I've become a "monorail snob" 😢

[ScottOKW2K]

I’m a Lodges girl myself! Love AKL and Wilderness… I’m a “watching giraffes from the balcony” snob I guess! It’s nice that there are so many diverse options to suit everyone’s tastes!

You are completely right. Nothing better than relaxing and chillin' in the room while you watch 4 or 5 giraffe meander about.

 

[StarCruzer]

I’m a Lodges girl myself! Love AKL and Wilderness… I’m a “watching giraffes from the balcony” snob I guess! It’s nice that there are so many diverse options to suit everyone’s tastes!

I agree. I need my cozy vibes.

I am also in the minority of being anti-monorail. I think they are smelly and slow, and make me feel pretty claustrophobic (no shade to those who like them--they are just not for me!). When we stay at a monorail resort....we take the boats to MK, every time. And I do love the boats

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I agree. I need my cozy vibes.

I am also in the minority of being anti-monorail. I think they are smelly and slow, and make me feel pretty claustrophobic (no shade to those who like them--they are just not for me!). When we stay at a monorail resort....we take the boats to MK, every time. And I do love the boats

I’m also anti-monorail. I prefer to walk to MK when I’m at GF or BLT. For Epcot, I’ll bus to HS and then take Skyliner or boat over, just to avoid the Epcot monorail.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I’m also anti-monorail. I prefer to walk to MK when I’m at GF or BLT. For Epcot, I’ll bus to HS and then take Skyliner or boat over, just to avoid the Epcot monorail.

You would not like the NYC subway

 

[SleeplessInTO]

You would not like the NYC subway

I do not! Also not a fan of the subway in Paris. Beijing’s system is not bad imo lol.

 

[georgina]

Y'all snobs! Next couple of trips I'm staying Fairfield Inn Flamingo Crossings ($93/nt in Sept and $110 in Dec, free breakfast) Happy to Uber to the parks!

 

[_19disnA]

The monorail is mostly a matter of personal preference. If you are mainly going to MK, then it makes sense to stay at one of the monorail resorts if that fits your budget. We stayed at Contemporary and found walking TO MK in the morning while returning via the monorail FROM MK worked the best for us. If I was mostly planning to go to Epcot or HS, not sure staying on the opposite side of the property is the best plan. We enjoyed taking the monorail to/from Epcot and avoiding busses/parking/traffic/etc.

As it relates to any hurricanes, I would probably prefer to reschedule my vacation when a major storm is active. We mostly go for the parks and if they are closed, not much of a reason for us to be there. Major storm also has the potential to cause power outages which would also be a huge nuisance.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

We like Crescent Lake area. Stayed at Polynesian but only found MK to be easy to get to. Epcot, we would have rather dealt with a bus. We also liked Gran Destino and honestly, can't beat the price for such a nice resort. We are pretty much priced out of Monorail resorts.

This trip we are trying AKL as we are kind of tired of the Epcot resorts.

If staying at POLY i always recommend walking to TTC to catch the EPCOT monorail. As a matter of fact I would recommend that if staying at GF also. When we stayed GF the monorail to Epcot was by far the most consistently worst in regards to transportation time, from all resorts that we have stayed at. BTW; GF is our favorite Deluxe, but I have to mention this, just an issue we consistently had during our stays there, and it really was not hard, for us, to not do deluxe again. We also do not find an extra mile walk from the Epcot resorts to HS as a perk, we much rather take the boat.
The biggest plus for our family is that we have not been blinded by the lure of the Deluxe resorts LOL We have had just as great of vacations staying at Mods and values and have saved lots of $$ doing so. Every trip we look at deluxe and then we just cannot find the value in them much anymore. We have been staying at POP lately because they also offer the skyliner to 2 parks as well for usually a third of the cost. Now this could change since I heard they are planning on adding more EEH's as a Deluxe perk Might be looking at doing split stays

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Y'all snobs! Next couple of trips I'm staying Fairfield Inn Flamingo Crossings ($93/nt in Sept and $110 in Dec, free breakfast) Happy to Uber to the parks!

They are also suites. We will be staying there in 3 weeks to help move our oldest DD into Flamingo Crossings who will be starting her 6 month DCP program

 

[gardenrooms]

I’m a Lodges girl myself! Love AKL and Wilderness… I’m a “watching giraffes from the balcony” snob I guess! It’s nice that there are so many diverse options to suit everyone’s tastes!

Ah those giraffes. Love having my morning coffee with them! We split between Beach Club and AKL. The grandkids can hardly wait to see what is outside the windows as we walk down the hall at AKL. Must get a Savannah view, proximity to lobby is not needed.

Love the Beach Club not only to walk to 2 parks but also for Storm-Along Bay!

But sometime I would also like to stay at a Monorail Hotel since they boys like MK a lot right now. Wish we'd stayed at the Polynesian before the reno, I imagine the loss of the luau and the addition of the highrise has changed its character so much.

Disney makes split stays pretty easy. We pack up, leave one hotel in the morning, and arrive at the other after a full park day. The only downside is you can't do reservations for your whole length of stay - you have a new window for the 2nd hotel.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

Value resort provide a great onsite experience at a relatively (for onsite) decent cost to be in the bubble. But there's a reason why the deluxes get a crazy premium. I'm in the camp if you can afford go for it. The locations can't be beat and the amenities are the best onsite.

It reminds me of the Seinfeld when he's in first class. " I CAN'T go back to coach....I won't!". Once you've seen what's on the other side of the curtain it's always hard to go back

 

[Dug720]

The biggest plus for our family is that we have not been blinded by the lure of the Deluxe resorts LOL We have had just as great of vacations staying at Mods and values and have saved lots of $$ doing so.

Value I have no issue doing. I am currently avoiding the Mods because there is no park benefit to those over Values (as in no extra evening time). If they're giving me nothing over Deluxe, I struggle to justify paying Mod prices. So I'm pretty much splurge on Deluxe or stay Value.

(I don't drive and don't want to have to depend on Lyft or Uber for a trip, so off-property is a no-go for me.)

 

[kiford]

Also I feel like the monorail resorts are the best place to stay in case there is a hurricane ya know?

We were at the YC during Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Fortunately, it didn't hit WDW too hard although they closed everything down around 2 pm and sent most of the staff home. We retreated to our room and spent the rest of the day and night there. We had a balcony, but they were inset, so although there was rain hitting the window, we didn't get too much wind rattling the windows. Occasionally, the satellite feed would go down, but other than the heavy, hard rain, it wasn't too bad. All restaurants were closed. We had brought some snacks with us (cheese, crackers, granola bars, extra coffee) and bought some items from the store the night before and earlier that day to put into the fridge on the assumption that nothing would be open once the hurricane was close so we were fine for food. The next day, Ale & Compass was open for breakfast, but you paid to fill up a to-go container from a buffet layout.

I would personally prefer not to stay at GF or Poly during a hurricane since I'd be in an outbuilding without any amenities (the same goes for CR if you're in the garden wing) but since most everything was closed, it probably isn't too much of an issue. I liked the feeling of being in a larger building than in one of the outbuildings, even though, yes, I know they're not particularly small buildings themselves. I will say that the efficiency and calmness with which they handled everything and the constant communication made me feel that any of their resorts would be fine in a hurricane.

 

[lankman]

I never thought I'd see the day when I went deluxe monorail resorts and don't want to look back.

I stayed at CR then Poly then GF and I was booked for Sports later this month until yesterday when I couldn't help myself thinking about how much time I spend at MK and eating at the monorail resorts and I switched to CR.

Also I feel like the monorail resorts are the best place to stay in case there is a hurricane ya know?

We get it, we've stayed at CR & loved doing the Monorail to other resorts. Also walking to & from MK we found so convenient at the end of the night. Just walking back & not having to jostle to get a seat on the monorail or a bus.

 

[kylenne]

You're all wrong! Split stay monorail AND Crescent Lake!

Legitimately my favorite way to Disney. Truly the best of both worlds. You get the pros of both while eliminating most of the cons of both. Crescent Lake I love for the convenience factor of walking to the parks, the Friendship boats, and the Boardwalk vibes. I have a lot of nostalgia for it because I spent a lot of childhood visits at the Dolphin.

If I have to pick one resort area for a whole week long though, it's got to be a monorail resort. I prefer the dining around the monorail resorts and love the kinetic energy. There's an "It" factor I can't really quantify...walking outside your resort and seeing the castle is so magical and I never get tired of it. Same with those sunrises on Seven Seas Lagoon. I find that my Disney FOMO is most severe whenever I am staying at Crescent Lake, but never the reverse. I can't explain it but I find that if I stay at a Crescent Lake resort longer than like 3-4 days the things I don't like about them start getting on my nerves. I don't think I could do a whole week over there. For Epcot-focused weekend trips or as the first part of a split, it's ideal though.

Also, on a practical level whenever I try to get home at night from MK when I'm staying elsewhere I remember why I prefer staying on the monorail. MK is the worst park to commute from and staying in that area just feels so much less stressful to me. CR you can just walk home. If you don't feel like walking, GF and Poly have the resort launch as an alternative to the resort monorail and unlike the monorail the only people on it are actual resort guests so the lines aren't crazy. I find that I value that more than being able to walk in and out of Epcot and HS. I actually enjoy the Epcot monorail too.

 

[katyjeka]

We love dining at the monorail resorts but fell in love with AK Lodge a while ago. I was a little upset on our last Poly stay as we went to the beach to watch fireworks, and it was crazy busy. I understand that anyone is permitted to watch from the beach area, but I do believe guests staying at the resort should have first dibs. I'm sure it doesn't happen a lot and we just had some bad luck that night. I appreciate the peacefulness at AK in the evenings. I guess the bus situation keeps people away although we've always had good luck with the buses. The monorail resorts are beautiful, and I can't argue with how great the location is!!! Happy travel.

 

[kylenne]

We love dining at the monorail resorts but fell in love with AK Lodge a while ago. I was a little upset on our last Poly stay as we went to the beach to watch fireworks, and it was crazy busy. I understand that anyone is permitted to watch from the beach area, but I do believe guests staying at the resort should have first dibs. I'm sure it doesn't happen a lot and we just had some bad luck that night. I appreciate the peacefulness at AK in the evenings. I guess the bus situation keeps people away although we've always had good luck with the buses. The monorail resorts are beautiful, and I can't argue with how great the location is!!! Happy travel.

They do restrict the Poly beach on July 4th at least. But I get it. The thing is, there are nice views all over the resort. People just don't realize that. My favorite spot was sadly killed by the tower construction, but my other favorite one is over on the path near the bungalows. Maybe not the dead center one from the main beach, but still great, you can still hear the music, and no one's ever over there.

The best thing to me about it though is being able to just walk back to your room afterwards. No fighting with post-fireworks crowds or having to wait them out, no having to deal with transportation. Same thing when it comes to dining. Even at Crescent Lake...last summer it was so nice to grab a last minute reservation at Yachtsman and having our "commute" be the 5 minute walk from our room. I find myself really valuing enjoyable on site TS dining as much as close proximity to the parks.

 

[katyjeka]

They do restrict the Poly beach on July 4th at least. But I get it. The thing is, there are nice views all over the resort. People just don't realize that. My favorite spot was sadly killed by the tower construction, but my other favorite one is over on the path near the bungalows. Maybe not the dead center one from the main beach, but still great, you can still hear the music, and no one's ever over there.

The best thing to me about it though is being able to just walk back to your room afterwards. No fighting with post-fireworks crowds or having to wait them out, no having to deal with transportation. Same thing when it comes to dining. Even at Crescent Lake...last summer it was so nice to grab a last minute reservation at Yachtsman and having our "commute" be the 5 minute walk from our room. I find myself really valuing enjoyable on site TS dining as much as close proximity to the parks.

We probably just hit it on a bad night as we never experienced such a crowd in our previous stays. Either that or the "secret" is out. I agree some of the best dining spots are in the resorts.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Legitimately my favorite way to Disney. Truly the best of both worlds. You get the pros of both while eliminating most of the cons of both. Crescent Lake I love for the convenience factor of walking to the parks, the Friendship boats, and the Boardwalk vibes. I have a lot of nostalgia for it because I spent a lot of childhood visits at the Dolphin.

If I have to pick one resort area for a whole week long though, it's got to be a monorail resort. I prefer the dining around the monorail resorts and love the kinetic energy. There's an "It" factor I can't really quantify...walking outside your resort and seeing the castle is so magical and I never get tired of it. Same with those sunrises on Seven Seas Lagoon. I find that my Disney FOMO is most severe whenever I am staying at Crescent Lake, but never the reverse. I can't explain it but I find that if I stay at a Crescent Lake resort longer than like 3-4 days the things I don't like about them start getting on my nerves. I don't think I could do a whole week over there. For Epcot-focused weekend trips or as the first part of a split, it's ideal though.

Also, on a practical level whenever I try to get home at night from MK when I'm staying elsewhere I remember why I prefer staying on the monorail. MK is the worst park to commute from and staying in that area just feels so much less stressful to me. CR you can just walk home. If you don't feel like walking, GF and Poly have the resort launch as an alternative to the resort monorail and unlike the monorail the only people on it are actual resort guests so the lines aren't crazy. I find that I value that more than being able to walk in and out of Epcot and HS. I actually enjoy the Epcot monorail too.

I have very specific nostalgia for both MK and Crescent Lake resorts...it's what keeps us coming back lol. Whenever I'm at one I can't imagine being anywhere else then when I'm at the other I get the same feeling but with a slightly different intangible nostalgic feeling. But then again if I stayed at Port Orleans I would probably get another nostalgic hit from when I used to stay there lol. That nostalgia has cost me a pretty penny through the years lol.

 

[fbb]

I can't explain it but I find that if I stay at a Crescent Lake resort longer than like 3-4 days the things I don't like about them start getting on my nerves.

I enjoy both Yacht and Beach, but yes. I find myself wondering why I’m not at Captain Cooks or Gasparillas where I really like the food, instead of getting a grilled cheese from behind the counter in the gift shop.