What Deluxe Resort to stay at?

K

Kate

New Member
Hi,
I am going on a 5 night trip to Walt Disney World and we want to stay at the resort and we are looking at the deluxe resorts.
I keep hearing bad things about the Contemporary.
Can anyone offer us advice?
Here is what important to us:
Location - not a long commute to and from the parks. We don't want to wait a long time for buses
Cleanliness - the rooms are not run down and are clean (i am a little ocd)

We want to splurge but not overly splurge (the Floridian and
Polynesian) are out.

We are thinking either the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Wilderness Lodge, or the Ocean and Beach Club Resort.
Thoughts?

Thanks so much for the help!
 
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Christina

Christina

New Member
I would recommend Animal Kingdom Lodge out of the ones you mentioned, because the themeing is incredible and its fantastic to wake up to animals in the park.

I'd also recommend Boardwalk, one of the resorts you didn't pick. It's my favorite resort by far because it's in the middle of the action and there's always something fun going on on the Boardwalk!

EDIT: And oh yes, I don't feel you'll have to worry about cleanliness at any of the resorts... we've never encounted a dirty room! :wave:
 
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tigsmom

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
I've done the Contemp (ok), the Poly (nice, but didn't like going outside all the time), the WL is our favorite... its clean, relaxing and the CMs are great. Its great for couples and I've known a lot of people who went there for their honeymoon. We love the restaurants. You can take a boat to the Contemp or MK and have never had trouble with the bus system.

We are staying at the Boardwalk Inn this time, just for something different.
 
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DigitalDisney

DigitalDisney

New Member
Since the Poly is out, I'll recommend WL.

- The resort itself is gorgeous. Even if you've been there before, your jaw will still drop when you enter the lobby.
- It's the cheapest of the deluxe resorts (I believe)
- Even though it's not on the monorail line, you still have direct access to the MK via the boat dock in the back
- You can spend hours exploring and relaxing at the resort. There is certainly a lot to see there
 
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S_Grise

S_Grise

New Member
Which resorts have views of MK fire works? GF and Poly are all that I know of. Are there others? Watching the fireworks from your room is very romantic.
 
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DiPSU224

DiPSU224

Member
The AKL was amazing. Everything about the resort exceeded my expectations. If we had the money, we would stay there every time. Every other time we had been down there we had stayed at Value resorts so this was a big upgrade for us. The grounds were beautiful and waking up to a giraffe eating outside our balcony was pretty special. If you do stay there, try and book a Savannah room, it is worth it.
If being close to the MK is important to you, then you would be better off with the WL. Good luck! :wave:
 
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polynesiangirl

polynesiangirl

Well-Known Member
EDIT: I didn't initially notice that you were considering the Contemporary.

Wow! What happened to all the Yacht and Beach Club fans?! :veryconfu

Seriously though, any of the deluxe resorts are great. The Polynesian is my favorite (as if I have to keep saying it, haha,) but I agree that it is also getting SO expensive these days so I totally understand why you don't want to stay there. Out of the ones you have listed, I'd say Yacht/Beach Club would be my first choice, because the pool is AMAZING and almost legendary in WDW and they are both SO close to MGM and within walking distance of Epcot (a really, really nice feature.) The food is good, the service is reliable, the rooms are spacious, you're super close to the Boardwalk and the mini-golf courses, etc etc etc.

Tying for the top spot would be the Contemporary. I don't know why people seem to think it's got this bad reputation or something, because every single time I have stayed there it has been wonderful and completely problem-free. The food is *outstanding* and the monorail going right through it is really novel and impressive. The monorail service really can't be beat in my mind for getting around, and it's so fun in and of itself.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful, so even though it's a little more out of the way I'd say that would be my second choice. The food there is great (Boma!) and the pool is nice as well. Something you're not likely to see at home.

I'm putting WL as my third choice not because it's anywhere close to bad but because for me personally the theme is WAY too much like the stuff I see around home. I go to Florida to get away from the up-north-in-the-woods kind of theme, but I know that for many people WL is their favorite, so I'm certainly not knocking on it. The main building itself *is* really lovely and it's nice and close to the MK.

Hope this helped a little bit, but any way you choose I promise you can't go wrong! :)
 
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surfsupdon

surfsupdon

Well-Known Member
polynesiangirl said:
Wow! What happened to all the Yacht and Beach Club fans?! :veryconfu
Click to expand...


The only reason I didn't shove out there Yacht and Beach is because the prices are comparable to Polynesian, maybe just 20 bucks cheaper a night. Yacht and Beach are the two best Resorts on properties for molding together a fabulous location, spacious, well appointed rooms, excellent service and dining, a phenomenal pool, and beautiful grounds.

If you can go Yacht/Beach, I'd say go for it b/c they are the best.

If not, I'd go WL b/c of its excellent themeing. Lots of people appear to love WL.

Yacht/Beach!!
 
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Iakona

Iakona

Member
Kate said:
Thank you for your responses. I am going to look into the WL and AKL.
Click to expand...

Stayed at both in January and I would suggest AKL. WL needs soem TLC in their rooms.
We are planning a Janury 2006 trip and AKL will be the choice again.
 
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lawyergirl77

lawyergirl77

Active Member
Because of the rising price of the Poly (count me in with the people who is really upset by how much they've jacked up their prices since the refurb), Mr. Lawyergirl and I stayed at the WL last Feb/March.

At first, I was kind of grumbling over the fact that the rooms were tiny (for a deluxe resort), I had met a grumpy cast member, didn't manage to get a room upgrade because I had to check-in with a trainee, and to top it all off, it didn't "feel like WDW" (I had stayed at the Poly the past three trips).

But then, once we got back that night and I walked around the grounds, I fell in love with the place. Not only is the theming exquisite, but the entire "feel" of the place is really homey (and besides - there are hot tubs!!!) Transportation to the MK was really quite good, although I missed the transportation options of the Poly because of the TTC's proximity.

In the end, I am definitely considering staying there next trip, if I don't decide to branch out even more and try the AKL (I love the place, but it just seems so far away...)
 
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R

RedBaron

Active Member
I think the reason why the Contemporary is getting a bit of a bad reputation is because even when I stayed there (about 7 years ago) the room we got was very disappointing to me. It was nothing special and was rather tired and outdated. I have heard that it is getting a bit of a face lift, so maybe that will bring it back up to standard. My husband and I loved the Wilderness Lodge. The lobby and the pool area were beautiful and I believe it is less expensive to stay there than any of the other deluxe resorts. Any Disney resort we have every stayed at, moderate or deluxe, have all been clean so I would not worry about it.
 
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coltow

coltow

Well-Known Member
Hubby and I honeymooned at Wilderness Lodge, if we ever stay at a deluxe resort again I'm sure it'll be that one. Lots of quiet nooks and the lobby has a nice foreplace with rocking chairs around it.
 
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