Hotel Opinions!

[MaddieB223]

Stayed all 4.
Coronado would not return. Too big. Too many convention groups and except for a business type room the first time... forgot name. It included cocktails n snacks In a little bldg... which we loved, still wouldn’t go back. Too many people smoking as well. Just too much everything. Felt hectic and not Disney for us

CB. would not return. Too big. Too far from main area unless you get Exactly where u want. Didn’t care for the theming or Bus!!

Pofq.. lovely, one bus stop, babyish pool area. Better for families. Not enuf choice at food court, smaller gift store. Busses were ok and love having boat to DS. Lovely romantic at night and easily walk between here and POR. Have stayed here many many times as couple and under 10 with family.. only because a great price or what was available at the time.
POR. Have stayed here a gazillion times, lol. Family, couple, friends, reunions etc When it comes to a mod it’s our choice. Love AB section, 14 or 18 preferred only. Resort is too big to be way in back. We enjoy bar inside and out, romantic at night, also has carriage ride. Buses have been Very good for us and just Love boat to DS as well. I walk so I always walk between resorts along the Sassaghoula River Quiet pools plus main one ( which does have a fun slide even adults use lol). Bob piano guy is silly Free fun to watch. Enjoy the Large gift shop, the overall ambiance, it’s honestly Home for us and people know me when I return.( scary) Some from the Dixie landings days..ok I’ll confess, bartender has seen my family grow up. lol. It was the first Resort we went too, the first resort I Returned to after beating cancer, the one where my kiddo grew up .. and has a BIG place in my heart.
Restaurant, very good food court...just lovely overall. Would easily recommend it.

That being said... depending if ur anticipating a park renegade, ( then I’d do a mod) a restful relaxing pool experience, a mix of both... seriously consider a dvc reservation where you may be able to grab a deluxe..

My hubby n I ( and he’s Not a Disney person but both humors and clearly loves me lol) return to Poly club level and AKL Savannah ( not club) as our favorites now and I’d choose AKL/Jambo..
I just feel at ease there, calmer, quieter, lovely bar, great restaurants, good pool and sitting on that balcony morning with tea or night with a cocktail seeing animals cannot be beat . The Nite Safari ( nite vision goggles) is Amazing!!! Some say u can see animals at ak or just visit here, not the same.
I’ve Always been into Total Disney Immersion and mod POR or Deluxe AKL/jambo would be my choices.
Enjoy wherever you decide. Pixie dust ur way!

Thank you so much for all this info! I wouldn't be against renting DVC points from someone, though at the time we're planning on going my boyfriend will be in grad school and I'll have just graduated from undergrad, so we may not exactly be able to afford it this time Eventually we'll get there!! I love that you have such a connection with POR! We'll have to check it out!

 

[MaddieB223]

POR: large resort, absolutely lovely theme, close to Disney Springs, alright bus service. pick this if you want a really quiet and relaxing resort. Pool isn't amazingly themed, but fun and there are a lot of quiet pools around the resorts.

POFQ: smallest moderate, nice theme, also close to Disney Springs, better bus service. POFQ is pretty popular, and the smaller size is nice but it doesn't feel as intimate as POR, IMO. average pool, I don't think the pool is great for couples without kids

Coronado: large resort, well themed, above average rooms for a moderate. Gran Destino Tower is simialr to a deluxe in vibe but a lot cheaper. Great pool. overall a more "mature"/serious resort (in part bc of the convention center), which can be a pro or con depending on what you want from your vacation. don't know too much about bus service, but it's a little distant from the parks.

Caribbean Beach: another large resort, theming is either lovely or meh depending on who you ask. I don't think the theme is as well executed as the other moderates, but still very pleasant. Rooms are on par with POR or POFQ. Large but sometimes crowded pool area, with lots of quiet pools as well. EXCELLENT location, Skyliner to DHS and Epcot. However I've heard bus service is notoriously awful to the other two parks

If I was you, I'd probably pick POR or Coronado. Yes the location and Skyliner is great, but I think POR is such a romantic resort, and Coronado has a lot of restaurants and bars for a couples trip. The rooms are more stylish at Coronado, but the mansion rooms at POR are quite lovely

Thank you for answering! I am now currently leaning towards POR or Coronado. Thank you for all the details!!

 

[MaddieB223]

oh! i would also consider renting DVC points. you can stay at boardwalk/beach club or some of the AKL or WL studios for relatively few points. sometimes for even cheaper than the moderates! renting studios is really in demand, but if you're thinking this far out, you seem like a great planner

I'm a little unfamiliar with DVC/DVC points, could you send me some resources about renting points? Would love to do this if it's affordable enough and I do love the Beach Club!!

 

[MaddieB223]

We stayed at POFQ this past February and twice before at Coronado. But service at POFQ was great to the parks loved the boat rides down to Disney Springs. Resort was small and a quick walk to/from our room to the food court and bus. Coronado was fun our kids loved the pool, but our trips now are without them. Downside to Coronado is it's not near much except Animal Kingdom, so longer bus rides and with the 4 stops, but it's much bigger then POFQ.

Though you might miss out on some of the perks like transportation another resort to consider is the Swan & Dolphin. Pricewise you can often come close to a Moderate price but you end up with a more deluxe resort. Prior to our POFQ stay we've stayed at either the S/D 3 times and loved it, or last trip the price was better at POFQ though.

Do you still get Disney's Magical Express and transportation to parks at the Swan and Dolphin?

 

[MaddieB223]

I have stayed at all 4 and you can’t go wrong. You will find people that LOVE one over the other.

Look at pix and videos of the rooms and resort grounds. Does one appeal to either of you? I say that because I would do all 4 but my family all have a different opinion.

I will say the tower at CSR or CBR would be my recommendation.

The tower was lovely, easy to get to food options and they have plenty! They have a bar in the tower, a roof top bar and TS. The other one is in the middle of the lake! Then in el centro there are more eateries n bars.

CBR having the Skyliner and being adjacent to RR gives you an added benefit of more food and drink options.

POR/Fq the boat is nice if you think you’ll go to DS often.

Don’t forget with mobile ordering you can grab a meal easy from anywhere, at the resorts it’s so convenient to place your order as you are getting back from the park and place it in time for pick up when you are back or just before heading out,

Thank you so much!!

 

[MaddieB223]

Be careful about renting DVC points. The money is non-refundable, and your reservation will be unchangeable, even if the parks close. If the DVC broker you use goes out of business in this unstable travel climate, you might be out the money.

I rented DVC points in the past year & had to deal with the nightmare of the complete WDW closure interacting with our nonrefundable & nonchangeable stay. They were not easy to deal with. After getting a lawyer involved I was able to set things right, but I can't in good conscience recommend the experience to anyone else, unless it's a last-minute booking (just a few weeks out) that has the lowest of low chances of having any interference. You just never know what the future will bring.

If you do rent DVC points, make sure you buy Cancel for any Reason travel insurance from a reputable vendor.

But really, I recommend just staying at the moderate hotel you can afford.

This is why renting DVC points makes me nervous thanks for the tip!

 

[bookwormde]

Love the idea of a romantic theme! Though I have been leaning towards Coronado Springs, hopefully I could get a discount on a Tower room! Thank you

with tower rooms at $100+more than other standard rooms you are going to need a 30% discount to stay in your budget

Here is a link to rack rates plus tax in case you do not have it already. Typically I would add 5 to 7% per year for price increases

https://www.mousesavers.com/2020-disney-world-room-rates-season-dates/

 

[SteveH]

Do you still get Disney's Magical Express and transportation to parks at the Swan and Dolphin?

You don't get Magic Express, but you do get bus service to the parks and boats (when available) to DHS & Epcot, but at least Epcot is a pretty easy walk from S/D. We used Lyft from MCO to the Swan, was about $35 one way.

 

[MaddieB223]

with tower rooms at $100+more than other standard rooms you are going to need a 30% discount to stay in your budget

Here is a link to rack rates plus tax in case you do not have it already. Typically I would add 5 to 7% per year for price increases

https://www.mousesavers.com/2020-disney-world-room-rates-season-dates/

Thank you!

 

[DL1WDW2]

Don’t forge t the Swan and Dolphin (Lowe’s?) are building a new resort on property. Might be open by 2022. I think it will be called The Cove .

 

[Realfoodfans]

I'm such a planner, it drives my boyfriend a little crazy! He doesn't get that it's half the fun I like your idea of splitting between 2 resorts!

Definitely half the fun is in the preparation - I have my Mickey Mouse binder and keep all my information to hand to update!

 

[kwdw]

If you want to consider DVC rental - I have rented points 6 or 7 times now (about half and half - using a vendor vs working directly with an owner) - and everything has been smooth each time. I would recommend to START by reading the rent/trade board here - and reading the websites of the two big vendors. You can follow and read stuff for months to learn. A DVC studio is perfect for a young couple - I think you would like both the AKV or SSR studios - and those tend to be the cheapest point rentals. For this - I would suggest booking your hotel choice NOT as a package when you can - then - follow the rentals for DVC. If you jump at a rental - grab it - then cancel the hotel. Trick is - you need to time this if you want the best deal - and between room discounts, free dining options, rules, etc - you do need to make sure you learn all the rules so you don't make a mistake that will cost you money. Right now - for example - with COVID - I would definitely not rent DVC without travel insurance! But you are thinking pretty far in the future - so you could judge the importance of that to you then. It does take some time to learn - but you have that time - so don't be afraid to consider it.

I'll add though - remember that value hotels are the cheapest - AND if you book one of those - you could spend money on some nicer meals or a tour or something else special instead of spending it on the lodging.

 

[MaddieB223]

Definitely half the fun is in the preparation - I have my Mickey Mouse binder and keep all my information to hand to update!

Too cute!!

 

[MaddieB223]

If you want to consider DVC rental - I have rented points 6 or 7 times now (about half and half - using a vendor vs working directly with an owner) - and everything has been smooth each time. I would recommend to START by reading the rent/trade board here - and reading the websites of the two big vendors. You can follow and read stuff for months to learn. A DVC studio is perfect for a young couple - I think you would like both the AKV or SSR studios - and those tend to be the cheapest point rentals. For this - I would suggest booking your hotel choice NOT as a package when you can - then - follow the rentals for DVC. If you jump at a rental - grab it - then cancel the hotel. Trick is - you need to time this if you want the best deal - and between room discounts, free dining options, rules, etc - you do need to make sure you learn all the rules so you don't make a mistake that will cost you money. Right now - for example - with COVID - I would definitely not rent DVC without travel insurance! But you are thinking pretty far in the future - so you could judge the importance of that to you then. It does take some time to learn - but you have that time - so don't be afraid to consider it.

I'll add though - remember that value hotels are the cheapest - AND if you book one of those - you could spend money on some nicer meals or a tour or something else special instead of spending it on the lodging.

Thanks for the great advice!

 

[chasgoose]

I'll add though - remember that value hotels are the cheapest - AND if you book one of those - you could spend money on some nicer meals or a tour or something else special instead of spending it on the lodging.

I think this is something to consider. I don't know what amenities you personally value at the moderates over the values, but I just don't think the moderates are worth the difference in price from the values (a difference in price that only seems to keep getting bigger). My biggest problem is that (aside from GDT at CSR) you are still essentially in a motel style room with outside hallways and (aside from POFQ and GDT again) they are even more sprawling and spread out than the values, which makes it harder to use the amenities depending on where you are and also leads to far worse bus transportation options than the values which typically have dedicated buses.

Another reason to consider the values is that you can conceivably do a split stay with a deluxe for a few days and still hit your target price point. While some deluxes would still likely break your budget for more than a day or two (like the Poly, GF, or Contemporary Tower) with the right discounts, you should be able to make it work.

Also regarding DVC rental. I haven't done it, but I wouldn't totally rule it out yet given that it isn't even an option for you for another year and things will be different then. If nothing else, since you have the time, definitely read the boards here and get some familiarity with the standard contracts that exist on the market. They tend to be pretty straightforward and the better sense you get of what's standard and what's not the better you will be able to determine whether you are comfortable with renting points.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you want to consider DVC rental - I have rented points 6 or 7 times now (about half and half - using a vendor vs working directly with an owner) - and everything has been smooth each time. I would recommend to START by reading the rent/trade board here - and reading the websites of the two big vendors. You can follow and read stuff for months to learn. A DVC studio is perfect for a young couple - I think you would like both the AKV or SSR studios - and those tend to be the cheapest point rentals. For this - I would suggest booking your hotel choice NOT as a package when you can - then - follow the rentals for DVC. If you jump at a rental - grab it - then cancel the hotel. Trick is - you need to time this if you want the best deal - and between room discounts, free dining options, rules, etc - you do need to make sure you learn all the rules so you don't make a mistake that will cost you money. Right now - for example - with COVID - I would definitely not rent DVC without travel insurance! But you are thinking pretty far in the future - so you could judge the importance of that to you then. It does take some time to learn - but you have that time - so don't be afraid to consider it.

I'll add though - remember that value hotels are the cheapest - AND if you book one of those - you could spend money on some nicer meals or a tour or something else special instead of spending it on the lodging.

Not all travel insurance will cover pandemics. Brokers are revising their contracts, so you'll want to read only newer information on renting points. Nothing older than March 31, 2020. The pandemic changed it all.

 

[doleddanielle]

I think this is something to consider. I don't know what amenities you personally value at the moderates over the values, but I just don't think the moderates are worth the difference in price from the values (a difference in price that only seems to keep getting bigger). My biggest problem is that (aside from GDT at CSR) you are still essentially in a motel style room with outside hallways and (aside from POFQ and GDT again) they are even more sprawling and spread out than the values, which makes it harder to use the amenities depending on where you are and also leads to far worse bus transportation options than the values which typically have dedicated buses.

Agreed! For the first couple of years going to WDW with my bf, we stayed at the Value resorts. LOVE Pop! Always had. We never wanted to stay at Moderates because of their much higher price points, and even Pop was beginning to get expensive for what you get after the remodels. To us, we made the jump from Values to Deluxes just because the price between Moderate and Deluxe wasn't that much of a difference when comparing Value to Moderate. Comparing (on average, with the AP discount) $160/night for Value preferred to $240/night for Moderate, to $275/night for Deluxe (AKL)...yeah we decided to do AKL and have stayed there 3 times in the past year.

One thing I always hated staying at moderates with my family when I was younger: the bus system. We stayed only a couple of times at CS and CBR, but I remember waiting for a bus for 2 hours at CS because it kept getting full before it reached our stop. This is also a big reason why we don't do moderates now. We'll be giving GDT a chance though in March since they have their own bus stop.

 

[SL6827]

By 2022, I wouldn't count on having all those resort perks for free. May or may not. Disney is notorious for charging for what was once free. Just keep this in mind.