Another "Which Resort" Thread

[lilwilly]

We are planning a trip this December for a week and we are stuck on which direction we should go in terms of our resort. The trip is two adults and no kids. Our main wants are good dining and good proximity to the parks, with MK, EP, and HS being the main parks (and might park hop AK). We are leaning towards a deluxe mainly due to the extra hours but if you can make the case for a moderate (except the Coronado, even though we love it we want to explore another resort) our wallets won't argue! Value resorts are a no as the lady will not fly with that. Otherwise, we are pretty open-minded with this so all thoughts are welcome!

 

[tigger2002]

You can't beat BCV or BWV for location. They are close to EPCOT, HS, and skyliner.

 

[Kirsti]

Agree with @tigger2002 1000%. My wife and I stayed at the BoardWalk this past month, and it was the perfect location. It would take a lot to get me to move away from this area on future trips. Easy walks to both Epcot and HS, with the options of boats or even the Skyliner when we wanted to explore. You've got Flying Fish for dining now, plus the Yacht and Beach Club, and then all of Epcot's restaurants you can hop to.

 

[Lomac924]

My husband and I did an anniversary trip last year and stayed at the Yacht Club. We loved eating all of the dining options there and went over to Boardwalk for a couple of meals as well. Not to mention.. the dance club is right between the two if that is your type of thing. We went for an hour one night and it wasn't crowded at all but it was fun to do something different! We loved Stormalong Bay there too. Spent many hours floating in the lazy river.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I'd save a few bucks and do Caribbean Beach. The Skyliner rules.

 

[Marthasor]

We are planning a trip this December for a week and we are stuck on which direction we should go in terms of our resort. The trip is two adults and no kids. Our main wants are good dining and good proximity to the parks, with MK, EP, and HS being the main parks (and might park hop AK). We are leaning towards a deluxe mainly due to the extra hours but if you can make the case for a moderate (except the Coronado, even though we love it we want to explore another resort) our wallets won't argue! Value resorts are a no as the lady will not fly with that. Otherwise, we are pretty open-minded with this so all thoughts are welcome!

I would definitely do an EP resort - BCV/BC/YC, BWI/BWV or Swan/Dolphin. My first choice would be a studio at BCV. I love the location - super close to the EP IG entrance, the Skyliner, the BC QS and the buses to AK and MK. You would get a queen, a sofa and a kitchenette - I love having the extra space with just the queen and sofa in the room. Second choice would be YC, water view. YC is a bit quieter and more sophisticated than BC, IMHO. BCV/BC/BCV give you great access to all restaurants around the Boardwalk and have some really nice lounges and QS options as well. I'm not a huge fan of BWI (always noise issues there for us), but like BWV. The big drawback to BWI/BWV, IMHO, is the dining situation - both QS and TS are accessed by going outside to the Boardwalk which is kind of inconvenient and the QS options are really limited. If you want to save some money, I would price out the Swan (book directly through the Marriott site for the best pricing and consider joining Marriott Bonvoy. They also offer AP discounts). Our favorite rooms there are the deluxe resort view, balcony rooms (2 queens or a king). Ask for a room on a high floor in the East Wing, facing the Boardwalk - we did this in October and had a direct view of Spaceship Earth and Harmonious for less than $400 per night. Swan/Dolphin also has some of the best restaurants and lounges on property, IMHO.

 

[gottalovepluto]

CBR is the only mod we easy park access due to Skyliner but the size of the resort is HUGE so could be lots of walking. Personally I like a split stay between EP/DHS area resort (BC,YC,BWI,RIV) RIV is Skyliner and have to transfer at CBR for DHS and MK resort (Poly, GF, CR, WL). WL is a bit out there at MK so you always have to go to MK to enjoy any of the other 3 hotels but it’s a bit more budget friendly.

I would check to see what’s even available before falling in love with anything though. Availability has been harder to find far out than in the past and doesn’t loosen up until about 2-4 weeks prior to trips.

 

[Sarahslay]

I love Boardwalk for easy access to HS & Epcot, and the staff there is just awesome (I've had issues with BC/YC), also several dining venues and great stuff to do at night (Boardwalk margaritas, ice cream, dueling pianos, multiple restaurants, plus you can walk to the other resorts in the area easily.... or take the boat if you're feeling lazy). I also like staying at Riviera since it's right on the skyliner, it's my husbands favorite resort, we've stayed there twice since reopening, especially great in December since the skyliner doesn't often have to shut due to rain. If staying in the MK resort area I like Poly, not a huge fan of GF but I know a lot of people like it, and also not a huge fan of CR but I do love BLT (don't like the room reno at CR, but can't beat the location). I do LOVE WL, but aside from the boat to MK it's not easy to get to any other park, I am staying there with my sister in December, but we aren't as concerned about that it's just my favorite that time of year.

I'm not a huge fan of Mods because they're just sprawling, either spend a little more for deluxe or save the money and go value, the rooms are about the same size and I feel like you're getting close tot he same quality for a smaller/easier to get around resort (and smaller price tag).

 

[ktink]

We stayed at BWI last month. This is my favorite resort so far. We did a split stay at BWI & GF. I preferred the BW area. I would go with a Epcot area resort.

 

[jimmymc]

If you want park proximity, then Caribbean Beach right near the Skyliner is the best location I've ever stayed in. From my room to the front gates of Studios in 8 minutes, and Epcot in about 15. Even early in the morning with the line all the way out of the station it was only a 10 minute wait. The busses in the morning also only stop at Jamaica and Aruba sections, so you don't have to take the entire loop around the resort. The only downside would be the dining at the resort, but if you have park hopper tickets for every day then you can take a quick ride to the best dining on property.

Boardwalk area resorts obviously have good proximity to Epcot, but can be very expensive. The monorail resorts obviously have good proximity to Magic Kingdom, but I don't like having to take two monorails to Epcot. It feels like more work than just taking one bus. But if you can get a Polynesian DVC studio right near the TTC it takes care of that problem. Wilderness lodge is a good compromise for Magic Kingdom area, with boats to MK and a decent bus route to the other parks.