Please help me choose our resort(s)!

[Stitch577]

Hi everyone! I am planning a trip for next August for 8 nights (MAYBE 10) and am conflicted about which resort to book. I am between POR, Wilderness Lodge, a split stay between POR and Beach Club, or a split stay between Poly and POR. I know that's a lot of options, but I could really use some outside opinions. We definitely want to get the Standard Dining Plan, and I'm booking this trip for a time where free dining usually becomes available. With that said, if we stay at POR we will have to pay to upgrade from the QS Dining Plan to the Standard Dining Plan. I know we are not guaranteed to get free dining, so if we cannot we will get the annual pass discount on the room and pay for the dining plan ourselves. After crunching the numbers, the prices are around as follows:

POR (room only): $2,400
POR w/ upgrade from QS to SDP: $2,700
Wilderness Lodge: $3,500
Split stay POR and Poly: $3,900
Split stay POR and Beach Club: $3,600

These prices don't include tickets. I want to add that the only resort listed that I have stayed at where I am old enough to remember it is POR. We just got back from a trip there and loved the resort but trying somewhere new would be fun. The prices vary by about $1,000, with POR obviously being the cheapest. I can't decide if the extra $1,000 would be better spent somewhere else, or if the upgrade is worth it. Thank you in advance for you help!

 

[John Derby]

I can only speak to the Wilderness Lodge in your list as I haven't stayed at the others. The Wilderness Lodge is beautiful and if your plans involve spending allot of time in the MK the boat ride is a great way to travel. To us, the Wilderness Lodge is worth it but I think it might come down to how you vacation. Are you a rope drop till closing kind of group? If so, the resort you are staying at becomes less important whereas if you like to break mid day or take advantage of resort offerings than you might enjoy the extras a deluxe resort provides. If your group really loves water activities I hear the pool at Beach Club is only beat by the water parks themselves.

 

[fuse04]

Had a very simiar dilema ourselves this year booking for next. Have stayed at POR and Wilderness lodge hotel and villa's, amongst others and have been spoilt by the deluxes. POR was our first trip with the DDP and thought it was great but staying at other resorts is fab. Did consider BC for 2020 and although the location is very good, the theming didn't speak to us and the views from the balcony is not as good as other resorts. We were looking at a split stay including WL next year by renting DVC points but then got a good price on a 1 bed villa at OKW with free DDP (traded room type for location amd theming). I love WL and actually prefer to AKL and OKW. Like John above, the boat ride is very nice and relaxing, easy to get to MK, as are the restaurants on the monorail loop/Epcot. The boat also goes to Fort Wilderness. If it were me, and budget allowed, I would go for WL, in effect you are converting the DDP upgrade costs at POR into a delxue resort experince as WL will come with free standard DDP.

 

[CynBeth]

WL!

 

[Hi Pluto]

Technically, WL is only $800 more than POR with the same dining plan. I would 100% spend that for an upgrade over POR.

 

[nherbert]

POR is not included in the free dining offer available at the moment and it might not have been included in the previous one. This might impact on your plans for POR.
But if it is, then I would at least go for option 2 if the difference is only $300.
All those resorts are great and as you can see from my signature we love split stays and move around a lot. Choosing between Poly n Beach club might depend on what parks you want near end of trip and age of family and which pool you want to use.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

If you plan on having a lot of resort time and like to swim, I recommend the POR/Beach Club split. If this is mainly a parks trip, I recommend Wilderness Lodge.

 

[toodycat]

I would go with the WL. It’s really amazingly themed and the boat ride to MK is lovely.

 

[Stitch577]

Thank you everyone! Wilderness Lodge seems to be the most popular pick so I decided to go with that. I am SO excited! For those of you who have stayed there, let me know what your favorite things about the resort are!

 

[Markal]

We love WL! My favorite thing is the convenience of the boat rode to MK. Very nice pool. My son was about 11-12 when we stayed there. We spent a morning at the pool playing the pool games. He really enjoyed that. Sitting in rocking chairs by the fireplace in the lobby is pretty cool too. Enjoy your trip!

 

[CynBeth]

We love the boat ride. Also the electrical water pageant at night. The lobby and geyser out back as well. Whispering Canyon Cafe is one of our favorite breakfasts on property.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Also crunch your numbers for no free dining + no AP discount. Lots of instances this fall of wide open hotel availability and yet no availability at the advertised AP rates.

 

[Wild4Walt]

So I know you didn't ask about other resorts but I thought I'd throw this out there....

Have you seen the vlogs regarding the Gran Destino Tower at Coronado? The rooms are very similar in style ( although not size ) to the standard room we stayed in at YC this past June. The room square footage is a bit smaller than a deluxe but it has quiet a few deluxe style amenities. This could satisfy your desire for something more deluxe AND some place new to you. The Tower rooms are a bit higher than a standard room at POR ( and even the standard rooms at CSR ) but the Tower also offers a bit more. I'd check out the vlogs from DIS and thetimtracker ( his was very descriptive ).

If you are still set on the one's you've chosen then I'd go with WL because as a PP said, the last few 'free' dining offers POR has not been included.