Help choosing a resort

[StarSpeckledSky]

I don't think we've every stayed onsite before so I wanted to ask for some help.

My family is okay with spending more than average, but it has to be worth it. The most that we have spent on a hotel is around $400-$500 nightly, and that was for an amazing view of the ocean and an amazing balcony in Hawaii. We typically view the hotel as a place to wind down at the end of the day, shower, relax, and sleep. If we take a break day, a pool is necessary. Some place to work out, be it a gym or place to jog/walk would be nice for my mom. Oh, and good wi-fi. That's really important as my mom is a workaholic and constantly has to communicate via email, even on vacation.

Plan for the trip to be two days at Epcot, one day at AK, one day at water park, and possibly a break day in there. Ease of transportation to AK and Epcot is a priority, along with cleanliness. Having a nice range of restaurants and places to explore would be nice, but not necessarily a priority. Same goes for a fun pool. We're a party of four - me (13), my mom, dad, and sister (3). My sister needs silence and dark to fall asleep unless she's extremely tired, so a quiet room is a priority.

I've been looking through the resorts and am leaning towards Yacht & Beach Club, AKL, POFQ, or possibly Swan & Dolphin. Not interested in the MK resorts as they're pretty far off. Do any of these resorts offer good bang for your buck? If so, why? Any other recommendations?

Note - we are also interested in early FP and EMH of course

 

[Darklord77]

POFQ is a great resort for a moderate. But based on what you want it sounds like the Beach Club is your best option. A gym, fun pool, and an easy walk to Epcot are all selling points for the Beach Club.

 

[MDIME]

I would suggest Yacht Club. It has an awesome pool area, easy to walk to Epcot or take the boat. Newly refurbed rooms are awesome and super clean. Nice room-darkening curtains, it’s quieter in general than Beach Club, lots of USB outlets in the rooms, and 3 sleeping surfaces — 2 queen beds and a futon/pullout style sofa. Whatever you decide, have a great time!

 

[DisneyDiana]

I'm suggesting Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is the most relaxing and quiet resort at Disney. The pool is huge and you will certainly get a view if you stay in a Savannah view room. It's only a few minutes from AK and Epcot is not much further.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I don't think we've every stayed onsite before so I wanted to ask for some help.

My family is okay with spending more than average, but it has to be worth it. The most that we have spent on a hotel is around $400-$500 nightly, and that was for an amazing view of the ocean and an amazing balcony in Hawaii. We typically view the hotel as a place to wind down at the end of the day, shower, relax, and sleep. If we take a break day, a pool is necessary. Some place to work out, be it a gym or place to jog/walk would be nice for my mom. Oh, and good wi-fi. That's really important as my mom is a workaholic and constantly has to communicate via email, even on vacation.

Plan for the trip to be two days at Epcot, one day at AK, one day at water park, and possibly a break day in there. Ease of transportation to AK and Epcot is a priority, along with cleanliness. Having a nice range of restaurants and places to explore would be nice, but not necessarily a priority. Same goes for a fun pool. We're a party of four - me (13), my mom, dad, and sister (3). My sister needs silence and dark to fall asleep unless she's extremely tired, so a quiet room is a priority.

I've been looking through the resorts and am leaning towards Yacht & Beach Club, AKL, POFQ, or possibly Swan & Dolphin. Not interested in the MK resorts as they're pretty far off. Do any of these resorts offer good bang for your buck? If so, why? Any other recommendations?

Note - we are also interested in early FP and EMH of course

With two days in EP, YC/BC, BWI and Swan/Dolphin really check off all boxes on your criteria list. All have gyms, plus you'll have the entire Boardwalk and path to DHS to walk and jog. Good wi-fi, walk to EP, tons of great restaurants within walking distance, great pools (yes, we like the clown slide at BWI). AKL is lovely, but the standard rooms are quite a bit smaller and they don't have as many restaurant options as you would have in the EP area. There is a gym, but really nowhere to walk. One plus is AKL would have a splash pad for your sister. In terms of "bang for your buck", depending on the time of year, you can typically get a room at Swan/Dolphin for the price of a moderate resort. Just know, Swan has queen beds and Dolphin has doubles. You can also sometimes get 2-bedroom suites at Swan/Dolphin for the price of a WDW standard deluxe room. In terms of getting a quiet room, it's luck of the draw in terms of who your neighbors are. After 40+ stays onsite, I typically splurge and try to book "dedicated" 2-bedroom villas (you can book these through WDW at BCV and AKV-Kidani), which means there is only one outside door to the hallway, no connecting door with other guest rooms and no outside door from the bedrooms. You also get a full kitchen and washer/dryer. BCV (and BC) is literally steps from EP, so it would be super convenient. With a discount, you can sometimes find the AKV-Kidani 2-bedrooms at quite a good price.

 

[AllieBoo]

I would definitely go with Beach or Yacht Club. You can't go wrong with either one. You can walk to Epcot, and the Stormalong Bay pool is great!

 

[Sara_H]

My vote would be for BC. You can walk to Epcot plus there are restaurants on the Boardwalk that might interest you. The pool is also nice. AK is nice and has 2 pools and seeing the animals is pretty cool but there are not as many restaurants close by.

 

[KenHutch]

Well they all have positives. If you go Beach Club there is Epcot. If you go FQ that small resort will count a lot when you are coming back. Everything is a 7 minute or so walk and with a tired kid it counts a lot and the room by Disney standards is very reasonable. For incredible food and a quiet place AKL. Its further out than the others but the 1st time you see giraffe's running past your window its worth it.

 

[stephk1981]

We love the beach club and yacht club is a close second for us within Epcot resorts! Boardwalk Inn is just as nice, but you mentioned wifi signal strength as an important factor....DS10 has complained each time we've stayed at Boardwalk about the wifi going in and out( although I personally haven't had problems with it there.)
You mentioned that your sister ( 3) needs a quiet dark place to fall asleep....does this mean a separate room? If it does you may want to think about doing a one bedroom Villa. Our DD1 is very similar, and since having her when DH travels with us, we have to book rooms with two separate areas. We have loved the space at Beach club villas and Boardwalk villas. You can book directly through Disney or rent points( certain times of year will be easier to rent than others.)
My DS10 loves SAB, you will love it as well, and your sister will love the sand bottom sand play area as well as the smaller children's pool slide! We can walk into Epcot from BC within 5 minutes, so location cannot be beat We have never stayed at the Swan or Dolphin, so I cannot comment on those hotels, except to say the proximity is nice for Epcot and HS....they may also be a bit cheaper price wise.
We have stayed at AKL many times as well, it is an incredibly unique resort. Both of my children love watching the animals from the balcony. We love Boma, Jiko not do much( but many love it too.,) The only thing we really dislike about AKL are the buses. It seems to take forever to get to the parks, so if we stay at AKL it is normally on a split stay for a few days changing to another resort afterward
You want the ' most bang for your buck' as you said or a resort that's ' worth it'........ I don't know if any of these resorts are ' worth' the price to everyone. They are worth it to our family only because of the proximity to the parks. It is incredibly convenient, and you are paying for the convenience. All of the Epcot resorts are very lovely....are they five star resorts or worth the price( if it were a hotel outside of Disney with the prices these resorts have?) For me it would be a no....but I am willing to pay it for convenience.
Whatever your family chooses I know you will have an amazing trip. Enjoy your holiday at Disney!

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

Quick question - I heard that you can save a ton of money (about 60%) by renting DVC points and staying in one of the villas. Is doing this worth it for either AKL - Kidani or BCV? Saving money sounds nice, but are there any large cons?

 

[pixiedustedme]

Quick question - I heard that you can save a ton of money (about 60%) by renting DVC points and staying in one of the villas. Is doing this worth it for either AKL - Kidani or BCV? Saving money sounds nice, but are there any large cons?

One con is that you won't get daily housekeeping. Another is that these reservations are nonrefundable. Another is that someone else is technically in control of your reservation, but if you rent via a reputable agency, there is very little chance of having any problems. People do it all the time and it works great for them.

But back to your original post, you emphasized that the hotel must be "worth it". Well, obviously, worth it means different things to different people. If you want great theming, to stay in the Disney bubble, to be close to a park, a good variety of food options at different price points, a great pool, and to have the most convenient transportation options without having to drive yourself, then the Disney deluxes are worth it. However, you mentioned cleanliness, and while the resorts are respectably clean, Disney is not known for above and beyond housekeeping. Don't be surprised to find dust, etc. If that will make you crazy, you should stay offsite. Customer service is hit or miss at Disney resorts, too (unless you stay club level, which pushes the price way higher). The resort rooms aren't loud, but are not silent, either: the walls are fairly thin even at deluxes, and some resorts allow people to bring their pet dogs, who might bark in the room. You won't be given individual toiletries, but instead will have to use shared toiletries from a pump on the shower wall. You might also have to deal with intrusive room checks if you spend a lot of down time at your resort. I'm not trying to paint a grim picture, because I love the Disney resorts, but I want you to have the full info going in, because you put such emphasis on the resort having to be worth it. I don't want you to be blindsided by the fact that the charming deluxe Disney resorts aren't really luxury hotels, despite their luxury hotel prices.

There are a few real luxury hotels within the Disney World complex that get 60+ day fastpasses & extra magic hours just like onsite guests (at least through the end of 2020), including the Four Seasons and Waldorf Astoria. These hotels aren't cheap, but you might find them more worth it than a Disney resort if you want great service, a great pool & luxury, along with being fairly close to the parks.

 

[ADisnerdsLifeForMe]

Out of the resorts you mentioned, I would definitely choose either Beach or Yacht Club. Stormalong Bay is one of the best pools on WDW property - definitely one of our family's favorites!

 

[starrysky]

Have you thought about Coronado Springs, they have the new tower, all new gym in there as well as club level rooms. They also have another gym onsite as well as a spa and multiple places to eat.

 

[ADisnerdsLifeForMe]

Have you thought about Coronado Springs, they have the new tower, all new gym in there as well as club level rooms. They also have another gym onsite as well as a spa and multiple places to eat.

Their club level rates are pretty great, too!

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Plan for the trip to be two days at Epcot, one day at AK, one day at water park, and possibly a break day in there. Ease of transportation to AK and Epcot is a priority, along with cleanliness. Having a nice range of restaurants and places to explore would be nice, but not necessarily a priority. Same goes for a fun pool. We're a party of four - me (13), my mom, dad, and sister (3). My sister needs silence and dark to fall asleep unless she's extremely tired, so a quiet room is a priority.

I've been looking through the resorts and am leaning towards Yacht & Beach Club, AKL, POFQ, or possibly Swan & Dolphin. Not interested in the MK resorts as they're pretty far off. Do any of these resorts offer good bang for your buck? If so, why? Any other recommendations?

Note - we are also interested in early FP and EMH of course

Those are all great resorts. My personal favorite is Yacht Club, though if you can get a good deal I'd also say Swolphin is great (bear in mind the resort fee & parking fee make their rates like $60 more per night than they appear). Being close to EPCOT is my main draw, plus an amazing pool. I would HIGHLY recommend taking Lyft to & from AK though. I don't know why, but the bus to AK and (much more importantly) back to the resort from AK takes foreverrrrrrrrrrrr. I've sat at the bus stop waiting to get back to Yacht Club for 45 minutes. Maybe it's the way I park hop when I go to AK but the wait isn't worth it to me when Stormalong Bay is waiting for me! AKL is kind of far from everything except AK but they have great restaurants. POFQ is also one of my favorites (we always stayed there when I was growing up) but the pool isn't nearly as cool as SAB. If you can get it for under $200/night it's a good deal. I sadly didn't really get to use AKL's pool when I stayed there so I can't compare it. If you can get Beach/Yacht for under $400/night with all taxes & stuff I would do that!

 

[Joe Brig]

For Epcot visits you cannot beat the the Yacht Club or Beach Club. Longer walks from Swan or Dolphin and they are not Disney owned properties. The Yacht and Beach do have very different theming. The Yacht is quieter. The Beach Club is more casual. Kids would seem to prefer the Beach Club.

 

[toodycat]

AKL—- You leave the parks to go home to a resort that is very relaxing, but has many great activities and offers the chance to watch animals in the savannah. The theming is meticulous, the restaurants are great, the pool scene is lovely, and it’s usually cheaper than the other resorts you’ve mentioned.

 

[cwestpvb]

I also agree with either Yacht or Beach. Beach club is closer to Epcot with a more relaxed feel, while Yacht club has a more high end feel to it (in my opinion) and is quieter. I've stayed at Yacht and loved it, so much so that I booked it again for my upcoming visit. The location, along with the incredible pool, definitely felt "worth it" and if you can get a good discount it can be hard to refuse! I never had issues with getting to AK either. Yacht is the first stop (then Beach), so I never had issues getting a seat, and the stop at Beach honestly isn't that much of a delay since they are literally 1 minute away from each other. I'd definitely go with one of them. I'll say I have stayed at the dolphin and really did not like it at all. We had a horrible experience with some of the staff (which is mostly why we avoid it), but you don't get the same feeling of truly being "on site".

 

[Wild4Walt]

I would suggest one of these options:

1. Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs - it's brand new and state of the art. It has great views and you have a few dining options at Coronado ( standard food court type atmosphere for quick service, Maya Grill, Three Bridges Bar and Grill which is over the water in the lake and Toledo - pronounced To-la-ho not like the city. ). There is also a work out facility here and a very nice pool area. This would be priced a little lower than the deluxe resorts but give you that deluxe feel.
2. Yacht or Beach Club - good dining options here as well as a short walk to all the dining at Boardwalk and Swan and Dolphin. The pool is one of the best on property and they do have a work out facility here too. You can walk to Epcot as well as Hollywood Studios.
3. Animal Kingdom Lodge - one of the better properties for dining ( Boma, Saana and Jiko are all highly rated ), tons to do around the resort, has a work out facility and a spa onsite and the pool is beautiful