Help with deciding what resort to stay at

[buzzrelly]

Wilderness Lodge is not my favorite Deluxe by a long shot, and yet, given the choice I would absolutely stay here over any of the other options. CBR would be at the bottom of every list for me. AOA is cute, but not really “resort-like,” like WL. Plus you’ll be a boat ride away from the MK which is awesome for small kids.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Wilderness Lodge is not my favorite Deluxe by a long shot, and yet, given the choice I would absolutely stay here over any of the other options. CBR would be at the bottom of every list for me. AOA is cute, but not really “resort-like,” like WL. Plus you’ll be a boat ride away from the MK which is awesome for small kids.

Yea WL isn’t my favorite either but I would pick it over the other two options. BUT I definitely want to stay there in December just once. I love Xmas and the pictures there at Xmas time are gorgeous.

 

[goofy-4-disney]

I vote for Wilderness Lodge. It is one of my favorite resorts, for any time of the year. With the ages of your kids, I would assume that you will be able to spend time at the resort during the day to take a break from the parks, and the WL has better amenities than the other two.

 

[Sarahslay]

My daughters were 6 & 9 the first time we stayed at WL and they LOVED it! Absolutely had a blast. Of course we did stay there over the holiday season (a bit over a week before Christmas, so it was cheaper than Christmas, but gorgeous), and it was pretty chilly during our stay. They loved returning and getting hot cocoa from Roaring Fork and drinking it in a rocking chair in front of the big fire, and they also loved just how cozy the resort feels. We were there for breakfast on our last morning before going home two weeks ago, definitely not cold lol, it was just as wonderful and they still sit there talking about how great the resort is even though they are several years older now. The rooms are also newly redone, which is a huge plus. and as someone who has stayed at most of the resorts on property I would 100% choose WL from this list every single time.

 

[charissemp]

Next year my family will be taking a trip. I have two daughters who will be 6 and 4 when we go. I am stuck deciding on what resort we should stay at. Originally we were supposed to go in December 2020 but canceled that trip. I have continued saving so have a little extra that we can afford a different resort than originally planned. I am considering these options Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation family suite, Wilderness Lodge, or the cabins at Fort Wilderness. Would one be better than the others for children and it will be their first visit?

I have stayed at all levels of resorts, but at that age, I would go for Art of Animation. They will love it! There are a lot of years left to try the other resorts if you'd like to, but nothing like the magic of that age and the theming of that resort.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Next year my family will be taking a trip. I have two daughters who will be 6 and 4 when we go. I am stuck deciding on what resort we should stay at. Originally we were supposed to go in December 2020 but canceled that trip. I have continued saving so have a little extra that we can afford a different resort than originally planned. I am considering these options Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation family suite, Wilderness Lodge, or the cabins at Fort Wilderness. Would one be better than the others for children and it will be their first visit?

My two cents based on prior experience with two girls also ages 14 and 12 now but have been staying on property since my girls were little. When they were 6 and 4 the value resorts were their favorites. The larger than life resort and room theming was so much fun for them. Even when they were around 9, 10, 11ish they still loved it so if their resort enjoyment is important to you, then go AofA family suite. You will have space and the rooms are super fun but keep in mind, you'll be paying deluxe pricing for a value so you won't have any better resort amenities than guests staying in the Little Mermaid rooms.

Now having said that, if you have stayed at a disney value before, then you know why they're priced the way they are, they're essentially a disney themed motel. I could do that when the girls were little or when we only did a really quick stay but now as my kids have gotten bigger and we spend more time at the resorts, we don't do value resorts anymore. If you plan to spend more time at the resort and your trip is longer than 2-3 nights, I'd go mod or deluxe over value.

If the prices for WL and AofA family suites aren't that far off, I'd pick WL in a heartbeat. Based on your options, regardless of when you go, hands down Wilderness Lodge would be my first choice over any of these resorts whether it's July or December, AofA would be second, close third would be Fort Wilderness and CBR would be dead last for me. Plus WL just had a room overhaul and the rooms look so nice. I think the only leg AofA has to stand on is the over the top theming and skyliner, AofA beats WL in that category but IMO WL is far superior and not even comparable to any of the values.

 

[Ohiostatefan606]

Of the resorts listed, and the age of your kids, I would go with AOA. My son was 7 on our first trip to Disney, we did AOA Cars Suite. It was like we were dropped into the movie set. He loved it and still likes to go back and look at the cars (he is now 13). Having 2 bath rooms and our own bedroom was awesome. Our son slept on the pull out couch, we could go into our room and watch TV. This is great for end of the day or even if someone needs a nap! This resort feels like it has Disney Magic.

We have stayed at CBR (twice) our third stay will be Jan 2022. For us the Skyliner is the game changer. The resort is big, but the food choices are great and the pool has a slide. Keep in mind if you are at AOA you are only a Skyliner Ride away from more food options, plus you can get to Riveria to get even more food options.

I have never stayed at WL, it is on my list. We are at Disney for a long weekend (Thurs - Mon) - MLK or Presidents Day. We aren't at the resort long enough to fully enjoy all the extras. We are at the parks. So for us, spending money to just sleep at WL isn't worth it. Maybe when we decide to stay for a longer trip.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you will have a fabulous time!

 

[Hubie]

WL for sure!