Which resort is a never or never again for you?

[jimmymc]

I do think it is interesting that nobody has mentioned any of the beach resorts (Aul, VB, HHI)...

Hilton Head is low on my list due to the location. I would never pay cash for Aulani, but with points it becomes a reasonable price to stay in a nice area on Oahu, plus free parking.

Vero Beach would be high on the list if I wanted to do a Florida beach vacation, but it's been years since I've done that, and my parents are moving to the Outer Banks next year.

 

[maryj11]

I have said it was Pop Century because it was crowded, beds were uncomfortable and buses were standing room only. That was a long time ago. We are now booked again at Pop . Reason being we want the skyliner and all the other resorts I like are priced so high! We were going to stay at CBR, but the only rooms left were pirate rooms for 300 something a night.

 

[suse66]

Boardwalk on either the Inn or the Villas side is my never again. I hate the never ending hallways and it is way too chaotic for me. I like a resort that is more secluded and low key.

I have never stayed at the Contemporary but have no desire to do so either. Too sterile for my tastes.

 

[maryj11]

Boardwalk on either the Inn or the Villas side is my never again. I hate the never ending hallways and it is way too chaotic for me. I like a resort that is more secluded and low key.

I have never stayed at the Contemporary but have no desire to do so either. Too sterile for my tastes.

Agree about Contemporary. I have been there to eat and I did not like it either. Not my style! I like resorts like WL and Polynesian lol.

 

[jimmymc]

Agree about Contemporary. I have been there to eat and I did not like it either. Not my style! I like resorts like WL and Polynesian lol.

I like the new tower rooms at Contemporary, but not for the price they charge.

Bay lake tower has great 3 bedroom villas but the smaller ones are too generic for me.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Bay lake tower has great 3 bedroom villas but the smaller ones are too generic for me.

I like the BLT 1BRs a lot for the convenience of a second bathroom and the layout. The decor is okay. But I'm really hopeful that the next refurbishment, which should happen next year unless there is a delay, will make the rooms really nice

 

[jimmymc]

I like the BLT 1BRs a lot for the convenience of a second bathroom and the layout. The decor is okay. But I'm really hopeful that the next refurbishment, which should happen next year unless there is a delay, will make the rooms really nice

Always hope for a future refresh. I almost bought there anyway just for the location, but I really don't like the tower or the pool it has.

 

[KPeterso]

Bay Lake Tower - the studios are ridiculously small. And we only had 2 people and it was just so tight with a poorly laid out bathroom. And then the buses in the AM were a complete chaotic free for all. People who just arrived were getting on the buses arriving but those who had been waiting (and often 20-30 minutes) could not get on the buses. We had a scooter and the CM forgot to check if it was a bus we needed so we were on the 3rd bus out. We did get an extra fastpass for that day. But it was a fiasco every morning. I know anywhere can have bus issues, but this was just so much worse than anywhere else we have ever been that I refuse to return there. Oh and MK is my least favorite park (I am a Disneyland girl and our MK is so much better) so being in that area is not a bonus to me.

 

[bjcaed]

We did not care for AKL. We found long hallways and were up early and came back late so never saw animals from our room which was the whole reason of staying there. We did see them once when had an early dinner at Boma and went to the viewing areas before the meal which is what we do when we come for dinner at Boma once every trip there so did not feel very different. We also find the employees not that wonderful especially in the lobby. I do not remember what happened our stay was a long time ago just remember were not crazy about most CMs we encountered. When we went for dinner there in November we needed a cab back to our hotel as AK was going to close soon and went to the front desk and the person there refused to help us saying they don’t do things like that we are on our own. We did not understand because we were staying at CBR and the few days we needed a cab to get to a breakfast at another resort they were so wonderful handling it. We could not believe a moderate had better service than a deluxe.

Same here with AKL the LONG walk to our room at the end of the day was not fun. It's beautiful but we ar a one and done.

 

[bjcaed]

Now I am worried....we have 2 trips booked one at OKW and the other SSR, the price was just so good!!

a no for me is AKL because of the walk to the rooms and AS Movies becacuse the bus is shared and it was a mess. I don't love the Value resorts but when it used to be as great deal I didn't mind as much.
WL is by far our favorite for theming, pool and the food!

 

[jimmymc]

Now I am worried....we have 2 trips booked one at OKW and the other SSR, the price was just so good!!

a no for me is AKL because of the walk to the rooms and AS Movies becacuse the bus is shared and it was a mess. I don't love the Value resorts but when it used to be as great deal I didn't mind as much.
WL is by far our favorite for theming, pool and the food!

The only real downside is that you rely on busses for transportation, and they are large/spread out. Ubers are usually pretty cheap to get around property, even right at closing time.

 

[SwanVT2]

Now I am worried....we have 2 trips booked one at OKW and the other SSR, the price was just so good!!

a no for me is AKL because of the walk to the rooms and AS Movies becacuse the bus is shared and it was a mess. I don't love the Value resorts but when it used to be as great deal I didn't mind as much.
WL is by far our favorite for theming, pool and the food!

SSR is our favorite! Don’t worry! Lots of positives and beautiful renovated rooms

 

[Km_short]

Never again: OKW. The rooms are just too far from everything, even the "Near Hospitality House" rooms. The outside doors make it reminiscent of a moderate.

Never: SSR. I got lost there getting on the wrong bus, trying to get to Disney Springs. It feels just as spread out as OKW. And the mostly white just makes it feels so sterile.

Oh no. That’s where we plan on going lol

 

[redboat45]

Oh no. That’s where we plan on going lol

We love OKW. We had a standard view and we got lucky and were put not too far from the main pool. We were the 2nd bus stop though and it did take forever to go around the resort to all of the other stops. It was about a 20-30 minute ride just to get out of the resort! Having a car would be ideal for this resort.

 

[sticker231]

Bay Lake Tower - And then the buses in the AM were a complete chaotic free for all. People who just arrived were getting on the buses arriving but those who had been waiting (and often 20-30 minutes) could not get on the buses.

We had similar issues with the buses, Although we didn't have a scooter, boarding the bus was ridiculous. The front door would open and everyone would start loading, then for whatever reason they open the back door and people started getting on. Those who had been waiting longer sometimes had to wait or were jammed in the front while others were comfortable in the back. Frustrating!!!

 

[_19disnA]

I've never stayed at any of the Disney hotels before and am planning a trip next month for my youngest sons birthday. Now I'm wondering if I made the right call and should avoid them. Kind of surprised by all of these reviews.

Over the years have stayed onsite at a Disney hotel and also stayed offsite at other nearby properties. Enjoyed all of them. Staying offsite is generally a LOT cheaper and we mostly go to Disney to do the parks, while others seem more interested in the pool or hotel amenities. Disney food has always pricey, so we might also eat dinner at some non-Disney restaurant nearby. We stayed at the Contemporary during our last visit in 2019 and never had any issues with buses. People stood in line in an orderly manner and there were separate lines for each bus based on the destination.

Your preferences will probably relate to your budget, what you think of the various hotel themes and which parks you plan to visit. No one Disney hotel is closest to every park, so that could also impact your choices/preferences. If only doing MK, for example, staying at a resort near Epcot is far less convenient then one of the monorail hotels.

 

[JM_97]

All Star Movies. It felt like a glorified Motel 6 for the price of a Marriott. Kid-less trip so the theming wasn't for us, it was far away from everything, loud most of the time and the food court was crowded. If I'm paying almost $200/night, I'll stay in a Marriott or Hilton where it can be justified. The "Disney experience" isn't worth paying that much for a motel.

 

[GPC0321]

I have no desire to stay at any of the All-Stars or Pop or AoA ever. I'd stay off-site instead.
I would stay anywhere else on property, though POR, FW, CBR, tand OKW are way down on my list. I'm also not very interested in Riveria.

Also, I've stayed at Kidani twice and while I love a lot about it, if I go the AK route in the future, I'd prefer Jambo.

I love MK area or Epcot area for convenience...especially GF and BW. The theme of both of those is so charming to me.

 

[JM_97]

I have no desire to stay at any of the All-Stars or Pop or AoA ever. I'd stay off-site instead.
I would stay anywhere else on property, though POR, FW, CBR, tand OKW are way down on my list. I'm also not very interested in Riveria.

Also, I've stayed at Kidani twice and while I love a lot about it, if I go the AK route in the future, I'd prefer Jambo.

I love MK area or Epcot area for convenience...especially GF and BW. The theme of both of those is so charming to me.

Hard to go wrong with the MK and Epcot resorts, even if my bank account doesn't agree!

 

[GPC0321]

Hard to go wrong with the MK and Epcot resorts, even if my bank account doesn't agree!

Tell me about it. We normally rent DVC points which takes the sting out quite a bit. This year we're splurging on club level at Boardwalk over Christmas. Definitely the biggest price tag yet! Wow.