What resort would you pick?

[disneygal58]

Enjoy!!!! AKL is amazing with so much to do. Poly is fabulous for its access to the monorail!

 

[RichieTruxillo]

Another vote for Bay Lake Tower with Magic Kingdom view, though we watched the fireworks from the poly beach one night and it was awesome

 

[catyanna]

That's cool, I just thought I remembered them doing away with their old "deluxe rooms" that had a seperate bedroom when they renovated. If they tell you that they can accomodate you that's great. My biggest dislike about AKL with teens is it's isolated, they woudl have to get on a bus and go somewhere. I personally get sick of hearing "there's nothing to do". We like the convenience of walking into a park. GOod luck and enjoy. Don't know if you're doing the Dream or another ship but have fun. We were on it over spring break and felt that they crammed way too many people on there!

I hear ya on the "there's nothing to do" part. Plus you have a point about the convenience of some of the other resorts.

We are not doing a disney cruise because the cost is just way too much. We can do a 4 night carnival cruise & 3 nights at disney for the $4000. We both disney & a cruise for a lot less $$$. (We get passholder rates for the resort. If not, it would be impossible to do it).

Did you find there to be a lot of rowdy spring breakers on your cruise?

 

[rcraw45425]

I hear ya on the "there's nothing to do" part. Plus you have a point about the convenience of some of the other resorts.

We are not doing a disney cruise because the cost is just way too much. We can do a 4 night carnival cruise & 3 nights at disney for the $4000. We both disney & a cruise for a lot less $$$. (We get passholder rates for the resort. If not, it would be impossible to do it).

Did you find there to be a lot of rowdy spring breakers on your cruise?

No, didn't see any rowdy spring breakers (thank heavens!). We decided semi last minute to do the cruise. We are south of Atlanta and not used to really cold weather. Well, we had snow on Christmas night here, lol. That same night I put my older daughter on a charter bus for Orlando to march in the Champs Bowl. Hubby, myself and our then 13 year old drove down that next morning in flurries to stay at Royal Pacific. We froze our rear ends off the entire time. WHen January came and the weather didn't seem to get better we started talking about going somewhere warm. I was able to book the Dream in a deluxe family stateroom with verandah for the Sunday that our Spring Break started. That cruise sold out completely. We went down on Saturday and stayed at BWI, entered EPCOT and rode a few rides and ate dinner. I enjoyed the cruise but it was so crowded. It was also our first time cruising. We never did ride the Aquaduck, the lines were too long. Arrived at Nassau and went to Atlantis for the aquarium tour. Nassau was dirty, should have stayed on the ship. Almost were unable to dock at Castaway Cay, the wind was really bad, all CC excursions were cancelled. The main thing I noticed was how small the elevators are and how few of them there are. I let the girls do the teen spa, they got a kick out of it, so did my wallet! We never did get to use the pools, they seem very small. DH, who was the one that had always wanted to do a cruise, started to get a little claustrophobic, he said he was going to skip our next one.

Our visit to WDW May '10 was the first time we really let the girls do things on their own. We booked Atrium Club at CR, upon arrival they had bumped us up to a 1 bedroom suite in Tower Club. That spoiled us all. Star Wars Weekends had started, we allowed them to take the bus back to DHS to ride a few rides and try to get a shirt. Then, the night that MK had late evening hours we let them go on their own for a few hours. That was nice knowing that they were close enough in case anything happened. I knwo that AKL has a lot of activites for the younger kids but I kust donw know if there's enough to hold teens interest. We have stayed several times at YC, that is another option for you.

What ever you pick, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Be sure to let me know what you pick. We have booked and rescheduled our upcoming trip three times now in the past month.

 

[KatieCollette]

Yc cl

 

[bowbat]

My vote would be for either YC CL or BWI CL. Have fun!

 

[rcraw45425]

We enjoyed YC CL and although we did not get a CL room for our night at BWI, I know others here that love it! Both of those would also be good choices.

 

[Aunt Bee]

CL at Boardwalk is very homey and nice. Really feels like "home" and the furniture is comfy for sitting and relaxing with a beer after the parks. At the Poly, CL was so-so; kind of disappointing since I love Poly.... AKL club level is nice. The resort is great, too, but teens might like the action around the boardwalk better.

 

[Massillon Dad]

if accomodations on the house, check out Boardwalk & Beach club for easy stroll into epcot world showcase

 

[Tramp68]

I do not know if this will work for the way that you are paying for your trip, but the best way to get a room at AKL is to RENT points from the DVC rent/trade board and have them find a reservation for you. What you might find is that you can get a 2 BR villa for less than the price of a 1BR CRO.

I have never stayed CL there, but as far as I know the only difference is access to a private lounge w/ snacks at certain times and chocolate on your pillow or something like that. (I am not knowledgable at all on Concierge)


As far as the busses go for the teens, yes it is nice to walk to MK or EPCOT, but the bus rides are really not bad at all. Especially the short ride to AK, I dont think it is much more than a mile.

 

[catyanna]

I do not know if this will work for the way that you are paying for your trip, but the best way to get a room at AKL is to RENT points from the DVC rent/trade board and have them find a reservation for you. What you might find is that you can get a 2 BR villa for less than the price of a 1BR CRO.

I have never stayed CL there, but as far as I know the only difference is access to a private lounge w/ snacks at certain times and chocolate on your pillow or something like that. (I am not knowledgable at all on Concierge)


As far as the busses go for the teens, yes it is nice to walk to MK or EPCOT, but the bus rides are really not bad at all. Especially the short ride to AK, I dont think it is much more than a mile.

I have looked into that in the past & have found that getting the passholder or fl res rate is cheaper that renting points. Plus we stayed CL when we went to GF this past July & unfortunately for my wallet it spoiled us & we will try to always stay CL when at all possible from now on. (this was a concern of mine when I booked CL in July)

But I do agree with you about the buses for the teens. My girls will be 18 & 16 when we go & they have been on their own at WDW since they were like 15 so they will be ok. I know some people dont like the distance from AKL to the rest of the World but a bus ride is just a bus ride. I think they dont mind being on a bus for 20-30 minutes.

 

[catyanna]

I am actually torn between AKL & BWI. AKL for my DS4 because he would love the animals plus from what I have read the resort is very beautiful & unique. My DD's 16 & 18 would probably enjoy BWI much more because of the location & the fact that there is so much to do in that area. Whats a mom to do?

 

[Tramp68]

I don't know how long it has been since you last looked into renting, but they have adjusted points for Friday and Saturday stays which is what made renting so expensive. You may find that it comes out cheaper. I have about a half dozen renters that live in central Florida and swear by renting.

What exactly do you get for CL?
What size are the rooms?

...There is CL at AKV even through DVC

 

[Sappermont]

Haven't stayed club level, but I LOVE the Poly!

 

[mariamouse]

I am actually torn between AKL & BWI. AKL for my DS4 because he would love the animals plus from what I have read the resort is very beautiful & unique. My DD's 16 & 18 would probably enjoy BWI much more because of the location & the fact that there is so much to do in that area. Whats a mom to do?

Is there a particular resort theme that you much prefer? If you are split, I would opt for the BWI due to its superior location, activities, wide variety of restaurant options, and larger rooms (since there are 5 of you). If you are not planning on visiting any parks and just want to stay at the resort with your teenagers, I would stay here. Do keep in mind that DHS and Epcot are just a short walk away, though, so this is also a great resort if you do plan to visit the parks. Opt for a boardwalk room view so that you can see all of the bustling activity below!

If, however, you much prefer the theme of the AKL (it definitely is beautiful & unique!) and are planning on visiting the parks anyway, I would just go for it. The bus service is great since it is not shared with any other resorts, so your teenagers can still get away easily if they want to. And all of the restaurants at AKL are fantastic as long as your family consists of fairly adventurous eaters that do not just want the standard "American" fare. Boma is one of our favorite restaurants in WDW and I have only heard great things about Jiko/Sanaa.

In sum, you should definitely stay at the BWI if your teenagers will not be visiting any parks and have to occupy themselves exclusively at the resort. If, however, you will be visiting parks in addition to hanging out at your resort, go for whichever resort theme you prefer! I do feel, however, that you should MUCH prefer the theme of the AKL to the BWI if you stay there since the convenience of the BWI is hard to beat. They are both beautiful resorts and you must plan a future visit to whichever resort you do not stay at this time around! Please let us know what you decide!

 

[araffle]

I am planning a short 3 night trip for my family in early March before we leave on a 5 day cruise. I am undicided on which resort to stay at. If you could stay at any of the Deluxe Resorts & money was not a problem ( DH's employer is footing the bill for 5 yrs of service), which resort would you chose & why. We want to stay club level so if you have info on that it would be great. We've stayed at GF CL & loved it but may want to try something new. What are your thoughts? Any & all opinions will be appreciated

Beach Club hands down. Love the pool, easy to walk to Epcot....great location.

 

[catyanna]

[

 

[catyanna]

Is there a particular resort theme that you much prefer? If you are split, I would opt for the BWI due to its superior location, activities, wide variety of restaurant options, and larger rooms (since there are 5 of you). If you are not planning on visiting any parks and just want to stay at the resort with your teenagers, I would stay here. Do keep in mind that DHS and Epcot are just a short walk away, though, so this is also a great resort if you do plan to visit the parks. Opt for a boardwalk room view so that you can see all of the bustling activity below!

If, however, you much prefer the theme of the AKL (it definitely is beautiful & unique!) and are planning on visiting the parks anyway, I would just go for it. The bus service is great since it is not shared with any other resorts, so your teenagers can still get away easily if they want to. And all of the restaurants at AKL are fantastic as long as your family consists of fairly adventurous eaters that do not just want the standard "American" fare. Boma is one of our favorite restaurants in WDW and I have only heard great things about Jiko/Sanaa.

In sum, you should definitely stay at the BWI if your teenagers will not be visiting any parks and have to occupy themselves exclusively at the resort. If, however, you will be visiting parks in addition to hanging out at your resort, go for whichever resort theme you prefer! I do feel, however, that you should MUCH prefer the theme of the AKL to the BWI if you stay there since the convenience of the BWI is hard to beat. They are both beautiful resorts and you must plan a future visit to whichever resort you do not stay at this time around! Please let us know what you decide!

Well, although I myself am not crazy about the AKL theme, my DS3 would probably love it. Even though when I sit him in front of the computer & ask him which resort he wants to stay at, he always tells me BWI. But I feel guilty because when we went this summer he wanted to stay at AKL & I chose GF (it was for my bday). Thank goodness he absolutely loved GF & wants to go back to "The Grand Forlidian" as he calls it.

So with that said, I a think we will do the BWi for the fact that I love the theme & the location is awesome. Plus there will be so much more for all of us to enjoy in that area!

Now if I could only talk my DH into staying there for a 8 days instead of going on a cruise!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Now if I could only talk my DH into staying there for a 8 days instead of going on a cruise!

If it's a Disney cruise, I'd choose that over WDW!

 

[catyanna]

It's not. Which is why I would reather stay at WDW. There isn't much for 4 yr old to do on a regular cruise. Much less for a 4 yr old that is home w/ mom all day, every day. I am a little worried about a him on a cruise. I worry on dry land. I can't imagine how neurotic I'd be on a ship.