Please Help pick a resort!

[Sgt. Tibbs]

First trip to Disney World I would suggest the Poly like many others have said. It really is the sweet spot of all the resorts. Its arguably the most magical resort due to views, location and Disney vibes. You have access to Magic Kingdom by boat (the boat ride at night is nice) or monorail. You can get to Epcot as well by monorail. You also have easy access to every restaurant In the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary. They are all on the monorail circle. Animal Kingdom is special but it also puts you a little distance away from everything else. Its fantastic but I wouldn't want to stay there first trip. The Wilderness Lodge has become our favorite resort but its the only Magic Kingdom resort that isn't connected by the monorail. You are driving or taking the bus to every park from there although you can take a boat to MK. If you are looking at the three Epcot resorts, the Boardwalk is the most lively of the group. You can walk to both Epcot and HS from any of the three resorts there.

 

[Her Dotness]

Went to look at Disney World Hotels and am simply overwhelmed with options. Im not looking for cheapest nor most expensive, love magical. Which hotel will be the best to stay at? For convenience, comfort and most importantly most magical? Not ruling out and airbnb either. Just looking to make our vacation special. We are coming for 7 days but taking a few rest days at hotel so would love to have somewhere amazing to stay. All adults only one child 9 years old.

I truly don't think it's possible for anyone else to answer your questions because we don't know what you will consider magical at WDW.

For instance, DH and I have never been to AK and have no interest whatsoever in staying at either AKL or AKV. We simply aren't interested in seeing zoo animals at Disney; that's not Disney for us. Because we love "the real Disney park" best, we want to be close to MK and have only stayed at the resorts nearest it. That's where our magical is, might be yours, too.

And, we stayed at Poly recently and hated it. Not magical at all for us.

What I suggest you do is google for the list of WDW resorts and narrow your choices by the factors most important to you--room sizes, price, location, etc. Look at some photos to determine magical appeal for you, and narrow your list further.

Once you've done that, go to YouTube and watch resort tour videos and then room tour ones for the resort(s) you think most appealing for your group. Choose some tours by professionals and others by guests for the best balance of appeal and practical concerns, because the "ordinary guests" are more likely to assess the room by everyday family considerations.

Then, come back here and see which posts may sway you to another choice or confirm the one(s) you've made. That's more workable, IMO, than trying to make sense of recommendations based on others' preferences.

Which is why I'm not saying where we prefer to stay.

Btw, you may find Dave Schute's Your First Visit website helpful. He breaks down the considerations into categories like "most kid appeal" which may help your narrowing process.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

For most magical first time stay, I would choose the Contemporary. It was there first one to open and it's iconic, they used to always feature it in the old commercials with the monorail going through it. You could do a 2 bedroom villa at Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary Resort--it sleeps 9 so everyone has plenty of space, and there are 3 full bathrooms!

Get a theme park view and watch the fireworks from your balcony--glorious. Well, the first time watch from the park to get the full experience, but after that the balcony is lovely with no crowds.

Meanwhile, you have the shortest walk to Magic Kingdom, plus the monorail. You have California Grill restaurant at the top of the iconic tower, one of the best restaurants on Disney property.

If not CR, I would choose either of the other two monorail resorts. And on non-park days you can visit/explore them all easily through the monorail. The GF has the grandest lobby, and the walk is shorter than Poly, so I'm partial to that one. But they're all excellent.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

In terms of convenience, I'd suggest the Yacht/Beach Club or the Boardwalk or the Polynesian. Yacht & Beach Club and Boardwalk all are within walking distance to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Polynesian is a monorail away from both MK and Epcot. For us, staying away from the buses as much as possible is a huge piece of the puzzle - buses take roads, you see regular cars and traffic, and it takes you out of the bubble and out of the magic, however temporarily. We prefer taking the monorail, boats, skyliner or walking as much as possible. It's more convenient and just *feels* better in our opinion.

"Most magical" is 100% going to depend on who you ask. What exactly makes something magical for you? If it's a spectacular view, a Boardwalk-view room at the Boardwalk Inn or Villas will not disappoint. This was our room for our last trip and the view was unbeatable - you can look right down onto the Boardwalk, across the water, see Spaceship Earth and Epcot fireworks. If an awesome pool is magical for you, try the Yacht Club or Beach Club. If amazing theming is what makes it magical for you, I'd look at the Polynesian.

You could also do a split stay if you have a longer trip. Our preference is a few days at either Beach Club or Boardwalk and then somewhere on the monorail, but I'd only suggest this if it's a long enough trip where you won't feel like the transfer is a pain in the butt.