Your favourite deluxe

[POR34]

We've stayed at all the deluxe hotels and like them all for different reasons but favourite is the Grand Floridian;

great pools, wow factor as soon as you walk in, good quick service restaurant, two excellent table service restaurants, beautiful grounds to walk around, boat and monorail to MK and now the addition of a walkway.

[YorkshireT]

I love them all really.

Contemporary is great I agree 100% with a great selection of restaurants and quick serve, but some people don’t like it because of it’s looks. It’s one that the true Disney fan appreciates I think due to the history. However, I think Bay Lake Tower is better to stay in, the rooms in the main hotel don’t look great decoration wise to me and we are noise sensitive so a room into the main building not sure we would like. Absolutely love Bay Lake especially 1 beds. Contemporary may be a little marmite to some, with more liking it than not though.
Beach club is lovely as is Boardwalk which we actually prefer. I think you will not be disappointed with these. A few are but very few.
I love Wilderness lodge, for its atmosphere in the woods,especially at night. The downside is transportation.
OKW and SSR are some of our favourites, as they are more relaxed and away from the parks but with extensive grounds. A different experience but we still love them.
Riviera I am not keen on, having visited but people report they love it when they stay there, so prepared to change my mind maybe one day on that.
VGF I have never stayed in, having cancelled my last booking. Poly is a building site at mo and needs a soft goods refurb (coming this year).

Here is a photo I took of Contemporary (and did some editing on), which for me is an iconic building, developed with a unique modular construction process that was an abject failure in terms of cost but made a building unlike any other.

This photo is taken from outside the entrance to Bay Lake Tower.

Consider renting DVC points also- much cheaper.

[Bazinga 39]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

I love them all really.

Contemporary is great I agree 100% with a great selection of restaurants and quick serve, but some people don’t like it because of it’s looks. It’s one that the true Disney fan appreciates I think due to the history. However, I think Bay Lake Tower is better to stay in, the rooms in the main hotel don’t look great decoration wise to me and we are noise sensitive so a room into the main building not sure we would like. Absolutely love Bay Lake especially 1 beds. Contemporary may be a little marmite to some, with more liking it than not though.
Beach club is lovely as is Boardwalk which we actually prefer. I think you will not be disappointed with these. A few are but very few.
I love Wilderness lodge, for its atmosphere in the woods,especially at night. The downside is transportation.
OKW and SSR are some of our favourites, as they are more relaxed and away from the parks but with extensive grounds. A different experience but we still love them.
Riviera I am not keen on, having visited but people report they love it when they stay there, so prepared to change my mind maybe one day on that.
VGF I have never stayed in, having cancelled my last booking. Poly is a building site at mo and needs a soft goods refurb (coming this year).

Here is a photo I took of Contemporary (and did some editing on), which for me is an iconic building, developed with a unique modular construction process that was an abject failure in terms of cost but made a building unlike any other.

This photo is taken from outside the entrance to Bay Lake Tower.

Consider renting DVC points also- much cheaper.

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Must admit I have never been keen on the look on the contemporary, but the idea of staying there is growing on me😀

[Dr.JumbaJookiba]

Originally Posted by Bazinga 39

Must admit I have never been keen on the look on the contemporary, but the idea of staying there is growing on me😀

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The look of the Contemporary from the outside is marmite - it's the look from the inside that's the big selling point for me. This was taken from our last room there.

[mrsmickey]

Although... as much as I loved a stay at the contemporary, my husband likes a good lie in and each morning was not too chuffed to be woken by the racket from chef mickeys (though I was secretly pleased as I’m the opposite...)

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Stayed at the contemporary twice and wilderness lodge twice, we do half and half. To me they are the best 2 resorts

Contemporary is just iconic and so spacious but the theme at wilderness lodge is just wonderful

When we first arrived at WL we went to the grill and geyser bar, sat at the bar had a beer an wine and some food and just looked out on bay lake , it was a moment I will never forget , it was just wonderful.

[sashadog]

Old key west! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[NewtoOrlando]

We stayed at the Contemporary in 2018, we got upgraded to a tower room and have a lovely view over the lake, the room was lovely, and massive, so much floor space compared to the moderates. We didn't like the hotel as such, was just too noisy for us, but being close to MK was a bonus. We we're due to stay at the YC last year but we decided to go for a walk around one evening and decided it wasn't for us, and the quick serve dining options were rubbish.

If I had to pick it would be based on what parks we wanted to visit the most, we love AK & HS, so I would pick the tower at CSR, it looks stunning and after that, if we looked at MK locations, I would go for the GF!

[Barlah]

Animal Kingdom lodge is great for kids to watch the animals first thing in the morning before going to parks and hotel looks great too. Just a little bit further away from most of the parks and Disney Springs. Beach club is great too and is short walk to Epcot and the restaurants there and was my personal favourite. Boardwalk looked good too and has a great takeaway pizza for walking around the lake.

[Shifu]

well my fave wont necessarily be yours as I'm now 57 with adult kids... but Ive stayed in the following and heres what I liked and disliked about them.

Grand Floridian- handy for MK (and now theres a walkway!), great restaurants, a feeling of ticking that bucket list box, some rooms sleep 5, you can watch the electric water parade from the beach or room, see the fireworks from resort/room (when they are on), and its THE GRAND FLORIDIAN! "Can we have it delivered to our resort please? Yes of course, where are you staying? Ah, thank you, the GRAND FLORIDIAN" hahaha You only live once.

The Polynesian...Dole whips, night time tourch lighting, superb theming, great cocktails, boat rides to MK, can walk easily to transport centre for Epcot monorail, did I say Dole whips lo...great restaurants, good bathrooms, room for 5, views of MK fireworks and water parade.(so essentially pretty much the same as GF only more romantic with the torch-lit atmosphere and 'Moana-y'(they are refurbing rooms now so all will be new when you go I guess). Choice of pools. Evening entertainment. Magical. Imagine- Sand beaches, the breeze through your hair (if you still have some), the sound of the boats to and froing from MK, sitting on the swing seat sipping from a hollowed out whole pineapple containing a strong cocktail hahaha...its stuff dreams are made of. Stay here for a few days and you will find it difficult not to revisit (happened to us). Mini speed boat hire if its still available- ( two people per boat-) or larger boat hire. Can drive over as far as Wilderness Lodge or past GF and MK. And ...if you couldnt get a table for an evening meal at O'hana, room service delivers all you would have had! (if thats still on room service- was when we stayed)

Wilderness Lodge- I didnt enjoy this as much as I had hoped but my teen son at the time really did. Great food, location felt slightly out of the way but its only a boat ride from MK. Relaxing, waterfall, bears and wilderness vibe- Animal Kingdom without the real animals. Has a geyser that erupts at certain times. My favourite are is the outdoor dining- it over looks the water, really relaxing. You'd need to check about 5 in a room. Our room only had room for 4. Distant view of fireworks. Electric water parade.

Animal Kingdom (Jambo)- super friendly, love the african music piped continuously, nothing beats waking up and looking at giraffes walking past your balcony. 5 minutes bus ride to Animal Kingdom. My first ever deluxe stay at WDW- stayed here for my honeymoon when it first opened, and have celebrated many event there since. Great restaurants. Lots to do and get involved with like watching the flamingos being fed, tours (animal and culinary), easy to navigate. Drawback is distance from Disney Springs. No problem for theme parks though. Rooms are a bit small... not sure AKL(Jambo) has room for 5 in a standard room- you'd probably need Kidani next door.

Beach Club... its ALL about the pool and the location location location. Some rooms are practically in the entrance to Epcot. Only some rooms have full walk on balconies, some have little Juliette balconies which is essentially an opening that acts like a large window. That extra walk out space can make a difference in a room of 5. Not guaranteed the pull down sleeper for 5th person, Its the half of Yacht and Beach Club that is painted blue. (see Yacht Club below). Great dining. Has a gym. And quiet pool as well as main one. Close too Skyliner. View of fireworks.

Yacht Club (our (my 18 year old son and I) current favourite). Twinned with the Beach Club you get everything the Beach has but its closer to the water taxi for Boardwalk and Hollywood Studios. The half painted grey. All rooms have full walk on balconies. I wished we'd stayed there years ago. Rooms are VERY spacious in comparison to AKL/ WL. Sleeps 5. I think the rooms are a little bigger than Beach Club(? maybe look into that, I'm not sure, but it felt like it. Large choice of restaurants available which are also available staying at Beach Club as they are connected together- its like one large resort really as the main sand bottomed pool is shared and situated in between resorts)- loads of dining. Gym. Tennis courts. Smaller quiet pools as well as main one. Walk to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Boardwalk... or get boats and buses. Also close to Skyliner. View of fireworks.

Have a wonderful time.