Favorite deluxe resort

[HauntedMansionFLA]

We just got back from WDW. We stayed at The Poly (Pago Pago). You can't beat a short four minute walk to TTC for a monorail ride to the MK or a short nine and half minute ride to EPCOT. Beautiful resort. Love AKL too.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

Of the one's we've stayed at here's my list from favorite to least favorite. 1st Poly, 2nd WL, tie for 3rd AKL, GF, treehouse villas at SSR (does that count as deluxe or only dvc?), 4th Contemporary, 5th BWI (the resort was beautiful we had first room then cm issues that left a sour note).

 

[Marlins1]

As a standalone resort I would say AKL but the location means lots of long bus rides during a vacation. Add in convenience and I have to go with the Poly. Both are beautiful resorts.
Staying anywhere on the Boardwalk is also great and the Contemp has a very cool unique vibe.
Grand Floridian easily wins most overrated for me although the lobby is beautiful.

 

[abaker1975]

I have never stayed deluxe. My bucket list wish is Polynesian.
All the deluxes seem to have something unique or special. However I just love "tiki" themed and staying at Polynesian would be heaven - I wouldn't want to leave the resort though!

 

[jlsHouston]

I only stay deluxe now. I spend so much time NOT in the parks it doesn't feel like my vacation if I don't have a decent size room and a nice lobby to hang in. My absolute favorite resort is the POLY. I am not sure why but it is. BWI and AKL are the runner ups for the ambiance and service I've experienced at those resorts.

 

[Tinkerbella16]

We just had our first deluxe resort stay in September at the Beach Club. It was amazing! We absolutely loved everything about this resort - the pool is easily the best we've experienced, the location and proximity is awesome and the transportation was probably the best we've experienced on Disney property - buses and boats. It quickly became our favorite resort and we are booked to stay there again next September. The rooms were spacious and clean. We spent every afternoon in the pool, and boy is that pool something else! We love taking midday breaks each day of our trip, so the pool was a great way to relax and unwind before heading back to the parks at night. We loved walking to Epcot in 5 mins and taking the boat to DHS. The buses were never crowded (but we went Labor Day week so it wasn't busy).

 

[Incomudro]

We've stayed at three; Boardwalk, Beach Club (a few times) and most recently - Animal Kingdom.
Of those, Beach Club is my favorite.

 

[Incomudro]

We just had our first deluxe resort stay in September at the Beach Club. It was amazing! We absolutely loved everything about this resort - the pool is easily the best we've experienced, the location and proximity is awesome and the transportation was probably the best we've experienced on Disney property - buses and boats. It quickly became our favorite resort and we are booked to stay there again next September. The rooms were spacious and clean. We spent every afternoon in the pool, and boy is that pool something else! We love taking midday breaks each day of our trip, so the pool was a great way to relax and unwind before heading back to the parks at night. We loved walking to Epcot in 5 mins and taking the boat to DHS. The buses were never crowded (but we went Labor Day week so it wasn't busy).

I've actually hung out at the Beach Club pool, taken a walk over to England in Epcot for Fish and Chips - and taken them back to eat poolside.
That's convenience!

 

[Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo]

#1 Contemporary
#2 Polynesian
#3 Grand Floridian

 

[Big Hair]

Since 2011 we have stayed at all the deluxe resorts plus pop, and cbr. Jambo house is the go to just because Kidani doesn't have a QS for all day. Jambo's pool is better too. Old Key West is classic but if you don't have ground floor after 12 hours in the parks you regret. BW is good . BC is great because of the pool. Both are outstanding for the back door entrance to EPCOT. BL is a novelty. Wilderness lodge is an experience albeit inconvenient. GF is a dream and a must do experience but only for a night due to $$$$. The Poly is the best, friendly, seasoned knowledgeable cast, location, location, location, and all the best amenities. SSR is the last place every you want to stay. I am a DVC member so I have not spent nights everywhere yet but that is my goal.

 

[OliveMcFly]

My favorite is Wilderness Lodge especially at Christmas.

 

[Newton]

I have never stayed at a deluxe resort before but would like to one day. Of course I have my list of which ones I would like to stay at-The Polynesian, The Wilderness Lodge, and The Animal Kingdom Lodge. I've been to the Contemporary several times but those have been on dining occasions and to rent SeaRaycers. So, finally my question, what deluxe is your favorite or which ones have you stayed at?

Capt,
I highly recommend Disney's flagship resort, The Grand Floridian. It is gorgeous and even though it is a large resort, they manage keep it feeling quite cozy. If you are an AP or FL resident, you can take advantage of great discounts offered throughout the year.
A close second is the Polynesian and a very strong third place is the Beach Club! Definitely our top three if our budget permits!

 

[KCL]

Over the years I've been fortunate to stay at all the Deluxe Resorts.

My favorite as a standalone experience? Animal Kingdom Lodge. Extensively themed, impressive lobby, 3 good table service restaurants, good food court, good bar, and appealing pools. And don't forget the unique Savannah!

My favorite as an overall experience? Beach Club. Convenient to Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios, the Boardwalk, several different hotel restaurants, and arguably the best (albeit often crowded) pool. More so than the Monorail Resorts, I feel like I'm in the middle of it all when I stay at one of the three Crescent Lake Resorts.

I couldn't agree more. The blessing of isolation is also it's curse though. Those bus rides...whew. We went last Christmas and ate at Boma and Sanaa and I loved the Mara. Nine days wasn't even close to long enough.

I've only stayed at 1: Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary. I loved it. I'm staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge next May. I want to stay at the Grand Floridian some day.

I imagine AKL really feels special at that time of year. There's so much foliage on the grounds. We pulled up in a power outage and it legitimatly looked like a jungle.

I'm excited to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge next year.

Have fun.

Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom are the 2 best themed resorts on Disney property. What makes them so special is the way they block out the outside world and truly immerse you in either a mountain lodge retreat or an African safari village. They also are the cheapest deluxe resorts which is always nice. I'm also a fan of all the Epcot resorts, even Swan and Dolphin. The best thing about Swan and Dolphin is that there can be deals to get rooms there for the price of a moderate and you still get full Disney access except for the ability to charge in park purchases to your room.

Amen and amen. Wilderness Lodge is next up for both of us. I want to wait until the Copper Creek (or whatever the cabins are called ) project is done, so I don't have to hear or see any construction. 'Cause that'll really mess up that secluded vibe.

Animal Kingdom lodge is truly unique, so I have to say that if you had to choose one I would stay there. I grew up going to the Poly, but with all the changes I am staying away. Beach Club is nice because I like the location to Epcot. But the quick service food is non existent really. Pound for pound AKL is the best. Nice food options, great pools, African animals outside your balcony. Pretty cool.

Nothing beats the animals.

We've stayed at the AKL and the Boardwalk. We are in the minority in that we did not like the AKL. We absolutely LOVED the Boardwalk. We would love to try the Poly one day, and also the Beach Club! Our absolute favourite resort though is Fort Wilderness, where we stay in the cabins.

What was it about AKL that you didn't like?

The deluxe properties I have stayed at are the Contemporary, Polynesian and Wilderness. We will be at the Beach Club in early Dec. 2016 and am booked for a Savannah room at Animal Kingdom for 11/2017. Out of those three that I have already experienced, Wilderness is a fav. I am sure that it's number one place will be toppled with the upcoming trips.

I think you'll just be there in time for the Christmas decorations which are truly fantastic.

Poly no contest.
DOLE WHIPS
Best theme
Monorail
Luau
Volcano pool
I don't consider the resorts without monorail to be deluxe. Just fancy mod's.
DOLE WHIPS.

And you didn't even mention the food!

We just got back from WDW. We stayed at The Poly (Pago Pago). You can't beat a short four minute walk to TTC for a monorail ride to the MK or a short nine and half minute ride to EPCOT. Beautiful resort. Love AKL too.

I started down the trail to the TTC last time late at night just looking around and was shocked at how close it was.

As a standalone resort I would say AKL but the location means lots of long bus rides during a vacation. Add in convenience and I have to go with the Poly. Both are beautiful resorts.
Staying anywhere on the Boardwalk is also great and the Contemp has a very cool unique vibe.
Grand Floridian easily wins most overrated for me although the lobby is beautiful.

I have never stayed deluxe. My bucket list wish is Polynesian.
All the deluxes seem to have something unique or special. However I just love "tiki" themed and staying at Polynesian would be heaven - I wouldn't want to leave the resort though!

The Poly smells amazing!

I only stay deluxe now. I spend so much time NOT in the parks it doesn't feel like my vacation if I don't have a decent size room and a nice lobby to hang in. My absolute favorite resort is the POLY. I am not sure why but it is. BWI and AKL are the runner ups for the ambiance and service I've experienced at those resorts.

That is exactly my theory on resorts now.

 

[tigger1968]

While my nostalgic favorite is always the Contemporary, I have to say we really love Animal Kingdom Lodge. I've stayed there 4 times and loved every one of them. Amazing theming, wonderful cast, great restaurants, that pool, and of course the Savannah. Our last trip we were upgraded to a Savanah View room and for whatever reason the giraffes would bed down and actually sleep in front of our room. I had never seen this before and it turns out that they have the shortest sleep cycle of any animal, about 30 minutes a day, so seeing them actually lay down was apparently an incredibly rare sight. Boma and Jiko are two of the best restaurants on property in my opinion.

Haven't been in Poly since they ruined that amazing lobby, but love the theming of the resort and the rooms there are great. Wilderness Lodge has amazing theming as well, only one stay there and really want to go back. Worst stay? Really did not like the Grand Floridian. We found the theming in the lobby nice but it just really didn't suit us overall. Plus the walls in our building were paper thin. Won't be back.

Right below all those would have to be Port Orleans - Riverside. As close to a Deluxe as you can find in a Moderate. Love the theming and atmosphere there.

I'd love to experience Boardwalk and Yacht and Beach, but we seem to drift back to AKL and CR.

One of the things I love about threads like this is seeing that wide variety of answers to the question. It's one of the things I love about staying on property - there truly is a resort for just about every taste. Always interesting to see everyone's perspective on things.

 

[durangojim]

We've stayed at all the Deluxes except for Contemporary. Haven't stayed at the poly since the refurb but we'll be there in 2 months. Right now our choices are YC/BC for Fall (F&W)/Christmastime due to proximity to Epcot and DHS and GF for Spring/Summer due to proximity to MK. That might change in March with our Poly stay, but our lagoon view room at the GF was wonderful in July. There's something about sitting on the balcony after the kids are asleep watching the ships go by that is so peaceful.

 

[MissViv]

Just returned from Contemporary (theme park room) and all I can say is FABULOUS!!!! We've stayed at Contemporary before and we do love the resort but this trip was just MAGICAL.

We visited the Polynesian and made a reservation there for July (using the bounce back offer) but so far Contemporary is my favorite. Food was fantastic!