Rank the DVC Resorts

[babydoll65]

Of the places I've stayed so far
1. Riviera
2. Copper Creek
3. Polynesian
4. Saratoga Springs
5. Bwv/Grand Floridian
Unfortunately not a fan of Bwv after my stay in December. Stayed in a studio and the room was a bit run down with dirty rugs and sofa bed. Broken bathroom fixtures and broken dresser draws. Feel somewhat the same for Grand Floridian but was definitely cleaner.
Trying the new resort studios at Grand Floridian next month which Im sure will change my mind.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Of the places I've stayed so far
1. Riviera
2. Copper Creek
3. Polynesian
4. Saratoga Springs
5. Bwv/Grand Floridian
Unfortunately not a fan of Bwv after my stay in December. Stayed in a studio and the room was a bit run down with dirty rugs and sofa bed. Broken bathroom fixtures and broken dresser draws. Feel somewhat the same for Grand Floridian but was definitely cleaner.
Trying the new resort studios at Grand Floridian next month which Im sure will change my mind.

I think BWV will be getting refurbished soon so that's something at least!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Is the OKW transportation to the parks better than SSR?

It's virtually identical in setup to SSR. They both have internal stops but are quite centrally located to all parks. Other resorts often or always share with at least one other resort. During busy times in the morning you may luck out and they run a dedicated bus. Often a couple of stops though as well and depending on the locations may take more or less travel time. AKV has stops at both buildings but not at another resort.

 

[babydoll65]

I think BWV will be getting refurbished soon so that's something at least!

That would definitely help but even with that, I think I would rather stay at the Riviera. Having the skyliner drop off directly in front of the international gateway entrance is awesome

 

[ClaraOswald]

I'm too afraid of heights for those things. Ha!

 

[bobdacat]

Why were the buses at SSR frustrating?

There is 5 bus stops, Grandstand, Carousel/Paddock, Paddock, Congress Park, and Springs, in that order, the buses at busy time seem to fill up by Congress Park, leaving standing room at best.

 

[aka Charles]

1. Grand Floridian - Dining, Location, Style, the Grand Lobby (hope they don't mess that up)

2. Animal Kingdom Villas - The Savanna, Unique Dining, Value and Club level options

3. Polynesian - Theme, Location, Dining

4. Boardwalk - Location, Boardwalk Activities

5. Copper Creek - Theme, Lodge Lobby, Cabins, Dining, Location

6. Old Key West - Laid Back/Quiet, Boat to DS for Dining/Shopping

7. Boulder Ridge - Theme, Dining (current room refurbishment should help)

8. Saratoga Springs - Treehouses, Close to DS, easy to book

9. Beach Club - Don't like the DVC rooms being stuck in back, but resort location is good, it has SAB

10. Bay Lake Tower - Great location, but not a fan of theme (or lack there of)

11. Riviera - Not my style, but skyliner access is nice

Vero Beach - Nice, but there are many other beach options (like Daytona), I prefer to save my points for WDW

Hilton Head - Nice, but there are many other beach options (like Daytona), I prefer to save my points for WDW

Aulani - Looks nice, but too far & expensive to get to, Hawaii charges you a daily room tax even when staying on points

Grand Californian - Looks nice, but I have no desire to ever go back to California

Villas at Disneyland Hotel - Also looks nice, but I have no desire to ever go back to California

 

[ClaraOswald]

Why don't you ever want to go back to CA?

 

[Turn the Page]

Ok, I'll play.

We have only ever stayed at OKW. SSR, one night at BCV, AKV, and RIV, where we own.

Of the places we have stayed I think it would be:
1. RIV
2. AKV
3. BCV
5. SSR
6. OKW

Although, when we stayed at SSR we relied soley on Disney transportation, now that we rent a car, I may be willing to move SSR up a slot or two. We really liked it there except for the bussing situation.

We have walked through GF and Poly and neither appealed to us. I have been in the Contemporary and the themeing just doesn't appeal to us there either.

I really want to try VWL or CC. I have fond memories of visiting those resorts as a kid when we were at Ft Wilderness.

DH really wants to give BWV a try. I would like to try BCV another try in a few years. Those villas are a bit tight though and we are currently a family of 5. It may fit better after the oldest flies the coop.

I do really want to try the Villas at the Disneyland Hotel when they open. It will be interesting to see if they are as hard to get into as VGC.

 

[Turn the Page]

That would definitely help but even with that, I think I would rather stay at the Riviera. Having the skyliner drop off directly in front of the international gateway entrance is awesome

RIV has taken a lot of heat for having the tower style rather the lower, longer style construction (sight lines and all that). But you know what you don't have at RIV? A 2 mile long walk to your room from the elevator like you can have at AKV and BWV. I'm just saying.

DH wants to try BWV some time on an adults only trip. I can't say it appeals to me much but whatever, I'm in WDW, we can stay wherever. But any time we have been at the Boardwalk to go to dinner or whatnot I just stand there looking at the third floor with the balconies aaaaalllllllll the way at the end of the Boardwalk and see the main entrance aaaaaalllllllll the way in the other direction and that just seems.....irritating.

 

[aka Charles]

Why don't you ever want to go back to CA?

It's not because of Disney, I have been to Disneyland and loved it.
But the moment I leave the Disney bubble and go out those Disney gates... not good.
I have been to CA many times over the past 30 years or so, and each time has been worse that the last.
Maybe its an east coast/west coast thing, or maybe its just my experiences over the years, but CA is not the place for me.
That's ok though, not every place is for everyone.
I have family out there and they love it, it's just not for me.

 

[AstroBlasters]

It's not because of Disney, I have been to Disneyland and loved it.
But the moment I leave the Disney bubble and go out those Disney gates... not good.
I have been to CA many times over the past 30 years or so, and each time has been worse that the last.
Maybe its an east coast/west coast thing, or maybe its just my experiences over the years, but CA is not the place for me.
That's ok though, not every place is for everyone.
I have family out there and they love it, it's just not for me.

That’s the whole point of Grand Cal… you never leave the Disney bubble…. It’s the only Disney hotel in the United States that is literally built into a theme park.

 

[PAW of Maryland]

WDW:
Beach Club - closest to WS with optional flat walkway to IG
Saratoga - walk to Disney Springs - fantastic non-park vacation location
Bay Lake Towers - closest to MK - monorail
Polynesian - love the room, 2 showers, piano hinged huge closet, large rooms, monorail
AK - Jambo - Love this place - totally bus dependent
Grand Floridian - OG - bit fussy for us with all the white and gold - great CS and monorail
Copper Creek - loud hallways
BoardWalk - close to WS, Bellevue Lounge - experienced multiple bad customer service
AK - Kidani - great atmosphere, customer service, large rooms, best beds
Boulder Ridge - nothing special - prefer CC
Old Key West - outside room parking makes it very driver friendly - very motel-ish - rooms are old, door self opens and has huge gap at bottom - we've stayed here when enjoying parks and entertainment outside of WDW.

TBD
Riviera
Grand Floridian - BPK

Probably won't experience (never say never!) because of extended plane ride - LOL
Aulani
Grand Californian
Grand Californian - OG
Disneyland Hotel (I actually stayed here in '72)

Very nice - great customer service - lots of atmosphere and walkable destinations (IMO):
Vero Beach
HIlton Head

Saratoga would be really high on my list too. We love being able to walk to Disney Springs. Also if you eat at a different resort rather than take the bus or other transport to a park and then your home resort you can grab a bus from Disney Springs and walk back. Makes getting to them easy too.

 

[PAW of Maryland]

There are a few that I've never stayed at, so I'm just going to rank the ones I have.

1. Copper Creek - not entirely fair since I've only stayed in the cabins but they're awesome and totally worth it IMO. I love the vibe of the entire resort. The lobby is beautiful and I like how "low key" the resort feels. It never feels overly crowded or hectic.
2. Hilton Head - I LOVE HHI. Has a cozy, laid back vibe that makes you feel right at home. The pool areas are quite small but I don't really mind as I mainly go for beach access. I like that it's not "in your face Disney" though I do understand for some people that's a negative. The rooms 100% need a refurb as the room I was in last August was the worst DVC room I've ever stayed in.
3. Aulani - excellent theming that combines Hawaiian culture and Disney to where it doesn't lean too heavily into one direction. Only big complaint is that I think the pools use WAY too much chlorine. My eyes would sting after being in the lazy river for one lap around. Most people sit by the pool so it isn't hard to find chairs by the beach.
4. Grand Californian - undoubtedly the king of locations when it comes to DVC. Love the entire feel of the resort. Big con for me is how small the pool is. Probably the only resort where I've had to put my stuff along the wall/side due to a lack of chairs.
5. Beach Club - fantastic location and pool. I stayed here a lot when I was younger so feels very nostalgic to me. LOVE the smell of the lobby too.
6. Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani) - savannah view is AWESOME!! I've stayed in a studio and a 2 bedroom and having the extra bathroom in the 2 bedroom was the best. The actual rooms do look quite worn/dated and those LONG hallways are no joke. Pool area is lovely with decent amounts of shady spots.
7. Saratoga Springs - kind of underrated IMO. I love being able to walk to Disney Springs and has one of the better main pools. The theming is bland (not a fan of horse racing) but that's not a deal breaker. I especially like staying here when doing Universal trips as it's close to the highway.
8. Polynesian - the entire resort feels so loud and crowded to me. The one extra bedroom in the studio was awesome and I actually like what they did with the refurb. Walls are thinner than toilet paper as I was awoken every day by the screaming kids next door. You could hear everything they were saying. Also I miss the fountain in the lobby that existed before the 2014 refurb.

I've never stayed at these two but I have zero interest in BLT and Riviera. I dislike the bland theming for both. I also don't have any interest in Vero Beach.

Saratoga is def slept on. Probably depends on the age of your family, where you eat, how long you stay in the actual parks, etc…

 

[PAW of Maryland]

Only stayed at 3 so far:

BLT - Did a studio with 2 adults and 3 kids (7,2,1 at the time) and loved it. Had a great lake view and literally cant beat the ease of getting to MK from there, which we did 2 days at MK
SSR - Just went earlier this month, great room location, grounds were fantastic, very quiet, paddock pool and play are was great. Only real negative was artist palette is pretty bad but its close to DS with many better options (Chicken Guy!). Buses were totally fine, might have just been slow when we went at SSR, but never had any issues with full buses or taking a long time etc. Boat to springs was very nice too.
BCV - liked the location to epcot, room was fine, but gotta say i think SAB is overrated honestly. End of the day its still a pool and the fake sand was kinda weird really. Having cape may is a big plus though, loved our meal there.

Yea I just put SSR above BCV...

We love Saratoga.

 

[peabody58]

There are only 3 DVC Resorts worth ranking.

1. The one I'm currently at.
2. The next one I have a reservation for.
3. The last one I just stayed at,

Mic drop!

 

[ClaraOswald]

It's not because of Disney, I have been to Disneyland and loved it.
But the moment I leave the Disney bubble and go out those Disney gates... not good.
I have been to CA many times over the past 30 years or so, and each time has been worse that the last.
Maybe its an east coast/west coast thing, or maybe its just my experiences over the years, but CA is not the place for me.
That's ok though, not every place is for everyone.
I have family out there and they love it, it's just not for me.

Interesting. I've stayed off site many times and never had issues. Though, I also used to live out there so maybe I'm just not phased by things outside the bubble.

People always talk about the bubble at WDW and I get it, in a sense. But when you take buses from resorts to parks...I feel like that's breaking the bubble. Staring out at the interstates and roads isn't very Disney to me. I'm really not familiar enough with the WDW resorts to know if there are any that truly don't break the bubble at all. I feel like that's not possible unless you skip some of the parks maybe?

That’s the whole point of Grand Cal… you never leave the Disney bubble…. It’s the only Disney hotel in the United States that is literally built into a theme park.

Yeah, I feel like of all the Disney resorts in the U.S., it's the only one where you truly never have to leave the bubble when visiting the parks.

 

[SteveAZee]

Interesting. I've stayed off site many times and never had issues. Though, I also used to live out there so maybe I'm just not phased by things outside the bubble.

People always talk about the bubble at WDW and I get it, in a sense. But when you take buses from resorts to parks...I feel like that's breaking the bubble. Staring out at the interstates and roads isn't very Disney to me. I'm really not familiar enough with the WDW resorts to know if there are any that truly don't break the bubble at all. I feel like that's not possible unless you skip some of the parks maybe?



Yeah, I feel like of all the Disney resorts in the U.S., it's the only one where you truly never have to leave the bubble when visiting the parks.

I think the bubble may be a little thinner when riding the buses, but it's still there. Cast member driver is part of it, the people around you in Mickey ears is another... even as you look out on the roads, they're better kept than the roads and landscaping you see off property.

 

[SUSAN O'BRIEN]

1. Grand Floridian - Dining, Location, Style, the Grand Lobby (hope they don't mess that up)

2. Animal Kingdom Villas - The Savanna, Unique Dining, Value and Club level options

3. Polynesian - Theme, Location, Dining

4. Boardwalk - Location, Boardwalk Activities

5. Copper Creek - Theme, Lodge Lobby, Cabins, Dining, Location

6. Old Key West - Laid Back/Quiet, Boat to DS for Dining/Shopping

7. Boulder Ridge - Theme, Dining (current room refurbishment should help)

8. Saratoga Springs - Treehouses, Close to DS, easy to book

9. Beach Club - Don't like the DVC rooms being stuck in back, but resort location is good, it has SAB

10. Bay Lake Tower - Great location, but not a fan of theme (or lack there of)

11. Riviera - Not my style, but skyliner access is nice

Vero Beach - Nice, but there are many other beach options (like Daytona), I prefer to save my points for WDW

Hilton Head - Nice, but there are many other beach options (like Daytona), I prefer to save my points for WDW

Aulani - Looks nice, but too far & expensive to get to, Hawaii charges you a daily room tax even when staying on points

Grand Californian - Looks nice, but I have no desire to ever go back to California

Villas at Disneyland Hotel - Also looks nice, but I have no desire to ever go back to California

Hi thanks for the info. Great discussion. We are booked for a Studio not resort studio in October at Grand Floridian. Have stayed in the resort studio and actually liked it a great deal. This trip want to give the regular studio a try and booked standard view. Any insight on room location with the standards? Thank you as always for any input you all may have. We have Boulder studio in Dec. and are quite excited to see the new refurb. Thanks all.