I’m starting to plan our anniversary trip to WDW and need some help. I have a Magic Key at DL so go there frequently but been to WDW only 5 times, last time 2021. My DH has only been once in 1997. I’ve always stayed at a value resort, with Pop Century being my favorite. My DH wants to stay at AKL, but I know we can’t afford to stay there the entire week. So we will be doing a split stay, but I’m not sure where else we should stay. I thought about staying at Pop Century again, but decided to try a moderate resort. What’s your favorite moderate resort?
Also, we are planning on going sometime mid-January to early March. Anything I should know about that time that might affect the week we select? Thanks
It sounds like you are planning an amazing trip! I would stay away from President’s week. That include President’s day weekend and the following weekend The week ends with the Princess Marathon. I would also check the calendar for Mardi Gras. MLK weekend might be harder too.
I honestly don’t think you can go wrong with a moderate. I would suggest Port Orleans French Quarter, just for the central location and small size. Have you considered Swam/Dolphin? It is located in the Boardwalk Area and you can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It is often the same price/cheaper than a moderate. I would also suggest DVC point rentals/confirmed reservation if you lock in your dates. Although there is not flexibility or cancellation of DVC.
Skyliner usually has refurbishment in January, but only a week or so. Late March early April is great for weather, the Flower and Garden festival and possibly Easter activities and displays. February has Festival of the Arts. Have fun planning!
Just went through the same exercise recently for our trip. researched the moderates quite a bit and also have stayed at both Riverside and Caribbean beach.
We landed on POFQ. It is highly regarded by most and had a lot of the same things we loved about our previous stay at Riverside and solved some of the things I didn’t like about Riverside (size and bus stops). I also liked having access to Riverside and plan to spend one of our free days there. If you want a smaller, more intimate resort with a single bus stop POFQ is a great choice. Also has a nice boat ride to Springs when water levels are high enough, at your time of year that could be an issue though.
Caribbean beach is also a great option for moderates IMO. I have stayed here pre and post skyliner. IMO, the skyliner is a game changer for this resort as it has the same negative for me as Riverside, the internal bus system can be a pain. The renovations here are great as well. I will say, I think the atmosphere is a pretty lively and does not have the peaceful tranquility that I loved about Riverside. From reviews, sounds like FQ would fall closer to Riverside in this regard. For a 50th anniversary trip, not sure CB is the best vide from the moderates.
Going to come down to personal preference, but POFQ may be worth a look for you.
Disney has different weekend pricing for lodging than for weekday nights. Maybe try to plan your AKL stay to avoid the more expensive nights.
We did a 50th wedding anniversary trip in 2022. A couple months early cuz DH was 86 and while in good health, you never know. He wore his Celebration pin every day and had a great time.
I would recommend a preferred room at Alligator Bayou in Port Orleans Riverside. Ask for bldg 15. You’ll be very close to the main bus stop, the food court, table service restaurant and the lounge with occasional live entertainment - Yahoo Bob. Boat service links you to the sister resort French Quarter, and to Disney Springs. These handy amenities can make resort time a memorable part of your celebration.
If either of you are military veterans you may want to consider this
I’m booked at Shades of Green in December. Been trying to get in there for years.
Otherwise, we like the crowd levels in late January - early February. Looking at 2025, you could book to arrive 25 or 26 January with your last few days at AKL, departing maybe 31 January. Book early!
My DH was not as much of a Disney fan as I am. I realized he particularly liked eating and chatting with anyone. So my plans mostly centered on a good table service meal daily, with plenty of opportunity to rest on a bench, having conversation with whomever. He rode two rides that week. Flight of Passage being the one that stuck with him.
I’m excited that y’all get this opportunity. We saw two other couples also celebrating 50th anniversaries.
Congrats on the upcoming 50th! We’re just a handful of years behind you.
If you can handle walking up and down a flight of steps each time you’re at the hotel, then feel free to pick anything. But be aware that POR AB and CBR are the two that have no elevators in their buildings (their buildings are all 2-story). Otherwise, you would need to request - and get - the ground floor. POR Magnolia Bend has elevators because they are 3 stories. POFQ and CSR have elevators, as well as all the values and deluxes.
DH and I have stayed at POFQ multiple times. As others have said, it’s smaller, with one bus stop, and an easy boat ride to DS. I like the decor of the building exteriors and the resort layout is easy to navigate due to it’s straighter layout and a bit more open greenery than POR (I get tangled there)…
POFQ was our go-to resort choice until Pop was renovated with queen beds. Plus the skyliner! Now we stick with Pop.
My DH isn’t really into Disney, but he wants to go to WDW because he knows I love Disney. He’s had some recent health issues but is improving but I know he won’t be doing many rides. I’m also planning on eating at more TS restaurants than I normally do, and taking it slower than normal.
This is exactly our situation. I gave serious thought to how to make a special celebration. Hawaii, Alaska, revist some of our favorite National Parks. His age and cognition eventually led me to ask him what he wanted to do. Almost immediately he said Disney. Because he knew I like to go there.
However, this worked right into his liking to eat and chat with people. We had breakfast several mornings in a row at his favorite breakfast restaurant - Cape May. He said it was his best Disney trip ever.
I actually decided to celebrate every month with a special meal for a year. It took 50 years to get to 50, so why only one celebration.
Congrats on your 50th! I’m going to throw in another vote for Port Orleans, either FQ (unique atmosphere like NOLA, smaller, and beignets!) or Riverside (beautiful grounds, I was surprised how much I liked it when we finally stayed last winter! But the internal bus system can be a pain.).
Swan/Dolphin is a great option too though, you can often get a very decent deal and it comes with deluxe on-site benefits and boat service to 2 parks. No hiking to your building when coming back tired from the parks. If rates are comparable I’d choose Swan for the better bathroom layout.
Maybe we were lucky, we’ve requested ground floor many times and gotten ground floor. Disney has also been very helpful when requesting accessible rooms.
I’ve long wanted to stay at French Quarter and am familiar with the food amenities there.
On a 50th wedding anniversary trip I would opt for Riverside because of more choice of places to eat.
The week we spent at Alligator Bayou, bldg 15 was very easy bus wise, as we used the main bus stop. This stay was not our 50th.
Our resort for our 50th was Saratoga Springs. Our bldg was mere steps away from the second bus stop. For food court and restaurant availability, Riverside might be ahead of Saratoga Springs. (Discounting the proximity of Disney Springs.)
Decided to shorten the trip and stay AKL, savanna view room for the entire stay. Just booked the room plus 3 day PHs. Shortened the trip because DH would not have been up to original plan, so this will be better for us. This is a soak up the atmosphere trip rather than ride everything trip, so a much slower pace than I normally would do, but I’ll be doing it with my DH! Very excited! Just 189 days!
