Rank the resorts you've stayed at

[captainkidd]

1.Wilderness Lodge - Dollar for dollar, I think this is the best resort on property. Cost is less than other deluxes, but you get just as much bang for your buck. It's always clean, the theming is top-notch, and the food is great.

2.Polynesian - Rooms are huge, location is the best, food is great, and had an awesome atmosphere. Only problem with it is that it can be slightly dirty in some places.

3.Grand Floridian - Beautiful rooms, no bad views. Great location for Magic Kingdom. Can be a bit intimidating though.

4.All Star Movies - No other resort has such a cool Disney vibe to it. Best food court on property, fun swimming pools, great bus service.

5.Port Orleans Riverside - Beautiful landscaping. Boat service to DTD. Themed very well.

6.Pop Century - Like the All Stars, food court is great. Theming is just below ASMovies in my opinion.

7.Caribbean Beach Resort - Lovely grounds, great atmosphere. Sadly, the bus service is pretty bad.

8.All Star Music - Food court is OK. Atmosphere is just slightly better than Sports.

9.All Star Sports - See above.

10.Yacht Club - Biggest disappointment for me. It looks beautiful on the outside, and is beautiful in the inside. It simply lacks the Disney feel to me. Long walks from some guest rooms. Service was less than stellar for a resort in this price range. Bus service was bad.

11.Old Key West - I liked nothing about this resort except the boat to DTD. Way too big, long walk to pool and restaurants, shops. Bus service was abysmal. Felt like a retirement community.

 

[Chrononymous]

1. Wilderness Lodge
What's not to love? Gorgeous feel, and theme, that fireplace in the lobby! The fabulous pool. I love water featues, and this resort has so many!

2. Port Orleans Riverside
Relaxing, great food court, and just feels miles away from commercialism. Trees everywhere muffle the sounds, and did I mention Rocking chairs? ahhhhhhhhhh!

3. Boardwalk Inn
Sumptuous and charming. Free hot tea in the morning was my favorite extra. And Love the hustle and bustle of the boardwalk itself...even in the rain!

4. Coronado Springs
I love the pool area, the beach, and the theme is fun. Long walk to everything, but the food choices are interesting.

5. Port Orleans French Quarter
Nifty theme, but small and pool was always crowded

6. Dolphin
Doesn't have the same Disney magic, and there were problems with housekeeping stealing stuff from the mini fridge. Nice to visit though!

 

[colliera]

Resorts Ranking

1. Port Orleans Riverside - Magnolia Bend or the Bayou. Both sides are equally nice. Great landscaping and good service.
2. Pop Century - Best of the values, good bus service, large food court but busy. Fun themes at buildings, great lobby and gift shop.
3. Contemporary Resort, North Garden Wing - (replaced by Bay Tower) great location and views of MK. Decor was dated, carpets worn.
4. Wilderness Lodge - I would have rated it higher as it really is a nice deluxe resort but I live in rural West Tennessee and the wooded areas surrounding it are like my backyard so there wasn't any novelty for me. Too much like still being home. Artist's Point is one of the best restaurants on property.
5. Shades of Green - Good resort with lots of nice touches that are not in a Disney run resort like video rental machines, clubhouse restaurant next to the golf courses, (originally the Golf Resort), and spacious rooms. I stayed before the renovation and expansion so it was a little worn looking even though they had just laid new carpet in the hallways.
6. All Star Movies - A lot like the other All Stars but I liked the theming better.
7. All Star Music - I had a room in the Country building so it was a 15 minute walk to Melody Hall (front desk) which was way too far.
8. Caribbean Beach - I liked the theming but this resort is just way too big. Bus service is needed just to get around the resort which is provided but it is too infrequent. Much like Port Orleans Riverside my top rated but batteling its size everyday was just too much.

 

[PixarfortheWin]

I love the Poly, and we're staying there next July, but it's far from perfect.

1.The pool is way too small for a resort with almost 900 rooms.
2.It's the only Deluxe Resort on property with no hot tub.
3.Our room in Tokelau had numerous stains on the carpet and wall.
4.The elevators in the longhouses are too small.
5.The hallways in the longhouses smell nasty.
6.The large windows in the GCH and at Ohana are always smudged.
7.Of the Deluxe Resorts, room service menu is on the lower end.
8.There are lots of tiki torches throughout, but many don't work (or are never lit.)

With the exception of #7, these aren't opinions - They're facts.

We still stay there as the theme is amazing, great CM's, awesome food, far and away, the most convenient resort for people wanting easy transportation to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and very large rooms.

1. The pool is not that small....so no fact stated there.
2. Technically there is two hot tubs there and so be it, Hot tubs are bastions for bacteria...
3. Stains i highly doubt....
4. Elevators are fine
5. Again no smell
6. Hmmmm, i have never seen them smudged.....
7. That may be true
8. Hmmm all torches are lit, some are turned off sooner than others...

Basically you stated ALL OPINIONS. Try again.

 

[bento]

We stayed at the Grand Floridian after the wedding. We chose a basic room instead of the Honeymoon Suite, just because I couldn't justify the expense when the basic room met all our needs. I was able to check us in without the husband (he was taking car of the car) without any problem. Very cool - I had just come to the front desk to make sure that I hadn't missed him coming in since I had been re-exploring the main lobby (I have stayed here before, parents made the mistake of asking me where I wanted to stay on property and I asked for the GF thinking why not ask for the moon.) When I checked in, I was told that they had upgraded our room to a park view ... very cool, we could watch the fireworks and the lagoon water parade from our balcony.

The room was spacious and very comfortable. Until I read the other reviews it didn't even dawn on me that there were no movies on demand or mini bar --- didn't need them. We had food and wine with us from our other location (which just was put in our luggage to come back to LA.) I loved being away from the grocery stores/gift shops that line 192.

Our experiences with the staff were right out of the Disney Cast Member handbook. All positive, friendly and very helpful. Our bellhop remembered us through out the week. All smiles and looks of "how can I provide you a magical experience today".

At the beginning of our stay there the husband was saying that we should stay at other WDW resorts on our future visits. By the end, he realized that it wasn't worth it to try all the resorts (for example All-Star) because of the experience we had at the Grand Floridian.

BTW -- I took advantage of the Spa one day and had a massage. I was able to get an appointment with 15 minutes (very very surprising). It was so serene and peaceful there. It was exactly what I needed.

 

[captainkidd]

1. The pool is not that small....so no fact stated there.
2. Technically there is two hot tubs there and so be it, Hot tubs are bastions for bacteria...
3. Stains i highly doubt....
4. Elevators are fine
5. Again no smell
6. Hmmmm, i have never seen them smudged.....
7. That may be true
8. Hmmm all torches are lit, some are turned off sooner than others...

Basically you stated ALL OPINIONS. Try again.

OK, let me rephrase some of these for you:

1.It seems to be everyone's opinion (except yours) that the Nanea pool is too small for a resort of that size. This isn't stated just on this board, but in several Disney guidebooks as well.

2.If you're referring to the supposed area of the nanea pool that is "heated", that's not a hot tub. Regardless of what they are, the resort still does not have one.

3.Not sure what to tell you. There were a couple of stains on the carpet, and the wall had some dings in it. Why would I make this up?

4.Of all the resorts I've stayed at (including the Values), the Poly has the smallest elevators. We have a double stroller, and it's an extremely tight squeeze.

5.Sorry, but as others have said, there is a smell in the longhouses, at least in the one I stayed in. It's a humid, sweaty, almost urine like smell.

6.The windows are very dirty. We've noticed this on every trip. It's not a big deal, just shows poor management of the maintenance.

7.The room service menu is just my opinion. For a Deluxe, it doesn't have many choices, and not higher end choices like you'd expect.

8.When the torches are 1st lit, many of them are not. I'm sure they wouldn't turn some off before others. Why would they possibly do this?

 

[unkadug]

1. The pool is not that small....so no fact stated there.
2. Technically there is two hot tubs there and so be it, Hot tubs are bastions for bacteria...
3. Stains i highly doubt....
4. Elevators are fine
5. Again no smell
6. Hmmmm, i have never seen them smudged.....
7. That may be true
8. Hmmm all torches are lit, some are turned off sooner than others...

Basically you stated ALL OPINIONS. Try again.

Is every one of your posts confrontational? Are you sure you aren't a formerly banned member?

 

[captainkidd]

Is every one of your posts confrontational? Are you sure you aren't a formerly banned member?

I don't know, but they sure seem awfully defensive of the Polynesian. It's nothing personal. These are just simple facts about the resort I've brought up. No resort is perfect. No reason for them to fight every thing I'm saying. These are well known issues at the Poly.

 

[Disney05]

1. Beach Club Villas - Great location. Great pool. Love the quick walk to Epcot and DHS is not that bad of a walk. Love the way the lobby smells.

2. Coronado Springs - Our favorite moderate. Will always fall back to this resort in a pinch. The grounds are beautiful. All renovated rooms. Don't mind walking so the size of the resort no big deal. Nice size gift shop. Good size main pool. Don't mind the food, mainly eat at parks anyway. Even when resort is fully booked, it's hard to tell.

3. Old Key West - Unless you stay near main building, I think you need a car. Have to walk on too many roads otherwise. Love all the palm trees. Nice pool. Studios roomy.

 

[awilliams4]

#7 The Beach Club. After wanting to stay there so much, I came away very disappointed. There is no decent counter service place for meals. Sharing a bus with the other boardwalk area resorts meant very long bus rides to both the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. And while I understand why they do it, I dislike the fact that they close Storm Along Bay down so early at night.
QUOTE]

They close the slide at 10:00 p.m. because that is when the life guards are off. The pool itself didn't close when we were there. Just the slide. I believe that is the case with all pools on the resort.

 

[awilliams4]

1. Bay Lake Tower. Like someone posted earlier, very 'Walt Disney'.
2. Beach Club Villas. Love the pool, location, ambiance.
3. Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas/Jambo House. Dark but very unique. In the future, we only plan on 2 or 3 day visits because we don't like to get in the car and there are not enough dining options there for a longer stay but still plan on trying Kadani soon.
4. Polynesian. Exotic and love the themeing.
5. Wilderness Lodge. Love the themeing.
6. Swan. Great location, great beds. Wonderful smells.
7. Dolphin. Great location, great beds but only double beds here while the Swan has Queens.
8. All-Star Music. It was our 1st trip so it was magically but it just doesn't compare once you start staying at the Deluxes.

To Do List:

Kadani
Boardwalk Villas
Old Key West
Saratoga Springs
Grand Californian
Hilton Head (next year)
Vero Beach

 

[PixarfortheWin]

OK, let me rephrase some of these for you:

1.It seems to be everyone's opinion (except yours) that the Nanea pool is too small for a resort of that size. This isn't stated just on this board, but in several Disney guidebooks as well.

2.If you're referring to the supposed area of the nanea pool that is "heated", that's not a hot tub. Regardless of what they are, the resort still does not have one.

3.Not sure what to tell you. There were a couple of stains on the carpet, and the wall had some dings in it. Why would I make this up?

4.Of all the resorts I've stayed at (including the Values), the Poly has the smallest elevators. We have a double stroller, and it's an extremely tight squeeze.

5.Sorry, but as others have said, there is a smell in the longhouses, at least in the one I stayed in. It's a humid, sweaty, almost urine like smell.

6.The windows are very dirty. We've noticed this on every trip. It's not a big deal, just shows poor management of the maintenance.

7.The room service menu is just my opinion. For a Deluxe, it doesn't have many choices, and not higher end choices like you'd expect.

8.When the torches are 1st lit, many of them are not. I'm sure they wouldn't turn some off before others. Why would they possibly do this?

1. That is not EVERYONES oppinion, i have yet to meet a person who complained about it and I WORKED there.

2. No there are two hot tubs in the Tonga Sweets.

4. In your opinion i guess, i have worked other resorts and some of them have the same size....like Contemporary.

5. Smells or anything of that nature are always dealt with...it is also not a CONSTANT thing...again opinion.

6. I have never seen dirty windows....but i just worked there.

7. I tend to agree with you on that but i dont value room service at all.

8. Some are turned off before others because they are in areas that are not high traffic areas...i actually talked to engineering about that before.

 

[PixarfortheWin]

Is every one of your posts confrontational? Are you sure you aren't a formerly banned member?

hmmm, coming from a guy who viciously attacked a 12 year old kid for no reason? I am still looking into how to get you banned for your behavior.

 

[PixarfortheWin]

#7 The Beach Club. After wanting to stay there so much, I came away very disappointed. There is no decent counter service place for meals. Sharing a bus with the other boardwalk area resorts meant very long bus rides to both the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. And while I understand why they do it, I dislike the fact that they close Storm Along Bay down so early at night.
QUOTE]

They close the slide at 10:00 p.m. because that is when the life guards are off. The pool itself didn't close when we were there. Just the slide. I believe that is the case with all pools on the resort.

you would be correct, some close at 10:30 but that is just when the Lifeguards leave.

 

[lwalker8]

1. The pool is not that small....so no fact stated there.
2. Technically there is two hot tubs there and so be it, Hot tubs are bastions for bacteria...
3. Stains i highly doubt....
4. Elevators are fine
5. Again no smell
6. Hmmmm, i have never seen them smudged.....
7. That may be true
8. Hmmm all torches are lit, some are turned off sooner than others...

Basically you stated ALL OPINIONS. Try again.

lol... why do you get all worked up about the Poly? You take insults against it like it's your mom. On to my list...


1. Wilderness Lodge - Love it's atmosphere and price - location isn't the best among the deluxes.

2. Beach Club - Great location, close to Boardwalk/Epcot, great pool

3. Polynesian - Arguably the best location. Great atmosphere, great fireworks view.

4. Contemporary - I am in love with the California Grill. The updated rooms and lobby have been a big improvement.

5. Boardwalk - Lacks indoors food. Good location, but the upside of having the Boardwalk also applies to Yacht and Beach, which enjoy a far better pool.

6. Dixie Landings (as it was called) - Great atmosphere and pool, loved the food selection.

7. All Star Music - Smelled like urine as a result of the plants they use.

8. Old Key West - I just hate it.

-If we want to count Hilton Head and Vero Beach they would probably be 5 and 6.

 

[jimjjr]

We have liked all of them, but this is the ranking.

1. AK Lodge (Jambo) (2x in 2009): Loved the sunset safari and the savannah view. My daughter loved the Giraffes, zebras, and the eland that she named "Fred."
2. Grand Floridian (2006): elegant and you just can't beat the location. (Only problem that year were the love bugs).
3. Bay Lake tower (2009): location again, room was great, view of the Magic Kingdom from the room: watching fireworks amazing.
4. Wilderness Lodge (2007): Loved the theme, not crazy about transportation efficiency.
5. Boardwalk (2008): I love the location here, too because of Epcot. Layout of resort (Inn) was confusing, though and lack of convenient counter service dining was a negative. Daughter loved the pool, though.
6. Swan (2004 and 2005): Beds cannot be beat! Location good for Epcot.
7. Dolphin (2004): Nice bed, but a bit too sterile.

I am hoping Saratoga Springs will be great. Going in Dec. with in-laws for 6 nights.

 

[PixarfortheWin]

lol... why do you get all worked up about the Poly? You take insults against it like it's your mom. On to my list...


1. Wilderness Lodge - Love it's atmosphere and price - location isn't the best among the deluxes.

2. Beach Club - Great location, close to Boardwalk/Epcot, great pool

3. Polynesian - Arguably the best location. Great atmosphere, great fireworks view.

4. Contemporary - I am in love with the California Grill. The updated rooms and lobby have been a big improvement.

5. Boardwalk - Lacks indoors food. Good location, but the upside of having the Boardwalk also applies to Yacht and Beach, which enjoy a far better pool.

6. Dixie Landings (as it was called) - Great atmosphere and pool, loved the food selection.

7. All Star Music - Smelled like urine as a result of the plants they use.

8. Old Key West - I just hate it.

-If we want to count Hilton Head and Vero Beach they would probably be 5 and 6.

The Urine smell might be because they use recycled water to water all the plants and grass

 

[captainkidd]

1. That is not EVERYONES oppinion, i have yet to meet a person who complained about it and I WORKED there.

2. No there are two hot tubs in the Tonga Sweets.

4. In your opinion i guess, i have worked other resorts and some of them have the same size....like Contemporary.

5. Smells or anything of that nature are always dealt with...it is also not a CONSTANT thing...again opinion.

6. I have never seen dirty windows....but i just worked there.

7. I tend to agree with you on that but i dont value room service at all.

8. Some are turned off before others because they are in areas that are not high traffic areas...i actually talked to engineering about that before.

1.People know the size of the pool. No point in complaining to the staff about something you knew going in. I'm far from the only person who thinks the main pool is too small.

2.OK, let me rephrase that again for you - It's the only Deluxe with no public hot tubs for anyone to use other than the people staying in a suite.

4.While I dislike the Contemporary and think the elevators take too long, they are MUCH bigger than the Poly's.

5.Maybe you're right. Maybe the smell that was there for 2 weeks in 2008 and 2 weeks this past August was dealt with immediately after we checked out.

6.You must not have looked very hard. Windows near the lounge at the Contemporary are dirty as well.

8.The area by the GCH is a slightly high traffic area, and they're not all working over there.

 

[captainkidd]

Just to show that I'm not making this stuff up, here are a few Poly comments from allearsnet:

"Since paying deluxe prices, I expected at the very least a clean room. The entire perimeter of the room was dusty, there were dust bunnnies hanging all over the bathroom and the shower head and liner were full of mildew."

"It was interesting to see the post about the cleanliness of the hallways because we were in Rapa Nui and I was surprised that the hallways and the elevator were not very clean."

"The grounds don't get picked up and there are cigarette butts in various locations (not smoking zones)and other small trash items that just get ignored by the staff. No one ever cleaned the hallway of the Samoa building the whole week we stayed here."

"The pool is small and the seating is limited."

"The resort was beautiful as usual, but I thought the overall upkeep was lacking. There was a spill in the Great Ceremonial House that didn't get cleaned up for at least 4 hours. Our room was dusty and the toilet had stains."


"The chairs were upside-down, the futon was crooked, there were smashed chips all over the carpet and the drapery rod had been pulled out of the ceiling, leaving the drapes hanging precariously over the handprint-filthy sliding glass door."

"The only other "complaint" we had was that the elevator was REALLY small. With our City Classic stroller, it was pretty difficult to fit it and an adult in the elevator. often I rode down, and everyone else walked the stairs...and if we took both strollers we had to take 2 different elevator rides."

"There was a lot of mildew in the bathroom - in the caulking around the tub, and between the tiles on the shower walls. Paint was chipped off the door frames in several places. It's obvious the place needs a little attention, but the location of the resort is why we chose it - not it's condition."

These aren't "typical" comments, but they are obviously issues that are present.

 

[PixarfortheWin]

Just to show that I'm not making this stuff up, here are a few Poly comments from allearsnet:

"Since paying deluxe prices, I expected at the very least a clean room. The entire perimeter of the room was dusty, there were dust bunnnies hanging all over the bathroom and the shower head and liner were full of mildew."

"It was interesting to see the post about the cleanliness of the hallways because we were in Rapa Nui and I was surprised that the hallways and the elevator were not very clean."

"The grounds don't get picked up and there are cigarette butts in various locations (not smoking zones)and other small trash items that just get ignored by the staff. No one ever cleaned the hallway of the Samoa building the whole week we stayed here."

"The pool is small and the seating is limited."

"The resort was beautiful as usual, but I thought the overall upkeep was lacking. There was a spill in the Great Ceremonial House that didn't get cleaned up for at least 4 hours. Our room was dusty and the toilet had stains."


"The chairs were upside-down, the futon was crooked, there were smashed chips all over the carpet and the drapery rod had been pulled out of the ceiling, leaving the drapes hanging precariously over the handprint-filthy sliding glass door."

"The only other "complaint" we had was that the elevator was REALLY small. With our City Classic stroller, it was pretty difficult to fit it and an adult in the elevator. often I rode down, and everyone else walked the stairs...and if we took both strollers we had to take 2 different elevator rides."

"There was a lot of mildew in the bathroom - in the caulking around the tub, and between the tiles on the shower walls. Paint was chipped off the door frames in several places. It's obvious the place needs a little attention, but the location of the resort is why we chose it - not it's condition."

These aren't "typical" comments, but they are obviously issues that are present.

Sorry again i dont trust those comments....i will take my EXPERIENCE and listen to it....but then again i guess random internet comments are more valid than EXPERIENCE......

Again quit using your OPINIONS as facts and stop STRAIGHT OUT LYING......

 

[captainkidd]

Sorry again i dont trust those comments....i will take my EXPERIENCE and listen to it....but then again i guess random internet comments are more valid than EXPERIENCE......

Again quit using your OPINIONS as facts and stop STRAIGHT OUT LYING......

:ROFLOL:

Why in the world would I lie? Why would anyone make these comments up? What is there to possibly gain?

These are comments from people who have stayed there and noticed these issues. I suppose next you're going to say that I'm the only person who thinks Captain Cook's is too small.