Help me decide a resort for our next trip!

[sambahat]

I can't decide between Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, and Polynesian. We've never been to any of them; we've always stayed at one of the All Star resorts.

I'm leaning toward Polynesian because (correct me if I'm wrong) it's close to MK and has a Monorail stop. Also, I believe they're going through some renovations which should (hopefully) be done by the time we book this vacation (early next year maybe).

Any recommendations?

 

[Monty]

I've stayed at DAKL and loved it. Next resort for me will probably be Contemporary, because of Monorail and hopefully we'll have an MK view.

Honestly, I don't think you'd be disappointed by any of your choices.

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

AKL - great views/WL - boat to MK is nice

We've stayed at the AKL and the WL. The AKL is remote but if you get a room with a savannah view it's awesome. The animals are right outside your sliding glass door. The WL is nice too. We stayed at both resorts in 2005. We were at the AKL in April and the WL in September. There is a boat that goes to the MK from the resort. We were lucky enough to get to see the MK fireworks display from the boat the last time we stayed there. It was fantastic. We have not yet stayed at the Poly but we've visited a few times. I hope to get to stay there sometime as well. Once you experiece these resorts you may not want to go back to the All Stars, although the All Star Movie Resort wasn't bad.

Good luck with your trip planning! We head back in September for 9 days.

 

[Tinkerbella16]

Polynesian, by far is the resort I would choose. Everytime I walk around the resort I just know and feel I'm in Disney. Riding the monorail right over to MK or Epcot, eating at one the most popular restaurants...O'hanas(great food btw). The atmosphere is amazing w/ the volcano pool and the renovated rooms. That would be my choice, but no matter what your decision is, you will still be staying at a great resort. have a great trip :wave:

 

[cdunbar]

If your gonna do a deluxe resort I would recommend the polynesian, b/c yes it does have a monorail stop and it undergoing renovations. But I personally prefer the Contemporary tower rooms, if your gonna do a MK view I would by far suggest this resort the renovations are lovely and the monorail is right below u unlike the Poly which has no rooms in the building in which the monorail is located!:wave:

 

[nickcarraway]

Only if you looove animals and plan on spending mucho time by the pool, would I recommend the Animal Kingdom Lodge over the Poly. (Wilderness Lodge, in my opinion, is far inferior to AKL.) There's nothing that beats the view of the castle from the Poly. On the flip side, the AKL is truly unique one-of-a-kind experience. Whatever. You'll have an amazing time at both.

 

[nyy102]

I have not stayed there, but it seems to me that the AKL is only truly worth it if you are facing the savvanah. Personally, I would pick the Polynesian over all of them, as the monorail is very useful and I just love the Hawaiin theme.

 

[WDFAN1977]

My wife and I have stayed at the WL. By far, I would recommend the WL based on my experience. It was amazing, well themed, and great all around atmosphere. It is great if you like the outdoors. I could be somewhat biased not only because it is the only one of the three I have stayed at but I was there as a concierge guest .

 

[DisneyRoxMySox]

You can't go wrong, have been stayed at all three resorts. All of them are beautiful. AKL and WL are similar styles. Both have big and open lobby's. I like WL the best because you feel secluded from the rest of the 'World' but you are right next to MK and it's resorts. AKL you really are secluded. :lol: Poly is nice with the monorail and all. But out of these three, probably by least favorite. But all of them are excellent and you will enjoy yourself.

 

[tiggerzgirl83]

POLYNESIAN

 

[Victoria]

POLYNESIAN

What she said...

The Poly is amazing. The place is so romantic, fun, and convenient. There is a monorail stop there and the pool is awesome. Plus, the views of MK are great. If you stay there definetly eat at Ohana's (skip the Luau) and watch the Electrical Water Pageant from the beach one night.

The Wilderness Lodge (where I will be staying this August) is also good for its location. The theming is great, the surroudings are beautiful, and there is a very convenient boat to take you to the MK. It is the best place to get the most bang for your buck. You get the ammenities of the other deluxe resorts, close location to MK, but without having to pay for the monorail access.

I have never stayed at the AKL but from what I understand, it is pretty pointless unless you can afford a Savannah view room.

 

[Astronaut Jones]

I don't mean to offend, but I don't understand the mass appeal of the Polynesian. It might be something to do with people going when they were kids and it just feels like Disney to them? Other than that it just seems overpriced to me.

Personally, my favorite is The Wilderness Lodge.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Wilderness Lodge. Close enough to the MK without all the hooplah of the monorail traffic.

The boat ride from the WL to the MK is nice and relaxing. The Launches between Contemporary, WL, and Ft W. is nice as well during the day when you want to get away from all the hubub. I spent three hours on a launch reading one afternoon. It was raining a little, a bit on the chilly side. My favorite type of day!

 

[Clark Griswold]

I was in the same boat as you just a month ago. I have always stayed at either Pop Century or the All Star Sports Resort. I (more like the "trip planner) chose the Wilderness Lodge and are set to leave this coming Friday morning and begin our trip. We thought it was time for a change and hopefully we will love the Wilderness Lodge.


"Grow eyes for poachers."

 

[Hakunamatata]

I was in the same boat as you just a month ago. I have always stayed at either Pop Century or the All Star Sports Resort. I (more like the "trip planner) chose the Wilderness Lodge and are set to leave this coming Friday morning and begin our trip. We thought it was time for a change and hopefully we will love the Wilderness Lodge.


"Grow eyes for poachers."

Make time to spend in the lobby just looking at it and listening to the music. Also, take a stroll down to the DVC lobby and check it out. Its the best themed on property in my opinion.

 

[eroyee]

:wave: Check out the geyser, the electrical water pageant and the Whispering Canyon cafe at the WL. its a beautiful place to stay. Your mouth just drops open when you enter the lobby. have a magical trip.:sohappy:

 

[VoiceGuy07]

They are all great resorts but I guess the key question is, what are you looking for during your stay? All are different experiences, just depends!!!

 

[maelstrom]

I'd choose either the Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge. The Poly is great because it's on the monorail and you have the potential to have a great view of the MK, and it also has that vintage WDW feel since it is one of the original hotels. The Wildy, however, is all in one building, which is very nice during that lovely Florida rain. There's also a boat to the Contemporary and Ft. Wilderness. The rooms are smaller than those at the Poly, but there are some great views (I could see the castle and fireworks from room 4016, and last January we had a great courtyard view).

I've never stayed at AKL and have no real desire to.

 

[sambahat]

Narrowing the choice

Thanks for everyone's input. When I started thinking about this, although I am tempted by the savannah view, I consider it a long shot. Polynesian was the front runner and Wilderness Lodge was running second.

Now that I've heard some input, I've pretty mush crossed AKL off the list, although I still plan on staying there some day. Also, Polynesian and Wilderness are now neck and neck. I've been to the Whispering Canyon cafe and was absolutely amazed by the lobby and surroundings.

Hmmm.... jury's still out. It may come down to the convenience of
transportation: Monorail to EPCOT and MK versus Ferry boat.

We have two kids who will be 9yrs old and 5 yrs old when we go. They love the monorail so that might help make the decision.

As to VoiceGuy07's question about what we're looking for? I'm not exactly sure to tell you the truth!
Seclusion is nice, but not necessary. The kids love the goings-on and I'm afraid they would be bored at Wilderness.

You know what? I think I just made my decision. As I write this, I'm pretty sure it's going to be Polynesian. I think the kids will dig being close to the Monorail and therefore MK. They'll also enjoy the Water Pageant. I'll like Ohana's! My wife will like the fact that it's expensive. (sorry honey, I couldn't resist).

When we get older, I'll go for more seclusion (and near a golf course).


Wahoo!