Category: Disney Series

Got a little more wiggle room than you thought and want to check out the Deluxe resorts?  Aside from larger rooms, deluxe resorts have other niceties like awesome views, upscale dining, and valet parking.  I’ll try to touch on the different perks available at each location.

Category:  Deluxe Resorts  ($307 and up per night, as of this writing)

On-site recreation:  Shuffleboard, basketball, archery, and tennis (free), beaches and boat rentals, fishing (catch and release), jet skis, parasailing, water skiing, wake-boarding, and tubing, for a fee.  They also offer paid activities for children.  Some of the deluxe resorts offer spa services, some of which are considered world-class, but services are pricey.

Deluxe resorts have Club Level Access.  Club Level Access are exclusive, “restricted access” accommodations that include perks like express check in, turn down service, continental breakfast, daily snacks, and exclusive viewing areas for fireworks.  Perks are dependent upon location.  It’s typically VERY EXPENSIVE.  I’ll share my experience with it when I cover the Contemporary Resort.

Dining:  Deluxe resorts offer full service (sit down, order off the menu) dining, along with standard quick service and casual choices.  They also offer high-end choices that require advance reservations and proper attire.  Some restaurants host character meals, where you interact with Disney characters, and take as many pictures as your little heart desires.  I’ve done several character meals, and I’m always surprised at how much time, care, and attention the characters spend with all the children (and adults!) at all the tables.

Transportation: You have several transit options to the parks, including bus, boat, and the monorail.  Monorail access is limited to three of the deluxe resorts, which I’ll go into more detail about in a minute.

Standard room size:  440 square feet, with the exception of Animal Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge, which measure 334 square feet.  Most deluxe rooms sleep 5 and feature queen beds.

Animal Kingdom Lodge

This is an African themed resort that features over 200 exotic, live animals and birds.  It’s like visiting an African safari.  I can’t really confirm that though, because I’ve never been to Africa, or on a safari.  Unless you count the Six Flags Great Adventure African safari in NJ.  I’m not even sure if that’s still open?  Anyway, aside from the animals, this resort offers lots of other activities including two arcades, basketball, tennis, and shuffleboard.

Room types:  Standard, Pool, and Savanna Views, 1 and 2 bedroom club level suites, standard room club level.  Some of the rooms have bunk beds and all the Standard rooms have a balcony (but not all of them overlook the savanna, thus the ‘savanna view’ option).  Because the rooms are on the smaller side, the rates are typically slightly less expensive than the other deluxe resorts.

Transportation: Bus only.  This is by design.  This place is like Disney World for animals.  They have a lot of room to roam, so this resort is located away from all the hustle and bustle.

Dining:  Jiko – The Cooking Place (fine dining which means dress code and advance reservations suggested), Sanaa, and Boma – Flavors of Africa (buffet).  I love love LOVE Boma.  I tend to avoid buffets because I cannot (and wouldn’t want to) eat my money’s worth in food, however I highly recommend this one.  And here’s a little advice; take a very little bit of everything (unless you know it contains something you know you don’t/can’t eat), then go back and pile up on the stuff you love.  You will have no idea what half the stuff is (there are descriptive signs though), but trust me, it’s ALL GOOD.

My thoughts:  I’ve stayed here, in a standard room with a savannah view, and it was the experience of a lifetime waking up to giraffes and other animals grazing just outside our window.  However, as I mentioned, the rooms here are smaller than the other deluxe rooms.  With two adults and two teens, sometimes I felt like we were dancing around each other.

The lodge is beautiful and it was a cool experience, but I probably wouldn’t stay here again.  Not just because of the room sizes but mostly because the bus service SUCKS.  Not only did it suck when I stayed there (which was during a less busy time of the year), it also sucked on other trips when I’ve gone over there to eat or shop.  Aside from Boma, I also like visiting the gift shop because they always have some unique, non-cheesy souvenirs.

If you get the opportunity, go see this resort, words and pictures don’t do it justice.  The even bigger draw is the four-story observation window overlooking the savanna.  You can also go outside, and a Disney cast member (aka employee) is usually available for questions and more information.  You might want to skip the bus and take an Uber though, just sayin’.

Wilderness Lodge

The theming at the Wilderness Lodge is American West, and the design is based on National Park lodges built in the early 1900s.  It has a ‘rustic charm.’  If the lobby feels familiar, it’s because it was designed by the same person who designed the Animal Kingdom Lodge (but the Wilderness Lodge came first).  The lobby features headdresses and massive totem poles that tell a story.

Room types:   Standard, Woods, and Courtyard Views, Standard – club level, Woods View – bunk bed, Courtyard View – bunk bed, and Deluxe room – club level access.

Transportation:  Bus and boat.  The boats take you to the Magic Kingdom park, as well as the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness resorts.

Dining: Roaring Fork (quick service), Whispering Canyon Café (family style restaurant), and Artist Point (fine dining with a dress code, reservations suggested).  I have eaten at Whispering Canyon and not only was the food good, it was fun, and we had a great server.  I can barely remember what I had for dinner yesterday, so the fact that I can remember the service from years ago should speak volumes.

My thoughts:  I’m not crazy about the theme but this resort is impressive.  I briefly considered staying here once but I found a better deal at another resort.  If you’re at the Magic Kingdom and need a break from the noise and crowds, hop on a boat and visit this place.

Grand Floridian

The Grand Floridian opened in 1988 and has a Victorian style, with turrets and towers and a red shingled roof (oh my!).  This is one of three monorail resorts.  It sits on the shore of the 40 acre, man-made, Seven Seas Lagoon, between the Magic Kingdom Park and the Polynesian, which is another deluxe resort that I’ll get to in a minute.

Room types:  Outer building with three views; Garden, Lagoon, or Theme Park (Magic Kingdom) and an Outer building deluxe room – Garden view.  You have five Club Level Access choices; Main building – Standard  or Theme Park view, and Outer building – Standard View, 1 bedroom, or 2 bedroom suite.

Transportation:  Here’s where it gets fun.  You have three choices, monorail, boat, or bus.  The boat will only take you to the Magic Kingdom park.  The monorail will take you one of two places; Magic Kingdom or the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC).  The TTC is the main transportation hub, where you can buy or upgrade park tickets, catch a different monorail to EPCOT, or take a bus to any of the parks or Disney Springs for shopping.  The resort bus will take you to any of the parks and Disney Springs.

Dining:  You have your fine/signature dining (dress code and advance reservations) choices of Citricos, Narcoossee’s, and Victoria and Albert’s.  Jackets are required for men and reservations are a MUST for Victoria and Albert’s.  As expensive as this place is, it stays busy and gets very good reviews.  1900 Park Fare is a buffet, and character meals are available.  Gasparilla Island Grill is a quick service choice, and Grand Floridian Café is casual sit down dining.  I’ve eaten at the café and it was ok.  It was a quiet place to rest and refuel.

My thoughts:  This is another one of those themes I don’t care for, and I have no desire to stay here.  Personally, it puts me in the mind of opulence and affluence, or more specifically, people with money who tend to look down on other people.  The staff won’t treat you any differently, but a few of the guests might, letting the theme go to their heads.  This isn’t a “racially sensitive” issue for me, it’s a class issue, which is ridiculous because you don’t know what anyone’s net worth is simply by looking at them or what resort they’re staying in.  Again, just my thoughts, do NOT let that sway you from staying here.

One of the perks of this resort (and the Polynesian) is you can watch the fireworks from the beach (as well as listen to the narration).  It’s a better choice than watching from within the park, fighting the crowds, and getting caught up in the mass exodus afterwards which is CRAZY.  Remember, this perk is available to ANY Disney resort guest (I’m talking to you, anyone with crowd and anxiety issues).

Polynesian Village

The Polynesian has a South Pacific theme and is one of the original resorts, dating back to opening day 1971.  I’ve never been to Hawaii, but strolling through this place certainly looks like the images I’ve seen on tv and online.  The vegetation, longhouse buildings, and over-the-water bungalows (that I’ll cover in the Deluxe Villas section) give this place a genuine tropical resort feel.  You even get lei’d when you walk through the door.  🙂

Room types:  You have many choices but the basics include a Standard room with a Garden, Theme Park (Magic Kingdom), Pool, or Lagoon view.  You also have Club Level Access available (Standard room with Garden, Theme Park, or Lagoon view).  Many of the rooms have balconies, most have a garden view, and some of the rooms have day beds available.  There are also suites available that can accommodate 4-9 people.

Transportation:  This is a monorail resort, so the transportation is the same as the Grand Floridian (bus, boat, or monorail) with one difference.  You can easily walk to the Ticket and Transportation Center (5-10 minutes tops).

Dining:  There are lots of quick service options, which I won’t mention by name.  Kona Café is a casual sit down restaurant (lunch and dinner only) and ‘Ohana is the main restaurant (breakfast character meals are available).  There’s also a dinner show here called Spirit of Aloha.  It’s popular and reservations are recommended.  I don’t know that I’ve ever had one, but people go nuts over Dole Whips (a frozen pineapple dessert).  If you’re interested in trying one, stop by the Pineapple Lanai (you can get them at the Magic Kingdom park too).

My thoughts:  I need a minute to vent before I give you my thoughts.  This resort has gone through a refurbishment since the last time I stayed, and I would like to share one of the most disastrous results.  I give you exhibits A, B, and C, for your review.

 

 

Listen, I get it, they probably wanted to make more room for people, but this is a travesty.  A moment of silence for the old Poly lobby please…

I’ve stayed at the Polynesian and I really liked it.  The tropical theme with running water everywhere is very soothing, and you can’t beat the location.  And, they have chair/bench swings on the white sand beaches, which make for a great place to relax after a long day in the parks.  Staying here is like a vacation within a vacation.

Contemporary Resort

The Contemporary is probably one those images that most people imagine when they think of Walt Disney World.  It’s the big concrete A-frame building with a monorail running through it.

Room types:  You have two building choices here; tower and garden.  Tower is the large structure that the monorail travels through (shown above), and garden is an H-shaped building with three floors behind the tower (on the Bay Lake side).  You have two views for a Standard room in the tower; theme park and Bay Lake, and there’s also a deluxe 1 bedroom suite available.  The standard rooms in the garden building have either a Standard or Garden view, and deluxe rooms and 1 bedroom suites are also available.

Transportation:  Bus, boat, and monorail.  You are close enough to the Magic Kingdom that you can walk in 10 minutes or less.

Dining:  The California Grill, located on the 15th floor, is the signature dining experience here with a view of the Magic Kingdom (and fireworks if you’re dining during the show).  Chef Mickey’s is a buffet.  If you’re interested in character dining, this is a good place for it (you can eat here without character dining as well).  It has all of your core Disney characters; Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, and Goofy.  Lately the reviews seem to be mixed, but I’ve always thought the food was pretty good.  Also available, The Wave….of American Flavors which features fresh locally and regionally sourced ingredients.

My thoughts:  The Contemporary has two personalities.  On the inside of the A frame building, it can feel like there’s a party going on with the activity of the monorail and Chef Mickey’s, and they have one of the best resort gift shops in my opinion.  However, if the hustle and bustle become a little overwhelming, you can step out the backside of the building and head towards Bay Lake.  It’s MUCH quieter in that area, and there are a lot of fun water activities available (for a fee).  Or, just have a seat and relax on the beach, or take a boat ride over to Fort Wilderness or Wilderness Lodge.  If you’re a light sleeper, you might want to request a room on a higher floor, away from the monorails.

Club Level Access at the Contemporary – I found a deal on a club level access room with a theme park view.  We basically paid for a five night stay what you’d typically pay for one night.  Unfortunately, this deal happened so fast I was unable to snag a room for the rest of my party.  Now here’s what I love about Disney.  While we were checking in I explained why were weren’t both in a club level access room (Club Level has a separate, express check-in) they said no problem we can check you all in here.  As they were handing us our room key cards, they explained that they’d added club level access to ALL of the keys so our entire party (8 people) could enjoy the club level access benefits.  Like I said, Disney typically provides world-class customer service.

The room wasn’t any bigger than the standard rooms, but the décor was different (see pictures).  I suspect we got such a deep discount on the club level room because they hadn’t been refurbished yet, while the regular rooms had.  The biggest perk of club level access was the food.  The continental breakfasts and snacks throughout the day did save us some money.  The daily offerings were bite-sized samples of food, desserts like cookies and brownies, beer, wine, and other non-alcoholic drinks.  The only way I would consider doing this again is if I got a really really good deal at a different resort, just to see what their perks are.  Basically it was nice, but I think once was enough.

Sidebar – What you need to know about the monorail:  If you’re considering a monorail resort, here’s what you need to know.  First off I’ll answer one of the most common questions; why don’t they expand the monorail system?  The existing system is very expensive to maintain, and it would be even more expensive to expand it.  Here’s what you need to know.  There are three monorail routes: resort, resort with a stop a the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC), and EPCOT.

Resort route:  This route will take you from the Magic Kingdom to the three monorail resorts: Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian, before returning to Magic Kingdom.  This is great if it’s running during busier times and you’re a guest at one of those three resorts (you’ll understand why in a minute).

Resort route with TTC:  This monorail leaves from the Magic Kingdom, stops at the Contemporary, TTC, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and returns to the Magic Kingdom.  If you’re leaving the Magic Kingdom at or near park close and are staying in one of the monorail resorts, THIS MONORAIL WILL BE PACKED UNTIL YOU REACH THE TTC.  Reason being, this is where people who drove to the park get off to get to the parking lot.  Also, there are people who don’t want for a bus from the Magic Kingdom, so they get off at TTC, which usually means less people and a faster trip to their home resort.  TIP:  If you’re staying at the Contemporary, just walk from the Magic Kingdom, it’s quicker and less of a hassle.

EPCOT route:  The EPCOT monorail only goes from the TTC to EPCOT and back.  That’s it.  There aren’t any stops in between.  TIP:  If you just want to get off your feet and see a little scenery, hop on board.  This monorail travels through EPCOT before stopping at the park so it’s a pretty sweet ride.  It’s also a good way to see how crowded the park is.

I’m going to combine these last three deluxe resorts since they’re very similar and in the same area.

Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk Inn

These three resorts are on the backside of EPCOT and all are within walking distance of the park.  They are also located in the boardwalk area, which provides its own entertainment, some of which is free.  The Yacht and Beach clubs have a New England seaside and nautical theme, respectively.  They’re ‘sister’ resorts.  The themes are different, but they’re located next to each other and share most facilities (transportation included).  The Boardwalk theme is from the turn of the 20th century (think Jersey shore, if you’ve ever been).  The Boardwalk Inn is smaller, making it a little easier to navigate.  All three resorts are situated around 25 acre Crescent Lake.

Room types:  Choices for the all three resorts are similar, with the core choices being Standard with a Garden, Water, or Standard View.

Transportation:  Bus, boat, or hoof it.  The boats take you to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.  It’s a short walk to EPCOT (quicker than the boat), but it’ll take you 15 minutes to walk to Hollywood Studios.  Beach and Yacht share bus service.

Dining:  There are several options but I’ll touch on a couple.  Cape May Café in the Beach resort offers a character breakfast and a seafood buffet in the evenings, and is one of my favorites.  There’s also Beaches and Cream Soda Shop, which is famous for it’s Kitchen Sink, a huge sundae literally served in a real sink (serves 4 or more).  The Yacht club features Yachtsman Steakhouse (dress code/advance reservations).  The Boardwalk doesn’t have its own restaurant (it has a bakery and a pizza window), but there are plenty of choices on the actual Boardwalk just outside the resort.

My thoughts:  My goal is to stay at one of these resorts, but they tend to fall on the expensive end of the deluxe category.  From what I’ve read, you could have a hike to your room at the Beach and Yacht clubs.  I don’t care for the themes, however, this seems like a great location with the boardwalk activities, and close proximity to EPCOT (walking) and Hollywood Studios (by boat).

The Yacht and Beach clubs share a sand bottomed three acre pool.  I has a 230 foot long ship wreck themed water slide, a lazy river, rocky coves, whirlpools, a shallow play area for children, and a deeper area for adults.  Here’s an aerial view of the Boardwalk Inn (to the right), the Beach Club (on the left), Yacht Club (bottom), and that round area at the rear of the photo is the back half of EPCOT (World Showcase).

Whew, that’s a LOT of information!  I’ll give you a bit of a rest before we move on to my next post about the Deluxe Villas.  Villas are lodging options for larger parties.

This post is part of my Disney series.