Now that I have discovered this forum, I need feedback on DVC accommodations. I have a huge credit with Davids Vacation Rental and need to book soon for next May. I am traveling with my husband, two adult daughters, and a 7 year old grand daughter. None of us has been to Disney before. My husband hates crowds. My grand daughter loves rides and anything glitzy. I really want a kitchen as have special dietary needs. We will be at Magic Kingdom most of the time (5 nights). Grand Floridian is several thousand more than what we were anticipating but could do it if it’s worth it. Wilderness seems too far away from Magic Kingdom? We were going to to Polynesian but I think the kitchenettes might be limiting. Feedback appreciated since our first and only visit.
I love the Wilderness Lodge and if those thousands of dollars for GF don’t seem worth it to you, you will probably be perfectly happy if you choose WL! The only drawback is that you need to take a ferry as opposed to monorail / walk from GF. But it’s not far and the ferry is quick / generally short wait.
For GF you are paying for location as much as quality. I mean, the rooms are very nice but you pay a hefty premium on space.
I too would go with Wilderness Lodge since you can get a 1 bedroom with a full kitchen (or larger). You also could get Bolder Ridge or Copper Creek.
Wilderness Lodge has a boat that goes directly to/from Magic Kingdom. It is one of the best transportation available.
Is Bay Lake Tower not an option?
I don’t know anything about Bay Lake Tower except it looks kind of like an office park building.
If Wilderness should I request Boulder Creek or Copper Creek? I heard Boulder was scheduled to be upgraded but don’t know when.
I definitely need a two bedroom. I am a terrible traveler. Princess and the Pea is my nickname. The rest of my family very laid back. I am 69. That’s why I was wondering if GF might be worth it for me.
Copper Creek can be very hard to book (grand Floridian too). I think Poly is way too small and no kitchen.
I think Bay Lake would give you an extra bathroom?
oh I will look into that.
Did this link not post above?
Boulder Ridge
Just in case this is your first choice and it becomes available
I’ve never been in any of those rooms, but wanted to add that if your DH hates crowds, he probably won’t like the Poly. Mine does as well, and the Poly lobby is very crowded and congested, so he hated it. We walked in thinking that it would be a “wish list” resort for us, and walked out convinced we would never want to stay there.
WL on the other hand is spacious and peaceful and lovely. And the ferry ride to MK isn’t that bad. Kind of an opportunity to decompress.
WL definitely has more space for the crowd to spread out in the lobby, but since your room is in a totally dishwasher building at Poly, if you’re not shopping or dining then there’s not much reason to be in lobby except to get the monorail. The downside of that is that if it’s rainy then you’re walking to your building in the rain… that’s one of the main reasons I prefer BLT and WL in the MK area.
I don’t personally think GF is worth thousands more than WL. Being on the monorail is nice, but when I stated there we took the boat to and from MK just as often as the monorail. Like Poly you’ll be in a separate building from the services, though I feel like the DVC building at GF might have a covered walkway to the main building.
The thing people often forget about the Poly is that it is the worst hotel in the entire world.
So then the next question is Boulder or Copper Creek?
With my current situation GF would be one thousand more than WL. So that didn’t seem like too much since the whole trip is ridiculous anyway, moneywise
David’s will need to find an owner with enough points to secure the rental. Copper Creek has more points out there because of the cabins and might be easier to book. With five of you, that would be my first choice. The rooms are in the main building, it has two great pools, multiple dining options, and the boat transportation to MK. If you need to offer three choices I would pick BR next, and GFV last. I prefer the pools at WL to GF and I think overall the dining works better for families at the lodge (my opinion only-save the money).
After 2 nights at gf feeling like the people in the room next to me were shouting in my ear, I would never ever consider staying here again.
I did not have that issue in a studio. I love the lobby of the GFVs.
This is what I hear. I would def not rule out the dvc side. I’m wondering if the main lobby rooms have the same issue as the outer buildings
I don’t remember there being a particular noise issue in either of the regular rooms we had at GF. Did you maybe just have really loud neighbors?