Sale me on your favorite resort.

[kakiegirl]

Hi! Everyone. We will not be going back to stay at Disney until May 2007. However, I can't stand it I am already wanting to plan. We have already decided to buy AP's then.

So far we have experienced All Star Movies (Toy Story Section) and Fort Wilderness Campground. We decided Fort Wilderness is not for us (Great campground, we just did not feel the same Disney Magic there). Right now I am leaning on going back to ASM, just because I love the Disney theming, but would certainly not object to going to a nicer resort especially if I can get an AP discount.

Would love to hear everyone's opinions on why they like their favorite resort. It will by myself, DH and DD who will be 8 at the time.

 

[MiknMinMouse]

My sales pitch is for The Boardwalk.

Ahh the reasons we love the boardwalk. We love the rooms, we love the boardwalk itself. It's very convenient to MGM & EPCOT. In the evenings it's fun to stroll along the boardwalk and watch some of the entertainment. It feels luxurious. It offers everything you need. Lots of dining choices. It's just plain old wonderful.

 

[#1DizGal]

Pop Century all the way! I've stayed in the 50s, 80s & 90s decades, and am planning on hitting the last two (60s & 70s) before June 2006. I've stayed at all the mods except CS, and loved them all, as they do have extra amenities - but - I'd rather spend my $$$ on other things than a room. The huge icons are fabulous - especially at night, food court is great, and Cast Members are super. Pop ROCKS! Just my opinion...

 

[speakupjc]

Do you want to stay in the magic but have more money for little trinkets to take home? Then I have the resort for you - Wilderness Lodge. Unlike a value or moderate resort you will find more restaurant options (from table service to counter service) and have another option to get around (you can take the boat to the MK and if you want to take another way to Epcot you can do that by taking the boat to the TTC and then getting on the monerail to Epcot). The lodge is also beautifully themed plus it is a lot less than the Poly, CR, and GF. So call today and book the WL resort to have your cake and eat it to (or in this case take it home).

 

[speakupjc]

Do you want to stay in the magic but have more money for little trinkets to take home? Then I have the resort for you - Wilderness Lodge. Unlike a value or moderate resort you will find more restaurant options (from table service to counter service) and have another option to get around (you can take the boat to the MK and if you want to take another way to Epcot you can do that by taking the boat to the TTC and then getting on the monerail to Epcot). The lodge is also beautifully themed plus it is a lot less than the Poly, CR, and GF. So call today and book the WL resort to have your cake and eat it to (or in this case take it home).

 

[dixipixi]

I have to say that we really enjoyed our stay at the YC. I would highly recommend any one of the Epcot Resorts. Lots of "Disney Magic" in that area! The hotels are really nice and not as isolated as some of the others. You have plenty of dining options within a 20 minute walk of your room (cuts down on the amount of time you have to spend on buses!) Plus, you have boat transport to MGM and a short walk to Epcot. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus and there were always plenty of seats available.

I noticed that you said your DD would be 8. I also don't think you can go wrong with any of the monorail hotels. IMO, that is the absolute best location if you are planning on spending most of your time at the MK.

I was able to book our room at the YC with an AP discount. I didn't think we'd ever be able to afford it...but thanks to the discount we were! I had been saving for over a year and when the discounts were released, I had enough to pay for the room!!! I would say the discount worked for us.

 

[Buzz2001]

Photo by Ducky4Disney

Photo by buzz2001

Photo by buzz2001

Visit my website below and/or read this thread
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=324638

 

[Leota]

I love those pix, Buzz. We did enjoy CSR.

But - my favorite resort is the Dolphin. I love the Epcot area resorts. The location is so perfectly convienent. Walking/boat distance to both Epcot & MGM. Many, many restaurant choices at your fingertips. I love just strolling around Crescent Lake in the morning.

The Dolphin is a Deluxe resort in every sense of the word. I like the extra amenities there - the Heavenly Beds, the better toiletries, the ability to rent movies or games on the TV, the local current weather channel on TV, the paper. I also get superior service at the Dolphin compared to Disney service (which has slipped a bit the past several years IMHO)

I also love the Grotto. I like taking my afternoon break with a Mango Smoothie by the Waterfall. I slip in & out of the hot tub and lie in the sun and when I get too hot, dip in for a few laps of the pool.

I love the views I've had from both the Swan & the Dolphin. Nothing beats having your morning coffee (oh yeah - Tubbi's has Starbucks, not that Nescafe swill) while gazing out over the Boardwalk or the Tower of Terror or Epcot. Incredible!

The other bonus to the Swan & Dolphin resorts are the many discounts that are available. Teachers Rate, Govt. rate, Allears rate, AAA rate, Entertainment book rate - with so many different discounts available, it's usually pretty easy to get either Swan or Dolphin for a rate comparable to a moderate resort. And you will get SOOOOOO much more for your money.

 

[joll43]

I love the Dolphin too, for all the reasons Leota mentioned - we would leave the parks at around 2:00 every day to get back to that grotto pool! The food is terrific there (and the coffee!) as well as the location, but when we switched to the WL for the last part of our trip, we really noticed how the Dolphin isn't as "Disney". This was fine for us, since we were two adults on our honeymoon - this was why we chose the Dolphin; 24-hour room service too!

We would never have realized it if we hadn't switched, but if it's the actual Magic you're looking for, I'd have to go with the WL.

Or the Y or BC, or the Poly, or the CR....

A few months ago, I didn't know what ANY of these abbreviations stood for!!

 

[GailT]

My sales pitch is for The Boardwalk.

Ahh the reasons we love the boardwalk. We love the rooms, we love the boardwalk itself. It's very convenient to MGM & EPCOT. In the evenings it's fun to stroll along the boardwalk and watch some of the entertainment. It feels luxurious. It offers everything you need. Lots of dining choices. It's just plain old wonderful.

I feel the same wy as MiknMinmuse, I have tried many and they are all clean and nice but for the above reasons I bounce right back to BWI

 

[Eeyore2003]

I have TRULY loved every resort we have stayed in at WDW, here's each and why, briefly---

Contemporary Resort Tower-best resort for families with small children. Monorail literally drops you off "feet" from your room. First floor, largest game room on property, nice snack bar, coffee bar, pool close. EVERYTHING, is convenient, plus it just has that Disney "hum and excitement" feel. Always got a lagoon view, it's so relaxing sitting on the deck and love the EWP go by each night.

BWI and BWV- very nice for couples, and families with teens. My son loved Epcot and MGM when he was a teen-ager and I wish I would have known about the Epcot area resorts then. Easy boat ride or walk to either. The Boardwalk resort has a very adult, classy, upscale feel. Beautiful at night, plus always stuff to do, and almost unlimited choice of restaurants at your fingertips and of course the Boardwalk itself.

AKL-very relaxing resort, nice for young children and young couples I would think. I loved sitting on the deck watching the animals. I don't think I would have liked this resort without a savanah view though. To me the best part was seeing the animal activity. We actually had two big guys hitting antlers right in front of our room. It was cool. I don't care for either of the restaurants there, so that limits that, but Mara, the snack bar is very nice.

OKW-I can't think of anyone this resort would not be nice for. It has a very "family" feel to it. Layed back, quiet, relaxing, friendly, very pretty. We really enjoyed it there. An excellent all around relaxing fun resort. Even though the only restaurant is Olivia's. It's one of our favorites. A boat goes to Downtown Disney. Excellent bus service when we stayed there.

 

[iliketoby]

The two "deluxe" hotels that offer big discounts are the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Wilderness Lodge. They are very similar lobbies, with different themes, and I like them both. I prefer the theme and food at WL -- nothing beats that Whispering Canyon Cafe! On the other hand, AKL is a little exotic and the staff at AKL is nicer. So, I don't know. You already did the Wilderness thing, so maybe a change would be good. AKL. aw:

In the moderates I like the CBR best, followed by CSR, and POR & POFQ. But I'm sooo in the minority. I like CBR because I like the happy, bright, pastel colors and all the palm trees with lizards running up them. To me, the place screams FLORIDA , which I like (since I'm buried in snow half the year).

For the values, I'd have to give the nod to Pop Century, although it is really picking the lesser of two evils between it and the All-Stars. Those rooms are all tiny, the staff is lacking, and those colors seem garish to me.

 

[minnie61650]

Try the All Stars!

I am 55 years old and travel several times a year. I often stay at 4 star hotels.
So the deluxe resorts do not have anything special for me.
All Star is like being in the heart of the Magic and that is where I want to be.

All Star Music is my favorite.It is quieter because more couples stay there. I love staying at the Clypso building. It is closer to the pool,food court and bus stop.

Here is a site with a map of All Star Sports and All Star Music.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmap.htm
Scroll down.All Star Music is at the bottom of the page.
The Calypso buildings at All Star Music are #1 and #10 are nearest to the food court and bus stop.
They are the preferred buildings and cost about $12 extra per night.
The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

Here is the map of All Movies.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmovie.JPG
The Fantasia Buildings are the preferred buildings.
The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.
It is a great place to stay .
Preschoolers love it.
It is like being in the middle of a Disney Movie Fantasyland.

The buses are wonderful.

Bus rides are quite short from the ALL Stars according to PassPorter.com

All Star Buses-CBR buses---POPbuses--PO buses--- Contemporary
MK 20 min---- 20 min-----25 min------10 min---20 min(mono)
Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----20 min------10 min---15 min
MGM 10 min----12 min-----15 min------15 min---20min
AK 10 min------20min-------15 min----15 min---20 min
DTD 15 min----20 min------20 min-----15 min---35 min

It only takes 10 minutes to get to Epcot,MGM and AK from All Stars.
MK is 20 min away. That's the same amount of time it takes on the monorail from the Contemporary.

I have visited WDW more than a dozen times with the 1st time in Oct. 1971. It was brand new. I've stayed at FW, Disney Inn, a few the of Hotels on hotel Blvd., CBR and the towers at the Contemporary. I got to see the MK from my balcony at the Contemporary and I'm happy I got to experience it once. I just prefer the All Star Resorts.
The theaming is pure Disney.
My last 5 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we took dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 for 8 nights we stayed at the All Stars Music. I thought about AKL and even though we can well afford AKL I just wanted Alex to experience the Disney Magic at the All Stars on his first visit.
Where else can one find Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse at the pool?
Have a great time at Disney!
I know we did!

 

[Pats Dragon]

We love all the resorts but always come back to POP now because:
1. the value-it is so inexpensive for what you get
2. It has real soap instead of mush at the ASM
3. there is a pop jet fountain with a statue of goofy that your 8 will love
4. the courtyards have neat stuff like a twister game, and computer floor to play on. your child will also love lady and the tramp and baloo.
5. the pools are very nice'
6. there is a lake and surries to rent to ride around it.
7.there is a view of the fireworks from the back rooms
8. the transportation is tops
9. the food court is neat with really good shrimp lo mein and icees in the refillable mug section. There is an indoor bar and a top notch gift shop. the cm's are special. They do linedancing sometimes in the food court.

All of this for 61$ AAA!!!

 

[mrcricket]

Here's a vote for The Beach Club. Love the location next to Epcot and across from the Boardwalk, and the Pool has to be the best on property. And does any other hotel have Art the greeter? He'll make you happy the minute he greets you. Pure Disney Magic.

 

[anniebell]

Here's a vote for The Beach Club. Love the location next to Epcot and across from the Boardwalk, and the Pool has to be the best on property. And does any other hotel have Art the greeter? He'll make you happy the minute he greets you. Pure Disney Magic.

Yippee! We'll be there at the end of next week! Can't wait! Any suggestions, it's our first visit!

 

[Disney5Mom]

I vote for CSR!! It's my favourite! So beautiful,great bus service,great pool and hot tub.Also see Buzz's pictures above!

 

[ainmama2001]

I love OKW. We got a two BR villa for our last trip and we ALL enjoyed it. We had 9 people ranging in age from 82 to 4 and we ALL loved it. It's so QUIET and pretty. I spent a whole afternoon at the pool (a smaller one, not the main one) COMPLETELY ALONE! HEAVEN!!!! The rooms are very comfortable and I LOVE having the ability to cook and not have to rely on food in the restaurants all the time. We had our food delivered by a local shopping delivery company and we saved MAJOR bucks. The CM's are really super and the gift shop is really nice too. For some great pictures, check out this link:

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/okwss.htm

 

[minnie61650]

We love all the resorts but always come back to POP now because:
1. the value-it is so inexpensive for what you get
2. It has real soap instead of mush at the ASM........
.

All of this for 61$ AAA!!!

UPDATE:
They got rid of the soap dispensers at the All Stars!!!!
Real Mickey soap bars and Mickey shampoo!!!