After reading the replies, I think people are "on top of the action" types, or they are not. Each is cool. As for us, we like to be right in the middle of everything. The town where I live back home has at least 5 large shopping malls within a 10 minute drive, as well as every other possible store, restaurant, etc. It is also about 20 minutes from New York City....so I feel more comfortable with a lot of people around.
I went out for a nice run around OKW this evening. It was a beautiful night, and the resort seemed so quiet and peaceful. There were fireworks in the distance. It was a great way to end the night.
So, after some more consideration, here is my updated "list" of top resorts:
1) Beach Club: Great combo of location and awesome pool. We love to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, can sit in the lazy stream all day, and enjoy jogging around the lake.
2) Boardwalk: I like the layout of the building better than the Beach Club and love the overall boardwalk "vibe." Once again, you can't beat the location. A downside is the busing system. We have stayed here 3 or 4 times, and each time the buses disappointed.
3) Old Key West: I love how the pool, fitness center, restaurant, quick service, tennis courts, store, and more are located in the same general area. The resort is nice and has a nice laid back vibe. It is the closest to my favorite moderate resort, Port Orleans. On the downside, I would prefer a resort closer to the parks, and I don't like that I might get stuck far away from the main pool (6/10 of a mile is too far, in my opinion).
4) tie: Saratoga Springs and Bay Lake Tower...I like the location of Bay Lake Tower better, but I like the pool better at Saratoga Springs. As you can see, the pool is a big thing for me. Both times we stayed at SSR, we were far from the main area, which kind of soured me on the resort. I felt like I was staying in a generic condo, not a Disney themed resort. With BLT, we felt that the theme was "hotel" and had to look out the window to really feel any Disney magic. But with that said, overall, I enjoyed both and would stay at either again. Both had some great qualities.
5) tie: Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge....We stayed at each only one time. My wife did not like either, so I am obligated to say that I don't care for them, too, lol. We felt that AKL was too dark, too far away from things, and we didn't like the dining options. My wife didn't like the Wilderness Lodge for reasons that probably wouldn't make sense to everyone here, so I'll spare you the details. But with that said, I don't think that we will be going to either unless she changes her mind.
So, there ya have it!
Seriously?
