where to stay

[Disney-Nut]

I'm really pushing hard to stay at the contemporary but my brother and wife is leaning towards the wilderness lodge and sister and husband is thinking about the beach club. whats everyones take on the 3?

[faline]

All three are very nice resorts.

Beach Club has the best resort pool on property and is close to both Disney Studios and Epcot. Plus, you can easily visit Boardwalk, the Swan and the Dolphin.

You can't beat the Contemporary's proximity to the Magic Kingdom. The monorail is a true perk and gives you easy access to the Poly and the Grand Floridian. Plus, Wilderness Lodge and the Campground are just a short boat ride away.

Wilderness Lodge has a wonderful atmosphere, is close to the Magic Kingdom (just a boat ride away) and is the less expensive of the three.

I could easily be convinced to stay at any of these three resorts. Maybe you'll need to pick out of a hat?

[ThanxForNoticin]

3 excellent choices to stay - you won't have a bad resort.

My initial reaction is how important the location might be for your group. If you are planning to spend much of your time at MK, then the Contemporary's location is best (Wilderness Lodge is pretty good, too). If you'll spend more time at EPCOT and HS, you cannot beat the Beach Club's location.

If you are planning to spend a lot of time by the pool, it's hard to beat Stormalong Bay at BC. We also like all the close dining options when we stay at BC - all the World Showcase restaurants, along with the restaurants at BC, YC, Swan, Dolphin, and BW.

Good luck with your decision. But like I said - all VERY nice places.

[Darbylew]

All three choices are great. Maybe ya'll can
make the choice soon. I like all three of them.
It would be hard for me to make this choice.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND GOING BACK IN
MAY!

[bruin1344]

I have only stayed at BC. I love the BC because of close proximity to Epcot and DHS, short walk to boardwalk for nightlife, Cape May dinner buffet, and Stormalong Bay. The short walk to Epcot is important for me since I book most of my dining reservations at world showcase

I am staying at WLV in April because I havent stayed at a MK resort in ages and WL looks like they have a nice theme.

[andreallybadeggs]

Stayed in all 3 and love them all. Agree with others re. the advantages to each and that you really can't go wrong. How long will you stay? Splitting between resorts is sometimes an option. And having traveled with family before I'd also tell you that it is possible to have a great time together and then go your separate ways in peace. So if one couple really feels strongly about staying at a different resort, fine.
You can visit each other and see if you all chose wisely.

[JenniferS.]

I've stayed at the Contemporary and nothing beats a monorail resort. You can walk to MK, which is always convienent when the monorail is busy. I haven't stayed at the other 2 places mentioned, but have been to the WL for dinner and it seems like a very nice resort. I'm sure whatever you choose of the 3 will be fine.

[Jillirose]

I've only been to BC and WL, but we prefer the location and amenities (walking the boardwalk, pools, short walk to Showcase restaurants) of BC. We just can't always affort it!

[diz_girl]

Why not each of you stay where you want? Unless you will be sticking to each other like glue the entire time, it might be nice to meet up at the parks during the day and go your own separate ways at night. You could also dine at each other's resorts, if you want to visit the resorts.

I know that most extended families generally stay at the same resort in adjacent or adjoining rooms, but it's not a requirement that you have to do so.

[disneygirl87]

The Contemporary is great for its proximity to MK, as well as the monorail to TTC/Epcot. It's also one of the original resorts, which brings in the nostalgic.

The Wilderness Lodge also has the perk of the proximity to MK, though the boat can be kind of slow on crowded days. It also holds the draw back of having only buses to the other parks. The pool is very cool and so is its proximity to the FW, which has a lot of down-time acitivities.

I've never stayed at the Beach Club, but I have been in it a couple of times. It is a beautiful resort and is within walking distance to both Epcot and HS; there is also a boat to both parks as well. Another plus is you can see the Epcot fireworks show from the resort as well, which means a nightly show if you're not in the parks.

Hope this helps.

[thejens]

We stayed at Beach Club and loved the cheery atmosphere, pool, proximity to great restaurants and Epcot.

Once my mom, sister and niece stayed at Contemporary and my immediate family stayed at AKL and it was fun to visit each other's resorts, check out their pools and rooms etc. It was fine being at different resorts. Sometimes we'd pick them up at their resort (we had a car) other times we'd park and take the monorail with them. Sometimes we'd just meet at a park or restaurant. We were basically together all the time unless we were sleeping. It was great.

[finaldynasty]

For me the WL wins hands down...it is one of the best resorts in Walt's Kingdom!

[wmdaddy]

For me the WL wins hands down...it is one of the best resorts in Walt's Kingdom!

I agree.

Never stayed at BC, but we're staying at the YC this summer.

Contemporary does nothing for me. Theme is too business like and sterile.

[cer]

I agree with the posters who suggest everyone stay at their own place. Why should anyone need to compromise? I know when we do anything with our extended family it is nice to have some down time on our own. Just my two cents...

[tmosier]

I agree with the posters who suggest everyone stay at their own place. Why should anyone need to compromise? I know when we do anything with our extended family it is nice to have some down time on our own. Just my two cents...

There's something to be said about a little room to breathe. Plus, if your group is staying at 3 different hotels, you all get to try them out so to speak and get a feel for them.

[Tygger7]

Contemporary does nothing for me. Theme is too business like and sterile.

I totally agree...in fact, my DD17 took her boyfriend resort hopping over spring break. When we were talking about which resort he liked best, he said, "What was the one that felt like I was walking through an airport? I hated that one!' We laughed, and said, "Oh, that would be the Contemporary". By the way, his hands-down favorite was WL.

I would love to try BC sometime, but for the price, you can't beat WL. It ain't cheap, but it is the cheapest of the deluxe resorts. The theming is outstanding, and the grounds are very peaceful. Can't wait to go back...only 35 more days!

[mjm12000]

Although i am a huge fan of the Contemporary and a DVC member at the BLT, I woudl say to base your decesion on what you like theme wise and what parks you think you will be visiting most. If you love Epcot and DHS I would say to stay at the BC as it is located within walking distance of the two parks, plus the awesome pool, the boardwalk and the serene theming. But if you prefer spending most time at the Magic Kingdom I would say the contemporary which you can walk to the Magic Kingdom, have fun renting boats in the lagoon, take the monorail to Epcot and enjoy beautiful modern decor. I think my last choice would be the Wilderness lodge only because the theming is not my taste and I don't think I would like having to take a boat everywhere.

[Fangorn]

I know the question is really about which resort is better (they're all great), but having done a multiple family trip before, my suggestion is to let everyone stay where they want to.

Trust me, you don't have to have adjacent rooms to enjoy the trip. In fact, by day 2, you'll be glad for just a little bit of space. DW and I went with our 3 sons and their families and all stayed at the same hotel (adjacent rooms). I love my family, we all get along very well, and wouldn't have traded the experience for the world, but more than once I told my wife that if we ever did something like that again and I made any comment about us all having to be in the same hotel (or worse yet, in the same villa), to just shoot me. She concurred. Being with even your best friends and family for that long is stressful enough without the added pressure of being within close proximity 24/7.

(Funny thing: just this week she was thinking about us all going together again and was actually looking at the villas. I had to remind her of our agreement. Once the memories came back, the blood drained from her face and she quickly started re-thinking the arrangements).

So, I go with the others that suggest everyone stay where they like. If you "force" everyone to stay somewhere not of their choosing, someone isn't going to be happy and this could easily put a damper on the whole trip. With people staying at multiple resorts, I think you'll really have more fun as you'll have a built in excuse to visit all those resorts. Also, if everyone's schedules aren't quite in sync (someone is notoriously 30 minutes late), it's much easier to deal with the tardy ones if those on time aren't having to wait at the resort. Staying at different places eliminates the feeling that you have to wait for them, and there is no opportunity for resentment to start. I'd much prefer to wait for my kids sitting on a bench at MK or browsing through a shop than siting in my room or at the bus stop.

Steve

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

I totally agree with Fangorn!

We just went in October with 9 others. While I love my family, it was quite trying on us "veterans" to have to wait on the newbies. We know where we want to go, we know what it takes for us to have a good time (means no lines and being on time for us) etc. While we were all at SSR, We were in a Treehouse villa with my parents and sisters while, the others were staying in SSR studios. It felt like we were at separate resorts, and that suited us fine.

My parents however, felt like they had to entertain and be the tour guide for the others. So, while proximity is important, also the "Disney level" is just as important. If you're the Disney vet, don't feel like you have to force the magic on them or show them the magic. Disney has a way of doing that for you! Remember your first trip? Did anyone have to show you the magic? For us, the magic just happened

To your original point, don't compromise. Everyone should stay where they want. And if you do stay all in one resort, remember that you don't have to be right next door to each other. sometimes a floor or building away can be enough "room" for all of you.

If I stayed at CR, I'd only stay in BLT or a Garden View because it does very much feel like Detroit Metro Airport to me.

WL is great! Love the restaruants, pool, lobby, but, it can be long boat wait and your only alternative is buses.

BC - can't wait to stay here. When our kids "outgrow" the MK-everyday mentality (like when they are in middle school/high school) we hope to spend more time at EPCOT and will stay at BCV since we are DVC members.

[eeyorepoohfan]

I am in complete agreement about staying at your own resorts. I love my family, but always need my own space. My sister, her hubby and nearly 5 year old daughter went to WDW in December and stayed at the Bonnett Creek in DTD. My hubby and I were there near the end of their vacation and we stayed at POP Century. We loved being able to meet up at the parks, do a few things together, then go our seperate ways, then meet up again later. We never did get to go to each others hotels, we were just too busy. But I would like having that option. Then you can see the rooms and get a feel for the size and style to see if it's somewhere you would be interested in staying at later on.

Of the mentioned resorts, I have only stayed at the Wildnerness Lodge and loved it! I am hoping to be able to stay there again one day, but right now only the Values fit in our budget. But I say as long as I am at WDW, it doesn't matter where I stay, as long as it's on property!