Deluxe Resort Comparison

[nicwoodard]

Our family stayed at AKL last June and LOVED it. When we go back next year, we want to stay at another Deluxe resort (just to experience something different).

AKL and WL are the cheapest of the Deluxes. What are thoughts and opinions of the "higher priced" deluxe hotels. Is it worth the extra cost and why?

Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

That depends if your willing to pay the higher prices for what they offer. At the other Magic Kingdom Resort those being the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian you will have Monorail service and boat service to the Magic Kingdom. Plus haivng the walkway to the Magic Kingdom at the Contemporary.

At the Epcot Resorts those being the Boardwalk, Boardwalk Villas, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Beach Club Villas, Swan and Dolphin, there is boat service to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. They also have walkways to those specific parks.

 

[Kim1964]

Our whole family loves the pool at YC, so paying the extra to stay there has been worth it for us. This year we are doing a longer trip than we ever have before (1 night offsite, 11 nights onsite) so I had to go with WL for the deluxe portion of the stay to be able to afford the length of the trip. If we were doing our standard 6 or 7 nights, I'd pay for YC again in a New York minute.

 

[Goofy4]

The pools could also make a difference. If you haven't already, take a look at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1798820

 

[wdhinn89]

LOVED Grand Floridian
Will NOT stay at Poly again, dirty. Some longhouses really far from main building.
Trying the Contemporary in Oct.

 

[mmmears]

The rooms at WL and AKL are also smaller than rooms in the other Deluxe resorts.

Like others have stated, most other Deluxes offer proximity to some of the parks and transporation options other than busses. This can matter alot or very little to you, depending on how you spend your day (do you go back to the hotel to swim & nap or stay in the parks all day).

We also think that the pool at the BC/YC is something special.

They all seem nice to us (we've stayed at two but visited most others for dining/touring), just have different locations and themes. It's fun to choose a deluxe since there are so many options out there!

 

[johnsonet]

I, too, LOVE AKL.
We Love the Polynesian and GF... both are gorgeous.
Can't wait to get a room at the Contemporary sometime soon. The views of Bay Lake are really wonderful, as are the views of the MK of course...
WL is awesome. Great theming, gorgeous, great for families. Have only stayed there once but would def. go back
I do love being on the monorail, though, in addition to the quick boat ride from MK so we stay at GF and Poly mostly...

If you would like to be able to walk to World Showcase at Epcot and/or MGM then you would enjoy BWI, Yc or BC (I've stayed in BC and BWI twice each and enjoyed my stays but I prefer the MK resort area.)

Good luck!

 

[Jalva22]

Well, they're definitely worth trying. My first stay was at the Poly and we absolutely loved it. The convenience of the monorail (and just how Disney it is to have the monorail nearby), the volcano pool, Wishes and the Electric Water Pageant from the beach, the large rooms. But I've also fallen in love with AKL and WL since then. For us, we still love the Poly, but we love AKL and WL enough that it is no longer worth it TO US to spend the extra money for the Poly. That's not to detract from the Poly at all, it's just that we get all we need from the AKL and WL for less. If money was no object, I'd return to the Poly, but we're very happy with the alternatives.

 

[frdeb1999]

All the deluxes have their own great things about them. Although we love the convience of those on the monorail line over the others. They are all beautiful. Although we always some how manage to head back to the Poly. It's our favorite of the deluxe's.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Let's not forget that the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian all have Magic Kingdom view rooms that you could make a reservation for.

 

[scoper]

The Poly has it all. The largest rooms, great view of the Electric Water Pageant and fireworks from the beach hammocks, monorail and boats to MK. We always stay in one of the buildings nearest the walkway to the Ticket and Transportation center (takes 5 minutes or so). This gives direct access to Epcot monorail and all buses from TTC to AK, MGM, etc. I agree it is pricier but to me the convenience as well as the atmosphere is worth every penny. The refurb done in 2005-2007 was needed. Rooms more attractive, flat screen TVs, refrig (no longer need to order one).

 

[janzy]

Over the years I've stayed at the Poly, Boardwalk, Wilderness Lodge and enjoyed them all quite a bit, but 2 years ago we stayed at the cabins at Ft. Wilderness and had the time of our lives! We enjoyed it so much we returned there last year.
You don't feel you have to get out of your room if you're not going into the parks and there is plenty to do for the whole family.
By the way, my family is by no means "camper types"

 

[mickeymoo]

We've stayed at both the Poly and the WL. We preferred the WL, but depending on what you are looking for, the ages of children (if any) and your own theming preferences, I don't think any of the deluxes are bad. Look at it this way, you really can't make a bad choice! They all have plusses and minuses, have a great trip no matter what you decide!

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

We too loved AKL. Not so crazy about WL but DH loved it. I really liked BWV and being able to walk to Epcot and HS was very nice. BC had a great pool but I didnt care for the resort itself. I think it is really just a matter of personal choice. They are all very nice. This year we are trying the CR. We have never stayed on the monorail line and are looking forward to it. Have fun picking. I would stay at any of them again.

 

[Kevin355]

We are going to try the WL next year. My boys will be 15 and 13, and when we watched the Disney video of the resort, they were both exited. Having stayed at the CBR the previous 3 trips, the boys decided the bunk beds looked good...don't want to share a bed with each other anymore.

 

[cantwait4disney]

We just got back from our first trip a few weeks ago and we stayed at the YC. Our stay was fabulous! I debated so many times what resort to stay at and I must say, I don't think you'll be disappointed at any deluxe resort you choose. That being said, here's what we (5 of us) loved about YC (in no particular order):

1) Storm-along Bay: what a great way to relax after a busy day of touring
2) View from our balcony: sitting out there in the mornings was gorgeous. We had a great view of the Boardwalk area and we could see Illuminations at night (high fireworks anyways)
3) Walk to EPCOT's International Gateway: I think this was my favorite. It was so clean, and the music and the river, plus the magnolias were in full bloom so it smelled heavenly.
4) Beaches & Cream: I must say, the ice cream was pretty darn good!
5) Room size: There are 5 of us and were there for a week. Not one time did I feel cramped. That alone was worth the extra bucks.
6) And the BEDS! I never sleep well in hotel rooms but I never slept so well in my life. Again, another little "extra" that makes it totally worth it, especially after a long day at the park.
7) Overall atmosphere: I loved the lobby decor and it smelled so good, I loved the walk to our room and I loved how upon our arrival, a CM (can I mention his name?) greeted us all by our first name - how he knew them is beyod me.

Now that our trip is over, we're feeling the blues, but I tell you, we'd go back to the YC in a New York minute!

 

[TJA]

To us personally, location and ease of transportation to the parks is well worth the extra money. The "higher priced" deluxe hotels offer other options of getting to parks (besides bus or car....), such as monorail and walking paths. If you have a larger stroller(s) and young kids, these options are priceless. Our entire trip changes when we stay at either a monorail resort or an Epcot resort. For example, when we stay at BC, we plan either MK or AK in the morning, then back to the awesome sandy pool at BC for the afternoon, then we have a leisurely evening either at Epcot or HS because we can walk to both of those parks. We'll stay for the night shows and then let the kids fall asleep in the jogger and easily walk back to BC. We'll stop on the boardwalk for a snack and the kids never wake up! It's like the best of both worlds when the trip is this easy. We stayed at POR - a moderate - last month and while we loved the resort, we had to change our strategies around a bit because taking a bus totally changed our trip. Anyway, to us, the monorail and Epcot resorts are well worth the price! Unless the price is rack rate, I should say! We have AP's and have always gotten an AP discount.

 

[Tiger926]

Being DVC members, we love our DVC resorts, but have also stayed at other non-DVC Disney deluxe resorts: Wilderness Lodge (mixed reg & DVC), Contemporary, Poly, Yacht Club and Animal Kingdom Lodge (mixed). We have stayed at every non-DVC resort, except Grand Floridian (that's next, hopefully), and only have a few more DVC resorts to go, and then we've stayed everywhere on property as we love resorts! That being said, we love the deluxe resorts for so many reasons: theming, location, pools, children's activities and restaurants.

That being said, we love Contemporary (loved our concierge floor stay last month!) and Animal Kingdom Lodge (now we are DVC members there!) the most. We found Yacht Club is dated, rooms are small and conditions are in need of serious refurbishment, but the location and SAB are fab! We didn't care for Poly as much either as soom rooms are very far away from main building as well, but we love their restaurants and the location. Also enjoyed Wilderness Lodge as well as they have a nice pool, but miss the monorail.

If I had my choice of non-DVC deluxe resort to stay in it would be Contemporary!

Happy resort choosing, Tiger

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at the BC, WL, and the Poly, with the Poly being our #1 choice and the WL coming in 2nd . The BC was very nice, but we prefer the MK area to the Epcot area. We found the Poly to be very convenient with the monorail, watching the fireworks from the beach, relaxing in the hammocks, seeing the castle while swimming, and the list goes on and on . Even though the Poly is on the expensive side, we feel it's worth every penny to stay there . We love the theming and the overall feel of the resort .

 

[DISNEY1975]

The Poly is my favorite..we booked 2 rooms again for Nov. Each time we have been before, we have had a view of the parking lot!

I only paid for a garden view, but it there some building I should ask for so get a good distance to the TTC and main bulding w/ decent "garden" view?