Reccomend me a resort

[carlnlisa]

Hi,
We are planning a 8 night stay at wdw next year and having never been there we have no clue which resort to stay in. We are a family of 5 2A & 3C and with regular hotels we usually don't go under 4 star, we do like the look of a few villas but we are thinking we won't be in the room often enough to need all that space and really have no use for a kitchen area as we will eat out, we did look at the yacht club, beach club and board walk and thought they looked quiet nice on the Disney website but a few bad reviews mixed in with the hundreds of good ones is making it hard to decide. So with all that in mind where do all the regular/past disney goers recommend we stay? Also what exactly do you get for your money if you decide to go with a club level room?
Many thanks in advance

 

[boundfordisney]

we love the yacht club! Its a beautiful resort and stormalong bay is awesome kids love it! You didnt mention how old your kids were though, we ve also stayed at okw in a one bedroom, it was huge! We had our 2 teen grandkids with us on past trips at both yc and okw, the only downside of okw was we didnt have a car rental and were using disney transportation, the villa we stayed in was quite a bit of a hike to the main pool and shops etc, would recomend close to hospiality house if we stay there again in the future. Yacht club is easily my favorite resort even over the poly which we have stayed at also! Havent stayed at club level before but dont really think its worth the extra money as far as the resorts go , on the cruise line I would but not for resorts, you just arent in the rooms as much to benefit from it in my opinion. If you do stay at the yacht club check out beaches and cream over at the beach club side we order the kitchen sink every trip its an ice cream sundae that you have never see the likes of! if you go to youtube and type in the making of the kitchen sink at disney you will see just what Im talkin about! they make great burgers there as well! any other questions Id be happy to answer if I can. Happy planning

 

[danceteachermom]

Wilderness Lodge

I think the Deluxe Rooms sleep five.

Gorgeous resort, on Bay Lake, beautiful grounds, great restaurants, and close to MK as well as other deluxe resorts for dining options.

We also like Coronado and they have upgraded rooms/suites that sleep five.

 

[LovesTimone]

Not sure on how old your children are. But have you looked at the Art of Animation. With being your 1st trip and especially, If your children are younger I would most definitely check out this option. It is mostly a family suite resort.. sleeps up to six with 1 bed room, and a pullout couch and murphy bed style pull down, but the best part is it has 2 bathrooms, which with a family of 5 is nice. Also 2 TV's which is also nice. It has interior hallways. 3 great pool areas, and the food court gets great reviews. It is considered a value resorts, but reviews and the photos are great. You stated that you won't spend much time in the room, and don't need a lot of room, this will give enough to move about, but not to go to waste. The theming is so wonderful.

Taking a step back you stated that it's your 1st trip, Since you most definitely be on the go, you might want to look at adding the water parks, park hopper, and I would go with DDXDP ( Disney Deluxe Dinning Plan) this will help with the cost of all those character meals, that are a must do on the 1st... Well every trip...

Happy Planning....

 

[boundfordisney]

My daughter and her family stayed at aoa in September they loved it and so did my grandkids whom are 4 and 5 year olds, may be your best option , but if a deluxe resort is a must do then I vote yacht club!

 

[carlnlisa]

Hi thanks for the responses my children will be 3, 8 and 11. So far I think I have narrowed it down to 3 the yacht club, beach club or the polynesian they both look lovely but who knows I might add more to that list the more I look. Yes we have already decided to do the park hopper and dining plan

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi thanks for the responses my children will be 3, 8 and 11. So far I think I have narrowed it down to 3 the yacht club, beach club or the polynesian they both look lovely but who knows I might add more to that list the more I look. Yes we have already decided to do the park hopper and dining plan

Out of the 3, we have stayed at the Poly and BC, with the Poly being our favorite. There is construction currently going on at the Poly, but depending on when next year you are going, it could be completed. With that said, my choice would be the Poly over the BC or YC. The tropical atmosphere is beautiful, the rooms are quite a bit larger, all rooms come with a daybed, and it's on the monorail which makes it convenient for going to MK as well as to the CR & GF for a variety of dining options. With that said, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them as they are all great resorts, it just depends on which theme and location you prefer. Good luck.

 

[carlnlisa]

Hi thanks for the responses my children will be 3, 8 and 11. So far I think I have narrowed it down to 3 the yacht club, beach club or the polynesian they both look lovely but who knows I might add more to that list the more I look. Yes we have already decided to do the park hopper and dining plan

As I predicted I have added another with the Grand Floridian villas now on the list as well.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Hi,
We are planning a 8 night stay at wdw next year and having never been there we have no clue which resort to stay in. We are a family of 5 2A & 3C and with regular hotels we usually don't go under 4 star, we do like the look of a few villas but we are thinking we won't be in the room often enough to need all that space and really have no use for a kitchen area as we will eat out, we did look at the yacht club, beach club and board walk and thought they looked quiet nice on the Disney website but a few bad reviews mixed in with the hundreds of good ones is making it hard to decide. So with all that in mind where do all the regular/past disney goers recommend we stay? Also what exactly do you get for your money if you decide to go with a club level room?
Many thanks in advance

While you note that you wont need the kitchen nor be in the room that often to need the space, please consider the following -- going to a villa gives more sleeping space -- as in everyone won't be crammed into one 300 square foot +- room, you will have more than one bathroom in most cases, and you have a place to sit down and unwind. I don't know about you, but I don't go to bed when the children do, and it is difficult to spend some time with your significant other, watch the news, read a book, when the kids are sleeping 2 feet away from you.

Oh, club level varies among the resorts -- typically, some type of appropriate time of day food and beverage - including adult beverages at night, but mostly limited to a few wine selections.


Just my 2 cents.

Tom

 

[carlnlisa]

While you note that you wont need the kitchen nor be in the room that often to need the space, please consider the following -- going to a villa gives more sleeping space -- as in everyone won't be crammed into one 300 square foot +- room, you will have more than one bathroom in most cases, and you have a place to sit down and unwind. I don't know about you, but I don't go to bed when the children do, and it is difficult to spend some time with your significant other, watch the news, read a book, when the kids are sleeping 2 feet away from you. Oh, club level varies among the resorts -- typically, some type of appropriate time of day food and beverage - including adult beverages at night, but mostly limited to a few wine selections. Just my 2 cents. Tom

Yes I did think of this, that is why the grand Floridian villas has now made the list so I can send the kids to bed with out having to go to bed myself

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Yes I did think of this, that is why the grand Floridian villas has now made the list so I can send the kids to bed with out having to go to bed myself

Excellent -- I've stayed at OKW and it was spacious - but a bit of a hike from the MK, as is SSR. I think the GFV are a great option -- I'm not certain if the CR is your cup of tea (for some reason my family hates the term "contemporary" so we've never stayed there. WLV might be another nice choice as the grounds are beautiful and might provide some non-park down time for the kids. If I was staying just as a couple, I'd do any of the Epcot resorts as that is where I tend to want to be for food and wine, however, with the kids the MK, DHS and AK would probably be more of a draw. If you do stay monorail resort, you can take the monorail to the TTC and another monorail to/from Epcot (which also allows for easy transportation to DHS -- we found it broke up the bus rides for the kids.

Tom

 

[carlnlisa]

AAARRRGGHH the list keeps getting bigger so this is the short list:
Grand Floridian Villa
Yacht Club
Beach Club
Boardwalk Inn
Polynesian

so many nice looking places to pick from

 

[sea nymph]

We were in the exact same situation as you last year. We choose the Beach Club with the Deluxe dining plan. Everything was perfect! We are going back again this year, staying at the Beach Club again, but club level with the regular dining plan! The key to your 1st visit is to have a good plan! Enjoy!

 

[carlnlisa]

AAARRRGGHH the list keeps getting bigger so this is the short list: Grand Floridian Villa Yacht Club Beach Club Boardwalk Inn Polynesian so many nice looking places to pick from

Just to update DH has eliminated The Polynesian from the short list

 

[disneylovin24]

I would go with the Beach Club of those you have listed, especially with young kids. You have the amazing pool to do and I have always thought the Boardwalk area is one of the most fun in WDW. I only stayed at the BC for a night once but really loved it and hope to stay in the Villas someday.

 

[herb102211]

We've been to the Beach Club 6 times and the Yacht Club once and I will say that both resorts are gorgeous. Don't let a few negative reviews sway your decision. We've always had clean rooms there. The kids will love Stormalong Bay. You can take a nice leisurely walk to Epcot or boat ride to HS .

 

[thisismyusername]

I don't think you can go wrong with an Epcot circle resort if those are your top picks. I, personally, think that the Boardwalk and the Yacht Club are nicer than the Beach Club (which I think is due for some refurbishing), so for me, it would just come down to deciding if you want Stormalong Bay (Yacht Club) or the subtle/nostalgic performance atmosphere of the Boardwalk. The Epcot area resorts are also a little cheaper than the monorail resorts, but I certainly don't think it's due to any lack of amenities.

For club level, you'll receive concierge help with planning your dining reservations and any other reservations you're interested in. If you're working with a travel planner, you can also receive that help. Although we've stayed club level several times (and will be for an upcoming March trip), we don't use the IPO (itinerary planning office) for anything other than maybe a last-minute reservation change since I can handle those on my own and prefer to do it myself. You'll also receive access to a lounge where a light continental breakfast is served and snacks and hors d'oeuvres are served during the lunch and dinner hours. You will also be able to use the lounge for drinks (soda, juice coffee, tea and alcohol available throughout the day). It's a very nice little perk and makes you feel special since you'll have access to an area of the hotel that regular guests can't go to, and you get some special treatment from the staff (such as being greeted at the entrance to the hotel and whisked away to your own private check-in) as well as turndown service at night, but I would not choose to do club level if I were on the dining plan. I also don't know if I'd do it on my first trip if you plan to hit the parks hard core. Club level is great when you plan to spend a lot of time at the resort to get your money's worth out of it. Otherwise, you might just be paying for a $2-300 per night upgrade for breakfast and maybe a glass of wine at night.

 

[carlnlisa]

Still no closer to deciding. My husband loves the look of the yacht club where as I prefer the boardwalk although we both love how the grand Floridian looks but we are having a hard time deciding on if it would be better at the other resorts due to location because so many have said they are perfect location for all parks. The beach club is still in the mix because I like it better then the yacht club so all 4 are still on the list but at least no others have been added lol. My husband and older children are loving the idea of the water parks and as I don't think my little one will be into it as much we thought on days he is tired and needs more rest I will stay back with him while they go to them. Not sure if that will help with the decision process location wise but if I am going to be in a room for a morning or afternoon with a resting toddler I would like to be comfortable.

 

[jperrot1]

I think based on your family ages (make up) and your Hotel tastes, that you should definitely consider Disney Deluxe Club Level stay. I would have to suggest the Grand Floridian Royal Palm Court Club Level in main building, or Grand Floridian Sugar Loaf Club Level. Club Level gives you access to a lounge that provides daily breakfast, drinks (sodas) all day, snacks all day, a post dinner hour (hot and cold chef choice), late night dessert and drinks hour. Well, it's just plain magical!

Now with all that said we have never stayed at the Grand Floridian. We did stay and loved the Poly Club Level MK view. Now, that was magical. I'm suggesting Grand Floridian based on what you described as your family's likes, and based on what I'm heard (and seen). I have been to the Grand Floridian to visit the grounds, shop, and have children experience their pirate cruise.

 

[carlnlisa]

Thank you everyone unfortunately we still haven't reached a decision but we have gotten a little closer and eliminated the yacht club. Hopefully after a bit more research and looking at pictures and videos we might make a choice