WDW Advice
 

To celebrate my younger daughter's graduation from college, we're heading to WDW in May. We're considering hotel options, specifically Animal Kingdom, Grand Floridian, and Polynesian. Is it more important to be on the Monorail line or have a savannah view and fabulous theming at Animal Kingdom? We're thinking Animal Kingdom might be ideal for hubs to hang out 75%of the time.

Any and all advice is welcome.

I don't have any experience with the Grand Floridian, however I have stayed at both AK and the Poly.

For "hanging out" it's a no brainier. AK hands down. You have a freaking safari out your window (assuming a savanna view). Be advised there is really only one savanna at AK lodge, they charge extra for the central "Arusha" view but all the same critters are free wander to any of the locations. So save a few bucks and go with the basic "savanna" view. Also there are feeding stations located all over the savanna, they rotate which one has food all the time so if you don't see any critters when you first arrive panic not. It won't be long before they fill a feed station by you and they show up in doves.

The Poly is a nice place to stay, Tonga toast is one of my favorite things at WDW. It's also a Monorail resort which makes getting to the MK like falling out of bed. When we stayed at the Poly we asked for a room at the far end (Rapa Nui). From there it's a 2min walk to the Transportation and Ticketing center, the hub off all WDW transportation. It made getting to any of the parks a breeze but a longer walk to the Poly pool and restaurant.

I suggest the Motel 6

This may decide us. Thank you, Moonliner. My daughter and her friend will be out and about all the time but Tom and I will be taking it slow and easy, with ample time for Tonga Toast and fireworks viewing.

Their concierge level has really gone downhill, though.

I used to drive, but if you want to take advantage of the better transportation (I hated the bus system), you can monorail from the Poly (which I prefer to the Grand Cal) to the Tragic Kingdom AND to Epcot, and you can boat from Epcot* to the Studio Park. Animal Kingdom is the only one of the major theme parks not part of this cool transport chain.

Then again, I always found it more convenient to just drive everywhere, and the AK Lodge is probably the more fun hotel.


* boats from the Epcot-adjacent (specifically WorldShowcase-adjacent Beach Club.

Which ever you choose, I hope you have a great time Helen!

:snap:

If your dates include May 4 through May 9, let me know.

For what it's worth, I've found AK Lodge to be the most relaxing location... quieter, less people. After about 3 days of hard-parking, I usually need a half day or so to chill and the lodge is great for that.

It's a week later. I really would have enjoyed a meet, Scrooge McSam. If any LoTers find themselves in the vicinity, I'd love to meet you.

We looked at youtubes of the Polynesian and AK last night. You all knew John Lennon signed the paperwork formally ending The Beatles at the Polynesian in '74? That was new to me.

The verdict: Polynesian, requesting Rapa Nui. The monorail decided it for 3/4 of us. The other 1/4 (me) wanted AK. Next time.

If you've been to the luau, what did you think?

Being at Rapa Nui you get easy access to both monorail loops. It's a nice feature.

I have no idea the current state of the Luau, We last did that more than a decade ago, it was great but I drank myself into a stupor on their luau punch.

(Note: It's non-alcoholic just very very sweet and tasty after a long day in the sun)

This is very timely for me, as I'll be heading to WDW in just a few short weeks.

It appears we'll be staying at the Yacht Club (originally thought we were going to be at AK) - looks like close proximity to Epcot (good thing for my first 5K, I suppose, which takes place there) and Hollywood Studios? I can't imagine I'll be at the hotel much, but what was the experience like?

Have a great trip Helen.

Next time I would suggest AKL, my husband had a wonderful time watching animals. He is not really a park guy but having a safari outside the room made it a great trip for him too. Well except for swelling up like the Godfather but he had a safari to entertain him.

Also just to make sure this is clear, the Poly is a Monorail resort so the resort loop trains stop right in the main lobby. Staring from the Poly you go to the Grand Flo and then to the MK. Coming home the stops are Contemporary, TTC, Poly.

From the TTC, you can catch the express train that goes directly to/from the MK.

I hope I can get a chance to greet all you incoming WDW visitors! (Alas, I haven't got park access these days. But I enjoy the odd Downtown Disney or resort visit.)

My advice, of course, is don't miss riding the Walt Disney World Railroad. (The narrator on that train sounds like he must be a complete dreamboat!) :D

I'm not a big fan of any of the food options at Poly (I find Kona Cafe to be a slightly improved Denny's and while the food is fine at Ohana, it has always been an exercise in waiting for when what you want to eat might come around again plus the nature of the experience gives higher odds to being int eh proximity of people who are obnoxiously loud and not controlling their children; have not done the luau but living in Hawaii drilled into me to avoid tourist luaus), but like the hotel.

It strikes me as a better place for just lounging about than AK (though when an animal wanders by that is nice. The beach area is pleasant and not crowded with easy access to amenities.

If you have iPhone/smartphones download the My Disney Experience app. It's recently been updated to include a lot of the menus around the resort, which can come in handy when trying to decide where to eat on short notice.

I haven't stayed at Yacht Club, but have stayed at the Boardwalk, which is across the lake. It is close to the International Gateway of Epcot, so you will have easy walking access from there. You can also take a nice walk to DHS, but it's a little farther. I'll be there for the Goofy, but not doing the 5K. I get in Thursday night. I hope your race goes well!

I hope we can meet up too!

Interesting!

With three full days, what would be your itinerary? We will have that 1 hr. early entry through the Disney card. We will be splitting into two groups: hubs and me (slow and easy) and daughter and her bf (ready to rock the resort).

"Be our guest" is the new in spot, unfortunately it's probably been booked for months perhaps you could sneak in for lunch. I had more fun that I thought I would at the SciFi dine in restaurant. The stone crab claws at Fulton's in downtown Disney where excellent, I like the Cobb salad for lunch at The Hollywood Brown Derby, The Lunching Pad at MK is evil (and not in a good way), Tusker House in AK was meh, Yak and Yeti might be better. At Epcot Coral Reef is cool visually but just OK on food. Nine Dragons was uninspiring, Restaurant Marrakesh was quite tasty.

Note: These impressions are a bit dated, your experience may vary.

MK- one day
Epcot- one day
DS/AK- half day each with AK in the morning so you can actually see animals on the Safari (ride early).

Epcot is really a tough one day park but you can do it if you plan well and don't get bogged down riding/doing things that are better skipped in a time crunch.

IMO, the luau is meh and I agree with Alex about the food at the Poly (unless you have a little kid along...they tend to love Ohana) but overall it is an awesome hotel (the entry really does remind me of some of the hotels in Hawaii- I think it may be the smell). You can watch the MK fireworks from the beach (they pipe the music through their outdoor speaker system).

@blueerica...the Yacht Club is probably my favorite Disney hotel, beating out the AKL because of its proximity to Epcot (and because it is difficult to travel anywhere in the resort from AKL unless you have a car). Yes you are close to DS too. The YC and BC are sister hotels and very similar except YC seems to be more adult oriented, BC more family (kid?) oriented. The YC seems to have a bit more of a laid back vibe to it. I'll be surprised ifyou don't love it.

Belated thanks to all for your advice and a (also belated) trip report!

How I looked forward to this first trip to WDW! (My last visit to a Disney property was the DLR in 2004. Many times, I planned a trip but one thing or another came up to prevent it.) There were four in our group: me, dh a.k.a. Tom, Daughter #2 and her boyfriend. The occasion: celebration of daughter and bf's graduation from college.

The young'uns zipped around while Tom (who was about to undergo open-heart surgery - he's doing fine post-op now) and I took it nice and slow.

Lodging: For us, the Polynesian turned out to be ideal. Atmosphere, transportation, eats - all dreamy. We were in Tuvalu, garden view, near the Luau Cove. Absolutely beautiful room on the 3rd floor. We loved:

• that many guests wore Hawaiian-type clothing because that is what we had planned to do, too.

• the luau. Every aspect exceeded our expectations

Eats: Two highlights besides the luau:

• Brown Derby and their glowing drinks :cheers:

• Plain ol' kid's cone at Ice Cream Corner or whatever it's called. Best place to people watch. Tom and I had ice cream for lunch every day.

Stuff I Didn't Like Much:

• Epcot. Sorry but blech and/or yawn. Don't even get me started on that stupid Viking attraction. The Monsters University overlay on the shrubs was fun, though. Also, I got to speak French with the adorably sweet CM at the Frahhhhhhnce movie and, afterwards, eat a napoléon.

• Concierge service. A family member ordered surprise graduation ears to be delivered to the room. That got royally messed-up but eventually fixed.

• IASW facade looking shabby.

• The way-too-rapidfire and bored delivery of the Jungle Cruise CM. FAIL.

Stuff I Loved:

• The Hall of Presidents. Wow on the animatronics!

• Seeing Carousel of Progress again.

• The Frahhhhhhhhnce movie, esp. the scene with all the beagles.

• The Crocs sandals (True fax, I swear) I bought at Epcot. No blisters the entire trip.

• The parades. I don't know how those CMs do it in that heat but they keep on smiling.

And in conclusion: Disneyland is the original and still the best. WDW fulfilled our tropical dreams and showed us all a really fun time.

Happy Tom is doing well! :snap:

Glad you had a happy at WDW!

What he said. (and Encouraging Recovery Vibes for Tom from one Heart Patient to another.)

Plus: Aren't Crocs the BEST for foot-slogging around a park? I love mine, and my DCA Crocs from 2007 are still going strong. :snap:

Also, I love the Carousel of Progress. I hope they never lose that.

Bear Hugs !!

Visible mojo to Moonliner and Flippy! Thanks for the recovery wishes.

Death before Crocs! bleh!

Glad you had a wonderful trip. We decided we're not Epcot fans either.

I am glad to hear you had a good trip and more importantly that surgery went well.
We didn't enjoy Epcot either but to be fair we only gave it half a day.

I don't hate it.

We need to walk around all the countries next time but we were bored/unimpressed with rides/shows. Of course that was like 10 years ago too. I think there was too many parks to fit in, we prefer Disneyland.

Personally, Epcot doesn't do anything for me and I'd probably never go there alone.

But I am always there with friends and I essentially think of it as the world's longest food court.

I'm actually cheered by all the Epcot hate. IMO, it was destroyed in 1995, and I haven't been back since. From its inception until then, it was my hands-down favorite Disney part - beating out Disneyland even - and I'm happy no one seems to like it anymore.


How's that for curmudgeonly?! :D