Which Deluxe Resort to choose?

[Ms.Sunshine]

I've been lurking around this forum for awhile since I started planning my March 2016 trip. I'm planning a week long trip with my Hubby and 4 yr old daughter, who had never been to Disney. My husband and I were there in 2010, so it had been awhile for us too. I'm trying to decide what resort to stay in; either AKL, WL, or Contemporary. The monorail and Chef Mickey are really the only reasons for me to choose the Contemporary. Any thought or suggestions?

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

This sounds like a great trip and I know your daughter is going to love it! Let me preface this by saying I haven't stayed at any of the hotels you mention, but have visited them for dining. With the little knowledge I have, I'd go with AKL. The pool area was nice, plus you can go look at animals and their dining options are fantastic.

I'll also say that Contemporary is conveniently located and Chef Mickey's is awesome! I'm sure others with more experience will chime in. Either way...you're going to have a great time!

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

http://www.mouseplanet.com/11207/Walt_Disney_World_Resort_Update_for_October_27__November_2_2015

"...Construction of the as-yet-unannounced Disney Vacation Club cabins began this week at Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Villas, promoting the closure of the Hidden Springs pool, resort beach, playground, and Recreation fire pit . No opening date provided, but the pool is expected to be closed through 2017. Expect construction-related closures around the hotel property, and construction noise during daylight hours."

 

[DisneyJoe]

The monorail and Chef Mickey are really the only reasons for me to choose the Contemporary.

Neither of those is my main reason for choosing the Contemporary! My reason? You can easily walk to and from the MK! It's a definite benefit at the end of the day when many are waiting in line for the boats or buses, and you are at your resrot before you know it!

With a 4yo, you will probably spend the most time at the MK.

If it wasn't under construction, WL would be my choice.

 

[Horizons '83]

We have heard great things about WL so we are gonna try it out in January. Seems like a fantastic location as well, though you can't walk, you can take a launch boat to Contemporary and walk from there. I'm not too concerned about the construction, the main pool will be open and no construction at night.

 

[Mukta]

It depends what you want in a hotel. Most of them have a similar room size, so that isn't a huge factor.

I love dining options, walking proximity to parks (so I am not dependent on transportation).

I never go in pools, so that isn't a factor for me. What kind of stuff is important to you?

 

[JAG107]

I would also look into renting DVC points and getting yourself a nice studio which will have a kitchenette. Bay Lake Tower is adjacent to Contemporary and is a wonderful place to stay, we own there and absolutely love it. AKL is ok though not our favorite by a mile, and you must bus or drive yourself to every par which is a big downside IMO.

 

[NonnaT]

IMHO, given your options, I would chose Contemporary. WL is my favorite, but construction rules that out. AKL (although gorgeous) is just too far away, with only bus options for transport.
Quite honestly, I'd consider the Poly. It's on the monorail, easy access to MK, better pool than Contemporary, and all around better theming.
However, all in all, none of them are bad choices!

 

[ToTBellHop]

I would not make any choice based upon monorail access. It is frustratingly unreliable currently, so you can pay a fortune to be on the monorail loop and still bus everywhere. If you are a walker though, the walk from Contemp to MK can't be beat! Ever considered any of the Crescent Lake properties?

 

[Ms.Sunshine]

It depends what you want in a hotel. Most of them have a similar room size, so that isn't a huge factor.

I love dining options, walking proximity to parks (so I am not dependent on transportation).

I never go in pools, so that isn't a factor for me. What kind of stuff is important to you?

Thanks for your input! We're FL residents, so pools aren't very important to us either, since we use them all the time. Proximity to MK and EPCOT is important, and since we probably wont do another WDW trip after this, I wanted the resort to have a nice theme.

 

[Ms.Sunshine]

I would also look into renting DVC points and getting yourself a nice studio which will have a kitchenette. Bay Lake Tower is adjacent to Contemporary and is a wonderful place to stay, we own there and absolutely love it. AKL is ok though not our favorite by a mile, and you must bus or drive yourself to every par which is a big downside IMO.

Hubby did mention booking something a kitchenette, but I refuse to make anything other than tea while on vacation! And I was trying to limit the amount of driving we'll have to do to get to parks, since we're driving up to Orlando. TY!

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

Since you don't want to drive, you're probably better off staying at the Contemporary, Bay Lake Tower or Poly. Those are the closest to MK and Epcot. At either of these hotels, you can grab either a monorail, ferry or walk to the MK.

 

[Ms.Sunshine]

Since you don't want to drive, you're probably better off staying at the Contemporary, Bay Lake Tower or Poly. Those are the closest to MK and Epcot. At either of these hotels, you can grab either a monorail, ferry or walk to the MK.

I never considered Poly, but I'll check them out as well.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Most of them have a similar room size, so that isn't a huge factor.

Good point! Of the 3 resorts mentioned, WL/AKL are both approx 344 sq feet, and a BLT Studio at 339, however, Contemporary itself is 394.

Poly gives you 415.

For comparison, value resorts are 260 and moderates are 314.

 

[lostpro9het]

Not knowing you or your park preference habits I'll toss this out there. We've stayed at AKL, BLT, and VWL and would also rank them in that order. The facade that AKL is far out there is a red herring IMO. The travel times, using Disney transportation, from AKL to any park other than MK is, in my experience, as fast but usually faster than that of Contemporary and WL. Walking to MK is GREAT I wont like but the hassle to get to every other park kinda negates that pro. I'm not a huge fan of the themeing, or lack there of, at BLT and CR. WL has some wonderful themeing and is on par with what AKL has until you factor in the safari animals then WL gets smoked by AKl. Not sure you'd be doing much swimming in March but if you were Id still give the edge to the AKL pools. Finally, I wasn't a fan of the dining options at WL, not terribly impressed with Whispering Canyon and the menu at Artist Point did not appeal to us. The Contemporary does have some great dining options and I wouldn't include Chef Mickey in that discussion. The Wave is great plus you're a short monorail rail ride away from Kona Cafe, 'Ohana, and Citricos! Sanaa and Jiko are fantastic options at AKL and are two of our favorite. Boma gets a lot of great reviews too but we're not big on buffets so we haven't tried it, though, if it is half as good as it smells then it must be amazing.

 

[Ms.Sunshine]

This sounds like a great trip and I know your daughter is going to love it! Let me preface this by saying I haven't stayed at any of the hotels you mention, but have visited them for dining. With the little knowledge I have, I'd go with AKL. The pool area was nice, plus you can go look at animals and their dining options are fantastic.

I'll also say that Contemporary is conveniently located and Chef Mickey's is awesome! I'm sure others with more experience will chime in. Either way...you're going to have a great time!

I'm pretty excited, especially since it's our first vacation as a family. Hubby isn't the planning type, so if he here's the word "Disney" one more time I'm on the couch! LOL

 

[TXDisney]

Wilderness lodge or contemporary. I like the convenience of both.

 

[Tinkerbell397]

In my opinion, the Contemporary is "magical" for a 4 year old. The sound and sight of the monorail whizzing through the Grand Concourse just adds to the anticipation of seeing Mickey and Mini. Walking to and from the MK is also a great perk. We took our kids when they were 3 and 5 and we stayed there. There was nothing like the feeling of hopping on the monorail from the MK and having it bring you into your hotel. At that point....you are home! If you stay in the tower, there is no need to go outside again to get to your room....especially in rain or on cool nights if the kids are asleep in strollers. The convenience is worth the price of admission. Have a Magical Trip! My husband and I will be there from March 5-10 and since our kids are grown with families of their own, we will be staying at The Beach Club for the proximity to Epcot and the Flower and Garden Festival.