Walt Disney World Hotels
 

The Disney World ride thread got me thinking about the hotels at Disney. It is the start of summer, and I am sure there are people on Greek Chat that are planning on going to Disney sometime this year!

Has anyone stayed at any of the Disney hotels when they visited Disney world? What was your experience or favorite hotel?

Growing up only 2 hours away from Disney, we used to go a couple times of year when seasonal passes were cheap (Around 60-80 bucks a person for 4 months). However, we rarely stayed at the hotels.

On a few rare occasions, my parents caved and we made it a longer trip and stayed on property!

I have stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, and the Disney Institute.

I am staying at the Port Orleans-Riverside later this month, but I know nothing about it!

I have also stayed at the Polynesian, I loved it!

My bf's formal was held at the Swan and Dolphin every year and they are gorgeous!

Back in the day I stayed at Old Key West alot, it was so cute and quaint :)

I really dont think you can go wrong with Disney hotel

My family has made it a goal to stay in every Disney hotel, so I've got some insight on the subject. My favorite is the Grand Floridian, but it's on the pricey side. If you're planning on going to the Magic Kingdom, and especially if there are extra magic hours there during your trip that you want to attend, I'd stay at one of the monorail line hotels - Grand Floridian, Contemporary, or Polynesian - since it's way easier getting to and from on the monorail. Coronado Springs is more affordable and has several really awesome pools. The cabins at Fort Wilderness are actually double-wide trailers, but you can sleep like eight people there (assuming you're all good friends). The Yacht and Beach Club Hotels are very nice - I love the nautical vibe. The Swan and Dolphin are not actually owned by Disney - you still get extra magic hours, but they charge $10 per day for self-parking and even more for valet. All other Disney hotels have complimentary self-parking.

If you have any questions about specific hotels, feel free to PM me. And remember, it never hurts to ask about free upgrades at check-in! If they have a better room empty, often they will simply give it to you for the price of the cheaper one. We were at the GF for my birthday/med school graduation, and they upgraded us to one of the tower room suites for free.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is the best! I absolutely LOVE that hotel!

We stayed at the Contemporary, which I thought was great. The fact that the monorail goes right through also helps.

I've always wanted to stay at the Grand Floridian. It's so gorgeous!

Years ago when the Port Orleans Riverside was new my wife and I stayed there one June. We liked it alot. I personally liked staying in a Disney property back then. Took the bus, could charge to the room, have purchases delivered to room, etc... I don't know if they do all that now. In recent years we have gone for off disney condos if we go.

I too, grew up going to Disney several times a year when prices were cheaper! There are so many things about the parks that I loved as a little kid that are no longer there that I get very nostalgic about (Horizons? Dream Flight? Catastrophe Canyon? 20,000 Leagues? RIVER COUNTRY?!)... including some hotels that are no longer! Here is a rundown of the Disney hotels I've stayed at and I can remember off the top of my head:

Coronado Springs: Was here in 2006. The main pool area with a Mayan ruins/pyramid themed pool. I also got a massage at the spa that I really enjoyed. I think it's kind of a quieter resort, it somehow doesn't seem as busy or bustling, maybe that's because it is pretty spread out? We ate at the quick buffet/cafeteria style dining room which was standard/what you'd expect. We also ate at the nice restaurant, which I remember enjoying very much.

Yacht Club I think I stayed here in 2002. This is right next door the the Beach Club, so they are pretty much the same, except for the decor. I really liked the atmosphere here, the pool is right on the lake across from a boardwalk (I believed the Boardwalk Inn is also in this area, somewhere on this lake). There is also an adorable, quaint-in-the-way-only-Disney-can-pull-off "old-fashioned" ice cream parlor. I remember really liking the rooms here. It is very convenient to EPCOT park--there may be a shuttle boat to the park if I remember correctly.

Port Orleans "RIVERSIDE" Okay, I stayed here WAY back when it was called "Dixie Landings" when I was a little kid. I remember really liking it, and that it had a lot of gardens/grounds, not that Disney skimps on landscaping whatsoever, but I just remember it having less concrete than other resorts? I have no idea what it is like now though. My dad fell in the pool with a cup of coffee (and his clothes on) here, which hilarious to my 6 yr old self.

Port Orleans "FRENCH QUARTER" Stayed here when I was really young. It was just called Port Orleans then. I remember a purple dragon waterslide at the pool which was AWESOME, I so hope it's still there. I also remember multi-colored coins in the sidewalk here. Sorry I can't remember anything truly substantial about accommodations. My mom said she remembers liking it, and that it seemed like there were "streets and boulevards, very New Orleans looking, between the buildings of the guest rooms."

Grand Floridian GORGEOUS. Right across from Magic Kingdom. To me, this is THE Disney hotel. It's modeled after the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado (San Diego). They do really good character breakfasts here. You can actually go to the character breakfast without actually staying at the hotel, just call and make a reservation.

Polynesian I stayed here a few times when I was way young, and I remember the cool dinner show, with hula dancers and fire and a variety of dancing, etc. I still have the mini shell necklaces they gave out and over which my best friend and I fought. One of the oldest resorts, built in the 70s. I'm sure it's been remodeled, but I haven't been there in ages. Also right across from Magic Kingdom.

Wilderness Lodge Very Pacific Northwest, ski lodge feel. I remember the rooms feeling a little cramped, but maybe they've been re-done. We've also stayed in Fort Wilderness, where you rent out a cabin or something? or you camp? I don't remember, I think I was 4, and I actually think that this may no longer exist??

Swan and Dolphin 2 separate hotels, but are pretty much next door. I believe that the Swan was designed by the architect Michael Graves (NOT IM Pei...thanks Munchkin03!). The Swan actually has swans on the building, and the Dolphin, ironically, has a fish that kinda look like it fell on its head and looks very uncomfortable. These hotels actually aren't owned by Disney. They are close to EPCOT.

The Contemporary This was another original hotel from the 70s. It's def been refurbished since then. The monorail goes right through the hotel, so it's really convenient. I'm not a big fan of this one though, I just don't think it's cozy. I do enjoy Mary Blair's mural/mosaic though (same artist/art director of Small World, book illustrator, I think she also did the people in the old Mexico river ride in EPCOT).

That's what I can remember off the top of my head. I think the biggest perks of staying at a Disney resort is the convenience/transportation. It also really immerses you in the fantasy/Disney world. The staff really take care of you, not to mention the beauty of the grounds, etc.

Michael Graves designed the Swan and Dolphin; he's gotten a ton of flak from the architecture community about the complex.

Ohhhh you're totally right, I was confusing it with something else I guess (the triangle of the Louvre??? haha ;))

HUGE Disney geek. I miss it dearly...

I've stayed at two on-property hotels- the Polynesian and Coronado Springs. Someday, I'll stay at the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary...

Polynesian- I was fairly young when we stayed here. I got to sleep on the daybed, and the entire room was very cool for a small girl. It's a very laid-back place, but with lots of energy (if that makes any sense).

Coronado- A nice place. The rooms were fine, nothing spectacular. The theming was eh, except in the main building. That building is beautiful and amazing! The pool was neat, and the only thing that stunk was how spread out it was.

And yes, Fort Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge still exist. They're very different places though- one is a deluxe resort (according to Disney) and the other is a campground with cabins!

I've stayed at the Polynesian & Wilderness Lodge.

The Polynesian in my opinion has some of the best fruit and overall food and fruity drinks (that can be served with and without alcohol). I believe they still have a nightly luau.

I agree the Wilderness Lodge seemed to have small/crammed rooms. But at the same time , my father is almost always looking for the cheapest deal so they may have better rooms and ours was a result of dad's cheapness. We ate breakfast there a few times and I really loved how it all came out on a skillet with separate "fixins." They have (or atleast used to) their own version of Old Faithful that goes off every hour too by the pool area.

I've been three times. I've had a blast all three times. I would recommend going in the winter months though if you can. The lines tend to be shorter then and the heat and humidity are not as bad to walk around or stand in the lines. Have lots of fun :)

I swear that if we go again, it'll either be in October for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party or in early December, for our anniversary. We've done the latter twice and it was great; 70 degrees, no lines, and all decorated for Christmas. We went one about December 15th, though, and almost froze our butts off. AXOAlum has me all fired up about the idea of an October visit.

I'm from south Texas but the heat last week in Orlando was awful.

The first Disney hotel I stayed at was the Polynesian. I loved being on the Monorail, and our room was just feet from the main lobby. I love this hotel.

My husband bought me a trip to Disney while we were still dating and tried to impress me by putting us in the Grand Floridian since I have always loved how this hotel looks. We were in a concierge room. Needless to say, this was my LEAST favorite resort. It was very BLAH and way over rated.

I've now stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge twice. The first time, we got a Savannah room which was awesome. You could sit on the balcony and watch giraffes walking around grazing. The second time, last October, the Savannah rooms were under renovation so we stayed in a pool side room. The hotel is really nice. I love the animals around the hotel. Their breakfast buffet is phenomenal and different than the typical Mickey Mouse shaped waffles!

I agree that the Wilderness Lodge rooms are really cramped especially if you choose to have a bunk bed inside! That was the last Disney hotel I stayed at, so I will have to compare the Riverside room to its size next weekend! However, I loved the theme of the hotel and the fact that there was a water shuttle to the Magic Kingdom! You could also hop on the Monorail to Epcot and that was always fun! A little tip, you can ask to ride in the front of the Monorail! Sometimes you have to wait, but it is usually not that long! They used to have people running it when I was a little kid and they would tell you all about the hotels and fun Disney trivia. I think they have phased out the driver, but it is still a great view in the front!

I don't remember much about the Polynesian except that I was very little, they left gold chocolate coins on the beds (I thought that was so cool!), you could see the fireworks from the rooms, and you could walk to the front Disney gate. By front gate I mean the one everyone comes in to take the ferry or monorail to the main park. I think you can walk to the actual park from the Contemporary. Just a note, apparently they have built a new hotel called the Bay Tower with Suites right new to the Contemporary.

I have a lot of friends who go stay at the camping grounds bring there own campers. if you have one, 50-60 bucks plus a hook up fee is not that much! I have heard the cabins are nice for large families are two small families sharing! They have a small kitchen (I think). They are also just a short walk from the Wilderness lodge so you can also use the water taxi to the park.

I have apparently stayed at the Disney Institutes a bunch of times when I was little (so my parents inform me), but it has changed names a bunch of times over the years and I have no idea what it is called now. I remember it looking like an apartment complex from the 80s that had a bedroom and a living room.

Does anyone know of any Disney hotels that have closed or changed over the years? I am such a history buff! lol!

The very first time we went to Disney World in 1984 (I was four...so that was 25 years ago!!) we stayed at the Contemporary. The fact that the monorail went through the hotel was so cool to me as a youngest. I would just stand and watch it for a while go in and out (I also apparently wouldn't get on one that wasn't pink or purple!).
I don't know if they still have it, but back then they had a movie theatre there that showed a Disney movie (we saw Peter Pan which at that time hadn't had it's 'every 7 year run' yet so I had never seen it--remember those days when they all still came out in the theater???).
We went in February--that is REALLY the best time to go. It was cold (there are pics of me in sweats and a vest) but there were virtually no lines. Much to my parents' chagrin we rode "It's a Small World" 3 times in a row!

I went to Disney World another 3 times (1986, 1988, 1992) in October while my Dad had business but stayed off-site where his meetings were until...

2007 when I convinced my folks to go back there for my 'last Winter Break ever' while I was in my last year of Law School. We stayed at the Boardwalk Inn. It is across the lake from the Yacht Club/Beach Club. You can take a Water Taxi to Epcot or walk (it wasn't far) and they had bus service to all of the other parks and the Animal Lodge. I was impressed by the Disney bus system--very easy and almost always on time!
We loved the Boardwalk Inn; we had a suite that was very nice and it had a small kitchen in it so that we were able to buy some groceries (they had a convenience store on the Boardwalk; wasn't too expensive) to have breakfast in the room or a snack. The Boardwalk itself had a couple of cute shops and a very nice restaurant (The Flying Fish) that my Dad loved. My parents were always a little critical of Disney food from our first ventures and were pleasantly surprised by that restaurant as well as the one in the Animal Lodge that we went to (not the buffet, the other one; I can't remember the name of it). They were both fantastic! I highly recommend the Boardwalk especially if you don't have little kids who need to spend most of their time at the Magic Kingdom. We did all of the parks, but many times walked over to Epcot for dinner as the way you walk into Epcot from there was to be near all of the International restaurants.