Which resort is right for me? Is one right for me?

[lyndseylamberson]

Don’t do the dining plan. You’ll end up overpaying. Do a grocery delivery for necessities (water, snacks, grab and go breakfast items)

Moderate resorts with transportation other than buses
-Caribbean Beach (skyliner)
-Port Orleans (boat to Disney Springs

Moderate with a Deluxe Feel: Coronado

Budget minded DVC deluxe rental: Old Key West or Animal Kingdom Lodge.

 

[titojackson84]

I have never used the dining plan, but did look into it and found that basically it is not going to save you money. One of the things to consider is which parks you plan on going to. I have a trip coming up in January, and my main focus is Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom. A year and a half ago I stayed at Pop and loved the skyliner. Pop is a value hotel, but having the Skyliner there was very convenient. The values don’t have table, service restaurants, only quick service, but for me that was fine. I have also stayed at Coronado but not in the tower and I had no complaints. It is buses only. I have also been to Disney while staying offsite and as the person who is always driving, I would much rather spend extra to stay on site. Any money you might save from a cheaper hotel would be spent on something else like rideshare or renting a car.

If you are looking to do Epcot Magic Kingdom, then one of the deluxe near either of those might make more sense. If you are doing Epcot and Hollywood Studios, I would seriously consider one of the Skyliner hotels if you need a table service, but stayed at Pop you could just hop on the Skyliner and take it right to CBR.

 

[ShannyMcB]

If extra hours are a serious consideration what about a split stay? Figure out which nights you would actually use it and book those nights at a deluxe and do the nights before at a moderate? You'll save a bit of money most likely.
Haven't stayed at too many wdw resorts but did have good experiences at both coronado and cbr and had a friend rave about POFQ

 

[sheilafri]

Try the Swan or Dolphin. They are priced like a moderate but with the extra hours benefit. If you book far enough ahead you should be able to snag a decent rate. They have their own bus system but it has worked for us.

 

[miked1978]

If you are a bargain hunter you need to look into renting DVC points especially if you want a deluxe room.

A question you need to ask yourself is, how much time are you going to spend at the resort? If you are rope dropping and staying as late as you can in the parks then you need to ask yourself is a deluxe resort worth it bc all you are going to be doing is sleeping in your room.

 

[bnf0522]

We love staying at Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter because of the boat access to Disney Springs and the relaxing feel. If you're going to spend a lot of time at Disney Springs, these might be the moderates to look into.

They only have bus service to the parks, but we've never had a bad experience with the bus service!

Good luck with the planning and have a great trip!

 

[katyjeka]

I would look into renting DVC points. It's a great way to stay deluxe for a lot less money.