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View Full Version : What is your favorite WDW Resort?



mjaclyn
03-06-2007, 10:53 AM
I love staying on property at WDW. It's an experience in and of itself. I haven't been able to stay in every resort yet, but it is definitely a goal of mine!

My personal favorite is the Polynesian resort. There is something so magical about walking into the Great Ceremonial House to the familiar sounds and smells of the lobby. I LOVE the volcano pool, the view to the Magic Kingdom, the beach, the Kona Cafe and the Monorail. *Sigh* I can't wait to go back!

VERY Close to being my favorites:
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Beach Club

What is your favorite resort? (I could only include 10 on the poll, sorry to those I had to leave out!)

tikiman
03-06-2007, 11:10 AM
Well for me the Polynesian is just perfect for me since I love traveling to Hawaii and Disney so I get both in one place. I also don’t feel like I am just in a Hotel but I feel like I am staying in Adventureland. I also cannot beat the location and view. I love Epcot and we have tried the Epcot resorts many times (and are going to try the Boardwalk next) but every time I stay at the YC or Swan or Dolphin I feel I can access Epcot faster from the monorail (8 minute ride) than walking from the resorts over there (10 minute walk from YC or 18 minute walk from Swan and Dolphin). I much rather take the monorail than walk in the heat or rain especially with a stroller now. We still enjoy all the things over near the Boardwalk but than getting to other parks is not as fast from there as it is from the Polynesian. The bus to MGM is faster than the boat from the YC or walking and I did not like sharing a bus with 5 resorts. We also never seem to get over to the MK when at the Epcot resorts. We also tried AKL and liked the resort and loved the food but it was much too isolated for us. We like to be able to hop on the monorail to the other monorail resorts also to eat or shop. That and having the largest standard rooms on property and all the new things they have done in the last few years makes the Polynesian our favorite.

CanadianWDWFan
03-06-2007, 11:14 AM
While our family favourite is POFQ, but we like the BWI as well. The proximity to Epcot it the big plus of BWI.

Goofy Pilot
03-06-2007, 11:17 AM
It's hard to pick just one, but I chose Wilderness Lodge. It's just given us more family memories than any other resort. We love the theming, the great boat ride to MK, the pool, the restaurants. Polynesian is a very, very close second place for us, mostly because of the unmatched transportation options available there.

tikiman
03-06-2007, 11:22 AM
It's hard to pick just one, but I chose Wilderness Lodge. It's just given us more family memories than any other resort. We love the theming, the great boat ride to MK, the pool, the restaurants. Polynesian is a very, very close second place for us, mostly because of the unmatched transportation options available there.

Hey Goofy Pilot. How did you like the Grand Californian? We stayed there in 2005 and I think we liked the Disneyland Hotel better but it was a nice place. The rooms were a little small for us. I saw it in your signature so I was just curious of your impression.

Goofy Pilot
03-06-2007, 11:45 AM
Hey Goofy Pilot. How did you like the Grand Californian? We stayed there in 2005 and I think we liked the Disneyland Hotel better but it was a nice place. The rooms were a little small for us. I saw it in your signature so I was just curious of your impression.

We loved it. Speaking of transportation options, it was hard to beat being able to literally walk out of the hotel and right into the middle of California Adventure. Or you could walk a little further and be in Disneyland. The ability to walk everywhere within Disney's California property was quite nice.

We found the room, the shape of the resort, and just about everything else to be very similar to Wilderness Lodge, albeit with slightly more of an "Arts and Crafts" decorative flair to it. Unfortunately, one of the other similar aspects was a somewhat small room size, at least when you compare it to the Polynesian, for instance.

We didn't get to eat much in the restaurants. We only ate in the main one once, during a Character Breakfast. However, I must say that is the best character breakfast, both in terms of the awesome breakfast buffet, and in character interaction, we've ever had. Usually, the character breakfasts at WDW seem to feature stale pancakes & waffles, cold eggs, etc., (no offense, but this has been our experience with about 5 or 6 different ones at WDW) but this breakfast was superb, with all sorts of different meats, eggs, fruits, and all sorts of characters spending quality time with my kids. I wish we had made time to eat dinner in there.

The pool was nice. I loved the fact that there was a "feature" slide and a "kiddie" slide. My oldest DD, then 6, would not do the feature slide, but must have gone on the kiddie slide about 200 times. Even our youngest DD, then not quite 3, rode that. I wish WDW resorts had that option.

Another thing the Grand Californian did that I wish WDW resorts would implement more is simply install a locked fence around the pool. Generally, we needed a room key to open the gates to the fence. Now, you could always just wait for another guest to come by and open it, and sneak in, but I found that there seemed to be zero problems with anyone "pool hopping" here that wasn't a paid guest. I realize it might be difficult to install at some resorts (for both aestetic and logistical reasons), but it sure made things nice for the paying guests, and for the lifeguard CM's who only had to focus on safety, and not on who may or may not be paying for a room there.

The poolside drink/food service was pretty convenient too. :beer:

We'd stay there again, but going to DL was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us. If we go back to SoCal, we'll probably stay in San Diego, rather than the LA area, and we'll probably do Legoland more than DL. Legoland is worthy of an entire message board all its own.

BrerSchultzy
03-06-2007, 12:19 PM
my favorite USED to be the Contemporary...but they're ripping it to shreds and selling it off for timeshares...so, until they do that to the Poly, I'm votin' for Poly.

was that bitter?

Goofy Pilot
03-06-2007, 12:23 PM
my favorite USED to be the Contemporary...but they're ripping it to shreds and selling it off for timeshares...so, until they do that to the Poly, I'm votin' for Poly.

was that bitter?

Maybe slightly bitter. ;)

I don't blame you one bit, though. I personally have never been a big fan of CR, but I certainly understand its sentimental value to those who do appreciate it. Fortunately, my favorite - WL - had DVC pretty much built into it from almost the beginning. But if they started ripping into the Poly for DVC, I think some people might revolt. To say I would be bitter about it would be an understatement.

tikiman
03-06-2007, 12:41 PM
We loved it. Speaking of transportation options, it was hard to beat being able to literally walk out of the hotel and right into the middle of California Adventure. Or you could walk a little further and be in Disneyland. The ability to walk everywhere within Disney's California property was quite nice.

We found the room, the shape of the resort, and just about everything else to be very similar to Wilderness Lodge, albeit with slightly more of an "Arts and Crafts" decorative flair to it. Unfortunately, one of the other similar aspects was a somewhat small room size, at least when you compare it to the Polynesian, for instance.

We didn't get to eat much in the restaurants. We only ate in the main one once, during a Character Breakfast. However, I must say that is the best character breakfast, both in terms of the awesome breakfast buffet, and in character interaction, we've ever had. Usually, the character breakfasts at WDW seem to feature stale pancakes & waffles, cold eggs, etc., (no offense, but this has been our experience with about 5 or 6 different ones at WDW) but this breakfast was superb, with all sorts of different meats, eggs, fruits, and all sorts of characters spending quality time with my kids. I wish we had made time to eat dinner in there.

The pool was nice. I loved the fact that there was a "feature" slide and a "kiddie" slide. My oldest DD, then 6, would not do the feature slide, but must have gone on the kiddie slide about 200 times. Even our youngest DD, then not quite 3, rode that. I wish WDW resorts had that option.

Another thing the Grand Californian did that I wish WDW resorts would implement more is simply install a locked fence around the pool. Generally, we needed a room key to open the gates to the fence. Now, you could always just wait for another guest to come by and open it, and sneak in, but I found that there seemed to be zero problems with anyone "pool hopping" here that wasn't a paid guest. I realize it might be difficult to install at some resorts (for both aestetic and logistical reasons), but it sure made things nice for the paying guests, and for the lifeguard CM's who only had to focus on safety, and not on who may or may not be paying for a room there.

The poolside drink/food service was pretty convenient too. :beer:

We'd stay there again, but going to DL was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us. If we go back to SoCal, we'll probably stay in San Diego, rather than the LA area, and we'll probably do Legoland more than DL. Legoland is worthy of an entire message board all its own.

We did like being close to the parks and the food was great at the GC but they always made the entrance to the CA park seem like it was exclusive to GC guests but anyone who knew the entrance was there could walk right through the resort and use it. We also found that there were a lot of long corridors to get out of the hotel. The walk from the Disneyland Hotel was not much farther and the rooms are much larger and recently redone. I guess they just built them bigger back then. There was no discount at the time available for the GC so we paid about twice as much as we would have for an AAA room at the Disneyland Hotel (that was available for the same dates) but we are glad we tried the hotel.

The whole place is an improvement over the old Disneyland and waiting for the tram or the huge line for the monorail just to get over to the parks. I like that you can walk now.

Yeah both resorts were smart and made access to the pools require a key but than they have people wandering in from off property very easily.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

If you do make it back try the Disneyland Hotel.

Legoland??? Really?? I have lived in California my whole life and never met a Californian that said Legoland was worth going to. Maybe we will check it out.

Aloha

Steve

tikiman
03-06-2007, 12:43 PM
my favorite USED to be the Contemporary...but they're ripping it to shreds and selling it off for timeshares...so, until they do that to the Poly, I'm votin' for Poly.

was that bitter?

I can tell you that everyone I have spoken to tells me that the Polynesian will never get a DVC as part of it.

Catzle
03-06-2007, 01:02 PM
I chose the Poly, it's pretty much the only resort we have stayed at as a family. My husband and I did stay at the old dixie landings about 10 years ago but only for one night.
Poly has everything we could possibly want from a resort, just love the place!

Goofy Pilot
03-06-2007, 01:07 PM
Legoland??? Really?? I have lived in California my whole life and never met a Californian that said Legoland was worth going to. Maybe we will check it out.

Yes. Really. It is simply a fantastic park. It looks as though it has been greatly improved recently, or it must not be a very old park overall. Everything in it just seemed new and sparkling, like the parks in WDW. It doesn't have a huge number of rides, but it's got just enough good ones to kill a lot of time. Many of the ride queues, especially for the more family-oriented rides, had little areas set aside for kids to play legos in. That is a simple, but brilliant idea. No whining, tired kids. They play legos while the adults wind their way through the line. Then right before you board the ride, you pick your kids up and get on. Simply marvelous.

Part of my attraction to Legoland may also have been the weather. The day we went the high was about 73 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, and there was a really nice breeze blowing in from ocean, about 2 miles away or so. There are some points in Legoland (it's hilly) where you can reach the apex of the ride, and see for miles around, including the ocean. Breathtaking.

Also, many of the rides there are quite innovative. One of the rides is sort of a bungee-type lift 'em/drop 'em ride, except that you control the drops and rises, using pulleys, etc. So you can get a thrill, but if you know the G's are coming and can control them, it's much more fun than scary. It's a ride that even small children can ride. Many rides there are innovative in such ways. The Volvo driving school is a blast for kids.

The Lego dioramas there are simply unbelievable, as in moving Lego marching bands, moving Lego buses, whole city skylines, etc. My descriptions don't do them justice, and never could. You just have to see them.

My only beef with Legoland was that it closed at, like, 5 or 6 PM, and didn't open until 10 AM. We really had to rush through some rides. I guess that's their way of getting people to come for a second day. They will probably have me back for multiple days someday.

IMHO, it is more than worth a trip to Carlsbad, which I think is only about 15 miles or so north of San Diego. We didn't hit any of that famous traffic on the way from Anaheim down to Carlsbad, and never saw much of an increase in traffic as we neared S.D. I'm wanting my office to find some excuse to build a probably way overpriced branch in Carlsbad, and I've volunteered my services to run it. :thumbsup: Then they just have to pay me some king's ransom salary to afford the housing in that area. I don't even want to know the median home cost there. :secret:

Sorry I'm so off-topic, but I could go on about Legoland all day.

WVParkfan
03-06-2007, 01:07 PM
You left out "Coronado Springs Resort!" It is our favorite - by far.

We would love to try the Animal Kindgom Lodge, but it is too far outside of our budget. We've stayed at the All-Stars, POP, Caribbean Beach and Coronado. Of those, Coronado Springs is our absolute favorite!

tikiman
03-06-2007, 01:24 PM
I don't even want to know the median home cost there. :secret:

Sorry I'm so off-topic, but I could go on about Legoland all day.

The Median home price ($500K-$800K depending on the area) is not the killer, it is the property and sales tax.

By the way back on topic.

My second choice vote would have been a tie with AKL and YC but I might change my mind after my May visit to Boardwalk.

Goofy Pilot
03-06-2007, 01:38 PM
I realize I forgot to mention another reason why WL is my favorite: cost. It generally costs the same as AKL, and these two are the least expensive of all the Deluxe resorts. For that lesser amount, though, I don't feel I am lacking for quality service or amenities compared to the more expensive Deluxes.

Lehman Family
03-06-2007, 01:45 PM
My wife and I are partial to the Caribbean Beach Resort. We've both stayed there multiple times and love it. In the future we want to start staying at other resorts, but until we find one we like better, CBR is our favorite.

Jimenyfan
03-06-2007, 02:31 PM
Mine would definetly be a toss up between the Yacht Club and Polynesian. They are 2 such different resorts but I love each of them. This year we are trying WL again and I really hope its better than our last stay. WL is such a beautiful resort I really want to like it.

4ubie1
03-06-2007, 03:45 PM
:tikki: Polynesian :tikki:

RedSoxFan
03-06-2007, 04:11 PM
I've only stayed at POFQ and AKL. I voted for AKL -- thought it was amazing.

DisneyorBust
03-06-2007, 04:21 PM
As you can tell by my signature the POLY :tikki: is our favorite. We've stayed at the Grand Floridian, nice but not our style. We toured the Yacht and Beach Club and left with no desire to stay at either. I intend to check out Carribean Beach, it looks like a great resort. Contemporary, what can I say? A very bad experience coupled with never having much of a desire to stay there will keep us away.
The POLY:tikki: has us spoiled, location & convenience to both MK and Epcot keeps us going back.
You ever notice that the POLY lovers come out in force when there is a resort question!!:D

darthmacho
03-06-2007, 05:27 PM
My wife and I both agree that the WILDERNESS LODGE has no equal.

:cap: :cowgirl: :paw: :pine: :bambi:

DVC2004
03-06-2007, 05:30 PM
Our favorite is the Poly. It's the first onsite resort we stayed in and we love the overall feel and beauty of the resort. I'd pick the Wilderness Lodge as my second favorite.

DizneyFreak2002
03-06-2007, 07:01 PM
Everyone here on Intercot seems to favor Polynesian.. As much as I like the Polynesian, I prefer Boardwalk...

DISFREAKS
03-06-2007, 07:43 PM
The very first time we ever stayed on property, we stayed at CBR. We had saved for 3 yrs to be able to afford it and thought it was the best place we had ever stayed so it has a special place in our hearts. Now we go to POP. Nice place and all the $ we save we blow in the stores.

DizNee143
03-07-2007, 01:31 PM
boardwalk is my favorite...its just a great resort..theres so much to do there...it has a gret nightlife..and oh my the view we usually get from on our..its beautiful!! we usually watch Illumimations from our room balcony every night!! i cant really explain it..its just my favorite...for now anyway!! lol :mickey:

AndrewJackson
03-07-2007, 02:14 PM
What? No Fort Wilderness? I grew up at that resort, and it is still my favorite. We don't have a camper anymore, but I try to stay close by at Wilderness Lodge.

One of theses days, may for our 30th anniversary, I would love to try the Polynesian. :tikki:

May524
03-07-2007, 02:34 PM
A vote for the Boardwalk. I loved it! The location was great for us, and many dining options! Plus we loved the boat that went to MGM and Epcot. :mickey:

threeh
03-08-2007, 10:07 AM
Polynesian!!!!!!:papple:

c&d
03-08-2007, 11:18 AM
I voted for POR. Dixie Landings was the first resort we ever stayed at when we really visited WDW. It hooked us completely on Disney. The CM's were wonderful, we loved being able to get on a bus and go the parks. The e-nights. The entire trip was magical.

A close second would be AKL.

CU Tiger
03-08-2007, 09:35 PM
It's hard to pick just one, but I chose Wilderness Lodge. We love the theming, the great boat ride to MK, the pool, the restaurants. Polynesian is a very, very close second place for us, mostly because of the unmatched transportation options available there.

This is exactly what I was going to say!:thumbsup: :mickey:

Sylvia
03-11-2007, 10:49 PM
I didn't vote because my favorite resort is not one of the choices.

My overall favorite is the Caribbean Beach. This was my first resort, and I've stayed there many times since. I love the theme and the overall atmosphere of the resort.

For second favorite, it's a tie between Shades of Green and POP Century.

JPL
03-11-2007, 11:00 PM
AKL without a doubt no other resort really takes me to another place like it does :mickey:

mttafire
03-12-2007, 12:24 AM
Close one BUT ill give it to the C.R. with W.L. close behind. If we could afford it we would stay at one of those EVERY time we go. However, We usually cannot quite afford the deluxes so we stay at a Mod or value.:mickey:

CarolinaWDWFan
03-13-2007, 10:38 AM
:number1: This was a really tough decision. I have stayed at a few of these resorts and have enjoyed staying at each one. The one with the best experience for us was Boardwalk:

1. We stayed on the Concierge level, which made it a more relaxing stay. The snacks and drinks provided in the lounge were wonderful.
2. Our room was above the bakery, so we had a wonderful water view.
3. It was a boat ride to MGM and Epcot, making transportation easy to two of the parks we planned to spend significant time in.
4. Boat rental. We spent an afternoon trolling the water around MGM, the Swan/Dolphin, Y/BC and BW. Very nice.
5. There were several restaurants to choose from on BW and the surrounding resorts, so finding a place to go was never a problem.

This was still a tough choice because I could have found similar reasons for the other resorts as well! Great thread!

WDW1985
03-25-2007, 11:17 AM
AKL without a doubt no other resort really takes me to another place like it does :mickey:

I think this says alot about what makes a resort the best. Take POR for instance - a moderate resort. It's currently number 2 in the poll above with the Poly the only one ahead of it! Having stayed at both, I would say that they both transport you to another place and that makes the WDW vacation even more magical.

It's pretty amazing to me how POR stacks up to the competition. It's my sentimental favorite, because my family has stayed there alot. Also it has a very relaxed feel, which is awesome to come home to after a busy day in the parks.

:mickey:

pdrlkr
03-25-2007, 11:34 AM
Our favorites are POFQ and The Contemporary Tower Park View! :thumbsup: :mickey:

Crow
03-25-2007, 10:43 PM
WL.. great theme and it has AP!
ive stayed at most of the places, all of the values and mods and 3 of the deluxe...that about covers all i want to stay at, except mayb Poly some day but thats too much out of my league

alpro2
03-26-2007, 05:41 AM
Out of all the resorts that I have stayed the Grand Flo is my favorite.

Jeff G
03-26-2007, 11:35 AM
:tikki:The Ploy is our all time favorite. The ambience takes you to a whole other place(even though you can see the MK) plus the monorail and location make this a great resort.:tikki:

The surprising(or in my mind not so surprising) result of the poll is that the PO is currently in third. With so many deluxes out there that offer more in terms of transportation, location and ammenitiies you would think PO would be lower. But with that said our family loves this resort and would vote it a close 2nd behind the Poly and we've stayed at many of the different resorts. The resort is we'll themed and very relaxing. To me the best value for your buck is the PO. The only negative I can say about PO is that both times we've stayed there we've had a hurricane affect our trip.

tinkerbelle75
03-26-2007, 11:53 AM
Stayed at Poly,GF(a lot),CR,ASMo,Pop,and CBR. Hands down, CBR is my favorite.GF is my least favorite. We are trying POFQ in September, and I sure do hope I am not wishing I would've stayed at CBR again!

lightyearfan
03-26-2007, 01:33 PM
we've only stayed at dixie now pofq and all star movies, this upcoming trip will be staying at all star music, so i can only give my opionion based on that, if your like us where were out at the parks all day and i mean all day, then it's better to stay at a value resort, if you have small kids that nap during the afternoon then you might want to do a moderate. now that said the you still get all the ammenties that disney has to offer while your stay at a disney resort. the value resorts are just fine dont spend the extra cash if you don't have to

victor

caryrae
03-26-2007, 01:42 PM
Since I have only stayed at POP and ASMo resorts I had one choice. POP was my favorite of those 2 but maybe someday I will have a different favorite. I would like to stay at one of the moderate resorts someday.

just2mickey
03-26-2007, 01:52 PM
We have stayed at the Grand Floridian,Contemporary, Beach Club, and Poly. I can honestly say that I am very much in love with the Poly. I am sorry that we did not stay there first. I love the smells and Ohana!

mrsgaribaldi
03-26-2007, 02:03 PM
No question, the Polynesian, with POFQ and CBR tied for 2nd. PoP is third:thumbsup:

moe513
03-27-2007, 08:34 AM
Great poll. I voted for the yc/bc because of the location but I also love the Poly.

Crystal Palace
03-27-2007, 11:07 AM
The Grand Floridian. It's so beautiful!:mickey:

kneerobber
03-28-2007, 03:10 PM
To me, Disney is about having different favorites at different times. My introduction to Disney was in 2000 (that's when I became hooked). Myself, wife, 3 kids (5,7,8) stayed at the Polynesian and we were transported away to the most memorable resort experience we've ever had. We've since stayed at the Yacht Club (twice). At first I was hesitant, thinking that the atmosphere may be a little "stuffy" for the kids, but I was completely wrong. It has now become our favorite resort because of the pool, the boardwalk, and proximity to Epcot/MGM. And finally, we've stayed at AKL. The sights..the sounds...and the aromas from this resort- unbelievable!! So, as of now, I have 3 tied for 1st place and am looking for a 4th. A friend has DVC points at OKW and offered to let us go down and try it out next year- I think I found my fourth favorite!!

Dicecatt262
03-28-2007, 03:34 PM
My favorite so far is the Polynesian, and I don't see that changing anytime soon! My goal is to also stay at each resort at least once...We've stayed at POR, POFQ, Poly so far, and soon we'll be at WL, AKL, and All Star Sports. But for my long family vacation it is still the Poly, I just love it. And when my sister and I stayed at POFQ, we visited Poly twice for Lapu Lapus and fireworks!