What is the Best WDW Resort?

Arete · Post by **Arete** » Mar Tue 23, 2010 9:54 pm

For deluxe, we've only ever stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. I loved it - the architecture is just breathtaking and the pool is awesome, but the little food court isn't all that great compared to the cheaper resorts and the fact that you share bus lines with a bunch of other resorts is very annoying. I did like taking to boat the the MK.

My favorite resort is Port Orleans Riverside. It's so quiet and beautiful; you're never far from a pool (there's 6 in total), and the rooms are bigger than the Value resorts. The bus service is better from French Quarter (which I also love); both have a boat that goes out to Downtown Disney which I consider a hidden gem - it's so peaceful to take the ride out and then back again. The food court is pretty good and there's a sit down restaurant that's quite nice. If you get a room in a mansion you're not all that far from the bus stops or the main building (some of the bayou houses are quite out there, though - we always request a mansion, Parterre to be exact, because it's closest to FQ and an easy walk back to the south bus stop.)

I did not like Coronado Springs although their food court is probably the best on property. I've never stayed at Caribbean Beach so I have no opinion.

On the Value level Pop Century is so much better than the All Stars. The bus service is better (if you're at the AS and the bus fills up at Sports but you're staying at Music, well too bad for you), the food court is much better at Pop, the store is bigger, the pools are better, the view is way better, and I even prefer the theming. The only thing I'd really complain about at Pop is the parking - if you drive down and aren't staying in a select few buildings, it is a royal pain to move your luggage in and out. If you drive to the parks Pop is situated in such a way that it only takes a couple of minutes to drive to the Studios, Epcot, and Downtown Disney (you can even see the fireworks for Illuminations if you're in the right spot), whereas at the All Stars you're only close to the Animal Kingdom. There are playgrounds everywhere at Pop, and Disney usually houses all those youth gathering events (like Pop Warner) at the All Stars, so Pop is mostly families.

WVParkfan · Post by **WVParkfan** » Mar Wed 24, 2010 6:34 am

Arete wrote:On the Value level Pop Century is so much better than the All Stars. The bus service is better (if you're at the AS and the bus fills up at Sports but you're staying at Music, well too bad for you)

I couldn't disagree more with you. We've stayed at all of the Values, and Pop Century is the only one we'd never stay at again. We've stayed at the All Stars 4 times, and have only rarely shared busses. And when one fills up, there is another one immediately behind it. The bus service at the All Stars is 10X better than Pop.

Pop Century has the thinnest walls of any hotel I've ever stayed at, and is definitely the loudest. We've stayed at all 4 values, and Pop is permanently crossed off of our list.

Pluto23 · Post by **Pluto23** » Mar Wed 24, 2010 7:02 am

WVParkfan wrote:
Arete wrote:On the Value level Pop Century is so much better than the All Stars. The bus service is better (if you're at the AS and the bus fills up at Sports but you're staying at Music, well too bad for you)
I couldn't disagree more with you. We've stayed at all of the Values, and Pop Century is the only one we'd never stay at again. We've stayed at the All Stars 4 times, and have only rarely shared busses. And when one fills up, there is another one immediately behind it. The bus service at the All Stars is 10X better than Pop.

Pop Century has the thinnest walls of any hotel I've ever stayed at, and is definitely the loudest. We've stayed at all 4 values, and Pop is permanently crossed off of our list.

This makes sense about Pop. It is the newest, and probably built the cheapest. I will be staying at one of these in the fall, and it may just be AS Movies.

Arete · Post by **Arete** » Mar Wed 24, 2010 8:57 pm

WVParkfan wrote:
Arete wrote:On the Value level Pop Century is so much better than the All Stars. The bus service is better (if you're at the AS and the bus fills up at Sports but you're staying at Music, well too bad for you)
I couldn't disagree more with you. We've stayed at all of the Values, and Pop Century is the only one we'd never stay at again. We've stayed at the All Stars 4 times, and have only rarely shared busses. And when one fills up, there is another one immediately behind it. The bus service at the All Stars is 10X better than Pop.

Pop Century has the thinnest walls of any hotel I've ever stayed at, and is definitely the loudest. We've stayed at all 4 values, and Pop is permanently crossed off of our list.

We also have stayed at the All Stars 4 times, and I hope to never stay there again. We waited for over 2 hours at one point for a bus to Downtown Disney, and the morning buses routinely pulled up at Music only to let 5 or 6 people in, every trip we had. We never waited more than a few minutes for a bus at Pop, even in the middle of the day. Also, we had no noise issues at Pop.

NaCler · Post by **NaCler** » Mar Wed 24, 2010 9:19 pm

To each his/her own I guess... I also prefer Pop Century over the All Stars for basically the same info you posted Arete. But I won't fault anyone who doesn't agree. My experiences are not their experiences.

Arete · Post by **Arete** » Mar Wed 24, 2010 10:21 pm

NaCler wrote:To each his/her own I guess... I also prefer Pop Century over the All Stars for basically the same info you posted Arete. But I won't fault anyone who doesn't agree. My experiences are not their experiences.

Very true. That's what's great about having the different resorts - lots to pick from to suit different tastes.

MW1218 · Post by **MW1218** » Mar Thu 25, 2010 9:00 am

I feel like I should clear something up about the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's true that it is seen as a 'cheaper Deluxe,' but its not always noticed that the rooms that are cheaper than normal Deluxes are non-Savannah view ones. And seeing the Savannah from your room is a HUGE part of the Animal Kingdom Lodge experience, so much so that it isn't really worth it to stay there if you don't.

Boilerdude · Post by **Boilerdude** » Mar Thu 25, 2010 9:43 am

NaCler wrote:To each his/her own I guess... I also prefer Pop Century over the All Stars for basically the same info you posted Arete. But I won't fault anyone who doesn't agree. My experiences are not their experiences.

Very true...But if someone disagrees with me about the Polynesian, those are fighting words. I will spam your PM box

The best is there are many resorts to choose from, previously stated. From price to luxury, there is something for everyone. The hard part is trying to discover which one you like more. The DW and I are Poly snobs but we do try to experience the other resorts. Each resort we have stayed had something unique to offer. Like my DW said â€œI think it just depends on what people's tastes are, how much you have to spend on your vacation and what's important to you.â€

NaCler · Post by **NaCler** » Mar Thu 25, 2010 1:04 pm

Whatever Boilerdude... The Poly stinks...

Go ahead and SPAM me...

Actually, I have been to WDW about 100 times in my lifetime and NEVER stayed there. I would love to though. It looks like it would become my favorite if my DW and I stayed there without the kids.

Polynesian Princess · Post by **Polynesian Princess** » Mar Thu 25, 2010 1:54 pm

MW1218 wrote:And seeing the Savannah from your room is a HUGE part of the Animal Kingdom Lodge experience, so much so that it isn't really worth it to stay there if you don't.

I totally agree with this sentiment. We usually stay in the standard room at the hotels with the exception of getting a king bed at hotels that don't have the queen beds, but that's different from booking a standard vs. whatever view. I've been magically upgraded to water views and such before, but I don't feel that the view would have been worth the extra money had we been paying for it - much rather spend that money on souvenirs or our next trip.

There are only two times that I feel differently about this. One is exactly what you mentioned. The animals make AKL and if I'm not staying in a savannah view room, I'd rather be somewhere else. The other instance is at the Contemporary. I wouldn't want to stay in the garden wing because I feel like the main building and the monorail are what make the Contemporary interesting.

Boilerdude · Post by **Boilerdude** » Mar Thu 25, 2010 2:40 pm

NaCler wrote:Whatever Boilerdude... The Poly stinks... Go ahead and SPAM me...

Actually, I have been to WDW about 100 times in my lifetime and NEVER stayed there. I would love to though. It looks like it would become my favorite if my DW and I stayed there without the kids.

I am going to SPAM you with Six Flags promotions

NaCler · Post by **NaCler** » Mar Thu 25, 2010 2:46 pm

Boilerdude wrote:I am going to SPAM you with Six Flags promotions

Not the old dancing dude!! Since I live relatively near a Six Flags, those commercials are all I SEE! I CHANGED MY MIND... I LOVE THE POLY!!!

Boilerdude · Post by **Boilerdude** » Mar Thu 25, 2010 2:50 pm

See, another convert

My Poly Cult is developing nicely

We get the same creepy bald old guy here too being close to Chicago.

Post by **lonepalm** » Mar Thu 25, 2010 4:03 pm

Never have had the opportunity to stay on-site, but will be for the first time this summer on our honeymoon. We are definitely looking forward to that aspect...there are not many "big" things that we have not yet experienced at WDW, and this is one of the last "major" things, at least on our list. We are staying at the CBR, and we have heard many great things about it!

MmeLeota · Post by **MmeLeota** » Mar Thu 25, 2010 5:31 pm

I've never stayed on property so I can't say anything about the rooms, but I'd like to someday. I've seen pics of POR and it looks just beautiful! We've walked aroud Y&BC and I wouldn't mind staying there either....

BUT...

If the choice was left up to hubby though, (and we hit the lottery) we would stay at GF...he has always liked the victorian style and grandeur of that hotel (and that goes for me too).