Help me choose! Which deluxe?

[RoseGold]

For bang for buck, I really like the DVC Poly lake view room. It's right on the TTC, with monorail and the big, always running MK boat. and it's not impossible to book. The renovations are brand new, and it's a gorgeous room and resort. Pools and quick service are excellent. And Trader Sam's! The DVC rooms have Stitch instead of Moana, I think.

Renting DVC points is an option, depending on how far off the trip is and how comfortable you are with the drawbacks of DVC and renting points.

I'd also price out Swolphin. They get the late night hours too, and their pricing swings wildly. They can be cheaper than moderate sometimes, and I put them in deluxe category.

 

[toodycat]

We’ve stayed at all the deluxes except Contemporary and Yacht Club. Our two favorites are the Grand Floridian and Animal Kingdom Lodge. They’re completely different, but both beautiful. If access to MK is a priority, the GF is the best. Everything is beautiful, but not in a “don’t touch” kind of way. I could sit in the GF lobby all day. All the restaurants are excellent too AKL is fabulous. We love the savannah view, but it will be farther away from the parks. Both Boma and Jiko are great. Honestly, Mara, the QS, is also very good. Both properties have amazing theming. The AKL has a gorgeous lobby and multiple places to watch the animals. We always get a savannah view, but if you don’t, those overlooks make it easy to watch the wildlife.. The WL also has a magnificent lobby and I really like their pool. We enjoyed the Beach Club with SAB and the quick walk to Epcot. Although I like the Boardwalk resort, it has no onsite restaurants, something we found inconvenient. We’ve stayed at the Poly a few times, but had some less than stellar service there, so I wouldn’t return. Have a great time wherever you stay!

 

[RysMomma]

Ok, so we chose! We spoke to our travel agent and decided that since it's our 20th anniversary next summer, we're doing the Poly! Totally not what I was thinking originally but now we're really excited! I've always dreamt of staying on the monorail line and my son's favorite restaurant is O'hana. You only live once! Thank you everyone!

 

[Ghigg]

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.

Wise counsel.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Ok, so we chose! We spoke to our travel agent and decided that since it's our 20th anniversary next summer, we're doing the Poly! Totally not what I was thinking originally but now we're really excited! I've always dreamt of staying on the monorail line and my son's favorite restaurant is O'hana. You only live once! Thank you everyone!

Yay!! I’m so happy for you! The Poly is fabulous. Their pool and food options are some of my favourites at any resort. Not to mention great fireworks viewing spots. Enjoy

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Ok, so we chose! We spoke to our travel agent and decided that since it's our 20th anniversary next summer, we're doing the Poly! Totally not what I was thinking originally but now we're really excited! I've always dreamt of staying on the monorail line and my son's favorite restaurant is O'hana. You only live once! Thank you everyone!

You’re going to have an amazing time! Enjoy!

 

[ktink]

We have only stayed at 2 so far. We went this past January & did a split stay. Started at BWI WV, we had a great BW view room & enjoyed the BW area so much! We ended at GF. I liked GF & it was a lifelong dream for me to stay there. But I prefer BWI over GF. I was surprised because I love me some fancy, lol. YC is my next want after giving the kids & DH choices for our upcoming stays.

 

[SharonZ]

If you aren't going to do a savannah room at AKL, my vote is for WL.

 

[VH103428]

We love Poly! Wilderness is our number 2. Our kids love Animal Kingdom...

 

[farfaraway]

It depends on which parks you will be going to. We love HS and Epcot and we stayed at The Swan (deluxe hotel at less expensive price) this year-a quick walk or use the boats to our favorite parks. When our kids were little we splurged on Grand Floridian-nothing beats being close to MK via monorail and boat.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

I would do Epcot resort area. My favorite resort is Yacht Club because of the style/wood floors, full balconies and amazing pool, but Swan/Dolphin are cheaper (they come with Deluxe perks and aren't Disney resorts). My second choice after Yacht Club would be the Polynesian. Third choice is the Contemporary. Fourth choice is the Beach Club (I really like wood floors).

 

[starousse]

WL is one of my favorites, however, I love AKL as well. If the price difference between the two was minimal...(under $400), I'd go w WL due to the convenience, compactability and location. If, there's a huge price gap (over $1k), I'd go with AKL, book a standard room and request a Partial Savannah view. This is what we did for August. You really can't go wrong with either.

 

[DVacationer]

Happy to hear you chose the Poly. That would be my choice and I’ve stayed at every deluxe except the Boardwalk and Beach Club. It’s a different FEELING there. You are in the middle of the magic. Cinderella castle in the distance. The beach. Tiki torches at night. It truly is special. I always enjoy trying new resorts BUT I always think to myself “I miss the Poly” when I do.

 

[chrisgeraci]

It was my goal to stay at all the resort properties. My DVC home resort is AKL and I do love it there. The rooms are dark (wood, curtains, carpet), but the animal views from the balcony are amazing! I also rent a car, so I like knowing that I am at the very west end of the property, keeps me from getting turned around. The sunsets above the Savanah are amazing! Just returned from a stay at Bay Lake Towers in the Contemporary and loved it. We had a pool/lake view room and it was great. Walking to MK is the best. If you love Epcot, Beach Club or Boardwalk are great choices because you can walk to Epcot. I do like the rooms at these resorts too. They are bright and fun. Grand Floridian rooms are beautiful, but as others have said before, it can feel a little stuffy there. In shorts and a T-shirt, you feel underdressed at Grand Flo.

 

[chrisgeraci]

If you aren't going to do a savannah room at AKL, my vote is for WL.

THe DIS crew just did a room review of WL and said they are looking awful these days. Might not be worth the cash.

 

[Kleese]

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!

We LOVED Animal Kingdom Lodge however I will say we wasted our money because we didn’t give enough time out of our vacation. I am all for Animal Kingdom Lodge if you spend time in it’s details. It has so many to appreciate I feel we didn’t give it the justice it deserved .

 

[DeeBee3]

I love WL, but with teenagers BC or BW will give you an amazing location. Walking to two parks is amazing. Skyliner to other resorts is also fun. I can't overstate the value of walking into the International Gateway.

 

[mwmom]

We stayed off property the first time we went, then stayed at WL. Well, that was a mistake. We loved it so much that we don't ever want to stay anywhere else. Being a deluxe, it is pricey, and I am finding it is even pricier now than in the past, but it is so worth it to me. We stayed there about 4 or 5 times. Then last time we stayed off property to save money. Big mistake. I missed WL so much! My favorite thing about it besides the property itself is the boat ride over to MK. It is so convenient and just feels like part of the magic to us. It is also so easy to go back to the hotel during the day. When we walk in WL, it is like coming home again. If you love the vibe of it, I say go with what you love already. We just booked our December trip and we are doing a split stay between WL and Swan (where I can use points). This will be our first time at Swan. I love Epcot, so it should be a good fit for us, too, but it won't be WL.

I will add that we have friends who won't stay anywhere but AKL, so it truly is about your preferences. Again if you love WL already, I don't see how you can wrong there.

 

[mwmom]

I love WL, but with teenagers BC or BW will give you an amazing location. Walking to two parks is amazing. Skyliner to other resorts is also fun. I can't overstate the value of walking into the International Gateway.

We are doing a split stay between WL and Swan in December. I have never stayed at an Epcot resort, so I am looking forward to trying it. Glad to hear the IG is a great entrance into the park!

 

[kanerf]

I also would go for Wilderness Lodge. I own at BRV so I have stayed there many times. It is a quick and sometimes invigorating boat ride to the Magic Kingdom and buses to everywhere else. There was also another boat to the Contemporary for additional dining options, but I am not sure that has returned yet. The lodge and the surroundings are just so peaceful after a frenetic day at the parks.