Favorite Resort?

[misterdrewman]

What would you say that you favorite resort at Disney is and why? We are looking to plan a trip and want to choose the best place.

 

[LetsTalkWDW]

Hi Misterdrewman,

Good question. We have been going to Disney off and on for about 35 years now. We have seen many changes, but one thing has never changed, we always have a great time. Below is a list of the 6 Disney World Florida resorts we have stayed at along with a ranking (1 thru 6) for each in parenthesis. We have also been to Disneyland CA a couple of times and Disneyland Tokyo, but I didn't include those here.

(note: 3, 4 and 5 are very close and really interchangeable)

1997 Dixie Landings - Now Port Orleans (4) - Deep south feeling, nice resort
1998 CBR - (3) - as the name suggests, a Caribbean feel, very nice resort
2000 CS - (5) - kind of dry old west feel but nice layout, good food court.
2003 BC - (1) excellent pool, great location (near Epcot)
2007 PC - (6) too crowded, too noisy, not a good "feel" to the resort, still had a good time though.
2013 BWI - (2) great location (also near Epcot), two pools, beautiful room.

I think a lot will depend on your specific situation, how many people, ages of guests and how much you want to spend (you don't want to be worrying about money the whole time you are there). Obviously this is just a small sampling of the available options and of course these are just my experiences. I know others will have different opinions.

We are going to try CR next May, first time we will stay at Club Level, a graduation gift for my daughter who will (hopefully) earn her Bachelor Degree!

Another resource for your quest is the Mousesaver resort reviews page, here is a link if you are interested:

http://www.mousesavers.com/best-values-at-the-walt-disney-world-resort-hotels/

 

[CarpeDisney]

As the previous poster mentioned, there are a lot of great resorts in WDW. The "best" is going to depend on your personal preference(s), and where you plan to spend a majority of your time (parks v. at the resort).

I will add to the list, with the resorts my family has stayed at over the years:

Animal Kingdom (both Lodge and Villas): Some people will tell you not to stay here because they feel as if the resort is too far removed from most of the parks, but if you're looking for a quieter resort that allows you to escape from the over-stimulation of the parks, this is a great place. After days in the parks dealing with crowds/lines/etc., this is our favorite resort to wind down and relax!

Port Orleans Riverside: Great theme, wonderful grounds, and a good combination of large gathering places and smaller quiet spaces. In our opinion, the food court here is the best of any of the moderate resorts.

Bay Lake Tower (at the Contemporary): For the past few years we've stayed at this resort, as we are now Vacation Club members. With small children, and spending most of our time at the Magic Kingdom, the location of this resort cannot be beat! It is walking distance to the Magic Kingdom, and monorail rides to many other areas.

Coronado Springs: People may say this is the nicest/most up-scale of the moderate resorts. It is very nicely themed, but (unfortunately), we have had some negative experiences here because of the conference crowds that use the hotel. This is a very personal opinion, and many, many positive reviews and experiences exist for the resort.

Saratoga Springs: If you plan to spend time at Downtown Disney, this location is great. It's only a short boat ride or walk from the resort to the different areas of DTD. While SS is a larger resort, it's broken down into different smaller areas with unique features in each. This is another of our "great place to wind down after a busy day" choices.

Good luck with your selection!