Rate the Resorts ~ This time using the Magic Factor!!!

[Mousemommy1]

Yes, I said Magic Factor

I'm not quite sure what this phrase means, but I'm trying to see where others find the "magic" in the resorts.

For instance, we found WL to be very magical. The ambience and theming seemed so mystical and adventurous. Walking back from the boat docks through the mossy trees, looking at that imposing building absolutely took my breath away. The lobby in that place...well, enough said. It just felt like there was an adventure around every corner.

We have not stayed at AKL, but that too seems to have that "it factor" about it.

I actually find some of the values to be magical too. The over the top theming just places you in another world really. POR looks that way too.

On our next trip, we are staying at BC and while I think it's gorgeous, I just don't get that "magic" feeling from it...maybe I'm wrong and that's waiting to be discovered.

So, what do you think is the resort with the most magic factor and why? I have a feeling I know what the majority of the answers will say, but I'd like to read the responses!

 

[MMS1125]

we love the BC but yah it doesn't scream Disney to us but can't beat the pool.

I love love Wilderness Lodge especially at Christmastime. My DH would say the GF is really magical but it's too frilly for my liking. I'm more of a Poly girl

wait I thought you were staying CL at the Poly what happened? At least I think it was you? lol

I think AoA would be magical. Something about big Disney icons in your face is so Disney to me.

 

[bluejasmine]

Here are my thoughts on all the places we have stayed!

All Star Music- This is my favorite value for several reasons, theming is cute! The resort isnt so spread out that its a long walk to the main building and bus stop, we stayed in broadway and it was still just a quick walk! Rooms were very clean1

All Star Movies- first onsite resort we ever stayed at and we stayed twice, it was magical for being our first resort, I remember seeing bunnies at night and all that, I hear it needs a face lift tho.

Pop Century- a bit too spread out for me and the theming is disney enough,nice themed but just not Disney. Know what I mean? Also its a very busy resort, like all the time b/c its alot of ppls fave value.

CBR-I give this one NO MAGIC and we stayed in a pirate room! The room was dark and kind of dingy.. The resort is wayyyy spread out and I just didnt care for the theming and I LOVE tropical..

POR- stayed once but going back in Dec, it was a bueatiful resort, we stayed in spring of 2005 and the flowers were blooming just gorgeous! Now Im not a rustic fan so we stayed in the mansions and it was nice, this time we have to stay AB because we have 5 ppl in our party..

Poly- so relaxing, so beautiful they did an amazing job on this resort, you cannot get a better view then on this property! The monorail is such a convienence! The music, just relaxes you, the lobby, the gift shops.. I feel homesick!!

GF- WOW just amazing! The service, the rooms, the grounds, the shop the proximity to MK! When ever I can this will be my go to resort!!

CR- The only reason I gave it a magic point was that its so close to MK and it is the first resort on property but Im sorry it just feels like an airport inside! I thought the rooms were nice, I loved the bathrooms very futuristic feeling..

Beach Club-Only reason this gets a magic point is its closeness to Epcot and SAB! We had a horrible stay here, service, non existent, hallways on the CL floor dingy, rooms, dingy, balcony was very dirty! love the area but will never, ever, ever stay here again!


Stayed at Asmo twice
Stayed Asmu once (will again in Dec)
Stayed CBR once
Stayed Pop once
Stayed CR once (baylake view)
Stayed POR once (will again in Dec)
Stayed Poly CL twice (TPV once, OMG great)
Stayed GF CL SugarLoaf once
Stayed BC CL once

Want to try Boardwalk, POFQ, Swan and Dolphin, AoA

 

[Mousemommy1]

we love the BC but yah it doesn't scream Disney to us but can't beat the pool.

I love love Wilderness Lodge especially at Christmastime. My DH would say the GF is really magical but it's too frilly for my liking. I'm more of a Poly girl

wait I thought you were staying CL at the Poly what happened? At least I think it was you? lol

I think AoA would be magical. Something about big Disney icons in your face is so Disney to me.

Yes, it was me.

A little bit of buyers remorse had me switch from our YC CL/POLY CL split stay.

Now, we are at BC, I just don't get as excited about it.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Here are my thoughts on all the places we have stayed!

All Star Music- This is my favorite value for several reasons, theming is cute! The resort isnt so spread out that its a long walk to the main building and bus stop, we stayed in broadway and it was still just a quick walk! Rooms were very clean1

All Star Movies- first onsite resort we ever stayed at and we stayed twice, it was magical for being our first resort, I remember seeing bunnies at night and all that, I hear it needs a face lift tho.

Pop Century- a bit too spread out for me and the theming is disney enough,nice themed but just not Disney. Know what I mean? Also its a very busy resort, like all the time b/c its alot of ppls fave value.

CBR-I give this one NO MAGIC and we stayed in a pirate room! The room was dark and kind of dingy.. The resort is wayyyy spread out and I just didnt care for the theming and I LOVE tropical..

POR- stayed once but going back in Dec, it was a bueatiful resort, we stayed in spring of 2005 and the flowers were blooming just gorgeous! Now Im not a rustic fan so we stayed in the mansions and it was nice, this time we have to stay AB because we have 5 ppl in our party..

Poly- so relaxing, so beautiful they did an amazing job on this resort, you cannot get a better view then on this property! The monorail is such a convienence! The music, just relaxes you, the lobby, the gift shops.. I feel homesick!!

GF- WOW just amazing! The service, the rooms, the grounds, the shop the proximity to MK! When ever I can this will be my go to resort!!

CR- The only reason I gave it a magic point was that its so close to MK and it is the first resort on property but Im sorry it just feels like an airport inside! I thought the rooms were nice, I loved the bathrooms very futuristic feeling..

Beach Club-Only reason this gets a magic point is its closeness to Epcot and SAB! We had a horrible stay here, service, non existent, hallways on the CL floor dingy, rooms, dingy, balcony was very dirty! love the area but will never, ever, ever stay here again!


Stayed at Asmo twice
Stayed Asmu once (will again in Dec)
Stayed CBR once
Stayed Pop once
Stayed CR once (baylake view)
Stayed POR once (will again in Dec)
Stayed Poly CL twice (TPV once, OMG great)
Stayed GF CL SugarLoaf once
Stayed BC CL once

Want to try Boardwalk, POFQ, Swan and Dolphin, AoA

That is comprehensive! Thank you!!!

 

[Butterflygirl35]

Grand Floridian - An amazing resort!! Gorgeous resort with gorgeous views of the castle.... Can't wait to go back!!!

 

[MNDisneyChick]

I've stayed at every resort on property (except the values) and here is how I would rank the top 5:

1. Polynesian
2. Grand Floridian
3. BC/YC
4. Boardwalk
5. Contemporary

The Epcot resorts are almost better than the monorail resorts (in my opinion) because you can essentially walk to two different parks. GF and Poly are top for the "magic factor" though. They have something special.

 

[Sparrow624]

Of the resorts I have "visited" (had friends stay at and spent time there) or stayed at:

1. Grand Floridian - Something very magical about the ambiance, treatment, and surroundings. Watching the electric water parade, Wishes, and the castle changing colors from your balcony. You can hear the magic kingdom music and kids laughing from your balcony. Very hard to beat.

2. Poly - See above, I just prefer GF.

3. Boardwalk - You have the very Disneyesque boardwalk views with epcot in the background. Hard to beat.


I do not have BLT, CR, on here as I do not find them to be very "disney."

I do not have BC or YC as they are fun, but don't scream Disney to me.

I have not stayed at or visited the others....Will be staying at WL for the first time this summer.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Of the resorts I have "visited" (had friends stay at and spent time there) or stayed at:

1. Grand Floridian - Something very magical about the ambiance, treatment, and surroundings. Watching the electric water parade, Wishes, and the castle changing colors from your balcony. You can hear the magic kingdom music and kids laughing from your balcony. Very hard to beat.

2. Poly - See above, I just prefer GF.

3. Boardwalk - You have the very Disneyesque boardwalk views with epcot in the background. Hard to beat.


I do not have BLT, CR, on here as I do not find them to be very "disney."

I do not have BC or YC as they are fun, but don't scream Disney to me.

I have not stayed at or visited the others....Will be staying at WL for the first time this summer.

WL is FABULOUS!!!

 

[bowbat]

"Magic" can come in many forms.

Wilderness Lodge, as you said, has it in the amazing theming, with that lobby, the beautiful grounds, the feeling of being sort of peacefully removed from the chaos of the parks.

The Contemporary has it for the opposite reason -- to me, it's as close as you can come to feeling like you're staying *in* the parks. It has amazing energy, with Chef Mickey's and the monorail swooping right through it. The views are spectacular. You just feel like you are IN Disney.

Boardwalk Inn is a beautiful resort with IMO among the loveliest rooms on-site, but to me the real magic there is outside. Being on that Boardwalk at night, seeing the lights from all the other resorts twinkling on the lake, watching the entertainers, seeing fireworks in the distance.

Grand Floridian truly has a grand atmosphere with its amazing lobby, the live music, the manicured grounds, etc. Though I will admit I found the rooms a bit lacking and didn't like staying in a outer building. So my personal experience here was not as magical as it probably would have been had we stayed in the main building. CMs here are truly exceptional, though.

Poly didn't do it for us, but we live in SW Florida... the "tropical" theme doesn't really transport us, you know? YMMV.

 

[MMS1125]

Yes, it was me.

A little bit of buyers remorse had me switch from our YC CL/POLY CL split stay.

Now, we are at BC, I just don't get as excited about it.

From experience. I'd suck up the guilt at spending to stay where you want to stay and just stay there. A trip where you are where you don't really want to be isn't much fun. Could you get a military discount for Poly and split it a few days or did you take that off the board?

 

[Mousemommy1]

From experience. I'd suck up the guilt at spending to stay where you want to stay and just stay there. A trip where you are where you don't really want to be isn't much fun. Could you get a military discount for Poly and split it a few days or did you take that off the board?

I had a military discount for the POLY CL room, there were no regular rooms available with the discount.

It's not that I don't want to stay at BC, I just don't get all "giddy" about it.

AKL CL makes me giddy, but the location (which I never thought I'd care about) is a little "out there".

I actually prefer YC over BC as far as decor, but there are no GV rooms available, so I'd have to do CL...

 

[shalom]

"Magic" can come in many forms.

Agreed. The Contemporary is the most "Disney magical" for me, likely because I remember when it was being built, but also because the monorail goes right through it, which is So Cool! It also has stunner views, you can walk to the MK, and see the MK from a lot of the rooms, watch the fireworks from there, see the water light parade, etc. And the public areas have amazing energy, as you say.

Wilderness Lodge is wonderful, that classic Disney mix of education and entertainment and terrific theming, with the lounge areas up above the lobby and the terrific patio in the back, and the views in that direction as well. The pool area is just beautiful, and the walk out to the boat dock so peaceful, as is the ride to the Contemporary or the MK (although probably not so peaceful coming back after Wishes, I would guess ).

The AKL has that mix of education and entertainment and terrific theming as well, but for me it loses points by being Just Too Dark. I'm constantly frustrated because I can't see some of the stunner art there! OTOH, it has the lectures in the Sunset Room, and the animals, which gain most of those points right back. But for me, between the fact that there are more Disney touches and the boat ride, Wilderness Lodge has a bit more Disney Magic than the AKL.

The Poly has Dole Whip, the volcano pool, the tiki statues, and Wyland Gallery. Not to mention the waterfall jungle in the lobby. I think it's pretty Disney magical; many of the Tiki statues are classically inauthentic Disney wimsy.

The Grand Floridian is definitely magical, for all the reasons already mentioned, plus there's the 1900 Park Faire, with the character breakfast and the Cinderella dinner. But, much as I hope to stay there someday, to me it isn't Disney magical, so much. I know it's technically closer to the MK than the Poly, but somehow it feels further. For all that it has more iconic Disney characters (Cinderella versus Lilo and Stitch), it just doesn't feel as grounded in Disney to me. So, magical, but definitely not in the top five.

Not that I have an official top five, but I'm pretty sure there are more than four between the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian anyhow.

I love the Yacht Club, but as with the Grand Floridian, I'd like to stay there but it doesn't feel as Disney to me somehow. That's as Disney -- it does feel Disney, in that I walked my kids into the Yacht club and they loved it but also recognized it was Disney, then later that day we walked into the Swan and it was clearly not Disney, it just doesn't feel as much Disney as some others somehow. More beautiful than whimsical and educational, maybe?

Of the resorts I have visited, I'd have to say the Beach Club is the least magical and least Disney for me (although still more "Disney" than the Swan). I've only been there once, so maybe I was just tired or something, but it just seemed less beautiful than the Yacht Club, less whimsical than the Boardwalk, and, unlike the WL and AKL (which also have noisy lobbies), noisy without being exciting. Not sure that staying there and having the use of Stormalong Bay would balance that out much.

Boardwalk definitely has the Disney whimsy that the other two are missing, and the magicians and stuff on the boardwalk are pluses as well. The Yacht Club grounds as a whole might have a bit of an edge in terms of beauty, but the little "yards" with the picket fences at the Boardwalk Inn have more charm. While the Yacht Club and the Beach club are only "mildly magical," I think the view of them from the Boardwalk is more magical than the view of the Boardwalk from the other side! Plenty of magic at the boardwalk, IMHO.

The only two moderates I've seen are Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter, and I'd put both of them ahead of the Epcot resorts and the GF in terms of Disney Magic. They both feel right out of a Disney movie from the fifties or sixties (even though the Disney icons are from movies much older ). At least in terms of appearance, I like their pools better than I like Stormalong Bay -- more consistently themed, not nearly so "messy". Stormalong Bay has a waterpark feeling, and I think the chaotic layout adds to that, but I don't like waterparks except for the lazy rivers (which Stormalong Bay doesn't have, or at least not the aspects I prefer), so that doesn't help it any in my book.

I've been to Pop Century and All Star Movies, and they were both pretty Disney magical, with the emphasis on Disney. Tie-dyed cheesecake feels like a Disney dessert to me, and Pop has so much energy it's fun-but-exhausting just to visit. I wouldn't want to stay there more than a night or so, because I am someone who likes to relax at the resort, and I would definitely request a quiet room first and foremost, but I can totally see why a lot of dawn-to-dark park tourers love Pop, because it does have a lot of over-the-top Disney magic, IMHO. Happy people, huge icons, lots of energy.

All Star Movies is much the same, with slightly lower energy than Pop and without the lake view. Still very Disney, though, from the movies by the pool to the icons to the cheerful and friendly employees. All two employes I saw while buzzing through there for a photo op once.

To echo bowbat, which resort has the most Disney magic depends on what kind of Disney magic you want! It's not so much "which is the best" but rather "which is the best for this family's individual needs" -- and there's enough variety that every Disney resort is the most magical for someone.