Choosing a Resort

[tmeade4]

Hi All! I am trying to choose a resort to visit next, and I am wondering if anyone would be willing to help me by ranking the following resorts based on a combination of a few things: value, the pool/slide, ease of transportation, and activities. We are travelling with four kids, all 9 and under. We have some pros and cons for each, so we were hoping to hear from people that have stayed in these resorts. Please rank:

Bay Lake Tower: We like the proximity and ease to get to Magic Kingdom, but it looks kind of "blah" and boring from the pictures of the rooms/pool.

Beach Club: We stayed here once already and loved it. We like the idea of trying something new, but we are afraid we have already hit the pinnacle of resorts by staying here and anything else would be a downgrade. We like the pool a lot, but it was a bit overwhelming with four kids going in four different directions.

Boardwalk: Don't know much about this resort. We are a bit worried it might get loud at night.

Copper Creek at Wilderness: Is this resort nice? The pictures look nice, but the pool/slide look a little small. Also, how long is the wait to get on a boat after Magic Kingdom closes? Is a boat the easiest way to get back to the resort?

If anyone knowledgeable is willing to rank these resorts for me, that would be incredibly helpful. It is so hard to choose because they all look great!! Thank you!

 

[tmeade4]

Forgot to add - we are also thinking about the Polynesian Island Tower, but the walk from the Tower to the Lava Pool looks pretty long, and it is expensive. Is this resort worth the money?

 

[OKW Lover]

Interesting question. My comments:
BLT - convient to the MK. Not a fan of the design but individual taste varies
BC - a favorite of ours. Convenient to Epcot and DHS. Quiet and relaxed atmosphere
Boardwalk - also convenient to Epcot and DHS. Doesn't get as loud as you seem to be concerned about. Very little actually happens on the boardwalk at night.
Copper Creek - great theming. You'll feel like you aren't even at WDW any more. Boat to the MK is nice.
Poly Tower - nice location. Be sure to get a Theme Park view and request an upper floor.

 

[DL1WDW2]

My favorite places to stay : BLT and the Poly and probably
the Cabins at Fort Wilderness and the POP Century!
BLT because of the ease of walking to MK and / or jumping on the monorail .
Provides lots of option for places to dine , explore . ( especially if it rains )
The Contemporary pool area is also available with the children’s water play area.
You might want to rent a pontoon to sail across the seas.. It is as easy as driving a car !
BLT has a very nice Children’s Activity Center in their lobby .
Also can watch the Electrical WaterPageant every night after the fireworks .
It is wonderful to have the balcony at BLT with the sunrise and sunset and the moon shining . And view of MK !
I also love walking across the SkyBridge from BLT to the Contemporary .
Contemporary also has a Joffrees in their lobby close to the Bus Stop .
You can also go to the top of the World to watch the fireworks .
I think a reservation is necessary for the Bar/ Lounge but the outdoors does not require a reservation .
I have stayed at the new Poly Tower and it also is wonderful .
But cost probably makes a major consideration to compare.

The architect that designed BLT wanted to evoke the wind blowing and that is why it has that curved shape .
How can anybody not love watching the monorail at BLT/ Contemporary?

 

[beccasmom]

Hi All! I am trying to choose a resort to visit next, and I am wondering if anyone would be willing to help me by ranking the following resorts based on a combination of a few things: value, the pool/slide, ease of transportation, and activities. We are travelling with four kids, all 9 and under. We have some pros and cons for each, so we were hoping to hear from people that have stayed in these resorts. Please rank:

Bay Lake Tower: We like the proximity and ease to get to Magic Kingdom, but it looks kind of "blah" and boring from the pictures of the rooms/pool. It’s a nice resort and so convenient to the MK. Great for access to restaurants/shops in CR and other resorts on the monorail. The pool is fine, but for sure it’s no mini water park. And IMHO it’s too small and can get very crowded.

Beach Club: We stayed here once already and loved it. We like the idea of trying something new, but we are afraid we have already hit the pinnacle of resorts by staying here and anything else would be a downgrade. We like the pool a lot, but it was a bit overwhelming with four kids going in four different directions. Love the resort but agree about the pool area. Access to Epcot/Studios is wonderful. Lots of restaurant choices - BC, BW, YC, Swan/Dolphin. Not crazy about bus service to MK.

Boardwalk: Don't know much about this resort. We are a bit worried it might get loud at night. It has not been overly loud on our visits even though it’s a very popular resort. No comments on the pool as we’ve never used it. Location of course is unbeatable. Again, bus service to MK could be better. Could improve on counter service eating options.

Copper Creek at Wilderness: Is this resort nice? The pictures look nice, but the pool/slide look a little small. Also, how long is the wait to get on a boat after Magic Kingdom closes? Is a boat the easiest way to get back to the resort? Our personal favorite resort. Incredibly lovely lobby and room decor. We enjoy the pools. Great restaurant options. We prefer the boat to the buses, but both are equally fine. You can also boat over to the CR if you wish. My rankings would be CCV, BLT, BC, BW, making the assumption based on ages that you’ll be visiting the MK quite a bit. But I’d probably still rank them this way. You can’t “lose” with any of them though.

If anyone knowledgeable is willing to rank these resorts for me, that would be incredibly helpful. It is so hard to choose because they all look great!! Thank you!

n

 

[brockash]

Hi All! I am trying to choose a resort to visit next, and I am wondering if anyone would be willing to help me by ranking the following resorts based on a combination of a few things: value, the pool/slide, ease of transportation, and activities. We are travelling with four kids, all 9 and under. We have some pros and cons for each, so we were hoping to hear from people that have stayed in these resorts. Please rank:

Bay Lake Tower: We like the proximity and ease to get to Magic Kingdom, but it looks kind of "blah" and boring from the pictures of the rooms/pool.

Beach Club: We stayed here once already and loved it. We like the idea of trying something new, but we are afraid we have already hit the pinnacle of resorts by staying here and anything else would be a downgrade. We like the pool a lot, but it was a bit overwhelming with four kids going in four different directions.

Boardwalk: Don't know much about this resort. We are a bit worried it might get loud at night.

Copper Creek at Wilderness: Is this resort nice? The pictures look nice, but the pool/slide look a little small. Also, how long is the wait to get on a boat after Magic Kingdom closes? Is a boat the easiest way to get back to the resort?

If anyone knowledgeable is willing to rank these resorts for me, that would be incredibly helpful. It is so hard to choose because they all look great!! Thank you!

With the ages of your kids; we'd choose Bay Lake. Love, love, love just rolling the double stroller onto the monorail for MK and Epcot. The bus situation is pretty decent too. Love the bridge to the CR, nothing is too far and it's beautiful in a low key kind of way.

2nd choice would be Beach club. - We love the beach/yacht club area and the pool, but it's a bit much with younger kids. I also really don't love paying deluxe prices with a decent chance of not having a real balcony. I will also say while getting to Epcot is unbeatable; we dont find the proximity to DHS as an advantage staying there and YC, BC, and sometimes Boardwalk share buses and BC is not the first stop, which can be tough with kids.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I would choose Copper Creek Villas for this trip. It’s nice to try different resorts. They all have their pros and cons. But WL is really special in a lot of ways.

 

[kylenne]

Forgot to add - we are also thinking about the Polynesian Island Tower, but the walk from the Tower to the Lava Pool looks pretty long

It really, really isn’t. The Poly is a deceptively large resort on paper but nothing is more than like a 5 min walk away from each other.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Wow I am thinking of the walks for different activities at the Poly …never considered how convenient the Resort is to navigate .

I am already thinking about the long hallways and long walks to get to my room at the LakeShore Lodge and it isn’t even built yet!

 

[Minnie1222]

My choices:

#1 Grand Floridian: The absolute best resort for young children.
#2 Boardwalk Inn: I don't think it's noisy at all, even in the rooms overlooking the boardwalk.
#3 Wilderness Lodge/Copper Creek.

Beach Club: the worst pool for families with multiple young children.

No comment on BLT and Poly Tower since I've never stayed there.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Copper Creek at Wilderness: Is this resort nice? The pictures look nice, but the pool/slide look a little small. Also, how long is the wait to get on a boat after Magic Kingdom closes? Is a boat the easiest way to get back to the resort?

The pool slide is small but with the ages of your children, the main pool would be a good choice. There is a fun splash pad for the younger kids that is right next to the main pool. The villas pool is zero entry and has cabanas.

The boat to/from MK is very convenient. They send a huge boat to pick up the fireworks crowd, so the wait wouldn't be too long.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've stayed at all of them, except Bay Lake Tower. Unless you're staying in a Boardwalk View room, the rest of the resort didn't thrill me, but the Boardwalk View was beautiful. Otherwise, I agree with you about Beach Club-it's the best! The only shortcoming is the availability of fast food-unless you have a pass that allows park hopping, because in that case, there's nothing like being able to go in to Les Halles for a meal (or two or...)

 

[tmeade4]

Thank you everyone!! It sounds like Bay Lake and Copper Creek would both work well for us based on what you told me. This is super helpful because, honestly, Bay Lake was towards the bottom of my list, but I am definitely going to reconsider that. It sounds great. Many thanks!

 

[DL1WDW2]

Yay Bay Lake !
One more thing when your children wake up really early …Take elevator up to Top floor and stop at every floor …
A different piece of Disney Artwork on every floor !
My favorite is the Goofy outline and he is entirely created out of Disney cartoons …I always forget what floor he is on and every visit I wake up early to find him!
Also one year I was lucky enough to get a room on the same level as the hallway that has anOpen overlook to pier down at the castmembers as they check in guests. I loved being on that floor too!
When you enter look up over the castmembers !
Also the water fountain outside has bricks with original dates and messages from the opening of Bay Lake that guests personalized for their family memento !
Have fun !
And the Children’s Activity Center is outstanding !
I just called twice today to ask about the Top of the World …for July 3, 4
All they would say is it is Blacked Out and they do not know if it will be a private event party…but the parties are usually at 9:00 and the elevator access up to Top is at 6:00 p.m.
a
Ask at the front desk lobby .

 

[tmeade4]

Yay Bay Lake !
One more thing when your children wake up really early …Take elevator up to Top floor and stop at every floor …
A different piece of Disney Artwork on every floor !
My favorite is the Goofy outline and he is entirely created out of Disney cartoons …I always forget what floor he is on and every visit I wake up early to find him!
Also one year I was lucky enough to get a room on the same level as the hallway that has anOpen overlook to pier down at the castmembers as they check in guests. I loved being on that floor too!
When you enter look up over the castmembers !
Also the water fountain outside has bricks with original dates and messages from the opening of Bay Lake that guests personalized for their family memento !
Have fun !
And the Children’s Activity Center is outstanding !
I just called twice today to ask about the Top of the World …for July 3, 4
All they would say is it is Blacked Out and they do not know if it will be a private event party…but the parties are usually at 9:00 and the elevator access up to Top is at 6:00 p.m.
a
Ask at the front desk lobby .

View attachment 1078647

That all sounds fun! Thank you!!

 

[sponica]

I'm a hard pass on Boardwalk, it's location is good but the quick service doesn't have a ton of options and I don't like having to leave the hotel to go to the gift shop to get tylenol or whatever else i might need. I'm glad we stayed there to cross it off the list, but I don't have the need to go back with kids. (Maybe on an adults only trip)

 

[kalaniimad]

I’d go with Bay Lake Tower for easy Magic Kingdom access and great amenities, or Copper Creek if you’re into theming and enjoy the unique boat ride.

 

[jennab]

Hi All! I am trying to choose a resort to visit next, and I am wondering if anyone would be willing to help me by ranking the following resorts based on a combination of a few things: value, the pool/slide, ease of transportation, and activities. We are travelling with four kids, all 9 and under. We have some pros and cons for each, so we were hoping to hear from people that have stayed in these resorts. Please rank:

Bay Lake Tower: We like the proximity and ease to get to Magic Kingdom, but it looks kind of "blah" and boring from the pictures of the rooms/pool.

Beach Club: We stayed here once already and loved it. We like the idea of trying something new, but we are afraid we have already hit the pinnacle of resorts by staying here and anything else would be a downgrade. We like the pool a lot, but it was a bit overwhelming with four kids going in four different directions.

Boardwalk: Don't know much about this resort. We are a bit worried it might get loud at night.

Copper Creek at Wilderness: Is this resort nice? The pictures look nice, but the pool/slide look a little small. Also, how long is the wait to get on a boat after Magic Kingdom closes? Is a boat the easiest way to get back to the resort?

If anyone knowledgeable is willing to rank these resorts for me, that would be incredibly helpful. It is so hard to choose because they all look great!! Thank you!

If do Bat Lake or CR garden wing room. Can walk to MK and lots of dining options at CR and right on the monorail. Pools slides definitely better than WL, which was very blah.

BC too hectic for 4 kids at pool, but you seem already aware of that.

BW pool slide is fun and it’s not loud at night. Or at least we’ve never found it to be, but also never had a room overlooking the boardwalk. If you like the Epcot area I suggest BW over BC to try something new. Less dining options at BW (but sounds like adding more soon). You can also look at Swan/Dolphin in that area.

 

[kylenne]

BW pool slide is fun and it’s not loud at night. Or at least we’ve never found it to be, but also never had a room overlooking the boardwalk. If you like the Epcot area I suggest BW over BC to try something new. Less dining options at BW (but sounds like adding more soon). You can also look at Swan/Dolphin in that area.

Last year we had a resort view room at BWI, unfortunately overlooking the porte cochere, but it was pretty quiet. The nice thing about staying there is Swolphin is very convenient if you want more dining options. We had dinner at Rosa Mexicano on that trip.

 

[sesplsagar]

Pop Century's a solid choice, Skyliner access is a game changer. If budget allows, the monorail resorts are worth the splurge, but honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them