Need serious help with resort choice!

[JenK]

Please help us pick a resort. Ok my DW and I are heading to WDW this summer and we can not decide on a resort. We wanna stay deluxe and have already stayed at Contemporary once. We are not opposed to staying there again, but I would upgrade to a MK view if we decided to stay there again. Last time somebody sprinkled us with pixie dust and we got a free CL upgrade (bay lake side). It was super awesome, but we didn't spend a whole lot of time in the room as it was GayDays.

So, we thought we wanted to stay at the Grand Floridian, but it's not really our style. That whole victorian room decor thing is throwing us off, but maybe we are wrong. We do like the idea of being on the monorail, but aren't opposed to staying somewhere else. I kinda like the Poly, but (and I know this is ridiculous) I hate that there is only 1 sink and not 2. We are kinda girly and I like having two sinks. We also like the WL, but not sure on transportation issues I've heard of. And we also like the Yacht and Beach Club.

I know this is all over the place,but any help and guidance is greatly appreciated. Depending on which resort we choose, we will likely upgrade to a park view or CL.

Thank you all in advance!

Jen

 

[PghLybrt]

Before we had DVC, we always stayed at the Yacht Club when it was the 2 of us. The theme is not really us (I like modern) but we could not beat the location. We find that we spend most of our time in Epcot and MGM so for us it works out great. It also has a terrific pool that my GF loves. We also liked the amount of restaurants around.

It also has 2 sinks.

 

[wallyb]

My faves are AKL and WL of the deluxe ones.

I soooo agree with you about the faux Victorian style of the GF - yuck!

 

[sullyandsid]

Our fav is actually OKW. It is just so relaxing and the rooms are huge!

 

[Sphyrna]

I guess the answer partly depends on what parks you'll be going to most. I really love the Epcot area. Quick and easy access to both Epcot and DHS. We stayed at Beach Club a couple years ago. The resort was just ok, but the location was fabulous! We had several dinner ADRs in Epcot so it was perfect. WL was very nice. I loved the Poly last year!! Just got back from a stay at AKL. It was ok. I was surprised how much smaller the room was than at the Poly. Plus it seemed like it took forever to walk anywhere in the resort. I'm not a big fan of the Victorian styling of GF either. It's just not me. I haven't stayed at Boardwalk, so can't comment on that one.

Out of the places I've stayed so far, I think my order of preference would be BC, Poly, WL, Contemporary, AKL.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Our home DVC resort is OKW (so you knew that)! LOL.

We love it there. The villas are the largest on property, and the property itself is beautifully maintained. It's a wonderful escape from the chaos of the parks. If you intend to spend time at your resort, or do any cooking for yourselves, this would be a good choice.

The Beach Club is our favorite non-DVC resort (yes, it now has DVC villas, but I'm talking about the resort portion, not DVC). We stayed there years ago for my wife's then birthday. It was our first deluxe. Location, the pool, the CMs there... all good.

We really LOVE Kidani Village, and Wilderness Lodge too (although WL has those smallish rooms).

GF has no allure for us. We rather like the nick for it, "The Red Roof Inn!"

We do not like the Boardwalk at ALL and will only stay there if we are desperate to be near EPCOT and it's all that is available.

We've stayed at the Poly, but the reason for staying there no longer exists, so meh, why bother.

Really enjoyed BLT! The proximity to MK on Gay Days can't be beat.

SSR is ok. We've stayed there a couple of times. Location is decent, but there isn't much life at the place. There is nothing "wrong" with the resort, and perhaps our perception is still colored by the construction that was going on when we were there, but it never really felt like a resort? We don't care for the food court there at all, and never had the chance to try the Turf Club.

 

[Timrobb]

I am glad this thread got started. My DH decided to spring, "let's switch resorts and save some $$ so we can go again in February" on me last night.

We leave in 9 days! We have APs with a room only rate so we can cancel without penalties within 5 days.

We are booked at the Poly but he wants to switch to the WL.

HELP!

(and yes, I am taking over your thread ...HEHEHE!)

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We love AKL. Love, love, love it! We are currently in a value one bedroom villa at Jambo House and it is fabulous. There are giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and a big gray antelope thing outside our balcony.

The resort is a more of a hike than some of the others, but it is our absolute favorite. And in the lodge rooms and the studio villas there are 2 sinks.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I am glad this thread got started. My DH decided to spring, "let's switch resorts and save some $$ so we can go again in February" on me last night.

We leave in 9 days! We have APs with a room only rate so we can cancel without penalties within 5 days.

We are booked at the Poly but he wants to switch to the WL.

HELP!

(and yes, I am taking over your thread ...HEHEHE!)

Switch it up! Just make sure the February visit is a sure thing.

 

[PHILCT]

If I am staying with a rental car or extended family I love OKW, it has for me the nicest style of furnishings, the huge living room/kitchen space, and the nearby condominium parking spaces without the huge hotel hallway kind of corridors of endless interior walking.

But if I am staying with just my partner I prefer to be near my favorite Disney Pool: Storm Along Bay, and to be near EPCOT for Illuminations, so we choose always to repeat going to the Beach Club Villas.

We also like the Beach Club Villas for having easy access to use our refillable mugs at either the very close by Marketplace or Beaches N Cream.

This is also our favorite location to skip using Disney Transportation when going to a restaurant at the Boardwalk, EPCOT, or the nearby Swan and Dolphin restaurants.

Next year I am hoping we can stay at Bay Lake Towers and keep our plans mostly within the Magic Kingdom/EPCOT monorail locations and visit many of the Resort Restaurants within the Monorail locations, and not do a Rental Car at all.

Have fun wherever you end up choosing to stay !

 

[wallyb]

Switch it up!

Sounds good to me.

Are we still talking resorts?

 

[zulemara]

regarding transportation at WL, I can't speak for other parks, but to MK, it's really quite good. There are 2 boats running to MK at all times. The most you should ever wait is 20 min because it is a short route. Additionally you have access to the Blue route that can take you over to FW or CR if you desire. There is also bus service to WL from MK if you don't want the boat.

 

[zulemara]

Sounds good to me.

Are we still talking resorts?

<mickey> Minnie just loves to switch it up, dontcha Minnie?</mickey>

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Sounds good to me.

Are we still talking resorts?

WALLY! You are seriously wicked. Seriously.

 

[hematite153]

Timrobb: I would definitely go to WL over the Poly if it meant an extra trip--I'd probably consider the two of them about even in terms of my interest in staying there, so, it would be an easy choice.

OP: They are really all good choices. The only deluxes that don't appeal to me are GF, Contemporary and BWV (undecided about BWI...never stayed there and like their lobby/sitting area decor).

I like OKW for the sense that you are separated from the chaos.
I like SSR because it's walking distance to DTD giving me two sets of buses to choose from if I'm looking at odd travel plans and because it has the best swimming variety...good quiet pools and good themed pools.
I like BC/YC/BCV because I love Stormalong Bay.
I love the theming and energy at WL/VWL (and, for what it's worth, I found the transport to there better than to the Monorail resorts when I've tried to get around during the middle of the day).
I love the animals at AKL/AKV and the energy of the place.
The Poly has always appealed to me, but, I've never stayed there. I was thinking that I should try to visit sometime, but, I think I'm now waiting until DVC builds there.

I'm sure that doesn't help narrow things down at all, but, hopefully it somewhat outlines the reasons for choosing one over the other.

 

[sirJeffrey90]

Wilderness Lodge's transportation isn't TOO bad. You can take the boat to the Contemporary then ride the monorail to Epcot then blah blah blah. Buses aren't actually that bad either, but the long trips are boring.

Stay at the Grand Floridian. It's not as stuffy as everyone might think. Great pools, location, and food. The theme is actually very warm and the rooms are great too!

 

[Sphyrna]

I had pretty good luck with buses during my GD trip. I didn't mind the long rides, it gave me a chance to catch up on the board via my iPhone