Dream Resort Stay, Now What?????

[jakeybake]

Oh boy, this is a tough one!

My family and I stayed at the BC the last week of August. It was by far the most beautiful and wonderful resort we have ever stayed at. My DW and I both agreed that we loved it so much that it is the only resort we will ever want to stay at again.

Now is where the trouble starts. We are not wealthy, nor poor but somewhere in the middle. Our budget really leans towards the moderate and lower value resorts (WL and AKL) but I know that we will never, ever be happy with any other resort stay now that we have experienced the best.

So where do we go from here? Do we wait an extra year to go, knowing that we can stay at our dream resort but depriving ourself of an annual vacation? Or do we go and stay at POR or WL sooner and not be has happy as we know we should be because we are not staying at the BC.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RockChalkKimball]

While choosing and trying different resorts is fun, I don't think I would give up the possibility of going every year, just be able to upgrade to the next level of resort. If I could stay moderate and go every year, I definately would! If I could talk my family into camping, I would several times a year!!

[jakeybake]

I also should of mentioned that my wife, though she loves WDW, is a very reluctant traveler. It takes her a day to settle in and feel comfortable so her comfort level is a very important factor in all of this.

She told me that she wouldn't hesitate to stay at the BC every August. That is a VERY big deal for me, believe me!!!!

[WelshieLover]

We too love the BC. As a matter of fact my husband thinks that the EPCOT resorts area is the only place to stay, however that would not preclude me from staying elsewhere. In Feb we stayed at OKW, somewhere I never thought I would ever stay because of its remote location. Our friends are DVC members and 10 of us stayed there in a 1 bedroom and Grand Villa. I had no expectations and I was impressed. The peacefulness of the resort was amazing. Taking buses to the parks was not as big of deal as we originally thought, except that we never went back in teh middle of the day. The size of the units was incredible, truly a home away from home. The location was a compromise but it was a great resort. I think it is what you make of it. My kids are beyond enjoying the Stormalong pool area. It is by far the best pool area, but too crowded. With the exception of our first trip to the BC when we had it to ourselves and it was not fenced in like it is now, we rarely used it on our other visits. Any trip is a good trip.

[SBETigg]

I would go every other year to make it work. That's what we do. We would rather skip a year to make it the memorable, wonderful deluxe vacation we enjoy than go every year with a smaller budget and moderate accommodations. But many would argue for the other way. It comes down to personal preference.

[CarolMN]

Look into renting points from a DVC member and stay at the BCV. You'll have access to all of the Beach Club/Yacht Club resort amenties, including the SAB pool. A BCV studio sleeps 4 (in one queen bed and a double sleep sofa) and has a small kitchenette. Renting a stay from a DVC member can be a tremendous bargain in the right circustances. (There are some risks /disadvantages so do your homework before committing to someone).

For example, a 6 night stay at the BCV in late August in a studio will run between $950 - $1300. If you can go in September, the same 6 night stay would run between $800 - $1100.

Cut your stay to 5 nights in September (Check in on Sunday and out of a Friday) and you might pay as little as $600!

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

We are DVC members and I'm sure you can tell we have stayed at quite a few places at WDW.
If you can convince your wife to try other places I bet she would love it. We have our favorites for sure but are out to try and stay at every possible hotel at WDW. :mickey::thumbsup:

[DisneyTwinsMommy]

I can completely understand how there are pros and cons to both ideas... We are the opposite of some people, we believe in quantity... I could stay at the Beach club once every other year, or, I could stay at Pop Century TWICE per year... to me, that is a better value that I can have a vacation getaway twice in a year... I can always make ADR's at the deluxe resorts and explore them, to us, it is not worth the money spent on the actual room. Good luck with whatever you decide, the Beach Club is a beautiful resort!

[MickeyMousse]

My DH and I felt the exact same way when returning from our honeymoon in at YC in 1991! We were so spoiled by the greatness of YC, :cloud9: that we were reluctant to stay anywhere else, for fear of feeling let down by a resort that could not compare to YC. So we did what we had to in order to keep going back. (work, work work!) Now we are DVC members and have stayed elsewhere, but we both wait for the day that we go back to YC. :thumbsup:

[HOLITRIN]

Have you considered becoming DVC members? You could buy a resale at the BCV and then be able to go yearly and stay there or at any other DVC. The Timeshare Store is a great place to look into this! Good luck. :thumbsup:

[DisneyBarb]

We stayed at the Poly with the kids for the first time 6 years ago when they were running a special.. My hubby and I have stayed at other places but we voted as a family and decided to go less often (every 2 years) and stay at the Poly.. It feels like our second home! We also can stay an extra night sometimes and stretch the vacation a little longer.. For us its worth it, with 2 queen size beds, a day bed and being able to watch fireworks from the beach and hopping on the monorail to go to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot!

On the off years we take smaller local vacations and before you know it your booking ressies and obsessing about going back to Disney (30days to go!):thumbsup:

good luck!

[TheRustyScupper]

I would rather go every year and stay Value than every other year staying at more expensive resorts. The magic is in the park, not the resort.

[spoiledraf]

We stay at the deluxe resorts every year after getting sucked in by an upgrade. We limit to three nights and get there first thing in the morning (checked in at 7:15 last week at the BW) and stay as late as we can the last night by staying off property at one of the sister resorts the night before and after the final day. We're dead on our feet after four days and wouldn't have the energy to stay any longer anyway.

And in our opinion, not all the magic is in the parks. The service, the dining options and the general experience of staying at a deluxe makes it worth every penny to me. We battle to come up with the cash every year too. I work a second job in the summer and save every penny too pretend we are rich for four days. And this year it truly paid off when we got an upgrade to the presidential suite at the Boardwalk. Trust me, that was a dream come true!

[vicster]

Oh boy, this is a tough one!

My family and I stayed at the BC the last week of August. It was by far the most beautiful and wonderful resort we have ever stayed at. My DW and I both agreed that we loved it so much that it is the only resort we will ever want to stay at again.

Now is where the trouble starts. We are not wealthy, nor poor but somewhere in the middle. Our budget really leans towards the moderate and lower value resorts (WL and AKL) but I know that we will never, ever be happy with any other resort stay now that we have experienced the best.

So where do we go from here? Do we wait an extra year to go, knowing that we can stay at our dream resort but depriving ourself of an annual vacation? Or do we go and stay at POR or WL sooner and not be has happy as we know we should be because we are not staying at the BC.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please note that WL and AKL are deluxe resorts and not moderate or value. We stayed at WL the past few years but this year we tried a moderate (CBR) and were very happy there. The rooms were nice and the grounds were beautiful. I would not give up my annual trip just to stay at a deluxe. We don't spend that much time in the room - we go there to go to the parks.

[mouseketeer mom]

Sounds like you wouldn't be too happy staying anywhere else..you sound pretty passionate about the Beach Club! I understand, we feel that way about the Poly.
Can you come up with a savings plan to make it work? Cut down on those lattes, dinners out, whatever the extra $$$ might be going to. Little things add up surprisingly quick. Don't give up on it yet! If you look into giving up some little things..you might be surprised what you save.

[KylesMom]

DH and I pondered this very question a few years ago after staying at CR for the first time. It was truly magical for us - being within walking distance to MK - even to grab a hot dog at Casey's & be able to walk back to our room! The rooms were huge and the views were beautiful.

Watching Wishes from our bed each night with the music from the hotel tv playing, late night walks around the property, CMs that were so accommodating, etcetera really changed the whole complexion of our annual vacation. This was before the South Wing refurbishment and demolition of the North Wing.

Unfortunately, two years ago, rates increased to the point where we could ill-afford to stay at CR for our usual 15-day stay. No A/P rates were being offered, and it was just out of our budget range. We had to make a decision on whether or not we'd "skip" a year to stay at our favorite resort, or if we'd "downgrade".

I must tell you that as a family we decided that we'd rather step down in accommodations rather than miss our special family time at Disney World each summer. Wilderness Lodge, while it does not have the "walk" appeal as the CR does, is still a great option for us. We are concerned that WL will sooner or later raise their rates to become unaffordable, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'd suggest you talk to your whole family and see what their opinions are - and if they're ok with an every-other-year arrangement.

I know it's tough - good luck in your decision! :mickey:

[thejens]

Have you ever stayed at AKL? I loved it. It was very beautiful and exotic. It is not as close, but as we keep our car so that was not an issue. My second favorite resort is the BC. I loved them both and am trying the Poly next time. In my opinion it is not necessary to spend the extra for the Savannah view unless you spend a lot of time in your room. My point is, you may fall in love with another resort also. I will add we stayed at ASM and were very pleasantly surprised. I don't think you could go wrong with any Disney resort. Good luck. I'd go with the choice that brings you back to WDW more often.

[faline]

I think you will be happy wherever you plan to be happy!

My husband and I have stayed at the Grand Floridian (Wonderful!) and at the All Stars Music (Met our basic needs!).

We love the Wilderness Lodge and the Poly! We've also been been very happy with our stays at Coronado Springs and Port Orleans Riverside.

A place very dear to my heart is tent camping at Fort Wilderness!

By the way, we also had a very nice visit at the Beach Club a few years back.

On our next trip, we'll spend a couple of nights at Pop Century before we move on to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Each and every experience is different but each is dear to my heart for very different reasons. Wherever you stay, you'll find a wonderful experience!

[Mickey91]

While DS and I dream of the Deluxe accomodations and have stayed at the WL and Poly, and love them both, I could not give up my annual trip for better accomodations. We stayed at POR this past trip and while the resort was beautiful, I didn't feel it was much above Pop for the money. We had a waterview room but never looked out the window. Stuff like that. We love the convenience of the MK deluxe resorts. We hope to be able to stay at one again. But, I will go to a value before I give up my Disney trip.

[Deesdisney]

I have never been there due to finances but have had breakfast there. This is a dream of mine for a long time. I have decided that at the end of this year I am going to buy into DVC. This way I can go there when ever I want.

[MickeyMousse]

I would rather go every year and stay Value than every other year staying at more expensive resorts. The magic is in the park, not the resort.

Sorry, but I disagree. I think that the resort is definitely part of the Disney magic. I look forward to my stay in the resort as much as visiting the parks.:mickey:

[#1donaldfan]

What's wrong with POR???? it's a moderate and very, very nice......realistically how long do you spend in / at your resort anyway......when we go, we're in the parks 90% of the time....it's only a place to lay your head and take a shower.....I need to go once a year and couldn't fathom the thought of not going but every other year, to just stay in a deluxe. The deluxe resorts are super nice and are great to vistit and dine, but when it comes to sleeping / showering......how much of a difference is there, really?

[jakeybake]

The resort experience is definitely a big part of our vacation.

Also, we are not park kamikaze's. We like to do some pool time each day and then head to the park a bit later, hitting the rides that are at the top of our list and not fretting if we don't get to ride every single ride.

[irish1967]

Sorry, but I disagree. I think that the resort is definitely part of the Disney magic. I look forward to my stay in the resort as much as visiting the parks.:mickey:

I'm with MickeyMousse on this one - the resort is definitely a big part of our vacation.

We prefer to stay in the Deluxe (monorail) resorts. We also prefer to visit Disney every year. So, we go every year and stay three nights/four days.

It is more than enough time for us to do everything we want to do and spend quality time in the resort pool and spend quality time dining.

Yes, there are things we don't do that we would probably do if we were there longer, but we can always say "next year" since we always know we are going back.

As with many other things Disney, there is definitely more than $$$ when it comes to determining the value of where you stay!