help me choose - POR vs. WL

[mommak1]

My first post!

I'm planning the first disney trip for my family, and I haven't been myself since I was 7 years old and "Disney World" was only the Magic Kingdom with Epcot still under construction. So it is all very new to me.

We will be there late January/early February for 7 nights, planning on 6 days in the parks, family of 4 and kids will be almost 5 yrs old and 7 yrs old. I'm very torn between saving some money and staying at POR versus paying the extra for Wilderness Lodge. On one hand, I love the theme of Wilderness Lodge, I love the convenience to Magic Kingdom, which is where I anticipate spending the majority of our time, and I like the fact that it is an enclosed resort, particularly for the time of year when we will be traveling with the possibility of chilly weather.

But on the flip side, I just don't know that those "pros" of WL are worth the extra money when we really don't expect to spend much time at the resort except for sleeping. The kids don't nap anymore but do go to bed early, so I expect that for the most part, we'll get up and hit the parks, have early ADRs for dinner, and then head back to our room to put the kids to bed. Part of me says it is just not worth the extra money. The other part of me says this likely to be a once in a lifetime trip for our family, so we should spend the money for the resort that feels like it is better for us.

Any thoughts that might help me make up my mind?

(I've pretty well narrowed down to these two, but if someone thinks I should seriously consider another alternative, let me know! If we go with WL, I anticipate getting a standard room. That's about the top of our budget - i don't think we'd upgrade to a more expensive room or to one of the other deluxe resorts. If we go with POR, I'll probably spring for the one of the royal themed rooms.)

 

[nikki7680]

We stayed at POR last year and LOVED it! It is a fantastic resort! I do recommend booking a Preferred Room category so that you are near the Food Court and pool. We were in the AB section in Building 14 and were very happy with our location.

On the other side, we have just decided to try WL for our next trip in September 2013. Our past 5 trips to WDW have all been in Mod hotels and we have always been happy. But we wanted to try a deluxe this time and chose WL. We chose WL because it's the cheapest Deluxe in the MK area and it's only a boat ride to the CR if we want to hop on the monarail to Epcot or a different boat ride straight to MK.

Have fun deciding but either way you will have a fantastic time! Happy Planning!!

 

[mickeynut1]

We've never stayed at POR so I can't comment on that resort, but we love the WL . We love the theme/decor of the WL and love being close to MK. The boat is great for going to MK as well as to the CR where it's easy to hop on the monorail to visit the Poly and GF. The WL grounds are beautiful and it's peaceful to walk around at night taking everything in. Good luck deciding, although I'm sure you'll have a magical trip at either resort .

 

[Mousemommy1]

For my family, the WL is an attraction in itself. And it is just so peaceful, and beautiful and nice to come home to after a long day in the parks. We love the transportation options and location. We really can't say a bad thing about the WL. We have never stayed at POR, it looks too spread out for our liking. WL is all under one compact roof which is great!

 

[dreamcruiser]

For my family, the WL is an attraction in itself. And it is just so peaceful, and beautiful and nice to come home to after a long day in the parks. We love the transportation options and location. We really can't say a bad thing about the WL. We have never stayed at POR, it looks too spread out for our liking. WL is all under one compact roof which is great!

I agree that WL is an attraction in itself! That's why we like to go there. The proximity to MK is important but the #1 thing is the beauty, theming and peacefulness of the lodge itself..
We have stayed POR but it's been a long time since. We're now deluxe people and can't help ourselves!

 

[Winue]

There is another thread about the same thing. I have never stayed at either, but have visited both a couple times. Personally, I don't care for the theming of WL and find it very dark. I would choose POR and save the money.

 

[softballmom3]

My first post!

I'm planning the first disney trip for my family, and I haven't been myself since I was 7 years old and "Disney World" was only the Magic Kingdom with Epcot still under construction. So it is all very new to me.

We will be there late January/early February for 7 nights, planning on 6 days in the parks, family of 4 and kids will be almost 5 yrs old and 7 yrs old. I'm very torn between saving some money and staying at POR versus paying the extra for Wilderness Lodge. On one hand, I love the theme of Wilderness Lodge, I love the convenience to Magic Kingdom, which is where I anticipate spending the majority of our time, and I like the fact that it is an enclosed resort, particularly for the time of year when we will be traveling with the possibility of chilly weather.

But on the flip side, I just don't know that those "pros" of WL are worth the extra money when we really don't expect to spend much time at the resort except for sleeping. The kids don't nap anymore but do go to bed early, so I expect that for the most part, we'll get up and hit the parks, have early ADRs for dinner, and then head back to our room to put the kids to bed. Part of me says it is just not worth the extra money. The other part of me says this likely to be a once in a lifetime trip for our family, so we should spend the money for the resort that feels like it is better for us.

Any thoughts that might help me make up my mind?

(I've pretty well narrowed down to these two, but if someone thinks I should seriously consider another alternative, let me know! If we go with WL, I anticipate getting a standard room. That's about the top of our budget - i don't think we'd upgrade to a more expensive room or to one of the other deluxe resorts. If we go with POR, I'll probably spring for the one of the royal themed rooms.)

Welcome to the Dis . We have stayed at POR and really enjoyed it. However this next trip we are staying at VWL. Have you ever considered renting points through an owner? There is a board here on DVC that you may want to check out. That is what I am doing this next time and it has made it very affordable to stay deluxe. There wasn't much of a price difference at all!

 

[pamkat1820]

We stayed at POR in April of this year and we were torn between WL too. We have already stayed at AKL. I wanted to surprise my daughter with the RRs. (which she didn't get the whole concept at all). looked at me like ok so a princess stayed here......
I loved the look of the resort, the resort itself is beautiful. But I will say our room was in PP all the way in the back to the side closest to POFQ and what a walk! My son was 1 1/2 at the time and after being at the parks all day the walk to our room then if you wanted to refill your mug or get a snack forget it.
I think I am just a Deluxe girl. I like a smaller resort, At the ALK we did everything in the resort, storytime by the fire, took walks around the savannas. Our next trip we are discussing WL, or BC/YC
With WL you have the option of the Boat to MK. For us we like a smaller resort. If you do not mind a lot of walking then POR is wonderful resort for you (the pasta station is great) but if you are there for relaxing too I would go with a smaller resort. For us we travel with my 82yr young grandmother, it was just to much for her.

 

[portocall]

I think both are a good choice. I haven't stayed at WL, but would love to one day. That said, I was more than a little grumpy when POR was the only mod resort we could book due to family size since I live in Louisiana and work in a small town by a bayou. I wanted a different theme than the one I live in if that makes sense. But money talked and I booked POR and fell in love with it. So much so that I didn't consider staying anywhere else this trip and we are going back next month. I am more exited about staying at POR than spending a day at the park which is different for me and this trip we are taking a day off of parks just to hang out there. I didn't find the walks to the main building bad at all and at times wished we had a further building because the walks were very pleasant. I really like the WL and it is my bucket list for future trips once our family is smaller again but pin no rush for that to happen.