Favorite Deluxe Resorts?

[tinkerbellfan246]

We are planning on going to Disney for ten days, the biggest trip we've ever taken, and we are wanting to stay at one of the Deluxe hotels. Which is your favorite and why? We are thinking it would be cool to stay at two different ones so we can stay at two we have never stayed at. How is this transition? Is it hard to change or not worth it? Thank you for all your help!! :mickey:

[DonLefNY]

Deluxe? Contemporary. Location, view and Walt's brother Roy built it.

[Tygger7]

Our favorite is the Wilderness Lodge. The location, boat transport to MK, and overall theming is right up our alley. Also, it's quite a bit cheaper than the other deluxe resorts. (AKL is in the same price range as WL too.) We're going to buck tradition though and try the Yacht Club for our anniversary trip next May. We spend a lot of time at Epcot and would also love to experience the awesome pool. Depending on when you're going, there is quite a bit of construction at GF and there are a lot of rumors flying around about upcoming construction at the Poly. Just something to keep in mind.

As far as changing resorts, I'm probably in the minority but it's not worth the hassle to me. I like to unpack and settle in....just lazy, I guess. It can create a headache if you're on a package too. Disney is very helpful with resort transfers and I know a lot of people stay multiple places...but it's just seemed like way too much work & effort to me. :D

[disneymom15]

We also prefer not to switch resorts, bit of a hassle for us. Our favorite deluxe is Bay Lake Towers. Love being so close to MK and monorail.

[mydisneygirls]

My favorite is the Poly. It's not a huge resort, it has the Hawaiian feel, rooms are quite big and has the easy access to the monorail. Also the view of the fireworks over the MK at night is great. Saying that, I can no longer afford the Poly so my new favorite is the Wilderness Lodge. Absolutely love it and the easy access to the MK by boat is great. We are staying here again in Sept and cannot wait. As Tygger7 said, it's also a little cheaper than the other deluxes! As for splitting, I prefer to stay put.

[MaterializedHaunt]

I too am ALL about the Polynesian! Just the feeling of being there brings a smile to my face. The overall environment is just so overwhelming, the smells and being engulfed in tropicalness is way to much to handle sometimes. The pleasant walks around and down by the water or just going to TTC or the monorail are just so Disney. You have all sorts of things to day, Boating, Fire ceremony, place to drop kids off for a nice evening, Luau dinner show, 9pm water pageant. You can take nice stroll to the wedding pavillion and then Floridian. Getting around is so simple there, Monorail/Boat to MK, TTC Monorail to Epcot, TTC bus or Poly bus to AK HS. Kona cafe and O'hana are top notch restaurants as well as Captain Cooks (CS) is great with outdoor seating as well. The gift shops in Poly are so great! If I had 10days, I wouldnt hesitate to stay here for the full 10. If you decide to switch, it really isnt much of a hassle. 1 Person can do it. The CM's at the resorts are very helpful and this transfering can be done very easily and simple. Hope this helps!

[SBETigg]

I would try two in different areas so you have a better sense of which location you prefer. Some people prefer the Epcot area resorts, for easy access to Epcot and DHS. Others prefer the monorail deluxes. And yet others prefer saving a little money and going with the uniquely themed and slightly less expensive Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge. My favorite is the Grand Floridian with the Polynesian as a close second. We love the monorail deluxe area and the theming of both resorts.

You might consider the Beach Club and the Polynesian, two very different resorts with lots to love and great pools.

[darthmacho]

My favorite, by far, is Wilderness Lodge, not only for the theming, but for the overwhelming sentimental factor of it being our first resort and our honeymoon.

As far as theming goes, Animal Kingdom Lodge is second, but I haven't stayed there yet. It's on my WDW bucket list.

I also would love to stay at any of the Monorail or Epcot resorts, though I don't think I'd feel comfortable at the Grand Floridian. I'm a little to "blue-collar" for that fancy-pants place. :mickey:

[Luv4WDW]

The GF is my absolute favorite. The Yacht Club is my second favorite. I know I'm in the minority here, but I didn't like staying at the Polynesian. We stayed club level at all three resorts. GF club level is nice because you don't have to walk outside if it's pouring to get to your room (amon countless other reasons). Polynesian you have to go outside and I find it confusing. Everything looks the same to me. I enjoyed the theming of the Yacht club but didn't like the "hassle" of getting to MK (we went to the monorail through EPCOT). Talk about a first world problem lol! We're transfering resorts mid-stay for the first time in August, but I hear it isn't too bad, but I'm not sure of the logistics yet.

[AllDisney]

We haven't stayed at all the deluxe resorts, yet. Our favorite is AKL:secret:

The rooms are rich in color and makes for very relaxing evenings. It has a calming affect. The pool is great and you can't beat getting those night goggles & watching the animals:mickey:

[faline]

Although I have occasionally changed resorts while on a Disney trip, I generally like to settle in and stay in the same place for my entire trip.

My favorite deluxe resort is the Poly - love the ambience and the location - near to the Magic Kingdom and the other resorts in the Magic Kingdom area.

If I were going to split my stay between two resorts, I agree with Sherri - try staying in two different areas. Perhaps either Animal Kingdom Lodge or the Beach Club along with the Polynesian.

[TikiLounger]

We love the Poly...or The Wilderness Lodge. Beach Club is the absolute #1 if we're staying sans kids for the Food and Wine Festival.

[Mom on a Mission]

We also have never done a hotel move, but I can see it might be fun. Our current favorite is the Contemporary. We love being walking distance to MK! If I were going to jump to another hotel it would be the Beach/Yacht Club. Love being close to Epcot AND DS, and the pool area is amazing. Also, Beaches & Cream and Hurricane Hannah's!

[jnfr2424]

Contemporary - because I love the walk to MK ( I get to past the family brick :mickey:) or Wilderness Lodge maybe because we were one of the first families to stay here when it first opened but there is something that is so neat about it its like you are in Disney but you are not in Disney just love it!

Beach Club - love the closeness to Epcot and the resort is just fun and beautiful

[DizNee143]

My two favorites are The Contemporary and The Wilderness Lodge..
Me and hubby love the country log cabin style of the Wilderness Lodge..we've stayed there the last two times nd never had a problem and loved it! Great resort.
We stayed at the Contemporary for our honeymoon with a MK view and wow..it was thee greatest. The contemporary was my dream resort since I was a kid..it was everything I ever thought and more! Great location..and you literally have the monorail right there!!
I would break up my stay between these too..for two reasons..I love both resorts and they are right next to each other! :mickey:

[goofy-4-disney]

If I were going to WDW and were going to do a split stay at two deluxe resorts I'd stay at Poly and then the Yacht Club. These are my two favorite resorts at WDW. Both of these resorts also give you the chance of staying in the two best areas of WDW. The Poly has boat and monorail access to MK, while Yacht Club has boat/International Gateway access to Epcot. Yacht Club is also a 10-20 minute walk to DHS. I love the overall feel of both resorts. I also prefer Yacht Club over Beach Club because it seems to be quieter once you get away from the shared lobby.

[#1donaldfan]

Animal Kingdom Lodge !!! I am so spoiled now I don't think another place could ever outdo it !! We had a view to die for !! We had Zebra's and Giraffes at our window every night.....there were so many animals to see and check off our list....it was the perfect room, at the perfect resort !! :mickey:

[Jayhorn]

Boardwalk. Love the whole theming of the area, and being able to easily walk to Epcot for dinner in a different country every night. :mickey:

[goofy-4-disney]

I failed to include any information/opinions on doing a split-stay at WDW. We typically stay at 2 different resorts for all of our trips. As much as people complain about how much time it takes, it's never been an issue for us. It's a very simple process and Disney makes the transition very smooth. To us, it seems as if we're having 2 seperate vacations without leaving WDW.

[riley1129]

Grand Floridian!

[LisRich]

As you can see, everyone has their own particular favorite! Just know that at the end of the day, there is much to love about each of the deluxes and you probably can't make a "wrong" choice - they are all great and unique in their own way. You should probably read as much as you can about each one (here on Intercot!) and see what kind of theming appeals to your particular style. You might also want to decide which parks you will likely spend the most time in and choose a deluxe from the closest location to those parks. We're mostly Epcot/HS park goers so we stay at the Epcot resorts. But for my son's first two visits where we focused more on MK, our stays at the Contemporary were really magical!

[beksy]

When we go we generally do a split stay for financial reasons...start at the mod for a few days and finish at the deluxe. If it was just me or I didn't have to deal with 2 ECVs and being responsible for everything, I would definitely do a split stay to enjoy the MK area deluxes (my favorite area) and the EC area where I want to stay one day when I don't have 2 ECVs to consider :mickey: (the monorail is just too great when dealing with 2 chairs to pass up!). Of the deluxes, I am torn between CR Magic Kingdom view and the Poly. I thought nothing could be better than the CR and seeing the castle from the room...plus having the monorail and food court in the building! However, we eat several meals at Kona and love the feeling of the Poly. I love the gift shops there too and our room was very convenient to the GCH. Having the quick service open 24 hours was a great bonus too and we usually walked to the TTC to hop the monorail to EC and then could ride the boat or walk to HS so avoided most buses (and angry people!). Overall, I'd have to go with Poly.