I'm so torn. Magic Kingdom area or Epcot area?

[Haygar2]

I love having time to plan a trip, but then I hate it, too. I have too much time to make changes or obsess that I've made the wrong choice. I am going next summer with just myself and my friend. No husbands. No kids. We are going to celebrate my 50th birthday. We will be there for 4 nights and 3 park days. We are not doing Hollywood Studios this trip. Right now I have us staying at Wilderness Lodge. One minute I'm content with that decision. I like the idea of a more laid back feeling when we are at the resort. The next I'm thinking we should stay at the Boardwalk because of the boardwalk and the fun we could have in the evenings. With WL we can boat to Magic Kingdom. Obviously with BWI we can walk to Epcot. What to do?

 

[Eastern]

There are no bad choices. WL as you said, you can boat to MK and use the monorail to resort hop. Lots of restaurants to choose from.

At BWI you have WS right there or you can just enjoy the boardwalk atmosphere.

I think that WL is relatively more remote than a monorail resort or an Epcot resort because it is sequestered away. I have eaten dinner and shopped there, but I have never stayed there because I like to be in the middle of everything (same reason I haven't stayed at AKL although I love the theming and restaurants there).

 

[GoingSince1990]

In your position I would definitely say Epcot area. I just love all the World Showcase restsurants and a child-free trip is the perfect time to visit some that less adventurous kids might resist.

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

Right now I have us staying at Wilderness Lodge. One minute I'm content with that decision. I like the idea of a more laid back feeling when we are at the resort. The next I'm thinking we should stay at the Boardwalk because of the boardwalk and the fun we could have in the evenings. With WL we can boat to Magic Kingdom. Obviously with BWI we can walk to Epcot. What to do?

I have been in your exact position... deciding between Wilderness Lodge and Epcot resorts.. minus the friend (solo trips for the win ).

There's no doubt that walking to Epcot is a huge benefit and time saver. If you haven't already noticed by my username, Epcot is my favorite park/place to be on property. Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort because of the tranquility and peacefulness, yet it's just a boat ride away to Magic Kingdom. Keep in mind also... with the boat to Magic Kingdom, you can take full advantage of all the bars/restaurants at the three monorail resorts. Tonga Toast for breakfast at Poly, Trader Sam's or Enchanted Rose in the evening for drinks, dinner at California Grill or Narcoossee's.. it is all much more convenient when you stay near the monorail resorts. Just take the boat to Magic Kingdom and hop on the monorail (or the direct boat to the Contemporary resort, which should re-open soon).

Ultimately, no matter how many times I mentally debate between Wilderness Lodge and the Boardwalk resorts, I always revert back to Wilderness Lodge... for me, I have emotional attachment to the monorail resorts from when I was a kid visiting with my family, but they can be noisy at times, so Wilderness Lodge is perfect. I just don't get that same "I'm officially in Disney" feeling with the Boardwalk.

Hope that helps!

 

[PixieDust&MickeyPretzels]

It’s such a tough decision. IMO the theming at wilderness lodge blows all the EPCOT resorts out of the water. Yet I primarily always stay at the beach club regardless? I’m guess for me it’s the pool and the walk to EPCOT

 

[Haygar2]

I have been in your exact position... deciding between Wilderness Lodge and Epcot resorts.. minus the friend (solo trips for the win ).

There's no doubt that walking to Epcot is a huge benefit and time saver. If you haven't already noticed by my username, Epcot is my favorite park/place to be on property. Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort because of the tranquility and peacefulness, yet it's just a boat ride away to Magic Kingdom. Keep in mind also... with the boat to Magic Kingdom, you can take full advantage of all the bars/restaurants at the three monorail resorts. Tonga Toast for breakfast at Poly, Trader Sam's or Enchanted Rose in the evening for drinks, dinner at California Grill or Narcoossee's.. it is all much more convenient when you stay near the monorail resorts. Just take the boat to Magic Kingdom and hop on the monorail (or the direct boat to the Contemporary resort, which should re-open soon).

Ultimately, no matter how many times I mentally debate between Wilderness Lodge and the Boardwalk resorts, I always revert back to Wilderness Lodge... for me, I have emotional attachment to the monorail resorts from when I was a kid visiting with my family, but they can be noisy at times, so Wilderness Lodge is perfect. I just don't get that same "I'm officially in Disney" feeling with the Boardwalk.

Hope that helps!

You have no idea how much this helped! I can see you know exactly what I'm thinking about. Thank you!!

 

[Haygar2]

There are no bad choices. WL as you said, you can boat to MK and use the monorail to resort hop. Lots of restaurants to choose from.

At BWI you have WS right there or you can just enjoy the boardwalk atmosphere.

I think that WL is relatively more remote than a monorail resort or an Epcot resort because it is sequestered away. I have eaten dinner and shopped there, but I have never stayed there because I like to be in the middle of everything (same reason I haven't stayed at AKL although I love the theming and restaurants there).

It's funny because there is still a part of me that is thinking about AKL. Although I have stayed there in the past. It's just a small part and it's not really factoring in. I want to be "close" to something. But then I start thinking about all of the amazing restaurants at AKL and get confused all over again. It's so hard! I wish I had unlimited income and I could stay a week at each one.

 

[Haygar2]

In your position I would definitely say Epcot area. I just love all the World Showcase restsurants and a child-free trip is the perfect time to visit some that less adventurous kids might resist.

When I say no kids, I guess I should have said no kids/adults. LOL. My children are 18 and 22 and her daughter is 18. My kids are totally adventurous when it comes to food. Food is my 22 year olds favorite part of Disney. And I do love World Showcase foods and the restaurants on the Boardwalk. UGH!! Such decisions.

 

[Haygar2]

It’s such a tough decision. IMO the theming at wilderness lodge blows all the EPCOT resorts out of the water. Yet I primarily always stay at the beach club regardless? I’m guess for me it’s the pool and the walk to EPCOT

The pool factored in, at first. And then I thought about it some more. I kind of like the idea of the pool area not being quite as busy. I know it will be busy in July, but SAB is a whole different level of busy. We are both teachers so I'm thinking we might enjoy a little bit quieter pool. UGH! Such decisions.

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

The pool factored in, at first. And then I thought about it some more. I kind of like the idea of the pool area not being quite as busy. I know it will be busy in July, but SAB is a whole different level of busy. We are both teachers so I'm thinking we might enjoy a little bit quieter pool. UGH! Such decisions.

Generally speaking, the pools at the resorts are loud/busy during the day. I don't think you should factor that in, since it's the norm.

And I do love World Showcase foods and the restaurants on the Boardwalk.

Making one final push for Wilderness Lodge because I do believe you'll have a great stay there... here's a tidbit what's available at the monorail resorts.

• Geyser Point Bar & Grill
• Narcoossee's
• Citricos
• Enchanted Rose
• California Grill
• Steakhouse 71 (Formerly The Wave - Opening Soon)
• Outer Rim
• 'Ohana
• Trader Sam's

Eating in World Showcase is definitely an experience... but all of the options above are phenomenal, and seeing Cinderella's Castle in the distance is magical.

 

[_19disnA]

No Disney resort is closest to every park, so it would matter where you plan to spend most of your time. If you were ONLY going to MK or ONLY going to Epcot, then clearly a resort nearest that park would make the most sense. If you plan visit BOTH MK & Epcot, then it is more about budget and which resort you like best.

 

[Haygar2]

Generally speaking, the pools at the resorts are loud/busy during the day. I don't think you should factor that in, since it's the norm.



Making one final push for Wilderness Lodge because I do believe you'll have a great stay there... here's a tidbit what's available at the monorail resorts.

• Geyser Point Bar & Grill
• Narcoossee's
• Citricos
• Enchanted Rose
• California Grill
• Steakhouse 71 (Formerly The Wave - Opening Soon)
• Outer Rim
• 'Ohana
• Trader Sam's

Eating in World Showcase is definitely an experience... but all of the options above are phenomenal, and seeing Cinderella's Castle in the distance is magical.

Geyser Point is definitely swaying my decision. And we would have to get hopper passes to really take advantage of WS food. Everything you are saying is making so much sense. And by staying at WL, we would save some money. I'm thinking about adding another park day for the day we leave. We could boat over to MK for one last Hurrah before we have to go. I'm thinking of Chef Mickey for breakfast and then maybe some shopping on Main Street. I know the pools are busy. But, from what I've read, SAB can get really busy is the afternoons. Even moreso than the others. However, a busy pool is not a factor. We will go to the pool no matter what.

 

[Haygar2]

If you plan visit BOTH MK & Epcot, then it is more about budget and which resort you like best.

Does it count if I like them both? LOL

 

[disny_luvr]

My two favorite resorts are the BC and Poly and we usually do a split stay between the two, with our last one being just last month. We absolutely love the Poly, but this trip especially, once we moved from the BC to the Poly we truly missed the Epcot resort area, so much so, that going forward we are planning on just staying in the Epcot resort area. I can’t stress how nice it is to be able to walk to two parks. I know you said no DHS this trip, but being able to walk back from Epcot at night is huge. We almost always find ourselves in Epcot in the evenings and the leisurely stroll out of World Showcase to our room is so nice. We really enjoy the vibe of the whole crescent lake area, more than we enjoy the MK resort area. There are a lot of food options, too, between the resorts in the area and Epcot. We enjoy the WL, but it just seems very secluded to me where the Epcot area is more active, which we enjoy more.

 

[SnowWhitee]

If you don't have hoppers, I suggest WL. You could plan a night where you monorail hop and have drinks at one resort, appetizer at another, dinner at another, then dessert back at WL. A fun way to see and try many of the nice restaurants there. WL has a special place in my heart. I haven't been able to pull the trigger on BWI. The pool area looks fun and the location is great, but the rooms just look like grandma's house to me. For the price I need to like it all. LOL

I realize this was not in your original post, but have you considered a spa treatment? If so, you could utilize the GF spa if you stayed at WL. Or, you could look into staying at SSR. I can tell you first hand that spa is lovely. DH and I used it on our one adults only trip. You can boat or walk to Disney Springs from there for tons of restaurants, shopping and nightlife.

 

[fgaini]

I love having time to plan a trip, but then I hate it, too. I have too much time to make changes or obsess that I've made the wrong choice. I am going next summer with just myself and my friend. No husbands. No kids. We are going to celebrate my 50th birthday. We will be there for 4 nights and 3 park days. We are not doing Hollywood Studios this trip. Right now I have us staying at Wilderness Lodge. One minute I'm content with that decision. I like the idea of a more laid back feeling when we are at the resort. The next I'm thinking we should stay at the Boardwalk because of the boardwalk and the fun we could have in the evenings. With WL we can boat to Magic Kingdom. Obviously with BWI we can walk to Epcot. What to do?

Adults only I would choose Epcot. Still easy to get to MK and lot of options for dinner at night

 

[Shellyred8]

Geyser Point is definitely swaying my decision. And we would have to get hopper passes to really take advantage of WS food. Everything you are saying is making so much sense. And by staying at WL, we would save some money. I'm thinking about adding another park day for the day we leave. We could boat over to MK for one last Hurrah before we have to go. I'm thinking of Chef Mickey for breakfast and then maybe some shopping on Main Street. I know the pools are busy. But, from what I've read, SAB can get really busy is the afternoons. Even moreso than the others. However, a busy pool is not a factor. We will go to the pool no matter what.

I vote for WL. I love the "quiet' pool there. I just love the over-all calming effect that this resort has on me. And the Bison burger at Geyser Point! So good (minus the bbq sauce stuff)!!!

I like your idea of adding on an additional day so you can hit MK on your departure day. I love doing this (we have AP's though) We usually try to stay at BLT for the last half of our trip specifically so we can do a quick visit to MK on our departure day. We usually only have an hour or two for the park on that last day, but I love that one last rush to squeeze in just a couple more rides and do one last run through the shops.

 

[bakerworld]

As adults we tend to avoid MK but I love the lagoon area. WL would be great to take a night and do your own version of a progressive dinner - drinks at Grille, dinner at O'hana's or Narcosse's, after drinks at TOWL watching Fireworks at 10p. Bar Crawl but you'd never make it out of the Poly - Trader Sams, Tambu, pool bar with fireworks.

All that said, we'd pick BW or the YC/BC or the Dolphin.

 

[KayKayJS]

Having stayed a BW, YC, and WL in the last 18 months.... WL hands down. The vibe is so relaxing, geyser point was amazing at night with the fireworks/music... we love the pools, the boat to MK. The rooms.

 

[goofy78]

Epcot Resort! BWI! We go all the time just me and DH and always stay in the BW area. If we run out of DVC points (BWV is our home) we stay at the Swan. The location can not be beaten. I love that at night the BW is so alive! We aren't even night owls and there is something about the BW being all lit up and still having action going on. At the other resorts, I feel like once you are back at night, the fun is shut off. Good luck and have fun!