Favorite Hotel

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Mousekedude
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Post by Mousekedude » Feb Tue 09, 2010 3:32 pm

Up until our most recent trip, it was AK Lodge for us. For the past few years we've made it a point to stay there at least a couple nights on each trip, no matter where else we were also going to be staying. But now, it's a toss-up between AK Lodge and Saratoga Springs. We stayed at both on this last trip, and now we're in love with S.S. too.
We really loved Saratoga Springs for its beauty, its amenities, and its location. Plus, the room was just amazingly great. So now we're going to have to split up every trip between AK, SS, and wherever else we want to go. *sigh* Decisions, decisions.... :roll:

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Post by Future Guy » Feb Tue 09, 2010 5:35 pm

We stayed at the Contemporary early last month and really enjoyed it. The room was comfortable, the staff gave us the best service we've ever had anywhere, Disney or no, and you can't beat the convenience of having the monorail right there.

The only downside was that we were directly above Chef Mickey's and it did get rather loud at night. The last night of our trip the noise continued past 11pm, and I was worried that it might keep my wife awake, since she's a light sleeper. (It didn't, though. She was so tired that she went right to sleep and didn't hear a thing)

Also-and this is not specific to the Contemporary-I'm pretty annoyed that there's no free wi-fi. It's outrageous that I can get a room offsite that's just as big as the ones at the Deluxe Disney resorts for half the price and it'll have free wi-fi. You're already paying a hefty premium for the privilege of staying on Disney property; you should get the same amentities you'd get at any offsite hotel.

My wife really loved the Contemporary, though, and I want to take her back there for our anniversary.

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Post by wewantsdaredhead » Feb Wed 10, 2010 11:20 am

I am a huge fan of Port Orleans Riverside. We stayed there once quite by accident when my wife ran in the half marathon a few years back. They put her up there and fenagled a stay out of it for me and my two boys.
I love the southern charm feeling you get when walking around the property.
My boys can't get enough of the Main Pool and I like the bar right there.
One of my favorite memories is sharing a rum and coke with my wife at dusk at the bar. My boys played and went down the slide about 1000 times as the sun went down--pure Disney Magic!
The boatride to DD is a nice feature.
Heck, even the checkin area is awesome--like an old ticket counter for riverboats with different locations listed.
When we booked our last trip there I didn't tell the family it was there--they thought it was going to be at ASMo (we were worried about the extra $$$)...it was a perfect surprise!

The only reason I wouldn't stay there is money.

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Post by csquare77 » Feb Mon 15, 2010 8:01 am

I would say the Polynesian, but I'm going down in March and I am staying at the Port Orleans so I'm glad to see that Wewants good review!

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Post by wewantsdaredhead » Feb Mon 15, 2010 1:05 pm

You will not regret it, csquare!!

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Post by Mamabaminjamin » Feb Mon 15, 2010 3:14 pm

We are hooked on the full kitchens.... Old Key west is one of our favorites. We stay at Saratoga Springs our last trip. The resort was nice the amenities were wonderful but there was something not perfect. WE could not put our fingure on it till we came home and listened to subsonic.... Several area music songs from OKW came on. That was it. The music! We are music people and the style of music at SS just did not speak to us. I guess that is why there are so many resort styles.

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Post by disneydreamer58 » Feb Mon 15, 2010 4:24 pm

Hey Len (or anyone else), since you've stayed at the WL many times b4, what would you say the draw back to staying there would be? I wanted to stay there with my honey cause it looks romantic, but then thought that maybe staying at the Yacht Club because it looks closer/walking distance to the miniture golf place and going to Epcot places for dinner. Is it more convient to stay at the Yacht Club and not mess with having to take transporation from the WL when you wanna do things? Thanks for any input :D
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Post by 99Soulz » Feb Mon 15, 2010 4:31 pm

I say it all the time it's hard to beat OKW. We started going there before it was even called OKW when it was just the "Vacation Club". Then when they started opening up the other DVC resorts we thought they were sooo much better (newer, better location....etc) so we stopped going to OKW for a while. But then we had to go back when nothing else was available for one trip and we forgot how much we loved OKW. The music as Mamabaminjamin stated, the island theming that truely takes you away as soon as you get on property and just that overall laid back feeling....even before you get back on property as the buses returning from the parks play Marley and Buffett.

It really is a gem and it being the fewest amount of points needed (DVC point system) makes it that much better.

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Post by kcarts » Feb Mon 15, 2010 4:38 pm

I was "forced" to stay at OKW my last trip. I thought it was fantastic. I usually stay at Boardwalk with DVC. I got shut out for the week I wanted. I'm not a big fan of the resorts with multiple bus stops but this didn't seem as bad. The only drawback besides the bus stops was being so far from the "lobby". But you get over it quickly. I would certainly stay there again.

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Post by Pluto23 » Feb Tue 16, 2010 9:12 am

Great topic

Favorite Moderate - Port Orleans French Quarters

Favorite DVC - AK Lodge or Old Key West (great parking at your room door)

Ultimately, my favorite is the one I am staying at RIGHT NOW - because I am at WDW.

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Post by boilerbabe » Feb Tue 16, 2010 10:50 am

disneydreamer58 wrote:Hey Len (or anyone else), since you've stayed at the WL many times b4, what would you say the draw back to staying there would be? I wanted to stay there with my honey cause it looks romantic, but then thought that maybe staying at the Yacht Club because it looks closer/walking distance to the miniture golf place and going to Epcot places for dinner. Is it more convient to stay at the Yacht Club and not mess with having to take transporation from the WL when you wanna do things? Thanks for any input :D
I can't speak about WL, but I can say we've stayed at the YC and Boardwalk and they are super convenient! You can walk to either Epcot or DHS and you can walk to the mini golf. Also, great places to eat too.

Where are you staying right now pluto23? I'm so envious, you are there right now?! Can you send me a Dole Whip??? :D
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Post by disneydreamer58 » Feb Tue 16, 2010 2:53 pm

boilerbabe wrote:
disneydreamer58 wrote:Hey Len (or anyone else), since you've stayed at the WL many times b4, what would you say the draw back to staying there would be? I wanted to stay there with my honey cause it looks romantic, but then thought that maybe staying at the Yacht Club because it looks closer/walking distance to the miniture golf place and going to Epcot places for dinner. Is it more convient to stay at the Yacht Club and not mess with having to take transporation from the WL when you wanna do things? Thanks for any input :D
I can't speak about WL, but I can say we've stayed at the YC and Boardwalk and they are super convenient! You can walk to either Epcot or DHS and you can walk to the mini golf. Also, great places to eat too.

Where are you staying right now pluto23? I'm so envious, you are there right now?! Can you send me a Dole Whip??? :D
Thanks BoilerBabe, so funny you should mention a Dole Whip, I have never had one but I told Franklin (my signi other) that they are talked about on this site all the time, and I WANT ONE. I sent him an Edible Arrangement for Val Day's and he said the pineapple was good and that brought on the conversation. Do they have Dole Whips at DL, we were there in 2008 and I don't recall seeing them?? Then again I had churro's on the brain the whole time =) Thanks for the hotel info!!
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Post by Len90 » Feb Tue 16, 2010 3:37 pm

disneydreamer58 wrote:Hey Len (or anyone else), since you've stayed at the WL many times b4, what would you say the draw back to staying there would be? I wanted to stay there with my honey cause it looks romantic, but then thought that maybe staying at the Yacht Club because it looks closer/walking distance to the miniture golf place and going to Epcot places for dinner. Is it more convient to stay at the Yacht Club and not mess with having to take transporation from the WL when you wanna do things? Thanks for any input :D
My only drawback about the WL was that the I found the main pool to be a bit on the small size for a deluxe resort and also a resort that size. Getting seats was an issue at times during the late morning to early afternoon in the heart of summer. Secondly, the location is a bit peculiar. The location does help the theme of the resort a lot. It is in the MK resort area, but not on the monorail. You have to take the WDW Transport for everything which is fine by me. They have buses to all the parks and a boat that could also take you to the MK, Ft. Wilderness, and Contemporary. We never had an issue with the transportation service. I personally found it excellent; very peaceful and relaxing. I also recall that you do not share the bus with other resorts.

As for the Yacht Club, the pool is the best in WDW. However it is Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Beach Club Villas using it. The pool does fill up and we also had issues with getting seats at the pool during 4th of July week last year. It is also a bit more active in most areas. The Yacht Club is in a great location since it is walking distance to EPCOT, Boardwalk, Swan, and Dolphin. It's a bit too long of a walk to get to DHS, but doable during the Winter months. The miniature golf course is not as close as you would think. The quickest way to get there would be to cut through Swan/Dolphin. As for relaxation, avoid the Beach Club since I found that it is more families with younger crowds while the Yacht tends to be families with older kids (like us) or couples who want to have a quiet and peaceful stay. It is pretty interesting to see how quiet the lobby is at the Yacht while the Beach is very noisy and active. As for transportation, be aware that it is boat service only to EPCOT and DHS. During thunderstorms the boats will stop and there will not be any service to and from those parks when lightning is present. Other than that, transportation is excellent and we had no complaints.

All in all, both places are great for a more quiet and relaxing hotel stay at WDW. They both offer many pros and few if any cons. They are my two favorite resorts.
- Len90
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My favorite hotel

Post by inkydog » Feb Fri 19, 2010 8:19 am

My favorite hotel would have to be the Polynesian, and I've stayed at them all. The only one I had not stayed at was the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but that situation was remedied last weekend :D

AKL is nice, but the rooms are a bit smallish. Overall, to me, the lobby is similar to the Wilderness Lodge, but doesn't have the same WOW factor. Last weekend was too cold to use the pool, so I can't really speak to that. I wasn't thrilled that you had to go outside to get to the snack bar, especially when the temperature is 45 degrees!

Also, a long bus ride to anywhere but the Animal Kingdom Park. On the plus side, we never waited very long at the bus stop either to or from the hotel. I think I prefer monorail travel, which is one of the reasons I like the Polynesian. Second place for me belongs to the Boardwalk because I like the atmosphere and the boardwalk shops/activities. My third place choice would be French Quarter, because it is relatively small and easy to navigate.

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Post by MetalRage » Feb Sun 28, 2010 9:40 pm

Wow I forgot I made this thread! It's been almost two years! Well my favorite hotel at the moment I think would be Port Orleans: Riverside.
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