We currently have reservations at the Wilderness Lodge (concierge level) for Nov 30th -Dec 4th. We are considing changing our resort to either the Grand Floridain or the Boardwalk. Question is this...Is the Wilderness Lodge worth the extra money or would we be happier at the Grand Floridian or Boardwalk? It will be me, my best friend , her husband, and her kids (12 yr son, 4 yr daughter).

I love the Boardwalk. I love the atmosphere and the ability to jump out of your room to enjoy the night life there. The ability to walk to either Epcot or DHS is great

I love the Boardwalk. I love the atmosphere and the ability to jump out of your room to enjoy the night life there. The ability to walk to either Epcot or DHS is great


This is a good point. Which park will you be visiting the most? Me personally I would rather stay at the Wilderness Lodge than the GF. I would also rather stay at the Poly over the GF. But the Boardwalk is an excellent choice for the reason MJMcB stated above. I although I do have to admit that it's kinda neat staying in a Monorail resort.

The GF is "posh," but to me the theming is just a bit bland.

If you remove the extra expense of concierge level, the WL should be significantly less expensive than the other Deluxe resorts you mention. I considered staying concierge once, but decided against it, mostly because I did not think we would, necessarily be around enough to take advantage of the food. I love the WL, and enjoyed our two stays there more than I did two stays at the Contemporary. If you will be spending more time at the MK, it is worthwhile. You can take the boat to the MK, and then you also have easy access to the Epcot monorail from there. I've stayed at the Beach Club Villas, but not the Boardwalk. If you will be spending more of your time at Epcot, it's an easy walk from the Boardwalk.

The only reason we booked the concierge level at WL is because there are 5 of us and we could not get a regular roo there because of that. We will probably be spending most of our time at MK and EPCOT. So being on the monorail line might be better for us.

The only reason I would stay at the GF would be the timing of when you are going. The Christmas decorations and the Gingerbread house are fabulous. However, IMHO the rooms need some work and are not worth the money. We stayed there in 2005 at about the same time you are going and my son (who was 5 at the time), wanted to see the Gingerbread house everyday - but that was the only reason it was worth it for us. You can always make a special trip by Monorail to see the decorated lobby.

If you want to be near MK, I would do Poly if you can get it and my second choice would be Wilderness Lodge. If you want to be near Epcot, my first choice would be Beach Club and second Boardwalk.

Not to sound out of it..but what is IMHO?

IMHO is an acronym for "In my humble opinion."

Thanks

The only reason we booked the concierge level at WL is because there are 5 of us and we could not get a regular roo there because of that. We will probably be spending most of our time at MK and EPCOT. So being on the monorail line might be better for us.

Have you considered booking two connecting rooms, rather than one at concierge level? That way you would have a lot more space, and two bathrooms, for 5 people. A few years ago, we were taking some family members and we had two connecting rooms at the WL. We had a great time there, and, having stayed there twice, I consider it a great value. The kids loved taking the boat to the MK, and they loved the pool as well. We are DVC members now, and, last summer, we booked a date night dinner for two at Artist's Point, and enrolled our kids in the kid's club there while we ate. As DVC members, we are permitted to use the pools at most of the DVC resorts (there are DVC villas at the WL), and we came early and used the pool there, before dinner. I enjoy the atmosphere of the WL so much, I look forward to staying at the villas some time. Wasn't able to book it for our trip in June, but we will be staying at the Animal Kingdom villas, and that is also a great "lower tier Deluxe" hotel.

I love, love, love the boardwalk. I would HIGHLY recomend staying there for anyone! I have never been to the wilderness lodge though. My aunt and uncle stayed there, they thought the pool was too small and did not care for the resort. You really have to think about how much time you will be in your room. I would upgrade to the boardwalk in a heartbeat, but that's just me!

Re-reading your original post, what you really have is a family of four, and you. I assume the plan is to share a room, to save money, and, by sharing, to be able to afford to upgrade to a Deluxe room. Because there are five people, with no infants, you really are exceeding the occupancy if you try to fit five in one room, in most room categories, at most resorts. Your current option gives you some "free" food, which is nice, but not a lot of extra room space. I have a suggestion, that would give your party enough space, and privacy, at a resort you would enjoy. Wait until the Annual Passholders rates are announced, and then book two rooms at whatever Deluxe is available, at the best rate. Then one adult in your party buys an AP, and shows it when you check in. The discounts are quite significant, and that also allows you to purchase a Disney Dining Experience card, which gives you a 20% discount on your table service meals, including alcoholic drinks. We used the DDE card for our last, short trip, and it paid for itself in a couple of days, and we still have it to use in June. In the meantime, you can book two rooms whereever you want, or keep your current reservation, and change the reservation when the AP rates come out. I really like the Boardwalk area, also, and we will be staying at the Beach Club villas for a couple of days in June, but I think the OP will be very happy at the WL, or one of the monorail resorts.

The only reason we booked the concierge level at WL is because there are 5 of us and we could not get a regular roo there because of that.
I think there are junior suites available at WL that will sleep 5 or 6, I believe - and if I recall correctly, you do not need to be on the concierge floor for them either. (Someone can correct me if I am wrong.)

I think there are junior suites available at WL that will sleep 5 or 6, I believe - and if I recall correctly, you do not need to be on the concierge floor for them either. (Someone can correct me if I am wrong.)

I was just reading about the suites on another site, and it appears that the suites are not,or are not all, on the concierge floor. The Junior Suites are around 500 sq. feet, and, from the description are somewhat like a 1 bedroom DVC villa, but without the kitchen, laundry facilities, or soaking tub. There is a bedroom with two beds, and a living room with a fold-out couch. The concierge rooms don't sound any different from a standard room. The Junior Suite sounds like a reasonable option, if you have more than 4 people. I don't think all the other Deluxe hotels offer Junior Suites, so if you don't want to go with two rooms, this may be the only choice. The Beach Club and Boardwalk have DVC villas, which is an option, but the one-bedroom units have one king-size bed, and the fold out couch, and only sleep up to four people. You would have to get a two-bedroom unit, and that would be expensive, if you are paying Disney as a non-DVC owner.

Thank you all for the information. We were told by a CM (at the reservation center) that those rooms are only on the concierge floor. With that...we did decide to look at other resorts and have decided to stay in a cabin at Fort Wilderness. Obviously it is not a deluxe resort...it just didn't seem feesible to pay all that money for some free food all day long. We have found that we will have so much more room in the cabin anyway.

Thanks again!!!

Thank you all for the information. We were told by a CM (at the reservation center) that those rooms are only on the concierge floor. With that...we did decide to look at other resorts and have decided to stay in a cabin at Fort Wilderness. Obviously it is not a deluxe resort...it just didn't seem feesible to pay all that money for some free food all day long. We have found that we will have so much more room in the cabin anyway.

Thanks again!!!

That sounds like a very reasonable plan. You can also prepare some of your own meals, which is a time and money saver. You will have a great time.

I agree. I think that was a smart way to go!