Which resort is best for a resort only short trip?

[Amy M]

I would pick a resort you can see the fireworks from and at least you get to see them... Poly or Contemporary

Good point! We are doing a one night stay at GF over thanksgiving since we will be visiting family an hour away. We chose GF for the decorations and the fireworks.

 

[Amy M]

We are back from GF. What a beautiful resort! We will definitely have to stay there again. I booked ALK CL using the current room only BB offer while I was there for next summer. I think it will be the perfect fit for a resort stay. This will be our first CL stay too!

 

[SL6827]

AKL. Hands down.

 

[Planogirl]

I vote for AKL. In fact we did stay there for a few days once without visiting any parks and had a great time. You can always grab a bus to go to Disney Springs. That can be time-consuming but what's the hurry if you don't plan to go to any parks? Or you could just drive for those who have a car.

 

[kniquy]

3 (I think): Poly, CR, or AKL.

If i had to rank i would do Poly, AK then CR. Poly simply because you will have a good view of the fireworks right from the Poly beach, you have trader sams, the pool is great - restaurants are good. you could do one of the polynesian shows for one of your evenings (if it is offered during your stay). Ak - would be good if you could get a savanna view - there are 3 great restaurants on property the pool area is nice. CR I have never stayed at but from pictures and reviews it is more of a modern sterile feel. Don't forget that you will have time to visit disney springs if you haven't done that in the past.

 

[Amy M]

If i had to rank i would do Poly, AK then CR. Poly simply because you will have a good view of the fireworks right from the Poly beach, you have trader sams, the pool is great - restaurants are good. you could do one of the polynesian shows for one of your evenings (if it is offered during your stay). Ak - would be good if you could get a savanna view - there are 3 great restaurants on property the pool area is nice. CR I have never stayed at but from pictures and reviews it is more of a modern sterile feel. Don't forget that you will have time to visit disney springs if you haven't done that in the past.

Thanks for your input! I feel the same way about CR. We were just there on Tuesday to check out the decorations, and that hotel doesn’t do it for me. It would be a different story if we were doing the parks. It would be nice to walk back from MK after the fireworks and not have to mess with the monorail, boat, or bus!

 

[Babsy]

AKL. It is a great resort, lots of activities, is a bit remote from the theme parks (good, IMO, if you aren't going into the parks) and has fantastic dining options. Also, you can use either of two great pools! Finally, there are the animals to watch either from your balcony or one of the very nice viewing areas. There is an evening tour of the savanna at the resort that you can take part in (for a fee) with night time viewing goggles. It is fun and informative.

I would find it difficult to stay in a MK area resort and not go into the MK. But that is me. YMMV.

Enjoy wherever you choose!!! all three resorts are special in their own way.

 

[Amy M]

AKL. It is a great resort, lots of activities, is a bit remote from the theme parks (good, IMO, if you aren't going into the parks) and has fantastic dining options. Also, you can use either of two great pools! Finally, there are the animals to watch either from your balcony or one of the very nice viewing areas. There is an evening tour of the savanna at the resort that you can take part in (for a fee) with night time viewing goggles. It is fun and informative.

I would find it difficult to stay in a MK area resort and not go into the MK. But that is me. YMMV.

Enjoy wherever you choose!!! all three resorts are special in their own way.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I did choose AKL. It just makes the most sense for a resort only stay. The remote location is why we haven’t stayed at this resort on previous trips. This is the perfect opportunity to give it a try. The evening tour of the savanna sounds like a ton of fun. I will have to look into that.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

Another vote for AKL. It is a stand alone destination.

Absoultely! A vacation within a vacation is how I would describe it if doing the parks too.

 

[ajb_tic_tac]

No personal experience, but if parks not important how about Vero Beach Resort?

 

[Amy M]

No personal experience, but if parks not important how about Vero Beach Resort?

I have thought about that resort in the past, but we will be coming from a week-long stay in Clearwater. My girls want to see Hope and Winter at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. I would like to try Vero or Hilton Head sometime in the future though!

 

[toodycat]

We just did a Clearwater/WDW/Miami/Boca Raton trip this summer and we stayed at AKL Kidani. It was our third AKL visit and there is plenty to see and do at the resort from the pools to the savannah to the fire pit. CMs were all lovely. The bus ride to the parks is longer than other resorts which makes it ideal for a resort only vacation. The villa we were given had a savanna view and you could see the Epcot fireworks from the balcony, which means you could see them from publuc areas of the resort as well. I think AKL is a wonderful exotic choice.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We spent a night at AKL as part of a split stay. We really enjoyed our time there and I think it would be perfect for a resort only stay. The pool was a lot of fun. We enjoyed walking from Jambo to Kidani and seeing all the different animal viewing areas. Breakfast at Boma was fantastic.

 

[fla4fun]

I am not an AKL fan because I prefer having a water feature nearby. My fave resort only choice would be WL. But of the three resorts the OP was thinking about, AKL would probably be the best choice. It would be very tempting to go to the park if you were looking right at it everyday.

 

[nkereina]

Between the three options, my vote would be AKL because it would be too tempting to stay at Poly/CR and not be able to go to the parks. AKL also has a great pool and the animals make for something fun to do at the resort, since you're not going to parks.

BUT a big part of a resort only stay for us would be going to Disney Springs, and we find the bus ride there from AKL to be very long. Last time we did a resort only stay, we opted for POR because of the boat to Disney Springs. POFQ and OKW would offer the same boat option, and Saratoga Springs is walking distance. OKW also has the largest rooms and if you book anything other than a studio, you'd have laundry in-room which might be nice after a week at the beach.

 

[PamNC]

I vote AKL!!! I agree with the other posters about being so close to the MK - I couldn't resist. AKL is a gorgeous resort and the animals will be there waiting for you. Great dining choices too!

 

[a742246]

You will have a great time in the Clearwater/St Petersbugh area!

 

[SwanVT2]

This makes me the odd man out, I know, but I liked AKL. I did. But I much prefer our home resort, SSR.

Especially for a resort only trip. All those dining and entertainment options just a quick walk/boat ride away? Yes, please!

This is what we are doing February break with only one day at MK planned. Pool time and sunshine. Your response makes me glad we picked SSR!