What makes you choose a WDW resort?

[TerryAndTink]

Hi all! It's been 8 yrs now since I've been to WDW & stayed at a resort. My granddaughter's mom and I just decided to take her next yr for her bday when she will turn 9 (2nd week of Sept). We discussed a split stay, value/mod and then maybe a night or 2 at a deluxe, but if the extra hours at night are only on select days of the week, that's probably not going to do much for us, if anything. I'm 100% VA disabled, so SoG is an option also, although I'd love for their 1st visit to be completely immersed in Disney. No theming there, no dining plan option.

So my question is this: with all of the perks that are now gone, or that you now have to pay for, what is it exactly that makes you still decide to pay more money at a WDW resort? I know this may be different for everyone, so I'm looking forward to some persuasion! Thanks in advance!

 

[Marthasor]

For us, it's the immersion into the Disney experience and proximity to the parks. We typically pick our resort (or resorts if doing a split) based on our park plans. For example, if it's a MK-heavy trip or we are attending a MK hard-ticket event, I will, typically, price shop WL and the monorail resorts. I will also factor in costs of uber/lyft/Minnie Van if staying mod is a better value (although, in that case, we typically book the Swan for cost and proximity to EP/DHS). We have tried staying offsite (Bonnet Creek once) and it was just too inconvenient for us. We've found WDW transportation to be a pain at times, so we just try to keep it to a minimum. As I mentioned, we've found Swan/Dolphin to be a great value, at times, and the proximity to DHS/EP can't be beat, so we usually book that for more budget-friendly trips. If going that route, I highly recommend joining Marriott Bonvoy to accumulate points and get other perks.

 

[LoveDaisy]

Location and a quiet by Disney standards resort. We normally stay at BWI. We eat and have a few drinks at Epcot almost every night so being able to walk there is wonderful. BWI is also a smaller resort and to me not the most kid friendly resort so it tends to be a little quieter.

I thought I would love GF because of the location and it being the flagship hotel. I did not love it. The fact that the hotel is a tourist attraction took away from the relaxing upscale feeling to me. Quiet was more important to me than I realized.

some questions to think about. How much time will you spend at the hotel? How much time do you want to spend getting to and from the parks? What park will you spend most of your time at? How important is the pool to you? What is your budget?

 

[bnf0522]

Budget, theming and nostalgia are the main factors for us. (Which I know isn’t super helpful for you!)

If it’s the first time for a 9 year old, maybe an All-Star or Art of Animation would be a good option with the over the top Disney theming. You could use the money you’re saving on the overall hotel costs to budget in Minnie vans/Uber/Lyft to help ease up any transportation issues. Just a thought.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[Sona99]

I try to stay somewhere new every time I go. However, I won't do value resorts anymore - mostly because I can afford it and partly because they usually have the most kids. We're empty nesters now and I prefer a slightly quieter experience.

This time I booked a FL resident special with discounted rooms and tickets. That's what I look for most.

 

[saraheliz]

Ease of transportation is #1 for us. We love not having to drive or navigate anywhere on vacation, we love just showing up at the MK entrance rather than the TTC, etc. Honestly maybe we've just gotten lucky with transportation but we really have rarely waited for a bus over the past two visits. The 30 extra minutes in the morning, while not a huge game changer if you are on site, can be a real game changer if you're not as lines are already long before you can even get into the park. We could get a cheaper room off site but by the time you factor in a car rental, parking, etc...the difference isn't as big so the price is easier to justify.
We just did a week at AoA and it's my husband's new favorite resort (over PoR, Kidani, and POP). Yes it was "louder" theming and children wise but everything was so dang convenient, food court was great, etc. We loved it!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think some of it depends on what kind of trip you want. We like a lot of resort time so we like to stay where we can enjoy lots of R&R around the resort(s). We always have a car so we can visit others besides the one we’re staying at, too (or go offsite), often to go to restaurants or just walk around and shop, etc. But if it’s their first trip, they might have more park time in mind. You should have a conversation about it with them, then you can plan accordingly. People do get tired after early flights and running around and such, so IMO it’s good to build some down time into your plans.

If you’re budget-minded and you plan to do parks every day, somewhere like Pop Century might be a nice option. As a pp mentioned, it will save you some money that you can spend on other things. There are basic amenities there like pools and a quick service restaurant, but no slides or table service restaurants and such. We’ve had plenty of great stays there on park-heavy trips, and even with friends, and now they have the Skyliner which would make it easy for you to get to other places like the Boardwalk area if you want a change of pace and more food options, etc.

If you want to spend a little more and have some better amenities, the moderate resorts are a nice option, too. All have their pros and cons. I would suggest getting a good book about Disney travel and studying the options to see what theming and location you like best, etc. (You can see our favorites in my signature!)

Of course the deluxes are all nice but these days are oftentimes quite expensive. Depending on when you go and where you stay you can sometimes come across a good deal, though. Again, favorite theming and location are things that we spend a lot of time around here arguing about, lol. In other words, everyone has their favorites for their own reasons. Shades of Green certainly is in a nice location! We’ve enjoyed many stays at the Dolphin, as well. (There are ways you can get the price down there, too.)

We’ve done quite a few split stays and honestly, it’s a pain in the butt and I often regret it. I’m all about relaxing at Disney and I find that packing up and unpacking and waiting for rooms to be ready and all that eats up a day, so it’s not worth it to me. BUT, if the right deal comes along and it works in that way, then we’ll do it. But it’s not my favorite way to do Disney. Others may disagree, and YMMV. I hope that helps a bit.

There’s a lot of research to be done when planning a WDW trip! But planning, really, is half of the fun.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

1. Proximity to MK since we spend most of our park time there, and it's more complicated transportation-wise. We usually have a rental car, so parking at EP, DHS, and AK is easy, but no MK with TTC.
2. Theming and immersion.

Poly and WL check off both these boxes.

 

[Earningmywings]

Transportation options. We try to avoid resorts with bus only options.

 

[bakerworld]

We've always stayed on property. I believe the property hotels are back to early access to the parks along with some late evenings.

We enjoy being able to walk to a park. Does SoG have any walkability to Magic Kingdom? If it does, then I'd stay there. Of course, I am assuming her focus would be Magic Kingdom but if she's a Hollywood Studios fan, I'd stay at the Dolphin. Dolphin has some really good promotional rates anyway but I believe there is also a military discount. From the Dolphin it's about a 15 minute walk to HS, plus there's the Skyliner. I think Pop Century and Carribean Beach are also on the Skyliner but there's an issue in the AM when people are all trying to get to the Parks for early AM entry. A 9y could appreciate walking the Epcot World Showcase to see all the countries, especially lit up in the evening, walking in and out of the areas to view the architecture, which is very true to the real destinations.

We also like to take a break mid-day from the parks. When staying on property at a walkable resort or a boat ride away was always easier to us then have to return to our parked car, drive out and then return later to re-park the car and walk/tram transpo to a park.

 

[_19disnA]

You can find lots of older threads on this topic. Most of them talk about choosing your hotel based on budget and what you think of the subjective topic of theming since everyone seems to have their own preferences. To some extent also depends on which park(s) you plan to spend the most time. If you mostly visit Epcot, then staying on the other side of the property at one of the monorail resorts doesn't seem like the best plan. Similarly, if you mostly visit MK, then staying at an Epcot area resort also isn't the best option.

Over the years we have stayed both at DIsney and also various nearby hotels. Liked all of them for various reasons. Some people like Disney transportation while others don't.

We enjoy being able to walk to a park. Does SoG have any walkability to Magic Kingdom?

You can walk to Poly from SOG but it seems Disney doesn't really encourage that. At that point it makes more sense to hop the monorail to MK. Seems it is also a safety consideration since they don't want people walking along busy roadways on the property. There is a pathway between the Contemporary & MK that many people use. With all of the traffic/congestion/construction and large distance between most Disney places, walking in general isn't very practical.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

#1 Price: We stay where we can comfortably afford. That used to be deluxe resorts, but will be moderate or value at current prices.

#2 Transportation: I love to not drive anywhere during our stay.

#3 Dining: Monorail resorts win this in my book because it's so easy to hop to a different resort which opens up a lot of great options.

#4 Theming: The Polynesian is our favorite largely due to the gorgeous grounds and lobby.

 

[jods]

For me it is the location. I gave a BWI stay in a few weeks. We chose that so we could walk home after food and wine. I also like being able to charge to my magic band.

 

[Statefan17]

Budget. We stay on property but can no longer afford deluxe resorts. It's value or moderate for us.

 

[Lesverts]

I hate driving. Transportation is the number one consideration. I want the buses and monorails and skyliners and boats.

 

[TerryAndTink]

...

 

[TerryAndTink]

Budget. We stay on property but can no longer afford deluxe resorts. It's value or moderate for us.

But what I'm asking is, why is it still worth the money now that perks are gone or you have to pay for them, when staying at a non-Disney resort is cheaper? What is it that keeps you paying more?

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

But what I'm asking is, why is it still worth the money now that perks are gone or you have to pay for them, when staying at a non-Disney resort is cheaper? What is it that keeps you paying more?

My reply to that is simply DISTANCE.
I do not rent a car. I need to have the available transportation that a WDW resort provides.
I'v stayed years ago off site and the comparison of their "free transportation" and WDW's comes down to location, location,location. The offsite bus area for dropoff and reboard is too far away for me.

If you have a car:
An offsite resort will charge you a daily parking fee. WDW will charge you a daily parking fee. You are farther away and have to use the parking lots. All this involves TIME.

 

[KerryCM]

But what I'm asking is, why is it still worth the money now that perks are gone or you have to pay for them, when staying at a non-Disney resort is cheaper? What is it that keeps you paying more?

I think it is worth the money to stay onsite. As a 100% disabled vet you are also eligible for discounts at Disney resorts. Those discounts for 2024 should be released around November sometime when the Salute discounts come out for the tickets. I love staying at the Epcot resort area for ease of getting to two parks.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

There’s a lot of research to be done when planning a WDW trip! But planning, really, is half of the fun.

Isn't this the truth?!

But what I'm asking is, why is it still worth the money now that perks are gone or you have to pay for them, when staying at a non-Disney resort is cheaper? What is it that keeps you paying more?

For me it's a few factors. Location is a huge one. I usually spend a lot of time at Epcot and tend to prefer those resorts like Yacht Club, Boardwalk, or Swan/Dolphin. Theming is nice but not essential. If I'm going just myself, I'll almost always do a moderate. If it's my wife and I, or if my son comes along, then I'll do a moderate or deluxe. I think being in the bubble, combined with the fact that you really don't HAVE to drive around the property is a big reason why people are willing to pay Disney's prices. I think that it's like any premium product though. Will a cheap handbag from Target do the same job as a Louis Vuitton bag? Of course. But people still spend thousands on them. Could you save money by staying at any one of the thousands of surrounding hotels in the Lake Buena Vista area? Sure, but you won't be as close to the magic.