Best Resort for Resort only Stay

[DDuckSouthBend]

We will be looking at some Resort Only stays in the near future.
So tell me what is your favorite resort for a resort only Stay, and why.

I look forward to hearing everyone's answers.

TIA !

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Animal Kingdom, by far. There’s SO much to do there, so many activities, tours, two amazing pools and of course the animals. Hands down the best for a resort stay.

 

[nw6675]

Who is in your party?

 

[DDuckSouthBend]

My wife and Myself. We are the proud owners of an empty nest.

 

[hertamaniac]

We are locals and have done resort only stays since 2019. We mostly stay in 2BR DVC villas as a renter.

My personal favorite is OKW (been there 3X over the past several years). Others in my family like VGF. Kidani (savannah view) is awesome. And SSR offers plenty to do at a very reasonable price.

Are you pool folks? Kidani is the best on property for me. But, OKW has some stellar private pools and hot tubs. Are you looking at dining options at each resort? VGF offers the best onsite and/or via monorail. SSR (preferred room) is a stone's throw away from Disney Springs and their offerings.

 

[nw6675]

My wife and Myself. We are the proud owners of an empty nest.

We are on the same boat right now for a couple's trip. Our top contenders for Disney (considering Portofino Bay at Universal, too) are:

YC because of its classy vibe and SAB if you are into that type of pool.

Swolphin because it has so many restaurants on property, nice pool, easy access to the Boardwalk area. Just feels "adult" to me.

 

[gmi3804]

Monorail resort, for the dining options (VGF, Poly, VWL), or RR for dining, and access to Crescent Lake via Skyliner and short bus ride to Disney Springs. All of the above have great pool options too, with RR having a particularly nice adult vibe "quiet" pool which is mostly used by adults.

 

[MickeyNola]

Swolphin for access to Boardwalk and Beach Club, I don't think I could do a Monorail resort only being that close to MK and not going in.

 

[RuntheMouse]

BRV - Feels like you are a world away from Disney but you have easy access to the monorail resorts for additional dining options. I love the DVC pool there, so relaxing. Love Territory Lounge as well as Geyser Point. Ft Wilderness is an afternoon boat ride away too.

 

[fla4fun]

It depends on your budget.

If you have a smaller budget, POFQ. I like the theming, the small size, and the boat to DS.

If your budget stretches to deluxe, WL. I like that it feels a world away from Florida, I like the theming, and I like the lobby to relax in.

If you want to stay DVC, SSR would be my pick. Like POFQ, it is easy to access DS, with its variety of dining and entertainment choices.

While I enjoy the Crescent Lake resorts and the monorail resorts, I typically don’t pick them for resort only trips since the parks are right on the doorstep.

 

[beccasmom]

We find Wilderness Lodge in general to be exceptionally relaxing. We’re DVC members and really enjoy BRV (newly renovated). The WL lobby is delightful, but the smaller lobby at BRV is cozy and inviting as well. Geyser Point is a long-time favorite and the pools at the resort are great. Watercraft go to the MK, Contemporary, and Fort Wilderness, which is a nice alternative to bus service.

OKW is one of our home resorts and we enjoy spending time there as well. The rooms are spacious (we normally book a one or two bedroom unit). The main pool is fun, but there are smaller pools that offer a bit more “serenity” . Olivia’s is a great restaurant with terrific service and there’s a cozy bar next door. There is watercraft service to Disney Springs, again, a nice change from taking a bus.

 

[Robber Baron]

If I were doing resort only, (which I wouldn't), I'd pick a resort that's under one roof, or, where I didn't have to run through the rain when going outside during the afternoon rain showers.

One of my favorite resorts is WL. For resort only I'd be at WL, Yacht Club, Contemporary, AKL, or even CSR, staying tower or preferred.

 

[leebee]

We've done a few non-park trips. Our favorite place to stay is AKL/Jambo. So relaxing, amazing lobby (love to settle in there in the later evening with a book and a glass of wine), so many things to do, great food options.

Runner up is Saratoga Springs. We really enjoyed walking over to Disney Springs every evening for dinner and adult beverages.

 

[5stljayhawks]

Think comes to vibe you are looking at experiencing.

Places stayed -

Poly, the grounds are awesome, we stayed in concierge club level that offered afternoon booze and food, it was nice touch, but worth the extra$$$ prob not. The concierge room does provide a kick %SS view of kingdom fireworks and water parade. resort has nice pool and nice walking, easy access to monorail,

Depending on time of year, fort wilderness campground, we had our camper, but they have cabins, so its like VRBO but disney style. @ christmas and halloween, campsites are decorated by camper which is fun nighttime activity to walk around, rent a golf cart or bikes. Overall campsite is dog friendly (not sure about cabins). from transportation perspective, you have busses or can hop a boat across lake to front of MK to catch monorail.

Also stayed at art of animation, over run with rug ratts but if looking to immerse yourself in charter themes, its pretty cool. pools are nice and have outside bar.

Coronado - more laid back, has more of a business type feel with conference center.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

We will be looking at some Resort Only stays in the near future.
So tell me what is your favorite resort for a resort only Stay, and why.

I look forward to hearing everyone's answers.

TIA !

My sister and I just did our first resort only stay this past NOV. We stayed at PO Riverside. We really liked that we could hop on the boat to go to POFQ for the beignets at breakfast/ Disney Springs for shopping and lunch and entertainment. A big plus was seeing Yehaa Bob in their lounge (RiverRoost) one evening!! WE also enjoyed just sitting outside the lobby and watching the horse carriage rides families were taking. Staying at POFQ you could flip flop the boat and go over to POR for an evening. I enjoy both of the PO resorts, they are a bump up from values and just so much more affordable than the Deluxes. Find my short trip report ( TRIP REPORTS Forum) description to read all we did.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

How about a cabin at Fort Wilderness? Rent a golf cart, have an amazing time zipping (at the speed limit) around the Fort, ride horses, make crafts, sing-a-long with chip and dale, play along with the scavenger hunts, etc. Catch the Hoop Dee Doo for evening entertainment one night. Spot wildlife, talk to the cast members, look at the stars at night.

I think the Fort is the only place I’ve stayed at on property where I didn’t feel the urge to go to the parks at all.

 

[migirl]

My family recently returned from a resort only stay at POFQ and really enjoyed it. We swam in both PO pools, played in the arcades a lot and spent a lot of time at DS. We didn’t miss the theme parks and have already booked another resort only trip at POFQ. My family has decided it’s best for us to stay moderate or deluxe for resort only vacations because they include hot tub and pool slide. I’ve also heard that CB is good for resort only because of the ease in resort hopping.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We are locals and have done resort only stays since 2019. We mostly stay in 2BR DVC villas as a renter.

My personal favorite is OKW (been there 3X over the past several years). Others in my family like VGF. Kidani (savannah view) is awesome. And SSR offers plenty to do at a very reasonable price.

Are you pool folks? Kidani is the best on property for me. But, OKW has some stellar private pools and hot tubs. Are you looking at dining options at each resort? VGF offers the best onsite and/or via monorail. SSR (preferred room) is a stone's throw away from Disney Springs and their offerings.

OKW is one of my suggestions also. The big dining room table is great if you decide to take a board game out at community hall. It's also a nice level resort if you choose to rent bikes. And I've always loved the full size balcony, where you can eat outside.

 

[japanese maple]

We just stayed at AKL and I can say that's the only resort where I can see hanging out there for a few days with no parks.

Although that would be hard for us.

 

[_19disnA]

Part of the high price of Disney properties is their proximity to the parks. We have never stayed at Disney if not planning to do any parks, that is the main reason we go there. We have also stayed off-site over the years and enjoyed those locations as much as the Disney properties and for far less money. Depends mostly on your budget as others have mentioned. If you don't care paying extra for a feature you don't plan to use there are several options.