How do you Prioritize???

[DG-12]

We are planning a trip but I can't decide where to stay. My husband hates wdw and we have compromised on a limited number of trips-so the dilemma...
We have stayed at the moderates for the last few trips and we loved them- but I wanted to stay at a deluxe this trip but I can't decide how to decide where to stay...
For a couple- do I stay on the monorail at GF? Or do I stay in the Epcot area at YC? I love the idea of AKL but the transportation seems like an issue (plus, there are no recreation activities- we usually rent boats, bikes, etc... none of those at AKL) Do you have ideas on how to decide? What do you think is the most important part of your decisions?
Thanks,
Dana

 

[SandraC]

Dana, because my kids are young, the pools are at the top of our list. We stayed at CBR and CSR in 2001 and 2002.

For our next trip, we would like to stay at a deluxe too. I thought the monorail resorts would be our first choice so we are visit MK all the time. But my family has really taken to Epcot, so we are looking at the Beach Club. Turns out the Beach Club has that awesome pool!

Pools and location are how we pick. S

 

[Lou-Ann]

My hubby would rather have 3 nights at WL than 10 elsewhere. He loves the atmosphere, the tranquility, the pool, the spas, the trees, hopping on the boat in the morning to get to the parks. I am the penny pincher. This is the man I used to have to drag to Disney...... Now we have annuals and are making our second trip there this year. Your kids can be happy anywhere. they will take a clue from dad's attitude. if he is happy it can be a great trip. there is so much to be said for Disney. You can walk to the animals at Fort Wilderness if you want to. There is a wealth of activities for kids there yet dad dors not feel like he is in the heart of kiddyland. It is rustic and romantic. kids love the pool area as well as the lady bug release and kids programs. Try making dad a priority for a change and you will be surprised how often you might get to go........ Mine is now a happy grandpa of 6 who is addicted to Disney. He no longer goes kicking . Sometimes the person paying for the trip needs to feel he is as important as the kids.......Play your cards right and he will be around long after the kids are gone......

 

[Pig Pen]

As a couple, I think you would enjoy staying at the Boardwalk area. We stayed at the Dolphin and loved the location - we walked to both MGM & Epcot. Lots of evening activities along the Boardwalk. We loved it so much we bought into DVC.....

 

[Scoootch]

If you are trying to decide which resort by which one you will enjoy the most, I would say to go with deciding which one has the theming that appeals to you the most (i.e. -- if you like victorian theming go with GF if you love the wilderness theming or love annimals go with WL or AKL, etc.)and also look into the ammennities that the resort has to offer that you would use -- pools,resturaunts,healthclubs,recreation.

Find the one that offers the best combination of what you'd enjoy.

Then of course make sure the resort you've chosen won't be a problem for you location-wise. Personnally, I've stayed many different times at lots of the different resorts at WDW and haven't had too terrible of time with the transportation from any of the resorts -- we don't usually use our car while there. If location is a big factor though, I'd definetly suggest looking into Y & B clubs,Boardwalk, or Swan & Dolfin as these resorts are in very easy proximity to practicly everything.

Hope this helps! Enjoy!!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by DG-12
We are planning a trip but I can't decide where to stay. My husband hates wdw and we have compromised on a limited number of trips-so the dilemma...
We have stayed at the moderates for the last few trips and we loved them- but I wanted to stay at a deluxe this trip but I can't decide how to decide where to stay...
For a couple- do I stay on the monorail at GF? Or do I stay in the Epcot area at YC? I love the idea of AKL but the transportation seems like an issue (plus, there are no recreation activities- we usually rent boats, bikes, etc... none of those at AKL) Do you have ideas on how to decide? What do you think is the most important part of your decisions?
Thanks,
Dana

Hi DG-12,

It is just my husband and I but my husband also loves Disney so no limit on trips for us

Here is how we are deciding. We fell in love with the YC back in 1998 when we stayed there for the first time. We love the hardwood and brass of the lobby, Storm-A-Long-Bay with its sand bottom cannot be beat for the pool and location, location, location. You can walk to both EC and MGM or take a slow boat. You can rent watercraft and bikes or just stroll the boardwalk, catch a game at ESPN or listen to the dueling pianos at JellyRolls.

Why then do you ask are we staying at the AKL on our upcoming trip? Well, when the AKL first opened in April of 2001 I was not sure if we would like it because as you noted there is only bus transportation and no other activities other then the pool and of course watching the animals. Well, we stayed there in May 2001 just to try it out and fell in love. If you are looking to relax and not feel rushed and you like/love animals then the AKL is the way to go.

We are staying at the AKL this Feb as we feel this will be a short six day relaxing trip. Because of the weather we are not planning on being able to swim every afternoon so being able to sit on our balcony and watch zebra and wildebeest walk by is how we plan on spending what in the summer would be our pool and nap time.

When we return to WDW in Sept for our regular ten day trip we will proboly go for a water/lagoon view room at the YC. Why? We spend more time in the parks on our longer trips. It will be hot and we love the pool at the YC. We also love the whole area as descriped above.

So really think about what is important to you on this vacation and pick the resort that best meets your needs. I do not think you can go wrong with either resort.

Just as an FYI the bus transportation from the AKL is great. We stayed there for a total of 15 days in 2001 and never waited more then 20mins for a bus. When you check in to any WDW resort they will tell you that you should expect to wait 20mins for the buses to the parks. I think we only waited more then 15mins once.

Hope this helped and I hope you have a great trip.