Your Favourite Resort At WDW...

Our favourite are where we own our DVC, AKL and grand floridian. Love them for very different reasons.

AKL, the resort was designed by the same guy who did WL so it has the same feel. being a huge animal lover I of course love seeing the animals. I love the huge DVC rooms, they do feel really quite large compared to GF and BLT. I love being so close to the 192 via the secret exit road, you can be out at the I4 in minutes and plenty of shops and offsite restaurants mean we can grab a take away and bring it back to the room if we are knackered. I love how relaxed the hotel feels.

Grand floridian, well it's just beautiful. I love the tiny reception, staying there a few nights you get to know the same faces, it's like staying club level, the CM's really take the time to chat and get to know you. Love the posh feel to the hotel (yes, I'm a snob) and love how I get to stay in the 'flagship' hotel. The closeness to MK is a plus but we hire a car anyway so though we are as close to MK as can be, we are still the same distance to AK as the other way round, (people complain AKL is too far away from MK, but it's the same distance in both directions )

I've stayed at The Poly, The Contemporary, The Beach Club, PORS, POFQ, Coronado Springs, Pop Century, and All Star Movies. They were all great for different reasons, but the only one I've stayed at on multiple times is POFQ. Though I would very much love to stay at The Beach Club and The Contemporary again, my favorite is still POFQ. I like how quaint it is, I like its location, and I love that there is only one bus stop!

I'm with you Watchmaker. I love Wilderness Lodge. It surprised my because I don't like being outdoors in the wilderness at all, but I love Disney's fake wilderness. It feels safer. I love the jogging trail, the boat transportation, the ambiance of the resort, the available dining options, the service (at least the service that we had not his past trip--it was our first, so we don't know if that's consistent), the rooms, the beautiful lobby...I would stay here again in a second. Though it is probably worth noting that if I was not renting a car, WL would probably not be my first choice.

As a resort of convenience, I would probably choose Boardwalk, Beach/Yacht Club, or Contemporary/BLT because for me, being within walking distance to at least one park is the most splendid amenity ever.

We have stayed in all of the DVC resorts except OKW and the Grand Floridian (we will be staying there in NINE days), all of the deluxe resort, CBR and one of the All Stars. We are DVC members but we will both always love staying at the Poly the most. We just love everything about it from the small size of the resort, the laid back feeling, the always wonderful cast members, the tropical feel and of course the perfect location.

I used to be a big POFQ fan, and I still do love parts of it. But, now I think I would pick POR. Of course, we stroll between the two quite a lot!

I've only stayed at 5 resorts.

1. The Contemporary way back in the 70's when I was in 3rd grade. I don't remember much about it except I thought the monorail going right through the hotel was cool.
2. In 1993, I stayed at what was then called Dixie Landings. I'm not sure whether it is now PORS or POFQ. Could someone please help me out on that? Again, it was over 20 years ago, and I don't remember much.
3. In 2000, it was Coronado Springs. I didn't care for it much. It was too spread out. Buses took forever, and the selection of restaurants was not great.
4. In 2007, I stayed at AKL. LOVED IT!!! We had a Savannah view room and got to see the animals every night. The restaurants were superb.
5. In 2014, it was WL. Loved that, too! I liked the smaller footprint of the hotel, and AP is one of my favorite restaurants. Plus, the boat ride over to MK was a real convenience.

Overall, I would have to give a slight edge to AKL. Being an animal lover, seeing a giraffe outside my room at night was a perfect ending to a perfect day, and I got to do it every night of my vacation.

I've only stayed at four on-site: BCV, BWV, VGF and SSR. BCV is the hands down winner for me. SAB is the best pool by far, I can spend the day at the pool and be perfectly happy. Best location, walking distance to two parks and Epcot being my favorite especially for F&W. Proximity to the boardwalk and all that offers in food and entertainment, especially Jelly Rolls. Just like they say in real estate; location, location, location. The views from the rooms stink though.

I like a BW View room as well. It just doesn't have the excellent pool.

Although BLT looks a bit like a Manhattan apartment house, I'm looking forward to trying it.

SSR was dead last to me. Almost like staying off-site.

We've stayed at Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village, and Pop Century, and of the four Kidani is my favorite. Nothing like waking up to giraffes and antelope wandering outside your window, and the rooms were amazing. Almost perfect.

We've got Wilderness Lodge coming up, which has the advantage of being really close to Magic Kingdom and from there a quick monorail ride to Epcot. I know the resort is awesome and I know we'll love staying there, but I can't imagine it can beat AKL.

We've stayed at All Star Music and Movies, Pop Century, Art of Animation, POR, and BLT. We've enjoyed all of them but my favourites are AOA and BLT. The theming at AOA was incredible but I'm going to give the edge to BLT because of the location. Walking to MK can't be beat

We have stayed at all of the All-Stars, POFQ and AKL. Of those AKL is my favorite though I can't afford it now.

But to me any Disney Resort is better than No Disney Resorts.

I have stayed at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, POR, POFQ, Coronado Springs and OKW.
I will always love the Poly as we used to stay there when we were children, but I can't justify the cost especially for a long vacation. So Port Orleans for me, it is where we always head back to. I love Riverside and FQ.
My wish list is a treehouse villa at Saratoga Springs and a log cabin at Fort Wilderness!

Never stayed there... But it would have to be the Grand Floridian... The DW and I are planning our 20 year wedding anniversary there. Can't wait!!

Mike

I have stayed at CBR, CSR, GFV, BLT, BCV, BWV, OKW, SSR, WLV, and AKL.
I really think I like the theming of WL the most. But I think I will have to give the total win to the Boardwalk Villas. I love the views you get and the proximity to EPCOT and HS is amazing. All the things and entertainment on the Boardwalk are great. And there's always a spot to get a beverage.

I seem to be in a small minority here (and elsewhere).
Love Coronado Springs,especially the Rancho's section.
Will let you know our thoughts on PORS after next years trip ...

We keep changing our favorite resort! I think it is depending on the experience on that trip that decides for us.
We have stayed at ASmovie, CBR, BC, BCV, PORS, and POFQ. We didn't care for the ASmovie at the time because of the noise and thin walls. CBR was one of our early ones and we still stay there occasionally. Love the layout. BC was a special trip and the nicest we had stayed at, and we loved it. Also, got spoiled with this one! Until we stayed at BCV when our DD went with us and we needed more space. Absolutely loved it!! And it is so close to Epcot! But, it is very expensive so we wait for deals. PORS and it's grounds are breath-taking! POFQ and it's quietness and proximity to PORS to walk to and the boat to DTD is wonderful. I really want to stay at WL and AKL one day!! These are my dream choices!! One day.....

I haven't ever stayed there but I've been to a friends room there and visited the resort for food. I really liked the decor and resort and would stay there if I were ever to not use our DVC points and stay in a mod.

My only issue with Coronado was the horrendous bus service we had there. Other then that we were very happy with the resort.

Lets see we have stayed at Pop Century, the Polynesian, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans both French quarter and Riverside, and finally Wilderness Lodge. So we have tried everything from deluxe to value. I have to say that by far Wilderness is our favorite. We have stayed there the last two visits. The only resort I wouldn't go back to is Pop. I think we may be a little snobby, we like the moderate and deluxe resorts better. For 2015 we are debating between going back to Wilderness or trying Beach club. It would be hard to give up Wilderness but Beach club is very appealing.

AKL has always been my favorite resort, I love everything about the place, so much so we've been staying there for almost 10 years now, very rarely even contemplating staying at other resorts. I love the atmosphere, the food, the savannas, the pool, even The Mara and especially The Boma. There's something about that place that causes me to catch my breath every time I walk through the door, and like you, I have a tradition of touching the carving in the entrance way every morning before leaving.

This time around, we stayed at POR - the first time we went to WDW we stayed here and haven't been back. And now I'm torn. It was much more beautiful than I remember, so quiet and serene, the well manicured gardens, the long lawns, the meandering pathways down the side of the Sassagula. I fell in love with The River Roost Bar, Fultons, the variety of the menu in the food court. I found myself wanting to go back to the hotel during the day for a break, a quiet walk or a bike ride down to POFQ, a boat ride to DTD. It wasn't just an escape from the epically busy parks, it was a sanctuary!

Now I'm torn, I don't know which I love more! I can't choose!

So far I've only stayed at Pop and AS Sports and for me, Pop Century was a better resort in my book. Granted, it's a little more pricier compared to all of the AS resorts but I found a designated resort bus and not having to share a bus with the other resorts as a big asset. Food was a push considering they pretty much served the same thing and the same held true for the rooms and decor.

Everyone who knows me knows my constant yearning for the AKL but besides that, I do have interest in the Wilderness Lodge given that it's not as pricey compared to most of the deluxe resorts, the layout isn't so ginormous and it's a good location in my book. I've thought about possibly staying at the Boardwalk and Poly based on food interests and theme but the prices are not justifiable for me to spend a lot of money on that.

We just returned from WDW on Nov 23. We have stayed at All Star Sports, then POP, but this time we were at Coronado Springs and really liked it there. We lucked out and got assigned a room in the Casitas section so we were right by the first bus stop and not a bad walk to the main building. We didn't seem to have a problem with buses - a couple of times we just missed the bus we wanted and had to wait a bit but maybe we were lucky and that week is also a less busy week I think. Since my daughter is an adult too we just thought it was more peaceful and less noisy at CSR and the rooms were bigger, etc. I would stay at any of them again but if we go next year probably would spring for CSR again or try another moderate.

I love many of the WDW Resorts for different reasons, but the Polynesian Village is truly my favorite. It's the only hotel hopping that I'll pout over if I don't get to stop by. I always eat there at least once, to me it is the very epitome of a themed resort, it's one of the originals, and it instantly transports me to the islands. Pure Disney Magic.

Well, after our first stay at the Grand Floridian Villas I can still say the Poly is my favorite. The GFV are beautiful. I loved everything about them. We will stay there again. But, it just does not have the same feel to us as the Poly.

Do you think you'll buy into the poly DVC? We are hoping we can stay there next year for a few nights if we can get in, never been a huge fan of the poly, favouring the grand and contemporary but very excited to try it out

We would love to buy into the Poly but that will depend on price per point and the number of points needed for a week. I have a feeling Mrhub is going to want to buy regardless of price.

I think that I'd bet all my pokerchips on that!

I think I tend to agree with you there but why not eh? You guys love the Poly so it makes sense