Choosing a resort

[kikismom]

Hello! I am tentatively planning a February 2024 trip for my daughter and I, possibly my mom's cousin will join for part of the trip as well.

It will be 9 nights, travel only our first and last day, with 8 days in the parks, 2 days at each park. We didn't do parkhoppers on our first trip last March and it worked out well. We are Disneyland regulars though so it seems weird to not do parkhoppers.

Anyway I have always wanted to stay at Port Orleans, is one better than the other? This will also be a split stay, the first 5 nights at Port Orleans and the last 4 nights at either: Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, or Boardwalk.

About us, we will go to the parks in the morning and have a break each afternoon for swimming at the hotel. We head back to the parks at night for more fun. I liked a lot of the DS and hotel restaurants so our day may include dinner on the way back to the parks. I loved Steakhouse 71 last trip and want to for sure do that again.

Based on that which of the Port Orleans would you recommend? Also out of the other three I'm leaning towards Beach Club but am open to hearing about the other options.

Thanks in advance!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I really loved both of the Port Orleans resorts, so I don't think you can go wrong!

POR has a lot of open space, you can rent a surrey bike, and it has a sit-down restaurant.

POFQ is less walking, has beignets, and is a shorter boat ride to and from Disney Springs.

You didn't mention your DD's age, but would a themed room be a factor? (I think POR has the "royal rooms".) Or the pool? - POFQ's pool slide is a dragon, and POR's is kind of "swimming hole" themed.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I love your plan, I think it sounds like an awesome trip. Have you done a trip this long before? You may need a break day in there unless you feel that the midday breaks will be enough. Of the Port Orleans Resorts, FQ is smaller so less walking and only 1 bus stop, vs 4 at Riverside. They both share amenities so you can use either pool. I still prefer POR over FQ just for theming preference. As far as your split stay, while I don't know how old your daughter is, the BC/YC pool is nice but it can get busy and crowded and hard to find seating. I would only choose BC if you have a young child who really loves pool time, playing in the sand, since it's got a beach and pretty cool slide. I just personally prefer the Boardwalk. In reality though both of those resorts are awesome and the location can't be beat. WL is really great too, I've never stayed, only visited but the only negative on why we've not stayed is the location. I have a hard time justifying the cost when you're only non-bus transportation to the park is a boat and you can't walk.

 

[Marthasor]

Hello! I am tentatively planning a February 2024 trip for my daughter and I, possibly my mom's cousin will join for part of the trip as well.

It will be 9 nights, travel only our first and last day, with 8 days in the parks, 2 days at each park. We didn't do parkhoppers on our first trip last March and it worked out well. We are Disneyland regulars though so it seems weird to not do parkhoppers.

Anyway I have always wanted to stay at Port Orleans, is one better than the other? This will also be a split stay, the first 5 nights at Port Orleans and the last 4 nights at either: Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, or Boardwalk.

About us, we will go to the parks in the morning and have a break each afternoon for swimming at the hotel. We head back to the parks at night for more fun. I liked a lot of the DS and hotel restaurants so our day may include dinner on the way back to the parks. I loved Steakhouse 71 last trip and want to for sure do that again.

Based on that which of the Port Orleans would you recommend? Also out of the other three I'm leaning towards Beach Club but am open to hearing about the other options.

Thanks in advance!

I would highly recommend Beach Club for your last 4 nights. You can focus on MK and AK from Port Orleans (can't go wrong with either, IMHO) and then enjoy the proximity of EP and DHS from Beach Club. We just stayed at Yacht Club and loved just walking to EP and taking the Skyliner to DS. From Beach Club, you can't get any closer to the EP IG entrance or the Skyliner entrance. You also get a larger room than you would get at WL. BWI is lovely, but I don't like that most of the access to food/beverages options is outside on the Boardwalk. We also loved going back at night and getting sundaes from the take-out window at Beaches and Cream.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

I’d personally push for staying two deluxe ones with wilderness then beach club or boardwalk. That way your right next to MK and experience the Epcot area at the other split

Cant go wrong with either port Orleans though. I like Riverside

 

[notatallmagic]

What a wonderful plan! Great advice in all the prior posts. We have stayed at both Port Orleans resorts, and both are lovely. We especially enjoyed the river walk, the boat to Disney Springs, and the dining options. I agree that French Quarter is nice and compact, one bus stop, with everything close to the main building. Riverside's pool area is a little more fun, but it's an easy walk to that pool from French Quarter, so that would likely get my vote.

We also loved our stay at Yacht Club (haven't stayed at BeachClub), and especially enjoyed the proximity to Epcot/Hollywood. Make sure to ride the Skyliner! And with 8 days, you won't need park hoppers. Enjoy your trip!

 

[StarCruzer]

Truthfully, you likely won't need two full days in Animal Kingdom unless you REALLY want to do all of the extras in the park (Maharajah Trek and Gorilla Falls, Conservation Station, etc.). Even that you can likely squeeze into one day if you plan well.

At the moment, the best strategy for AK is actually to park hop there and enjoy from 2 - 7 p.m. Many people do rope drop for Animal Kingdom and then park hop between 2-4 p.m., since AK closes earliest. Most of the lines drop pretty significantly after that. Get in line for Flight of Passage a few minutes before 7 p.m. and you can enjoy the nighttime ambiance of Pandora on your way out too.

Of course, you can always rope drop AK and then hop to a park with a later closing time like MK/EPCOT if you finish early--that's what most people do. If you have two days for AK you can technically do both!

 

[loves to dive]

How old is your daughter? That would make the difference between BC and BW. Personally, between those two, I prefer BW simply because it is more adult friendly and BC is more kid friendly. I'm not a fan of the pool at BC but that is because I'm an adult and it's just too loud and too busy for me. I also don't like that you don't always get a balcony at BC and more often then not if you do it's those tiny stand on ones. I like sitting on the balcony at night or in the morning and just relaxing. I've not stayed at WL but that is just because we don't do MK a lot so don't need the proximity to it.

As far a POR, I'm a fan of Riverside. Most people prefer FQ because it's smaller but I just like the theming at RS better.

 

[StarCruzer]

Also we love Wilderness Lodge, it's one of our favorite Disney resorts. Very strong theming. There is a real thrill when you step into the lobby: you know you've arrived somewhere special Whispering Canyon restaurant is also very fun.

We haven't done Beach Club but we did like Yacht Club. The only issue with the pool is that because it's so popular you're more likely to encounter....accidents. We spent an afternoon there and the pool area was cleared twice for "code brown" which was disruptive for us so we ended up leaving early. But I hope that's an outlier experience!

 

[Robber Baron]

Wilderness Lodge is one of our favorites, I think we've stayed there 6 times.

The Boardwalk area is nice. I like Yacht & Beach because the sand bottom on the pool gives my feet a massage during our afternoon breaks.

I rate the Yacht over Beach because we really like a balcony.

 

[kikismom]

Oh gosh! Thanks all! This is a lot to think about.

My daughter will be 11 when we go. We are pretty set on doing 2 days at each park. Last trip we did 2 at MK and HS and 1 at AK and EP. I wish would would have switched those. My daughter loves HS and MK over the other two so this is my compromise.

Ugh to the code brown thing. That just stinks, . We are super into swimming daily so that would be a downer.

I really appreciate all the advice!

 

[Anthony1971]

To start February is one of those hit and miss months for pools. The pools will however most likely be open and are heated. Sounds to me like you are more park warriors then resort people.... With deluxe I would say to take a few days to enjoy the resort and enjoy your meals at Disney Springs or a resort. For us with pools... we like them not overly crowded and more important is the slide. BW hands down has the fastest slide and it is fun. Poly follows a close second as it is mostly covered better you can stay in the pool and have a great view of the MK fireworks. We love wilderness lodge however the slide for us is OK but nothing special a very relaxing pool. We are just not fans of BC pool or otherwise so I will leave that out. If you like dinner at Disney springs BW, BC and PO are easy enough to take a bus/boat WL is a bit of ride and will stop at another deluxe it was CR last time we were there and GF on prior trips. The one thing WL will offer over the others is easy access to MK especially for late nights also you can see the higher fireworks and water parade at night. However walking to Epcot and mostly HS -with a side of caution of getting stuck in the rain... so decide what is most important to you

 

[kikismom]

To start February is one of those hit and miss months for pools. The pools will however most likely be open and are heated. Sounds to me like you are more park warriors then resort people.... With deluxe I would say to take a few days to enjoy the resort and enjoy your meals at Disney Springs or a resort. For us with pools... we like them not overly crowded and more important is the slide. BW hands down has the fastest slide and it is fun. Poly follows a close second as it is mostly covered better you can stay in the pool and have a great view of the MK fireworks. We love wilderness lodge however the slide for us is OK but nothing special a very relaxing pool. We are just not fans of BC pool or otherwise so I will leave that out. If you like dinner at Disney springs BW, BC and PO are easy enough to take a bus/boat WL is a bit of ride and will stop at another deluxe it was CR last time we were there and GF on prior trips. The one thing WL will offer over the others is easy access to MK especially for late nights also you can see the higher fireworks and water parade at night. However walking to Epcot and mostly HS -with a side of caution of getting stuck in the rain... so decide what is most important to you

Oh no! Is the weather not nice enough in Feb? We went to DL in December and it was high 50s to mid 60s with some rain and we were at the pool daily. We take about a 3 hour break from about 1-4 each day at our hotel. We are from NW Washington state and are used to the cold. Dates aren't important at all except I want to avoid the heat. We can go anytime really.

I am going to have such a hard time deciding between the Deluxes. Anything will be great though. Our last trip was for a convention for my husband and we stayed at Gaylord Palms. While it was a great hotel I wished we were staying on property the whole time.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Oh no! Is the weather not nice enough in Feb? We went to DL in December and it was high 50s to mid 60s with some rain and we were at the pool daily. We take about a 3 hour break from about 1-4 each day at our hotel. We are from NW Washington state and are used to the cold. Dates aren't important at all except I want to avoid the heat. We can go anytime really.

I am going to have such a hard time deciding between the Deluxes. Anything will be great though. Our last trip was for a convention for my husband and we stayed at Gaylord Palms. While it was a great hotel I wished we were staying on property the whole time.

We've gone in February several times over the years, because that was one of our school breaks here in Massachusetts. Some years were quite warm, some were less so (but seemed warm to us. ) Based on what you said in this quote, you'll be fine.

This article mentions some weather expectations if that reassures you:
https://floridatrippers.com/florida-in-february/

I'm less help with the deluxe resorts, as the only one I've stayed at so far is AKL. (Loved it!) But of the ones you mentioned, Wilderness Lodge has been on our shortlist several times.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

I pick the WL because I love the theming and close proximity to MK since I visit MK far more than the other parks.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Oh gosh! Thanks all! This is a lot to think about.

My daughter will be 11 when we go. We are pretty set on doing 2 days at each park. Last trip we did 2 at MK and HS and 1 at AK and EP. I wish would would have switched those. My daughter loves HS and MK over the other two so this is my compromise.

Ugh to the code brown thing. That just stinks, . We are super into swimming daily so that would be a downer.

I really appreciate all the advice!

POR. From the POFQ website
“From January 2024 through April 2024, the Doubloon Lagoon pool at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter will be closed for routine maintenance. Guests may see or hear construction work during day time hours. During this time, Guests are welcome to swim in the Ol’ Man Island pool at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside.”

At age 11 I vote BC. Stormalong Bay is the coolest pool on property, by far. YC shares it if you want a more updated room (hard floor, raised bed so you store luggage under it) but BC is a shorter walk to EP by a few mins.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Oh no! Is the weather not nice enough in Feb? We went to DL in December and it was high 50s to mid 60s with some rain and we were at the pool daily. We take about a 3 hour break from about 1-4 each day at our hotel. We are from NW Washington state and are used to the cold. Dates aren't important at all except I want to avoid the heat.

You’ll be fine then. I went mid-Feb last year and had only one day of shorts weather so I think Feb is smart for you. Mar could get a heat wave and be too warm. Disney heats the pools.

 

[kikismom]

POR. From the POFQ website
“From January 2024 through April 2024, the Doubloon Lagoon pool at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter will be closed for routine maintenance. Guests may see or hear construction work during day time hours. During this time, Guests are welcome to swim in the Ol’ Man Island pool at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside.”

At age 11 I vote BC. Stormalong Bay is the coolest pool on property, by far. YC shares it if you want a more updated room (hard floor, raised bed so you store luggage under it) but BC is a shorter walk to EP by a few mins.

Oh thank you for this. I need to read a bit better. Lol.

If we end up not staying at Port Orleans is it even worth it to split a stay between Deluxes? Or should we just not deal with that and choose one?

 

[PollyannaMom]

If we end up not staying at Port Orleans is it even worth it to split a stay between Deluxes? Or should we just not deal with that and choose one?

I probably wouldn't bother with a same level split unless I really wanted to try out two different resorts. (The only time we did one, we actually left Disney in between for a couple of days to visit relatives, but we also did the first leg at a mod and the last leg deluxe.)

 

[gottalovepluto]

Oh thank you for this. I need to read a bit better. Lol.

If we end up not staying at Port Orleans is it even worth it to split a stay between Deluxes? Or should we just not deal with that and choose one?

I adore the deluxe split. Ideally an EP resort for easy access to DHS/EP and an MK resort for easy MK access. Anything to minimize transit time and a fresh room partway through a long trip is nice.

Here is a recent thread with every possible thought and feeling about split stays. Lovers and haters on both sides of the issue