How do you choose????

[katyj26]

How do you choose which resort to stay at? We have been many times and have tried many resorts. We have loved most of them but we find it hard to choose sometimes. What criteria do you use to pick the next resort you will stay at?

 

[MomofKatie]

In order of importance:

1- $$. We won't pay for a resort we can't reasonably afford.
2- theme
3- size of resort- we prefer a smaller, more intimate resort vs a huge, sprawling one.
4- resort amenities

 

[mom2travel]

In no particular order...

When the trip is

How many days

Which park(s) we may spend more time visiting than others

Whether we have a discount to apply

Who is going (e.g., will only stay at a resort with a day bed if all 4 of us are going so DS & DD have separate beds)

 

[PrincessAurora]

I go for the resort that resonates with me. My first stay was at All Star Music, then Port Orleans, after that Wilderness Lodge and now that I've stayed at a Deluxe, I can't go back. I budget for the place I want to stay. Ever since then it's been WL and Animal Kingdom Lodge as those feel "like home" for me. Though I am tempted to stay at Boardwalk. I think it's just a personal feeling for people of what they like.

I like a higher end hotel with amenities, a gourmet eatery and great decor. I also like great transportation options.

Of course, now that AKL Villas is my "Official" home since buying into Disney Vacation Club I don't have to budget but still don't have any interest of trying any of the other resorts aside from the three listed.

Now once they have something new......

 

[mattsdragon]

we like to try different resorts. I always make requests for resorts we haven't stayed at previously, if there is an availability, we go for it, if not, we stay at our home resort (SSR).

Oh, and DVC is the way to go.

I should get like a month off of membership dues for that endorsement.

 

[Cyrano]

Just moving this to Resorts

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Well, we've sort of made the decision to stay at all the resorts someday, so our questions go like this:

1. Have we stayed there before? If yes, cross off list.

2. Can we afford it right now? If no, cross off list.

3. Are there others traveling with us whose finances we have to keep in mind? Adjust accordingly.

4. What sounds like fun?

 

[katyj26]

Just moving this to Resorts

Ya sorry! Forgot that it belonged there! Made another one after realizing! Oops! Now there are two!

 

[Land Shark]

1) length of stay
2) location
3) price based on first two

 

[BearcatsFan]

1. Price. If we can't afford it, we don't stay there.
2. Atmosphere. What are we looking for? Relaxing? Fun? What's the decor like?
3. Length of Stay. If we stay a shorter amount of days, we can upgrade the resort.
4. Amenities. What does the resort offer compared to the other ones I'm considering? Do they justify a higher price? What am I giving up for a lower price point?

 

[danceintherain]

1) Budget
2) Length of Stay
3)Theme
4) Whether we've stayed there before

I had a really difficult time deciding for our first on-property trip a few years ago. It was DH's first trip altogether, so there was a lot riding on it. If either one of us (mostly DH) didn't love the trip, we probably wouldn't go back very often, and wouldn't spend the money to stay on-property when we did go.

Now it's easier, because I know I'll likely get to make my rounds to all the resorts I want to try at some point, even if it's just a few nights for the more expensive options. I LOVE that there are so many options, because I can look at our budget and find somewhere suitable every time.
I imagine it will start getting difficult again once I've stayed at more places.

 

[missdisney1017]

We always stay at ASMu. We dont spend enough time at the resort to justify paying any more for the room.

 

[Belleofthehouse]

We enjoy the resort atmosphere, so our decision is based on:

Price: can we afford it?
Size: we are a family of five, so we are limited

I try to have a non park day to enjoy the resort and all it has to offer. We are not satisfied with just a "food court" for meals, so TS restaurants and amenities are a must...which is why we have not stayed at values yet!

We always use Disney transportation, so that is never a factor for us.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

The big driver for us is the budget. If we determine a deluxe is in our budget, then we base the decision partly on whether we plan to spend more time at Epcot or MK and partly on where we stayed on our previous trip (I like to mix up the hotels/areas we stay at so we get a different mix of convenient dining options etc.). If we decide to stay value or mod, we try to consider ones that we haven't stayed at yet since I'm trying to get to them all someday.

 

[*Fantasia*]

Budget- What can we afford. Value- Moderate- Deluxe
Theme- Moderate- POFQ, Deluxe- WL and Polynesian, Value- Movies and POP.
Location- It doesn't matter at this point because it's given. The location is where the theme is.

 

[hsmamato2]

budget-then theme... I look for cheapest option that we will like. For example my dh doesn't much like the value hotels. they're ok to me, but I also prefer anything near water,like a lake,etc,it just feels nicer..... so we go from there.
budget first though,b/c almost all of WDW is fun,and I can stay just about anywhere there and LOVE it!