Tell me about deluxe resorts....

[Tattylou]

WDW vet here - been there many, many times since I was 7 in 1985. However, I've only stayed in moderate and value resorts. Next April, we are going on a beach vacation down on the gulf coast, but we are going to drive up to WDW for 2 days (one night). Since it is such a short stay, we decided to treat ourselves to a stay in a deluxe!!! So, our priorities will be the Magic Kingdom (b/c I just have to go to MK if I'm at WDW) and the AK b/c we haven't gone there the last 2 trips and b/c we want to see Pandora (of course). Anyway, I'm thinking MK the first day so we can stay late for fire works and then sleep in whatever deluxe resort we choose and head to AK the 2nd day. We are a party of 6 and usually just get 2 separate rooms. It is me, DH, 7 y/o son, 9 y/o son, and my parents. We will have a car. So, tell me what deluxe you love or recommend or hate and why!!!! Thanks in advance!!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would recommend researching Grand Floridian and Poly. Of the three deluxe monorail resorts, those, IMHO are the nicest in terms of decor and amenities. For a one night stay, for me, it would come down to which decor appeals to you most. With two boys, I would probably lean toward Poly.

 

[FSU Girl]

Since you want to go to Magic Kingdom I would pick one of the Magic Kingdom Deluxe resorts. You have options of: Wilderness Lodge (will probably be your cheapest option), Contemporary (The garden wing will be cheaper, but I think the best way to stay there is in the Tower), Bay Lake Towers if you want to stay in Studios or villas, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian. All but Wilderness Lodge have direct access to the monorail which is a pretty cool way to get around. I've never stayed at the Polynesian, but have stayed at the others and Contemporary is my favorite. You can walk to Magic Kingdom from their and it's pretty cool to watch the monorail go through.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

I may be biased because it's my favorite, but I would book Animal Kingdom Lodge! Since you're staying late at MK on day one, you wouldn't really get to enjoy time at the monorail resorts. If you stay at AKL, you'd be super close to AK park in the morning. You would also be able to easily go back to the resort in the middle of the day to swim and explore, see the animals etc.. Even though you are checking out that morning, you can enjoy the resort all day. There are beautiful poolside bathrooms with showers, etc., making it very easy to wash and change. You could end your stay with an amazing dinner at any of 3 great restaurants at the resort. With the age of your kids, I think they'd really love exploring this resort!

 

[Tattylou]

You all are reading my mind...initially I was thinking monorail resort bc I've always wanted to stay in one, but then I looked at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We will definitely make time for the oool, even if it just an hour bc the kids love to swim.

@ZebraDomeCrazy is it a bus from AK lodge to MK? We can always drive, but likely I'll just use Disney transportation. Can you walk from the lodge to AK?

THX

 

[Alabama Minnie]

I would say POLY or Wilderness Lodge. CR would be the cheaper monorail and you can always walk back there. IMO riding/driving back to AKL after the fireworks at MK was a "real pain", especially on the buses.

 

[jaminmd]

You all are reading my mind...initially I was thinking monorail resort bc I've always wanted to stay in one, but then I looked at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We will definitely make time for the oool, even if it just an hour bc the kids love to swim.

@ZebraDomeCrazy is it a bus from AK lodge to MK? We can always drive, but likely I'll just use Disney transportation. Can you walk from the lodge to AK?

THX

No, you can't walk there. And there is a bus from Akl to MK.

AKL is the first place we ever stayed as a family, so it will always be "home" for us. Have a wonderful trip.

 

[Tattylou]

Is the boat to MK right there at the Wilderness Lodge or do you have to take a bus from the lodge to the boat? I thought I heard that about the cabins.

@Alabama Minnie good point about after the fireworks. DH is pretty burnt out on the buses after all our recent value resort stays so I'm thinking monorail or WL might be way to go.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Yay, happy you might choose Akl! Yes, take the bus from MK to Akl. Unfortunately, you can't walk to AK park, but it's a super short bus ride. You can go between Jambo and Kidani sides of the resort. The pool at Kidani is a little smaller, but has a longer slide, and a HUGE interactive water play area. You can't go wrong at either pool! Be sure to check out all of the different animal viewing areas.... you never know what you might see!! Have fun!!

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

That is such a hard decision. We love CR since you can walk to and from MK when it is late. We also love having a theme park view and just watching MK from our room. Our real favorite is the Poly but for the relaxing feeling we get there. When we stay at the Poly - we love to enjoy the hotel. We love watching MK's fireworks from the beach. You won't have much time to enjoy the resort. The Grand Floridian is nice but not our favorite. We do love the theme of the Wilderness Lodge. The boat ride is easy to get to MK from the WL. As for the AKL - I just do not enjoy the bus from MK at night but if you are going to do AK the next day - I might pick that AKL with the Savannah view. We love Boma - truly the best breakfast on property - we eat there every visit. We also love Sanaa. I hope that helps.

 

[gingerfeathers]

Tough choice! If it were more than one night, I would hands-down pick a monorail resort (Poly being my favorite) or Wilderness Lodge. However, since it's just one night, AKL may be fun! The previous poster is right though that the bus back there can be a total drag when you're exhausted.

I don't think you'll make a bad choice between any of them. Have fun!

 

[buzznina]

Our favorite deluxe is GF, but based on your information I agree with ZebraDomeCrazy and would get a SV room at AKL. Walking into Jambo house after a long day at the parks always made us smile. It is such a unique resort and if you are like me, even when I have a chance to sleep in I am always the 1st one up And I would be able to go out on the balcony and watch the giraffe's and wilder beast roaming around. Cannot get that at any of the other resorts

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Is the boat to MK right there at the Wilderness Lodge or do you have to take a bus from the lodge to the boat? I thought I heard that about the cabins.

@Alabama Minnie good point about after the fireworks. DH is pretty burnt out on the buses after all our recent value resort stays so I'm thinking monorail or WL might be way to go.

The boat goes directly from Wilderness Lodge to MK.

If you are planning on staying until late night at MK, I would really recommend staying at an MK resort.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would do Poly since they have pretty big rooms and you have a bigger party. The monorail to MK is awesome. Great food and decor.

 

[Alabama Minnie]

WL also has a deluxe (club-level) room that would fit all 6 of you. Never booked it though. Also, we have been pretty lucky getting upgraded at the deluxe hotels on 1 and 2 night stays. Not promising. I just think they don't mind doing it "cost-wise" if it's just a night or 2. You never know.

 

[toodycat]

If you are an MK person, I would recommend the GF. It is by far our favorite Disney resort and is just beautiful in every way. There are so many lovely touches from the music to the flowers. The lobby is breathtaking. I can't say enough good things about the GF, especially the cast members who always exceed expectations and make you feel special. The boat and monorail acccess are super convenient. Nothing is better than watching the fireworks from the GF beach After that, myother favorite MK area resort is the WL. The theming is excellent and you have the boat to MK. The restaurants are very good, especially Artist Point. We also love AKL, but it is certainly not close to MK. Since you will have a car, it might be a good option. It's a wonderful property, and the savannah is such a great and unique feature. All the dining at AKL is excellent.

I've also stayed at the Poly (too dark IMHO), but I don't love the restaurants and the constant drumming from the Spirit of Aloha made me crazy. We've stayed at BCV, which is very nice and BWV which is a lot of fun, but has no on-property restaurants. I can't comment on the YC because we are staying there for the first time this summer. Likewise, I've never stayed at the Contemporary and don't plan to. It reminds me too much of an airport hotel. I hope this helps you choose. Have a magical trip!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

My resort choices tend to migrate around the MK resort options so that's my personal bias. For a short trip, CR is my absolute go-to spot. If I only have one night, I don't want to waste a second even waiting on a boat or monorail - I prefer the "control" of just walking right over to MK. This can be very handy at night as well, especially if leaving after the fireworks.

One potential benefit with a place like CR given your two-room situation is that at a minimum both rooms will be in same building. At places like GF and Poly, your two rooms could potentially be in totally different buildings. That may/may not be a concern with such a short trip, but something to consider if important to you.

If this were me, I'd stay at CR given your MK plan the first day, then drive your car to AK the next morning. You won't need to rely on Disney transport at all, so no time wasted.

Poly would be a close second option, for me (better pools/recreation than CR).

Let us know what you decide!

 

[Nancyg56]

Our favorite deluxe is GF, but based on your information I agree with ZebraDomeCrazy and would get a SV room at AKL. Walking into Jambo house after a long day at the parks always made us smile. It is such a unique resort and if you are like me, even when I have a chance to sleep in I am always the 1st one up And I would be able to go out on the balcony and watch the giraffe's and wilder beast roaming around. Cannot get that at any of the other resorts

I agree. I love the monorail resorts and choose them a lot, but under these circumstances I would choose AKL.

 

[Tattylou]

My resort choices tend to migrate around the MK resort options so that's my personal bias. For a short trip, CR is my absolute go-to spot. If I only have one night, I don't want to waste a second even waiting on a boat or monorail - I prefer the "control" of just walking right over to MK. This can be very handy at night as well, especially if leaving after the fireworks.

One potential benefit with a place like CR given your two-room situation is that at a minimum both rooms will be in same building. At places like GF and Poly, your two rooms could potentially be in totally different buildings. That may/may not be a concern with such a short trip, but something to consider if important to you.

If this were me, I'd stay at CR given your MK plan the first day, then drive your car to AK the next morning. You won't need to rely on Disney transport at all, so no time wasted.

Poly would be a close second option, for me (better pools/recreation than CR).

Let us know what you decide!

I'm leaning towards CR. I like that it is walking distance to MK and we likely would just drive to AK the next morning. If I was going for a longer stay, I might consider Poly, GF, or AKL for theme, but for the one night I think CR maybe the way to go.
Alrhough there's still time for me to change my mind again!

 

[johnsonet]

Since Pandora and AK are one of your main focuses, I would recommend AKL. It's a beautiful resort and a quick bus ride over to AK.
Make it an AK/Pandora-themed stay with a visit to MK thrown in