"Best" Resort Depends on the Type of Trip

[msteddom]

I am curious to see what other people think...

So much of this board seems to revolve around which resort people think is "the best". There are many factors that go in to that decision, how large the party is, how long the trip is, what the budget is like ect.

I have stayed in 3 different Disney resorts now, and I really feel like each time the resort I have stayed in on that trip has been "the best" fit for that particular trip. My first Disney stay was at POR for a week. My best friend and I stayed there during the 4 for 7 Fairytale vacation. We loved the resort and felt like we were getting a great deal. Trip 2 way with my dad for 3 nights at POFQ. The small resort was perfect for our short stay, and my dad was convinced of the value of staying on Disney property. Bonus! My most recent trip was with my two aunts and their childern, we had two rooms at the YC for a week. The location was wonderful, we needed the extra space for the kids, and they loved the pool.

None of these three resorts sticks out as my favorite because they are so different. I loved them while I was there, and I would stay at each one of them again. My next tentitive trip will be a few nights at AKL this summer and I have no doubt that it too will be the perfect fit for that occasion.

So how many of you choose a different resort each visit depending on your circumstances rather than just returning to your reliable favorite?

 

[F1Julie]

My resort choice is determined by what time of year I'll be going and how much time I plan on spending in the parks vs. at the resort. For our December stay, I picked Pop since I knew I'd be using my room as a place to sleep only. There was no reason to pay for amenities that I wouldn't be using. I also knew we wouldn't be swimming, so there was no point in staying somewhere with a great pool. When we went in August, we stayed at AKL. We did not even go to the parks, so we wanted to stay at a really cool hotel. We had a great time just staying at our resort between the pool and watching the animals. In May, we stayed at CSR. It was perfect for that trip since we spent some of our time at the parks and some at the resort. Each trip was great.

 

[Leota]

I agree - we choose our resort based on the type of WDW trip we are taking.
When my son was a small fry & we wanted extra room & some down-time from the stimulation of the parks, we chose FW Cabins.We did that til he was 10. When my son & I go commando, we have chosen either a value or Swan/Dolphin resorts. For a summer trip with two pre-teens, we chose Poly concierge for the location, transportation & food options. For a special family treat, we chose the Beach Club. For an utterly indulgent, once in a lifetime Happy Haunts experience, I stayed at the Grand Floridian. A trip with friends at the WL was perfect, as was a special Mom & son trip to CSR.
Now that my son is a 16 year old young man & we are moving a little slower - we tend to stay at all deluxe resorts, as we spend more time enjoying the resort than we used to. So this coming trip will be Dolphin & AKL.
Each resort has been perfect for each trip. There are some resorts I liked better than others, but every resort seems to have fit each trip & provided a unique experience.

 

[Harambe]

I like to try different resorts each trip, something that can drive DH nuts! But I agree that I pick resorts dependent upon our trip. For instance, our Sept. trip was only a short four day trip, so I wanted to be on the monorail so we wouldn't spend our time "commuting".

Our next trip is during the hot month of August, and I want a place where I can do laundry (we don't pack a lot of clothes) right in the room, so I picked OKW. It is also a longer trip, so I won't mind the bus rides to the parks.


I also like to try different restaurants, and I always make a PS for the restaurant that is at our resort. My family doesn't particularly like to bus/boat/monorail just to go to a restaurant.

 

[DeterminedOne]

It's just me and DH and first trip we had to stay off property. We were newly dating and neither of us had much money. We stayed at AS Sports shortly after we got married and again it was based on the amount of money we had. Wanted to stay on property and AS was all we could reasonably afford. We hated it there though and made the decision to bump up to a moderate for the next trip. POR was a real surprise. Didn't expect it to be as nice as it was so we started thinking ... If it's like this at the mods what must it be like at the deluxe hotels.? Decided then that we wouldn't go back to Disney until we could afford a deluxe. We debated back and forth, between WL, AKL and GF. We changed our minds every single day for at least a month. I wanted WL because I'd watched an episode of Family Matters where WL was featured. It looked so beautiful and I just couldn't get over it. We both wanted GF because, well, it's GF. But at that time we thought it might be too over the top for us. AKL eventually won out because it was brand new and how could we beat that?

The last two years have been challenging for us so this last trip we chose GF because we desperately needed the magic. (And boy did we get it! I will never, ever forget waking up to the castle those seven days.) We were planning a 2005 trip before we left Orlando. We're still debating about which resort to choose. Definitely want a deluxe! I say we go back to GF but DH says that's boring and we should try something new. So right now it's between YC, WL Concierge or GF. Tomorrow it might be something else. It's fun choosing a resort Just Because and I'm glad we were able to work our way up to it.

 

[crazy4dizney]

I think the resort is a big factor when your doing your planning.It's very tempting to book the resort that's tried and true,but there's always that excitement of a new and different resort to make your stay seem unique and special. For us we have decided to resort hop for awhile. It's always a probability that we'll have repeat stays If the price is right!



1979 - off site
1988 - off site
1993 - off site
1994 - tree house villas 1st.stay disney property
never staying off again.
1998 - FW cabins
1999 - Dixie Landings (PORS)
2003 - CSR (Easter)
2003 - AKL (XMAS)
2004 - POFQ
Up coming stay in Jan. 2005 POLY

 

[leighe]

I completely agree. On the trips I made with my parents we always stayed at the Poly. There were three kids, so I can see how the convience of transportation/food/pool really made the trip much easier for my parents.

When DH and I went on our first trip together (he had been as a child but had stayed offsite) we (well, okay, I) chose CBR. Neither one of us had been there in a few years and I knew we would want to spend lots of time in the parks.

I originally had POFQ reserved for our December trip but then decided to splurge and surprise my sister. I know we will be park commandos so I feel a littly silly for paying $$$ for the GF but I'm sure it will be worth it.

We are celebrating my parents 30th anniversary at BCV this summer. It makes perfect sense for a more relaxing, "hanging out" type of extended family trip. I'm sure once DH and I have kids we'll be staying at the monorail resorts so I definitely want to get in a stay at BWI before that happens. I also want to try out POFQ and POR.

 

[Mymatisse]

I agree! And might I add that sometimes the best resort may even be off property. On our last trip we stayed at the Poly an BC and it they were both wonderful and close to Disney attractions. However, parking and getting to the room was always quite the process. Sometimes it's nice to stay off property where you can park a car close and have easy access to your vehicle for spur of the moment trips to Mc Donalds or the grocery store.

You really need to evaluate what type of trip you want to have before deciding on your hotel accommodations.