how do you choose which resort?

[Neverenoughmouse]

I usually pick based on how long I plan on being in the room. I went with a set of friends, and then I went with my mom and sister. Both trips I figured we would be in the room just for sleeping so we booked value resorts. Pop Century both times. This next trip, my husband is going for his first time and I want to make it seem more relaxed and we might be in our room more than in the past so we booked moderate. Port Orleans- Riverside. If you dont plan on being in your room much then dont spend a lot of money. Pop Century is great theme and cheap in price.

[aml3679]

Would have loved to go on theme ... would have picked:
Poly for the Theme and monorail
Wilderness Lodge for the Theme

Picked a Moderate because of budget. A gentleman I worked with who is a DVC member said that POFQ is the best moderate in his opinion. Plus it is small and has king size beds.

[chemnerd09]

Originally Posted by married2mm

that's fantastic

-i'm very jealous-hope we get to that stage eventually also-but got a looong way to go!

It doesn't help that they keep building new ones. We managed to cross off Art of Animation last time. Now we got to figure out how to do the Grand Floridian DVC once it opens and still have enough money for getting there and eating there.

[married2mm]

Originally Posted by chemnerd09

It doesn't help that they keep building new ones. We managed to cross off Art of Animation last time. Now we got to figure out how to do the Grand Floridian DVC once it opens and still have enough money for getting there and eating there.

imo-food is overrated!

[fitzy819]

Usually for us it is price.

The first two trips with DH we chose a cheaper resort so we could stay longer and do more while we were there. My reasoning was that we don't utilize many of the resort amenities so it didn't make sense to pay for something we wouldn't use. Our first trip we were barely in the room and I assumed the second trip would be the same. To my dismay, DH insisted on a midday nap almost every day If DH is still in a napping mood when we go back we will definitely choose a resort that offers something for me to do while he wastes part of the day, I mean "nap"

For the 2013 trip I chose the Contemporary for many different reasons. This trip is a surprise trip for my mother's birthday so I wanted something "magical" Really, what's more magical than watching fireworks from your balcony? We also wanted quick access to the parks (walking distance to MK and monorail to Epcot) and I know the resort is very nostalgic to my mother.

After this trip my husband really wants to try AKL and after that idk. After staying at a few deluxe resorts we may fall in love and decide they are worth the extra cash or we might find that we still don't spend enough time at the resort to justify the cost. I guess we will see.

[married2mm]

Originally Posted by fitzy819

Usually for us it is price.

The first two trips with DH we chose a cheaper resort so we could stay longer and do more while we were there. My reasoning was that we don't utilize many of the resort amenities so it didn't make sense to pay for something we wouldn't use. Our first trip we were barely in the room and I assumed the second trip would be the same. To my dismay, DH insisted on a midday nap almost every day If DH is still in a napping mood when we go back we will definitely choose a resort that offers something for me to do while he wastes part of the day, I mean "nap"

my dh has been known to "rest his eyes" during cop,hop and ellen.

For the 2013 trip I chose the Contemporary for many different reasons. This trip is a surprise trip for my mother's birthday so I wanted something "magical" Really, what's more magical than watching fireworks from your balcony? We also wanted quick access to the parks (walking distance to MK and monorail to Epcot) and I know the resort is very nostalgic to my mother.

[COLOR="rgb(255, 0, 255)"]that's really wonderful-how thoughtful of you.[/COLOR]

After this trip my husband really wants to try AKL and after that idk. After staying at a few deluxe resorts we may fall in love and decide they are worth the extra cash or we might find that we still don't spend enough time at the resort to justify the cost. [COLOR="rgb(255, 0, 255)"]I guess we will see[/COLOR].

sounds like a good plan

[Maggie'sMom]

My pick is based on:
Location
Price (including discounts)
Transportation options
Theme

But not necessarily in that order. The priority given to each of those items varies with the trip. Some trips have larger budgets than others. For some trips, I know we'll be spending more time in one park than in the others and I'll choose a resort location that works well for our park plan. Some trips I know we'll be spending little time in the room while other trips we want to spend a lot of time enjoying the resort.

There's also the factor of us wanting to try new resorts. We've stayed at all 4 moderates now, but we haven't stayed at all the deluxes yet. So when we're booking a trip where we want to stay at a deluxe, I give consideration to resorts that we haven't stayed at before but are on our wish list. At the moderates, since we've stayed at all 4, more weight goes to the theme.

[DVC Kelly]

For me it depends on what I'm planning to do during the trip.

If its a trip where I'm going to be at the parks each morning for rope drop then I'd choose something close like Bay Lake Tower or Boardwalk. However if it was like my last trip where even though parks were a huge part but so was relaxing I choose Animal Kingdom. I LOVED being able to sit on the balcony and watch the animals roam around.

[shell8558]

I'm gonna say price. I just booked a trip for February and since it was totally spur if the moment - I went with value! I would have loved to stay at Por, but considering we have another vacation scheduled in June . We really wanted to go as cheap as possible! And as long as I'm at Disney- I'm happy !! And it will be a wonderful unexpected surprise for my kids !

[chemnerd09]

Originally Posted by married2mm

imo-food is overrated!

I have a tendency to stash food when we're traveling, especially since we drive down and its easy to pack a bag full of food. I'll just make sure to pack the trunk with food instead of clothes and since GF is going to be DVC I'd be able to eat in the room with no problems.

[KuyaJeff]

I have no real "pattern" to choosing resorts since I've only been one other time...and that time was going solo. Having the new dynamic of choosing with another person is like I'm booking my first trip again: it just hasn't been done before.

First question I asked ourselves was "If money wasn't an obstacle, which resort would we like to stay at?". Since WDW is a place where dreams come true, we took a chance to dream big! Even with pricey options of deluxes, which most people would equate priciness to "better-ness" , we still managed to stay towards the lower spectrum and agree that AKL was something that appealed to us. It has that immersive theming Disney is known for, felt mature enough for an adult-only trip, the spontaneousness a kid would love with the animals, and tons of opportunities to spoil ourselves.

I then asked "Which resort seems the most appealing in each of the three main categories for us?" (Deluxe, Moderate, Values). Again, AKL was up there in the Deluxe section. Moderates were a tie between CBR and CSR. And finally, AoA and POP for the values.

Then I asked "What can we afford [in this scenario]?" We knew for sure that we were going in January 2013 since both of us are going to school for the spring semester. Also, as college students, the value season just made sense. We prepared for the "worst" with just plain ol' rack rates. But we also took into consideration that Disney is known for throwing out promotions out there like XX% off roomsnd free dining, so we calculated those situations. Many Microsoft Xcel spreadsheets were made. The latest promotions threw us off, but with the help of the DIS, we had a sense of what was to come. When it comes down to it, cost is the most important thing. We also thought about "How far can we stretch our budget?" Sometimes the difference between two types of rooms, and even a resort is only a little bit...you'll notice at the end of this post how it came in handy.

"Do they have room categories we can deal with?" As appealing as all the Disney Resorts, some just don't make sense for two adults. We had to throw out AoA because of the suites having too many sleep surfaces, sure we could rotate, but it's not worth it. There were the Standard Mermaid Rooms, but it just didn't feel "right" for two male guests. There's no real need to book a bunk bed at the "Lodge" resorts. Cabins and multiple-room villas were ruled out for the excessive number of sleep surfaces...and that silly thing called affordability.

Things usually considered by others, but thrown out by us when deciding upon a resort, include:
"How's the transportation?" We're always winning at WDW if we're not spending money on a rental car...so long waits and crowded buses vs spending for a rental car? Yeah, it's a pretty obvious decision there for us.
"What's the view like outside?" All that we ask is that there's something to actually see outside our window for that small moment we do decide to be conscious in our room and look out the window.
"What's the food like at the resort?" It doesn't take much to please college guys, but if we need to...we can alwaus use that handy Disney Transportation to find food elsewhere.

So with everything considered and not considered, we made a choice!
That choice was a King Room - Water View at Coronado Springs. It had that great feel of a Disney Resort, that affordability we needed, and a room we can deal with.

But January promotions came out!
We realized that at the rack rate we could afford for CSR, we could "upgrade" to that dream of AKL for us...with a Pool View, dining and parkhoppers for 7nights/8days...at a lower price!

[kaligal]

I usually go wherever the personal traveling with me wants to go.

If I'm actually picking, on or off site has to be decided first. Narrows things down. Longer trips, offsite always wins. Shorter trips are a toss up.

Next is price. How much do I want to spend?

Finally, I pick something. Then I second guess it. Then I go back and start all over.

Eventually I get sick of all the thinking and just book something. I almost never think about it again after than, but have been known to switch a couple times.

I realize this is no help at all, but maybe someone who is wispy-washy about their hotel decisions will feel less alone.

[sissy_ib]

First trip a few years ago, it was all about staying on property as cheap as possible. ASMusic seamed like the "cutest" of the three All Stars.
That trip I was hooked and discovered DVC.
We have stayed at AKV and BLT based on theme/views.
In February I wont have DVC points to use and am trying to do the trip a little lower budget. I wanted at least a Moderate. I chose CBR because of price with the room only discount. I will be alone and not focused on the parks so things like bed size and bus service/location are not as important this trip.
Next time we head down will hopefully be during Food and Wine fest and we will try to stay in an Epcot DVC resort since that is where we will spend most of our time.