Help me choose! Which deluxe?

[RysMomma]

I have been going to WDW for over 35 years now. However, when I first started going, there weren't many on site resorts so we often stayed off property. As things started going up, we stayed at Caribbean Beach, then Port Orleans, then when values were built, we stayed at all of the All Star resorts, Pop, and Art of Animation. As you can see, we have NEVER done a deluxe. Fast forward to planning our 2023 vacation and my whole extended family is going from a Tuesday to a Tuesday and my husband says, "Why don't we go down there just the four of us (our two kids who will be 15 and 13 at the time) and go to a deluxe resort for a few days before your family gets there?" Well, now the gears are turning and while I've always DREAMED of staying at these resorts, I've never considered it! So which one would you choose? I have loved Wilderness Lodge most of my adult life when we started having dinners there. But, I also think Animal Kingdom would be awesome with a Savanna View. What are your thoughts or suggestions on any of the deluxe resorts? What are your favorites? We're just listening to everyone's thoughts! Thank you!

 

[PalmettoPath]

We only stay in Deluxe resorts and have our favorites, but they would be drastically different than yours I'm guessing as AKL and WL are at the bottom of our list. It's really subjective and there are many things to consider. I'm sure wherever you land you will be happy.

 

[CynBeth]

I would do WL or one of the monorail resorts where you have more choices in dining and several transportation options. And can see the MK fireworks and the electrical water pageant. We stayed at AK once and it was not for us. We were out early and came back late so never saw the animals from our room. The one time we were back early went to the savannahs before dinner at Boma where we always have a dinner every trip no need for us to stay when we can do the same thing. We also found the hallways long and it seemed so remote from everything.

 

[k5xs]

We love them all, though to our taste the Contemporary has dropped quite a bit based on the gaudy Incredibles theming that's infected every floor and in every room.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

Our family loves the Polynesian! The laid back island vibe is just what we need on vacation and it's nice to come back to after a day, or half a day in the parks.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Go with WL if that is what your heart desires. Do something awesome for yourself

 

[disneyworld19]

We love the proximity to Epcot and HS at the Epcot resorts. There’s also a lot of easy to access dining options. We have stayed at the Swan/Dolphin several times and YC.

We love animal Kingdom but it is rather far with only bus transport. We’ve lucked out with amazing views in standard categories each time.

Grand Floridian is our favorite and for us feels the most magical.

You really can’t go wrong

 

[Disneylover99]

If it's a choice between WL and AKL, I'd choose WL.

 

[RysMomma]

We only stay in Deluxe resorts and have our favorites, but they would be drastically different than yours I'm guessing as AKL and WL are at the bottom of our list. It's really subjective and there are many things to consider. I'm sure wherever you land you will be happy.

Oh please tell me your list! I'd love to know! I seriously have never ever done a deluxe before!

I love reading all of your posts so keep them coming. We've dined at Beach club and love that too!

 

[matt and beth]

Hard to go wrong with any of the Deluxe resorts. AKL is cool. BCV or Yacht has a cool pool and ice cream place. Boardwalk has awesome nighttime entertainment and close walk to Epcot or Hollywood studios. Personally, for the age I’d find an Epcot resort. You can hangout later with resort entertainment

 

[Tasmen]

I've stayed at the Poly, Beach Club and AKL so far. We were exclusively Poly people but gave the AKL a try once to have that savannah room. We do not regret staying at the AKL. The room and view was astounding. That said, we will not do it again due to transportation. You have to take the bus everywhere. We spent a lot of time waiting for buses.

Now that my daughter is older and we don't need to huff the monorail smell to put a toddler down for a nap quite like we used to, we stay primarily at the Beach Club for proximity to Hollywood Studios (we might like Star Wars a wee bit) and Epcot.

As others said, you really cannot go wrong with the Deluxes. Just need to figure out what is the most important thing you want to get out of staying at a deluxe Ambiance/Theming or Location! Location! Location! Pick which works the best and go go go and have an amazing trip.

 

[Husker Mike]

It all depends on why you are going to Disney. The Contemporary and now the Grand Floridian are walkable to the Magic Kingdom, which means no waiting for busses or boats or monorails. As the previous poster said... what do you want to get out of a deluxe: is it theming or location?

I will say something else...though it's not a Disney thing. You might want to do your Deluxe part of the trip AFTER your extended family trip. If it's at the start, you might end up spending a lot of time crushing the parks and not using your resort as much. At the end, you might be a little wore down and prefer to enjoy the better resort.

Also, if you stay at the best resort at the start of your trip, your other accommodations will seem rather inferior. Learned this from Hawai'i the hard way. We started at a true five-star resort that was amazing, and then toured the island staying at nice (but not anywhere near as luxurious) accommodations afterwards. The food initially was "meh" (after getting spoiled), even though it was perfectly fine, and the room was "sigh" (even though it was nice in it's own way). Next trip, we reversed the order and had a much better time and enjoyed everything much more.

 

[Prince John Robin Hood]

When are you going? We stayed at WL at Christmas time and it was amazing. For a spring or summer trip I'd much prefer the Poly, Grand Floridian or Beach Club though. A big plus of Poly and GF is that they are right next to each other and you can easily spend time at each.

1. Poly
2. GF
3. BC/BW
4. WL (#1 at Christmas time though)
5. AKL

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

Only stayed at two deluxe resorts so far - 11/19 splitstay YC and AKL (WL next on the list). Loved both very much.
YC for Stormalong Bay (note I'm normally not into pools) and the proximity to HS and Epcot, but some times a bit noisey and have to wait several times for the bus (but not far as bad as on OKW, CSR or POP).
At AKL I was lucky and got a upgrade with Savannah View: gorgeous and also very quite Sure you only have the transportation via bus (and especially to MK quite long), but I've never had such good bus service - usually I could directly walk on the bus and the longest wait at all were 5 minutes. Most days I picked up an early breakfast at the mara and eat it on the balcony and enjoy the view and the quiet, and in the evenings I sat there with a beer.

 

[mikalkwin]

I stayed at POR, CSR and AKL and was very disappointed with AKL (even with the savannah view + CL). I will try YC this august and will see if I stay to deluxe or go back to Moderates.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

I’ve never stayed at WL but if that’s your dream, go for it!

We’ve stayed at YC multiple times and loved it for the walkability to Epcot/HS, ice cream shop and pool, and gorgeous comfy rooms. The Boardwalk loop is also excellent for an early AM run or scenic stroll, and the multitude of bars and food options (although the food isn’t great IMO).

Also stayed at Riviera and LOVED it - gorgeous resort, superior QS at Primo Piatto, and Skyliner access. If you’re into pool time I appreciated the covered day beds which were not an upcharge. Rooms were meh but we don’t spend much time in them anyway.

I sprung for GF for my sister’s birthday in 2021 and it was perfect for us in terms of walkability to MK, and of course the main building is stunning, but the room was outdated and nothing special (again, don’t spend much time in the room except to sleep and shower but we agreed we wouldn’t spend the $ to stay again until they were updated). We didn’t use the pool because it was early March and still a bit chilly.

So like others have said, you really can’t go wrong with any that you choose, but factor in promixity to what you’ll spend most of your time doing (parks, pool, eating) and how much time you anticipate spending in the room/at the resort itself. Report back and let us know what you choose!

 

[Ss77]

Hi
Thais is my favorite kind of problem the deludes are our favorite and we have stayed each one except the GF. We love them all but for different reasons. Wednesday my son was little we stayed by MK, WL and poly were our favorites. But now that our son is older he loves Star Wars and my husband and I have always loved Epcot. YC is where we have stayed the last few times and heading back in August. Honestly I’ve always wanted to stay at the Boardwalk, but every time I book it I end up switching back to YC because the pool area can’t be beat! Whichever choice you make you can’t go wrong, they’re all amazing. But I do agree with the post above, stay deluxe after your family leaves and you can rest and enjoy..

 

[cjlong88]

If you plan on lots of park time during those days, something like YC/BC if you are an HS or Epcot fan or Poly/WL if MK is your favorite.

If you plan on lots of resort time, I would say AKL might be one of the best options. The animals, the dining options, the remoteness of it all (actually a pro for us when not visiting the parks as much) really makes for a relaxing and unique experience.

Our favorite is Yacht Club. But we are Epcot people so being able to walk a few minutes to there is the best perk we could ever have. It also has a more “adult” vibe in our experience, which we love.

Good luck! Stayed in YC, BC, Contemporary, and AKL and loved all 4 for very different reasons. I don’t there is really a bad choice unless you are super picky about specific features (i.e. you need a balcony or you have to be close to a specific park or the theming has to appeal exactly to your taste, etc.).

 

[Nabas]

I have loved Wilderness Lodge most of my adult life when we started having dinners there. But, I also think Animal Kingdom would be awesome with a Savanna View. What are your thoughts or suggestions on any of the deluxe resorts? What are your favorites? We're just listening to everyone's thoughts! Thank you!

Go with what your heart tells you.

Based on what you have told us, go with the Wilderness Lodge.

Great theming and a very nice pool.

Also, Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge generally are the least expensive Deluxe Resorts, often hundreds of dollars less per night than some of the other Deluxe Resorts.

 

[Jonfw2]

I’m going to throw my money in on BC/YC. The pool is like getting free water park included for the price and the Intl Gateway at Epcot is a free fast pass to Remy or Frozen. Great food options too. And if you plan an Epcot to MK day, you’ve got the monorail. The skyliner is walking distance too (although I personally don’t like it. Haha).

Second choice- and if MK and Epcot are your favorites- would definitely be Poly. Amazingly relaxing for a huge resort, easy walk to TTC and you can watch the fireworks with your feet in the sand.