Rank your favorite Resorts and Tell Why...

[jimmytammy]

1. VWL(or BRV as they call it now)Our 1st home resort, theming, peaceful, quiet, love the ambiance of the place, with the Western themed music, lanterns flickering at night while the crickets chirp, boat ride away from MK, Contemporary and FW
2. BWV, 2nd home resort, proximity to 2 parks, amenities of BW plus those at nearby resorts, being able to book at 11 Mos. for F&W festival
3. BLT, walk to MK, amenities of Contemporary, TOTWL fireworks views, monorail to Polynesian and GF to take advantage of restaurants, boat ride to WL and FW
4. OKW, though different from VWL, love it for many of the same reasons, its peaceful and quiet, boat ride to DS, size of 1 and 2 bedrooms
5. Kidani, theming, Savanna views, good restaurants(in addition to Jambo being close by)the only reason it doesn't get more love from me is size. If you are reasonably close to lobby, great, if not, it can be quite a haul
6. SSR, used to say I would never stay here again, feel differently about it now though. Boat or walk to DS(I don't consider DS a destination place, more like a place we go for different meals beyond the parks)but like taking advantage of being this close to DS when staying here. Like VWL and OKW, it has a laid back feel
7. BCV, of all the resorts on property we have stayed at thus far, this is my least favorite. Stormalong Bay, great pool, but nothing else here appeals to me

Aulani, since its not connected to WDW, I consider it a separate type resort. I love the feel of the place, and it has beautiful views facing the ocean. If you are facing the street side, just OK. The mountains back dropping are beautiful on that side though. Just depends on floor level I guess.

Never stayed at Jambo, HH, Treehouses, VGF, VGC, Poly or VB so can't address those

 

[kboo]

We are new owners, but here goes:

1. VGF (home resort #2) - I love everything about this resort. We only stayed in a studio last summer and still loved it. The bathroom layout worked well for us. Like @miTnosnhoJ 's kids, I would be happy spending time at the resort (and walking to Poly) and not being a park commando. Also, we love to eat and the restaurants at VGF are the best.

2. TIE: BWV/BLT (home resort #1) - Love the BW area and walking to EP/HS. EP is our favorite resort, and the atmosphere is peaceful and not overwhelmingly Disney. BLT I love because there is no bad view, walking distance to MK, and you can resort hop easily from the MK bus stop. Also, I like the theming (clean lines, sleek) and the +1 baths in the 1-2 br. And restaurants: love the BW area restaurants and also Cali Grille.

3. AKV - we've only stayed at the hotel, but visit for at least one meal/walk around whenever we are staying at BLT/Contemporary, because we love the food and surroundings so much. Drawback is bus transportation everywhere. Not a deal-breaker, but together with the relatively dark rooms ... eh. If savanna view 1BR or larger rooms become hard to book at 7mo, I could see us adding on here when the kids are older.

4. BCV - yes I loved SAB, but it's a hike from the villas, the villas have no views, and the food options are not nearly as good as BWV and the MK resorts.

Places I plan to try:

A. Poly - we almost always get a meal here no matter where we are staying. We'll definitely stay at least once in the near future.
B. BRV/CCV - the CCV1BR seem small, but we love the restaurants, lobby and theming.
C. VGC - my sister lives in LA, so if we could snag a night or 2 off the wait list randomly, we'll try it.
D. Aulani - we'll get there someday when DD2 is older. I'm still recovering from the flights with 2 little kids a year ago. That said, I don't see us using DVC points for Hawaii regularly, because there are so many good lodging options in Hawaii and Oahu is not our favorite island.
E. HHI - Like Hilton Head buy didn't love it; not sure I'd do a beach vacation without direct access to the beach.
F. VB - I could see us doing this before or after a cruise.

As for OKW and SSR - I don't think I'd plan to stay there preferentially over the others, but if it were a choice between going to WDW last minute v. not at all, I'd stay there. I grew up going to RCI timeshares, though, and we bought DVC and the home resorts we did specifically for proximity and onsite amenities.

 

[ckb_nc]

1. AKL Kidani - had to be my wife's favorite; she would stay here every time.
2. Grand Californian - scored a 2 bedroom here - amazing resort
3. GF - was not prepared for how much we loved it
4. OKW/SSR - it's actually ok to unwind at - I struggle with parkitis - especially on the monorail resorts where I can not really turn off from the parks. These resorts I can really forget where I am at and relax. OKW has this really great beer from Key West...
5. BLT - just did nothing for me. In fact, I have stayed at this resort several times in the main building and it has always been a letdown

Unranked - BW - I want to go back here. One night was just enough to wet the appetite.

 

[ParkHoppers]

I am a big fan BLT (and with the recent security changes which made the monorail a mess while we where there in early December) and now like it even more with the easy walk and check with security down the sidewalk.

 

[aoconnor]

1. AKV - I like this resort the best overall. The detailed themeing is unmatched, the grounds are lush (something important to me as I like to visit in winter/spring to escape the cold), it has two of the best pools at WDW and four stellar dining options. There is a perception that it is isolated, but if you look up bus travel times it's actually closer to 3 out of 4 parks than any of the monorail resorts or WL.

2. VWL/CCV - Dig the theme, tranquil and somewhat isolated, love the new pool and Geyser Point.

3. VGF - Lovely grounds with lots of palm tress, two good pools, walk to Poly.

4. BCV - Killer location and pool, newly renovated units.


Other thoughts:

BWV - Best location of any resort but the theme does not appeal to me at all and I hate the clown pool.

Poly - Love the design of the rooms, the grounds, and the location close to the TTC. It just feels a little too crowded and busy.

BLT - The units are nice but there isn't really a "theme" and the pool is pretty basic.

OKW - This is the only resort I haven't stayed at. I'm excited to try it after the renovation and think I will love the big units and tropical grounds.

SSR - I don't think I'll ever stay there again. I don't like the theme whatsoever and I feel like it's outside the Disney Bubble being able to see the old 70s era highrise hotels in the background.

 

[JPdvcstore]

My favorite resort is the Boardwalk Villas. Besides being a great location, the ambiance of the resort is relaxing and entertaining. I recommend checking out the Big River Brewery, walking around the lake and enjoying the entertainer at night along the boardwalk. I'm also a fan of Bay Lake Tower...mainly for the location and the view.

 

[jade1]

1) BCV-SAB and walk to EPCOT and BW.
2) BWV-walk to EPCOT and DHS
3) BLT-walk to MK
4) Riviera-Skyliner to EPCOT/BW/DHS.
5) GFV-luxury, monorail but cant walk
6) POLY-atmosphere, monorail but cant walk
7) WL-in many ways the best-just to far
8) SSR-walk to D Springs
9) AKV-beautiful, unique, to far
10) OKW, too far

 

[LilyJC]

We’ve only stayed at a handful, but here goes anyway:

1) VGC - home resort as we’re local to So Cal but love grabbing short stays/runDisney weekends; gorgeous accommodations, park views and can’t beat the direct entrance to DCA which is our preferred DLR park

2) Kidani- love the peaceful, relaxing atmosphere and can’t beat the 1 bedroom savanna view. Our family could watch the animals all day. It’s my youngest’s fave. We also appreciate the proximity to AK which is also a favorite. And we had no bus issues

3) BCV- home resort for convenience in walking to two parks and BW fun

4) BWV - convenient again for walking and love the BW itself

We are super excited to be trying CCV for four nights during our next trip in April!

 

[gracelrm]

Wow - it's hard to pick! I love different resorts for different reasons.

BRV (VWL) - The spectacular lobby, the music walking into the villas makes me happy, the ambiance of the old lodge feel, the boat ride to the MK. It is our home resort, the first DVC resort we stayed at, it is just "all the feels" for me.

BCV - the walkway to Epcot, Storm-along Bay, Beaches & Cream

PVR - the room - it just makes me happy - it's indescribable - I just feel pure happiness in a studio at PVR. The quiet pool and pool bar is one of my favorite places to just hang out, the quick service places to grab a bite are all pretty good, the beach to watch the MK fireworks, the quick walk to TTC to catch a monorail to Epcot, the 2nd bath with sink/shower.

AKL - Kidani - the magnificent lobbies of both Jamba House & Kidani, Sanaa, a 2BR Savannah View is a great room for a family, the 3rd full bathroom in a 2BR, the views of animals

BLT - walk to MK, extra bathroom in 1&2BR, DVC Lounge, fireworks from bridge to Contemporary or the DVC Lounge

HH - pure relaxation, don't have a care in the world when I'm there in the off season

 

[tonga]

Been a member since 2009, and realizing there are still a lot of resorts for us to try. Our ranking....
BCV - love the proximity to 2 parks and the boardwalk, and it just feels central to everything. DS9 loves it for Stormalong Bay.
AKV - Kidani - our home resort, and just feels relaxed and like home to us. Can't beat the savannah view. We typically do 2 week trips and our ideal trip is a week at BCV and then a week to relax at Kidani.
BWV - we love the location
Poly - I grew up going to the Poly and it's my dream resort - but we like to stay in 1BR's so that is lacking for us
VWL - I enjoy the theming but when we stayed we were in the furthest room at the end of the hall (Boulder Ridge) and just found everything a long walk.
SSR - we find it much too spread out. When we went there DS was almost 4, and we had to ask several cast members before we could find one who knew where the playground was. We also had a not so great experience with mousekeeping there (they argued that 3 towels was enough for 4 adults and a child in a 1BR because "you can do laundry".)

Going back to AKV in 6 weeks because we haven't been there in 4 years and miss "home". Next up we'd like to try BLT and get back to BCV.

 

[arminnie]

I own at BLT, OKW, and SSR but am getting ready to sell two of them. SSR is the one we are keeping. I love being able to walk to DS. Plus it’s easy to use the car to go off property which we enjoy.

Kidani is my second favorite.

 

[Novatrix]

Ranking the ones we've stayed at

1. OKW - We've owned since '92, so there's a lot of nostalgia and memories wrapped up in this rating, but quite simply this is home. Even without the memories, we love the laid back vibe, large rooms and boat to Disney Springs. The spread out nature of the resort has always lended itself to a quieter more relaxing experience, and the ability to park the car close to the room is definitely an advantage when moving in for an extended stay. Plus, there is a lot of natural Florida wildlife to be encountered as you roam around the resort. This resort is a nice blend of relaxing in the room, or exploring Disney Springs and the Parks (particularly EPCOT).

2. AKL-Jambo - This resort is less relaxing than OKW, but is fun for a more activity oriented resort stay. We really enjoyed all the opportunities to interact with the cultural ambassadors, do the restaurant tours, and watch the animals on the savannah. With the complete package of restaurants and activities, if one were planning to never set foot in the parks this is the resort I would recommend.

3. HHI* - Lovely large relaxing rooms, fantastic cast members, wonderful range of nature programs. The cast members at HHI really recapture the magic customer service which made DVC so popular in the first place.

4. Poly - The studios are the biggest on site, good if you have 4 or 5 people in your party. If you're interested in Magic Kingdom and place a lot of emphasis on the monorail it would be good for you. Kona and Ohana are great restaurants, and Trader Sam's is a ton of fun. Overall, this is more a resort I love to visit, but would probably not stay at again. I was in a Lake View for Marathon weekend, and those boats were loud. I had earplugs in the night before the marathon and the electric water parade still woke me up and the TTC-MK boat kept blowing it's horn until midnight. It did have a fantastic view of MK fireworks so people's mileage will vary.

5. SSR - Short walk to DS is nice, as is the food court on site. Too many rooms and too little theme to make it a choice destination for us, but I would choose it over Poly if another race weekend comes up that I can't get OKW.

6. VB - It's been 2 decades, so it's hard to rate, but from memory HHI is the much nicer beach local if you like swimming. This resort is great if you're interested in tennis and lounging on the beach. Seemed better as a 2-3 day destination, not as an extended stay.


*I expect after our trip next month to BWV it will supplant HHI, but I was surprised at how much I disliked the Poly due to boat noise, so you never know.

 

[Jelly563]

Home Resorts- VGF, BWV & Poly

#1- VGF - Shopping (lush / salon), dining (N'cooz / V&A), extras (characters / perfectly princess tea / band / Mizners), Staff
#2- BWV - boardwalk view, boardwalk options (only thing missing is the beach) CLOWN POOL (because it keeps ppl away & freaks em out haaa)
#3- Poly - dole whips, palm trees, tikki torches, O'hana, T. Sam's, Monorail, TTC
#4- BLT - TOTWL, location, members (mostly) exclusive, Trendy-est Grand Villas
#5- OKW - room, vibe & value
#6- AUL - too long of a flight
#7- HH - tough to compete for rooms during prime times, not interested in home resort advantage (dues)
#8- BCV - SAB is nice, but what else is there ? B&C is a 1 star diner on a good day (w/ 5 tables for 400 guests), no views, mousetrap layout
#9- AKL - Too far away from everything & you better love drum beats
#25- SSR - momma said, if you cant say anything nice don't say anything at all.

 

[dd08]

We have stayed at: HHI, AKL (JH and KV), BWV, SSR and VGF.

If you ask our kids they would rank AKV
AKV
AKV
AKV
and then
AKV (we told them our next trip was not going to be AKV and they asked why not?)

 

[drusba]

Views. We like resorts with great views from the room. Top is BWV boardwalk view and request higher floor. Close second is AKV savanna view (request Arusha or Sunset at Jambo and Sunset at Kidani) for views of animals. Close third is BLT lake view and request high floor (prefer lake to theme park view there). Fourth is SSR Congress Park and request lake view and high floor, giving an expansive view across the lake of Disney Springs. Note that I have never stayed at either VGF or Poly so I cannot rule those out based on view but Poly is likely a place we will never stay because of its lack of 1BRs or 2BRs (we now usually take along children who have children and thus a larger room with a living room and a w/d is a necessity and the Poly bungalows are outside of our point budget)

 

[billsfan12345]

Home resorts are BLT & SSR.

We have stayed at BWV, BCV, SSR & BLT.

1. BWV-can't beat the walk to Epcot but also a shorter walk to HS from here vs. BCV. I don't mind the clown slide and really like when our room is at that the pool. We love the boardwalk and it's beautiful at night.

2. BCV- The shorter walk to Epcot and then HS. The pool is amazing and the pirate slide is probably my kids favorite of all the properties. It's so beautiful and classy inside the resort and has great food options.

3. BLT- It's all about the 10 min walk to MK, unbelievable. I love the closed walkway to the Contemporary and the late night fireworks, beautiful views. The pools are a little lackluster but still get the job done.

4. SSR- We've been here twice and it was fine each time. A little more run down than the other resorts but the walk to DS is AMAZING! First trip we stayed at the Paddock & second at Congress Park. The pools are fun and seem more interactive with the kids. We have missed a few busses because they were full but not that bad since another bus came pretty quickly. The grounds are probably the nicest of all the resorts, just beautiful!.

We are staying at BWV again in 17 days and really any resort at WDW is better than being anywhere else!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

My number 1 favourite resort of all time is the Grand Floridian. I've loved it since I was just a little girl. It is so beautiful, and on the monorail loop and I just love the atmosphere of the resort. I'm contemplating buying a second resale DVC contract so that I can call VGF home.

A close second goes to the Polynesian. This is my DVC home resort, and I'm always happy to stay here. I love the theming and monorail loop, and we typically visit O'hana so that is convenient.

Third is AKL. I did not expect to love this resort as much as I do. I'm staying there again in 2 weeks and I'm so excited. We've never had transportation issues staying here and I love all of the wildlife.

 

[perdidobay]

Home resorts are BWV and Boulder Ridge

1 Villas at Wilderness Lodge (Boulder Ridge)
Theming and decor, peaceful, lobby of the lodge and restaurants there.

2 AKV, theming, restaurants, animals!

3 Boardwalk Villas, close to Epcot and Studios, restaurants

4 Saratoga Springs, close to Disney Springs

5 Beach Club Villas, location, theming

6 Old Key West, peaceful, theming

I have not stayed at the rest of the DVC resorts

 

[KristiMc]

HHI - The rooms and grounds are beautiful. The cast members are the best.

AKV Kidani (Home) - Love the pool.

Boardwalk - Location

OKW - Grounds and pool are nice

BLT - Location is great but don't love the theaming.

Staying at VGF for the first time in June.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

OKW - All time favorite, love the lush, tropical ambiance of the resort. Starts with, “Welcome Home” to check in where we hear the island music playing. Must haves - a Turtle Krawl from the Gurgling Suitcase, Olivia’s Key Lime Pie, Fried Chicken ans Breakfast Potatoes. Nothing beats the roominess of the villas, the huge balcony/patio (great place for cocktails). The Grand villas are awesome. People complain about the theming, I thinks it’s perfectly themed, I get enough Disney at the parks. When we travel with a large party, gotta be OKW.

Tied for 2-3 BLT & Kidani

BLT - Simply for its access to excellent dining by walking or monorail, and TOWL. And the lobby smell wonderful.

Kidani - Now you’re talking theming! Love the animals, the covered parking, Jiko, Sanaa. The villas, 2nd bedroom with 2 beds and 3 bathrooms (traveling with 16-21 year olds, a plus) Not a huge fan of the long hallways but it’s not a big deal.

The rest, just a means to an end, I start with the dates I want to go and any resort will do. They are all lovely in their own right. I hear SSR bashing but the grounds are lovely, it’s close to Disney Springs and we really enjoy the Turf Club and the Artist Palette. We’ve made excellent memories there.

Never been a huge fan of BCV or BWV, very small living footprint though I do like being close to Epcot when heading home at night.

The more rustic ones never attracted me, because we rent cabins in winter in TN and GA.