If you have more time to enjoy resort, which one?

[kimba]

We are thinking about adding 3 days to the end of our Aug. cruise but we thought we might not spend a lot of time in the parks since we just went in March. We always spend so little time at our resort and never get to really enjoy it when we are doing parks from opening to closing. Which resort would be a good choice? We have a 19, 15, and 12 year old.

 

[kapoof]

Either the poly or the akl. Both are great for a relaxing retreat. What I love about the poly is the beach, you can sit and watch wishes, and the electric parade. It is awesome! The akl is like an oasis. This is a very unusual resort. I tend to like beaches and water by my resort, while it has a nice pool, and I mean nice, the savannah really makes up for the lack of a beach. What a cool place! Have fun.

 

[pieface]

I agree the poly or animal kingdom are both of my favorite resorts the poly is a little pricey. Animal kingdom is the best bang for the buck and is a beautiful resort. If money is no option the poly is a fantastic resort the beach and the property is wonderful. You have two great pools great restaurants and the monorail is great to use for the magic kingdom or the other two resorts on the system.

 

[Desnik]

AKL!!
We often go to WDW and don't go to any parks or maybe just one in a week long trip. AKL is our favorite resort for those kind of trips. There is so much to do, great restaurants, and the pools are fantastic. Waking up to the animals in your "backyard" truly is amazing.

 

[Kim1964]

Yacht Club...........the pool is great, and the feel of the place is so relaxing! It's also a short walk to Epcot, should the mood for a park strike.

 

[AliceIn]

How about BC or YC? I think AKL with 5 means either a suite or AKV, which would be pricey. BC/YC gives you room for 5, access to the Boardwalk and minigolf for entertainment, plus the awesome SAB.

 

[TotallyTink]

We are planning to do the same thing after our August cruise! We hardly ever spend any time at the resort when we visit the parks, so we usually stay Value or Mod. We added 2 nights at the end of our cruise at AKL and we aren't purchasing park tickets. I think the theme looks fantastic and they have a lot of activities. We can't wait to try the restaurants. We have never visited AKL because it seems so far away from everything. This is the perfect opportunity since travel times to and from the parks isn't an issue.

 

[Ofinn]

We are thinking about adding 3 days to the end of our Aug. cruise but we thought we might not spend a lot of time in the parks since we just went in March. We always spend so little time at our resort and never get to really enjoy it when we are doing parks from opening to closing. Which resort would be a good choice? We have a 19, 15, and 12 year old.

If you have park tickets, but don't want to spend a lot of time in the parks I would go with an Epcot resort. You can relax at the resort and then hit Epcot at night for dinner. If you don't have park tickets I think I would pick a resort away from the parks like AKL. You didn't say if you were looking for a Deluxe, moderate or Value. You might want to clarify that so you get more appropriate answers.

 

[mickeynut1]

We are thinking about adding 3 days to the end of our Aug. cruise but we thought we might not spend a lot of time in the parks since we just went in March. We always spend so little time at our resort and never get to really enjoy it when we are doing parks from opening to closing. Which resort would be a good choice? We have a 19, 15, and 12 year old.

I would choose the Poly. The rooms are large and all rooms come with a daybed, the pool is great as it backs up to the beach with a distant view of the castle, the beach is great for watching the fireworks, and being on the monorail makes it convenient to the GF and CR for a variety of dining options. We spend a lot of time at the resort during our trips and the Poly is the most laid back and relaxing (to us) out of all of the resorts we've stayed at.

 

[darkwing818]

Yacht Club...........the pool is great, and the feel of the place is so relaxing! It's also a short walk to Epcot, should the mood for a park strike.

We always try for the YC/BC after a Disney Cruise . In fact we'll be staying at the BCV for 4 days after our cruise on the Fantasy coming up in 2 weeks. Like the others said, short walk to EPCOT & the Boardwalk, plus the Pool at the YC/BC can't be beat.

 

[disd55]

Boardwalk has so many great shops and an amazing slide! BC and YC are also good. Can't forget Poly!

 

[pixarmom]

Wow! Recommendations all over the WDW map! For non-park visits in between APs (including pre- and post-cruise), we've stayed at AKL, Dolphin, BC and BWI. We have three boys, ages 6, 12 and 13 and as much as we love Poly, there is no way we'd stay on the monorail loop with MK in plain sight unless we were going into the park! I thought AKL was great for a one-night non-park stay, and we loved the pools, Sanaa and Jiko, but we prefer a resort area that's more walkable and has more activities and dining options.

So, as difficult as it is to be so close to Epcot and not go in, BC is our #1 choice for a non-park visit pre- or post-cruise. There's SAB, boat rentals (fun!!), shopping at YC, BC and BWI, and all the great dining options around the Epcot resort area. With bluezoo, Il Mulino, Yachtsman, Kouzzina, Flying Fish, Beaches N Cream, Big River Brewing, ESPN, and more . . . there are just so many great choices within walking distance. And then in the evening we watched some of the high Illuminations fireworks from the bridge between BWI and BC. We also love BWI CL, but BC ranks higher under these circumstances because SAB is the perfect pool for a non-parks stay!

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

I would agree with the recommendation of AKL, especially Jambo. Every time we have stayed there I have wished we had more non-park time to enjoy the beauty and atmosphere of the resort, and to participate in more of the activities. But if you don't want to get a suite, which yes would be more money, then Yacht or Beach Club have good walking access to lots of restaurants as well as the wonderful pool.