Where would you rather stay?

[WillowRain]

My mom just bought at CCV. We have booked a week stay Sept 8th-15th. We are debating now, should we attempt to move this to a 2 Bedroom at BLT? We just stayed there and we are in LOVE with the proximity, it will be hard to stay anywhere else. But we are also looking at maybe connecting studios at the Poly Villas, if we are able to get them.

We are dusk til dawn park hoppers, but we also have 3 small children and need the day time break, especially in the heat. We liked the ease of the walk from BLT to MK, convenient for daddy and I to leave the kids with grandma at night and walk over alone. With CCV, how much longer does it take to get there? How long do boats run after closing? Even staying an hour to shop, the Mono was still running and that was nice that our stop was first. At Poly, is there a walking path? We also like the ease of Monorail from Contemp to TTC to EPCOT. Is the bus from CCV easier than Monorail? It scares me to NOT be on a mono resort.

Help me out and let me know where and why you would stay at one of these 3? Thanks so much!

 

[paults]

I would stay at CCV. the boat ride isn't that bad and the kids would love it.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

At Poly, is there a walking path?

What sort of walking path? You cannot walk to magic Kingdom from Poly (or Grand Floridian, for that matter) if that is your question.

 

[WillowRain]

What sort of walking path? You cannot walk to magic Kingdom from Poly (or Grand Floridian, for that matter) if that is your question.

Yes that was my question. We didn't visit the GF so I didn't really do any research into it, but I swear someone said you could walk there.

 

[pineapplepalms]

I'm biased (own at CCV) but I would stay at CCV. It's a beautiful resort and I think kids would love it since there's a lot to do and see. We've taken the boat and the bus and they were both pretty quick and easy (bus is only ~5 minutes but boat is more scenic). We're not huge fans of the monorail since there are often long lines and for some reason we tend to run into the unpleasant, pushy type of guests there, whereas the boat tends to feel more relaxed. If you really value being able to walk to MK though, BLT is the only choice. There is a walking path from GF to Poly to TTC but not to MK. You can't really go wrong with any of them but if you haven't stayed at CCV yet I would recommend it!

 

[Matty B13]

Yes that was my question. We didn't visit the GF so I didn't really do any research into it, but I swear someone said you could walk there.

You can walk to GF from Poly, but there is no walk-way to MK from either. I wish there was.

 

[DduzDis]

BLT is our home and love it. With that said, the monorail can be hit or miss with it working when you need it. Even putting in an hour cushion we almost missed an ADR at Ohana in the Poly because the monorail was down and we had to wait for a bus. But, if your kids are still in a stroller it is nice to walk to BLT (or hop on the monorail) without having to wake one up to collapse the stroller to get on a bus (especially for tired kids at the afternoon break). It is nice at the Poly too since you can monorail to MK or walk to the TTC and monorail to EPCOT. Like a previous poster said, there really are no bad choices in this list.

 

[WillowRain]

You can walk to GF from Poly, but there is no walk-way to MK from either. I wish there was.

I am surprised they haven't made a bridge or something. That would lighten the load on transport so much!

 

[karen4546]

Ignore this if the MK resorts are your preferred resorts.

Staying at the BCV is good also. You can walk to 2 parks and the pool is great -oh and the food and wine festival at Epcot

 

[DduzDis]

I am surprised they haven't made a bridge or something. That would lighten the load on transport so much!

You could walk to the Poly and hop on the monorail to MK from the there.

 

[DduzDis]

You could walk to the Poly and hop on the monorail to MK from the there.

Nevermind - This doesn't make as much sense as it did in my head. Lol.

 

[kboo]

I am surprised they haven't made a bridge or something. That would lighten the load on transport so much!

DH actually tried to figure this out last time we were at GF. I think the canal that is in the way holds the Electric Water Parade Floats, so if there was a bridge, it would need to be a drawbridge, etc etc. Not insurmountable, but not easy or cheap, either.

You could walk to the Poly and hop on the monorail to MK from the there.

Nevermind - This doesn't make as much sense as it did in my head. Lol.

HAHAHA! But I wonder if it's just as easy to walk from GF to TTC and get the monorail to Epcot, than to take the resort monorail and then switch at TTC.

 

[WillowRain]

DH actually tried to figure this out last time we were at GF. I think the canal that is in the way holds the Electric Water Parade Floats, so if there was a bridge, it would need to be a drawbridge, etc etc. Not insurmountable, but not easy or cheap, either.





HAHAHA! But I wonder if it's just as easy to walk from GF to TTC and get the monorail to Epcot, than to take the resort monorail and then switch at TTC.

So our first day, we didn't know better, and took the monorail to MK from Contemp (24 mins when we could have walked!!!) Then our first Epcot day, we took the Express train at the TTC when we were coming home, and had to switch at MK to resorts train, which actually may have been faster than stopping at every hotel. It's definitely a learning process!

Ignore this if the MK resorts are your preferred resorts.

Staying at the BCV is good also. You can walk to 2 parks and the pool is great -oh and the food and wine festival at Epcot

Yes, with the kids being so young MK is it for now. Plus since it's usually open the latest, my husband and I get alone time there without having to travel too much. LOVED that private bag check from BLT, like seriously, never had to wait in line there.

 

[DduzDis]

HAHAHA! But I wonder if it's just as easy to walk from GF to TTC and get the monorail to Epcot, than to take the resort monorail and then switch at TTC.

I would think so. Especially in the morning if the monorail is crowded.

 

[Matty B13]

GF and Poly have boats to MK if the monorail is crowded, but they can be crowded as well.

 

[WillowRain]

So looking at Sept resorts and a lot of them are still available. Looking now at

Boardwalk

Beach Club

AK Jambo Savannah View

Even OKW

Tell me what are the ups and downs of these resorts. Obviously BC has the cool pool and the walking to Epcot. AKL you can't even walk to AK can you?

 

[CraigInPA]

I am surprised they haven't made a bridge or something. That would lighten the load on transport so much!

The path from the MK and the path from GF end about 30 feet apart, separated by a canal where they park the boats at night.

So looking at Sept resorts and a lot of them are still available. Looking now at
Boardwalk
Beach Club
AK Jambo Savannah View
Even OKW
Tell me what are the ups and downs of these resorts. Obviously BC has the cool pool and the walking to Epcot. AKL you can't even walk to AK can you?

Boardwalk has a nice easy walk to DHS (15 minutes) and to Epcot (10 minutes). It's got a cool clown pool, and easy access to the Boardwalk.
Beach Club has an easy walk to Epcot (<5 minutes), to DHS (20 minutes), and to Boardwalk (5 minutes). It's got Stormalong Bay, which is arguably the best resort pool on property.
AKV Savanna view is very cool. I mean, who wouldn't want to walk a giraffe walk by their room? It's close to AK, but there's no walking path. You'll be on a bus to go anywhere.
OKW was the first DVC property. It's lovely and quiet, but not particularly convenient to any park. You'll be on a bus to go anywhere except Disney Springs (there's a boat).

 

[WillowRain]

@CraigInPA, how are the rooms though? And the quick service dining in each? We are thinking a bit more downtime this trip since it will "hopefully" be less crowded. We want to explore resorts since we weren't able to in Jan. With 4 and a 2 year old, which studios are the most comfortable?

 

[WillowRain]

The path from the MK and the path from GF end about 30 feet apart, separated by a canal where they park the boats at night.

Well that's crazy! Why not make a bridge and have it be covered parking?! lol

 

[CraigInPA]

@CraigInPA, how are the rooms though? And the quick service dining in each? We are thinking a bit more downtime this trip since it will "hopefully" be less crowded. We want to explore resorts since we weren't able to in Jan. With 4 and a 2 year old, which studios are the most comfortable?

I haven't stayed at AKL or OKW, but the studios at BCV and BWV are a good size. My wife and I didn't really like positioning of the kitchenette, but the way that these rooms are laid out make them seem larger than they are. I don't think you'd have a problem with 2 small children staying in either resort.

Quick service dining in either is a rather limited menu, at least compared to what I saw when I spent one (awful) night at Pop Music and ate at their mega resort dining hall. Still, I was able to find something to eat for the one or two meals we might have there. Our typical schedule is to have breakfast in the room, TS lunch in the park, and TS dinner at a resort. Occasionally, we'd do a late lunch and skip the TS dinner. It's those nights where we'd hit Captain Cooks in the Poly, or the Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary, or The Fountain (in the Swan/Dolphin) for some QS choices.