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Thread: Where to stay (Want to try somewhere new?)

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    New England, USA

    Where to stay (Want to try somewhere new?)

    Hi all -

    I'm looking for feedback of the different Villa Delux resorts. Our travel grow consists of 7 people. Myself, my husband, our 4yo daughter, our 2yo twins and my parents. We currently prefer the Saratoga Springs resort Tree Houses due to the cost effectiveness of the resort (3 bedrooms for the price of 2), the pools, the proximity to downtown, the privacy of the tree houses, and the amenities the deluxe villas offer. We LOVE our tree houses but want to try some of the other Disney resorts. i'm trying to figure out how to shuffle our family so everyone is not only comfortable but that the grandparents have easy access and a nice way to watch the kiddies. I'm unfortunately thinking we'll have to do like an adjoining 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom villa somewhere. Is that possible?

    What other deluxe resort villas have "you all" stayed at? Bay lake? Boardwalk? Beach club? I'm interested in ease of accessibility to Magic Kingdom and Epcot especially as they are our favorites. (MK for the kiddies and EP for the Adults!).

    Thank you friends !


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  3. #2
    Read Everything-Assume Nothing GusMan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    Chicago Area
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    I have stayed at a 2BR at the BWV and it was the reason why I joined DVC. Great proximity to Epcot and the rooms are very nice with a lot to do in the surrounding area. Not to mention a great pool area.

    I stayed at a 1 BR at BLT as well, and while it is nice, I think BWV has more around the resort to enjoy.

    The living room in the 1BR at the standard/deluxe 1BR at the AKV and the 1BR at BLT will include a sofa sleeper and a sleeper chair. Its possible that this is also an option at the VGF as well. So you and your family can be in the master bedroom and the living room for sleeping and the grandparents can be in either a studio next door or the next room in a dedicated 2 BR, depending on where you choose.

    Ease of accessibility to both MK and Epcot is going to be a trade off. While the Mono access to Epcot is nice while at BLT, it still takes quite a while since you have to transfer at the TTC. The opposite is somewhat true if staying at an Epcot resort. You will have some give and take when it comes to features and activities and ease accessibility to both parks.

    Now, I just mentioned those two areas as options, but I think the other DVC resorts also feature some great options as well. In fact, I think OKW has some of the best transportation around and the rooms tend to be a bit bigger due to the design.

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  4. #3

    We stayed at Kidani Village a couple months ago. We had a 2br suite w/ Savannah view. Our traveling party was my wife and I, her parents, a sister and her daughter (2), and a brother-in-law and his son (5). It has a very long balcony, that stretches across 3 rooms, so we had a nice view of the animals. We were on the 2nd floor of rooms, which is 1 floor above the lobby.

    It was nice to have 3 full bathrooms (the master bath is huge.. complete with a large walk in shower and jet hot-tub). The kitchen is on the small side (smaller than the 1br suite we stayed in at SSR last year), but it does the job.

    It has a nice pool with a splash park for the kids and a workout center.

    It doesn't have a QS place, and the gift ship is pretty small and limited selection, and gets crowded when more than a couple of people are in there, but there is a shuttle or it is not too long of a walk to Jambo House.

    There is only 1 bus stop. Kidani is the first stop from the parks, and it stops at Jambo House on the way to the parks.

    If those in the group have an interest in the animals, it is worth a try. There are several viewing areas where you can relax and watch the animals if you don't have a Savannah view room.

    The grounds are well manicured (as you would expect from Disney) as is the decor. It is on the dark side, since wood plays a prominent feature. It isn't the bright color/airy feel of some of the other resorts.


  5. #4

    I've stayed at (and toured) several DVC properties over the years, and have these impressions:

    Boardwalk: really convenient to Epcot, and I love the Luna Park pool
    Beach Club: even more convenient to Epcot, and an even better pool
    Saratoga Springs: great accommodations, usually at better rates than the two properties listed above.
    Old Key West: one of the earliest DVC properties, refurbished completely a couple of years ago, and the villas tend to be a bit more spacious than their newer counterparts. Like the location, the pools, and the dining there a lot.
    Animal Kingdom: These villas get my nod for the most beautiful theming, even without a view, but the view...ooh!
    Wilderness Lodge: I like the theming here, and the boat-ride convenience to the Magic Kingdom.
    Bay Lake Tower: If you want the immersive gotta-be-in-the-magic-all-the-time feeling, nothing beats the theme park view.

    Mary@MasterpieceTravels.com

  6. #5
    Registered User ericles's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Maryland's Eastern Shore

    We've stayed at three DVC resorts - Boardwalk, Wilderness & Beach Club:
    Boardwalk & Beach Club thoughts - well you will be hard pressed not to find a better pool area for the kiddos than the Beach Club. We love the ability of being able to walk to both EPCOT & Studios from both of these resorts. That being said we have stayed at both either with teenagers or without kids at all. We are the type of folks who don't find a 20 minute walk to Studios to be any sort of problem HOWEVER we aren't touring with little ones or strollers or older parents so our view may be a bit different than yours. There are boats that take you from the lake area to either the Studios or EPCOT, however we've never tried them. We've done studio rooms only at these two resorts.
    Wilderness Lodge - we really enjoyed our stay here. We had a 1 bedroom villa for this stay, which was nice. Full Kitchen, washer & dryer. Nice pool area, boat to MK, walkway to Wilderness campground area, beachy area as well. It's a feeling of a slower pace, and it's a good place (in my opinion) if you are looking for a more chilled out atmosphere. If memory serves me correctly, you can enjoy the electrical water parade from the beach area.

    Good luck with your planning!


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