What resort to pick

[lkubinec]

We're back. We have finally decided to go back to disney . It has been 3 years since the last visit as we were building a new house. We would like to get some feedback as to which resort to book in our upcoming visit in Aug/06. We have narrowed the selection to the Grand Floridian, Yacht/Beach Club (have not stayed there before) or the Polynesian (stayed there before). We are not really interested in the other deluxe resorts as we have found the rooms to be kind of small. Any opinions would be appreciated.:wave:

 

[surfsupdon]

Here's some Yacht/Beach advice:

We prefer Yacht Club b/c it is directly on the lake and thus has great views. However, the Beach Club is set back from the lake. Many rooms, including water view rooms, overlook kitchen roofs and other common place areas, and Stormalong Bay, the main pool. Also, the balconies are super tiny. Yacht Club has full size balconies and much better views b/c of its better location which appears closer to the water.

If Epcot and MGM are will you will spend mos of your time, stay here. If Magic Kingdom is more your thing, stay on the monorail I'd think.

 

[Teenchy]

We're back. We have finally decided to go back to disney . It has been 3 years since the last visit as we were building a new house. We would like to get some feedback as to which resort to book in our upcoming visit in Aug/06. We have narrowed the selection to the Grand Floridian, Yacht/Beach Club (have not stayed there before) or the Polynesian (stayed there before). We are not really interested in the other deluxe resorts as we have found the rooms to be kind of small. Any opinions would be appreciated.:wave:

A few more details on how many of you are going and ages and we might be able to give you better suggestions. (i.e. Kids or nokids and their ages, not yours.) lol

 

[twx24me]

I prefer the Yacht/Beach Club Resorts myself. They are both really nice! What I like the best is that, you have full access to the Boardwalk and the great resturants their, plus you can walk to Epcot. I love to drink around the world, and even though I dont get trashed or anything, I feel alot safer being able to walk back to the resort.

 

[justducky78]

Overall, here's my pick and why:

1. Yacht Club - best pool(s), good restaurants, proximity to Epcot/MGM, good restaurants on-site and nearby. Great if you like to walk and even if you don't (boats). I love room decor and balconies. Upscale feel but still laid back. Less expensive than other two.

2 (tie). Grand Floridian - on Monorail, afternoon tea, on-site massage, beautiful resort with beach/pools. Very expensive, though and from family I know who has stayed there -- not that impressed with rooms. Obviously, it has a victorian feel. If you do stay, spend the money and get room in main building, not garden wings. Only 5-star restaurant on property. We dine and spa there but prefer to stay elsewhere.

2 (tie). Polynesian - great pool, on monorail, good restaurants, luau, romantic feel. Downside - I don't like room decor that much and you have to walk outside to get from lobby to rooms (vice-versa). I'd pay a little more to get a view of castle/beaches and closer to lobby.

GF and Poly are a tie -- depends on the 'feel' of resort that you want, because they couldn't be more opposite but I like both equally. If you REALLY want to stay on the monorail or close to MK, obviously YC is not for you on this trip.

If you're staying 10 nights or more, I suggest splitting b/w a monorail resort and YC.

 

[Clark Griswold]

It would be hard trying to decide between those choices, but I would recommend that you try the Grand Floridian. I haven't personally stayed there, but I have talked to some folks who stayed there and said they had a awesome time. I still firmly believe that it is Disney's best hotel.



"Please help us maintain the dignity of our hall."-James, the Hall of Presidents

 

[jdvm]

If you have kids, I'd highly recommend Yacht or Beach purely because of their pool, Stormalong Bay. It is so fantastic. I even heard that Disney would never build another pool like it because it keeps people out of the parks.

 

[imamouse]

Some of the Poly bldgs have recently been refurbished. That might or might not be a consideration. If it comes down to the pool, either the Poly or Y/BC. GF if you do not have kids, or if your kids will remember to use their "inside" voice.

 

[fngoofy]

Poly

 

[princesses_dad]

I may not be the best resource as I've only stayed at Grand Floridian (last week), Wilderness Lodge (Jan 2005) and the Polynesian (1990-something).

But, if money is not a big factor, do the Grand Floridian. It is awesome. I felt like I was sleeping on a cloud, honestly. The beds were super comfortable. It was extremely convenient getting to and from the Magic Kingdom, a little less convenient to get to Epcot, MGM, and Animal Kingdom. The property is beautiful, you get a great view of the fireworks show, the lake light parade, and just basically you feel like you are special. Now, maybe some of the other properties also give you that special treatment. I did not feel it at Wilderness Lodge last year, the property was beautiful but the rooms were just ordinary and it was not nearly as easy getting to the parks.

Just my opinion. Hope you have a great time.

 

[Nansafan]

Will be staying at the Yacht for the first time in April so I can't comment there. As far as Poly and GF, have stayed at both and done both Concierge level as well as the Contemporary. The Poly's rooms are larger than the GF and the Contemporary's are the largest. I am referring to regular type rooms, not suites. The Poly has a nice TV cabinet with drawers underneath. The drawers are very large. The GF has a TV cabinet with drawers but the drawers are much smaller. When we vacation for a week we like to unpack then put the dirty clothes in laundry bags back in the suitcases. Their are not enough drawers at the GF to accommodate a family of 4 we have found. My suggestion is if room size is important to you, the Poly or the Contemporary (I know not one of your options) would be the best fit.

 

[lkubinec]

Thanks for all of your opinions. I should have probably told you that there are four of us travelling (2 adults and 2 kids). The children's ages are 13 and 11. I certainly agree that the YC/BC is probably the best location as we tend to frequent MGM,Epcot and MK equally, and since we haven't been to YC or BC it would be nice to try something new. We have been to the GF for dinners in the past and the resort appears very nice. My wife for some reason loves the monorail as it seems to scream out Disney versus travelling by bus to everywhere. I've also heard that the views re water from YC or BC are sometimes disappointing since you may get a view that is at a 90 degree angle to water and that still counts. I don't mind getting a standard view type room but I would expect something special if I am paying the extra charge for the water view. We are looking forward to our trip and given that our dollar has rebounded significantly since our last trip, the cost will be around 20% cheaper right off the bat. Thanks:wave:

 

[Prof Ecks]

I think you are probably making the right decision. I have two kids (12 and 11) and we traditionally stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. But last time we stayed at the Board walk and so when we asked them this year where they wanted to stay, they both picked boardwalk again, because of the location. They loved the location. So, we opted for the Yachtclub instead...which based on reviews might be the better choice. Point is they really liked the easy access to Epcot and Disney Studios and the ability to hang out around the boardwalk. And they are psyched about the Yachtclub pool.

 

[relloron]

Yacht and Beach Club are nice because you can walk over to Epcot, the Boardwalk, or the Swan and Dolphin Resort. It has an awsome game room, and great ice cream. Nice pool too.

The Swan and Dolphin is also nice. They have heavenly beds and I really mean that. :lol: Just thought I'd through that in.

Yacht and Beach is more, hang back and Grand Floridian is more elegant. If your the type of people who were shorts and a ratty tee shirt (like me =)) then you may feel a bit out of place.

 

[lkubinec]

Thanks for all the advice. I have decided to stay at the YC and have requested a waterview room. We are looking forward to going back since it has been 3 years since our last visit. It looks like spring is coming, the temperature reached 7C today, I can already dream of those 30-33C August days already. I told my wife that we can still ride the monorail a few times even though we won't be staying this time at the Polynesian. I'm sure that the YC will be great. Once again thanks for all of your opinions it certainly helped. Now we get to start planning our itinerary and dining choices. I guess I'll have to search the site to get some ideas. It is always our intention to try someplace new each time we go. Once again thanks:wave:

 

[surfsupdon]

Thanks for all the advice. I have decided to stay at the YC and have requested a waterview room.

Great! When we make our reservations at YC, we don't merely request a "water view," but we request a Crescent Lake view. That way we don't have a quiet pool or 'runoff pond' view, both of which we were told unfortunately constitute a "water view" at Yacht Club.