So as I said, I love kids, but am getting away with two best friends for an adults week in Disney. Which resort has less little one over all…Contemporary or Grand Floridian? I know I am going to Disney and that is home to the little ones, I go to Disneyland regularly, but for down time at the resort, which will have a more “serene” atmosphere? I just with the Contemporary rooms were in the Grand Floridian, but that would make no sense.
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I would say GF since Chef’s Mickey’s is at CR! Wait- 1900 PF at GF- never mind 
I would do Grand. BTW - no need to apologize - sometimes we all need an adult only break.
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Adult only trips are awesome! Have you considered AKL? I know you’re thinking animals, zoo, lots of kids, but honestly I never noticed any kind of real crowds. The entire place has this sort of peaceful zen quietness that I loved! There is also the access to the awesome food, most of which is more popular with adults than kids.
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I have…but it seems just too removed from the other parks. I definitely plan to spend a full day there and there are some restaurants on my to do list at AKL. If Avitar World of Pandora is open at that time I may just have to reconsider.
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Yes many have that concern. I see good reviews of the buses from that resort, however, we always drive because I despise the buses lol. Driving is a cinch no matter which resort you’re at.
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Of the two you listed, I would definitely go with the GF; it’s MUCH more attractive than the sterile CR, the pool is much prettier, and you’ve got 3 top-of-the-line restaurants there. But I have to echo @Outer1 in that AKL always feels “quiet” and restful, and is, IMHO, the most beautiful of all the resorts in WDW. And you have Jiko and Sanaa (two of my favorite WDW restaurants) right there.
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And here I was debating between two resorts…and now its THREE!!!
LOL. Thank you for the advise.
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Rent a car…Duh!..well now it has gone from a toss up between two resorts to a conundrum of Three. Ok Ok I’ll look. Great advise. Thank you.
I would agree that the Contemporary is very bland. It’s the vanilla yogurt of Disney Resorts lol. Everything is grey and/or white. Huge areas of the resort are barren too except for a big grey couch here or a big white couch there…
Then again Grand Floridian feels like an old folks home to me so it’s a tough call. I think what sways me most is given the price of Deluxe resorts I want to love the resort, if I’m only paying that kind of money for location I think I’d feel a little cheated.
AKL aside my next choice would be BC/YC whichever is cheaper. They are connected so really they feel the same to me. Some say YC feels more grown up but I don’t notice a huge difference. The fact that you can walk to Epcot for all that good food and jump on a boat to HS is also a big plus. Of course you also get Stormalong Bay which is easily the best regarded pool on site.
Wilderness lodge also has a similar vibe to AKL but a lot more Western hunting lodge than peaceful Africa lol.
And seriously once you drive you’ll have a hard time making yourself wait 20 mins for a bus full of stinky sweaty people lol.
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Oh one other thing. I noticed in another post you said this was your first trip in many years. If you are set on staying deluxe I always recommend looking into DVC point rental. It can literally save you hundreds a night on those rooms.
Check out How It Works - DVC Rental Store for info about the process. That’s the broker we use and they are great.
Also you should be aware that the first weekend in November is the Wine and Dine half marathon which will impact crowds a decent amount and you will want to book something as early as possible as the availability for that weekend disappears pretty quickly.
For adults only I think I’d go BW, for the close proximity to EP & HS. Second choice AKL.
So here is a thought - Have you thought of either the Waldorf or the Four Seasons. Yes (I know don’t throw sticks and stones) they are not OFFICIAL resorts - but they are on property, close to things and may give you the adult to child ratio you are looking for. If you are getting a car anyway - it may be worthy of your consideration.
Thank you so much for this link. It seems too good to be true. I can get a one bedroom villa at Bay Lake Tower…Cheaper than a lagoon room view at the GF. Seriously?!!
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Yea… seriously lol. The only real roadblock to renting points is that it all depends on availability. And you might find it sticky to get a booking that particular week because of the half marathon. Of course you could always book one through that Thursday by renting points and then get a cash room for the weekend. Give you a chance to try out more than one resort. Some people put in requests and a DVC member picks it up in a couple of days and sometimes you wait two months and the availability dries up before you get a match to a member. That’s what happened to us this year … but i’m not bitter lol. It really is the most cost effective way to go though. And you can easily rent a car for the difference in price.
I was looking at last week of October, checking out on the 29th, but its the Halloween Party in MK and they close at 7 and it’s Wine and Food at Epcot which could be a mad house in the pavilion as a couple of my dining hopefuls are there…but I’d have the Drunk and Snack festival happening in November too, so…
Just because you aren’t taking kids don’t discount the Halloween party. It isn’t just for kids. Since you book all of your reservations six months out eat in Epcot during F&W isn’t a problem. The kiosks will be where the crazy crowds and long lines are. And that’s mostly the area between future world and world showcase. But also don’t dismiss F&W, there is some amazing food and drinks to be had, not to mention all of the special events you could book like the tequila lunch or the regional french lunch.
I wasn’t thinking off site, but without kids I would look into it. Disney Springs would be a nice place to stay if you didn’t have to think about nap times.
I just want to add some insight into the AKL buses. AKL does not share transportation with any other resorts. I have timed buses for my last three trips. The longest trip is always MK with that ride between 16-20 minutes. My bus from Poly to HS last month was 24 minutes. Poly and GF share buses.
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Um…well it is my vacation…I just might take me some nap time.
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