Theming vs. Convienence?

[SanFranciscan]

My husband recently got some money in one of the worst possible ways. His mother died. He is thinking that he'd like to get some joy out of a sad event by saving some of those funds for our next Disney trip. The use of those funds should be his choice because that money never belonged to my parents.

He would really like to stay in either the Contemporary or the Animal Kingdom Lodge for the trip of his dreams and asked me which I liked better. I think the choice should be his because it is not my money. Which would you suggest?

Do you think that the theming at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is worth the loss of the monorail and better walking distances, or is the convienence of the Contemporay worth the loss of the more immersive experience of the Animal Kingdom Lodge?

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

My husband recently got some money in one of the worst possible ways. His mother died. He is thinking that he'd like to get some joy out of a sad event by saving some of those funds for our next Disney trip. The use of those funds should be his choice because that money never belonged to my parents.

He would really like to stay in either the Contemporary or the Animal Kingdom Lodge for the trip of his dreams and asked me which I liked better. I think the choice should be his because it is not my money. Which would you suggest?

Do you think that the theming at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is worth the loss of the monorail and better walking distances, or is the convienence of the Contemporay worth the loss of the more immersive experience of the Animal Kingdom Lodge?

DH and I personally love the Contemporary and thinks that it has great Disney appeal in its own Convention/Business like way. We've never stayed at AKL, but think that the distance would drive us batty. (I've heard that the transportation is quite good though.)

Does DH have any interest in staying at either Poly or Wilderness Lodge? That seems like it would be a good compromise. Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge had the same architects, and Poly and Contemporary both have a certain 1971 nostalgia to them.

By the way, did you know that both CR and AKL both have major additions (i.e. construction projects) underway right now?

I think it would be interesting to find out what DH likes about each resort.

 

[robemcdo]

in my opinion, if you guys are Magic Kingdom people, there is nothing like the convenience of walking to and from the park at the Contemporary. However, it seems that getting to the other parks, particularly animal kingdom and MGM is a lot more trouble from the Monorail resorts, as their bus service can be sporadic.

In my opinion, the best combination of location, comfort, atmosphere is the Boardwalk, Yacht Club area. Walk to MGM, Walk to Epcot. Regular buses to the other 2 parks. I love the atmosphere of the BW area, but that might not be for everybody.

While you likely still want bang for your buck, maybe consider Sun-Thurs at the BW or Beach Club by renting points from a DVC member. This can be done very reasonably at BW or BCV, and maybe hop over to Contemporary for the weekend, since the DVC points are much more expensive on those days.

I guess if comparing contemporary to AK, I would say that Contemporary would be my choice. I've never stayed at a monorail hotel, and someday that is something I would like to experience.

Good luck...and hopefully the joy of Disney will ease the pain of your husband's loss.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Just like robemcdo said there is nothing better then walking to the Magic Kingdom from the Contemporary, so I say if that is the park you plan on visiting the most the Contemporary would be the best place to stay. Plus when getting back to the Contemporary by Monorail they are the next stop, so if your tired and don't want to walk back that is something to consider.

As for the bus service to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney I say it can be hit or miss, because you might go and have little wait for the buses or have a long wait. It's also like that at each WDW Resort and not just the Magic Kingdom Monorail Resorts.

 

[septbaby]

Sorry for your family's loss.

We are planning our next trip for a stay at AKL. The hotel is a resort in and of itself, so even if you didn't go to a Disney park AKL has much to offer. Keep in mind your husband may want some down time; quiet time and I think AKL will offer that option. The Contemporary is more in the center of it all, which can be great, but the option of a respite may be quite useful for your trip.

We are a family of two adults and a 6yo who loves MK. We will likely concentrate on MK and Epcot this time with shorter times at AK and MGM (we missed Beauty and the Beast and will likely catch the new Toy Story parade).

 

[stellablue]

How about a split-stay? Are you planning to go for at least 5 days? That way your DH gets to experience both.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I have to agree with Mickey'sApprentice. If you want a resort with monorail convenience think about the WL & Poly. I know WL is not on the monorail but it's a short boat ride to MK or you can take the boat to the Contemporary and ride the monorail to Epcot. That's our plan with our upcoming stay at WL since DS loves, loves, loves the monorail. It might be a little out of the way but he's a train fanatic and if I make him happy than I'm happy.

This will also be our first stay at a deluxe resort and I am so excited. We thought about AKL but knew that the construction was going on and just really didn't want to deal with it. We would've loved to have tried CBR but the main pool is closed and for us that's a big deal being the parents of a 4 yr old.

Eventually I'd love to stay at the Poly to say I've done it and because every time I ride the monorail past it I just feel like I've come to the tropical islands. Very beachy feel to the resort.

Good luck in deciding!!!

 

[ploto]

There is nothing better than the location of the CR. A short 10 min walk to MK is great, and monorail service to MK and Epcot. Plus the MK views are in my opinion the best views you can get in WDW. The new rooms are fantastic! Overall the CR is a great resort!

 

[disnut8]

Your husband couldn't have picked two more different resorts!

I'm sorry for your loss but I think the title of your post sums it up in a nutshell. Convienence versus theming. I agree with you - this should be your husband's choice on his own. He's probably trying to give you some say in the resort. And he deserves some brownie points from you. However, tell him honestly that it should be his choice and no matter what he decides, both of you are going to have a good time in his mother's memory.

I've stayed at both resorts and I know which one I would pick but I'm me and he's him.

 

[SandrainNC]

I'm so sorry about your DH's mother.

My first time staying on property was at AKL. I LOVE this hotel. Absolutely love it. We bring our car, so the location was not a problem at all. A 10 minute car ride to MK was no big deal. Loved the animals and the theming. And the smell (from the restaurants).

This past time we stayed at the CR. If I had to choose, I would probably choose CR because of the location. So location for me won out over theming. I liked the theming of CR just fine though. The rooms are also bigger than at AKL so more room to spread out.

Walking to MK or back (right after Wishes) instead of waiting on transportation was awesome! And getting to see the castle every single day (and night with those ice lights) was great! Using the monorail system was also great to go eat at the Poly or just go to look at the GF.

We were in a garden room and still loved it.

Sandra

 

[mickey2minnie1]

What a beautiful way to honor his mother - the two of you together in Disney. You will have such great memories.

My DH and two sons would go with the Contemporary. They like the modernness of it and you cannot beat the monorail.

We all did love the Poly, though.

 

[Jill in Chicago]

When my girlfriend's mother passed away this is exactly what her family decided to do! I would base your decision on where to stay by which park your family wants to spend more time at. If it is MK then Contemporary.

My girlfriend stayed at AK and the whole family loved it. She said the transportation was good. If I stayed at AK I would rent a car.

We have stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, which is also very easy to get to the MK.

If you like Epcot I would consider one of the Epcot resorts. When we stayed off site we would park at Boardwalk and walk over to Epcot. The convenience was fantastic! We love Epcot and it was so cool to just walk over.

Personally I think the resorts all have some wonderful features and you will have a great time whichever one you choose.

 

[TJA]

Sorry for your family's loss.

Will there be kids going with you? If so, then obviously convenience plays an important role in your decision. If the kids are young and need afternoon breaks, then you'll want convenience - an easy way to get back and forth between the parks and resort with young kids and stroller. So I'd go with CR.

If you don't have kids going along, then I'd go with AKL for the theme and experience. And, actually, to be honest, if DH and I were going to WDW without kids, we'd stay at Boardwalk Inn. Have you checked it out? It's an awesome area to stay, lots of adult things to do, good restaurants, walk into the Epcot countries each night for dinner, watch Illuminations, then just walk back to your resort later on. You can also walk or boat to MGM. Sorry to get off the topic of your 2 resort choices, but I just had to say where we'd stay if we went without kids.

 

[newharmony]

Something similar happened to us. My MIL passed away in August. She told my husband that she knew we loved to travel and that is what she wanted us to do. I thought he should decide what to do and he used it for DVC points. It is something we will have for a long, long time. His mom and dad will always be with us, in spirit, when we visit WDW.

 

[jayandstacey]

I too am sorry for your loss.

The choice may be your husband's, and he's made one definitive choice - to ask you to be a part of the decision process!

So don't refuse the request - help the planning, make suggestions and offer whatever opinions he wants to hear. Then support whatever decision is the final one and have a great time.

I'm a 40 yr old guy and my mother is still very much alive. But I know that when she's not there anymore, I'll miss how often I call her to just sort of 'logic check' my decisions. Just guessing, but maybe your husband had that, misses it now, and one of the best things you can do is actually help him decide this question.

It sounds like you have a wonderful marriage and will have a great trip. Good luck on your decision - sounds like there's no wrong answer!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

First of all hugs to your family .

In December my family and I stayed at both CR and AKL and by far enjoyed the CR much more than the AKL. The CR is so convenient to everything and the MK View is priceless. We didn't get as much out of the AKL as we had hoped and probably will not stay there again. It really is not conveniet to anything, except the DAK. Being able to jump on the monorail and explore the other resorts was wonderful. We had lunch at the GF one day and mom and I visited the Poly for a shopping trip one afternoon and the ride was quick and easy. If we wanted to go anywhere from the AKL, it took forever.

As I said before, the view of the MK from the CR room was priceless. We even left the curtains open part of the way, so we could sleep by the lights on the castle and they were left on most of the night and then to be greated by the monorail and MK each morning was great. I really want to stay there again, but it really is probably a once in a lifetime experience.

Good Luck with the decision and again I am sorry for your loss

Suzanne