You pick: Resort for 1st time back after COVID

[VH103428]

We went to Poly back in August. It was amazing! The rooms are bigger and the extra "bathroom" is very nice to have. September we were at Wilderness and had a great time. We actually enjoyed being near MK but not on the monorail route. In December we went to OKW for a quick Christmas trip and we're very surprised by how much we enjoyed it. We enjoyed the proximity to Disney Springs and how it was Disney but not too much Disney. We left it up to our kids to choose for our next trip and they picked OKW. It would have been Poly but we are waiting until it is fully open again to return.

 

[KPeterso]

I stayed at the Beach Club Villas for my visit last week. I originally booked Boardwalk, but then waitlisted for Beach Club and it came through since my friends were staying there. I am very happy with the decision to stay at an Epcot area resort as I really like walking to Epcot or riding the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios (although I did walk 1 morning too). Buses were also good the few times I used them this trip. I would stay at either Beach or Boardwalk again in a heartbeat.

That said for my September trip, I am staying at AKV - Kidani. I have a 1 bedroom savannah view booked for my Mom and myself. We have a 12 day trip planned, so the extra space will be nice and we can enjoy the animals. Also, we can make a few meals in if we choose with the kitchen. Oh and we also just love AKV, so while others do not like the proximity to the parks, that does not bother us at all. Part of why it is one of my DVC homes.

 

[RJHopson]

Stayed at Riviera last July shortly after re-opening. Fantastic resort and so happy to be back at the Magic.

 

[brockash]

For people who have been back to WDW, which resort would YOU pick to stay at given the new procedures and how the parks function?

Edit: looking for people's experiences with being back at the World in it's new state (transportation being funky, limited dining options, shorter park hours etc)

I'd pick an Epcot area resort or CR/Grand...since you can walk to at least 1 park. Where are you planning on spending most of your time?

The only place I'd definitely not stay at again would be AKL. We stayed there in Oct. and it was impossible to get to a park 45 mins ahead of park open using Disney transportation and getting there 45-60 mins prior as opposed to 30 made a HUGE difference. Also, they had basically no CS food open and the tiny gift shop and lobby area was way too small for the amount of ppl that were staying there.

We also stayed at Poly in Sept. and that was nice, but not sure it'd be my first choice with all the construction.

We just got back from CBR and it was fine and transportation worked out pretty well, the resort for us is just a little big.

 

[brockash]

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[pixieprincess925]

We stayed at BWV back in September with minimal dining options. They've since corrected that, so it would be more pleasant now. Poly in Oct right when the monorail closed. CCV in December, POP/BLT/Riviera in January. All the resorts were pleasant. It was great to be back in the magic. Transportation was good, though there is a backup at the skyliner at park opening and park close.

 

[fla4fun]

I have stayed at Pop three times since the parks reopened and have another Pop stay booked for late April. I love the Skyliner, and for the bulk of those stays, there were very limited resort options open to choose from. I have not had any huge issues on any of the stays, although I did learn to wait about an hour after park opening to head to Epcot, as there were long lines at the CBR station for the Epcot line. I am starting to enjoy the mobile order concept.

I do have to say the resort I miss most is POFQ. I love to stay there in the spring, and I have missed it for two years now.

 

[Heather07438]

We visited in January. Did a split stay Poly/BC. It was wonderful but expensive considering many of the perks were missing (No Poly monorail, no EP monorail, no quick exit after fireworks, less resort options in general).
So we decided next trip to try and balance good location with lower price. Found an opening at BWV studio 5 nights in Sept 12-17 and an available owner to rent for $720. $144/nite complete because it’s only 9pts Sun-Thurs. Midweek is better in the parks anyway. Lower crowds
After Sept it might be busy in WDW for a long time to come. Hoping to get one more trip in before it gets cuckoo crowded again. Also hoping stuff starts coming back. If not there’s still plenty of fun to be had regardless.