Favorite deluxe resort for families?

jack@wdw

jack@wdw

New Member
Original Poster
Hello all!
We did our first "real" Disney vacation last year with a one week stay at Beach Club and it was excellent. We're already thinking ahead to our next trip in two years and I'm wondering about your thoughts on the various deluxe resorts. We're a family of five with three kiddos (13, 10, 6). Which deluxe resort do you think strikes the right balance of being "deluxe" and great for younger families?
 
CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Animal Lodge offers such a lot - besides the pool, restaurants etc you have the added bonus of the Savannas from which the animals and birds can either be viewed from your room balcony or the dedicated viewing points.
 
HouCuseChickie

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
I'm a big fan of the Contemporary. To me, it feels more "Disney" than any other resort. There's just something about having the monorail go through the resort that gets me every time and I think the kids really latch onto that as well.

As for cost, you can stay in the garden wing and cut costs considerably. So, I look at that as a perk of the resort... i.e. all of the monorail resort convenience at a decent savings. The garden wing rooms are exactly the same as the tower rooms except that only the ground floor ones have patios...i.e. no balconies for 2nd or 3rd floor. We've stayed in both the garden and the tower and enjoy both. I also think the walk from the garden wing to the tower is very quick and easy. Still, if the tower is in the budget...go for it :)

As for perks...
- rooms at any of the monorail resorts are larger than what you had a BC
- you can walk to MK from the Contemporary
- you have 3 TS restaurants and what we feel to be a decent quick service
- if you've ever wanted to try the 7am at Chef Mickey's- you are at the easiest spot from which you can do this
- you have a boat launch to WL and Ft. Wilderness
- you are just 1 stop from the TTC on the monorail if you are heading to Epcot
 
L

ladydi

Active Member
We've stayed at poly, GF, and boardwalk. My kids loved all three for different reasons. Poly was beautiful and they loved the boat and monorail to MK . My middle kid loved the GF-moms favorite also. We stayed at the boardwalk this fall when they were 13, 13, and 11. I'd wait a bit and see what the refurb looks like at the poly before making a decision.
 
Philhar-Fanatic

Philhar-Fanatic

Active Member
We stayed at AKL Jambo DVC room this last March (our first delux). We spent as much time at the resort as we did at parks. Kids were 11 and 12 at the time. We we're all in LOVE!!
 
jack@wdw

jack@wdw

New Member
Original Poster
We like to take at least one day to chill at the resort. Which of the three monorail resorts has the best pool and other amenities for kids?
 
JasonDeyoung

JasonDeyoung

Well-Known Member
I will always love the Poly even though it's not the same Poly anymore and the Contemporary is always a favorite. I have lately become very attracted to the AKL and can't wait to spend another week there in May. I'd pick one of those granted I have heard Wilderness Lodge is a great choice as well. Yacht Club is obv a great choice too. I'd pick one that's close to whatever park you'll be at the most
 
totaldisneygirl

totaldisneygirl

Active Member
I love AKL but it's downfall is transportation to the parks as you can only get anywhere by bus. This is why the Contemporary is my favorite! Love the theming, love the monorail going through the resort, love chef mickey's down below! The castle can be seen from the resort. You can walk to MK! Aside from that, the monorail, boats and busses are available. Wilderness Lodge is a close second because they have boats and busses too! You might want to follow up on the construction though. Their theming is fabulous.
 
StarWarsGirl

StarWarsGirl

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
jack@wdw said:
We like to take at least one day to chill at the resort. Which of the three monorail resorts has the best pool and other amenities for kids?
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Well, Poly's pool is being refurbished, so until it's done, I can't really answer that. None of the monorail resorts are going to have a pool like at BC.

I like Contemporary the best; that was my favorite as a kid. You might want to look into the DVC resale market for points at BLT for the next time you go. A one or two bedroom will sleep your entire family, and the BLT amenities are really good. There's community hall, shuffleboard, bocci ball, and BLT has its own pool, plus you get access to the Contemporary pool.

As far as Contemporary goes, you've got shopping, an arcade, and watersports rentals. We like going over to Wilderness Lodge and renting bikes. Plus, you're within walking distance to MK.
 
L

ladydi

Active Member
With 5 in the family, WL is out unless you do the villas. We really enjoyed the poly pre refurb. Location was great and the kids loves the volcano pool and activities. We stayed at GF in December so only used the pool once due to the weather but enjoyed it as well. Contemporary isn't my style so we haven't stayed there. The garden rooms always seemed kinda far to me and tower rooms were out of our price range.
 
sgtmgd

sgtmgd

Well-Known Member
jack@wdw said:
Hello all!
We did our first "real" Disney vacation last year with a one week stay at Beach Club and it was excellent. We're already thinking ahead to our next trip in two years and I'm wondering about your thoughts on the various deluxe resorts. We're a family of five with three kiddos (13, 10, 6). Which deluxe resort do you think strikes the right balance of being "deluxe" and great for younger families?
Click to expand...
Hard to beat the Tri-fecta of the YC, BC, Boardwalk area..more choices for great food in a short distance than any other Deluxe, also YC/BC boast the best pool on property with Storm along Bay..Epcot is a couple minutes walk DHS also within walking distance. Not sure you can go "wrong" with any deluxe but we prefer the Epcot resorts.
 
lostpro9het

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
sgtmgd said:
Hard to beat the Tri-fecta of the YC, BC, Boardwalk area..more choices for great food in a short distance than any other Deluxe, also YC/BC boast the best pool on property with Storm along Bay..Epcot is a couple minutes walk DHS also within walking distance. Not sure you can go "wrong" with any deluxe but we prefer the Epcot resorts.
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Ill concede a point that when its just the DW and I, BCV is perfect. We really enjoy EC and all the food around the area(Il Mulino, Yachtsman, all of EPCOT) but when it comes to family our DD found BWV bland and boring, Pennywise the pool didn't do it for her. She also doesn't appreciate the restaurants in the area when she can sit and watch animals from her room, by the pool all day, take part in tons of arts and crafts, and watch animals at night with night vision goggles.
 

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