Wilderness Lodge or POR/POFQ?

[boygirlmama]

We're planning to book a trip for either early January or early May and we have it narrowed down to a few resorts, but from here I cannot decide. We've never stayed on site before. When we stay at hotels, we usually choose Marriott's Courtyards or Hampton Inn. We like to have comfortable beds and enjoy pools and hot tubs, but don't plan to spend a ton of time in the room. We do have 2 children: a 7 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. Last time we went to the World we did not take breaks because we were offsite and this time we plan to get back to the hotel and swim and give the kids (and us!) a break from the parks.
Also, this will be our last trip to the World for awhile. DH is beginning a medical program in mid-January and will only have certain breaks. We will be living apart while he pursues this dream so I don't have to leave my job locally. He will be home most weekends and on his breaks. So as you can see, we want this to be an extra special vacation. Normally we'd likely choose a moderate, but I am so tempted to splurge for WL because I feel like we're making a lot of sacrifices for the next few years and deserve to reward ourselves.
Anyways, which would you choose: Wilderness Lodge or POR/POFQ and why?

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

DH & I love WL. We chose it mainly because we were going to be going to MK & Epcot alot. But our most recent trips have actually been to POR & we've found it more relaxing and enjoyable. We went in April & I suprised him with a carriage ride through POFQ. We chose to stay in a preferred room in AB & it was great. We had a quiet pool just steps from our room & the food court & main bus stop were really close. We loved relaxing in the chairs outside the lobby & people watching or sitting & relaxing at the Muddy Rivers Pool bar. We missed out on the campfires or the movies, but we also took the boat to DTD for fun there. If you've never stayed at POR check out the fantastic website www.portorleans.org. It really helped us to decide to go back there once we were empty nesters.

 

[firstwdw]

Oh that's a tough one! The only two we have stayed at are WL and POR both within the past two years. We have a 7 year old.

We liked the following better at POR: the food court, bigger arcade, fishing, boat to downtown Disney, better playground, longer water slide, loved the pool with fun water features and POR had a bigger gift shop and music entertainment for families at night.

At WL we loved the lobby, the geyser, hot tubs and boat to magic kingdom. We also liked having a balcony and seeing the higher fireworks through the trees. .

But we felt POR was very kid friendly and I just can't justify the extra money.

Good luck deciding! Both are great choices! We did a preferred room at POR so our walks were not far at all!

 

[firstwdw]

Oh and loved the campfire at POR too!!! So much fun!

 

[mickeynut1]

We're planning to book a trip for either early January or early May and we have it narrowed down to a few resorts, but from here I cannot decide. We've never stayed on site before. When we stay at hotels, we usually choose Marriott's Courtyards or Hampton Inn. We like to have comfortable beds and enjoy pools and hot tubs, but don't plan to spend a ton of time in the room. We do have 2 children: a 7 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. Last time we went to the World we did not take breaks because we were offsite and this time we plan to get back to the hotel and swim and give the kids (and us!) a break from the parks.
Also, this will be our last trip to the World for awhile. DH is beginning a medical program in mid-January and will only have certain breaks. We will be living apart while he pursues this dream so I don't have to leave my job locally. He will be home most weekends and on his breaks. So as you can see, we want this to be an extra special vacation. Normally we'd likely choose a moderate, but I am so tempted to splurge for WL because I feel like we're making a lot of sacrifices for the next few years and deserve to reward ourselves.
Anyways, which would you choose: Wilderness Lodge or POR/POFQ and why?

We've never stayed at POR or POFQ, but we love the WL and have had 2 great stays there. The WL is a beautiful resort with a gorgeous lobby, the pool is fun, Roaring Forks is great for quick CS meals/snacks, and it's convenient to MK via boat. The WL is also convenient to the CR via boat where you can shop/dine/visit and then hop on the monorail to visit the Poly and GF for a variety of dining and shopping options. I'm sure you will have a great trip no matter which resort you choose, but the WL is an amazing deluxe resort without the high price like those of the monorail and Epcot resorts.

 

[alc571]

We love POR, and so does our DS7. We always book a garden view room, and request Magnolia Terrace. We have always had our request met. It's close to a quiet pool, bus stop and the nightly movies. It's also a very short walk to the main pool, lobby, restaurants, etc. We love DTD, which was our main reason for initially choosing the resort. The quick service food is amazing - build your own pasta, and the pizza is great. I love the atmosphere - very relaxing.

I'm getting a little teary...I miss it and wish I were there now! lol

Edited to add - your DS7 would love the 2hr Pirate Adventure Cruise that sails from POR. For $35 it was the best value in entertainment for 2 hours we could find. 2 hours of alone time was great too!

 

[keishashadow]

OP we've enjoyed our trips to POR FQ, especially when there's free dining. It's a lovely resort but it is a moderate and has exterior corridors which equates to us keeping our curtains shut, my only complaint.

We own @ VWL and it holds a special place in my heart. We love the theming, pool and how the resort feels so removed from the hub-bub of the parks and it's great to be able to take the boat back from the MK after a long day. WL often is included in the sales, however, you may want to consider renting points (not a solicitation, i'm always short on points lol) from a DVC member via the rental board here to save some extra $. i'm (obviously) partial to the DVC units. they are quieter than many of the lobby rooms and a short walk to the main lobby.

 

[PSULion]

We just made a similar choice... And at the end of the day the boat from WL to MK was the deal breaker. We have two little guys, and having that extra transportation option was huge for us. Especially when the little ones were asleep in the stroller at MK and we could just push them on the boat instead of schlepping everything onto the bus. It was such a great option for us that we're headed back to WL for the second year in a row. It's a splurge for us too, but soooo worth it! Good luck with your choice!

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

We're usually a Value family, staying at POFQ next month for the first time. For our budget this works and we've been perfectly happy everywhere we've stayed.

I think I'd look at what the difference is between the two resorts for your length of stay. Then I'd book either POR/POFQ and spend the extra money you save for some special experiences! As you said, you don't spend tons of time in the room and I'm sure they'll love either of those resorts. With all that extra $$$, book a special event or tour, the Wishes Dessert party, special dinner out, PhotoPass+ to be sure to get lots of great family shots, carriage ride at the resort, etc., etc. I think your kids will remember those family experiences more than which resort they stay at!

 

[dmaz]

We have stayed at all 3. Loved the WL in Jan. It was nice to have a refuge if the weather was not favorable...and it wasn't. Temps were in the 50's that year. It was wonderful to not have to leave the building to get food and plenty of things to look at inside if the weather is bad. We did a tour of the hotel on one of the worst days. The boat also can not be beat if you plan on spending most of your time at MK. We had such a wonderful time we added a night at the last minute!

Second for us would be POR. It was our first onsite and what made us fall in love with Disney. I would hesitate to stay anywhere but a preferred room, if you plan on walking with the kids for food. Some of the buildings are really far from the Food Court.

We did not care for POFQ... just not for us. I know many love the small size but it felt too small for us.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We also narrowed it down to POR and WL and have ended up deciding to pay the extra and do WL for both this year and last year's trips. Like others have mentioned, the location at WL is awesome with the views of Bay Lake and boat transportation options. You can boat direct to MK or an even shorter 5 minute boat ride to CR to hop on the monorail. You also have buses to all parks as well, which isn't as much fun as the other options but they really are efficient. We minimize the cost difference by just doing a Standard View booking at WL, and have always ended up with nice rooms.

Both POR and WL have a similar rural feel that we really enjoy. WL is all under one roof which is great in bad weather and means you are never far from food and drink refills, but POR has a bigger food court for cheaper dining options. The boat to DTD is a POR advantage, although we were surprised at how long the lines for it could get. At WL we like being able to walk or boat over to Fort Wilderness to check things out and look around. Either way though they are both nice places to stay with a similar feel.

 

[Gary M]

We have stayed at POR once and the WL several times. For a special trip I would choose the WL. Look for room discounts for the time of your trip, you may save 30% to 35% of off your room or maybe free dining might be a choice.

I would get a woods view room facing the MK. When making reservations ask for 4th floor room so you can watch some of the fireworks from MK. You might check bunk beds, if you think your kids could use this type of bed.

The WL will be worth staying at, you won't regret it.

Check the link below about the WL. Look at the photos.

http://allears.net/acc/faq_wl.htm

 

[Headed4Fun]

We're planning to book a trip for either early January or early May and we have it narrowed down to a few resorts, but from here I cannot decide. We've never stayed on site before. When we stay at hotels, we usually choose Marriott's Courtyards or Hampton Inn. We like to have comfortable beds and enjoy pools and hot tubs, but don't plan to spend a ton of time in the room. We do have 2 children: a 7 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. Last time we went to the World we did not take breaks because we were offsite and this time we plan to get back to the hotel and swim and give the kids (and us!) a break from the parks.
Also, this will be our last trip to the World for awhile. DH is beginning a medical program in mid-January and will only have certain breaks. We will be living apart while he pursues this dream so I don't have to leave my job locally. He will be home most weekends and on his breaks. So as you can see, we want this to be an extra special vacation. Normally we'd likely choose a moderate, but I am so tempted to splurge for WL because I feel like we're making a lot of sacrifices for the next few years and deserve to reward ourselves.
Anyways, which would you choose: Wilderness Lodge or POR/POFQ and why?

We're going through the exact same decision right now. Currently booked at POFQ (which we LOVE) for October, but with the fall specials that may come out, an upgrade to WL would only be a little bit more. We are trying really hard to justify spending the money. Saving the money and staying at POFQ means we could get the photopass or an extra souvenir for the kids.

We know what we're getting with POFQ and we don't want to regret upgrading and asking ourselves why we spent the extra money for no reason. We spend most of our time in the parks and just use the room for sleeping. It would be awesome to be a boat ride away from MK and have everything in one building, but still not sure if those perks justify the extra expense.

I guess if the intent of my trip was to stay at the resort and enjoy the amenities, the decision would be easier but knowing that an opportunity to stay at WL is only a little extra is really tempting!

Good luck with your decision and let us know what you choose!

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We've stayed at both POR and WL. WL wins, hands down. If you're planning on taking a break to go back to the room, from the MK you're looking at a minimum 25 minute bus ride to POR, and are likely to have to stand. Contrast that with a 10 minute boat ride back to WL. If I were going for a special trip, I'd take WL any day.

 

[mirage0306]

We have not stayed at POR, but we have stayed at WL and we all absolutely loved it. It was just a wonderful resort in every way. I would recommend it to anyone anyway but in your situation, with your husband being gone the way he will, I would REALLY recommend it. I think if the additional cost won't stress you out, you should go for it. It is gorgeous, the boat transportation to MK is wonderful, the food options are good, just everything about it is magical.

 

[starousse]

I'm having the same dilemma. Two years ago stayed at WL, loved it. This year went to Beach Club, good not great. Next year in May, we're doing a land/sea trip and I've narrowed it down between WL and POR. Right now I'm leaning towards WL with the hopes of a nice 25% or 30% discount. The convenience of the boat ride to MK, and the fact that everything is under one roof makes it worth it. We also love Artist Point as well.

 

[luvallprincesses]

We've stayed at both POR and WL. WL wins, hands down. If you're planning on taking a break to go back to the room, from the MK you're looking at a minimum 25 minute bus ride to POR, and are likely to have to stand. Contrast that with a 10 minute boat ride back to WL. If I were going for a special trip, I'd take WL any day.

I agree with this because you made it very clear in your post that you wanted to be able to take breaks. We have stayed at all 3 and would do any of them again, but the time you save on transportation to/from MK with little kids is money well spent. It's also nice if one of you decides to stay in the park longer with your older child while one takes the little one for a nap; it's a quick boat ride keeping the stroller opened, so very do-able for one parent. Then the older one can have some park time alone with a parent and take a shorter hotel break or skip it all together once in awhile. All beautiful, quiet, relaxing resorts. But location, location, location if you won't be back for awhile.

 

[Headed4Fun]

Well, not sure where you are with your decision but we bit the bullet and upgraded today! Heading to WL! Woo hoo! Even tho I wasn't the original poster, I appreciated the input from everyone who responded! We're excited!!!

 

[new girl]

We just moved from POR to WL! So happy to hear that we'll be close to MK! I'm super excited!!! Cannot wait! 83 days...