- Joined
- May 1, 2000
- Messages
- 2,598
My wife and I just returned from a vacation that started out at the ASSP resort. We usually stay in deluxe accommodation?s, but we thought we'd give this resort a try. We stayed in Touchdown, and had a room looking over the "field." I must admit that we weren't that impressed with this resort. I didn't care for the decor, the beds were pretty uncomfortable, and our view consisted of...a curtain, since we had it closed constantly for a little privacy. It reminded me of being in an inside cabin on a cruise. The bus transportation was not very good. It is not that you wait a long time for a bus to come (they seem to come about every 15 minutes), but the trip once you're on the bus takes forever. The worst was after Fantasmic. We had to wait for three busses to come before we were able to get a trip back. If you stay here, drive to the parks if you plan on staying for the evening fireworks show at whatever park you end up at. The food court was nice--it saved us a lot of money, and the pool (we used the baseball pool) had a cute theme and, while crowded, was still a good place to cool off, if not relax. After only two nights, we decided that this resort isn't our cup of tea, so we inquired as to any availability @ a deluxe.
We stayed the next 4 nights @ the BC. This is more my kind of resort. I had stayed there previously, but DW, who has stayed at the YC, had not. SAB was not overly crowded the entire time we were there. They are doing a good job of checking ID's--we were checked every time we went. We ate @ Cape May for breakfast, but never made it to the Yachtsman's Steak-house, despite having PS one night--oh well, we'll save it for next time. Our room (no king bed available
) was quite nice. It was located directly behind the quiet pool, and was the only one that allowed access to the pool from our patio (the others had bushes in the way). The decor was nice, though both my wife and I agree that we prefer the YC's decor to the BC's. One thing that was a little annoying was that I requested turndown service on the first night. I was told that they would do it for the length of our stay, but they never did. Oh well, it certainly didn't ruin anything for us. Transportation from this area is unbeatable. The boat service (which we timed, and even with the wait is faster than the walk to MGM) was very nice, and the buses seemed to be waiting for us each time we went to use them. Add to that the fact that no bus ride from this area takes very long, and you have unsurpassed convenience IMHO to all WDW.
Our last three nights were spent @ AKL Concierge. We really enjoyed this resort for its atmosphere and sense of escape. The theming is really done well throughout the entire resort. The Concierge staff is the best I've encountered @ WDW. They absolutely bent over backward for us the entire trip. They arranged for a dinner on the balcony of our room to celebrate our anniversary--that is the most romantic thing we've ever done @ WDW. It isn't just room service, they send in a waiter who serves you (and then quietly slips out) your meal on a white tablecloth on a table on the balcony. Now, this may sound strange, but as much as we enjoyed this resort, I don't think it is the place to stay for people who go to Disney mainly for the Theme Parks. It is a long way from everything but AK. While the resort is nice @ night, it doesn't offer the night-life of the downtown Disney resort area, or boardwalk, or even of the monorail hotels. This place is pretty quiet @ night. In fact, I would say that this resort is like a nice nightcap--a finish to a week's stay, but I wouldn't want to stay here for a whole week. I am by no means a theme park commando, in fact, I like to spend a couple of hours in the morning @ the parks, and a couple hours each evening @ the parks. The daytime hours I like to spend relaxing @ the resort. This resort is far enough away from the parks, that we were never inclined to want to face the hassle of the busses to return to the parks in the evening. Instead, we would take our car to DD. Some people may not be bothered by the seclusion, some may even embrace it--shoot, I think it gives this place some real charm, but you should be aware of it before you book a room here. One last thing, DW did complain that there was not a lot of light for doing her make-up in the room. I personally loved it--ut I like it dark.
Overall, this was a great trip. If you have any questions, I'll answer what I can.
We stayed the next 4 nights @ the BC. This is more my kind of resort. I had stayed there previously, but DW, who has stayed at the YC, had not. SAB was not overly crowded the entire time we were there. They are doing a good job of checking ID's--we were checked every time we went. We ate @ Cape May for breakfast, but never made it to the Yachtsman's Steak-house, despite having PS one night--oh well, we'll save it for next time. Our room (no king bed available
) was quite nice. It was located directly behind the quiet pool, and was the only one that allowed access to the pool from our patio (the others had bushes in the way). The decor was nice, though both my wife and I agree that we prefer the YC's decor to the BC's. One thing that was a little annoying was that I requested turndown service on the first night. I was told that they would do it for the length of our stay, but they never did. Oh well, it certainly didn't ruin anything for us. Transportation from this area is unbeatable. The boat service (which we timed, and even with the wait is faster than the walk to MGM) was very nice, and the buses seemed to be waiting for us each time we went to use them. Add to that the fact that no bus ride from this area takes very long, and you have unsurpassed convenience IMHO to all WDW. Our last three nights were spent @ AKL Concierge. We really enjoyed this resort for its atmosphere and sense of escape. The theming is really done well throughout the entire resort. The Concierge staff is the best I've encountered @ WDW. They absolutely bent over backward for us the entire trip. They arranged for a dinner on the balcony of our room to celebrate our anniversary--that is the most romantic thing we've ever done @ WDW. It isn't just room service, they send in a waiter who serves you (and then quietly slips out) your meal on a white tablecloth on a table on the balcony. Now, this may sound strange, but as much as we enjoyed this resort, I don't think it is the place to stay for people who go to Disney mainly for the Theme Parks. It is a long way from everything but AK. While the resort is nice @ night, it doesn't offer the night-life of the downtown Disney resort area, or boardwalk, or even of the monorail hotels. This place is pretty quiet @ night. In fact, I would say that this resort is like a nice nightcap--a finish to a week's stay, but I wouldn't want to stay here for a whole week. I am by no means a theme park commando, in fact, I like to spend a couple of hours in the morning @ the parks, and a couple hours each evening @ the parks. The daytime hours I like to spend relaxing @ the resort. This resort is far enough away from the parks, that we were never inclined to want to face the hassle of the busses to return to the parks in the evening. Instead, we would take our car to DD. Some people may not be bothered by the seclusion, some may even embrace it--shoot, I think it gives this place some real charm, but you should be aware of it before you book a room here. One last thing, DW did complain that there was not a lot of light for doing her make-up in the room. I personally loved it--ut I like it dark.
Overall, this was a great trip. If you have any questions, I'll answer what I can.
