First Disney Article

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First Disney Article

I'm starting a HubPages with Disney article mixed with some football articles! I wanted to see what you guys think of my first "hub". I'm creating my page to use adsense and generate revenue to save to pave the way for a trip to WDW. If you see an ad you like, don't hesitate to click!! biggrin See anything that's inaccurate? Let me know! comments? Post them below! Thanks and let me know how I did!

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One of, if not, the top priorities for many visitors of the Walt Disney World Resort ask the same question: Which resort is best for me? With 30 to choose from, it can be a hard decision. Of course, at Disney World, there is no wrong answer. Each and every hotel is special in its own way, and the experience will leave you with so many memories. However, there's a best for everything.

In my first Hubs on HubPages, I will write about which resorts are right for you and your family. First will be the Deluxe Villas and Deluxe Resorts, followed by moderate resorts, value resorts, and then discussing the right resort for certain types of people (disabilities, family, budget, etc.). Let's get started!

Best Deluxe Villa

To be honest, this is the category that I know least about. I have never even stepped foot into a villa, not to mention staying in one. I'm going off word of ear (no pun intended). You've got seven choices here, and, like the other resorts, you can't go wrong, but there is a best. At Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort, you get the benefit of the views, and being so close to Bay Lake, which means many recreational activities. Also at Bay Lake Towers, you're just a monorail ride away from Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, which is fantastic. Bay Lake Towers comes in second.

If you want views of animals instead of the castle at night, the Animal Kingdom Villas at Kidani Village and Jambo House. The two of these give you the feel of being on a safari, much like at some Animal Kingdom attractions, as well as the superior feeling of staying at the best resort in Disney World. When you're smack in the middle of a complete wildlife preserve, the views and interaction with animals is sure to be amazing. The Villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge are first.

Best Deluxe Resort

First off, let me get this straight: There's no solid winner for the best Deluxe Resort. Each of these hotels are 5-Star in my book, and there's not many hotels in the world that I would rather stay. You can immerse in wildlife at Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom, or you could go with the coast-themed resorts such as the Beach Club, Grand Floridian, BoardWalk, or the Yacht Club, not to mention what is considered to be the top Disney resort (but also the most expensive in this category) the Contempory Resort.

Best Location/Transportation

1. Contemporary Resort

2. Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

3. Polynesian Resort

4a. BoardWalk Inn

4b. Yacht Club/Beach Club Resort

5. Wilderness Lodge

6. Animal Kingdom Lodge

Location is key for any family, and each of these resorts is unique in that aspect. The Contemporary and the Grand Floridian are closest to Magic Kingdom and have monorails that can transport guests to the Ticket and Transportation Center, where you can hop onto another monorail heading for Epcot. The monorail also stops by the Polynesian, which is an obvious plus for guests. Of course, Animal Kingdom Lodge is the closest to Animal Kingdom, just a few minutes away, but a longer ride to Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and maybe a 20-25 minute ride to Magic Kingdom. It can also be quite lengthy to walk to the bus stop to your room at AKL, another reason it's last on my list. So really it's up to what you want, but the transportation at the Contemporary with the monorail and the walking distance from the Magic Kingdom is hard to beat. It is also note-worthy that there are boats to get you to and from your resorts all over the property. From the Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge, you can take a boat ride to Magic Kingdom, which requires not much of a wait time and a much more enjoyable ride than the buses. Another bus route between Epcot and Hollywood Studios picks up patrons at BoardWalk Inn, Beeach Club, and Yacht Club, however, with all of the stops, this can be a lengthy ride unless you catch the right boat, considering that it also makes a stop at the Swan and Dolphin hotel.

Best Pool(Drunk

1. Polynesian Resort

2. Beach Club/Yacht Club Resort

3. BoardWalk Inn

4. Wilderness Lodge

5. Animal Kingdom Lodge

6.Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

7. Contemporary Resort

The deluxe hotels tend to be less crowded, more relaxing, and have some additional features than those in moderate and deluxe hotels. Polynesian gets my vote because of the giant volcano which features a waterfall that stands 40-foot tall atop the pool that includes a water slide. BoardWalk Inn has many circus-esque features such as a slide that throws you out of the mouth of a clown, as well as a circus elephant that shoots water out. BoardWalk also has two "quiet pools" which tend to be fairly relaxing most of the time. The sand-bottom pools of Stomalong Bay at the Beach Club/Yacht Club stand near the top for being so unique. With the longest slide of any resort pool on property, and the addition of a life-size windmill near the pool, it's a lot of fun. Plus, who doesn't want to feel sand beneath their toes at a swimming pool! Our remnants, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Floridian, and the Contemporary, all sort of mesh as average pools, with no really distinct features, but still very nice pools. While a pool isn't everything, if you're planning a day off at your resort and the rest of the property, having a pool with lots of fun like the Polynesian, Beach Club or BoardWalk is going to make the day that much more enjoyable.

Best Job Conveying Theme

1. Animal Kingdom Lodge

2. Polynesian Resort

3. Wilderness Lodge

4. Yacht Club and Beach Club Resort

5. Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
6. Contemporary Resort

7. BoardWalk Inn

As far as theme, my vote would go to Animal Kingdom lodge. As I mentioned above, the feel is just like you're in the middle of Africa with all of the animals around you. Runner up would be the Hawaiian feel of the Polynesian Resort, followed by the Wilderness Lodge, although it is a bit out-dated. The other resorts either portray no theme (such as Contemporary) other than the Disney feel, or the theme isn't conveyed throughout the hotel as my top picks.

Dining Deluxe " Ranking restaurants

1. Polynesian Resort " 'Ohana (breakfast only), Kona Cafe, Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show, Capt. Cook's, Kona Island

2. Animal Kingdom Lodge " Boma, Sanaa, Jiko, The Mara

3. Contemporary Resort " California Grill, Chef Mickey's, Contempo Cafe, The Wave...of American Flavors, Contemporary Grounds

4. Grand Floridian Resort & Spa " Citricos, Supercalifragilistic Breakfast (Meal at 1900 Park Fare), Narcossee's, Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner (Meal at 1900 Park Fare), Victoria & Albert's, Grand Floridian Cafe, Garden View Tea Room (Afternoon Tea) Gasparilla Grill & Games

5. Beach Club/Yacht Club " Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, Yachtsmen Steakhouse, Cape May Cafe, Captain's Grille, Beach Club Marketplace

6. BoardWalk Inn " Flying Fish Cafe, BoardWalk Bakery, ESPN Club (especially if you like sports), Kouzzina, Big River Grille & Brewing Works, Pizza Window, Seashore Sweets

7. Wilderness Lodge " Whispering Canyon Cafe, Artist Point, Roaring Fork

For food in the resort, the Polynesian is an easy number one. With the 'Ohana character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch, as well as the Kona Cafe for a reasonably priced sit-down meal with great food, it's my top pick. If you enjoy something new, the African cuisine of Boma, Sanaa and Jiko are truly unique, and prolongs the theme of the resort very well. Next would be my top signature dining spot, California Grill, and most popular character meal (not for the food) at Chef Mickey's, but at the Contemporary Resort.

With so many great places to eat in the resorts, it's such a hard choice. They all have great food. Beach Club/Yacht Club has the best burgers in Disney World at Beaches & Cream; Whispering Canyon Cafe and Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge are great; BoardWalk has some of the best sweets (and certainly the best cupcakes) on property at the Boardwalk Bakery as well as great seafood at Flying Fish Cafe, and finally, Grand Floridian has some of the widest variety of food from any resort. All of them have their strong points, and it's a top priority of guests who resort-hop, on top of emerging yourself in the theme of each resort.

Final Rankings

1. Polynesian Resort " Theme, food, pool, and transportation are all top notch. Easy pick for the top.

2. Animal Kingdom Lodge " Location won't ruin this one for me. I love the African cuisine, the pool is above average, and the layout of the resort is great. You might have to wake up around 5:30 a.m. if you want to get to rope-drop at Magic Kingdom, but that's just alright with me!

3. Contemporary Resort "The most business-y resort, but the transportation and the food at California Grill is outstanding. You can also get some tremendous views of the castle (and currently Wishes at night) from some spots at the resort, including California Grill. The rooms may be the nicest of any resort, but really have no theme, which is something I like in my resort when I go to Disney.

4. Grand Floridian Resort & Spa " No standout restaurants, but the transportation system with the monorails wins me over. It's so much more efficient than the busses. The rooms are spiffy and bright, but they still convey that Victorian theme. This is probably my top pick for a honeymoon or anniversary trip.

5. Wilderness Lodge " I love the log cabin feeling although you are at a hotel. When I go here I feel like I am submerged into more history than at others. The food is pretty good, and Whispering Canyon is a must-do if you're staying here. However, everything else is about average, but the theme is what puts Wilderness at No. 5.

6. BoardWalk Inn " I've never been a huge fan of the BoardWalk itself, so that aspect doesn't appeal to me. The pool really pulls me, but other than that, I've never heard anything great about the BoardWalk Inn. The pool is cool, and the ESPN Clubis great (especially for a sports lover like me), but nothing else really attracts me at BoardWalk Inn.

7. Beach Club/Yacht Club Resort " The conjoined resorts also have no pull factor for me. I'll always go here to get a burger at Beaches & Cream, but other than that this has the appeal of a moderate resort versus a deluxe resort, if you know what I mean.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my first ever Disney article! Leave comments, questions, or concerns in the comment section and I'll be sure to reply!

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JoAnn C's picture
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Good start. A couple of things I noticed:

- in the first paragraph the start of the first sentence should say "One of, if not, the top priority"

- in the first paragraph the sentence that starts with "Each and every hotel is special in it's own way" should say "Each and every hotel is special in its own way"

- there are inconsistancies in the spelling of BoardWalk. Some places you spell it BoardWalk in others its Boardwalk.

- The following statement could lead someone to believe they can take the monorail from the resort directly to Epcot. "The Contemporary and the Grand Floridian are closest to Magic Kingdom and have monorails that can transport guests to Epcot." They would have to take the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center and then take another monorail to Epcot.

- In the same paragraph as the sentence above you reference both Hollywood Studios and MGM. Change MGM to Hollywood Studios. I know long time visitors to the World still refer to it as MGM but this could cause confusion to a new visitor.

- In the restaurant section you list Supercalifragilistic Breakfast and Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner. These are not restaurants. These are meals at 1900 Park Fair.

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You mention the monorail at the Comtemporary and Grand Floridian but not at the Poly.

You should also add the boats to the transporation section.

- you can take a boat from the Poly, GF and Wilderness Lodge to MK.

- the boat between Epcot and Hollywood Studios that stops at the BoardWalk, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Dolphin and Swan in between

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JoAnn C wrote:
Good start. A couple of things I noticed:

- in the first paragraph the start of the first sentence should say "One of, if not, the top priority"

- in the first paragraph the sentence that starts with "Each and every hotel is special in it's own way" should say "Each and every hotel is special in its own way"

- there are inconsistancies in the spelling of BoardWalk. Some places you spell it BoardWalk in others its Boardwalk.

- The following statement could lead someone to believe they can take the monorail from the resort directly to Epcot. "The Contemporary and the Grand Floridian are closest to Magic Kingdom and have monorails that can transport guests to Epcot." They would have to take the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center and then take another monorail to Epcot.

- In the same paragraph as the sentence above you reference both Hollywood Studios and MGM. Change MGM to Hollywood Studios. I know long time visitors to the World still refer to it as MGM but this could cause confusion to a new visitor.

- In the restaurant section you list Supercalifragilistic Breakfast and Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner. These are not restaurants. These are meals at 1900 Park Fair.

all are fixed. Thanks for the help. I will add (meal) next to those entries for restaurants. Can't believe I did the MG thing! Iw as trying to avoid that! I thought I fixed the BoardWalk, because I knew it was going to happen..but oh well. First two were because I didn't just read it out-loud and realize it..Thanks again. How did you think I did as far as voice and all of that?

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Reading this I would assume that the Poly does not have monorail service. Also, from all pricing I have ever done the monorail resorts in order from highest to lowest in cost are Grand Flordian, Polynesian, then the Contemporary. I am not sure if that is true for all room types but it is when going for theme park view rooms.

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"You can also get some tremendous views of Dreams from some spots at the resort, including California Grill. " -

Dreams? Do you mean Wishes?

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JoAnn C wrote:
"You can also get some tremendous views of Dreams from some spots at the resort, including California Grill. " -

Dreams? Do you mean Wishes?

Lol duh, what was I thinking..wow. Skimmed over that while editing as well.

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scrappy wrote:
Also, from all pricing I have ever done the monorail resorts in order from highest to lowest in cost are Grand Flordian, Polynesian, then the Contemporary. I am not sure if that is true for all room types but it is when going for theme park view rooms.

I don't see what your point is here. I didn't factor the pricing into any of this.

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Just fixed the link..there's a poll on the actual article.

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"Beach Club/Yacht Club pools are very basic, with no real theme"

I've never stayed here but from what I've read there is nothing basic about Stormalong Bay.

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JoAnn C wrote:
"Beach Club/Yacht Club pools are very basic, with no real theme"

I've never stayed here but from what I've read there is nothing basic about Stormalong Bay.

From what I've seen Stormalong Bay is incredibly awesome...it's one of the main reasons I want to stay at Beach Club after a stay at the Poly.

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Honestly thought the sand bottom pools were at the Caribbean Beach for some reason. Lots of me just not thinking straight while writing..I fixed that whole second half of that paragraph. I had the two pool scenes mixed completely up. We went about four years ago during our two week stay..we went to a lot of the pools, I just really loved the volcano at Poly, that's why it's my top. We loved the sand-bottom at the Beach Resort.

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"5. Wilderness Lodge " I love the log cabin feeling although you are at a hotel. When I go here I feel like I am submerged into more history than at others. The food isn't great, and everything else is about average, but the theme is what puts Wilderness at No. 5. Whispering Canyon is a must do if you're staying here."

You're contradicting yourself regarding the food at Wilderness Lodge. In the final rankings, you say "the food isn't great" but then you say "Whispering Canyon is a must do if you're staying here." And in the restaurant section you say "Whispering Canyon Cafe and Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge are great"

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3 more things and I promise I'm done (for tonight anyway):

- I still see a reference to MGM
- you are missing restaurants in the restaurant section
- you should specify that the character dining at Ohana is breakfast only.

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Hardy0109 wrote:
scrappy wrote:
Also, from all pricing I have ever done the monorail resorts in order from highest to lowest in cost are Grand Flordian, Polynesian, then the Contemporary. I am not sure if that is true for all room types but it is when going for theme park view rooms.

I don't see what your point is here. I didn't factor the pricing into any of this.

You may not have factored pricing into this but you do say the Contemporary is the most expensive.

"not to mention what is considered to be the top Disney resort (but also the most expensive in this category) the Contempory Resort."

I think you should remove that statement. Ok, I'm really done for tonight.

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JoAnn C wrote:
3 more things and I promise I'm done (for tonight anyway):

- I still see a reference to MGM
- you are missing restaurants in the restaurant section
- you should specify that the character dining at Ohana is breakfast only.

Thanks again for your help. I'll look through restaurants again.

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Hardy - perhaps you should write about what you know, not just cobble together info from other sources. As a reader, if a writer starts off by saying he's never actually experienced what he is writing about, it pretty much guarantees I'm not going to read it.

From your previous posts, I think you have stayed in Pop Century, right? What can you tell someone that they might not know? Think about first-time visitors - what did you find confusing, and how did you figure it out? What did you love? What didn't you like? Where did you stay? Did you like it, and why? Put a personal spin on it, and the readers will come.

The same for any reviews or info about the parks. Write about YOUR experiences. That is why everyone loves reading trip reports - we are going to the same place, but everyone's experience is unique. They may notice something you didn't, or eaten somewhere you always wanted to, but haven't. And fact check, fact check, fact check!

Keep it up - everything improves with experience. Before you know it, you will the blogger/Disney expert that's somewhat famous! awesome

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Glad to see you're giving HubPages a chance! I'm following you awesome

The more you write the better you will get, you've got off to a good start but I second the advice from finngirl, write about what you KNOW! When you say things like, 'To be honest, this is the category that I know least about. I have never even stepped foot into a villa' your readers are going to switch off, why should they keep reading if you've admitted you don't really know from first hand experience just what you're talking about? Would you read a NFL article by someone who's never watched a game?

Stick to what you know, write about your experiences, what you've learnt from them and how this can help fellow travellers to WDW.

With time and practice you'll get there! awesome

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finngirl wrote:
Hardy - perhaps you should write about what you know, not just cobble together info from other sources. As a reader, if a writer starts off by saying he's never actually experienced what he is writing about, it pretty much guarantees I'm not going to read it.

From your previous posts, I think you have stayed in Pop Century, right? What can you tell someone that they might not know? Think about first-time visitors - what did you find confusing, and how did you figure it out? What did you love? What didn't you like? Where did you stay? Did you like it, and why? Put a personal spin on it, and the readers will come.

The same for any reviews or info about the parks. Write about YOUR experiences. That is why everyone loves reading trip reports - we are going to the same place, but everyone's experience is unique. They may notice something you didn't, or eaten somewhere you always wanted to, but haven't. And fact check, fact check, fact check!

Some info I did have to put together because I have never been to maybe 2-3 of these resorts, but other than that, I have either eaten or swam at all of these resorts. You can look at maps to see if the bus stop is convenient. I said that I didn't know it because I have never been in a Deluxe Villa. I put together what I could based on the resorts.

I like the idea of reviewing the parks. I know a lot about them, mainly reading about them before I go. I'll give insight into what I do each time I go to the parks. Thanks!

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Hardy,

Please head over to our "Forum Rules" post and familiarize yourself with our linking rules and self promotion. I have removed the link from your original post, if you have questions please feel free to PM me.

~Kristen