Deciding between several resorts

[WawaCoffee]

My lack of ability to decide on a resort is driving me bonkers. I've been to WDW several times with family & friends over the past few years, but have only stayed at deluxe resorts. This will be my first solo trip (Oct. 2021). What's most important to me is overall relaxation and sleep quality. I plan on relaxing in the mornings at the pool and staying in the parks from afternoon to close. If park hours are still shortened by October 2021, it would be nice to stay at a resort with more activities available.

Pop Century
Pros: Much cheaper, Skyliner access, recently renovated rooms, seems geared towards solo travelers
Cons: Many reviewers note that the rooms have "paper thin walls", and that the resort is loud/chaotic (especially when tour groups/high schools are on property). My sleep quality is very important to me, which is why I continue to steer away from Pop.


Coronado Springs (Non-Tower)
* A package with a tower room is only a few-hundred dollars less than SSR/OKW. So, if I'm spending money on a tower room, I'll just go deluxe.

Pros: Large resort grounds, seems much more tranquil than Pop, the main pool looks excellent.
Cons: Many reviewers complaining about the bus service. Overall lack of Disney theming/charm... if I'm spending money to be in Disney, I want to feel like I'm in Disney, not on a business venture.


Saratoga Springs or Old Key West
*I grouped these two together because they both look equally interesting to me.

Pros: Proximity to Disney Springs, beautiful grounds, all of the amenities that come along with deluxe resorts
Cons: Cost. It's difficult to justify spending this amount of money on a solo trip.

Thank you all for your input!

 

[Dug720]

Just my thoughts on it... (I do travel solo and have no issue spending on my trips. It's my time for me to splurge!)

Pop... You mention you like "charm"? IMHO (and I've stayed there), those rooms have all the "charm" of a rehab center (have not stayed in one, but have done an internship in one). Just one that has some Disney touches here and there.

CSR... I've toyed with staying there (though in the Tower which IMHO has plenty of Disney on the walls, the hallway carpeting, etc. - plus it looks AMAZING) for February. The regular rooms do seem cozy to me. And it's Three Caballeros in theming. Right now only the Casitas is open, so that's a turn-off for me as the one time I stayed there it was in that section and not a great trip - starting with them assigning me to a room where someone was still staying (and I think in the bathroom when I opened the door to discover stuff still all over the place).

SSR... Feels too much like any golf community where you could live or rent a condo on vacation to me. Even with the new horsey theming.

OKW... I've never stayed there, but it seems to be by far the most spread out of any resorts, and I live in NYC and walk everywhere.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Pop is good for solo travelers because the rooms are on the smaller side. It's never been super, super loud when I've stayed there, but I know it can get that way.
If you're going with Coronado, definitely go with the Tower. I stayed there for the first time in mid-November and absolutely adored it.
I'd avoid SSR and OKW.

 

[MICKIMINI]

I'll vote for OKW. I had a stay in the early 2000's when I brought our son to Space Camp and DH was working. I had a quiet week in a 1 BR and our son joined me for a couple nights after camp. If you want tropical gorgeousness and quiet I'd request Turtle Pond area for the quiet pool. The large furnished balcony with a ceiling fan is so very southern. There is a bus stop there as well.

SSR isn't my fav but it's convenient to DS and people seem to love the redo. I don't love the elevators as it is less "residential" than OKW.

For quiet and rest I would definitely not do Pop! It is why we bought OKW in 1996... Have fun!

 

[cjlong88]

We stayed in the 90s section third floor of Pop back in December 2019 between Christmas and New Years and absolutely loved the resort. We actually didn't see or hear anyone our entire stay. I'm a very light sleeper and wasn't disturbed due to noise -- I think it's most likely due to the luck of getting nice, quiet neighbors. We liked being tucked back in the corner and away from the foot traffic of Classic Hall and the Hippy Dippy Pool. The skyliner access was amazing.

We had the computer pool all to ourselves one day and couldn't believe how much more chill the area was compared to the 60s and 70s sections of the resort. We enjoyed the updated rooms. Not the fanciest, but had everything we needed. We spend most of our time at the parks, so having the nicest, fanciest, most intricately themed room isn't high up on our priority list.

We would definitely stay again.

 

[Heather07438]

That's a hard decision. I like Pop because you have the easy access off the Skyliner.

Since spending time in the resort itself is a big consideration, I'd have to go with CSR for sure. It's a lovely resort and the new Gran Destino Tower looks awesome to visit. You may be able to try that pool too(?).

We've tried OKW but not SSR. Though for that kind of $ as a solo traveller, I'm not crazy about the proximity to get around the resort. CSR seem's alot closer to get around.

My vote goes to CSR.

If CBR was the same $ or less than 15% more, I'd probably go Caribbean where you're kinda in the middle of all the action with Skyliner. The update looks gorgeous.

 

[karen4546]

Tower @ Coronado. But, if you can get a studio @ AKV Jambo House that would be my choice. Kidani could also work, but you have a better chance of a partial savannah view when booking standard @ Jambo.

I have never stayed @ SSR but I think it could work also. Walking to Disney Springs in the evening may be a great way to spend some time.

 

[wdwrule]

I’m leaning towards Pop for price and the room will be very spacious for one. Since you’re not going to parks until afternoon, walking on skyliner to HS and Epcot will be a breeze. Of course buses will be easy at that time too. Rooms are newly renovated and comfortable. We were just there last month and loved it, although we were at the parks most of the time. We had no issues with noise at night. Never heard a neighbor, although I think this is just luck at any level of resort which we’ve stayed at all levels. Service was great and prompt too when we asked for more coffee etc. We requested 60s section which is close to skyliner and lobby/food court/bus stop. We never used the food court this trip but heard it’s decent. Loved the easy access to skyliner! Not just to parks, but to also visit and eat at Riviera. Also if an AoA bus came first at park closing we’d just hop on that with an easy walk back to our room at Pop.

ETA: if you’re looking at a lot of pool time, the pool at CSR is wonderful!

 

[npatellye]

I would say Pop because of the Skyliner. My family enjoys OKW but I wouldn’t pay for it in cash as a solo traveler. SSR just isn’t my cup of tea, though my kids enjoy the Paddock pool.

 

[Jhondy]

We love SSR. It’s not the closest for parks but it is so nice to walk to disney springs in the evenings. I always felt like busses to and from disney springs in the evenings is the worst! I also feel like SSR just feels so relaxed and calm. I’d choose SSR over POP simply for the balcony. I’m a huge fan of sitting on a balcony.

 

[brockash]

My lack of ability to decide on a resort is driving me bonkers. I've been to WDW several times with family & friends over the past few years, but have only stayed at deluxe resorts. This will be my first solo trip (Oct. 2021). What's most important to me is overall relaxation and sleep quality. I plan on relaxing in the mornings at the pool and staying in the parks from afternoon to close. If park hours are still shortened by October 2021, it would be nice to stay at a resort with more activities available.

Pop Century
Pros: Much cheaper, Skyliner access, recently renovated rooms, seems geared towards solo travelers
Cons: Many reviewers note that the rooms have "paper thin walls", and that the resort is loud/chaotic (especially when tour groups/high schools are on property). My sleep quality is very important to me, which is why I continue to steer away from Pop.


Coronado Springs (Non-Tower)
* A package with a tower room is only a few-hundred dollars less than SSR/OKW. So, if I'm spending money on a tower room, I'll just go deluxe.

Pros: Large resort grounds, seems much more tranquil than Pop, the main pool looks excellent.
Cons: Many reviewers complaining about the bus service. Overall lack of Disney theming/charm... if I'm spending money to be in Disney, I want to feel like I'm in Disney, not on a business venture.


Saratoga Springs or Old Key West
*I grouped these two together because they both look equally interesting to me.

Pros: Proximity to Disney Springs, beautiful grounds, all of the amenities that come along with deluxe resorts
Cons: Cost. It's difficult to justify spending this amount of money on a solo trip.

Thank you all for your input!

I'd definitely go with Pop in this situation and with those choices and I'd make sure tonhave a bix fan to have some white noise and droqn out any other. We've requested and received box fans from numerous Disney resorts (Pop) multiple times, but if it was real important I'd just order one ahead of time as they're not very expensive.

 

[loves to dive]

I'd do CSR. Pop is o.k. but the value resorts tend to be too crowded and loud for me. Also, the pools don't have hot tubs and I love me a hot tub and a refreshing adult drink. I love the little "quiet" pools in CSR as well. I also like the fact that you have places to eat other than a food court, not a fan of food courts. I've stayed at Pop solo once, with my adult son once and the rooms were not quiet. I've stayed at CSR, again solo and with my son a number of times and I've always enjoyed it.

SSR is one of the few WDW resorts I've actually never stayed at (WL, AoA and Riv the other ones I haven't stayed at). It just has never appealed to me and I'm not a DS fan, we never go there so the proximity to it is not a draw for us.

I stayed at OKW solo, my studio was across the street from the main building and the perfect location. It was the first bus stop coming back from the parks and going to the parks a quick 5 min. walk to the main building got me on the last bus stop. Loved the little porch for my morning coffee and the room was pretty big. My only complaint was I'm not a fan of having to take a bus everywhere but you would have to do that with all your choices unless you went with the sky liner.

About the sky liner, it is actually a negative for us. If you stay at Pop you are almost forced to use it, the buses do run but not as often. My son is not a fan of heights and claustrophobic so even if it got stopped for 1 min. things might get ugly. I haven't been solo since it opened but it still wouldn't be much of a draw for me.

I prefer the Epcot resorts and usually stay and Swan/Dolphin. Price of a moderate most of the time, walking distance to 2 parks, during normal times you can walk through Epcot(if you have park hoppers) and take the monorail to MK if you want. Right now they are not using Disney buses but no one knows if that will continue when things get back to semi-normal. They are using Mears buses so there is some walking from the bus stop.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

If it were me and relaxation and sleep were my priority, I would be renting DVC points for Animal Kingdom Villas. Kidani Village is the calmest, most relaxing place we have ever stayed and can be had for about the cost of Coronado. I would also consider Sawn and Dolphin. We are spending our first and last nights there for our upcoming trip, and it was cheaper than the Pop for the same nights. You can walk to both Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

 

[unrequited23]

We travel with our own white noise machine even for simple overnight stays. I cannot recommend bringing one enough. Pop has a lot of people and activity, but not more 'activities' than the options you presented. (If you want 'activities' consider AKL) I would not find it as relaxing as your other choices. I would go with Coronado unless you plan on spending a lot of time in DS.

 

[Dug720]

If you don't want to haul a machine around with you, there are plenty of white noise apps you can download on your phone.

 

[kwdw]

Have you checked into renting DVC points? If this is to be a relaxing solo trip with a lot of resort time, I’d consider a DVC resort. I’ve traveled solo at value, mods, and DVC studios, and it’s all about my goals for the trip and how much money I want to spend. If you want quiet and relaxing, you might try to rent a studio at AKV. That’s a really quiet resort with plenty to do. Also easy to snag are SSR studios, and again, that’s a quiet resort. You can end up a long ways from the main pool, so that is a potential negative.

That said, Pop can also be quiet, but ask to be a long ways from the main building and on the top floor. Also, try to get a room that a lot of folks don’t have a reason to walk by. Here, if you have noisy neighbors, you are just in for a world of hurt. But after the morning rush of leaving the resort, it’s pretty quiet during the day. It is noisy in the evening, IMO, but again, it does depend on your luck of who your neighbors are. Also try to make sure you get a room without a connecting door. If you don’t get what you want through mobile checking, you can try stopping by the front desk to see if they can move you, but there’s no guarantee. Folks tend not to want remote locations at the resorts, but top floor can be tough to get.

 

[DisneyPrincess1]

I am wondering why you are not considering Port Orleans, French Quarter? It's absolutely quiet and lovely!

 

[DisMommyTX]

Pop is our favorite for convenience, especially with the skyliner to HS and EP (my fav solo park!). However, for a trip focused more on the resort than the parks, I'd choose Boardwalk area or AKL. Without the hot tub, I won't use the pools much at all and the value resort pools are definitely a weakness. I've never stayed at SSR or OKW, but CSR is among our least fav resorts, down with the All-Stars. The internal bus loops are pretty much a deal breaker for me now, but the pools and rooms at the mods were otherwise fairly comparable to the deluxe we have stayed at (POR and CSR vs Poly, YC, BW, AKL). Still, my kids favorite and our first choice for onsite stays is Pop bc convenience to the parks is our main priority. Top floor has always been pretty quiet. No worse than any other resorts we have stayed in.

Hope this helps!

 

[Dug720]

I am wondering why you are not considering Port Orleans, French Quarter? It's absolutely quiet and lovely!

I don’t believe it has a reopening date yet.

Also, it is not everyone’s cup of tea. I tried it because of all the raves and it was honestly the only stay where I dreaded going back to the resort because I was miserable there. Just not my style/vibe at all.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I am surprised nobody is considering the Riviera Resort (Tower Studio) for one as cash resort. This recent NYE weeklong holiday trip was the most relaxing exquisite experience ever!