Picking Your Resort..

What a lovely, sunny, happy vacation picture of you and the Mrs.

The first time I went to WDW, it was just DH and I, and it was very spur of the moment. We literally just drove over, and the first resort we came to we were able to get a room. Fell in love with the beautiful paths, and everything decorated in wreaths and garlands of Magnolias for Christmas.

Back then it was Dixie Landings. We still love to stay at Port Orleans. So, what was just a side trip on a FL vacation, has become a home away from home. I guess you could say it is all of the memories that keep us going back, although we do tend to alternate between FQ and RS.

Honeymoon trip was Dixie Landings (PORS). It was what we could afford, and it had a bar. Next trip with the hubby's family was Coronado Springs. It was what we could afford, it had a bar, and it wasn't with the rest of his family. (Please note: I love his family dearly, but we have no kids. We didn't want to stay at an All-Star resort, which is what they could afford, with a bunch of kids.) Next trip was Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was what we could afford, and it had a bar. Our last trip was Wilderness Lodge. It was what we could afford, and it had a bar.

Just in case you're not seeing the pattern. We like to stay at the nicest places that we can afford, and it must have a bar.

We like trying new resorts. Before we bought DVC we stayed at Value so we would just pick one that we hadn't stayed at before. Now we're doing the same with DVC. Every trip we try and stay at different DVC property. So far we've done BLT and AKL. Next up in September is BWV and BCV

When we first started going we could only afford moderate. So when we got married we stayed at POFQ. We loved the resort and still do. However as we have gotten better about our finances and saved more money for our trips we have discovered the joy of deluxe resorts. We love the Wilderness most of all but the Poly is a close second. This year is going to be Boardwalk because that is where we could get free dining. I have to say it is kind of fun getting to try out a new resort every year. Next year my friends get to choose where we stay. Can't wait to hear what they pick!

Absolutely! We like to unwind at the end of the night with a nice adult beverage in a relaxed setting. Grabbing a beer in the gift shop and going back to the room just doesn't cut it.

I think the guy who replaced him might be gone now, too. Wonder who is there, now?

We stay where we can get an RCI exchange. So far that's been mostly Saratoga Springs and Old Key West, although we lucked into a Wilderness Lodge exchange last winter and also had an opportunity to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge on someone else's DVC points. But now we are DVC, so in the future the question will be which DVC resort has the kind of room we want for the fewest points. Then once the points are used up we'll be back to looking for an RCI exchange.

In the past, money was the ultimate trump card. If I couldn't afford to stay there, I wouldn't book there, period. But now that I want to spend time at a more expensive resort to my liking, money will be somewhat of an issue but not the end all be all. It's really a combination of location, price, amenities, food, layout, etc. The only reasons why I have strong considerations for the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge over others is that the AKL has almost everything I want. Great food, great atmosphere, a lot of activities to do at the resort but...it's so far away and isolated from everything else. Wilderness Lodge, on a different note, is more so about money, location and an easier layout to navigate.

I've only stayed onsite twice, once at POFQ and once at WL. I chose these based on reviews and because they are compact resorts, so no walking miles just to get to a food court. I love both and we are staying at WL again in 7 weeks time The FD was a big part of the decision to stay at WL, I'd have got the QS dining plan with POFQ but got the TS dining plan free by staying at WL, so for me it was worth the extra $. I also love that it is just a boat ride away from the MK and I love the theming. For the last 3 days of our trip we are staying DVC for the first time. I chose BCV purely based on the location. Now my dds are older I'm looking forward to seeing more of the evening entertainment so we have plans to see both fantasmic and illuminations on 2 of our last evenings so BCV is a pretty perfect location to be

Price is usually a deciding factor for us.
When we were going every year it was a value resort over offsite and we prefered POP over the All Stars.
When we had our Disneymoon we upgraded to moderate and took a punt on CSR.We absolutely loved it and changed to every 2 years to accomadate our more expensive tastes.
We tried PORS this year (upon recomendation) and ... Will be returning to CSR next time ... Maybe .
Seeing as WDW is looking like a 2018/9 probability we are looking at Dulux resorts and the 2 that catch our eye are the Boardwalk and the Poly (although a Savannah view room at AKL keeps popping its head up).

I love POFQ. We've stayed their many times (even on our honeymoon) and you can't beat the size or the fact that it only has one bus stop. Its just so quaint. I've done the Poly, the Contemporary, the Beach Club, CSR, POFQ, POR, Art of Animation, Pop, All Star Movies, and All Star Sports, and for some reason, I keep going back to POFQ.

It's a combo for us. We like to try new resorts, so first we narrow it down to the resorts we haven't yet stayed at (which is unfortunately still most of them). Then we narrow it down a bit more to what resorts best fit the type of trip we're taking (this trip for example we are going with the in-laws and they wanted us in a 2-bedroom suite so we narrowed it down to the deluxe villas). Then we take into consideration price and discounts (last trip we switched from Pop to Coronado because it was a better deal for us with four adults in a room and free dining).

Since we're a young couple with one of us still in college (me), we try to go for value but I've found that renting DVC points really helps us access deluxe resorts we never would be able to afford before. I really fell in love with Kidani on our last trip and I know we'll be back, but I think our next trip to the World will be at a MK Resort hotel. Probably Wilderness Lodge for the combo of value and atmosphere/location.

Really I want to stay at them all so its just a matter of time and finances till that happens

Pre DVC we only stayed at Value for cost. I just could not justify spending more for a room we would not be in except to sleep. If you followed along with my 40th birthday trip report you understand that. Out the door by 7 or 8 every morning and walking in at night to pass out.

We've stayed at Pop, All Stars and Art of Animation. Never had issues with too many kids or groups at any of them and they fit what we needed.

Now that we have DVC our home resort is AKL... Since we drive down, location isn't a biggie for us. But the Savannah Views, that is all hubby. I actually didn't get a say in our home resort but I love my man and he did this for me so I didn't stop him.

I can't wait to try some of the other DVC properties in the future!

I want to stay in all of them too at some point! Thus far I have not be able to score the really popular or newer ones when I need to travel but I know that will improve when my dates can be more flexible. I want to experience Poly, GF, WL, and Beach Club.

Always POFQ for me and mein sister. She likes the moderate resorts because they aren't TOO far from the park. Personally, I think she only wants to stay at FQ because of the beignets.

We go for the cost. Usually stay at a moderate-POR and POFQ. Have stayed at CBR too. We always think we will stay at a deluxe once but then we look how much more we can do with the extra money and opt for the moderate again. Maybe one day?!

I'm with you 100%, Watchmaker. Pre-DVC, we usually chose a moderate and once we stayed at POR, I didn't care to stay anywhere else! Cash for a deluxe was (and still is) more than I'm willing to spend on accommodations. It's only through the magic of DVC that we've been able to start enjoying deluxe accommodations and Wilderness Lodge is my absolute favorite. I hate the real wilderness, but I love the Disney Wilderness!

Like everybody else, money is our biggest factor. Our first resort (POFQ) was basically picked by our AAA agent. She recommended it so I looked it up and thought it looked nice. The next was based on availability and price (CBR). Then we stayed there again because my husband didn't get the chance to see it. This time was a conscious decision to try someplace different AND price so we're going with PORS. I highly doubt I'll get to go again next year but it gives me time to save up and try staying at a deluxe!