What is the best resort to stay at during a Disney World vacation??

Question

We are going to Disney the end of the month. Where should we stay? We want to stay at a Disney Hotel.

A few of you said that we should have booked in advance. You think this is bad get this: We booked and got airfare two days before we left for Hawaii! So, this is nothing compared to that. This is as you call it "so last minute" because we just found out that my brother has to be in Duluth, Georgia for hockey and that is about halfway to Disney from here. And since we are moving this summer, we thought that have a mini vacation before all this hassle would be a great idea. I agree.

BUT as of now my Dad is rethinking all of this because it will be $2,000 for the four of us for four night at the Lodge, and three day park hopper passes. But, that is actually really good.

Answer 1

Wait, you're going to Walt Disney World at the end of this month and you haven't made your reservations yet? A lot of people have been having an extremely hard time getting rooms at the Walt Disney World Resorts this late. I'm going to Walt Disney World in July and I had to book my vacation back in October! I checked the website a couple weeks ago and there aren't anymore rooms available at the Resort the entire month of July, except for a couple very expensive suites. You definitely need to make your reservations as soon as possible if you're planning on going at the end of the month. I just checked the official Walt Disney World website and it said only two of the 25 different Resort options have rooms and vacation packages available for the end of this month - Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. And the prices are more expensive than usual since the demand is obviously higher for rooms at this time.

In my opinion, Disney's Polynesian Resort is the best. Disney's Polynesian Resort has the highest return rate of all the Resorts at Walt Disney World. It was also one of the first Resorts to open with the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971. The other Resort to open that day was Disney's Contemporary Resort. The lobby is gorgeous, like a tropical rainforest with luscious green plants and small waterfalls. Inside the lobby are three shops - BouTiki, Trader Jacks, and Samoa Snacks. There are also three restaurants - Captain Cook's, 'Ohana, and the Kona Cafe. My personal favorite is the Kona Cafe. Try the famous Tonga Toast and a smoothie at breakfast, and try the wok-seared duck pot stickers and the Kilauea Torte at lunch or dinner. There's also the wonderful Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show over at Luau Cove. Then there's the Tambu Lounge for drinks and appetizers. It's a nice environment for the adults. There's a very nice art gallery in the lobby as well. There's a short jogging/walking trail to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and the spa is right along the trail between the two Resorts. There are two awesome pools - the Nanea Volcano Pool and the "quiet" pool. Near the volcano pool is a marina with boat rentals, bike rentals, and guided fishing excursion pick-ups. There's also a couple lovely white-sand beaches with fantastic views of the Electrical Water Pageant that takes place on the Seven Seas Lagoon and Wishes Nighttime Spectacular that takes places at the Magic Kingdom, and there are a few hammocks that are fun to lay in. One of the best parts about staying at Disney's Polynesian Resort is that it's easy to get almost anywhere else on Walt Disney World property. You can take a shuttle bus to any of the Theme Parks, Water Parks, or Downtown Disney. There's a Water Launch to the Magic Kingdom, but the Monorail will take you there, too. The Monorail will also bring you to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Contemporary Resort, and the Transportation & Ticket Center. And there's a short walkway to the Transportation & Ticket Center where you can get on the Monorail to EPCOT or the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Then there's the walkway to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. It's fairly simple to get anywhere on Walt Disney World property, and there's quite a few options, so if the buses are running slow you can just use the Water Launch or Monorail, or whatever. My favorite part of Disney's Polynesian Resort are the Guest Rooms. You know, you think since you're going to Walt Disney World you won't be in the room much because you'll be at the theme parks most of the time, but my favorite part of our days at WDW was relaxing out on our patio at the end of the night. The staff at this Resort is outstanding. They upgraded us to Concierge for free. We got to stay in the Concierge Longhouse and our room had the best view on property, literally. A view across the entire Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake - Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to the left, the Magic Kingdom Park, Cinderella Castle, and Space Mountain straight across, and Disney's Contemporary Resort to the right. Every night when we returned from the parks, no matter how late it was, we'd spend at least 15 minutes relaxing out on our patio. It's so amazing. We go in the summer, so the temperature in the evening is perfect. No one's out and all you can hear are the horns of the boats on the Lagoon and the howl of the dog (statue) outside of the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom. We could even watch the fireworks and the Water Pageant right from our room and patio if we were there while they were taking place.

If you stay at Disney's Polynesian Resort try to request room 1516 in the Hawaii (Concierge) Longhouse. Room 1221 in the Aotearoa Longhouse was nice, too.

I found this really cool website dedicated to Disney's Polynesian Resort. There's a lot of information and excellent pictures of all the rooms and suites. Here's the link if you're interested at all...

http://tikiman2001.homestead.com/

Hope I could help! Have fun!

* There's a really big difference between scoring a couple flights to Hawaii two days before you're set to depart and trying to book a Walt Disney World vacation package at a Disney Resort by the end of the month. Compared - finding flights to Hawaii even on the day you plan to depart would be much easier than finding a decent deal on an entire Walt Disney World package for the end of the month.

Answer 2

In the future, book your hotel months in advance, if you can. You may have difficulty getting the resort you want this late - especially if you wish to stay at a Delux Disney Resort. However, my top pick is the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is an amazing resort with breathtaking views, beautiful architecture, lovely rooms, great shopping and the best food of all the resorts (try Boma!).

If you can't get a room at this resort, or if it is out of your price range, I recommend these other Disney Resorts:

Beach Club
Disney's Polynesian
Coronado Springs

and if you're traveling with small children, The All Star. Odds are, the All Star isn't booked. It is the largest Disney Resort with over 5700 rooms (that figure does not include the newer Pop Century Resort). My husband was a lifegaurd at the All Star and we've stayed there as well. We always recommend it to families traveling with small children. Its also a fun resort to book at the last minute.

If a Disney Resort doesn't work, I recommend these which are located minutes away from Disney:

Best Western Lakeside - Kissimmee
Sheraton Safari Resort - Lake Buena vista
Royal Plaza Resort - by Downtown Disney

If you would like help planning your trip, or if you would just like to read up on some fun tips and advice, which is updated monthly, check out my Disney Vacation Services Blog at:
http://im-all-ears-disney-vacation-services.blogspot.com/2006/06/fun-january-tips-are-listed-below-im.html

Have a great time!

Answer 3

You shouldn't really have a problem getting a room because this is the Off season. It really depends on money and amenities for the hotel you should stay at. If you want to spend the cashola I would stay at the Polynesian. I did one year - very $$$ but very nice vacation. I have also stayed at the All-Star Sports. That hotel is much cheaper - more on the lines of motel 6 etc. The difference in the rooms is size and amenities that the resorts offer. All disney resorts are clean and they all have very nice staff. Go to the disney website and plan a vaction - try different hotels and go from there. Have a great time.

Answer 4

The most popular resorts on Disney property are Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, and Port Orleans Riverside; these are my recommendations. The Contemporary is unique in that the monorail runs straight through the main building. The Animal Kingdom Lodge has rooms that overlook an area resembling an African savannah with actual wild animals roaming around.

Each resort has something to offer; choose whichever resort fits you best. I hope you have a great trip!

Answer 5

Any of the hotels on property will be fine. It just depends on your budget. Disney offers value resorts, moderate and deluxe. If you can afford it, all of the Boardwalk resorts are awesome, The Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club. I've also stayed at The Grand Floridian which is great for it's location. But regardless of which resort you choose, you still get the free benefit of extra magic hours and transportation to the parks, Downtown Disney, etc. Have fun!

Answer 6

As with anything at WDW, opportunities to upgrade are almost limitless depending on your budget. I would say the “absolute best” hotel rooms are the suites at the Grand Floridian and the top floor of the Contemporary, but pricing-wise those rooms are probably out of reach for the average vacationer. My personal favorite resort is a toss-up between the Wilderness Lodge and Polynesian. If you are looking for convenience, the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary resorts are on the monorail line that runs shuttles between the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and the Ticketing and Transportation Center. Expect to pay higher rates for the convenience though. If you don’t mind staying off-property you can usually find good deals at the hotels along Hotel Plaza Blvd near the Downtown Disney area as well.

Answer 7

I thought the Boardwalk was fabulous and if I could afford it, I would have stayed there.

Out of the moderately priced resorts, Port Orleans Riverside has a beautiful campus. I enjoyed that resort a lot. And, you can take the reiver taxi to downtown disney which is a lot of fun.

Answer 8

When I went in May 06, we stayed at the Pop Century Resort. I thought of it this way: we were going to spend minimal time in the actual hotel room, so why spend more than we had to? We stayed at the Pop Century Value Resort. It was clean, housekeeping was excellent, AND it was easy on my pocket. I would recommend it.

Answer 9

Disney All Star Movie Resort
Two pools. And a seperate kiddie pool. Very close to Blizzard Beach and a playground and disney. Have fun. I'm going back in May. If you want a non-Disney resort, go to the hotel that has like 10 different kinds of pools, I forget the name at the moment.

Answer 10

You can't go wrong with any disney hotel, but my favorites are the Boardwalk and Yacht Club.