What resort would you "show off" to your parents?

[CanadaDisney05]

But their quick service restaurant, Captain Cooke's is truly one of the worst restaurants in Disney World.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but for the OP, I thought I should mention that pretty much everywhere I have ever looked has considered Capt Cook's to be in the top 3 quick service restaurants on property. Tonga Toast

 

[LSchrow]

My parents (now passed) LOVED the BoardWalk.
My husband & I love, LOVE the BoardWalk.
Our adult children love, love, LOVE the BoardWalk.

September will be during the F&WF, so you can walk over to Epcot just for some Festival snacking. Hit the BW Bakery for freshly baked goodies. Have a drink or 2 at Abracadabar, and/or Jellyrolls, Atlantic Dance Hall, Belle Vue Lounge. Stroll the BW with a treat from Ample Hills Creamery. Enjoy magicians, surrey bikes, & carney games, and watch a movie and fireworks in the evening. There is also a Community Hall (& Barbeque) by the Community Pool, with games, crafts, etc.
As lovely as other resorts are, BWV is the only that offers so much to do/see outside of the parks & room. Every one of our visitors (lots of friends/family) were not just impressed by the BWVs, but in full-out mouth-dropping awe of the resort (including buying into DVC because of it).

 

[gillep]

We took my mom and her husband to AKV-Kidani in a one bedroom and they were extremely impressed. I would only consider a one bedroom with two full baths so Kidani or BLT.

 

[EYL]

My wife and I are planning a trip for next year with my parents (Shhh, its a surprise) and we will be staying in a DVC resort. My parents have never stayed overnight at a Disney hotel, so we want to put our best foot forward as far as the hotel goes. We will be staying 6 or 7 nights in a one bedroom, depending on how point pricey the resort is.

This may sound weird because they are my own parents, but I dont know what their aesthetic is as far as what kind of hotel room they will enjoy! I dont think the Grand Floridian will be their style, and I dont want the Poly because I do want a 1 bedroom, but other than that, I'm stumped! so now I'm looking for suggestions.

We'll be hitting all of the parks, and while we haven't planned the trip day by day yet, I dont think we will be picking a hotel based on proximity to a park, just because we will be seeing them all and probably wont be favoring one too much.

If you were traveling with your parents (about 60) and wanted to "show off" disney and your membership, where would you take them?

Side note, I'm not super worried about availability because we'll be booking a 1 bedroom in September, but of course it doesn't hurt to have a backup.

Hopefully we can all share some good thoughts with each other. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

I went to Disney first when I was about 5 years old. We didn't have much money, so we stayed in a small shack-of-a-motel in Kissimmee (I distinctly remember dead bugs in the bathtub when we checked in). I remember that when we took the monorail from the TTC and it stopped at the Polynesian, my parents and I looked out in awe. It had gotten better through the years and we were able to stay on site at moderate Disney resorts. But everytime we take that monorail, my parents would look out at the Polynesian. When I bought a PVB contract last year that had double points the first year, it was my treat. We were able to get 2 connecting lake view studios. It was a great "show off" for my parents, who are now in their late 70s, to be able to be at the Polynesian, watching the MK fireworks off the room-balcony with their grandchild by their side. Some days, they'd even stay behind and enjoy the resort on their own.

I know it's not a 1BR, but the connecting studios in PVB were great for us as it afforded each family a bit of privacy when needed, and if not needed, we opened up the doors. To my parents, the Magic Kingdom *is* Disney and the monorail hotels are always the most "luxurious". They loved getting on the monorail from the GCH even though the boats were faster and the TTC was closer. They had such a great time that they are now looking for another PVB contract to purchase for us, so that they can come with us every year.

No matter where you stay, creating memories together is the most important thing. Good luck in your search!

 

[kboo]

I remember that when we took the monorail from the TTC and it stopped at the Polynesian, my parents and I looked out in awe.

This was my family when the monorail went through the Contemporary. No huge surprise that our first home resort ended up being BLT.

I would agree with PPs that BLT or AKV-Kidani, if you are set on a 1br. That extra bath is WONDERFUL.

And I know you said you don't think your parents would be into Grand Floridian - we had always passed it on the monorail and thought it would be too fussy and stuffy and then we stayed there on the hotel side, and fell in love with it, and it became our 2nd home resort.

And then there's Riviera...

 

[Disneykate605]

If it was me I would definitely pick BWV for it's atmosphere and location or AKL- Kidani Savannah view. Animals outside your room is pretty impressive and it has an extra bathroom.
I'm sure everyone will enjoy themselves no matter where you end up...
Good luck!

 

[lovin'fl]

My in laws loved BCV (out of there, SSR, OKW and AKV). My mom loved AKV (out of there, BWV and SSR). They all need elevators (so OKW was a problem the one year in laws got 2nd floor). They like inside hallways where you can get to food/shop/desk without walking outside (though BCV is not technically like that, it is connected to BC by covered short walkway and not like at SSR or Poly where you might have a good hike in the elements). And BCV has the boat to 2 parks which my in laws LOVE. My mom more enjoyed to pool and animal viewing at AKV. She is not into the parks so much so resort is important to her and AKV did impress.

 

[mamaofsix]

Another vote for getting a 2 bedroom if you can afford it. To me, adults having to sleep on a pull-out couch in the living room is just not an enjoyable vacation.

If you can't afford the points for a 2 - bedroom, I agree with others that AKV would be best for the 2 bathrooms and the resort atmosphere.

 

[Shellyred8]

We took my parents shortly after we became DVC members. We ended up doing a split stay between AKL, BWV and SSR. By far, they liked AKL the best, even though we had a room that was far, far away.

 

[Deb & Bill]

With four adults, I wouldn't go for a one bedroom, especially if I wanted to show it off. I'd book a dedicated two bedroom. The second bedroom would have two queen beds. At a minimum I'd book two studios so each couple could have a bit of privacy. When we took my husband's mother and father with us (including our then five yr old son), we booked a two bedroom villa. I wouldn't make anybody sleep on the sleeper sofa/murphy bed, no matter what type it was.

Lots of people wouldn't agree with me, but OKW is the perfect resort. The rooms are so spacious. They have just been renovated (though not exactly to my taste and to the theme of Key West). You'd have both a sofa and a love seat to sit in the living room, plus the large porch to watch the golfers or the boats. Olivia's has a good breakfast and dinner. I think it is the place where older folks feel more at home. Not so noisy or full of people running around. The boat ride to Disney Springs is very pleasant.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but for the OP, I thought I should mention that pretty much everywhere I have ever looked has considered Capt Cook's to be in the top 3 quick service restaurants on property. Tonga Toast

Unfortunately, it's not that good.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

we took my in-laws in September and did a split stay between AKV, BLT and Poly. We figured BLT would be a winner for them but they actually loved AKV because they could sit and watch the animals. Of course we were only there for one night at the beginning of the trip. We would have never predicted them to like AKV the best so sometimes you just have to take a guess and hope it pays off. I agree though about the two bathrooms, that would move those one bedrooms to the top of my list.

 

[NoTime42]

My parents, AKV savanna view, since they would probably enjoy nature/animals more and don’t mind walking.
MIL would probably like VGF the most.

 

[beequeen]

AKV for view and bathrooms

 

[Gary Carter]

Thank you guys so much for your opinions!! So the suggestion to spring for a 2 bedroom and the realization that we can really afford it has prompted a search for a 50-75 point contract...

Thanks a lot hahaha

 

[Afabena]

I just wanted to say that I’m sure your parents will appreciate whatever resort you end up picking. They all have something different to offer. I am recently back from a trip with parents, husband and kids (my kids didn’t know my parents were coming until we met by the pool on arrival day), and we had a great time. We stayed at BLT in a dedicated 2 bedroom and loved the rooms and resort. I actually enjoyed the fact that the resort itself doesn’t require a lot of walking, and the 2 bedroom will have 3 bathrooms. We cooked breakfast in the room and thoroughly enjoyed coming back to the resort in the afternoon. We were not lucky enough to have MK fireworks but we did end up with a view of the water pageant, epcot fireworks and the monorail going into the contemporary. I know some people don’t care for it but I thought it was an amazing resort. Good luck! Planning is part of the fun.

 

[luvmychaos]

We just did the same thing with my parents My dad is a HUGE Disney fan, like us, but my mom-not so much.We’ve been 5 times&she always refused to come. We took them to Aulani 1st, to ease her into “Disney” hotels. She was absolutely floored there and started talking about a WDW trip. We almost died and quickly planned a trip. We did 2 Lakeview studios at the Poly and then a couple nights at CCV in a 2bd room. Needless to say, we added more points and she’s officially in LOVE. She said she adored Wilderness Lodge, it took her breath away and was “so relaxing after the hustle and bustle of the parks”. We also showed her GF, BC, and AKL. She says she wants CCV 1st but would love to do a visit to AKL, too. The others she wasn’t as in love with. Best of luck choosing and “showing off”!

 

[Gary Carter]

So after all this reading (and thank you guys so much) I think I’m going to shoot for bay lake tower and if I can’t get that, kidani. I know my mom will love magic kingdom so being close to that will be a huge plus. A view of the castle at night will be so neat to her.

 

[DebbieB]

I bought in 1999, my mom thought I was nuts. I thought my friend was nuts when she bought until we spent a long weekend in an OKW 2 bedroom with 2 other friends about 6 months earlier. I fell in love. So, I take my mom in May 2000 and we stay in an OKW 1 bedroom. We walked in and her mouth literally dropped open as we walked into the living room/kitchen. I remember her walking along the kitchen counter looking at all the appliances. Then into the bedroom and bathroom (though she wasn't happy about the king bed vs 2 queens). She loved the walk in shower. We got home and I heard her talking to someone on the phone about "our apartment".

Move ahead about 3 years, we decided to do an "extra" trip for the Halloween party and stayed at CBR on cash. The first night she said "I don't like this one room thing". Victory!

 

[OhMickeyUrSoFine]

I have to agree what other people are saying about the Boardwalk. From my experience at Disney, that's what I would "show off" to people. You can't go wrong with it.