Disney Hotel Question

[jessiebern32]

My family and I are planning our first trip to go to Disney in November. I haven't been in 30 years so have no idea where to stay. I'm torn on what hotel to book. I'd like to stay at a nice hotel near the park to avoid the long bus lines but can't decide if its worth the money. I'm debating between booking the Wilderness Lodge and Art of Animation.

 

[VicarJT]

Which park will you visit the most?

 

[Ross Kratter]

If those are your two choices, it really depends on the makeup of your family. You couldn't have chosen two more different resorts to pick from.

 

[jessiebern32]

I’m open to suggestions for other resorts. We are a family of 3 (our daughter will be 11). I’m hoping to go to every park except the water park. Thank you!

 

[Ross Kratter]

I’m open to suggestions for other resorts. We are a family of 3 (our daughter will be 11). I’m hoping to go to every park except the water park. Thank you!

Gosh, there are just so many choices. If you want a nicer resort with more amenities, table service dining, etc, of those two, Wilderness Lodge is the obvious choice to me. It's also right near Magic Kingdom, which is a huge plus.

 

[jessiebern32]

Thank you! Are there any moderate price hotels you’d recommend?

 

[Ross Kratter]

Thank you! Are there any moderate price hotels you’d recommend?

I like the Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs, as well as Port Orleans French Quarter, but Port Orleans has not yet reopened, nor have they announced a reopening date for it.

 

[jessiebern32]

I like the Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs, as well as Port Orleans French Quarter, but Port Orleans has not yet reopened, nor have they announced a reopening date for it.

Thank you! Do you have a favorite value resort you'd recommend?

 

[Ross Kratter]

Thank you! Do you have a favorite value resort you'd recommend?

The one I've stayed at most frequently is Pop Century. The Skyliner is an enormous advantage for that resort, and the updated rooms are nice, though not all that spacious. I still prefer Moderate and Deluxe resorts over the Value resorts, though.

 

[jessiebern32]

Thank you for your feed back!

 

[hes122]

I would not recommend a LM room at Art of Animation. Those rooms are the farthest walk to everything else at the resort and still only have double beds (is that size is an issue for you & your SO). If the Skyliner appeals to you, Pop Century right across the lake is a great resort. There are standard rooms in every section, but the 70s section (building 6) turned out to be my favorite. Close to the main building and the Skyliner.

 

[lanejudy]

I'd like to stay at a nice hotel near the park to avoid the long bus lines but can't decide if its worth the money.

You can't be "near" every park - so you'll have to deal with transportation to at least some parks.

• It is possible to walk to MK from CR or GF, and I think you can walk from Poly to GF and then to MK but it would be a longer walk. Those resorts would have bus service to other parks unless the Epcot monorail line opens.
• There are several resorts from which you can walk to Epcot and DHS. BC, YC, BW, Swan/Dolphin all are approx. 20 min. walk to DHS and shorter to Epcot. There would be bus service to other parks.
• It is not possible to walk to AK from any resort. And the rest of the resorts have varying transportation options to each resort -- including bus, boat or skyliner.

As you've realized there are price differences, and the resorts within walking distance of a park will cost more. Whether that's "worth" the expense is subjective and only you/your party can decide that for yourselves. My family typically stays value, occasionally moderate, and we don't find the transportation to be limiting or problematic.

 

[Pinkshoos]

I love Riviera, and I think their one-bedroom villas would be great. You have a beautiful Skyliner station, and the bus stop is right out the front. It's a smaller resort, and everything is centrally located. Their quick service is amazing, and they have a gorgeous coffee shop. Plus, it's new and beautiful.

If you really like the Wilderness Lodge, my recommendation is a one-bedroom villa at Copper Creek. You're smack dab in the middle of the resort and close to transportation.

The one bedroom villas will allow plenty of space, a full kitchen, and a washer and dryer.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Renting points and staying at the Riviera is also a good choice... skyliner and nice pool.
I do like the skyliner but it only connects you to two parks.

 

[loves to dive]

As others have said, it's all subjective but here are my favs.

Value - frankly I just go with whichever one is cheaper at the time I'm booking but I don't stay in one the entire trip. I usually tack one on for the first night or two then move over to a deluxe. I use arrival day to go to a park since we drive down and get there between 2 and 3 so I usually go to a park that I would normally have to bus to anyway (I stay at the Epcot resorts for the deluxe portion). So arrival day is literally just a place to sleep and either AK or MK day. Second day is usually MK or AK and again, just a place to sleep. If I were staying the entire trip I'd probably go with Pop, I would never stay at AoA since the prices tend to be close to a moderate.

Moderate - I love CS, I like the fact that it is sort of a deluxe light (pre-Covid) with lots of food options and I love the southwest feel of it. I have stayed at all of them except POFQ and enjoyed them all though. Again, I don't stay the entire trip except once when my son and I took a short 3 night Christmas trip last minute and it was all I could get.

Deluxe - YC is my favorite but I've stayed at all of the Epcot resorts and usually just go with whichever one is cheapest. BC seems to be more kid friendly in it's decor, feel and theming.

Lately, I stay at Swan/Dolphin for my deluxe portion. They are less, but still walking distance to Epcot and HS.

I have stayed at all three of the monorail resorts back in the day when my son was young and CR was my least favorite. We even stayed at Shades of Green before it was only for military. The only reason we stayed at the monorail resorts is because other than WL they were the only resorts on property at the time. MK is just a half day park for us and always has been.

I have not stayed at WL but have camped in our RV at the fort. The boat to MK was nice and relaxing.

I have stayed at AKL and loved it but it was at the beginning of a split stay. Oddly enough at the time I was booking it was actually less than a moderate. We loved it but since Epcot and HS are our favorite parks it doesn't make sense for us for an entire stay.

 

[Best Aunt]

There is more to your day than just getting on a bus to go to a park.

Do you stay at the park all day, then go back to your hotel and crash? Do you go back to your room mid-day, then go back to the same park? Do you go back to your room mid-day, and then hop to another park? Do you go back to your room mid-day, and spend the afternoon and evening at or near your hotel?

I tend to go back to the hotel mid-day and do not have a car with me. I like the Boardwalk area because when I have more energy later in the day, I can walk around the BoardWalk, I can walk to one of the 4 other hotels in the area, or I can walk over to Epcot. At Wilderness Lodge, I felt stuck. To get to another hotel, you have to take the bus or boat to MK and transfer from there. You cannot walk to any of the parks. (Or Uber or Lyft.)

 

[jessiebern32]

There is more to your day than just getting on a bus to go to a park.

Do you stay at the park all day, then go back to your hotel and crash? Do you go back to your room mid-day, then go back to the same park? Do you go back to your room mid-day, and then hop to another park? Do you go back to your room mid-day, and spend the afternoon and evening at or near your hotel?

I tend to go back to the hotel mid-day and do not have a car with me. I like the Boardwalk area because when I have more energy later in the day, I can walk around the BoardWalk, I can walk to one of the 4 other hotels in the area, or I can walk over to Epcot. At Wilderness Lodge, I felt stuck. To get to another hotel, you have to take the bus or boat to MK and transfer from there. You cannot walk to any of the parks. (Or Uber or Lyft.)

Thank you for the feedback. This will be our first time at Disney but I'm guessing we will spend the majority of the day at the park and go back in the evening.

 

[Marthasor]

My family and I are planning our first trip to go to Disney in November. I haven't been in 30 years so have no idea where to stay. I'm torn on what hotel to book. I'd like to stay at a nice hotel near the park to avoid the long bus lines but can't decide if its worth the money. I'm debating between booking the Wilderness Lodge and Art of Animation.

No matter how you slice it, unless you rent a car or don't mind taking uber/lyft, there is no resort that is convenient to every park.

If you are solely looking for transportation convenience, I would recommend considering the following:

Value Resort - Pop Century - this will give you Skyliner access to DHS and EP (bus to AK and MK). At AoA, I would consider a family suite, but they price around the same as a mod. I would not recommend a standard LM room at AoA

Mod Resort - Caribbean Beach - again, Skyliner access to two parks. Is it my favorite mod? No, I like the Port Orleans Resorts, but they aren't open yet and they only offer bus transportation to the parks.

Deluxe - Wilderness Lodge is lovely and will offer boat transportation to MK and bus transportation to all four parks. If you are looking for better transportation at a deluxe, every other deluxe (other than AKL), will offer you closer proximity to at least one of the theme parks. For a first time trip, if budget allows, I highly recommend Grand Floridian - it's WDW's flagship resort, has beautiful views of MK and offers monorail access and walking access to MK (and usually monorail access to EP though we don't know when that will start again). If you would like to be within walking distance of EP and DHS, I highly recommend YC/BC, BWI or BCV and BWV in the EP resort area.

If budget allows, yes, I think it's worth upgrading your hotel to lessen your transportation times. WDW is the size of Manhattan and it takes quite a while to get from point A to point B.

 

[_19disnA]

Which parks you plan to spend the most time at, what your budget is and any personal preferences are usually the deciding factors.

 

[VicarJT]

With the usual caveat that you're getting these thoughts from someone who knows Disney well but it a complete stranger to you, here are my thoughts:

1. Value - If you are trying to avoid busses for every resort, you are choosing between Pop and Art of Animation. AofA is our favorite "value" though we stay in the family suites which prices it out as a moderate. Having two different rooms to sleep in (with a bed that folds over the table, which is very cool), two bathrooms, a way to make a simple meal, and room to spread out - this makes me happier than most stays at a moderate.

2. Moderate - We love the Gran Destino tower at Coronado Springs, however staying there means only using busses or cars for transport. Caribbean Beach is on the Skyliner. It is a really lovely but very large resort, so you have to know that going in. If you get a "standard" room in Aruba, you will be far from the main building and main pool, but quite close to Riviera and the Skyliner that goes directly to Epcot. Food choices at Riviera are very good. If Port Orleans French Quarter were open, this would be a different conversation.

3. Deluxe - Our favorite Deluxe is Wilderness Lodge. You can get to Magic Kingdom by boat, and the resort is peaceful and beautiful. We also enjoy Animal Kingdom Lodge when it is fully open, but it is an all-bus resort. Both of these are less expensive than the monorail or Epcot resorts, which helps the bottom line. We like visiting the monorail resorts more than staying there, though we've not done Grand Flo yet. Yacht Club/Beach Club have that massive pool complex, but it can get quite crowded.

Have you considered a cabin at Fort Wilderness? You would want to rent a golf cart to avoid the internal bus system. There is so much to do at the resort, a boat to Magic Kingdom, and the sleeping arrangements, while odd, do give you that opportunity to have some folks sleeping and some watching TV or playing games.

Good luck with your decision making. I am a member of the "resort changing club" and fiddle with my choices up until just before we go. So you can do the same if you make your own reservations - it's kind of fun!