Confused newbie - Grand? Boardwalk? Animal Kingdom or Wilderness Lodge?

[Kims Aunt]

After more than two weeks of reading literature, reading this board and beginning to ask questions, I'm more confused than ever...

We are currently a party of 4:
2 adults
2 senior citizens

We maybe joined by my brother, sister-in-law and my niece who will be 2, almost 3.

We will be visiting in either very late April or sometime in May of 2008.

It's been over 30 years since we've been to the Disney and, need your input to make the best decisions for our group regarding where to stay.

I should state upfront, we're looking for deluxe hotels only. And, on park grounds only.

Mom isn't big on walking (I know, I know...Disney isn't the best place for her BUT she does enjoy the shows and such and will be happy just going from production show to production show or taking slow rides such as the Animal Safari over in Animal Kingdom).

The reason I bring up the walking situation is because we want to make it as easy as possible and that looks like her taking the monorail or the water taxis to the parks. Bus is ok but, not the first choice.

Given this information, which deluxe resort would you select?

Boardwalk?
Yatch Club?
Grand Floridian?
Animal Kingdom?

Help!! And thanks in advance

 

[hmp2z]

Given your needs, I would suggest the Boardwalk, simply because, from that resort, you have easy access to two parks: Epcot and MGM. You can walk to either (though MGM is a bit of a hike), or you can take the boat to either.

Cheers!
Heather W

 

[Quinn222]

I agree with Boardwalk, your mom will probably enjoy all the activities and little entertainments going on on the BW. Only thing is it is a large resort with long hallways, so be sure and ask for a room close to the elevators.

 

[f7prez]

Of the choices you listed, I would pick Yacht Club, and here is why.

Very close to EPCOT, MGM, Boardwalk and other resorts with good choice of restaurants. All within a short boat ride away.

They have the best pool (Storn-A-Long Bay) on Disney property.

 

[officer tigger]

If your looking for the least amount of walking to the parks, I would stay on the monorail loop. Easy access to the MK, and a short transfer to get over to EPCOT.
Last December my wife and I stayed at the Contemporary and loved the short distance to the MK and ride to Epcot.
But the Grand Floridian is my all time favorite resort and would stay there anytime!

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

I would also suggust one of the EPCOT resorts, Boardwalk is my favorite.

One trip when I took my Mother and Mother-in-Law to WDW I just got them both the ECV's to use. They were able to enjoy the parks without all the walking. Neither one would have been able to go without the added assistance, even though niether need them yet at home.

Me...I was wornout at the end of the day, those two were still raring to go.

 

[antmaril]

The Boardwalk Inn is our favorite Disney resort and I think it is a very good choice for your family. Close proximity to Epcot and MGM.

We think the resort is lovely.

Have fun!

 

[grannyminnie]

Well, you have a toddler, so you must take that into account...naps and such. The monorail resorts are great for that, and of course, right there at MK. EPCOT can be accessed by monorail from these also. It will take a bus to get you to MGM or AK, unless you are driving or renting a car.

 

[grannyminnie]

Well, if the two, almost three year old will come along, you must take that into account...naps and such. The monorail resorts are great for that, and of course, right there at MK. EPCOT can be accessed by monorail from these also. It will take a bus to get you to MGM or AK, unless you are driving or renting a car. If it's just the four of you, then the EPCOT resorts would work well.

Oops! sorry for the double post!! Had an afterthought...

 

[bigmoonmullen]

Hi:

I agree
Boardwalk
Beach Club or Yacht Club

If you mainly want to visit Epcot & MGM... Super easy to walk from those three to Epcot (BC is marginally the closest - shorter walk)... Boat to MGM is very nice. Have lots of excellent dining choices.

If you spend most of your time at Magic Kingdom then GF, WL, Poly, CR... There is a lot of walking at MK but you take your time.

If you spend most of your time at AK then AKL is your choice but be warying of the construction going on... suppose to last till 2009 but to what extent who knows.

Have a Great Trip,

Mark

 

[simonkodousek]

I vote for the WL! We really enjoyed our stay there in 2004, and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Plus, if you wanted more room, you could opt for a deluxe/junior suite.

 

[momimouse27]

Although Beach Club is my personal favorite, I would have to pick a resort that is on the monorail loop. Grand Floridian is gorgeous and although I have not stayed there we have stayed at Contemporary and I cannot emphasize enough the convenience of having the monorail at your constant disposal. It will take you to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

A close second for me would be Beach Club, because Epcot is our favorite park and we just love BC. The atmosphere is beautiful. And like other have said, you do have walking access to Epcot and a boat ride to MGM.

Good luck with your decision!!

 

[AlDubya]

Based upon the walking aspect alone, I have to say Boardwalk.

I've always stayed there and love the location. There are tons of things to do on the boardwalk itself, plus the boat from the Boardwalk services both MGM and EPCOT. The boat landing is right in front of the Boardwalk Inn and is a very short walk from the hotel.

As another poster mentioned, be sure and mention your issues with walking when booking the room. The hallways are extremely long and you could have quite a walk just from your room to the lobby. Ask for a room close to the elevator.

The secondary mode of transport from Boardwalk is the bus system which, once again, is very close to the resort lobby (very short walk... less than 60 yards).

In regard to transportation, the Beach and Yacht Club offer the same easy access to MGM and EPCOT via boat and AK/MK via bus. However, due to their location across the lake, they're not as close to the action of the boardwalk itself (you can ride the EPCOT/MGM boats across, mind you, but still).

I can't attest to the rooms at the Yacht or Beach club, though I can't imagine them being anything less than excellent, but I can attest to the wonderful rooms at the Boardwalk. Definitely top notch.

Boardwalk would be my choice.

 

[Kims Aunt]

Wow, overwhelming votes for Boardwalk.

Can you tell me what the special appeal is here? Information on the web only get you so much...

Thanks!

 

[Jubilee]

Boardwalk is awesome for an older crowd; I would suggest that or Grand Floridian. Both are great theming and GF monorails to MK, whereas BW boats to Epcot.

 

[AlDubya]

In regard to the Boardwalk's appeal, I think there are many things that come to mind.

First, just the overall atmosphere that surrounds and is contained within the resort. The rooms themselves are very nicely decorated and, even the lowest level of rooms, are quite a good size and are very nice.

The lobby of the Boardwalk is always nice, with the over-sized chairs and the view out onto the boardwalk itself.

The real allure of the Boardwalk, in my opinion, comes from it's location. Not only is it a quick walk (12 minutes to MGM; 5 minutes to EPCOT) or boat ride from MGM and EPCOT, but the boardwalk area itself also contains many good restaurants and things to do right at the resort area.

Between ESPNZone, Spoodles, the Flying Fish, the Boardwalk Bakery, and Big River Brewery, there's always a place to get a bite to eat. Then there's Jellyroll's, which is just a terrific place to spend the night (dueling piano bar... tons of fun)...

Also, because of the Boardwalk's proximity to EPCOT, you can catch the fireworks from your balcony, or from the boardwalk area, every evening at 9pm without actually having to go into the park (note: obviously, due to the buildings, you can't see the low level fireworks, but there are quite a good amount that you can see).

Plus, at night, the boardwalk area turns into kind of a fair/circus atmosphere with 'street performers' doing magic shows, juggling, etc... There are also little vendor stands, much like you'd find at a carnival/fair, etc.. All in all, it's just a great place to be.

 

[lovin'DVC]

I think it's best to determine which park you'll spend the most time in, and choose a hotel based on proximity to that, or commit to taking taxis everywhere. Otherwise you spend a lot more time on Disney transportation than you would think. If you want to see pictures of different resorts, www.allearsnet.com has photos of every resort.

I second the advice to rent the ECV. I brought a pedometer on our last trip and I was amazed at how much we walked. We stayed at the Beach Club and after a normal day at Epcot we had walked anywhere from 8-12 miles. My MIL has a hard time walking and they were staying at the Dolphin - they walked to Epcot one day instead of waiting for the boat and she was having a rough time.

Terry

 

[lovin'DVC]

I think it's best to determine which park you'll spend the most time in, and choose a hotel based on proximity to that, or commit to taking taxis everywhere. Otherwise you spend a lot more time on Disney transportation than you would think. If you want to see pictures of different resorts, www.allearsnet.com has photos of every resort.

I second the advice to rent the ECV. I brought a pedometer on our last trip and I was amazed at how much we walked. We stayed at the Beach Club and after a normal day at Epcot we had walked anywhere from 8-12 miles. My MIL has a hard time walking and they were staying at the Dolphin - they walked to Epcot one day instead of waiting for the boat and she was having a rough time.

We really like the Animal Kingdom Lodge but when we go there we generally don't go to the parks much. We have 4 kids and they enjoy the activities, and we enjoy the ambience of the resort. When we do go to the parks we try to drive. If you plan on going to parks other than Animal Kingdom AND you want to use Disney transportation, I don't recommend it.

Terry

 

[nascargirl]

Boardwalk is our favorite resort. You will have access to two parks that can be easily walked to or you can take a leisure boat ride. The boardwalk it self has nightly entertainment.

 

[LuvTony0508]

many people chose Boardwalk, I just got back from there and I have to tell you, the walking is tremendous!!! From our room to the lobby was three very long hallways (unless we took the shortcut stairs, walked through the courtyard and up the stairs to the lobby area). The walk from our room to the pool was also quite a distance. Our room was on the second floor which is lobby level, and we followed that right side corridor until it ended! We did have a view of the quiet pool and garden suites which was nice. I swear I walked 700 miles on this past vacation, LOL. Our room was the end room on the second floor where the stair exit is. As for me, I prefer either AKL or WL, Boardwalk was getting me "bored with Walking" LOL. The night time activities were fun, and the pool was really cool for the kids, but the lack of quick service meal places was also a turn off for me. Just my 2 cents.