Help with deluxe resort choice please!

[cinnaminny]

Boardwalk is a really nice hotel and I love the pool. It never seemed crazy crowded and yes the Clown is a little creepy, but the actual slide is awesome, maybe the best on property (in my opinion) I wasn't a huge fan of the pool at Beach Club. There are a lot of areas and it could be a little difficult keeping track of your son. The slide entrance is also outside of the pool so that's something to think about. Beach Club is probably my least favorite deluxe, but I seem to stay there the most for some reason. The location is fabulous though being able to walk to two parks.

You could also look into the Contemporary. I love their theme park view rooms and how the monorail goes through the hotel. It's also great to be able to walk to Magic Kingdom.

I think if you're a person going there and want to spend countless hours at the pool the Contemporary would be a bad choice. I absolutely loved staying at the Contemporary. But the pool...it's pretty basic for a deluxe from what I have seen. We spent a few days at the Water parks to get most of our pool time.

 

[FSU Girl]

I think if you're a person going there and want to spend countless hours at the pool the Contemporary would be a bad choice. I absolutely loved staying at the Contemporary. But the pool...it's pretty basic for a deluxe from what I have seen. We spent a few days at the Water parks to get most of our pool time.

They are pretty plain, but I've never seen them crowded, which can be a huge plus when some are like people soup. I've never actually swam in the Contemporary pool though so I can't really review it at all, just love the hotel itself. I have been in the Boardwalk and Beach Club pools and gave my reviews for those above.

 

[cinnaminny]

They are pretty plain, but I've never seen them crowded, which can be a huge plus when some are like people soup. I've never actually swam in the Contemporary pool though so I can't really review it at all, just love the hotel itself. I have been in the Boardwalk and Beach Club pools and gave my reviews for those above.

We were there for 10 days in AUGUST and I don't think I saw a crowd either. lol (and it was HOT) So yeah, I guess, if you're looking for a crowdless pool the Contemporary is probably the way to go.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I have a 7 year old too, and our last stay was also at the Poly. Our touring style is the same as yours. I would pick AKL, it's our favorite resort so far, especially if it was a trip just the two of us because the pool area is less spread out than at BC. The rooms are a bit cheaper meaning you can splurge for a Savannah view, which is a must-do IMO. We liked the pool at Jambo and there is a playground nearby the flamingos. Roasting marshmallows in the evening while watching the giraffes was a highlight. Also, Boma and Sanaa both have great options for kids and they can be a bit adventurous too. My son is vegetarian (his choice, I'm not) and loved the food there.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

What about the pools at AKL makes it worse than the Poly? From looking at pics & videos of both slides it seems equivalent, so I need your first hand advice! Do you know how often the shuttle comes by? Or how long of a walk it is?

The pools at AKL are lovely. They are both zero entry, but the slides are smaller than the one at Poly and you don't have that amazing MK view. On the plus side, there is more shade at the AKL pools than at Poly and at AKL Jambo, there is a nice pool bar plus the Mara right by the pool making snacks and meals convenient.

The walk between Jambo and Kidani is about 10 minutes. The shuttle seemed to just go back and forth continuously, so not a long wait at all. Also, if you are at Kidani, you can get on any park bus and it will then stop at Jambo before heading to the theme park. If you are at Jambo, you can get on a DS bus and it will stop at Kidani before going to DS. I, personally, wouldn't let the distance between Jambo and Kidani factor into your decision. It really wasn't inconvenient at all, IMHO.

 

[cinnaminny]

The pools at AKL are lovely. They are both zero entry, but the slides are smaller than the one at Poly and you don't have that amazing MK view. On the plus side, there is more shade at the AKL pools than at Poly and at AKL Jambo, there is a nice pool bar plus the Mara right by the pool making snacks and meals convenient.

The walk between Jambo and Kidani is about 10 minutes. The shuttle seemed to just go back and forth continuously, so not a long wait at all. Also, if you are at Kidani, you can get on any park bus and it will then stop at Jambo before heading to the theme park. If you are at Jambo, you can get on a DS bus and it will stop at Kidani before going to DS. I, personally, wouldn't let the distance between Jambo and Kidani factor into your decision. It really wasn't inconvenient at all, IMHO.

If you stay at Ak can you use both Jambo and Kidani pools? I am unsure about the distinctions there or if one is DVC.

 

[FSU Girl]

If you stay at Ak can you use both Jambo and Kidani pools? I am unsure about the distinctions there or if one is DVC.

Kidani is all DVC and Jambo is a mixture. Everyone staying at either resort is allowed to use either pool. They provide a shuttle bus between the two buildings or its about a ten minute walk.

 

[cinnaminny]

Kidani is all DVC and Jambo is a mixture. Everyone staying at either resort is allowed to use either pool. They provide a shuttle bus between the two buildings or its about a ten minute walk.

Thank you, I never could quite pin that one down. My husband thinks he might like to stay here someday. Hopefully we will get the chance.

 

[FSU Girl]

Thank you, I never could quite pin that one down. My husband thinks he might like to stay here someday. Hopefully we will get the chance.

It's a really nice hotel, I've stayed in both buildings. I would highly recommend a savanna view room. The only thing I don't like is how far it is from all the parks and the only transportation are buses. But besides that it's a fantastic hotel. If you stay in DVC I'd recommend Kidani more because you can get a lower floor, while at Jambo they are only on the 5th and 6th floors.

 

[cinnaminny]

It's a really nice hotel, I've stayed in both buildings. I would highly recommend a savanna view room. The only thing I don't like is how far it is from all the parks and the only transportation are buses. But besides that it's a fantastic hotel. If you stay in DVC I'd recommend Kidani more because you can get a lower floor, while at Jambo they are only on the 5th and 6th floors.

Thanks! We don't use the bus system so that is not too much of an issue. It is a bummer that it is not near to any other parks though. Its nice to not drive everyday. That is my biggest sticking point.

 

[Tink-osophy]

If it were me, it would be either the Contemporary or the Boardwalk.

Both have great locations: -
CR: Walk to MK; monorail and boat to WL/FW.
Boardwalk: Walks to Epcot and Hollywood Studios and, well, it's on the Boardwalk!!

The pools would be good for the two of you. Two to choose from at each resort and good for kids who are too old for splash pads, but not quite ready for the BC/YC pool. The BW slide is supposed to be the best and at the Contemporary, you'd still have a pool right by the lake (like at the Poly).

At the CR, you could opt for the Garden Wing, so it would be easy to hop back and fore to the pool and to enjoy the lake setting and watch the Water Pageant. Or you could splash out on an MK view in the main building and watch the fireworks from your room.
At the BW, you wouldn't be in too spread out a resort and you'd have all the fun and eating options of the Boardwalk and Epcot on your doorstep.

Good size rooms at both resorts.

Now I've written all that, I want to come, too!

 

[Lovetherodent]

It's not my favorite resort, but given what you described, AKL. There's a lot of programming, a lot of it educational, and it's just a good resort for a family who wants to hang out there all evening (plus you can watch the animals!).
I am not a fan of Stormalong Bay and don't think it's a good choice for chilling at the resort in the evenings. It's more crowded and chaotic, and you can't really see the whole thing if you son is small enough that you want to keep an eye on him.

 

[`OhanaHare]

What about the pools at AKL makes it worse than the Poly? From looking at pics & videos of both slides it seems equivalent, so I need your first hand advice! Do you know how often the shuttle comes by? Or how long of a walk it is?

The shuttle is about every 10 mins or so. It's about a 10-15 min walk between buildings. Be aware (because I saw this mentioned in a previous post) that depending on what time of year you are at Jambo/Kidani that they don't always have the same bus. There have been times we were there that they each had a separate bus to the parks.

ETA: It was separate Kidani and Jambo buses when we were there in January and Sept.

 

[Alison S]

If it were me, it would be either the Contemporary or the Boardwalk.

Both have great locations: -
CR: Walk to MK; monorail and boat to WL/FW.
Boardwalk: Walks to Epcot and Hollywood Studios and, well, it's on the Boardwalk!!

The pools would be good for the two of you. Two to choose from at each resort and good for kids who are too old for splash pads, but not quite ready for the BC/YC pool. The BW slide is supposed to be the best and at the Contemporary, you'd still have a pool right by the lake (like at the Poly).

At the CR, you could opt for the Garden Wing, so it would be easy to hop back and fore to the pool and to enjoy the lake setting and watch the Water Pageant. Or you could splash out on an MK view in the main building and watch the fireworks from your room.
At the BW, you wouldn't be in too spread out a resort and you'd have all the fun and eating options of the Boardwalk and Epcot on your doorstep.

Good size rooms at both resorts.

Now I've written all that, I want to come, too!

Hadn't really considered the contemporary before, but I looked at the pools/slides and thought they were good (and super easy for me to see him on the slides). I'll show them to DS and see what he thinks!

I measured DS today and he's up to 49 inches (from 46 in November)! Definitely too tall for the splash park at the poly. I'm 95% sure we won't go there. I'll save it for when I take my other son on a solo trip in a few years (he's 2).

I'm still leaning towards AKL, especially with the renovated rooms.

 

[Truxi]

Beach Club is the only one I've stayed at. My friends were so stoked about the pool and I was just like...whatever.

Then I got in it.

The pool is ABSOLUTELY worth it. That sand bottom feels so good after a long day of walking. And the slide is amazing.

Plus, just straight up *walking* into Epcot every morning for breakfast, or scurrying over to the UK pub to grab a nightcap.

 

[WDW1970]

GF hands down! I have stayed at all of the MK and Epcot deluxe resorts and the GF by far is my favorite. Strange thing about that is it was the last one I tried. There was a time I never wanted to stay there - due to a lot of the same reasons you hear why people who have never stayed there do not want to stay there i.e. too stuffy, too fancy, no fun, etc.. My wife “twisted my arm” LOL and I could not believe how great a stay it was. The only downside from staying there once is that you will never want to stay anywhere else!!

 

[kiford]

We were there for 10 days in AUGUST and I don't think I saw a crowd either. lol (and it was HOT) So yeah, I guess, if you're looking for a crowdless pool the Contemporary is probably the way to go.

Our only problem with the pools there was that there was literally no shade. During the day it was actually uncomfortable to go to the pool. Now, one night we were in the pool from just before dusk until it was dark and got to watch a good portion of the fireworks while in the pool. We've been working our way through the Deluxe resorts to determine which we actually like and would return to. We enjoyed CR but probably won't return. Partly it was the pool since we're now spending more time at the resort doing resort-y type things. Partly it was the incredibly slow elevators (we were on the 11th floor), the constant noise from the open lobby area which you could hear when close to your room door and which hit you like a brick when coming out, and the room layout. Size was nice but we didn't like the bathroom layout and the desk location caused the chair at it to constantly block one dresser which was located beside one of the beds. Storage was split into two different dressers not located close to each other and two closets divided by a cabinet for the bar fridge. Just a generally awkward layout. We had a lagoon/water view which, from the 11th floor, was pretty awesome. And some nights we watched the fireworks from the bridge to BLT where our friends were staying. So good and bad points but the pool doesn't win me over.

We love Stormalong Bay but I take the point that it can definitely be hard to keep track of children. WL has two very nice pools, with some shady areas throughout the day. They're beautifully done and the grounds of WL are really lovely. This one is going to stay on our favourite list for the pool, the hotel itself, Geyser Point, the seating areas by the water, and the grounds. Rooms are a little smaller than some of the others - though equivalent to AKL - but the other amenities compensate. We're trying to decide which resort will be next after our next two visits (those are YC and BWI) and it's currently a toss-up between WL and AKL. I like the WL pools better but I love AKL as a resort especially food options.

The small and crowded pool, the disorganized layout of the resort and the 1970's motel vibe I get from the Poly has completely eliminated this from our list. We were waffling about it for some time but the pool was a definite turnoff for us. Especially after WL.

 

[`OhanaHare]

Hadn't really considered the contemporary before, but I looked at the pools/slides and thought they were good (and super easy for me to see him on the slides). I'll show them to DS and see what he thinks!

I measured DS today and he's up to 49 inches (from 46 in November)! Definitely too tall for the splash park at the poly. I'm 95% sure we won't go there. I'll save it for when I take my other son on a solo trip in a few years (he's 2).

I'm still leaning towards AKL, especially with the renovated rooms.

The rooms at AKL are not all renovated and it's taking quite some time to do so (because it's full refurb) the odds of them being done for you to get one are slim.

 

[Lacoccinelle]

We have stayed at most deluxe and WL and AKL are our favorites. The shuttle was not that big of a deal between the two pools. We stayed at Beach club in 2017 and while the pool is nice, it is hard to keep track of younger kids with the big slide unless you are doing it with them as they need to exit the enclosed area to get to it. We also really didn’t like the feel of the beach club inside. There was no real food court and it was just not as fun of a theme. We asked to be moved to WL after three nights, but they couldn’t accommodate the move.

WL is more convenient to MK than AKL. They are both lovely resort with great food options for sit down and counter. The pools each have a small slide. Kidani has a larger slide. We are split staying BWI and WL this summer to try a new resort and because the back entrance to Epcot is amazing.

 

[Imamom2]

BC or BW for all the above reasons and proximity to Epcot and Studios. You will probably be spending a lot of time in Star Wars and Toy Story and you can walk or takes water taxi back to resorts. We love BC but the clown could be creepy to some kids.