Is there a "bad" WDW resort?

[ParentsOf4]

While planning our next vacation, I realized that I've liked (in different ways) every WDW resort I've stayed at. I'm not talking about a bad experience: poor mouse keeping, loud children at 1 AM, a grumpy CM. These happen at every resort. I mean objective things about the resort you don't like. For example, my DW doesn't like CSR (buildings too spread out, pool too far from the main lobby, and food court didn't have much variety). They only way she'd stay there again is if it offered a super deep discount.

Offsite is a different matter. There have been plenty of hotels or rentals that we've stayed at that we would never do again.

Does WDW have a "bad" resort that you'd tell people to stay away from?

 

[jlsHouston]

I have to say when the girls were girls, we stayed at the cabins in FW a couple of times, including a three week stay and it was excellent. We only stayed because of a suggestion by a Disney reservations person when we had difficulty getting a room with a roll away at POR.

I am thinking my grandkids would love the cabins. We are going to check out that property when we go for our Mickeys Bbq dining show !

 

[Funfy]

I love the "champagne tastes" comment! it's true as an adult too. Once you stay @ a deluxe, you really never want to go back to value! I am spoiled!

I am with you. It gets worse once you become one of those snobby DVC members . We are trying to stay at all DVC locations in the eastern US. Just Saratoga Proper (not treehouses-stayed there) and Wilderness Lodge left to go. Should take care of SSR this December and WL next summer for son's HS graduation trip. We haven't got to Hawaii or California, but, that might take a while.

Loved them all-all different! My children, especially my DD got very used to this side of Disney-DVC/meal plan, etc. We have been DVC since 2003 and went values and moderates before that. We won a radio trip and stayed at Beach Club-that is probably why we are DVC members now. Disney is not stupid!

She is now 21 and looked at going on her own with some friends and staying in a value-our points are very allocated-so none to spare-even with us providing an annual pass-decided maybe she would wait and just go with us! LOL Reality is no fun sometimes.

 

[gccgrad1996]

I have to agree with most people on here. Every resort has its positive and negative factors that people will like or dislike for their own reasons. I have only ever stayed at a value or a moderate resort, and I have stayed at everyone. I do not like that the buses at the All Stars share and that they are open in the sun, but it doesn't keep me from staying there. Other than that we have always had a wonderful time there. We love Pop, our favorite value, but again I hate that the bus stops are out in the sun.
We love POR and POFQ, these are our favorite resorts out of all that we have stayed. I would say I wish the food court at POFQ had some more choices, but I love the size of the resort. POR does have multiple bus stops which could mean full buses by the time it reaches the last stop, but I love the theme. CB was just too big for us, but is was beautiful. CSR was also very large and I hated the food court, but I loved the pool. I don't think I will ever stay at either one of these resorts again, but it wasn't because they were bad resorts. I had a nice stay at both, but we will choose to stay elsewhere.
I can say if I ever do have the money to stay at a deluxe resort it would never be the Grand Floridian. I have absolutely no desire to ever stay here. But it is far from a "bad" resort, just a resort I wouldn't want to stay at.

 

[jmargarone27]

OKW & Poly?? Really?

Yes and the values. 1) it doesn't make since because I am a DVC member and 2) I just don't have any desire to stay at those resorts! I would visit the Poly any day, but I would never stay there. I am a GF, Boardwalk, and Beach Club person.

 

[Crush Dude!]

Yes and the values. 1) it doesn't make since because I am a DVC member and 2) I just don't have any desire to stay at those resorts! I would visit the Poly any day, but I would never stay there. I am a GF, Boardwalk, and Beach Club person.

OKW would make sense seeing as it takes less points than any other dvc resort

 

[s&k'smom]

All this resort talk I'm so booking our next trip next week.

 

[jlsHouston]

There are no bad places to stay at WDW resorts! IMHO, you can never go wrong at any of the resorts! They are clean, the CMs are helpful, the food is good, the atmosphere is friendly and family-oriented, etc. etc. etc...
Of course, you will never please everyone! there will always be someone who complains, or thinks staying off site is cheaper/better (like my sister-in-law).

hahaha I just caught this one!! I am like really ? when I hear people going to Orlando and doing wdw but staying off property...

 

[jlsHouston]

OK but why?

she was given an extremely dirty room ..but they moved her over to the contemporary

 

[jlsHouston]

You make an excellent point. The difference for us was that we did not have a car the one time we stayed at CSR. The children were too large for strollers but still small enough that they tired walking from the room to the main building or the pool (which were in opposite directions from our rooms).

I'm convinced that WDW with a car and without a car are 2 different experiences. I know several people prefer Disney transportation but any of the large resorts can be a bit of a drag without a car. For example, when I'm at CBR and in one of the (many) distant rooms, I dislike having to wait for a bus just to get to the food court or main pool. I still like the resort but enjoy it a lot more with my own transportation. In general, my "this is great" factor increases immensely if I can walk to the main building and pool, no matter what the resort.

Oh I totally agree about the difference between having a car and not having a car for alternative transportation around the wdw complex! We had a car the first 2 visits and none this last one and we all agreed a car is so much more convenient and NOT having a car this last time made us extremely annoyed the couple of times we had to deal with the slow buses that work the CSR..The CBR was where we stayed last Oct on our 2nd visit and we had a car and even though I didn't like the layout or sprawl of that resort I had the other transportation options besides disney so I didn't feel too inconvenienced! The one thing I can say about our stay at CSR this past easter was, staying in Cabana 8B waterview, we were halfway between the dig pool and the lobby/food court area so I just loved the location and we had 6d/5n which helped us all to not feel so rushed to hurry up and do everything immediately! I would have to say POP was a great resort as far as the distance of our walk to the bus stop, the food court, the pool or the parking lot to the car. Having the convenience of alternative transportation available or fortunate enough to have a well placed room at whatever resort you are staying can make all the difference in the world !

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

We have stayed in the All-Star Music, Pop, PO:Riverside, Grand Floridian, the Polynesian and there isn't one I wouldn't go back to because I didn't like it. If we do a value again we will simply get two rooms now that my boys are older, that's all. So far we've found something to love about all of the ones we've stayed in. The list is LONG of the ones we'd like to try, too!

 

[jmargarone27]

OKW would make sense seeing as it takes less points than any other dvc resort

Too big and we don't like the location.

 

[KaliSplash]

There are no bad Disney resorts. They all are at Walt Disney World. When you stay in one of the resorts you are at Walt Disney World! How bad can it be?

That said, as others have pointed out, each resort has strengths and weaknesses. I am not a fan of Port Orleans because it is so far away from the parks. Ditto the Animal Kingdom Lodge, unless, of course, you are headed to AK. They just feel so far away. But they ARE inside Walt Disney World. So they're fine if that's where you end up. We've stayed in everything from AllStar Sports to the Grand Floridian (not suggesting we have stayed in all the resorts, but we have covered the full range of offerings). Loved them all.

 

[ScoutN]

SSR is bland boring and like a retirement home favoured by coffin dodgers. But even that doesnt make it bad.

I guess my experiences there are just more of my errr... swag

 

[EvilQueen-T]

we've stayed at value, mod, deluxe, deluxe club level, and at the treehouse villas so i guess you can include dvc property. i don't think any of them are bad but have served my purposes depending on the type of trip/size of group we're taking, who i'm going with and what our budget is at the time. there are things i don't like about the values...mainly the long walk to the buses. i'm not crazy about the ride to/from mk when staying at the boardwalk area deluxe resorts...to many stops. i didn't have a problem with csr but we were in the ranchos section which put us close to a quiet pool, laundry, and not bad walk to main pool but yes their quick serve area needs help. overall, i'd always stay on property over off property as i love emh, the feeling of being totally immersed in my vacation, and having the bus option.

 

[littleroo]

POFQ all the way!! Can't beat the food or the staff!! Plus Elliot Dyson playing Wed - Sat in the Scat Cat Lounge is awesome!! Gave up free dining at the end of August to stay there! 49 days to go!!!

 

[rufio]

The only resort that I really don't like it Saratoga Springs. Some of the resorts I would never stay at (ex: Poly and Old Key West) but I don't dislike them.

I agree. The theming really wasn't there in my opinion at SSR.

 

[GeoDonJac34]

We are staying at SSR for the first time in October, and am having some second thoughts after reading so many negative comments. We are renting DVC points so we are stuck with it. As for bad resorts I haven't come across one yet. After doing values most of our stays my 13 year old son ha decided he doesn't want to go back them. Especially after WL which we all loved. I would sleep in my car if need be.

 

[pixiesteno]

I am thinking my grandkids would love the cabins. We are going to check out that property when we go for our Mickeys Bbq dining show !

FW is a wonderful place and I am sure the kids would love it. There is so much for them to do besides swimming. You can rent bikes, if you don't take their own, archery lessons, canoeing , boat rentals, campfire & movie nightly, tennis, volleyball, playgrounds, basketball, etc. Someday we are going to take our DS, DDIL, and 5 grandchildren and that is where we plan on staying - kids need room to roam!

 

[Disneydreamer23]

All depends on preference, I love the pop but not a fan of sports only BC im not a big sports person its not a bad resort just not my style

 

[murphysmom]

I was very disappointed in the Beach Club. I missed having a more typical quick service restaurant. I also didn't like how the bus service was shared with all of the other boardwalk resorts, nor how long it took to get to the Magic Kingdom. I'm not sure I would say Stay Away, but I'd suggest having your own car, or a lot of money for cabs.