Picking your resort?

[Colleen27]

Curious as to how you pick the resort you /your family will be staying at for your time at WDW.

It seems that every resort from value to deluxe has both good and bad points. Some rave about value resorts while others chime in with their bad time at a deluxe.

So my question is:

What was it about the resort you stayed or will be staying at that made you pick that one over all the others?

I throw a dart at a map of WDW, and book for the resort closest to my hit. Then I throw 2 more to figure out which resorts I'll change to over the months of waiting.

Seriously, I'm really bad at picking a resort and sticking with it. We rule out the values from the start, because I have to have a hot tub on vacation, and the kids expect pool slides. From there, it is anyone's guess.

Sometimes it is the theme that convinces me; our first trip was at POR, and the grounds are even more beautiful in person than in the pictures. Sometimes it is a particular amenity; our August trip was at the Beach Club, because if we were going to be in Florida in the summer, we wanted an awesome pool. And sometimes it is simple practicality; we were booked at POFQ for January because of the boat to DTD, but changed to WL after a weekend trip that made us realized that 2 double beds isn't enough sleeping space for us. But there is one thing that always seems to be true - no matter how many times we debate staying offsite (or at the Swan/Dolphin), we always end up staying on site.

 

[myladyisatramp]

This trip in nov we are staying at CBR just us 5 older ladies. I am looking to plan a family trip next year 5 grownups, possible 6 where to stay???? Get a 2 bedroom at OKW or just do 2 rooms help????

 

[J.J.]

Like most, I have stayed in all three levels of resorts, plus offsite as well as the non Disney hotels near DTD. For me, I will never stay off site again. We enjoyed our DTD stay but it still was not a Disney resort. Both of my value resort experiences have been so bad, I don't think we will ever stay in one again. We are pretty much hooked on AKL for the forseeable future. If we could not afford AKL we would stay at POFQ. The smallest of the moderates, it has the best bus service of the Mods and the closeness of the buildings to everything makes it a big pluss.

I am sure whatever resort you choose you will enjoy your trip to the World.

JJ

 

[PrincessDez]

Wow, I have just been going through the same thing. After a few trips to the World, we have come to realize we really like spending most of our time at Epcot and the Studios, so we try to stay near there. We did Poly once when the kids were younger and that was great at that time for us, but now it is the Epcot area that fits our needs. So, I guess it may be best to think about which park(s) you will be spending the most time at. Also, how much you want (or don't want) to spend. I have found that I should always go with my gut and not second guess myself.
Good luck and have a magical trip!

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

We have always rotated our choices between the four of us. (DW, DD, DD, and Me)

Usually, we have been able to plan enough ahead that we are able to secure the specific resort.

We are lucky to travel to WDW several times annually so no one has had to wait too long for their next choice.

Now that our DD's are 21 and 19 and both away at college, we travel to WDW and other locations around their schedules at least twice a year and me and the DW attend other times.

This has always worked for us!