[Brian]

Help!!! My wife and then 19 month old daughter will be in WDW October 2003. We are going on a 7 night cruise/land trip with our entire family and staying at the Beach Club before our cruise. We are planning on arriving a few nights early and we were wondering where we should stay our first few nights. We won't be visiting any parks the first couple days we are there. We will probably be more focused on relaxing, going to Downtown Disney and maybe checking out some of the other resorts. Any thoughts on what would be better: Polynesian, Port Orleans Riverside, Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom lodge? Any input is appreciated.


Brian

[mickey]

Brian, if your focus is going to be on swimming, walking around and shopping, I would vote for Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge. They are both great resorts, and very similar, but they have great things to do, great pools and great restaurants. Plus, they will be a little cheaper than the Polynesian. Don't get me wrong, I love the Poly, but I think one of it's big assets is the monorail and park access, and if you aren't going to be using that, you will still have to pay for it.

I think the choice comes down to whether you think your daughter would enjoy the animals outside the balcony, or if you think she will be too young for that. If so, Wilderness Lodge is a nice alternative. Of course, if the two elder members of the party want the animals, that would work as well.

POR is a fine resort, but I think if you plan on hanging around the resort for a couple of days, I would go for a deluxe.

[Amneris]

I would vote for the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was really really impressed with this one. Since you're not worried about monorail access, it doesn't matter that this is a bit removed from things. The pool is HUGE and has a (tame) water slide. However, it is great for wading (VERY slow depth gain). There are, of course, the hot tub/spa things outside too. The theming inside AKL is excellent, it is very elegant and exotic -- without being tacky or too in-your-face. The lobby area is set up with comfy sofas and chairs that I would LOVE to have in my own home! Jiko is a wonderulf place for dinner -- you can get "normal" dishes with just a flair of African flavour to them if you're timid about trying exotic food the way I am! The gift shop has one of the best selections of merchandise I've seen, with much of it being muesum store kinda objects from Africa. There are camp fires at night, with tall wooden rocking chairs to relax in, and story tellers (although I've never been for that). And, of course, there are plenty of viewing spots for the animals!

[jsykora]

Mickey could not have said it better!! Depends on your focus and money. Have you considered something closer to DD (Downtown Disney) such as the Swan or Dolphin? How about something in Orlando rather than on site at Disney?

Your choice should depend upon what you want to have easy access to and how much you are willing to pay.

[Brian]

We definitely want to stay onsite. I hadn't really considered the Swan or Dolphin. I had always heard they were more of a business convention type resort. I have enough budgeted to stay at a deluxe or moderate resort. Does anyone have thoughts on the Dolphin/Swan vs. Wilderness Lodge/Animal Kingdom Lodge?

Brian

[mickey]

Brian, I have just always felt that the Swan and Dolphin are just nice hotels, and don't really compare to the deluxe resorts. One other thing is that they are located right next to the Beach Club, and since you mentioned you will be staying there, you might be better offf exploring a diffferent area.

[Michael Darling]

Brian-

My vote would go to Wilderness Lodge over AKL. Same architect, same lobby (seriously, almost identical), same basic layout. The three major differences are AKL is HUGE, there are no animals outside your window at WL, and AKL is all the way out in the middle of nowhere, except for DAK.

The first time I visited Wilderness Lodge I fell in love with it. It's in a prime location (just a few minutes from the TTC and Magic Kingdom), the decor is beautiful, and it's the perfect spot to watch the light parade on the 7 seas lagoon.

[jsykora]

Once again, I bow to the (gladly) experts. Both "Michael" and Mickey have great advise and I learned something myself.

[Brian]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. We will stay at Wilderness Lodge, now my next question is where would you recommend we stay at Wilderness Lodge? I heard the higher up the better because of the view. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated!!! :D


Brian

[Michael Darling]

Originally posted by jsykora
Once again, I bow to the (gladly) experts.

I am far from being an "expert." It just happens that the questions people ask most frequently are the topics I've got the most knowledge about. :)

[mickey]

Brian, there are three views at Wilderness Lodge, the standard view, lodge view, sometimes referred to woods view, and the courtyard view. The standard view is of the parking lot or other setup areas, lodge view is of the woods surrounding the resort, and the courtyard view is of the courtyard/river/swimming pool. I usually suggest against the standard view since most of the time you get views of the restaurant trash area and such. The lodge view isn't much more, and the extra money is worth it. Between the courtyard and woods view, it is just personal perferrence as to which you want.

Yes, usually staying up higher is better at WL since your view will be a little better the higher you go, but your height will depend upon the room assignor, and cannot be requested when reserving, but can be requested before arrival.

[Goofette]

I was going to vote with Amneris and say the AKL :D But I see you've made your decision, I'm too late lol. If you ever do decide to try AKL I don't think you'll be disappointed. I was amazed by this resort and completely fell in love with it. There's just something so special and unique about going out to swim, and watching the giraffe eating from the trees while you're there! And the hot tubs are to die for. I loved everything about this hotel, and the pictures cannot do it justice. It was unbelievable, Pictures can't capture the beauty and atmosphere of this resort. The sites, sounds, and wonderful smells coming from the Boma, Jiko and the huge fireplaces can only be experienced first hand. I would check out this resort at least while you're there.

I know that I will probably check out WL next time I go since I've heard so many wonderful things about it. I think the water parade sounds amazing.