Specter
This is the way
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2011
My family is in the early planning stages of our next trip, most likely in March of 2025. I know that's still over a year away but because booking windows will open up soon it's time to get at least a little bit serious about this.
A little bit about us. DW, myself, and DD(who will be almost 6 when we expect to travel) are all seasoned Disney World travelers. Even DD has already been 3 times and she's not quite 5. We travel from out of state, by plane, and generally will use shuttles/busses/car services once we arrive rather than rent a car. We do typically spend our first, partial day checking out the resort and going to Disney Springs for a little bit of early souvenir shopping as well as dinner. We tend to stay for 7 or 8 nights so we do like having enough room to be comfortable for that length of stay, and we don't like doing laundry on vacation so we do appreciate a generous amount of storage. We also spend very little time at the resort itself beyond sleeping and a midday break so spas and pools aren't a big priority for us. We come from a warm state and my parents and DW's parents both have pools, as well as our neighborhood, so even DD gets her fill of swimming, no problem. Also, while Magic Kingdom has the most that DD can do, even on our last trip she was tall enough to ride Slinky and Seven Dwarves Mine Train, and she is now already tall enough for Thunder Mountain and excited to give it a go, so we will probably spend the most time in MK, but the other 3 won't be too far behind. So, with that said, despite being very familiar with Disney World we have never stayed DVC, but are very seriously considering renting points for the first time ever. It just seems like a great deal, especially when a moderate would cost more than a deluxe DVC rental, at least if the calculators on a few of the bigger sites (David's, DVC rental store) are to be believed.
We are currently considering 4 options that, based on calculators, seem like they would be the best fit for our family in terms of cost as well as features that we find attractive, but we wanted to solicit advise from people that have actually had experience with some or even all of them. They are:
Animal Kingdom - This was the last resort we stayed at in November 2022, but in a standard room. We loved the theming and got very lucky with where our room was located. It was on the first level above the lobby and at the very front of the building so it was very easy to get downstairs and out to the busses to get to the parks. We did find the drive a little bit long but nothing that was intolerable at all and the unique experience of the resort made up for any shortcoming there. But, I do know that the DVC rooms are sometimes further away from bus stops, so if we are talking about going from less than a five minute walk to get to our room to a 10+ minute hike, especially at the end of a long park day, that is something that we want to take into consideration. We also really enjoyed all of the dining options here.
Copper Creek - We have never stayed at WL, but we have visited the resort for meals before and enjoy the theming there, too.
Polynesian - DW and I stayed there for a few nights once as part of a split stay and really enjoyed it. We love the convenience of the monorail and the theming of the resort. The dining options here have been hit or miss for us over the years, nothing terrible but nothing we ever really feel in a rush to go back to(I am now prepared to get taken to task by the Dole Whip crowd). One of the concerns with this resort is walking around outside from the longhouse to the main house for transportation when the weather in Florida does what it inevitably does.
Riviera - This is another that we have never stayed at. I will say that based on a few reviews we've read/watched online, we are excited about the idea of this one but we have never even visited for a meal, unlike WL, so we truly have the least experience with this one. We like the idea of the skyliner and think DD would get a kick out of it. However, do the busses run to all 4 parks from Riviera or only to MK and AK since the skyliner services Epcot and HS? We do like that it is all interior in terms of getting from your room to the exit where you would then catch whatever transportation you were taking to the parks, and it doesn't seem quite as large/spread out.
Any information that anybody could offer with experience at these resorts, especially considering some of the travel preferences mentioned above, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and Happy New Year!
A little bit about us. DW, myself, and DD(who will be almost 6 when we expect to travel) are all seasoned Disney World travelers. Even DD has already been 3 times and she's not quite 5. We travel from out of state, by plane, and generally will use shuttles/busses/car services once we arrive rather than rent a car. We do typically spend our first, partial day checking out the resort and going to Disney Springs for a little bit of early souvenir shopping as well as dinner. We tend to stay for 7 or 8 nights so we do like having enough room to be comfortable for that length of stay, and we don't like doing laundry on vacation so we do appreciate a generous amount of storage. We also spend very little time at the resort itself beyond sleeping and a midday break so spas and pools aren't a big priority for us. We come from a warm state and my parents and DW's parents both have pools, as well as our neighborhood, so even DD gets her fill of swimming, no problem. Also, while Magic Kingdom has the most that DD can do, even on our last trip she was tall enough to ride Slinky and Seven Dwarves Mine Train, and she is now already tall enough for Thunder Mountain and excited to give it a go, so we will probably spend the most time in MK, but the other 3 won't be too far behind. So, with that said, despite being very familiar with Disney World we have never stayed DVC, but are very seriously considering renting points for the first time ever. It just seems like a great deal, especially when a moderate would cost more than a deluxe DVC rental, at least if the calculators on a few of the bigger sites (David's, DVC rental store) are to be believed.
We are currently considering 4 options that, based on calculators, seem like they would be the best fit for our family in terms of cost as well as features that we find attractive, but we wanted to solicit advise from people that have actually had experience with some or even all of them. They are:
Animal Kingdom - This was the last resort we stayed at in November 2022, but in a standard room. We loved the theming and got very lucky with where our room was located. It was on the first level above the lobby and at the very front of the building so it was very easy to get downstairs and out to the busses to get to the parks. We did find the drive a little bit long but nothing that was intolerable at all and the unique experience of the resort made up for any shortcoming there. But, I do know that the DVC rooms are sometimes further away from bus stops, so if we are talking about going from less than a five minute walk to get to our room to a 10+ minute hike, especially at the end of a long park day, that is something that we want to take into consideration. We also really enjoyed all of the dining options here.
Copper Creek - We have never stayed at WL, but we have visited the resort for meals before and enjoy the theming there, too.
Polynesian - DW and I stayed there for a few nights once as part of a split stay and really enjoyed it. We love the convenience of the monorail and the theming of the resort. The dining options here have been hit or miss for us over the years, nothing terrible but nothing we ever really feel in a rush to go back to(I am now prepared to get taken to task by the Dole Whip crowd). One of the concerns with this resort is walking around outside from the longhouse to the main house for transportation when the weather in Florida does what it inevitably does.
Riviera - This is another that we have never stayed at. I will say that based on a few reviews we've read/watched online, we are excited about the idea of this one but we have never even visited for a meal, unlike WL, so we truly have the least experience with this one. We like the idea of the skyliner and think DD would get a kick out of it. However, do the busses run to all 4 parks from Riviera or only to MK and AK since the skyliner services Epcot and HS? We do like that it is all interior in terms of getting from your room to the exit where you would then catch whatever transportation you were taking to the parks, and it doesn't seem quite as large/spread out.
Any information that anybody could offer with experience at these resorts, especially considering some of the travel preferences mentioned above, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and Happy New Year!
