Which resort

[bcsmom]

O.k. here is my dilema. I was planning on staying at the BC, but my friend is not able to get me a discount there for my stay. I always stay at the Poly, but I wanted to try something new. So my new choices are the Poly, CR, or WL. Also, do you think the CR or WL are worth trying over the Poly? Should we just stick with the Poly?

 

[M.K. Poppins]

Give the WL a chance! It is a beautiful and rustic, I stayed there about 10 years ago and loved it!! At least you can say you stayed there, and if you don't like it, you can always go back to the Poly!!

 

[the kabuki]

My 1st choice would be Poly, but since you've already stayed there, then I'd pick WL. Never been a fan of CR

 

[bcsmom]

Thanks guys! I know I will get a much better rate at WL. I just LOVE the convienence of the Poly. I do have a 18 month old traveling with us, so does this make a difference in your vote? Does it sound like I am trying to sway your votes to the Poly ?

 

[Cinderella]

WL and Poly are my favourite resorts but WL is where I have stayed most, both for the dramatic, relaxing theming and the price - which is much lower than at the other resorts. If you really want to pay the extra for the poly, then do, it is also fantastic. But, if you are wanting to save cash give the lodge a try - you won't be disappointed. And yes - I have been there with a child that young and it worked out just fine.

 

[bcsmom]

WL and Poly are my favourite resorts but WL is where I have stayed most, both for the dramatic, relaxing theming and the price - which is much lower than at the other resorts. If you really want to pay the extra for the poly, then do, it is also fantastic. But, if you are wanting to save cash give the lodge a try - you won't be disappointed. And yes - I have been there with a child that young and it worked out just fine.

Thanks for the input. I was just worried about transportation not being quite as good. I know it will not be the monorail, but we will probably have our car with us anyhow. I think we might try the WL. I wanted to eat at WCC anyhow.

 

[swilphil]

If transportation is important, I would give the Contemporary a try. Maybe you can get a renovated room. Have you seen the pics? It's great to be able to walk to MK from CR, and the rooms are HUGE!

 

[iliketoby]

If the Poly and WL were equal in price, I'd still pick WL. Just love it.

I do not care for the Contemporary at all. If you have to have that monorail, go with the Poly.

 

[bcsmom]

If transportation is important, I would give the Contemporary a try. Maybe you can get a renovated room. Have you seen the pics? It's great to be able to walk to MK from CR, and the rooms are HUGE!

I have seen the new rooms, and I thought they looked very nice too. I am glad they renovated, because I did not care for the look of the old rooms. Do you know how the pool is?

Iliketoby I think the WL looks really neat too. I think all disney deluxes are neat though I do love the monorail. Mostly I just like choices in my transportation. MK is our main park also. I know my kids really want to try the WL. I will definitely have to pick in at least a week so I can book this darn trip.

 

[ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

If you get a tower room, Im all for CR!

 

[sleepydog25]

Reasons to try WL:
1) You'll love the majestic music, a mix of movie Westerns (think Magnificent Seven, Silverado, et. al.) and Aaron Copland's wonderful compositions.
2) The main pool, though not an "E" ticket ride by itself, is quite fun and near the Roaring Forks grill.
3) The lobby. It alone is nearly worth trying WL.
4) Relative calm. If you're like me, after a day of rubbing elbows with tens of thousands of your closest friends, then you're ready to relax back at your resort. WL offers perhaps the quietest atmosphere of all the resorts.
5) The boat ride. MK is a short, fun, calming boat ride away. The boat can be a long wait during peak times or if you close MK down at night, but a little planning can alleviate that issue. There is also a direct bus to MK from WL now, as well. We like to hit MK (or any other park for that matter) early, then come back to the Lodge around 2 p.m. to rest, swim, and hang out until it's time for our nightly activities. The boat makes that an easy thing to do.
6) WCC. Okay, I list this only because the majority of posters would likely agree that this is a fun place to eat with good food. In all honesty, we've eaten here twice and not enjoyed it either time. Neither the food nor service was good, and we tried both the a la carte menu and the all-you-care-to-eat skillet meal. The latter is better but more expensive unless you're big eaters. And it is noisy in there, so I don't know how your 18-month old would do. Obviously, you know the answer to that issue better than anyone. But, if you go, prepare for boisterous behavior, lots of yelling, stick horse races, and an overall atmosphere of fun and games vice a nice sit down meal.
7) Artist Point. I realize you may want to eat here, but my wife and I love it. . .as does our young daughter! The food is tremendous and the service exemplary. Plus, they are kid friendly, though AP is an upscale restaurant. The last time we went, we used the Cubs' Den for our daughter, and she liked that even better than going out to eat with us. So, while she played we enjoyed a leisurely, adult-oriented meal. The meal is paced as you might expect a higher end restaurant to be, so expect to spend a couple of hours there if you go.
8) Roaring Forks Grill. It has quick, hot sandwiches made to order, a small deli-style take out area, and long operating hours. This makes for a very convenient place to grab a quick bite to eat or a drink. And it's not far from anything.
9) The walking path between WL and FW is a mile one way, and is a fun way to get in a bit of nature sight-seeing. I once saw a hawk on the ground with the prey in his talons no more than 25 feet away as I ran the path. You can also rent bikes at WL to make that trip. There was a petting zoo over at FW, but I don't know if it's still open.
10) The geyser. It goes off every hour until about 10 p.m., and is a real treat to see. Plus, at night, you can sit on the beach and watch the Electric Water Pageant unfold in front of you. You can even see the fireworks over at Disney from a few places at WL.

In case you can't tell, we love WL. It's convenient with its boat to MK, buses to any park, and if you have a car, there is no place you can't get to, anyway. Finally, if you've done the Poly, then why not give WL a try? I'm fairly certain you won't be disappointed. Good luck with your decision! aw:

 

[kimmar067]

....absolutely MUST have a monrail resort, go for Contempoorary. Otherwise, my vote is for WL - it's sooo peaceful and lovely....

 

[swilphil]

The pool doesn't have the lush landscaping that some of the resorts do, but it does have a nice slide and a hot tub that's basically right in the middle of the pool. If you are going in January, I don't know that you will be using any pool a lot, but if you do you'll definitely need a hot tub, and the Poly doesn't have one.

 

[Bugsmom73]

I enjoyed the WL. WE had DS who was 13mos at the time and we did fine, used either boat or bus most of the time, except the second trip to DTD.

 

[DIS~n~JAN]

O.k. here is my dilema. I was planning on staying at the BC, but my friend is not able to get me a discount there for my stay. I always stay at the Poly, but I wanted to try something new. So my new choices are the Poly, CR, or WL. Also, do you think the CR or WL are worth trying over the Poly? Should we just stick with the Poly?

Hi, we too are going to WL. Don't forget that the Roaring Forks counter service will be closed on Jan 9/06- March?/06 for refurb. I'm disappointed, but we're still going to stay at that resort.

 

[bcsmom]

Sleepydog25 boy I can tell you love WL . I am really thinking of trying it. I think the kids will really enjoy it. Your post was a terrific selling point. I am just so nervous about missing the monorail. I am not to sure now if we are driving or flying, so I am taking my car out of the equation for a while.

Hi dis~in~jan, I did not know roaring forks would be closed, but we do not eat to much counter service anyhow. I just love to eat TS while on vacation It's funny how you always have room for app, food & dessert on vacation .

Thanks everyone for your votes, boy it sure makes decisions easier. I do not not know if i am suppossed to thank everyone or if I am being overly thankful , but I just feel like it is the right thing to do Anyway I know I am rambling, but I do love this board. Now my DH does not think I am the only disney obsessed

 

[mikewdw]

hi,
i would like to throw in my vote for WL too! my wife and i loved it! it is our favorite (although we have loved all of the resorts we have stayed at). we did not have a little one we we went but we loved the boat ride to MK and enjoyed meals at both restaraunts there. the lobby is truly amazing. i liked to just take my time and look around there when we went through. i teach math in high school and of course all my examples in class deal with WDW. when students ask me about places there I always show them the wilderness lodge pics from allearsnet.com. i think you will love the relaxed atmosphere there and if you can, get a room with a balcony overlooking the lake. we were able to watch the electrical light parade from our balcony 2 or 3 nights. i have never stayed at poly or cr but not sure if i could get my wife to try them now. she loves the wl the most.
good luck and have a great trip,
mikewdw

 

[bcsmom]

hi,
i would like to throw in my vote for WL too! my wife and i loved it! it is our favorite (although we have loved all of the resorts we have stayed at). mikewdw

Mike thanks for your vote. I think we are going to give WL a try. It will even say us some money, so I might really like it better . I will let everyone know how our trip turns out in I think 53 days.

 

[sleepydog25]

bcsmom:
Once last thing I forgot to mention. Though we've never tried finding them, I've heard there are hidden Mickeys throughout the resort, and that the front desk can provide you with a list of clues. So, you could tell we like WL? What gave it away? Have a great trip, and we look forward to hearing how it all went when you get back. aw:

 

[bcsmom]

bcsmom:
Once last thing I forgot to mention. Though we've never tried finding them, I've heard there are hidden Mickeys throughout the resort, and that the front desk can provide you with a list of clues. So, you could tell we like WL? What gave it away? Have a great trip, and we look forward to hearing how it all went when you get back. aw:

I will definitely post when I return. Thank you so much for all the info.