Your Absolute Favorite WDW Resort

[secondstar]

I have stayed at a handful of resorts and I have LOVED them all.

I've stayed at:

Coronado Springs
Port Orleans French Quarter
The Wilderness Lodge
Caribbean Beach
Boardwalk
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Port Orleans Riverside

Truthfully, there is something to love about all of them. For the POR Orleans resorts, for example,I love the boat ride to DTD. But for me, my non-Christmastime favorite resort is the Boardwalk. It's proximity to both Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios is a great plus. I love the shopping and the food choices. The view over Crescent Lake I beautiful. I love it.

But my all-time favorite is The Wilderness Lodge at Christmas. We stayed one December and it was breathtaking. And of all the transportation modes to any park my favorite is the ferry ride from WL to the Magic Kingdom, especially in the early morning.

[Soarin08]

Animal Kingdom Lodge is slowly but surely edging out the Grand for me... never thought I'd say it but it's true.

[theBIGyowski]

Animal Kingdom Lodge is slowly but surely edging out the Grand for me... never thought I'd say it but it's true.

I can see why you'd say that. There's just something amazing about AKL...then you go outside and there are animals grazing. I also think AKL has some of the best dining anywhere on Disney property.

DW and I really want to stay at AKL at some point. We know it's pretty far from the parks except for AK...but spending time enjoying the resort is half the fun to us. Just being able to stroll around the resort is the difference between staying on or off property. Sure you get Disney Transportation...but taking an evening walk around your resort is more than worth the extra cost.

[Belle1082]

I know I have a limited viewpoint, as I have only stayed at 5 different Disney resorts - but out of those, I really have to say that I LOVE PO French Quarter. I so enjoy the peacefulness about that resort with the river as well as the size. I love feeling more cozy in a smaller resort with fewer guests. There is just something about waking up early, seeing the mist over the river as you are about to start your day in the parks....priceless!!!

[dstrawn9889]

PO riverside may be larger, but it is TONS quieter than FQ... so if you liked FQ, you would be amazed at Alligator Bayou

[Belle1082]

PO riverside may be larger, but it is TONS quieter than FQ... so if you liked FQ, you would be amazed at Alligator Bayou

I'm sure you are right. Although, PO R is so completely huge that I find myself more comfortable in the small FQ. But I will say that POR was fantastic when we stayed there last month. Being so close to the river and in the beautiful Magnolia Bend area where we stayed. Incredibly peaceful and calm

I can't get enough of Disney Resorts!!!

[theBIGyowski]

I have stayed in both...and there are pros and cons to each. I liked the smaller area of POFQ as well as the CS food court. The fact that it looked exactly like a cleaned up version of the French Quarter in New Orleans was also really cool. DW and I stayed at POR for our honeymoon in 2010 and we loved that resort. It was nice and quiet and much prettier to walk around and just enjoy in terms of the atmosphere than POFQ. Both are great resorts though...and are very centrally located to all of the parks. For moderate resorts...I would say they have the best overall decor and atmosphere. Of course, I have not stayed at CBR, but I have stayed at Coronado.

[Soarin08]

Animal Kingdom Lodge is slowly but surely edging out the Grand for me... never thought I'd say it but it's true.

I can see why you'd say that. There's just something amazing about AKL...then you go outside and there are animals grazing. I also think AKL has some of the best dining anywhere on Disney property.

DW and I really want to stay at AKL at some point. We know it's pretty far from the parks except for AK...but spending time enjoying the resort is half the fun to us. Just being able to stroll around the resort is the difference between staying on or off property. Sure you get Disney Transportation...but taking an evening walk around your resort is more than worth the extra cost.

We tried it on a whim last year and were blown away. 3rd floor savanna view, giraffes walked right up to our balcony. I agree on the dining. Sanaa has become a favourite and I am saving up to try Jiko and Boma as well. Even the QSR place is good.

[Belle1082]

AKL is definitely on my short list of hotels to stay at ASAP! That and I would love to stay at Bay Lake Tower or the Polynesian! Ohh and the Beach Club as I think it would be awesome to be able to walk to EPCOT and HS!

UGH - why can't I be there right now?!?!

[MmeLeota]

Cbog40 and I both LOVE Grand Floridian! But have only actually stayed at one Disney property...CBR. We really loved the resort and didn't mind the Nemo theme at all. Some of the touches were subtle enough to be cool rather than overdone. We didn't think of it as Aussie meets Caribbean, since the fish from Finding Nemo are of "tropical" nature though the movie takes place in Sydney. Besides, we were hardly in the room anyway.
We found CBR to be nice and peaceful away from Old Port Royale...loved walking around the lake and taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. At one point, we actually forgot that we were in Florida!

[theBIGyowski]

AKL is definitely on my short list of hotels to stay at ASAP! That and I would love to stay at Bay Lake Tower or the Polynesian! Ohh and the Beach Club as I think it would be awesome to be able to walk to EPCOT and HS!

UGH - why can't I be there right now?!?!

Bay Lake Tower is very, very nice. DW and I stayed there on our latest trip last June. The only real downside is that you have to walk to the Contemporary to catch the Monorail. But, you are inside or covered the whole time, so it wasn't really all that bad.

Now, I will say that we only stayed there part of our trip, and we did not go to DAK or DHS on any of those days. So, we mainly used the Monorail to get to Epcot or we walked to MK. Being able to walk to MK was probably the nicest perk of staying at BLT. I can imagine it being similar to staying at the Yacht or Beach Club resorts and walking to Epcot.

[Amy]

AKL is definitely on my short list of hotels to stay at ASAP! That and I would love to stay at Bay Lake Tower or the Polynesian! Ohh and the Beach Club as I think it would be awesome to be able to walk to EPCOT and HS!

UGH - why can't I be there right now?!?!

Bay Lake Tower is very, very nice. DW and I stayed there on our latest trip last June. The only real downside is that you have to walk to the Contemporary to catch the Monorail. But, you are inside or covered the whole time, so it wasn't really all that bad.

Now, I will say that we only stayed there part of our trip, and we did not go to DAK or DHS on any of those days. So, we mainly used the Monorail to get to Epcot or we walked to MK. Being able to walk to MK was probably the nicest perk of staying at BLT. I can imagine it being similar to staying at the Yacht or Beach Club resorts and walking to Epcot.

It would be nice to have the option of walking back to the hotel

[DemonOfMusic]

Yeah, I love the Beach Club, and one of the nicest things about it to me is the ability to walk into Epcot. It's a great advantage.

[Belle1082]

Yeah, I love the Beach Club, and one of the nicest things about it to me is the ability to walk into Epcot. It's a great advantage.

TOTALLY! Especially because you walk to the back of the park into World Showcase. That way, even if you want to just go over there for dinner or drinks - you can just hop over and you are there. And definitely not having to wait for a bus, especially at the end of the night, it would save a lot of time.

Has anyone (or know of anyone) who has stayed at every single Walt Disney World resort? Or close to it? I would be curious to hear their overall opinion of the resorts.

[Soarin08]

Yeah, I love the Beach Club, and one of the nicest things about it to me is the ability to walk into Epcot. It's a great advantage.

That's the main reason my mom wants to stay there. Love how the walkway in drops you right at the UK/International Gateway... that used to be a great advantage for me.