what would your go to resort recommendation be?

mrd7896

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 31, 2018
My significant other and i made the decision last trip that we won't be staying at Value resorts anymore. POP wasn't bad we just enjoy a bit of the finer things...in a we are in our mid-late 20's way. not a '20 year career as a CEO' way so keep that in mind lol

together me and him have stayed at coronado and caribbean beach and now Pop.
this is only his 3rd time going to Disney (all with me...i ruined him) and i have gone every year or so since i was 6 months old. so while i have stayed at a LOAD of Disney resorts i haven't ya know, personally had to pay for them all..or even remember them all.
this past trip we had a meal at grand floridian, yacht club, contemporary, wilderness lodge and walked around the polynesian and it got us thinking that we will definitely save up for a nicer resort for our next trip but which one first?!?

we compiled a list of resorts:
-Port Orleans (i have talked about it before and he likes the idea, yes it is a moderate but the one he hasn't tried)
-Contemporary
-Poly
-Wilderness Lodge
-Animal Kingdom
-Potentially Grand Floridian
We did leave out most of the EP resort area because we want more of a unique experience...one that you could only get at Disney World. Yacht Club was beautiful but for the purposes of the list we couldn't have every single resort as must do's.....

With that being said, with pricing aside for the moment (mainly because pricing isn't available for when we are looking) what is your first recommendation in terms of resorts?
save the best for last?
What is your favorite?
Was any on the list kind of disappointing? not entirely worth the money?
If you DON'T pay for a Tower room at contemporary is it kind of pointless?
What about a normal room at AKL instead of a Savannah?

we also threw around the brief concept of doing a split stay to potentially save money. but we mainly just don't know where to start or if all on the list are must do experiences.

again pricing aside for the moment. we know they are expensive and that is why we are looking for opinions. having convenient transportation is cool, but not the top reason why we liked the monorail resorts. it's more about the atmosphere, room quality, experience, restaurants, etc.
 


AKL was lovely but it drove me bonkers being so far away from the other parks (bus transit only back then).

I know you “did” CSR but did you do Gran Destino? I don’t like CSR- I adore GDT! Nicest rooms on site imho (I’ve stayed BC, YC, non-tower CSR, GDT, Poly, WL & AKL (last 3 all pre refurb). And the convenience is nice, none of the Deluxe resorts have such a short walk to your room once you arrive at your hotel unless you are lucky in where your room is placed. HOWEVER I caveat this with Minnie Vans were running and we used them liberally. The money we saved those days at GDT vs staying deluxe covered them and we felt very VIP stepping out of the hotel into the van and straight to the park.
 
AKL was lovely but it drove me bonkers being so far away from the other parks (bus transit only back then).

I know you “did” CSR but did you do Gran Destino? I don’t like CSR- I adore GDT! Nicest rooms on site imho (I’ve stayed BC, YC, non-tower CSR, GDT, Poly, WL & AKL (last 3 all pre refurb).

we stayed at CSR in 2018 in a preferred room (PERFECT LOCATION) as they were building GDT. We were supposed to be in GDT for our trip last week but the NBA had other ideas. we really loved coronado, it was very romantic in our opinion and the food was wonderful. the rooms are beautiful and very large and like i said perfect room location. the only i guess downfall which we soon avoided was upon getting back from the parks the bus drops you off at the lobby last. we learned to get off the bus at the first stop and just walk a bit further to our room as opposed to waiting to go all the way around the resort. it was frustratingly slow.
 


Oh! I was going to say- the refurbs. WL is currently under refurbishment and Poly is starting a refurb in Oct so both of those hotels will look very different down the road than they do now. WL rooms look much brighter and some much needed space has been “added” with the inclusion of the higher beds so you can store stuff under them.
 
My significant other and i made the decision last trip that we won't be staying at Value resorts anymore. POP wasn't bad we just enjoy a bit of the finer things...in a we are in our mid-late 20's way. not a '20 year career as a CEO' way so keep that in mind lol

together me and him have stayed at coronado and caribbean beach and now Pop.
this is only his 3rd time going to Disney (all with me...i ruined him) and i have gone every year or so since i was 6 months old. so while i have stayed at a LOAD of Disney resorts i haven't ya know, personally had to pay for them all..or even remember them all.
this past trip we had a meal at grand floridian, yacht club, contemporary, wilderness lodge and walked around the polynesian and it got us thinking that we will definitely save up for a nicer resort for our next trip but which one first?!?

we compiled a list of resorts:
-Port Orleans (i have talked about it before and he likes the idea, yes it is a moderate but the one he hasn't tried)
-Contemporary
-Poly
-Wilderness Lodge
-Animal Kingdom
-Potentially Grand Floridian
We did leave out most of the EP resort area because we want more of a unique experience...one that you could only get at Disney World. Yacht Club was beautiful but for the purposes of the list we couldn't have every single resort as must do's.....

With that being said, with pricing aside for the moment (mainly because pricing isn't available for when we are looking) what is your first recommendation in terms of resorts?
save the best for last?
What is your favorite?
Was any on the list kind of disappointing? not entirely worth the money?
If you DON'T pay for a Tower room at contemporary is it kind of pointless?
What about a normal room at AKL instead of a Savannah?

we also threw around the brief concept of doing a split stay to potentially save money. but we mainly just don't know where to start or if all on the list are must do experiences.

again pricing aside for the moment. we know they are expensive and that is why we are looking for opinions. having convenient transportation is cool, but not the top reason why we liked the monorail resorts. it's more about the atmosphere, room quality, experience, restaurants, etc.


You really can't go wrong with any of them and, if you plan on going yearly or even every other year, I, personally, would pick the one on your list that prices out the best and then start knocking the other resorts off the list as the years go by. That's what we did and we've stayed at just about every resort now since we started going regularly over a decade ago.

If we are just going by resorts alone (and not taking into consideration what your touring plans are/location of resort), I would do the following:

1). Grand Floridian - gorgeous resort, big rooms, lots of dining options, monorail and soon-to-be-walking path to MK. To save money, I would just book an outer building/garden view room. IMHO, there are no bad rooms at GF.

2). Wilderness Lodge - simply gorgeous, love using the boat to go to MK and to visit Ft. W

3). Animal Kingdom Lodge - also gorgeous, but remote. I would book savannah if you stay here

4) Poly - love the theming, but it always seems very crowded here and I find it to be quite loud.

5). Contemporary - spacious rooms, but sterile resort. biggest pro is walking to MK, otherwise, it's pretty drab here, IMHO. If you do choose it, I wouldn't hesitate booking a garden wing room. I find them to be quieter than the tower and you don't have to contend with the always incredibly crowded tower elevators

6). POR - really lovely and the only reason it's last on my list is location and the size of the room. If it fits your budget, I think this is a good choice in the mod category and you have the bonus of the boat to DS.
 
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thank you @Marthasor!
that was pretty much exactly what i was looking for.
the only reason why i say pricing aside is because we know they are all going to be expensive. it was more about favorites to start at and i do appreciate your insight on each!
GF is what we may 'work up to' being that it is probably the nicest?
WL and AKL seem to be what we may start at.

We may look into a split stay so that we can make a Savannah room at AKL more achievable!!
 
What would you say you value in a room/resort? People's favorites vary widely based on what's important to them. That and whether or not you have children in your party. My husband and I travel there frequently just the two of us (early/mid 30's), and I feel like our preferences vary from those with young children. (Of course, these are all just my opinions):

Contemporary - Pros: excellent food, proximity to MK, very convenient if traveling with young children. Cons: dated rooms (compared to alternatives), noisy atrium, location really only convenient if you're spending a lot of time at MK.

Polynesian - Pros: same as Contemporary + excellent theming, peaceful walks by the water at night, easy access to lots of transportation options. Cons: needs updating (in progress), lobby is constantly busy with Ohana and Kona, you have to walk outside to get to the lobby (nitpicky -- but for the pricepoint is annoying).

Grand - same pros as Contemporary + excellent theming + that lobby!. Really my only con here is the price-point given your alternatives. In my opinion, I get a similar vibe at Riviera. You can get rooms around the same price point (some cheaper, depending on the kind of room you're looking for/time of year), and I honestly think they're much nicer.

Wilderness Lodge - Pros: excellent food, ok proximity to MK, excellent theming. Cons: some rooms need updating.

AK - Pros: savanna view rooms, best food on property, good pool bars, proximity between KV/AKL for exploring. Cons: far away from everything else. The 1 BR at Kidani village is one of my favorite rooms on property. Studio wise, AKL and Kidani are the same for me. I don't think I would pay the $ to stay here without a Savanna view.

Port Orleans: I prefer FQ to Riverside, but both are fun/unique in their own way. Pros of both: being on the water, boat access to Springs, easy access to both resorts for exploring. Cons: mediocre food, room-wise not going to compare to the Deluxes, having to walk outside to get to the lobby, and then I really don't like the rooms in Alligator Bayou.

To add to a prior poster's comments -- if you haven't tried out the Gran Destino tower, highly recommend. In my opinion, the rooms are nicer than many of the Deluxe's on this list. You don't get the location of course, but the property is stunning. The food is excellent. And it's still a pretty good location - it's not TOO far from any one park.

(if it helps give context to my preferences, our 4 favorite places to stay as a couple are Yacht, Riviera, Kidani, Gran Destino)
 
the only reason why i say pricing aside is because we know they are all going to be expensive. it was more about favorites to start at and i do appreciate your insight on each!
GF is what we may 'work up to' being that it is probably the nicest?
WL and AKL seem to be what we may start at.

We may look into a split stay so that we can make a Savannah room at AKL more achievable!!
I like everything on your list. I know you said to disregard price but as they are all nice, I would let price determine the next stay. Discounts vary and what is affordable one trip might be more expensive on the next.

If you want to do a split stay, I would use POFQ as my non-deluxe. It is our favorite moderate due to small size and nice grounds.
 
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What would you say you value in a room/resort? People's favorites vary widely based on what's important to them. That and whether or not you have children in your party. My husband and I travel there frequently just the two of us (early/mid 30's), and I feel like our preferences vary from those with young children. (Of course, these are all just my opinions):

To add to a prior poster's comments -- if you haven't tried out the Gran Destino tower, highly recommend. In my opinion, the rooms are nicer than many of the Deluxe's on this list. You don't get the location of course, but the property is stunning. The food is excellent. And it's still a pretty good location - it's not TOO far from any one park.

(if it helps give context to my preferences, our 4 favorite places to stay as a couple are Yacht, Riviera, Kidani, Gran Destino)

i appreciate all of your input as well!
it would just be two adults travelling for the very foreseeable future which is why we would probably hold off on the monorail resorts for a while, because we don't spend a lot of time at MK. but they are just so nice!
i think what we missed while staying at pop was the food offerings.
we also thought the room was small and missed having a king bed.
we (surprisingly) didn't even use the Skyliner at pop but for the first time rented a car
and mainly just the atmosphere of the resort. we loved to walk around at night when we stayed at CSR. the restaurant over the water wasn't built yet but all the lights around the lake were gorgeous. couldn't experience something like that at Pop.

i'm feeling that i have convinced myself to add Gran Destino back to the list. we wanted to go 'new' but it really is such a beautiful resort.

i also think that if we plan to travel around christmas (not the exact holiday but decorations will be up..which is what we are leaning towards) that could sway which resort we would like the best for our next trip.

doesn't GF do the gingerbread houses?
but the lodges have fire pits and rocking chairs and that whole vibe and the coziness would be a dream!!!!
 
1. Here's what I do, and what I suggest - I keep rough tabs on the full price of each, my budget, when I want to go. then if I see an above average deal for one or the other, I'm better prepared to jump. Knowledge is power.

2. Second, to make a trip or hotel visit fit my budget, I play around with all the variables. It doesn't always work out, but knowledge is again power. Sometimes if you an play around with dates, even just a little, you wind up getting much better airfare, or you swap a weekend (high) rate for a weekday (low) rate. Personally, I'm also willing to play around with the length of my trip. If I see a comparatively good deal on what is normally a more expensive hotel, I will happily book a shorter trip. At WDW, time is money.

3. As for your list of hotels, Poly's going to be closed for a while. Of the mods, Port Orleans is my least favorite, especially the POR side. That said, I really liked new Gran Destino, and I have long liked the rest of CSR. of the rest yo list, WL and AKL both tend to run lower in price than the monorail resorts- except WL gets popular in December.

Again, time is money. The biggest advantage of the deluxe hotels is their proximity to the parks. Deluxe vs. mod = less time commuting, especially if you are using the free buses. On the other hand, if I spend more on the resort, I also spend more time at the hotel. At your age, if you are marathon park goers, it might make more sense to keep hotel costs down.

4. Consider SPLIT STAYS! That's how I first budgeted for a deluxe hotel, and still do! We stayed at a low cost offsite most of the trip, and just 1 night at the deluxe, and that time was 100% at that hotel (no parks). Low cost hotel portion of trip was our park days. Even now, I'll happily spend 1 night at a $100 hotel when deluxes cost $700+, because $600 is a lot of $!

I don't now I'd say pointless to stay in a CR wing room, but having stayed at CR, the tower is a priority - at least if you are staying a week and going to MK. That said, I much prefer the lower price lake view over the pricier theme park view rooms. If you just want to have a hotel day, then the wing rooms would be fine.

I have stayed at GF a few times, but still only stay there when I see an exceptional deal.

If price is no object, and you don't see any great deals, I'd start maybe with PO, then AKL/WL, then CR, then Poly/GF. Not because I think GF is the best, but because it is the most expensive, and not worth the extra money. If you happened to see PO and GF offered for the same price, then jump on it. Otherwise, it isn't worth the extra $; wait until you have extra money to waste.

In all specific seriousness, having stayed at all the deluxes, I much prefer every other deluxe to GF and Poly. CR is probably my favorite, but mostly I like the location. The theming of CR isn't super awesome, nor is the food. What I love most is the efficiency of the layout and convenience of walking to MK. Time is $! I thought the fun pools/theming would be more important, but that wasn't the case. What I most value is efficiency. I also realize I prefer brighter rooms to darker ones.

I know you said the Epcot resorts don't wow you, but I have stayed at the Swan/Dolphin many items. As I said, one of my priorities is location, so to me, both the Swan and Dolphin offer deluxe amenities at mod hotel prices. You just need hotel transportation. The room layout and bed quality are super!
It is funny, before I tried the BC and YC, I also ranked both below just about every other WDW hotel. Then I happened to score a few great rate opportunities, and now I really like both. Externally, they aren't exciting, but the rooms are very nice inside, pool's great, and location is super.

6. Oh, I will ABSOLUTELY sacrifice room view to get a low rate. All of AKL is very nice. If your room doesn't have a view of animals, you can easily view the animals from one of the public balconies. While the balconies are open to anyone, few people use them, and they have comfy rocking chairs.(more comfortable than regular balcony chairs). Truth be told, when we stay at AKL, we don't actually end up spending all that much time on the balcony. I imagined we would, but we didn't. Bonus of AKL and WL is that the resorts are compact. Downside of Pop and most mods is that they are not compact.
 
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i think what we missed while staying at pop was the food offerings.
we also thought the room was small and missed having a king bed.
and mainly just the atmosphere of the resort. we loved to walk around at night when we stayed at CSR. the restaurant over the water wasn't built yet but all the lights around the lake were gorgeous. couldn't experience something like that at Pop.

i'm feeling that i have convinced myself to add Gran Destino back to the list. we wanted to go 'new' but it really is such a beautiful resort.

i also think that if we plan to travel around christmas (not the exact holiday but decorations will be up..which is what we are leaning towards) that could sway which resort we would like the best for our next trip.

doesn't GF do the gingerbread houses?
but the lodges have fire pits and rocking chairs and that whole vibe and the coziness would be a dream!!!!

Based on what you've said, I'd highly recommend checking out Gran Destino! If food is important to you, there are tons of options. You can get a King bed in the tower. Highly recommend the king water view room in the tower! We've done that room a few times and it usually seems to be around $300/night -- give or take a bit -- so less than you're going to pay at WL/AK.

Time of year influences my resort decision as well! Going between Thanksgiving and Christmas is our FAVORITE time of year to go! We love touring all the resorts and seeing the different decorations. POFQ has some of favorites because the coloring is so unique! Yes, GF has the gingerbread house - definitely a must-see even if you don't stay there. And then of course it's hard to beat WL at Christmastime -- just beautiful!
 
GF is what we may 'work up to' being that it is probably the nicest?
GF may be the nicest (in my opinion ) but I wouldn't call it the most expensive! I stay there almost every summer and occasionally over Christmas. It remains a favorite of mine after all these years is because it typically, if not always, has the most generous room discount when compared to Poly and CR.
 
Not really what you asked, but if I knew we'd be going to Disney as many times as we did (like you are planning), I would have looked at DVC sooner.

On your list, I think AKL is the most unique experience and the food is fabulous so I would start there.
 
Wow, really? Poly rarely gets a good discount, but I wouldn't expect a holiday discount at GF. Over the holidays, I can understand why CR would be popular.

In normal years, the post-fireworks bus waits can be crazy - any time of year, but super bad over the holidays. It will be a big bonus when the GF to MK walkway is complete. On some trips, we have sometimes waited close to an hour before we were able to board a bus back to our hotel when staying at the mods/values. That adds up.
 
Keeping in mine we do not have a car when we go. We love being in the bubble and the internal transportation is part of that. Putting my order of choice of the ones on your list;
1-Contemporary - we own BLT and love it. You can't beat the walk to MK, plus you are on the monorail if you don't feel like walking
2-Grand Floridian - like it, just not quite our style. Above Poly because they are getting their own walk to MK
3-Poly - Same as GF - only not quite as convenient
4-Wilderness Lodge - love the style of the resort - but no monorail
5-Port Orleans - this was our go-to before we purchased DVC - so quiet and peaceful
6-Animal Kingdom - just too far away from everything. Also, my family is not adventurous when it come to eating, so the TS restaurants here are not our thing.
 
Oh, keep in mind....each hotel- more or less- is only convenient to part of WDW.

CR/GF/Poly are close to MK, ad all the monorail eateries - but NOT the World Showcase.
Poly is near the TTC, from other monorail resorts getting to Epcot= 2 monorails.
Epcot area resorts are close to both Epcot and HS, plus all the eateries in the Bc/YC/BWK/Swan/Dolphin and World Showcase. They are also within walking distance to HS which make getting a BG for Rise quite a bit easier.

WL has boat and bus to MK, also easy access to Ft. WL (shuttle bus) and boat to CR.
CR has shuttle boat to WL and Ft. WL

AKL is all bus, but is close to AK park.

When picking a hotel, I also choose dining that is at or near that hotel. A bonus of monorail resorts is how easy it is to get to other monorail resorts, that can also have a significant impact on how much you like each hotel. If it happens to be pouring, getting all the way from like GF to France can be daunting.
 

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