Which would you choose?

[my2lovedisney]

We are headed back to Disney World in September. Would you choose to stay in a standard room at WL, ones that "overlooks parking lots/delivery areas" or stay at POR with a room that has a better view? POR would end up being a bit less, we are hardly in our room.

What are the pros/cons of these resorts? How is bus service at each?

Thanks in advance!

 

[starrysky]

I have not stayed at WL but I have stayed at POR.

We liked POR its got a great location close to DTD and the boat ride to there is lovely and relaxing.

We liked the food court and its got a good sized store.

If it were a choice of cheaper room and less worry about how much it was costing I would go with POR. If the level of hotel is worth more to you go with WL.

I love the idea of staying in a delux and the closest I have got is OKW. We loved OKW and are staying there on our upcoming trip. This might be an option for you if you want the delux level at a cheaper price. Maybe rent some points or see what offers are out therre.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We are headed back to Disney World in September. Would you choose to stay in a standard room at WL, ones that "overlooks parking lots/delivery areas" or stay at POR with a room that has a better view? POR would end up being a bit less, we are hardly in our room.

What are the pros/cons of these resorts? How is bus service at each?

Thanks in advance!

How much less? And how much is x amount important to you? Depending on the difference I would choose WL. I think WL is a great option for the boat access to MK, and you could pretty easily get to the monorail from WL too. I haven't stayed at either, but want to stay at both. I had thought of changing our Poly/BC split to WL for the whole 10 nights, but it would only save us $275. For us, that's a small enough difference that we are sticking with our current split...the amount "saved" could easily be blown by us in the course of a week...if the savings are more significant, you may want to consider POR.

 

[mickeynut1]

My choice would be the WL . We've never stayed at POR, but we love the WL. The resort is beautiful, it's great having the boat for going to the MK as well as the CR where we can hop on the monorail to visit the Poly and GF, the pool is great, and I love hearing the boat whistles around the resort as the boats come and go from the boat dock. With all of that said, I don't think you can go wrong with either resort, but I would choose the WL .

 

[OldGrizzly57]

If you have younger children and MK will be a bigger part of your trip then WL for sure. If it is just you and spouse with your time pretty evenly spread at all parks then you would probably be very happy with POR.

Griz

 

[maryj11]

We have stayed at both, I like both and both were very nice. I remember there was less walking at the WL and POR is a larger resort. I guess if you pay for a preferred room at POR it wouldnt be such a long hike to the food court and pool. I would stay at either again but get a preferred room at POR. I liked the pool at WL better than POR and the boat to Magic Kingdom. I liked the food court , beautiful grounds, and boat ride to DTD at POR. So I guess it depends on which you think you would like better and of course the money factor.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I have only stayed at POR. And I love it!

To me it comes down to how much you plan to spend time on your balcony at WL. If you are the type of person that enjoys time on the balcony, overlooking a parking lot or delivery area would not be much fun. I would also worry about noise from the delivery trucks with that location.

Some pros to WL are: More table service options, balcony, slightly larger room (340 square feet vs 314 at POR), boat to MK, beach area to enjoy Electrical Water Pageant and Wishes. You can also easily boat over to the CR which has lots of dining options and hop on the monorail to other resorts and the TTC.

Pros to POR: Recently redone rooms, more pools, way better counter serve options, boat to DTD, closer to Epcot and DHS, cheaper, live entertainment at the lounge as well as being a "sister" resort to POFQ and its food court, pool and live entertainment at its lounge.

For what its worth, I would never pay more for a view room at POR or any other mod. Since you do not have a balcony, its not like you will spend a lot of time admiring that view and given the fact the walkways are right outside your window, you might not want to even have the drapes open to enjoy the view from inside the room. Now I have seen photos of the beautiful river views at POR and POFQ, however, I would still not pay extra for one. Preferred location and Royale rooms, yes, view no. That is just me.

I don't think you can make a bad choice, but have to say we love POR. But really want to try WL someday. Its just for us, with our 10+ day trips, I can't seem to want to pay that much more over a mod for a balcony and a room that is only 25 square feet larger.

 

[fla4fun]

One thing to throw into the mix - September is the peak of hurricane season. IF a storm heads our way, WL is all self contained in one building with interior corridors. POR is not. At POR you could be restricted to your room for up to 24-36 hours, depending on how fast the storm moves. At WL, you may be allowed to wander through the hotel lobby and other public areas at least during part of the storm. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

I've stayed at both, and had great trips at both, so you can't really make a bad choice between them.

 

[canter2u]

WL is a beautiful resort, and has the BEST pool on property. Having been to Disney a lot as you can see, and now a DVC member, I have asked a lost of cast members o. Their opinion everyone says the WL pool is the best. Boat transport is great, music's great, food and smells are awesome, snack bar is great. Just will just feel like a millions bucks every time you walk in the lobby. I highly recommend the wilderness lodge!

 

[Sue M]

Both are great resorts. But with the ages of your children I'd pick WL- you would be only a boat ride away from MK, and just an elevator ride down to food cs or TS. Path to bus stop is under cover.
As mentioned, Aug/Sept is rainy season, with daily T-Storms around 3pm! You can set your watch to them We always go late Aug. I think only 1 Aug I can remember it was an unusually dry spell.