Deluxe, DVC or Waldorf Astoria for Honeymoon Fall 2021

[_auroraborealis_]

Disney Deluxe isn't really a luxury experience, and DVC units even less so.

I actually don't expect Jambo open by fall. They are reopening Poly this summer, and Beach Club around Memorial Day. That leaves BWI and Jambo still closed, and Jambo is immense. Just adding BC and Poly adds more than 1000 deluxe rooms. Jambo would double that on its own, and, right now, what is open isn't filling up.

 

[ForceofWill]

My vote is YC/BC/BCV. Boardwalk should be open by then and for two adults that location is hands down the best IMO. You're talking walking distance date nights every night between going in the back entrance to Epcot for something or Flying Fish etc.

 

[Miss Frankie J]

I would choose Riviera personally. I love the Waldorf, and it’s very nice with a spa, but the location isn’t as optimal as the others you are considering (if you want this to be a true Disney trip). The food at Riviera is head and shoulders above any other resort, in my opinion. Even the quick service is worthy of a Skyliner ride over from HS. Also the Skyliner opens up more options for dining- at the Boardwalk/Swan and Dolphin, for example.

Thank you for the help. My Fiancé isn't the biggest Disney fan but he agrees that the level of customer service and the food options at some of the resorts are so much better than the average resort. Currently with the skyliner does each party get their own gondola or are they packed in at the end of the evenings? I didn't think about how we can use the skyliner to get to Boardwalk! (The bakery there is our favorite ever)

 

[Miss Frankie J]

If you are looking for onsite dining, a spa (at least one nearby) and a pool with cabana rental, YC/BC fits the bill. You will have a ton of restaurants within walking distance, could utilize the spa the Dolphin and SAB offers cabana rental only for guests of the YC/BC/BCV resort. The quiet pools at YC/BC are also lovely. Have you considered a studio or one-bedroom at BCV for extra space? If you would rather stay on the resort side, I highly recommend the water view rooms at YC. The YC rooms were recently refurbished and I find YC to have a more "adult" vibe than BC. I would not recommend renting points if there is even a remote chance you will cancel. Copper Creek is lovely, but it's quite remote and you will not have as many dining options as in the EP resort area. We've stayed at the Waldorf and it screams "convention resort" to me. If you are looking for an offsite, upscale resort, I would consider looking into the Four Seasons.



The Riviera is gorgeous, but you are correct regarding the variety of dining choices. You would have the Skyliner to access restaurants on the Boardwalk, however, and you can walk to CBR as well. The Riviera rooms are some of the nicest on property, IMHO. We stayed in a one-bedroom and it was stunning. Second only to the rooms at VGF, IMHO. You can save a little money by booking a standard view room - ask for a high floor in the west wing for a stunning view of Spaceship Earth. If fireworks are back by then - bonus viewing from your room!



It is quite easy to walk between the two properties at the Waldorf. We found the bus service to be horrible and ended up using taxis/ride shares to get to the parks.

We have stayed at BC before and I loved the pool, exterior areas and the proximity to epcot. however we didn't really love the theming. YC Has a darker tone and looks more adult to me at least and since we had to give up our cruise I thought it would be cute to stay there because of the theming. It's such a tough choice! I do think the Riviera fits a lot of what we want and the skyliner can open up more dining options. I have touring plans and I saw that some Standard rooms do have a view of spaceship earth which is so amazing!

Thank you for letting me know about the bus service at the Waldorf. Part of the reason we want to stay onsite or close to the magic is for transportation options so we don't have to worry about driving everywhere. I did take a look at the Four Seasons we may have to revisit that option.

 

[HikingFam]

Thank you for the help. My Fiancé isn't the biggest Disney fan but he agrees that the level of customer service and the food options at some of the resorts are so much better than the average resort. Currently with the skyliner does each party get their own gondola or are they packed in at the end of the evenings? I didn't think about how we can use the skyliner to get to Boardwalk! (The bakery there is our favorite ever)

Yes, one party per gondola (at least right now- we never shared with anyone even before COVID but maybe that wasn’t always the case).

 

[Miss Frankie J]

One other tip re: Waldorf is we have booked at the Hilton next door and as Hilton Honors members have received very attractive offers to upgrade to a better room at the Hilton or a variety of room configurations at the Waldorf, suites included. The pool at the Hilton has a very nice lazy River. The pool at the Waldorf is relaxing, has Cabanas and upscale deck furniture.

Thank you so much for the tips!

Some of these may not apply to you, but here it is:
I like Sunset Savanna. There are a lot of rooms at Kidani on this savanna. I have always requested and received it.
The one bedroom villas have 2 full bathrooms (Jambo has only 1)
When both resorts are open, the buses stop at Kidani then Jambo. So, you get on first and usually have a seat (when they were packing them in). Then, in the evening, you get to get off first.
Sanaa is one of my favorite restaurants. It has beautiful savanna views and great food.

Wow That is good to know! I also heard that Kidani is the quieter side and that also is an attractive draw for us. Sanaa is so amazing! My Fiancé has yet to try it and I can't wait to take him there!

Personally, my husband and I prefer the DVC rooms. We only need 1 bed so it seems to make the room a lot bigger. We own Kidani and while we love it, there is only 1 food option. Obviously the views can't be beat! Based on your list and wanting a lot of amenities, I think Beach Club would be your best bet! There is an amazing pool, lots of food within walking distance, plus you can easily walk to 2 parks.

For the price, the Hilton next door to the Waldorf is basically the same rooms. We stayed at both and honestly preferred the Hilton. We didn't think the Waldorf was worth the additional cost. We only took their bus once, but it was comfortable. It does stop at 2 parks- we had to go to TTC before we got dropped off at Epcot. We ended up taking Ubers instead to save time and be on our own schedule.

The DVC rooms seem to have so much more as far as what we are looking for. Last time we stayed at BC resort we ended up with a garden view room with two beds. It was just the two of us so the room still felt large but we are considering either a studio or a 1 bedroom.

AKL is great, but a big detractor for AKL right now is there's hardly any dining available there at the moment. And there haven't been any announcements yet on when the other dining at AKL will reopen.

I'd also probably vote for Wilderness Lodge.

I know! AKL is my favorite resort hands down. We visit this resort every trip for the food and I'm so bummed Jiko and Boma are still closed. But hopefully with a different resort we can find new favorites!

 

[WalloghbyWay]

We are absolutely in love with the interior of the resort however are worried about the food options onsite as it isn't as numerous as other resorts. It's one of the only things holding us back from the Riviera. But like you mentioned we would be close to Epcot so it might not be as bad as we think.

The time you’ll be going is food and wine festival so you will most likely be indulging in Epcot. I enjoyed the dinner I had at topolinos at riviera the other night. Not to mention, there are great restaurants in Disney springs.

after reading your replies to many on here it seems you really want AKV

 

[Miss Frankie J]

The time you’ll be going is food and wine festival so you will most likely be indulging in Epcot. I enjoyed the dinner I had at topolinos at riviera the other night. Not to mention, there are great restaurants in Disney springs.

after reading your replies to many on here it seems you really want AKV

I do! I really wish the food options were open or if I knew they would reopen by the time we go but to be honest after getting all the feedback it would be wiser to choose an Epcot resort, or the Riviera if we stayed on property. I agree that the proximity to Epcot for Food and Skyliner access might be the better choice since AKL Reopening is uncertain. So that seems to be the better choice at the moment so we will go with an Epcot resort and if AKL reopens switch to Kidani if we can.

Thank you all so much for the feedback and suggestions! It really helped us!

 

[Blondie58]

Personal Opinion: Grand Floridian. Why? Spa, workout facility, walk to MK, on the monorail, wonderful places to eat, upscale ambience, great pools, beach area if you like that, and quiet/peaceful. You are able to walk to CR and Poly too. I have stayed here several times and have alwasy enjoyed it. Have a great time no matter what you decided. And CONGRATS too!!

 

[MsAmerica]

I know its not on your list but The Four Seasons is a wonderful resort. I would consider it if I were you.

 

[MomOTwins]

Spas are not open right now at WDW resorts. They may be by fall but who knows. So if that is important, I would lean toward offsite.

GF is wonderful and would definitely be my choice for a honeymoon with Riviera as a close second. But one option is you can book Riviera as your resort but then rent at a Cabana at GF for a day (cabana rentals are allowed there even if you are not a GF guest, though that is not true at Yacht/Beach Club).

The only word of caution I have is that Disney World hotels are not designed to be "destination resorts" in and of themselves. They are designed to be part of the larger WDW resort as a whole. Menus have also been pretty limited post-Covid and so resort restaurants are not ideal for repeat meals. If you are going to do a WDW stay, it requires more visiting other resorts or parks for meals and entertainment than you would have to do on a cruise or a beach resort.

 

[Miss Frankie J]

Spas are not open right now at WDW resorts. They may be by fall but who knows. So if that is important, I would lean toward offsite.

GF is wonderful and would definitely be my choice for a honeymoon with Riviera as a close second. But one option is you can book Riviera as your resort but then rent at a Cabana at GF for a day (cabana rentals are allowed there even if you are not a GF guest, though that is not true at Yacht/Beach Club).

The only word of caution I have is that Disney World hotels are not designed to be "destination resorts" in and of themselves. They are designed to be part of the larger WDW resort as a whole. Menus have also been pretty limited post-Covid and so resort restaurants are not ideal for repeat meals. If you are going to do a WDW stay, it requires more visiting other resorts or parks for meals and entertainment than you would have to do on a cruise or a beach resort.

Thank you for letting me know about the spas hopefully they reopen before then but if not we do have a spa in mind to visit if we have to go offsite to go to a spa.

I agree completely about WDW being a part of a larger network and you are meant to travel around. With this in mind we finally sat down and went through all the wonderful feedback and suggestions and we finally made our choice. We went with Yacht Club!!

Yacht Club made the most sense for its proximity to BW, Swan & Dolphin, Epcot, and HS. I think GF, Riviera and the Waldorf has a beauty and charm that fits more with a traditional honeymoon but the proximity to Epcot and various food options is what sold it for us. We love food and we love trying new things. We Enjoyed our stay at BC so I am hoping we love YC just as much if not more! (Also the nautical theme reminds us of our cruise ❤)

Thank you all so much for the responses it really helped make up our minds. It has been so stressful to rebook and reading your responses made us feel excited again to go on our honeymoon.

 

[nkereina]

I agree with PP in that DVC is not a luxury experience. Its described as "home away from home", with the premise that guests are "owners" and are left to their own devices as if they are "living" there - hence the in-room laundry, kitchen, and lack of regular housekeeping service. There's no doubt the rooms and resorts are beautiful, but if you're looking for top notch service, luxury, and a bit of pampering, then DVC is not it.

My vote would go to Waldorf.

 

[ChrisNY2]

For a honeymoon, I'd definitely go for Waldorf or Four Seasons - at least personally, I'd want luxury and pampering!