Picking your resort?

[Jedi5]

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'm trying to plan my first trip to Disney and it seems that everytime I think I have my resort picked out, I'm swayed into looking at another resort by reviews I read.

I think I just have to pick my top 2-3 and stick to guns and quit reading reviews.

 

[simonkodousek]

We look at lots of pictures on WDW Info, ask friends and family on their opinions, and then choose from there. It honestly isn't a huge deal for me, but for others it may be different.

 

[Marthasor]

We picked our last two resorts based on who we were traveling with and what events or activities we wanted easy access to. In Dec. '05, my DH and I went with my two step DS's (then 11 and 10 yrs. old), my MIL and her DH. We picked the Poly, because we thought the boys would love it (they did! the atmosphere, the pool, the electric water pageant and fireworks from the beach) and we wanted to be on the monorail to be close to MK (which we visited the most - also went to MVMCP so it was good to be close by when we left late after the party). My MIL's DH also has mobility issues and the monorail was great for him.

My DH and I went alone in Oct. '06 with the goal of attending a lot of the Epcot F & W festival activities, so we chose an Epcot resort to be within walking distance. We chose BWI and, although I prefer the Poly over BWI for a number of reasons, it really suited our purposes of having incredibly easy access to the International Showcase entrance of Epcot.

I have only stayed at 3 resorts onsite - Poly, BWI and CBR - we just happen to prefer the deluxe resorts. Poly and BWI (along with the other MK and Epcot hotels) just offer proximity to the parks that we couldn't get with the mods or values. I also prefer more of a hotel feeling (interior hallways as opposed to outdoor hallways) and having a sit-down restaurant in the hotel. That's just us!

 

[disneyjunebug]

Well, I was lucky when I was a CM with the DIG. I would stay at whichever resort had the most availability at the best price (which, believe it or not, turned out to be the Mods or Deluxes most of the time!) I also visited all the resorts and so I know which ones appeal to me and which don't.

That said, on the trip we have planned for November (first trip non-CM... ) and having to pay real prices, I still started at a Deluxe (CR), then changed to CBR (hubby had been leaving all planning to me and then looked at a plan book and loved the look of the place), and have finally changed to CSR because I saved $400 due to a code! (but DH has a convention in March at the CR, so I will be there next spring!!!)

That's the thing about Disney, there is a place that everyone can love!

 

[dzneelvr]

My rationale those many trips ago was simple: how to get the total Disney experience in a price range that was affordable and what were we going to use our room for during the trip. Because our DS and DD were 10 and 8 on that first trip, we weren't looking to spend long blocks of time in the room during the day; we also wanted to go for 7-10 days, not just a 4 day/3 nite-type trip. I also had the added weight of convincing my synic DH that a trip to WDW wouldn't put us in the poor house! Luckily the All Stars were being built, so we stayed our way through each, settling happily on the ASMo some years ago. We've become so familiar with the ASMo that it feels like home every time we set foot in it. DS and DD are now 19 and 17 but LOVE the experience. I'd say usage and price are 2 important factors. June 08--Here We Come

 

[TinkerBrie]

I had it narrowed down to a mod. Then decided on POFQ because of the small size. Even if you are in the furthest building, (and we were!) nothing is more then a 10 minute walk! I couldn't imagine walking 20 minutes for a cup of coffee every morning! We ended up renting a car halfway through (the bus thing just did not work for us). We are staying at CBR in Jan. just to try something different. It seams to get great reviews

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Our first on-site resort was ASMo. We picked it because we wanted to stay on-site cheap and my son was a big fan of Toy Story.

Our next stay in Sept. 2008 will be at CR. I chose that because we have a short trip and we will be spending most of our time at MK and Epcot and wanted a resort on the monorail. I found out that DH had always wanted to stay there after I booked it.

I was going to chose CBR because I love the look of that resort but the main pool will be closed when we go in 2008 so I decided to wait to stay there for another trip.

 

[HopperFan]

1) How many of us are going this trip ? All would be five, so our room choices are predetermined. And that sometimes means the best option for that trip is offsite. Sometimes it's just 2, 3 or 4...more options.

2) What time of year am I going ? Is the pool/slide important ?

3) Why am I going ? 4 day weekend for marathon or 10 days to do it all ?

4) Then how does the room price factor into our particular trip.

5) Lastly, is there a resort I haven't been to and really want to go to......and of course some resorts I don't have the desire to return or stay at all, so they get bumped out of equation.

Like we just got back for 10 days (free dining). Initial plan was for CSR, but not available. I was offered AKL, POR and POP. I had stayed at all three. I decided that for the two of us, AKL or POR wasn't worth the extra money. We could do alot of other things (Discovery Cove) with money saved. BUT, maybe I would keep trying for CSR. In the end decided for us two, POP would be fine. Blizzard Beach makes up for pools, and we eat all over the world so the sit down was not important.

PS We do go often (2-4 times a year) so I know it's easier for me. If I only had a chance every so often, I would probably agonize over my decision. Just know every resort has good and bad, look for the amenities and price that will make your trip successful.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Pre baby we always stayed at the Epcot area because it was right in the middle of things. After baby we chose the AKL due to the zero entry pool, and the animals of course. One single building and does not share buses. This time we picked WL because it has a deluxe room that can hold 6. So everytime it is usually based on my needs for that trip. Pick what you will like. I find that no matter how many reviews I read they are always wrong. AKL had great transportation compared to BC/YC/BWI and I didnt love the pool at BC;it was over crowded and not much fun in my opinion. We prefer the BW. So go with the theme that appeals to you and dont be swayed by reviews.

 

[disneysuncat]

For this trip I had booked a 1 bedroom at OKW because I wanted a washer/dryer, and more space. Then after reading a review here of some bad service at OKW, I switched to SSR 1 bedroom. I was okay with that, since it's a spur of the minute trip really, I wanted to be close to Downtown Disney because of the restaurants and you can't get closer than SSR. I still think I will regret not staying at OKW because of the extra space. (and, since then I've easily made 3 ADRs exactly where I wanted with no trouble, figures!) This is my first trip to Disney in 14 years, and I do plan to shop a lot, so SSR will be great.

Our next trip in February is my b-day trip, but I picked AKL because my little girl will love that. (and concierge because *I* will love that.)

For my daughter's b-day in June we're booked at Contemporary (concierge) because we will be spending a LOT of time at the Magic Kingdom.

(this coming trip is my Mom's b-day trip, and she's glad to be close to DTD.)

I do think there are so many things to consider when you're chosing, I have to keep telling myself that what I already picked is fine and to leave it alone.

 

[SGMCO]

Well, I knew how much I could afford so I do not even consider
looking at the resorts that I could not afford because it makes
me want to stay there and sad because I can't afford it.
So that said we also want to relax after the day at the parks
so we narrowed all that down to the MODS and it has worked out for
the last couple of years we have been able to afford an annual trip.
We will be returning next year for another stay at PORQ.
We also go during Value season (lowest cost for that time of year per night)and have gotten the Free Dining Package which has helped us save plenty of money and not worry about Food expenses.
I get my fix of experencing the Deluxe Resort (even though we can't stay there) by making ADRs at their Resaurants and taking a tour of lobby and pool area after eating, it works out great.
We even are able to enjoy spending a day at our MOD resort because there
is ususally a very nice pool, TS resaurant, CS Resaurant, Gift shop, and many different fun things to do at the resort without leaving the grounds.

 

[verticalchaos]

Right now it's easy. Sis is a CM, so it's whatever she can find. Sometimes she's got options, others (like this upcoming trip so far) not so much. But at least we've got a place (I think it's a studio at SSR...I know we're at SSR ~ given that there's 1 bed and the pull-out, I'm guessing studio.). My dad was all concerned about me sleeping on the pull-out couch and I just laughed and said "Daddy, I live in New York and sleep on a futon. I promise a pull-out couch can't be any worse."

Once she leaves...I guess we're back to the best deal we can find. We don't go below moderates though. Being all adults, the All-Stars and POP just seem too overrun with kids for our tastes for relaxing at the resort when we're there. We know they'll be around in the parks.)

 

[mrincredible2008]

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?

location, where you want to go each day.
transportation, where you want to go each day.
scenery, what do you want to look at each day.
activities, what will the family be happy with each day.]


we have got to try the poly at least once, based on our past stays at other resorts and visiting the poly every trip but not staying there.

 

[KikiFan]

Truthfully our last trip I had booked ASmovies because I was sure that my (then 10) daughter would love it. Well the little bugger got on line, researched all the value hotels - then came to me and asked if we could switch to POP because she liked the pool better. IT was a wonderful stay!

 

[Pakey]

I think it's a good thing that everyone likes something different because if one resort was so much better than the others, we'd never be able to get into that one!!! For me the choice is always price vs convenience. The deluxes at Disney are more expensive for the convenience that they offer regarding location. They are not at the same caliber as a 5 star hotel somewhere else. So you pay for the convience of easy access to parks. DH and I can afford it so we tend to do it but if I were going on a budget, I would prefer to spend my $$ on better food and stay at a moderate or discount. We chose to buy into DVC because it gave us more breathing room as we have a separate living area and a balcony. We own at 2 locations. We stay at BC when it is just DH and I because we love going to Epcot more than anything else and we stay SSR when we take our adult kids because they like walking to Pleasure Island at night.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Its fairly easy for us, just completed this September our 39th trip and we know where and what. We really prefer the monorail resorts but do not like their prices, so the last bunch of trips its been WL. We really enjoy this resort, we spend alot of time in the MK and the boat there and back is quick, plus we enjoy going to FW evening for beer and pizza, a boat ride there and back too. We like staying at WDW 10 plus nights so with the savings from not picking a monorail resort, but still having access to it via a boat to the CR, we can stay longer at the Lodge. We have AP's so we pop anywhere for anything on a whim, but spend alot of time at the resort and pool and like the theming of WL better than all the other resorts.

 

[themilesfamily]

Here's my method for choosing a resort:

1) Narrow my options down to three choices.
2) Read DISBoards until my eyes bleed.
3) Continuously pester my family about hotel choices until they no longer care where we stay, they just want me to drop it.
4) Pick a hotel and then agonize about said choice until stress-related illness sets in.

Okay, I'm only SORT OF joking here. I am the Disney planner in our household. For some reason it has become hugely relevant to me where we stay -- probably because this is our first time moving up from values to deluxes.

I need to relax about this A LOT because I know that wherever we stay, my family will have the best time. I think the reason it's so hard to choose a hotel is because all of them have really great features.

 

[MickeyNicki]

In the early years on onsite price ruled so we did the values...not fond of it because it is very chaotic and hectic.

As our tasted changed we did the mods, like it very much but do not like the bus service.

Stayed at CR and WL, because we got a great price and at Xmas time we splurged and stayed at WL.

SInce we stumbled on the Swan that is our new fav resort. We get FL discounts and it is super cheap, since we are huge Epcot fans this resort works very well for us.

 

[duffy]

Our first trip was the All Star Sports, perfect for a first family trip for me, husband and daughters aged 10 and 12.

Second was offsite, very nice place, but we just loved the idea of staying at the Beach Club or the Yacht Club, since we love Epcot so much, and the thought of just being able to stroll over is very appealing.

This past summer, my husband and our 3rd daughter, who was 11 and is now 12, got to go to Yellowstone, and they loved it. I could not go with them, and I love the theming of the Old Faithful Lodge. So, if I could not go to Yellowstone, the Wilderness Lodge is the next best thing, right? But I still want to be able to just stroll over to Epcot! But the prices---! So, we're going to split our stay between the Wilderness Lodge and either the Swan or the Dolphin--I still have to pick which of those two!

 

[noahdove]

I have stayed at the all star movies and next August we will stay at the All Star Sports. We will only be in the room for sleeping and a rest mid day. I like the idea of the food court, the bus stop and pool. I am not there for all the extras. I chose the sports this time as I will be brining my 8 year old great nephew who is really into sports Go with your heart and not others opinions, as we all have our quirks and concerns, problems...