Rate the Deluxes

[twinmomplus2]

AKL to relax, been twice going back in December.
WL never been going in December
Boardwalk been 8 plus times...Always a good time, We love it.
Beach Club been 3 times, 2 good vists, 1 yuck vist, so the verdict is out on that.
GF never been, Daughter stayed with Uncle and didn't like it, So we never done it as a family.
Poly loved it. been twice. Will go back.
Dolphin/Swan not yet, Maybe?
CR I love. never stayed can not get anyone else to go with me.


As for the kids, cast includes DD16, DS 8, DS2, DS2.
the 16 year old in this order Boardwalk, AkL, Beachclub
Ds age 8, Boardwalk, AKL, Beachclub, wants WL
Babies, Have only stayed at Beach Club And AKL, Akl is the number 1 for them. But, they love the beachclub pool.

AS for me. the double stroller woes are big for me. As I am usually alone with 2 babies and the stroller. I enjoy Boardwalk, used to enjoy beach club. I love the ease of the walkway and boat to MGM> It is a huge descison maker for me. I love AKL. But, the bus is impossible for me alone, So when we go here, its usually after we are parked out and love to be there just for the atmosphere. I am trying WL this december for the MK launch, So I am not sure yet. About that, Good luck! Lauren

 

[mouseketeerwannabe]

If you celebrate Christmas, you might be interested in which resort has the most "Christmasy" feel. If you don't celebrate Christmas, you may be more comfortable in a resort decorated a little less. For a December trip my choices would be:

1. Wilderness Lodge: Wonderful atmosphere, beautiful huge Christmas tree in the lobby, great to drink hot chocolate by the fireplace while rocking in the chairs.

2. Grand Floridian: Christmas decorations can't be beat. If price was not an issue, I would love to stay in concierge to be in the main building. Except for price, this would be #1 in December.

3. Beach Club & YC: Nicely decorated, but not as much as WL and GF. Great location for all of the holiday activities at EPCOT.

4. Dolphin: Great location, fabulous price if teacher, nurse, or govt. worker, gigantic tree in the lobby.

Haven't stayed at AKL or Polynesian.

 

[Kaycee]

Here's my rather limited experience:

Dolphin - Loved it, would definitely stay there again

Wilderness Lodge - Loved it, would definitely stay there again

Kaycee

 

[deanna2426]

We haven't stayed all of the resorts you mentioned, but I can comment on WL, YC and BW.

WL- Love the atmosphere, Roaring Forks is good for a quick snack, Electrical Water Parade passes by the beach each night. On the negative side, only boat transportation to MK which is a beautiful ride, but takes a long time and the rooms are smaller than other deluxe resorts.

YC - Beautiful rooms (Room 2079 has the best view...Epcot Fireworks, Boardwalk Promenade and Wedding Pavillion), great CMs, Stormalong Bay is the best pool and Beaches and Cream is one of our favorite spots. Close proximity to Epcot and other Epcot resorts. On the down side the walk to Disney Studios is very long and there really isn't anything right on property for a quick bite.

BW - By far our favorite!!! There is truly something for everyone here...Top notch full service restaurants, plenty of quick food options, bars and nightclubs, street performers, great pool and short walk to both Epcot and Disney Studios.

We have never stayed at a monorail resort b/c while we spend alot of time at MK during the day, we are only there one night b/c hours are usually shorter there (we tend to visit in the off season). Therefore, we like being able to walk back to our room without having to worry about transportation late at night and take in all the sites and sounds!

No matter where you choose to stay, you can't go wrong. It is Disney after all!!!

 

[hookedup]

Hmmm interesting...

GF - Love it! Despite what people say I did not find it stuffy nor unfriendly to kids, there were tons of kids there. We have a 3 year old and he loved it and so did we. It is so beautiful and very convenient to MK too.

CR- Stayed there a few times - it is very convenient and to me it is a landmark of WDW.

WL - Would not be my first choice. But I do think it is a beautiful resort and wonderfully themed.

Polynesian - Does not do it for me. Been there for visits and I know lots of people love it though.

AKL - Doubt I would ever stay there - seems too isolated. I want to be able to walk or take a monorail or boat to the parks and not depend on buses

S/D - Trying on our next visit this summer. Sure seems like a great value for the money.

Even though it is not a deluxe I have also enjoyed the CBR on a past visit and had a decent experience there for a great price.

 

[Eeyore2003]

Thanks everyone, this has really turned out interesting and I decided to keep track on a "point" system, to see popularity order and I also jotted down the likes and dislikes mentioned.

Discovered that I think it depends allot on what you want out of your vacation and where you'll be going the most. I'll still keep track of figures and if allot more people "put in their 2 cents worth and the figures change I'll repost the results. (To be fair, I did not count in the CONS the reasons people did NOT stay at a resort to begin with)

I rated 1 to 4, 4 being THE BEST, 3 being REALLY GOOD, 2 being, WILL GO AGAIN FOR A GOOD DEAL, SO SO and 1 being will never do it again. I added up the points for each resort and divided it among the number of votes for THAT resort. I only gave it any point if someone stayed there and gave their opinoin. Here's the results and the pros and cons for each.

BTW---Unless more "Poly" people change my mind, hubby and I researched everything last night and reviewed all of these suggestions and have pretty much decided to change our December reservations from the Poly to the Boardwalk. So I really appreciate your info, will let you know how grateful I am in December when I return, LOL

3.7 Animal Kingdom--PROS:Excellent theming, relaxed atmosphere. CONS:To far from everything, pool not as nice as others. SUGGESTIONS: Like Savannah view best.

3.66 Boardwalk--PROS: Good restaurants and things to do or "hang out at night", great pool, easy access to both MGM and EPCOT and during "off season, when MK closes early, it's convenient to things that are open later. CONS:None

3.5 Dophin--PROS:Good prices CONS:None

3.36 Beach Club--PROS: Excellent location, excellent pool. CONS: None

3.33 Wilderness Lodge--Excellent theming, views, pool, restaurants and atmosphere. CONS: Small rooms, transportation to parks, slow.

3.2--Yacht Club--Excellent location, theming, staff, pool, view, restaurants, especially great for people who spend allot of time at EPCOT. CONS: Walk to MGM is long, pool can get crowded.

3.1--Polynesian---PROS:Most people that liked it didn't really say why. But I would think these are some of the pros, good transporation with monorail to EPCOT and MK, views of MK and lagoon. CONS: Resort and rooms seem "dark", needs updating.

3--Swan--Reasonably priced

2.63--Grand Floridian--PROS:Beautiful, not stuffy, convenient to MK. CONS:Not worth the money. Not the best pool.


2.27--Contemporary Tower--PROS:Original flagship resort, (history), good "energy and feel". Convenient with the monorail. Walk to MK. CONS: Needs updating, did not care for Garden Wings.

These are JUST the stuff mentioned by the few people that "voiced thier opinion" here, I KNOW there's allot other pros and cons of each. The HUGE majority of the people liked the resort they stayed in and there were really only a few 1's and 2's. So I think it boils down to where you'll be spending most of your time and what are you going there for, (R & R, fun, family vacation, quiet vacation etc.) AND what you can afford. Thanks again, this was great, and I really feel allot better about choosing ANY of them.

 

[Scoootch]

Originally posted by Eeyore2003

Contemporary
Grand Floridian
Polynesian
Animal Kingdom
Wilderness Lodge
Boardwalk
Yacht Club
Swan
Dolphin

CR-haven't tried yet (but want to try the tower rooms in the near future )
GF- Love it! - have stayed twice
Poly-loved it years ago, going back in 2weeks
AKL-haven't tried, but not really my type of theming
WL-overpriced for the deluxe catagory IMHO Rooms no bigger than at the moderates and most likely won't go back unless staying at the DVC portion VWL.
BW- haven't tried, but area seems too busy and noisy for us. Enjoy it as an evening activiy though.
YC-Loved it! Would definetly go back!!
BC-Loved it also! Have been too many times to count!
Prefer the beachy pastel colors of BC to the darker colors of YC but love them both!!
Swan/Dolphin - haven't tried but probably won't due to the fact that they are not actually Disney owned.

 

[susy]

I think you will love the BWI. My mom just returmed from there adn although, she loved the AKL, she said there was sooo much to do at BWI!!!! She walked over to the YC/BC side , but was not impressed. To her, there was "nothing" over there.

I'm glad AKL was rated so high. I just loved it there!!! The transportation was great! 5 min to AK, 10 to MGM or Epcot and 15 to MK. The mk resorts are just as far to MGM , Epcot, and AK and they share buses. I know you take the monorail to Epcot, but that doesn't impress me. I know it isn't that fast. I have been going to Disney since I was little and remember plenty of times (just recently, too) that the monorail stopped for several minutes for no apparent reason.