What’s your favorite/least favorite Disney resort(s) and why?

[MICKIMINI]

We stayed in a value in 1996 and promptly bought OKW. We recently bought two BRV contracts as we love it. We've stayed in most DVC's. Only moderate was cabin at FW which was just okay.

Worst: Any Value and SSR
Best: BRV and OKW
Love: AKV but the bus rides take forever

 

[Minnie1222]

My list
Best overall resort: the Four Seasons
Favorite resort, favorite theme: GF
Cleanest resort: the YC
Resort with the nicest guests: BWI
Resort with the angriest guests: GF
Least appealing resort (to me): CR
Least favorite resort: NONE
Disclosure: I have not stayed at DVCs, Values, Mods, or Wilderness Lodge.

 

[nelsonkg]

Poly Villa 5 stays in a studio, this is my family’s fave for theme, pools, food, transportation and room. It is a happy relaxing place for us. I love walking around the resort just hearing the music piped in, watching the fireworks on the beach. Heaven

Boulder Ridge 2 stays studio and 1 bedroom The pros at Wilderness Lodge are very similar for us as Poly. It would probably even be my favorite except transportation is not as good. It is The Most RelaxingResort. And the cast members are the best! Needs a refurb tho. Ugh just love it !

BCV 6 stays 1 bedroom. We love BCV and when my husband joins us this is where we stay. The location is phenomenal, we go into EPCOT frequently to dine and the Boardwalk is a beautiful walk, surrey bikes are fun, as well as the performers at night. I know everyone loves the pool and it is fantastic but it is just not that relaxing in that area for us, sometimes I’m just not in the mood for that after being in the parks however it can be a lot of fun as well.

Boardwalk Villas 1 stay studio, we didn’t dislike it but did not love it either. Like the Beach Club it’s in a fantastic area but the options for food AT, not around, the resort was terrible and inconvenient. The Clown pool felt small and loud, the quiet pool was nice.

AKL Kidani 1 stay 1 bedroom, The resort is beautiful and the room was beautiful. Good food options betweenKidani and Jambo. I stayed here when my kids were little and having to take bus to all the parks with strollers was just too much for us but it is a really pretty resort. Now that they are older we should try again

Bay Lake studio 1 stay . I did not want to stay here but really ended up enjoying our stay. The aesthetic never appealed to me but something about seeing the monorail run through the Contemporary was magical. Also we encountered so many nice cast members. Food options were great. I would say the main reason we never returned was because of the outdoor area being too much concrete and not enough lush/green space for us to enjoy. And I feel the pool is way too small. And the studio is too small for a family of four.

POR 2 stays We have stayed here a couple times on nights prior to our DVC check in and I really like it here. I think it’s adorable I think the landscaping is beautiful. we stay in Alligator Bayou and my kids love it. My youngest son always request to stay here because he loves the pool. We haven’t used transportation to parks here because we are usually checking out the next morning. However the boat to Disney Springs is great.

Pop 1 stay we stayed one night prior to DVC check in so I hesitate to even leave an opinion because it was so brief I thought the room was cute, we were in the 50s section . I guess maybe because of our location every time we left the room we had to go through a group of people smoking and it was usually a decent amount of people. It just seem like there could’ve been a better area for it away from the pathway . Food court was pretty chaotic and loud. Everywhere just felt crowded and loud but to be fair I didn’t truly explore the resort.

 

[Engineman02]

Favorite(s): Polynesian will always be my favorite. Love the theme/atmosphere, feeling like you are on some tropical island in the pacific. Also, when there are no closures/restrictions due to pandemics, it is great to sit on the beach and watch the MK fireworks, and love Trader Sam’s.
Beach club is inches behind with the awesome pool (again, when not shut down), and convenience to EPCOT, HS, and stuff around the Boardwalk.
AKL Kidani is great because of the extra bathroom in the 1 and 2 bedroom (if you are doing DVC).

Worst: All Stars, for many of the reasons mentioned (groups, noise...) but also it being a large property and if you don’t have a vehicle, you can have pretty long waits for the buses, especially if they aren’t split out between the three all stars.

And for reference, have stayed at most resorts with some exceptions like being at the DVC side of Contemporary and Grand Floridian, haven’t been to the new places (Rivera and Gran Destino), and haven’t stayed at Shades of Green.

 

[tuckymom]

Worst: Saratoga Springs and Coronado (pre Destino Tower). Both lack the Disney feel for me.

SS feels like an apartment complex in a college town. The parking lots are right outside every building and everything is very spread out. I just don''t associate horses and upper state NY with Disney and its SO FAR AWAY from everything.

Coronado: Had a 3 week conference held there (well weeks 1 & 3 were) and stayed here for almost a week before resort hopping due to family and friends coming to visit. It feels like conference venue. At first I thought it was because I was doing conference stuff but the other resorts didn't feel like that even though I was still going to class.

Have stayed: All Star Movies, CBR, AoA, POFQ, SS, Corando, GF, BLT, OKW, WL, BC, off property hotels as well.

 

[Salf777]

My very first trip to Disney was to the Dixie Landings, now the Port Orleans. So that always holds a special place in my heart. A lot of fun, beautiful grounds and I still love Boatwrights!
That same first trip we went to the Grand Floridan and that was a dream to stay there and now it is my favorite! People bash it for all sorts of reasons but walk in there at Christmas IMHO no place more beautiful

 

[JM23457]

We've enjoyed all of the deluxes, and camping at Fort Wilderness. Each resort has different pros & cons, and which you'd like the most is a matter of taste.

We like Beach Club for its magnificent pool complex, Stormalong Bay, and its relaxed yet elegant beach resort theming.

We like Boardwalk Inn for its beauty, whimsy and very detailed early 1900's Atlantic City boardwalk theming.

We like Wilderness Lodge at Christmas. Its huge tree is impressive and the northwestern lodge-style lobby is perfectly suited to winter. The Native American touches to its theming are wonderful.

We like Animal Kingdom Lodge for its peacefulness, beauty and the animals outside our balcony.

 

[Roxas_XIII]

CSR is my favorite, even though I haven't yet had the chance to go post-Destino. Beautiful theming, lovely grounds, and my favorite resort food court by far.

I don't get all the Pop love. To me it has the theming equivalent of clip art.

 

[Dug720]

CSR is my favorite, even though I haven't yet had the chance to go post-Destino. Beautiful theming, lovely grounds, and my favorite resort food court by far.

I don't get all the Pop love. To me it has the theming equivalent of clip art.

And I was not a fan of any of the themeing at CSR. The tower looks nice, but beyond that? Not my jam.

Pop isn’t my favorite, but that is more for the sterile rooms post re-design than anything else.

Different strokes.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

So interesting to read through these comments. You have one person who absolutely loves a certain resort and another person doesn't like it and vice versa. I love seeing such varying tastes. It's awesome that Disney has such a wide variety of resorts that can appeal to many different tastes and budgets.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I’ve only stayed in a handful of them, so I’m curious to see what everyone has to say. Which ones are your favorite and which ones do you hate? Why?

Least favorite- CBR followed by ALL of the all stars.

Even with the skyliner addition to CBR, we’ve had pretty bad experiences there and while I feel like our experiences were isolated, the service at that resort imo is the worst. All stars is you get what you pay for, a bed, a pool and some quick service. Resort/Motel atmosphere and it’s just that, nothing more but it at least has fun theming which is more of a benefit than what CBR offers. The Skyliner being down too much really detracts from this transportation option being a game changer at any of these resorts. It’s great when up, but a hot mess when you have to take the bus. The size of CBR is another negative. We prefer smaller resorts. Not very relaxing when you walk all day at the parks and then you have to hike to grab a bite or swim. And not every preferred location room is close to the lobby, the bus and and skyliner. It’s only positive I can muster up is proximity to riviera so you can grab a bite there but of course, you have to walk if the skyliner is down. Internal bus loop while right next to CBR in a circle does not drop at the riviera. So silly.

Favorites-boardwalk and beach club for the location, theming and customer service. Consistently great experiences with CMs and hotel stays.

 

[Disnerdette]

Have stayed at: ASMu, POR, GF, CSR, CBR. My parents had an off-site timeshare when I was a kid so I have no childhood memories/connections to any of the resorts.

Favorite: Toss up between GF and CSR.

Watching the monorail go by while drinking my coffee on the balcony was one of my favorite memories when staying at GF. It was the most peaceful way to start the day. I have stayed at CSR many times, all pre-tower, and I loved it. I never really noticed the convention crowds, the pool always had plenty of seating, I loved the grounds and would often take walks at night with a beverage or dessert, and it was quiet no matter what part of the resort we stayed in.

Honorable mention: CBR. The Skyliner. I am OBSESSED with the Skyliner. I loved the access to Riviera, Sebastian's Bistro, the pool, the views. I had my car with me on that trip and it was so easy to park near my room but not so close that I heard cars or traffic. We had a few issues with the stay and management was incredible.

I am meh about POR. I like the grounds, but the QS feels small for the number of people. People rave about Boatwrights but I thought the theming and design was kind of weird? the plus is Yeehaw Bob and walkable to POFQ to get beignets.

ASMu would be my choice if I desperately needed to save money and wasn't going to spend any time in my room, lol.

I'm staying at Pop for the first time in January.

 

[5Tulips]

Favorite to least favorite:
YC - love the room redesign for our family of 5, convenience, and SAB
GF - calming atmosphere, special touches, large room size
CBR - beautiful grounds, skyliner
CSR - felt cleaner being a convention hotel
POFQ - quaint, loved boat to DS
POP - fun, get what you pay for
SSR - out of the way, bland theming
AKL - just too dark, uncomfortable beds

 

[Dug720]

So interesting to read through these comments. You have one person who absolutely loves a certain resort and another person doesn't like it and vice versa. I love seeing such varying tastes. It's awesome that Disney has such a wide variety of resorts that can appeal to many different tastes and budgets.

It’s like the posts about favorite and least favorite restaurants - pretty much every one will end up on both lists.

 

[kwdw]

I've stayed at:

BLT, CR, SSR, OKW, AKV, AKL, CBR, CSR incl Tower, POFQ, AoA, Pop, and all of the All-Stars

My least favorite - CBR. Too sprawling, bad main pool, boring quiet pools, boring theming, average food court. Won't pick again.

Favorite - AKV 1 bedroom, savanna view.

My budget and traveling companions dictate where I stay - and I really liked all of them - except CBR. That stay was just disappointing.

 

[Wild4Walt]

Favorite: Poly for the theme and location / AKL also for theme and location
Least: SSR - I was never able to get into this one and only stayed once. The theme was lacking in comparison of other Disney resorts and the dining here was only so-so.