Where to Stay? Where to Eat? Help me Plan!!

[exlq]

I've heard both about the grand floridian. Which I believe is actually where my Wife wants to stay. A teammate of mine stayed there last summer and said it was full of pretentious folk. He got weird looks wearing shorts and tshirts to dinner (hence why I asked) Others said they didn't mind it at all. I just don't want to be around a bunch of folks who think they're entitled to a better experience than everyone else.

With us being there for 6 days or so, I figure we'll be at the hotel at least a little bit. I'd like to be surrounded by normal everyday folks.

 

[Disneytam]

Gotcha.

I'm not opposed to the families or anything and I'm not really concerned with noise or busy. I accept that's its Disney and there's going to be people everywhere. My wife and I do like to go out a lot, so last time we found ourselves at Epcot a fair bit (they have the most alcohol lol). So perhaps staying in that area makes the most sense.

I think ultimately it comes down whether we want to try something new (Boardwalk or Beach) or stick with Saratoga, that we enjoyed the last time.

Decisions, decisions!

Have you thought about staying club level? We really enjoy not having to get in line to eat breakfast every morning and ending our nights sitting out on our balcony with a free drink from the club level lounge. Most nights we will stop into the lounge for a glass of wine or two or a bottle of beer and some munchies. The BWI CL has a chef cooking small tasty apps. every night from 5-7 pm. We enjoy the Epcot resorts due to the fact that we seem to end up at Epcot most evenings.

 

[kylenne]

Gotcha.

I'm not opposed to the families or anything and I'm not really concerned with noise or busy. I accept that's its Disney and there's going to be people everywhere. My wife and I do like to go out a lot, so last time we found ourselves at Epcot a fair bit (they have the most alcohol lol). So perhaps staying in that area makes the most sense.

I think ultimately it comes down whether we want to try something new (Boardwalk or Beach) or stick with Saratoga, that we enjoyed the last time.

Decisions, decisions!

To offer a counterpoint in favor of my favorite resort, since I'm very biased: my partner and I are in our late 30s with no kids, and we absolutely fell in love with the Polynesian to the point where it's "our place" now and pretty much the only place we stay. We adore the theming and love that we are close enough to MK to indulge our Big Kid tendencies but we also have laid back adult fun too (we love the Trader Sam's patio at night when they have live music). I have stayed elsewhere on solo trips, including a stay at Beach Club back in November for Food & Wine, and I enjoyed it but the truth is there aren't any fewer families there than the monorail resorts. Stormalong Bay attracts a ton of them.

If you love Epcot and will spend most of your time there, absolutely nothing beats the convenience of being a 5-10 minute walk away, and if you're going during one of the festivals, the Crescent Lake resorts are at the top of the list imo. I loved my BC stay, but there were a lot of little annoyances that made me feel like I could only ever do it on a split. If you want to try the MK area resorts, Poly has the best transportation options due to being a 5 minute walk to the Epcot monorail at the TTC. You also have access to some really great non-signature restaurants and quick service unlike the Boardwalk area, where you're really kinda forced to go into Epcot (not necessarily a bad thing, but you may not feel like it some nights). I find that there's more variety in the MK resort area for food.

 

[exlq]

Yeah, after reading your recommendation on the Club Level, I went ahead and looked into it. To me, I certainly see the value in it.

I'm all in favour of anything that makes things 'easier' or 'quicker' especially at Disney.

 

[exlq]

@kylenne

I certainly won't spend all of my time at Epcot, we just found last time that we did alot of circling back through there. For example, last year I was getting tired (and annoyed) with the crowds at MK. So my Wife suggested we run over to Epcot for an hour, we grabbed as many drinks as they'd let us have, like Magic I didn't care as much about the crowds

I do like the proximity to Epcot because of the choices for food. I can easily do whatever park during the day, head back to the hotel and then walk over to Epcot for dinner/drinks.

I'm horribly torn at the moment....

 

[kylenne]

@kylenne

I certainly won't spend all of my time at Epcot, we just found last time that we did alot of circling back through there. For example, last year I was getting tired (and annoyed) with the crowds at MK. So my Wife suggested we run over to Epcot for an hour, we grabbed as many drinks as they'd let us have, like Magic I didn't care as much about the crowds

I do like the proximity to Epcot because of the choices for food. I can easily do whatever park during the day, head back to the hotel and then walk over to Epcot for dinner/drinks.

I'm horribly torn at the moment....

I would make a short list of resorts, write out what your priorities are, and see how many boxes get ticked by each resort. Remember that no resort is perfect and no matter where you stay there will be cons. You just need somewhere where the pros outweigh them. And remember that it's easy enough to visit resorts, especially on a park day.

 

[Elle :)]

Im going against the crowd here and recommending Old Key West. My hubby and I are in our mid 30s (no kids) and we absolutely love OKW. The 1-bedroom gives us all the space we need and has the most bang for our buck. It doesn’t feel like a hotel...just a home away from home. Also, the units were recently refurbished so that’s a nice bonus. On a side note: Olivia’s (the on-site restaurant) is a hidden gem. My own “steak and potatoes” guy loved the prime rib there.

I think my favorite part of OKW is the ability to take the resort boat straight to Disney Springs! My DH and I love hanging out at Epcot but I find that we spend way more time at Disney Springs (it’s where we eat the majority of our meals...and I can always find a yummy dessert on the fly). Plenty to drink there and a very relaxed vibe.

 

[exlq]

@kylenne

I agree with the list idea. There's certainly pro's and con's to each resort!

@Elle :)

Old Key West is intriguing to me. And you, being in a similar situation and recommending it, does make it interesting. I really like Disney Springs, so the boat ride is great. It's a good way to stay in an area that I like while still getting to experience a different resort. We sound as though we're cut from the same cloth.

Here's a random question to everyone... Does Disney allow ubers? For example if I'm at Disney Springs (let's say I took the transit to get there) and it's late, can I Uber back to my hotel? I realize I likely can, but I've never seen a single thing about Uber/Lyft at Disney.

 

[kylenne]

Here's a random question to everyone... Does Disney allow ubers? For example if I'm at Disney Springs (let's say I took the transit to get there) and it's late, can I Uber back to my hotel? I realize I likely can, but I've never seen a single thing about Uber/Lyft at Disney.

Definitely! It's a real game changer too. We don't rent cars and rely on Lyft when we don't want to use Disney transportation. Disney does have their own version of rideshare through the Lyft app called Minnie Vans, but they're way more expensive and the only real benefit if you don't have kids (and thus don't need car seats) is that they have better drop off locations than regular rideshare at the parks. For MK, Uber/Lyft drops off at the Transportation and Ticket Center whereas Minnie Vans have their own stop with the resort buses, letting you skip the monorail/ferry. Even then you can just take Uber/Lyft to Contemporary and walk over.

I will say the only issue I've ever really had with Uber/Lyft at WDW is going *to* Disney Springs. Some rideshare drivers can get a little confused doing drop offs there because they don't realize how the garages work, and if you get someone who has to rely on GPS rather than knowledge of the area it can go south quickly. One time I was running late for an ADR at Homecomin and opted for a Minnie Van for that reason. They're driven by thoroughly vetted Disney Cast Members who know their way around property extremely well. A lot of CMs do moonlight as Uber/Lyft drivers but it's much more of a crapshoot.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Disney has the "Minnie Van" and Lyft. I was just at WDW end of December 2019 into January 2020. I remember being at Disney Springs (leaving) and seeing a ton of Minnie vans, taxis, etc.

 

[exlq]

@kylenne

This is exciting news! I rely on Ubers to get me around when I'm on the road, so I don't know why I thought they might not be at Disney.... It basically means I can stay anywhere take the bus to DS and then Uber home. If I remember correctly the buses shut down at a certain time.

 

[exlq]

Have I mentioned that the folks on this forum are literally LEGENDS? Loving all the replies and feedback!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Go to You Tube. Type in the search: Minnie van, Uber, Lyft at Disney. It’s helpful.

 

[momcubed892]

Team Polynesian here. We have stayed here a couple of times and really enjoyed it. We liked it even better at CL. It is definitely casual both around the hotel as well as at the restaurants. The pools are nice . The views are wonderful and have a nice tropical feel. The monorail is very convenient to get to the MK as is the boat launch at the back of the hotel. It is just a short walk to the TTC to catch the monorail to Epcot. We used Minnie Van or a car for the other parks. It is nice to watch the fireworks at the hotel.

As for what to eat, I would definately recommend the following:
MK: Skipper Canteen
Epcot: Teppan Edo
HS: Hollywood Brown
AK: Tiffins
Disney Springs: Homecomin'
Resorts: Sanaa, Boma ( neither need dressing up)

I will say that outside of V&A, you can get by with khakis and a decent collared golf/polo shirt for the signature dress code restaurants.

I really liked the planning assistance of Disney Signature Services both prior to arrival and during our stay.

Have you looked into extra experiences such as Wild Africa Trek, Sense of Africa, or Starlight Safari?

 

[exlq]

@momcubed892

Great feedback, thanks.

I haven't looked into any of the extra experiences, are they behind the scenes type tours? I know I looked at one last time for Animal Kingdom... any that you would recommend?

 

[CynBeth]

One thing to make you aware of is that Disney now charges for parking if you stay at any hotel on property. It is a different cost depending on if you stay at a value, moderate, or deluxe. Not sure if that is a big deal to you or not so wanted to let you know in case you want to drop your rental off at the car care place on Disney property and take Magical Express back to the airport.

 

[exlq]

@CynBeth

Good looking out. I had no idea... Do you know what the rate is by any chance? I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars for the possibility I might take the car once...

 

[exlq]

$24 a night. That's not terrible.

Great heads up though, I appreciate it!

 

[CynBeth]

According to the Disney website it says $15 value, $20 mod, and $25 deluxe per night.

 

[momcubed892]

@momcubed892

Great feedback, thanks.

I haven't looked into any of the extra experiences, are they behind the scenes type tours? I know I looked at one last time for Animal Kingdom... any that you would recommend?

I am biased as AK is our family's favorite park and AKL CL is our preferred hotel.
Wild Africa Trek is at AK and is a 3 hour adventure exploring the area around Kilimajaro Safari. It includes a break with a substantial snack and also an open vehicle Safari ride with a guide. There are videos/blog posts describing the details. The other two are at the AKL. Sense of Africa combines a behind the scenes animal tour with a Boma breakfast. Starlight is an evening open vehicle guided tour with night vision goggles. There is also an early evening guided tour that combines with Jiko.

I will say that when we stay at AKL, our focus is on nature, the animals and we like that. If we want to experience more Mickey Mouse, we like the monorail resort area with the Polynesian being our favorite.