favourite resorts. Grounds are nice - not as lush as Animal Kingdom. It is so close to everything and on monorail. I will say you can hear the boat horn in the morning. I know that you don’t want wilderness lodge but it is so beautiful. I actually didn’t think I would like it as it feels so much like Canada. I really love the pool and quick boat ride to Magic Kingdom.
French quarter - was also great and close to Downtown Disney.
 

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