Hotel with heavy theming or not?

[DizneyFamof4]

It's whatever we are in the mood for, for that trip and 'worth' is high on the list and location is towards the bottom of our list. We can get to each park in a timely manner no matter where we stay. Our signature tells a lot about our stays.

 

[Anthony1971]

We mostly choose theming. We have found little savings in time across 4 parks at any resort. But if we have a MK party 100% a MK resort. We do also like the walk back to BW after EPCOT closes. But nothing beats POLY and WL for relaxing and amazing theming. I will also throw AKL in the mix but this is more of a destination there is just nothing like in the USA and beyond. After all it is a vacation for us not just theme parks easily split 50-50 with sometimes less than 50 park time.

 

[GGOOFY1]

I go for location. My favorite is the Epcot resorts. BW view is my 1st choice, if that is not available, then go to Yacht and Beach for the pool!

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Theming for me is number 1. Then it’s just another hotel I can visit anywhere.

There is nothing that can compare to AKL or Wilderness.

Maybe theming is the wrong term to use. I’d rather say I would rather be immersed in the illusion of where I am

 

[clappyclaps]

For me it's always based on cost, rather than theme, location etc. As long as its a Disney hotel with all the usual perks (transport etc), I'm not fussy about the theming. I'd love to choose a hotel based on the theme, but they're usually so expensive in comparison with the cheaper resorts and considering the only time I spend at the hotel is for sleeping/showering, it just isn't worth the extra cost.

 

[Disney Spaz]

We are all about theming now. When our older kids were young we focused on cost. It meant a lot of All Star visits and once a Pop trip. Once we pushed into Mods it was hard to go back to Values. When the youngest arrived we moved to focus on Deluxe, DVC and theming over cost. We feel lucky to get to have that choice and if we didn't we would be back in Values but even then theming would be important and the All Stars would be our primary focus because of the theming.

 

[sponica]

Right now we're probably trying to be completionists....but theming/cost might influence where to check off next. We're at SSR for a pre cruise one night stay because DCL was running a discount and our flight is too early to justify the cost of the Hyatt. Post cruise we're at CBR (it's the 3rd time we've tried to stay there).

 

[creamhearts]

It's all about location for me. Depends on what my main goals are for the trip too. I did AK's 25th Birthday and of course, had to stay at AKL. It was so worth it! Trying to get a lot of resorts off my bucket list through DVC rentals, each has their own perk.

 

[precious pixie]

I like theming that immerses you in a different place/time but not the in your face characters. For me, it's AKL, WL, BW, YC, or the mods. I even prefer for the room refurbs to stay away from movie characters everywhere. The hidden or more subdued are good with me.

 

[stinkpickle]

I like theming that immerses you in a different place/time but not the in your face characters. For me, it's AKL, WL, BW, YC, or the mods. I even prefer for the room refurbs to stay away from movie characters everywhere. The hidden or more subdued are good with me.

Same here. Although I'm OK with theming at value resorts, my wife can't stand it.

 

[Harmacist]

Depends on my goal for my trip. If it's park heavy, location matters more to me than hotel theming. Swan/Dolphin are our hotels of choice for park focused trips due to location at moderate level prices, I have no problem going with Pop in these scenarios as well.

For more relaxed trips hotels matter more for us. We have AKL savanna view room booked this July and I think there will days we will not even hit the park because we want to enjoy the resort, we did the same last year at WL.

We just did PO:RS and went park heavy one day, and more relaxed the other two days. Tat was a nice resort for that mix.

 

[emilyann704]

I never care about the theming. I look at price and then what amenities it offers (or doesn't) and whether I'm willing to spend a little more for those amenities. For instance, the last couple times I've gone I've stayed at Coronado Springs even though it's a little more than Pop because as a solo traveler I like that it's the only moderate with so many restaurants and lounges. I feel more comfortable and safer having a drink at the end of the night at my own hotel vs Disney Springs or another hotel that I have to figure out how to get home from. The low cost of Coronado vs what you get is the only reason I've never stayed at a Value resort.

I think theming would only come into play for me as more of a "vibe." For instance, if Poly and Grand Floridian happened to be similar pricing and in my budget (they're not) I'd pick Poly because GF seems very stuffy to me.

 

[DisneyGuy]

Location/Transportation comes first, than theming.

 

[ktink]

When the kids were young, especially their first visit. I wanted over the top Disney so we stayed at Pop.

The kids are grown now & it's just us. We are all about the theme but more of the "vacation within a vacation" vibe. Poly & BWI are our favorites now.

 

[GsR80]

I like theming that immerses you in a different place/time but not the in your face characters. For me, it's AKL, WL, BW, YC, or the mods. I even prefer for the room refurbs to stay away from movie characters everywhere. The hidden or more subdued are good with me.

Definitely agree. I even really liked the Swan because it still felt like a special experience in the Disney bubble and the atmosphere is relaxed and vacationy.