Resolved - Help Me Decide Which Resort?

[mousehockey37]

There are three reasons.
(1) A good cancellation policy is very important to us because we never know what may come up.
(2) By the time I learned about DVC rentals, the availability for our travel dates was already getting low. By now, it would probably be hard to find a room.
(3) My husband doesn't want the extra hassle, and I tend to agree with him.

1. Yes. You do get somewhat locked in.
2. Depends on the company/person you rent from. Different rental companies have larger and smaller amounts of clients with varying ranges of points for use. The first time we tried dvc renting, we were told there wasn't anything for the dates we were looking for. We went to a different broker and got set up with an awesome experience.
3. If you go with the right people there's no hassle. It was super simple to do the process of renting points with who we went through.

To each their own I guess. I'll stick with renting dvc as opposed to spending more for an inferior stay.

 

[StarDarlingsFan]

To each their own I guess. I'll stick with renting dvc as opposed to spending more for an inferior stay.

To each his own, indeed! I'm glad it works for you!

 

[mousehockey37]

To each his own, indeed! I'm glad it works for you!

Sorry to see that with good recommendations though to help maximize your time at Disney and give you a great stay you won't look further into renting points. You would think for a "once in a lifetime" trip such as this that all ideas would be open. So how about just making a poll and let the forum decide?

 

[StarDarlingsFan]

Sorry to see that with good recommendations though to help maximize your time at Disney and give you a great stay you won't look further into renting points. You would think for a "once in a lifetime" trip such as this that all ideas would be open. So how about just making a poll and let the forum decide?

Hmm...are you getting kickbacks from DVC rental companies? Lol, jk, jk.
I appreciate that you want to help me have the best stay possible, but it's just a personal preference. Thanks all the same.

 

[mousehockey37]

Hmm...are you getting kickbacks from DVC rental companies? Lol, jk, jk.
I appreciate that you want to help me have the best stay possible, but it's just a personal preference. Thanks all the same.

I wish I got kickbacks, lol. Guess I'll just never understand people who come looking for help, then when they get it, want to then provide more detail.

Oh well... Have fun and hope you don't have to cancel within about a week of your trip, but who knows when Disney will tack on a cancellation penalty?

 

[Mrhappyplace]

Hmm...are you getting kickbacks from DVC rental companies? Lol, jk, jk.
I appreciate that you want to help me have the best stay possible, but it's just a personal preference. Thanks all the same.

I can respect that. But I'd suggest keeping the option in mind in a couple of years if you decide to make another trip to the world. My wife and I are renting points for the first time our next trip and the savings are significant.

 

[alissafalco]

POR for 7 nights!! While the other resorts are beautiful, 4 nights is not enough in WDW.

 

[iluvMainStMagic]

Never considered that option. We could visit AKL to see the resort and watch the animals, have dinner, then catch Rivers of Light. TY!

You're very welcome! We love staying on-property, so in that sense, where ever you choose to stay, you win!
I hope you have a Wonderful trip!!

 

[jrogue]

This question is harder than I thought. I think it honestly comes down to what park you will be spending the most time at. If you are spending a ton of time at the MK, then having a monorail resort is very convenient. Even the WL is super convenient and they would probably be worth the additional expense. However, if you plan to spend equal time at all the different parks, then I'd go with the longer stay because you'll spend a little more time traveling.

Also, with your extra time you can still tour some of the resorts and have meals there!

 

[Missymoe4]

Initially I thought go with the Deluxe. However, a longer stay would probably be better because you can see a lot AND relax. POR and POFQ are wonderful resorts.

In my opinion, I would stay away from WL because it's under construction. AKL is really far out. Poly is a great choice, but once again, 4 days for a vacation? POR is charming, relaxing and really pulls in the Disney magic (this coming from a girl that stays primarily at deluxe resorts. In a heartbeat I would stay at POR and POFQ if my party didn't pull me in alternative directions).

 

[vcstr]

POR. No doubt in my mind. It's a great resort (the Port Orleans resorts are my favourite moderates by a lot), and you'll be so grateful for the extra time, especially if you just want to relax and spend time by the pool for a day or two playing around. I also think the boat ride to and from Disney Springs is fantastic (someone correct me if it's not currently running due to construction).

I've done short stays at Poly and the Boardwalk (2-4 nights) and long stays at POR and POFQ (7-8 nights) and there's no doubt in my mind which I preferred.

 

[DisneyDaver]

I would go with the longer stay at POR, but if the number of days at each were closer (i.e. 5 or 6 nights at the Poly), I would go with the Poly.

 

[Disney5Mom]

The Poly for sure,we have stayed at all these resorts with our grandkids and the easy transportation means you can get a lot done at the parks and also have time at the hotel.The transportation to Magic Kingdom is great. We love AKL but the bus rides were long and the buses often crowded.

 

[Juda2515]

Our first trip was in 2012, a 4 night stay at the POFQ. It was going to be our one and only trip to WDW. Two years later, we stayed 7 nights at POFQ for what was for sure going to be our last trip to WDW. Last week we stayed for 7 nights at the Poly. Don't be so sure that this will be your only trip to WDW.
That being said, if it is your only trip ever to WDW, the Port Orleans resorts are great and I would probably choose the longer stay. I am torn though because the Poly was awesome! Staying on the monorail is a huge time saver. We went to MK at 10:30 one night, and never would have considered doing this if we had to catch a bus from the FQ.

 

[dreamingofdisney]

Hi, everyone! I'm a WDW First-Timer. This is probably going to be the only family trip to Disney I will ever take, so I want it to be as nice as possible (or as nice as I can afford, lol.)

I am having trouble choosing between the following travel options:
1 - Poly Villa (Studio Standard View) for 4 nights/5 days
2 - AKL (Jambo - Deluxe Studio Savannah View) for 4 nights/5 days
3 - WL CL for 4 nights/5 days
4 - POR (Royal Guest River View) for 7 nights/7 days

I am torn between choosing (A) the shorter dates and experiencing the awesomeness of a deluxe, but feeling more rushed during our days at the parks, or (B) going with a moderate and having a longer, more relaxed touring schedule.
Additional notes: we will spend most of our time at MK and are traveling with two preschoolers.

Thanks for your help!

Oh my goodness. I love all of them! I LOVE the deluxe resorts. I would probably go with the Poly villa out of these. You're super convenient MK, and it's also easy to get to Epcot. Poly is such a fun resort, too. My second choice would be WL CL. I really enjoy the club level rooms. We like to relax and unwind in the club lounge after a day at the parks, and the service is wonderful!

 

[jlsHouston]

My absolute favorite resort is the POLY. It sings to my heart. I love everything about the POLY, all the remodeled stuff, all the worn out stuff, the food choices, the shopping, the location, the grounds, the pool...the huge rooms...
Recently stayed at AKL for the 2nd time and decided I love that resort if I am not going to hit the parks much. I think it has the best food available at a resort. The pool is huge, has a wimpy slide, plenty of shade for people like me that like to lay out in the shade, an awesome lobby...and if you go with a standard view room maybe it is one of the cheaper deluxe stays at WDW and you could up your days on property.
I also love WL but haven't even visited that resort in 2 years since they started construction on the feature pool and now I hear they are into big construction on the villas and down at the beach area. I would skip WL for a one and only trip because of the construction.
I've never stayed at POR, but I might stay there or POFQ. My go to moderate is CSR, Cabana section. My advice is if you are planning on hitting all 4 parks stay at the best resort you can afford for the longest time on property. Our first trip was 3 nights at POP over the 4th of July with my daughter and 2 grandkids when they were 4 and 6. All we did was MK and character dining and had a ball. The more days you give yourself on property, the more you will be able to absorb WDW. Now that I've been several times a year since 2009, sometimes I show up for 3 or 4 nites and park hop a little but I wouldn't recommend that on a first trip. I would do one park per day, dine a little, shop a little and get some resort pool time in.
Good luck with your vacation planning!

 

[slappy magoo]

Here's hoping this is as difficult a problem as you ever get, haha.
I'm all about staying close to MK with my little ones (only one of which is probably as little as your preschoolers, we have one 4 year old and one who will be 8 before our next trip). And with kids that little, it would be a little stinky to have to spend as much time traveling to and from resorts as it would take if you were staying at POR. But with the extra days you can afford by staying at POR, you could even have a day or two where you just don't go to the parks, take it easy, hang by the pool, etc. And with kids that little, they might need that sort of decompression time that extra days would provide.

Plus, as others have said, since you can visit other resorts if you want to, there's no rule that says you have to go back to YOUR resort to decompress. If your preschoolers are the types of kids who can conk out in a stroller (I have no idea if this is true), you could always arrange, during a day you're at the MK, to get lunch at a monorail resort, then stroll around the grounds of that resort (or hop on the monorail to another resort, or a boar to FW or WL to check out other resorts) while the kids get a snooze. Heck maybe do a loop on the monorail that goes to/from Epcot. Or on a day you go to Epcot (IF you go to Epcot), you could get lunch one day at Beaches & Cream at the Yacht Club then take a boat ride to the other resorts. That might be enough of a rest, your mileage may vary, and you don't have to do that every day. But it's an option.

 

[TXDisney]

Being that it might be your only trip you'd rather maximize your days rather than resort. So id say do a week at PO. With kids WDW is hard to see everything in just 4-5 days. At the end of 7 you'll still have stuff you missed.

 

[perelandra]

If it's a once in a lifetime, then I would say POR for 7 nights. Spend us much time in the parks as you can, and it's not like "settling" for POR is a bad thing. It's a really nice place. In addition, as others have mentioned you can do some park hopping anyway, and I suspect, you will love it so much you will be planning your next trip at the resort you like most, before you know it.

 

[Princess_AmyK]

For a once in a lifetime trip, staying any less than 7 days is just not enough time at all and will leave you feeling rushed and stressed, rather than being able to take your time and enjoy the little details. The little details are what its all about. Enjoying the scenery with the ones that you love is the best. If you were to only go for 4 nights, I can guarantee you will be so busy trying to get everything done that you want to see, that you will leave feeling overwhelmed and wishing that you had more time. Plus it is great to have some extra time in case anything goes wrong. On my last week long trip I got sick and spent a day and a half in my hotel. I was so happy that I had booked a long trip so that regardless of my down time, I still got to do all that I wanted to.
While it isn't a monorail resort, I really recommend POR. The bus service really isn't too bad. Not like the Value resorts. I have never had any issues with it. You may even want to look into POFQ because it is a smaller resort, easier to navigate, and only has 1 bus stop. POFQ is my all time favorite resort when I take into account quality vs price.