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Help Me Go To Disney World K THX.

Yay, another week almost in the can!

So, I think we've decided to go to Walt Disney World at some point this year. I haven't been there in ages, and could spend the next decade recollecting my obsession with getting Chip and Dale to eat bacon with me, but I'm actually here to ask you for help: Which resort should we vacation at? I've been researching all night, and I can barely even narrow it down. I'm obviously digging their Pop Century Resort, what with all of its giant Rubik's Cubes and shit, but that seems to be on the lower end of the spectrum -- maybe we should just save that for a day trip. The Tiki lover in me wants to hit the Polynesian Resort, but I'm a little turned off by the idea of family style eating. The woman seems into all of the wilderness-related resorts, but I'm not sure we'll be able to stomach five nights of that. I know, I know -- the park is the main attraction, but I'm all about a good hotel. If you've had any fairly recent Disney experiences, please share 'em in the comments. Would love to get some ideas from people I can trust. I can trust you, right?

New article or two coming this weekend. Hope you'll be around for the SNT. I think I'll be.

Posted by Matt on 03/23/2006. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 92 comments

I’ve never even been close to going to Disney. :( Sorry I’m of no help. But I think that’s sweet, saying that you can trust us and all. :D

Chestnuts roasted by Ryane @ 03/23/2006 10:44 PM

Pop Century Resort, its bad—ass.

Chestnuts roasted by joe @ 03/23/2006 10:45 PM

Joe, I can’t tell if you’re saying it’s "badass," meaning "good," or "bad…ass," meaning "bad." But that’s what I like about you, Joe. You always keep me guessing.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 03/23/2006 10:48 PM

Caribbean Beach is really nice. It’s one step up (monetarily) from the All-Star Resorts. All of the sections are named after different Caribbean Islands and it’s huge with 5 pools and beaches all over the place. I also stayed at the Beach Club. It’s across from the Boardwalk area and you can walk to Epcot. Very, very nice but also very expensive. I only got to stay there because my friend is a Vacation Club member and used points.

Chestnuts roasted by Y2JB78 @ 03/23/2006 10:48 PM

I’ve never been but the Review the World guy just got back from Disney World, so they could possibly share something. And since I brought you this information in advanced, I get credit on anything he says. I’m giving myself a pat on the back as I type.

Chestnuts roasted by dohopoki @ 03/23/2006 10:59 PM

Maybe I’m just habitual, but I still like the Contemporary. Hot monorail action.

Chestnuts roasted by Kim @ 03/23/2006 11:04 PM

It’s my 19th Birthday today!

I never stayed at a Disney Hotel whenever I went. I assume you want to stay the hell away from that Holiday Inn that got taken over by Nickelodeon as much as possible.

And if you don’t want to associate with Nick at all, don’t go neat the Universal parks.

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 03/23/2006 11:20 PM

My only trip to the sunshine state, and therefore Disney World, came in the form of a high school band trip. Upon eating breakfast in Animal Kingdom I believe, my party and I were attacked by the photogenic Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. The only notable picture is a snapshot of me presenting the Blue Shocker and Disney’s favortie mallard doing likewise.

Long story short: I got Donald Duck to do the Shocker.

Chestnuts roasted by Warx @ 03/23/2006 11:23 PM

stay at coronado springs real nice and private. They have paddle boats, arcade bikes and great food. No werid people sight seeing while you swim or eat. Real nice rooms. I have stayed at many of the resorts and this a real vacation from the crowded parks

Chestnuts roasted by Daniel @ 03/23/2006 11:23 PM

Awesome awesome awesome… it’s so cool to see you want to go to Disney World. I’m 27 and my boyfriend is 28, and we often feel like we’re the only people our age who get excited about it. I’ll share what I know:

I don’t know when you’re planning your trip, but after years of family trips there in June/July, me and the boyfriend went in September a few years back. It blew me away how much better everything was. Ten minute waits for rides, cheaper rooms and tickets, cooler weather, most of the little bastards back in school… so the next time we went in January. That was really good too, but since it’s kinda the off-off-season, quite a few rides were closed. I’d recommend any time that isn’t summer, but the fall’s been the best for us.

Pop Century is a great value, and a hell of a lot better than you’d get paying the same price at a "regular" hotel, but pretty basic for Disney. We were going for economy the time we stayed there, and we weren’t disappointed at all. But my favorite of all time is Port Orleans Riverside. Everything’s sort of tucked away among the trees (in the Bayou section- the other side is done up like antebellum mansions) and you can take a riverboat ride to Downtown Disney for all the nightlife activities. The whole place was romantic and relaxing.

I’ve stayed at the Polynesian with my family and eaten at the Grand Floridian, but they were both so spectacularly fancy that I felt too poor to even be there. I know everyone wears shorts and t-shirts at Disney but I just felt extra-shabby.

passporter.com is a great website to O.D. on Disney stuff.

Chestnuts roasted by Welsh Rabbit @ 03/23/2006 11:44 PM

Oh – you should totally go to the Hooters. Man, they got chicken wings.

Chestnuts roasted by gramsci @ 03/23/2006 11:58 PM

I agree with the Hooters guy.

Chestnuts roasted by Kyle @ 03/24/2006 12:05 PM

We took a trip there this summer. The Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort was more than acceptable. The rooms are pretty standard, but nice, and clean. A couple resturants, pools, gym, etc etc. Shuttles to all the Disney parks and only a few minutes ride to Universal (and if you don’t go to the Universal Islands of Adventure you’ve really missed out. Marvel comics, Dr Suess, and classic cartoon "lands".) It’s also the closest hotel to the Disney Marketplace which has more than enough things to do to kill your nights.

Chestnuts roasted by four50four @ 03/24/2006 12:21 PM

Matt,

I actually just got back from Disney last week–it was awesome! I didn’t have the loot to spring for a Disney resort–although, I agree with you, Pop Century looks too damn cool. We stayed in a pretty cheap hotel we scored off of Travelocity, but the drive to the parks was only 10 minutes or so, so it wasn’t too bad, although rental cars can be a bitch. That’s another plus about the resorts, though, they’ll shuttle you all over the place. No matter what you choose in the end, you’ll have an awesome time!

Chestnuts roasted by Review the World @ 03/24/2006 12:24 PM

Come on, man – don’t you think that you’ll have kids at some point? Isn’t now the time to be going to… I don’t know, Prague or something?

Well, Hooters is cool too, I guess…

Chestnuts roasted by Gunther @ 03/24/2006 12:27 PM

Amsterdam is another option… if not now, then when?

Chestnuts roasted by Gunther @ 03/24/2006 12:30 PM

first of all, hurray for welsh rabbit. what’s up with nobody who was born pre-1980 liking wdw anymore?

if you’re fired up about the wilderness business, wilderness lodge rules. or the cabins at fort wilderness if you want to feel like you’re camping but still have air-conditioning and a bed and showers and a tv etc.

the contemporary, up until a year or two ago, had the most rad arcade in the history of the universe. somehow, there were still 20+ pre-1988 video games there. may hae been replaced by ‘pamela anderson’s slammin and jammin mtn dew fantasy’ by now but you can go and see the spot where the ‘dig-dug’ was from 1982-2005.

Chestnuts roasted by consulatsunset @ 03/24/2006 12:45 PM

I’ve always been a fan of the Wilderness Lodge. The setting is pretty cool if you like the woods…duh. They have a geyser there. I’ve heard that the hotel by Animal Kingdom is pretty cool…you’re supposed to be able to see giraffes and zebras and stuff from your window.

Chestnuts roasted by EtHM @ 03/24/2006 12:52 PM

Unfortunately my experience with WDW is limited to the Travel Channel so about all I know is if it’s Christmas you can go to the Grand Floridian to see the awesome gingerbread house.

Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 03/24/2006 1:30 AM

The wife is determined to visit Disneyland Paris while we are here stationed in Germany.

Oh, and sorry for being a grumpy poster lately. Lack of NFL football on television will do that to a man.

Semper Fi,
Erik Majorwitz

Chestnuts roasted by Erik Majorwitz @ 03/24/2006 4:58 AM

Hey Matt,

Ok, so I’ve been to Disney World like 9 times and I’ve found that you NEED to get a resort in the magic Kingdom area if you want your moneys worth. The pop century resort is cheap because it’s like a 20 minute bus ride to the magic kingdom, which is where you’ll quickly find you spend the most time at. Animal Kingdom is great, MGM is too small, and Epcot’s ok if you’re into learning, but the real reason for a trip to Disney World is for the child like escapism element, which you will achieve in spades at Magic Kingdom. That said, I would suggest the Contemporary Resort, The polynesian, or the Wilderness lodge. Each has their own good things going on. I’ll run it down for ya.

Contemporary Resort — Gay decor, but a 10 minute walk from the park which is really really nice. you don’t want to spend half your trip waiting for the bus at your hotel.

Wilderness Lodge — Great theme at this one, and you can take a boat to the park. It’s got geyser’s and stuff like that behind the hotel and it’s tucked away and cozy.

Polynesian — Always a good bet. Great theme and you are a 5 or 10 minute monorail ride from the magic Kingdom, and you can walk to the transportation center which has quick bus rides and limited monorail service everywhere else.

Grand Floridian — While also within minutes of the magic kingsdom it’s a tremendous waste of money. Avoid.

So anyway, in my humble opinion, these are your best choices for a great time there. The wife and I are going down this december and staying at the wilderness lodge. Hope I was a little bit of a help.

Chestnuts roasted by TC Falcon @ 03/24/2006 8:51 AM

The wilderness lodge is really a nice hotel, and so is the grand floridian (although as stated above, really pricy compared to the others). Over the two I’d say the wilderness lodge is a better value though. Don’t waste your time on the polynesian. I stayed there my last trip and it was a complete fiasco. never had a problem at the GF or WL though.

Chestnuts roasted by Drez @ 03/24/2006 8:56 AM

Sorry Matt, I’ve never been around there so I’m no help. I’m sure will turn out well though. Oh, and I cannot wait for those new articles!

Chestnuts roasted by Les Paul @ 03/24/2006 9:14 AM

Wilderness Lodge is very nice. Would satisfy your lady ( a must) and has many cool amenities. The pool/geyser situation is nice. The trip to the Magic Kingdom is by ferry, which is cool. The lobby is full of huge totem poles and such. I enjoyed it. The Contemporary imho is so outdated it’s to the point of sad, but it does have the monorail running through it..

Chestnuts roasted by mvdb @ 03/24/2006 9:45 AM

Never been, but I agree with your woman. Do what she wants.

Chestnuts roasted by Jessica Marie @ 03/24/2006 9:55 AM

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