Where would you stay?

[GrandCalifornian]

Good call! We haven't been able to pull ourselves away from WL, but if we did POR seems to have many of the neat quiet rural features we love at WL. While you're there, take some time to look around and visit the other resorts, and you can see first hand the pros and cons everyone has mentioned. Most of all, enjoy your trip!

 

[Christinaxo]

Good call! We haven't been able to pull ourselves away from WL, but if we did POR seems to have many of the neat quiet rural features we love at WL. While you're there, take some time to look around and visit the other resorts, and you can see first hand the pros and cons everyone has mentioned. Most of all, enjoy your trip!

That is actually a great idea! Thank you!

 

[tinkerbellybutton]

Its funny you say this because the DF has told me to just leave it as is, the money is there and everything is already planned! But I would rather always save money you cannot beat that location though! I still do not know if I will change, it was so easy to pick WL for many reasons, choosing one of the mods not so much

I totally understand wanting to save money, who doesn't!!!! Lol. However, if you can afford it I would totally keep the reservation at WL. You just can't compare any of the moderate resorts to the location and grandeur of the lodge. It's our absolute favorite resort on property. Anytime we have been for one of our children's birthdays this is the resort they pick! There is NOTHING like walking into that lobby each night after a long day in the parks. And the boat to and from MK is and added bonus! If you can afford it I can't imagine you'll be disappointed with keeping your reservation there.

 

[Momofone92]

Stay at Wilderness Lodge


You won't regret it .

I have stayed at WL, AKL (2xs) and POR princess room. WL is amazing. You won't regret it. It is my daughters fav

 

[CalicoSky]

Ok so we have decided that if we indeed change our reservation if will be to POR!! The kids were the deciding factor, they preferred it and we plan on exploring POFQ while we are there as well! Thanks for all your help guys!!!

Enjoy! The boats that run from POR to DTD stop at French Quarter, so they're a handy way to travel from one resort to the other if you don't feel up to walking. The grounds of both resorts are beautiful, though, so it's a very pleasant walk.

Check out Yeeha Bob's show if you get a chance; high-energy, funny performance that was one of the highlights of my latest POR stay.

 

[Christinaxo]

I totally understand wanting to save money, who doesn't!!!! Lol. However, if you can afford it I would totally keep the reservation at WL. You just can't compare any of the moderate resorts to the location and grandeur of the lodge. It's our absolute favorite resort on property. Anytime we have been for one of our children's birthdays this is the resort they pick! There is NOTHING like walking into that lobby each night after a long day in the parks. And the boat to and from MK is and added bonus! If you can afford it I can't imagine you'll be disappointed with keeping your reservation there.

Stay at Wilderness Lodge


You won't regret it .

I have stayed at WL, AKL (2xs) and POR princess room. WL is amazing. You won't regret it. It is my daughters fav

So if you were celebrating your first visit, college graduation, 10 year anniversary, & DD 4th birthday, it would be worth it to spend the extra $500? because Im thinking thats not that much $ in the grand scheme of things! You never get the first time back! And I cant bring myself to change the reservation! It just doesn't seem right! lol IF I change it will be to POR definitely, but I have until June to decide

 

[expeditioneverestgrl]

I would stay at the Port Orleans Riverside. There are many things I love about it. The theme, the pool and waterslide, the bicycle rides you can take, the boats to Downtown Disney, everything, but Disney's COntemporary Resort is still my favorite, but if I had to pick a moderate, it would be the Port Orleans.

 

[kris4360]

For the ages of your kids and bang for your buck, have you looked at the Values? Honestly, my kids LOVED staying at them when they were that age. Nothing like 3 story Buzz Lightyear to a Toy Story fan, or a gigantic football field to the sports fan....this last trip, we did AoA family suites and my kids flipped for the theme! The one year we did POR and it just didnt feel like Disney to my kiddos. So, we always pick a place based on the coolest theme....I'm not sure if any of the mods have a theme that bowls me over, although my personal fav is CSR.

Where do you stay when you go to csr?

 

[SpaceMtMan]

We stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort and I thought it was very nice. A little big, we had a walk to get to the main buildings but overall good

I know its considered a value resort but my favorite resort is still AoA! Had a nice feel, lobby was nice. Plus seeing real-sized Mater was fun

 

[GrandCalifornian]

So if you were celebrating your first visit, college graduation, 10 year anniversary, & DD 4th birthday, it would be worth it to spend the extra $500? because Im thinking thats not that much $ in the grand scheme of things! You never get the first time back! And I cant bring myself to change the reservation! It just doesn't seem right! lol IF I change it will be to POR definitely, but I have until June to decide

I originally responded agreeing with your choice of moderates, since we like many of the things the POR has in common with WL, but for $500 extra our choice would be (and has been for our three trips) to stick with WL.

In particular the things that keep us going there and make it worth the extra to us are the fact it is all under one roof and not as spread out as many other resorts, which is great in the rain. Also as others have mentioned the lobby is so impressive that it is an awesome place to come back to each day. The theming is nice but not overdone, and we really enjoy the location on Bay lake. Not only is the view great, but the boats to MK are nice, and it is a nice 15 min walk or a short boat ride to get to Fort Wilderness, which we enjoy visiting.

Either way you will likely be relying on busses to get to the parks besides MK, although we often do take the boat to CR and get on the monorail there to go to Epcot, but the bus is quicker. We love the quick service (Roaring Fork) at WL, but it is a lot smaller than the food court at POR and can be crowded during busy times.

I'm sure you have seen it, but a great source of WL info is the big WL FAQ thread here. There is a nice map and a lot of pictures to push you over the edge.

Either way, enjoy your trip and be sure to visit both resorts.

 

[tinkerbellybutton]

So if you were celebrating your first visit, college graduation, 10 year anniversary, & DD 4th birthday, it would be worth it to spend the extra $500? because Im thinking thats not that much $ in the grand scheme of things! You never get the first time back! And I cant bring myself to change the reservation! It just doesn't seem right! lol IF I change it will be to POR definitely, but I have until June to decide

Worth the extra $500?
Absolutely! Without a doubt! 100% yes!!!

I know there are lots of POR fans, but there is no way I would let $500 have me give up WL for POR, as long as I could afford it, of course. WL is our favorite resort on property, POR is our least favorite moderate, so for me there is no comparison. I think WL would make your very first trip so special!

And you are right, you never get that first trip back. Our first trip was at All Star Movies. My kids were toddlers and HUGE toy story fans so no other resort would have compared for that very first trip. It was all about the kids and toy story on that first trip. Our next trip, our first Christmastime trip was at WL and again, no other resort could have compared to WL for our very first Christmas trip. You just can't recreate those kind of memories!

 

[Christinaxo]

I originally responded agreeing with your choice of moderates, since we like many of the things the POR has in common with WL, but for $500 extra our choice would be (and has been for our three trips) to stick with WL.

In particular the things that keep us going there and make it worth the extra to us are the fact it is all under one roof and not as spread out as many other resorts, which is great in the rain. Also as others have mentioned the lobby is so impressive that it is an awesome place to come back to each day. The theming is nice but not overdone, and we really enjoy the location on Bay lake. Not only is the view great, but the boats to MK are nice, and it is a nice 15 min walk or a short boat ride to get to Fort Wilderness, which we enjoy visiting.

Either way you will likely be relying on busses to get to the parks besides MK, although we often do take the boat to CR and get on the monorail there to go to Epcot, but the bus is quicker. We love the quick service (Roaring Fork) at WL, but it is a lot smaller than the food court at POR and can be crowded during busy times.

I'm sure you have seen it, but a great source of WL info is the big WL FAQ thread here. There is a nice map and a lot of pictures to push you over the edge.

Either way, enjoy your trip and be sure to visit both resorts.

Worth the extra $500?
Absolutely! Without a doubt! 100% yes!!!

I know there are lots of POR fans, but there is no way I would let $500 have me give up WL for POR, as long as I could afford it, of course. WL is our favorite resort on property, POR is our least favorite moderate, so for me there is no comparison. I think WL would make your very first trip so special!

And you are right, you never get that first trip back. Our first trip was at All Star Movies. My kids were toddlers and HUGE toy story fans so no other resort would have compared for that very first trip. It was all about the kids and toy story on that first trip. Our next trip, our first Christmastime trip was at WL and again, no other resort could compared to WL for our very first Christmas trip. You just can't recreate those kind of memories!

its so funny because once I saw and read about WL it was like love at first sight! and my gut tells me that I will be happy anywhere but I want to be THERE! I should just let go and live a little! I mean it is Disney!! lol thanks that has helped a whole bunch!!!

 

[lilpeople]

I know you said you really didnt like the idea of a value but dont knock it. We went year before last and stared at asmu. we stayed in the 101 dalmations. both my kids loved it. dd 10 has autism and we would come back to destim and relax. we where there 10 days and we never felt cramp. the beds where big enough for everyone to sleep or relax and watch tv.

 

[Christinaxo]

I know you said you really didnt like the idea of a value but dont knock it. We went year before last and stared at asmu. we stayed in the 101 dalmations. both my kids loved it. dd 10 has autism and we would come back to destim and relax. we where there 10 days and we never felt cramp. the beds where big enough for everyone to sleep or relax and watch tv.

I would not knock the values out, I actually love how "Disney" they are! initially we wanted AoA LM room for our LM OBSESSED 4yo DD but they were booked since I started looking in February! Then we tried for the Nemo suites at AoA and none of those either! DF says he "cant do double beds" (hes a big baby ) either way we plan on spending time in the resort just not in the room so I am starting to realize aside from transportation convenience and a nice pool, I dont care where we stay!

 

[ColonelHathi]

Do all aligator bayou rooms come with a murphy bed? I thought we wouldnt need that but my 8yo would LOVE to have his own bed! I didnt know if they were saved for families who specifically had 5 people. That could be a deal breaker lol and I am realizing if I worry about transportation I will drive myself crazy! The whole point is to be on vacation and let disney lead the way Thank you!

Yup, all AB rooms now have the Murphy bed. I see that WL is a $500 difference? That's really a tough call. WL woods view might be worth the upgrade if you can swing it. We are doing spa treatments, Bayou Pirate Adventure and a couple of other extras, so deluxe is out for this trip.

That, and many of the STD views for DLX resorts seem to be booked up for our dates, crazy!!!! WL is amazing though. My CP roommate worked there, live that place! For us it's more like a $1000+ difference.

OR, you could always rent a car from CCC for @$200 week and not worry that much about transportation at all to AK, HS and Epcot. That's our plan because I love to drive around the area since I used to live in LBV - but realize most people don't want to.

 

[Christinaxo]

Yup, all AB rooms now have the Murphy bed. I see that WL is a $500 difference? That's really a tough call. WL woods view might be worth the upgrade if you can swing it. We are doing spa treatments, Bayou Pirate Adventure and a couple of other extras, so deluxe is out for this trip.

That, and many of the STD views for DLX resorts seem to be booked up for our dates, crazy!!!! WL is amazing though. My CP roommate worked there, live that place! For us it's more like a $1000+ difference.

OR, you could always rent a car from CCC for @$200 week and not worry that much about transportation at all to AK, HS and Epcot. That's our plan because I love to drive around the area since I used to live in LBV - but realize most people don't want to.

Yes it is about that much, more if we just did a regular garden view room which is what they have left at POR (no standard/preferred rooms left ) Because of my little one I really do not want to risk not having a preferred room so it is now either between POFQ or WL, POFQ does not really offer much savings so it is there that we save about $500 as opposed to more at POR. Their wasnt WL standard rooms at first but now that there is I am thinking why not just go for it. We wont be doing too many extras, since it is our first time, we really want to spend time in the parks and relaxing at the resort. My family says they like WL better but will be happy wherever we go so it really is just me not being able to make up my mind and the clock is ticking! and unfortunately I dont drive (DF does all of that so hes not wanting to do it on vaca lol)

 

[rusafee1183]

Another vote to keep WL!

We stayed there for only 1 night in January before moving to Kidani for the reminder of our stay. I walked into the lobby at WL and my jaw dropped and my eyes filled up with happy tears. There was something about it there that just stuck with me. I haven't been able to get it out of my head since we got home, so much so that I called my DVC rep and told him we wanted to add more points on there!

If the difference is "only" $500 and you can afford that, without a doubt in my mind you should stay with WL.

I have stayed at POP, POR, CBR, CSR, BCV, BLT, SSR, AKV, VWL. Every one of those resorts was great in their own way, and of course you'll have a great time no matter where you choose - but I'm telling you - NOTHING has ever stuck with me like the WL.

ETA: I did think of one downside. You will be SO SPOILED after your first trip you won't ever want to stay anywhere else.

 

[jwfla422]

Yes the preferred rooms are only in alligator bayou.. You can try faxing a request to one of the closer buildings that aren't preferred before you go, though. POR is beautiful. Stay there- really.

Not to hijack the thread but just wondering how far in advance to fax a request for POR??

 

[kris4360]

I faxed mine 10 days before check-in.

 

[Christinaxo]

Another vote to keep WL!

We stayed there for only 1 night in January before moving to Kidani for the reminder of our stay. I walked into the lobby at WL and my jaw dropped and my eyes filled up with happy tears. There was something about it there that just stuck with me. I haven't been able to get it out of my head since we got home, so much so that I called my DVC rep and told him we wanted to add more points on there!

If the difference is "only" $500 and you can afford that, without a doubt in my mind you should stay with WL.

I have stayed at POP, POR, CBR, CSR, BCV, BLT, SSR, AKV, VWL. Every one of those resorts was great in their own way, and of course you'll have a great time no matter where you choose - but I'm telling you - NOTHING has ever stuck with me like the WL.

ETA: I did think of one downside. You will be SO SPOILED after your first trip you won't ever want to stay anywhere else.

lol $500 is usually alot to me but for our first big family vaca and because we have it specifically for that reason, I do not think it is too bad, IF the difference between resort experience is SIGNIFICANT, which it seems to be. But the advice I get is go for the theme that most appeals to me and for the theme/location/price, I am sticking with WL. It feels like a great deal!