Which Deluxe Resort do you prefer?

[Pooh&OurHunny]

I love staying at GF. Great location (one monorail stop to MK and one boatride back to the resort), love the beds and the atmosphere and the restaurants and Room service.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

So far we have stayed at:
Polynesian
Contemporary
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Beach Club
Yacht Club

Favorite: Yacht Club
Least Favorite: Animal Kingdom Lodge

 

[larryz]

We've stayed at the CR, WL, Poly, YC and BC.

Our favorite if we're in a holiday mood is WL. Can't beat the theming (especially when it's cool/cold like now) and the holiday decorations are great! The boat to the MK has a bit of an exclusive feel to it (more so when you're boarding the boat at the end of the day, bypassing the hordes waiting in lines for the monorails and ferrys...).

If we're in an Epcot mood, YC. It's so easy to walk right over to Epcot, and you can also walk/boat to DHS. Stately without being stuffy, and great food options. Then there's Stormalong Bay, too... BC has most of the same amenities, but with a slightly more casual feel about it. And it's about 3 minutes closer to Epcot.

If it's just an MK visit, CR. Walking to MK is very convenient. Good food options, and I'm a sucker for the retro 70's architecture.

 

[Pugmalion1]

Easily the Boardwalk.

I feel that it caters more to adult parties than to families, though, so feel free to take my opinion on the matter lightly.

 

[Disnut4925]

LOVE the Beach Club! Five minute walk to the International Gateway! Of course SAB. We've always had great service there as well. Near MK, the Poly. It's just so beautiful.

 

[Renwoman]

We didn't get to stay at any of the Deluxe Resorts on our trip. (We stayed at Coronado Springs.) But we absolutely fell in love with the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We loved the theming and how immersive it felt. With the savannahs and wonderful landscaping you could imagine that you were't even in America. Animal Kingdom was our favorite of the four parks because it was more immersive as well.

Boma was our favorite restaurant the entire trip for both breakfast and dinner. (If you like exotic or flavorful food it is a great place to eat!)

As far as the transportation... The location is not as convenient as others. If you were driving yourself I don't believe it would be much of a problem, but spending all that time on Disney buses might not be pleasant.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is a good place if you want to stay somewhere "exotic" and have an experience at your hotel. If you like good international food it definitely is a bonus. If you are driving yourself the transportation wouldn't be such a problem.

 

[DrMikey2]

Having been a Disney visitor for the past 23 years, we have "tried them all". Our preference has always been to stay at a resort on the monorail line. It is so convenient and comfortable. It beats a motorcoach ride hands down! The Polynesian has been always been our favorite. The tropical landscaping with the fantastic pool has always been the attraction for our kids, who are now grown and still prefer that special ambience. Being walking distance to the MK certainly had its own advantages. The Contemporary is cool with the monorail traversing the concourse, but it lacks character. The GF is too sparse and lackluster compared to the Polynesian.

 

[asdfghjkl13]

So far I've only stayed at Contemporary and Beach Club.
I've also visited Yacht Club, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Boardwalk, Poly, Grand Floridian, and the Swan & Dolphin.

I LOVE BC. It's my favorite, and if i couldn't stay there, I would pick Poly. The theming & atmosphere there is amazing, and it's on the monorail.

 

[stitch34]

I think they're all great for different reasons.

Our favorite, and wish we could afford it every trip, would be the Poly. Just love taking the monorail to MK, we think the resort/grounds are gorgeous, love the rooms, love the pool and zero entry and the slide, and the beach. And love coming back at night and just hanging out by the pool and seeing the castle all lit up in the distance. Love Ohana for breakfast.

Second choice would be Beach Club - for its convenience to DHS and Epcot, and of course for its pool area. Love the rooms there, too. Love Cape May for dinner - breakfast is nice, too!

WL is great, too, and for the price. Rooms are okay to us, pool area is very nice, like being close to MK. WCC we love for well, we've done all three meals there!

AKL - nice pool, really like the rooms and Boma for breakfast. I wouldn't want to stay a whole trip there, though. Just feel soooo out of the way from everything there. We do pool view when we stay there - with bunk beds, a special treat for the kids! Not interested in the money for savannah view, plus have heard some of those rooms can be quite a lonnnggg walk away.

GF - never been, never will, is totally out of my budget!
YC looks nice, may try that as a change from BC.
BW - doesn't appeal to us as much as BC/YC
CR- want try, but haven't yet.
For us, if spending money on deluxe for a night or two (bulk of trip is values/mods), then want somewhere where kids will love the pool slide and has zero entry for my son.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

My favorites is the Contemporary and Boardwalk Inn.

 

[DizGirl20]

We are DVC Members, but before we were DVC we stayed at GF. My 2 all-time favorites are Grand Floridian and Beach Club Villas. Both for proximity for theme parks and they have amazing swimming pools!

We are staying at Kidani in April. When we toured it, it looked amazing, although we haven't stayed there yet...

 

[DizGirl20]

Oh gosh one more thing - it doesn't get a lot of attention but the Old Key West Villas are HUGE! They were the first DVC Villas built and the square footage far exceeds any other DVC Villa. Great space for a big family. And love the Old Key West vibe. Only drawback is you will need a car or have to be patient with the buses. We rented a car and it was no problem whatsoever.

 

[Demosthenes]

I've had the great fortune of staying at all of the Disney Deluxe resorts for at least 7 consecutive nights. My personal favorite is the Contemporary because of the convenience to the monorail, convenience to MK and FW. It also has a great marina with good watersports options. I think it has great dining options, but the MK, GF and POLY are just a monorail ride away, and FW and WL are a short boat ride away. In those locations, you are sure to find a restaurant or two that suits your fancy. The rooms are huge in the tower (at 440 square feet they are the biggest on property). The tower balconies boast amazing views, and I am a rare person who prefers the Bay Lake view to the theme park view (I'd rather see the lake and electric light pageant each night as opposed to the rooftops of the MK and the CR parking lot..

 

[mom of 3G's]

We spent a week at GF earlier this month and loved it. Our flight was delayed by two days because of a snowstorm back home, so then we moved over to the Poly for 2 nights. Hands down the Grand Floridian was the favorite of my family. I found the Poly resort to be confusing (I lost my way a few times coming back from the Grand Ceremonial House) and I didn't like that the guest laundry was in a separate building. At GF each building has their own laundry room. My kids are very lively and I never felt out of place at the GF -- there were lots of families with children. And the smells of GF are unbelievable. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Mickey Gator]

We have stayed at Beach Club, Yacht Club and Boardwalk Inn because we love the WS at EPCOT. My son's favorite would be BC because of the pool but my wife and I really like BWI.

 

[SnackyStacky]

In true type-A fashion, lists and bullet points!!!

• Beach Club
  
  PROS: Location! Location! Location! Not only in terms of proximity to Epcot and good dining - but it's smack in the middle of the entire property. All other destinations feel much closer.
  Cons: I was sort of luke warm on the pool. It's neat but just wasn't my cup of tea. I know I'm in the vast minority on this one!
  
  The room size is a bit smaller than the monorail resorts. The trade off, though, is that they're also a bit cheaper.
  
  ​
• Polynesian
  
  PROS: Proximity to the Ticket and Transportation Center. An easy walk to pick up the Epcot monorail.
  
  Room size! HUGE rooms!
  
  The grounds are meticulously landscaped.
  
  Cons: The room was in rough shape, and this was in 2008, after the last refurbishment. A big particle board was sticking out of the bed that my daughter tripped and hit her head on.
  
  The shower heads are really low! I felt like Will Ferrell in Elf.
  
  The monorail. People just love being on the monorail, but I do not. If you stay at the Magic Kingdom at park closing, because the resort loop has to make five stops instead of the two on the express loop, the resort loop line moves at a SNAIL'S pace. The bonus though is you CAN hop the express loop, get off at the Ticket and Transportation Center and walk to your room.
  
  I do not like "college campus" style resorts (several "dorms" around the "student union" kind of thing). If I'm paying deluxe prices, I shouldn't have to take an umbrella to get a drink if there's a sudden downpour. I have gotten caught in one while running from 'Ohana to the room for ID to get a drink. NOT FUN.
  ​
• Boardwalk
  
  
  PROS: Location! Location! Location! Not only in terms of proximity to Epcot and good dining - but it's smack in the middle of the entire property. All other destinations feel much closer. (Sound familiar?)
  
  Cons: The common areas of the resort, and in fact, the rooms were in DIRE need of freshening. We were in the villas, and the hallway carpets had DISGUSTING brown stains the size of a coffee table. There were spots all over the toilet in our bathroom. When we called to have it cleaned, I had to take the rag and cleanser from the housekeeper because she wouldn't bend down to look and see the stain. I had spotted it while taking a bath. The carpets were worn down and tattered. This was in 2007, and I think they may have done a refurbishment since then.
  
  The expanse of the resort. Felt like we needed a sherpa and water reserves to walk to our room.
  
  The room size is a bit smaller than the monorail resorts. The trade off, though, is that they're also a bit cheaper.
  
  ​
• Animal Kingdom Lodge
  
  
  PROS: Proximity to the Ticket and Transportation Center. An easy walk to pick up the Epcot monorail.
  
  Room size! HUGE rooms!
  
  The grounds are meticulously landscaped.
  
  Cons: The room was in rough shape, and this was in 2008, after the last refurbishment. A big particle board was sticking out of the bed that my daughter tripped and hit her head on.
  
  The shower heads are really low! I felt like Will Ferrell in Elf.
  
  The monorail. People just love being on the monorail, but I do not. If you stay at the Magic Kingdom at park closing, because the resort loop has to make five stops instead of the two on the express loop, the resort loop line moves at a SNAIL'S pace. The bonus though is you CAN hop the express loop, get off at the Ticket and Transportation Center and walk to your room.
  
  I do not like "college campus" style resorts (several "dorms" around the "student union" kind of thing). If I'm paying deluxe prices, I shouldn't have to take an umbrella to get a drink if there's a sudden downpour. I have gotten caught in one while running from 'Ohana to the room for ID to get a drink. NOT FUN.
  ​

Of the places I've stayed, my very favorite is the Beach Club. We're staying at the Contemporary for our trip this week and I'm very excited to give it a shot.

But I haven't been to the Beach Club since 2004 and I really would love to go back!

 

[maxiesmom]

I've stayed at the Beach Club, the Poly, and the Contemporary. With young children, I don't think you can beat the Contemporary. Especially if you plan on spending a lot of time at the Magic Kingdom. You can just walk there! And at night, while everyone else is trying to cram onto a bus or monorail, you can just stroll back home.

 

[Mary T in PA]

WE have stayed at CR, Poly, BW, and GF (recommended in that order).

I like CR because you can walk right over to MK. However, the Poly is almost neck and neck for our favorite monorail resort. I guess I am a sucker for the nostalgia that both of these resorts were the originals when MK opened.

When it comes to theming, I believe the Poly wins hands down.. I loved smelling the luau smells, the Poly inspired music piping thru-out the areas, and those tikis grew on me!

A few weeks ago, we did a split stay- several days at BW and then over for a week at CR. I love the Epcot area resorts. WE also stopped in at Yacht Club and the Beach club to see their decorations and liked those resorts too.

I think you need to consider your length of trip, your budget, and what you plan to do on your trip. If you aren't going to be at MK very much, then look into the Epcot resorts - the ability to walk over to Epcot and DHS really convinced me to stay over there more often!

But if you are more into MK and want to focus on that area, then consider the monorail resorts... and I lean towards CR because if someone starts to meltdown, the ability to walk right back to the resort is a huge plus... and I say this from experience!

Bottom line - go with your gut! If there is a resort you've been really wanting to try, do it! Then check out the different threads for each resort you may be interested in. Each and every time I have relied on the DIS threads and the lovers and fans of a specific resort are usually very helpful and kind to answer questions.

 

[MomtoAlexnWilliam]

We've stayed at AKL twice and the Poly this past trip.

AKL: We love the dark, calming theme of the resort!! Plus, seeing the animals right off your balcony can't be beat!!! If you get a room on the outer edges it can be a walk to your room -- but that is how it is at most resorts! I have read where people think it is too far away. However, we didn't find it a problem. You don't share a bus with any other resort (there are two stops at AKL) so you save time right there. The ride is about 20 minutes to MK, Epcot and HS.

Poly: We love the theme here too!!! I would give the Poly the edge because of our 8 days in the park this last year, we spent 4 in MK and 1 at Epcot. The monorail was very convenient. I also loved that we could walk right out of our room, head to the beach, grab a chair and watch the fireworks and electrical parade each night. FANTASTIC!