I need help picking my WDW resort

[pink_tink8i8]

I'm getting married in 2009 and I'm having a Disney wedding. I haven't been to Disney in a really long time and I have never stayed at a resort there so I need a little help picking one out. I'm really kind of clueless at this point. I need one for my Disneymoon too!

Which ones did every like, hate etc?

Any help would be appreciated! thanks.

 

[babystar]

We had the same situation. In the end we got prices for each hotel moderate, luxury e.t.c after twoing and frowing for about a month we went with the best rated hotel that was within our budget! If there is a couple that you like the look of try googling them and you'll probably get lots of recent pictures and reviews!

 

[GlobalDiva]

Congrats Pink_tink

The hotels are really a matter of personal preference. The only kinda poor experience I had was at Wilderness Lodge--gave us a smoking room when we asked for a non. Then they said they would come spray it down. We asked them twice or 3 times to do so because the room's smell was really nasty, and they didn't do it for over a day. Once they did, it was totally fine, but it would have been nice if they had come to do it right away.

I'm also not crazy about the food options (not much choice at all, don't know if that's changed since the 2 or 3 years since I stayed there), and had some poor experiences with the front desk at check in.

The hotel itself is beautiful, has a great pool.

Every other hotel experience at Disney has been perfect. Never stayed at a Value, but I've been to all the moderates, most of the deluxes (not Polynesian) and some Vacation Club. They were great

 

[pink_tink8i8]

thanks ladies.

I've seen a lot of pictures and did some research and also used mousesavers.com they give fabulous reviews. I hate to be judgmental because I haven't stayed at any of the resorts but I'm kind of unimpressed by some of them. I was told to stay clear of the value resorts because there is a lot of noise since a lot of families with children stay there. DF thinks that we'll only be in our rooms to sleep so why not stay in a value and save money? I'd at least opt for a moderate but I still don't know what to do. I think wilderness lodge is out because DF doesn't like the log cabin feel of it.

 

[topsy]

Quick question, do you have to be a DVC member to stay at a VC resort? I'm hoping to book a Beach Club Villa for the birdal party to stay at the night before the wedding (and a few days before that) but have heard that it is a VC resort!?!

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, this is just my pet peeve, but I think the Moderates are a really bad value. $175/night (in high season) for a glorified motel room where the only difference from a Value is a second sink? I will admit, though, that they have lovely themeing. I just think the money is better spent on a Deluxe or saved on a Value.

Back to the topic at hand - do you have a favorite park or area of WDW? Like Epcot/BoardWalk area or Downtown Disney or Magic Kingom? That's where I'd pick a resort if I could only pick one. It will cut down on travel time and maybe make it possible to avoid buses altogether.

We're staying four different places on our honeymoon because we wanted to try lots of different hotels. I'll let you know in a month whether this is a great idea or just crazy

 

[lurkyloo]

Quick question, do you have to be a DVC member to stay at a VC resort? I'm hoping to book a Beach Club Villa for the birdal party to stay at the night before the wedding (and a few days before that) but have heard that it is a VC resort!?!

Anybody can stay at a DVC resort, but you'll pay a lot less if you rent points from a DVC member instead of paying cash!

 

[shezfrombermuda]

I'm getting married in 2009 and I'm having a Disney wedding. I haven't been to Disney in a really long time and I have never stayed at a resort there so I need a little help picking one out. I'm really kind of clueless at this point. I need one for my Disneymoon too!

Which ones did every like, hate etc?

Any help would be appreciated! thanks.

If you go to allearsnet.com they have pictures of all the hotels and they also have menus for all the restaurants. You could see what type of restaurants are at each resort.

I am going to stay at The Beach Club because I love their pool and the location. It is close to Epcot and to Boardwalk. If you are looking for a moderate hotel, Port Orleans Riverside is nice. The grounds are very nice and you can take a boat to Downtown Disney.

If you have any specific questions, they are very helpful on the resort board.

 

[pink_tink8i8]

OK, this is just my pet peeve, but I think the Moderates are a really bad value. $175/night (in high season) for a glorified motel room where the only difference from a Value is a second sink? I will admit, though, that they have lovely themeing. I just think the money is better spent on a Deluxe or saved on a Value.

Back to the topic at hand - do you have a favorite park or area of WDW? Like Epcot/BoardWalk area or Downtown Disney or Magic Kingom? That's where I'd pick a resort if I could only pick one. It will cut down on travel time and maybe make it possible to avoid buses altogether.

We're staying four different places on our honeymoon because we wanted to try lots of different hotels. I'll let you know in a month whether this is a great idea or just crazy

Nice! thanks so much! I would totally be into the adventurous idea of staying at multiple resorts but I think somebody posted in the thread about what they regret and somebody put that. They wished they would have stayed at one resort the entire time. I actually didn't think of narrowing it down to a specific resort. Duh! But that would definitely help. I personally want AKL and I was thinking of renting a suite but like I mentioned earlier DF wants to stay at a value since we are already spending a ton of $$$ on our wedding there.

 

[pink_tink8i8]

If you go to allearsnet.com they have pictures of all the hotels and they also have menus for all the restaurants. You could see what type of restaurants are at each resort.

I am going to stay at The Beach Club because I love their pool and the location. It is close to Epcot and to Boardwalk. If you are looking for a moderate hotel, Port Orleans Riverside is nice. The grounds are very nice and you can take a boat to Downtown Disney.

If you have any specific questions, they are very helpful on the resort board.

thanks! I'll check that sire out. I never thought to look at the resort boards. Can you tell I'm new here

 

[Miniefan]

We are planning on staying at a value resort. The only difference is that we are traveling with my 2 kids as well as a few other family member that have kids of their own. We plan on staying at one of the Deluxe resorts by ourselves on the night of the vow renewal but other than that we will be at the Pop Century with our kids and the rest of our family.

I agree that you want it to be nice for your wedding, but I just can't justify spending $350 and up per night when all we use the room for is to sleep, shower, and get ready. We spend very little time in our room. I am already hating the fact of paying it for one night for me and dh to have some privacy and be alone.

You really just have to weigh out what is important and why its important to you. We chose to do it this way because other than the day or two that involves the vow renewal, it is a big vacation for ours and the other families that are coming down with us, so we are purchasing a package with tickets and dining at the Pop Century and staying one night at either the Grand Floridian or the Polynesian.

I hope this helps you make your choice.

Kim

 

[padisneyfour]

Our plans though aways off yet are similar to minniefan, will most likely stay at a value other than the night of our actual VR. WE have went many times and stayed at several different resorts value on up and never really had a bad experience anywhere. I have always been pleased with WDW resorts its really a matter of choice/preference and $( of course). Truth be told, like minniefan said we just use the room for sleeping and showering etc.There is a lot of info available to help you with your choice....

 

[lurkyloo]

I personally want AKL and I was thinking of renting a suite but like I mentioned earlier DF wants to stay at a value since we are already spending a ton of $$$ on our wedding there.

You should stay at AK Villas! We're renting DVC points to stay there for 5 nights, and it works out to $110 a night (and no tax). That's less than our guests are paying to stay at a Moderate

 

[monana]

You should stay at AK Villas! We're renting DVC points to stay there for 5 nights, and it works out to $110 a night (and no tax). That's less than our guests are paying to stay at a Moderate

How do you rent DVC points?

 

[lurkyloo]

There is a rent/trade board in the DVC section of the DIS. They have a sticky FAQ at the top, I believe, but basically, you

1) Click the link at the top of that page to see the points charts for the resort you want. This tells you how many you'll need per night.

2) Either post a request on the board for the number of points you need, or look at the posts by sellers who are offering their points for rent and see if anyone can get you a reservation at the resort you want. Members who own points at your resort can book 11 months in advance, whereas other members have to wait til 8 months in advance.

HTH!

 

[cseca]

Hi monana,
I've rented out my points every year, let me know if you have any questions
I'm using some of my points for our wedding this year... thank goodness for dvc or we wouldn't have been able to stay at a deluxe resort...

 

[pink_tink8i8]

We are planning on staying at a value resort. The only difference is that we are traveling with my 2 kids as well as a few other family member that have kids of their own. We plan on staying at one of the Deluxe resorts by ourselves on the night of the vow renewal but other than that we will be at the Pop Century with our kids and the rest of our family.

I agree that you want it to be nice for your wedding, but I just can't justify spending $350 and up per night when all we use the room for is to sleep, shower, and get ready. We spend very little time in our room. I am already hating the fact of paying it for one night for me and dh to have some privacy and be alone.

You really just have to weigh out what is important and why its important to you. We chose to do it this way because other than the day or two that involves the vow renewal, it is a big vacation for ours and the other families that are coming down with us, so we are purchasing a package with tickets and dining at the Pop Century and staying one night at either the Grand Floridian or the Polynesian.

I hope this helps you make your choice.

Kim

I think that it very reasonable. We're making a family vacation/ get together during our disneymoon we're also going to do a package with dining etc. It's a lot less expensive to stay at a value. Maybe we'll just do a suite at a deluxe for our wedding night. I think my DF would agree with your logic

 

[TinkerKel]

Pink_Tink, Congratulations on your wedding!
My husband and I stayed at the Polynesian for our Honeymoon and we loved it! We also really like The Wilderness Lodge, The Beach Club and The Animal Kingdom Lodge. But if you are looking for a price compromise, I would highly recommend Coronado Springs. We stayed there for our 1 year anniversary last year, and our stay was fantastic! I had booked the trip as a surprise present for my husband, and was worried about cost so I decided to stay moderate instead of deluxe. I told the CM who made my reservation that it was our anniversary. When we got there, the manager came out to greet us and told us he had upgraded our room from 2 double beds to a king bed (there is a price difference for this at the moderates b/c the rooms are either 2 doubles or 1 king - in the deluxe resorts there are usually 2 queen beds). Anyway, this was a great surprise for us. Then we got to our room and the manager had left us a handwritten note, some resort merchandise, baloons and a signed photo of Minnie and Mickey. The service at CSR was great, and we liked that because of the conventions, there seemed to be more adults there than at some of the other hotels.
Also, I read the comment about splitting your stay, and I saw your concerns. We split our stay last December between The Beach Club and The Wilderness Lodge and had a great experience with it. Disney moved our bags for us. We checked out of The Beach Club in the morning, and then went out to the park. At the end of the day, we headed over to the Wilderness Lodge and picked up our bags from bell services. It all went really smoothly. It may be another way to compromise about the cost.
I hope this was helpful. Good luck!!

 

[Miniefan]

I think that it very reasonable. We're making a family vacation/ get together during our disneymoon we're also going to do a package with dining etc. It's a lot less expensive to stay at a value. Maybe we'll just do a suite at a deluxe for our wedding night. I think my DF would agree with your logic

I'm glad that I could give you my insight. My dh and I are pretty modest people, the vow renewal is already starting to add up, and we want to be able to make the most of our time at Disney without having to compromise and skimp on things we want for the vow renewal and for the vacation part, which is for our entire family. I would much rather take the $$ I am saving for the hotel and spend it on extras such as Mk photo shoot, renting the coach, tickets to MVMCP, and souvenirs for my family. I guess when I look back at the other vacations I have taken, I remember the fun times we had and the places we went not what the room was like. All the hotels in Disney are going to be decent and nice, its Disney after all, just some have better amenities, but those amenities don't really matter if you don't have time to make use of them. Whatever you decide, have a wonderful wedding, make lots of memories and take lots of pictures!!

Kim

 

[roozlilone]

Nice! thanks so much! I would totally be into the adventurous idea of staying at multiple resorts but I think somebody posted in the thread about what they regret and somebody put that. They wished they would have stayed at one resort the entire time. I actually didn't think of narrowing it down to a specific resort. Duh! But that would definitely help. I personally want AKL and I was thinking of renting a suite but like I mentioned earlier DF wants to stay at a value since we are already spending a ton of $$$ on our wedding there.

Congrats Pink on your upcoming wedding!! Have fun with finding the right resort for you! Don't let it stress you out too much!

Personally for me and my DH, one of the REASONS we go to Disney so often is because of the resorts! We have tried them all...and they are all great for different reasons! This will be our 6th trip (we are leaving this Friday ) in less than a year...and we are doing a value this time, Pop Century. We have done all the mods and deluxes and have stayed at more than one resort in a single trip, which is alot of fun too!

It really, really depends first on BUDGET and second on PERSONAL TASTE. Here are my picks....

Value-Pop Century (Best of the value resorts, newer rooms, better transportation and food court)

Moderate-1st pick-POFQ (we are staying there for our vow renewal in July, very very romantic setting, small resort, cozy, more adult feel, really nice guest rooms) GREAT FOR A HONEYMOON ON A BUDGET!

2nd pick -CSR (great if you love the Mexican theme, very romantic at night with the beach and lake, like a mini deluxe resort)

Cheap Deluxe-AKL (hands down my favorite of all the resorts! If I could afford to stay at the AKL everytime I would! Simply breathtaking and the smell of the resort is addictive!!) GREAT FOR A HONEYMOON HOTEL!

Expensive Deluxe-Yacht & Beach Club (Best location, best pool, best night life, short walk to Boardwalk and Epcot, as nice as GF but not as expensive)

Those are my picks, but like I said it really depends on what "style" of resort appeals to you. Happy resort hunting!