1. GFV** - My wife was a hardline "no" on GF - until we had to burn some points and it was the best available choice. Fell in love with the little extra touches at GF, proximity to the monorail and MK, and elevated dining choices. Citricos is the most underrated deluxe in our opinion. If there's ever another Fire Sale on direct, we're in.
2. Poly / PIT*~ - The "hers" of our two contracts. Wife and I are huge tiki fans, and love the vibe whenever we've visited. Looking forward to our first stay. Feels perfect for the kids until they get old enough the MK loses some luster.
3. RIV*~ - This is the "his" of our two contracts. Love the luxury feel and quietness of the resort. The real coffee and pastries are a massive perk, and we love the skyliner. Our meals at Topolino have been great as well. It feels like the right location for our family to grow into.
4. BLT** - I didn't know what BLT was when we started getting ready to buy
DVC. I wanted to buy at BCV, but when we understood how the contracts might work in 2042, we couldn't justify the depreciation. BLT became number one for me after this, seeming to be the best choice location wise compared to Poly, but my wife didn't like the theming. So we ended up buying at Poly instead, and using the points for our first stay at BLT. Given my wife still wasn't in love with it after the stay, it was probably the right choice, but I still think BLT is one of the best resorts. Access to contemporary restaurants and events, a private MK walking entrance, views that are fantastic in basically any direction, it a gem only hindered by a minimalist / brutalist vibe thanks to some of the concrete and theming.
5. BWV~ - One of two resorts that I really wanted when we started this. We're location people, and this being the backdoor to Epcot is essentially heaven when dealing with strollers and kit. Sadly contracts don't make it work, and after watching the number of locations on the boardwalk drop, it was probably a good choice not to buy. Still, there's top tier restaurants near by (including more things at Swan & Dolphin), and I'd love to stay here at some point.
6. BCV~ - The reasons that BWV is high on the list also apply to BCV. That said it gets a major plus from us for Storm Along Bay, but for us the theming just doesn't work. Little too close to old folks home in New England.
7. SSR** - Saratoga has really comfy and low stress digs. Enjoyed the ability to walk to disney springs from Congress Park, but buses to everything else make this rough. The size of the resort is also a bit of a bear. Overall, it's definitely a nice place to be, but not the first place we'd look to book.
8 / 9. AKL~ - Jambo - Love the restaurants and the idea of seeing animals from my room. Theming - especially the lobby is fantastic. We'll almost certainly stay here when the kids are older. That said, buses - and a long haul to everywhere on them other than AK. Kidani gets a -1/2 rank for bus loop.
10 / 11 CCV / BRV~ - Went for the burger. Theming is great, boat around bay lake is helpful. Direct MK trips. Not fans of the theming though, and it can't overcome the other pros for us. Sadly, we're bougie like Brian.
12. - OKW - I know the rooms are big, but no direct transport other than buses is a killer for us. Honestly, I occasional confuse it with CBR. But it's more like POFQ / POR deluxe in my mind.
13. CFW - Given we weren't fans of the theming for CCV / BRV, this takes all that and makes it worse. Perhaps LSL will adjust something, but this feels like it's just not for us.
Basically target booking 1-4, would be happy to stay at 5-9, would stay if I had too at 10/11. Might pay cash if 12/13 are the only choices.
*Own
**Stayed
~Visited
