Which Resorts to "tour" for Christmas?

[lovetoscrap]

I am planing on Touring several of the Deluxe Resorts to see the Christmas decorations next week. Getting to the Monorail resorts will be no problem and I definitely want to see the GF, but not sure if the Polonesian is worth it? I also want to see AK, not just for the decorations! I am not sure I will have time to get to the Wilderness Lodge or Yacht and Beach Clubs. Should I definitely try to make the time? If I could only get to 5 resorts specifically to see the Christmas Decor, which should they be?

Also, are any of the moderates worth touring (any WOW factor?).

Also, would it be better to try to go after dark to some of the resorts to see how they are lit? I am mostly planning to go during the day, but could try to see a few after dark.

 

[karenmason]

As a December veteran, you should make an effort to view all the deluxe resorts at this time. Hop on the monorail for three monorail resorts and then stop over at the Beach Club and Yacht Club. You won't regret it.
Also Wilderness Lodge.

 

[domestic goddess]

The WL is wonderful at Christmas time! If you get a chance I would definitely get over there. There is just something about the fireplace and the warmth of the Lodge that make it seem so much like home and all of the decorations make it beautiful at Christmas.

Enjoy!! We leave for WDW in 19 days!!!!! We can't wait to be at WL again for Christmas!

 

[oogieboogie]

Definitely see WL. It is so beautiful and it's only a short boat ride from MK. You can stop on your way to have lunch at Trail's End at FW while on your MK day.

 

[Lou-Ann]

Do not miss WL.............it is just beautiful................

 

[Hieatt]

I would have to say don't miss:

1. Boardwalk Inn
2. Yacht/Beach Club
3. Grand Floridian
4. Dolphin

I haven't seen Wilderness Lodge at Christmas.

 

[HollyJoy]

Which lodge has the giant Gingerbread house?

 

[Hieatt]

Which lodge has the giant Gingerbread house?

There may be more than one, but the Grand Floridian definitely has one.

 

[msr709]

I have to agree with most of these posts. I did what you are planning on doing and I didn't make it to the Polynesian but I did see the WL and it was very impressive, we spent 3 hours taking pics and just looking around and then had dinner at CR at Concourse Steakhouse and then looked around and took pics. I liked it even more than the GF but you should definitely see GF, the Gingerbread house is beautiful! Out of CR, GR, WL, I liked the WL the best then GF, then CR. I also saw CBR, CSR, but they weren't as impressive as the first 3 I mentioned. HTH.

 

[Sherrynny]

If you can only tour a few hotels, do what I do, play "Bus Bingo". Take the first bus you see to one of the parks, do not go in, take the first hotel bus that you see. Go to the hotel, tour the grounds, go back and take the next bus to a park, doesn't matter which one, and repeat. I do this every year, and its great, I get to see the changes that are made to the resorts. I don't try to do every resort, but it's a great way to spend a non-park day. The must sees in my book are GF and Boardwalk. The WL is nice, but I have that in my backyard, I live WAY upstate in NY. So have fun, take your time and ENJOY!!

 

[msr709]

Just to make it clear, I think WL is a must see not because of the woodsy scenery but because the tree is one of the most beautiful and original I've seen, and I doubt very much you can find it in anyone's "backyard". LOL!

 

[Sherrynny]

We'll just have to agree to disagree,LOL, I guess that's why there are so many different style of resorts. If you mean directly in my backyard, no; however, if I drive an hour north and stay with friends in the Adirondacks like I do every January, then yes, I do have it in my backyard. The reason I have never stayed at WL, is I stay in a similar to ,albeit, smaller winter home outside of Lake Placid every year.

 

[PamNC]

from a long weekend at the World and we saw lots of decorations. Our 5 favorites were: Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Dolphin, Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach.

The Polynesian, although it's my favorite resort, isn't the most decorated at the holidays. Contemporary wasn't that spectacular either.

I'd say the overall winner was the Grand, followed closely by WL. Be sure to take the sleigh ride from WL.

PamNC

 

[kldmom2000]

The Yacht and Beach Clubs are always decked out in beautiful Christmas decor.... of course I'm biased since it's my favorite hotel and where we always stay!!!

 

[tinkandhook]

DD12 and i are planning on touring some of the resort hotels to see the decorations..(gee thanks samnatha brown - she loves that show on travel channel) anyways. we will be using the disney buses(monorails ect.) to get around. Of all the times we have been to WDW this will be our first time staying at a disney resort (all stars sports) so it will be the first time using the disney transportation,so i was hoping someone could help me with some ?'s.
do you have to show your resort key or anything to get on the bus?
we are hoping to see at least the akl, gf, & boardwalk..
we will be eating at planet hollywood(DD choice) at 2:00 and then plan to go see as much as we can. what time do the buses stop running from the hotels?

TIA,
tinkandhook

 

[SnowWitch]

1. Wl
2. Gf
3. Bwv
4. Bc/yc
5. Akl

 

[kbkids]

We're planning to see Grand Floridian, Poly, Yacht/Beach Club, Boardwalk - we're staying at the Dolphin. And the morning we're leaving, we're having breakfast at Wilderness Lodge - but we can't get Animal Kingdom Lodge squeezed in anywhere - are we missing anything?

 

[D&R love Disney]

My 2 favorites are Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian. Both are so beautifully decorated for the holidays.
We are planning on a December trip for next year and have to decide where to stay. DH suggested WL since he hasn't stayed there since 2001. I'm thinking CR 14th if available, not for the decorations at CR but the spectacular view and service.

 

[eelvira]

TinkandHook,

You really don't need anything to use the Disney transportation. I've heard from people at this board that they could be asked for the resort key. My experience is that we were not asked. Last time I was there in October we stayed at the Radisson at the other side of I-4 (we didn't know about this board, codes, etc...now we are going to POR in a couple of weeks for the same price...THANKS DISBOARDS!) and we droved over to the Beach Club as we had seen the Samantha Brown Great Hotels in the Travel Channel where she went to Beaches and Cream to eat the kitchen sink and we wanted to check it out.

The CM at the gate told us to park in the visitor parking lot across the street. We walked to the hotel and did a bunch of stuff. We rented surey bike at the BW, walked around, checked the hotels. Later we took the bus to MK to transfer to the monorail to visit the CR, my daughter loved it and now we have PS booked for a dinner and breakfast at Chef Mickey's (a program in the Food Channel about food at WDW also impressed us both...I love having a TiVo with a Disney wishlist to record all kind of Disney related programs) returned to MK to take the bus back to the BC. We rented a little boat, etc...We had a blast. No one ever asked us for any key or anything. Think about it, you roam through their hotels, fall in love with them and they get more future guests...Why charge for the internal buses when this can pay big time in the long run?

My DD12 loved doing this and for this next trip we are more interested in going resort hopping and checking them out for future stays, check Xmas decorations, etc than to going to the parks themselves. We'll probably just go to MK and MGM this trip.

Have fun
Eric

 

[Dana49]

You should try and visit all of the deluxe resorts. My personal favorite was the Yacht Club. My least favorite was the Polynesian. Enjoy!