Hi, everyone! Welcome back, once again! I’m so happy to have you here. In today’s post I will be ranking my top three favorite resorts out of the resorts I’ve stayed at in Disney World. But, first, we have two special occasions to talk about. First, we need to take a moment of silence for the fact that yesterday was the last day of my all-time favorite fireworks show Happily Ever After. If you’ve never seen it, you need to. I’m serious. Right now. I’ll even provide you with a link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bN5b11H4_s
Now that you’ve watched that and probably cried like I do every time I watch it, let’s talk about the second special occasion happening today– Disney’s 50th birthday! Happy Birthday Disney World. If you look at the picture on the main screen of my blog, you’ll see how the castle is decorated for the 50th. Pretty cool, right!
Ok, ok, let’s get into the real reason for this post: The resorts.
I have stayed in six of the deluxe resorts in Disney, The Grand Floridian, The Polynesian, The Beach Club, The Yacht Club, The Wilderness Lodge, and The Boardwalk Villas, but keep reading to find out my three favorites!
1- The Polynesian: The Poly is my absolute favorite resort. I love the aesthetic and the vibe and just everything about it. This resort is part of the Magic Kingdom resorts, which means it is on the Magic Kingdom side of Disney World. The Polynesian has a theme just as the name suggests– it is polynesian. Everything is made from dark wood and the lobby building is called the Great Ceremonial House as that is what a Polynesian tribe would call their main house. Recently, the resort was rethemed to look like it is something out of the movie Moana, but I have not been able to stay there since then. I love the restaurant at this resort called Ohana. Ohana is a meal with skewers and family-style appetizers. There are also shows, limbo, and coconut races during the dinner. The Poly also has a monorail stop connected to the Great Ceremonial House and a boat off the back of the resorts to take guests to the Magic Kingdom. Overall, this resort and the atmosphere is just a ton of fun.
2- The Grand Floridian: The Grand Flo is a very close second for me. This is probably the resort I have stayed at the most. This resort is also on the Magic Kingdom side and has stunning views of Cinderella Castle from some of its rooms. The Grand Flo is themed after the Victorian era with everything very light and airy and dainty. The resort itself is completely white with an iconic red roof. There are multiple restaurants there, but my personal favorite is 1900 Park Fare. At this restaurant, guests can eat a delicious meal while being visited by some of their favorite characters, such as Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, and the Evil Stepsisters. The Grand Floridian also has a killer pool with a super fun splash area for kids and an awesome water slide into a zero-entry pool. Like the Polynesian, this resort also has a monorail stop connected to its main lobby along with a boat that takes guests to the Magic Kingdom.
3- The Wilderness Lodge: Choosing a resort to complete this list was extremely difficult as I love all the resorts I’ve stayed at in Disney World, but the Wilderness won out this spot. The thing that pushed it over the edge for me are the Christmas decorations that are put up around the holidays. The resort is hunting or ski lodge themed, and around Christmas they put out a HUGE Christmas tree in the middle of the lobby. You can sit in front of one of the many fireplaces, drink gourmet hot chocolate, and look at the beautiful Christmas tree. It honestly feels like something right out of a Hallmark movie.
Alright, well that’s all for today. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Oh and P.S.– I just wanted to let you know that every picture you see in this blog was taken by either me or someone in my family 🙂
The only one I have stayed at was the Beach Club. I was a little disappointed to see it didn’t make the list. But the Polynesian was really cool when I went there for dinner one night. Great blog again!
I’m back for more Disney content! That firework show was truly beautiful and you were right! The Tinkerbell part at the end was the best part! I don’t know much about where to stay so what you said about the hotels did not mean much to me but the Christmas Tree looks amazing! I want to be at Disney for Christmas one year! It would be warmer and as you said it is probably like a Hallmark Christmas movie!
I think I’ve only been to Disney World once and I was probably about four. Personally for me I don’t see what is so amazing about fireworks but Its cool seeing someone so obsessed/in love with Disney World and knowing so much. I wonder what the inside of those rooms look like though! I have seen a tik tok of someone staying at the castle or a castle and it looked sooo nice.
Ainsley this is amazing! I love how you used the firework show to let us see the magic that is Disney World! I am truly stuck between the Poly resort and the Wilderness one!
The fireworks show looks really cool! I also like how you described the food and location of the hotels instead of just how they looked. I’ve only been to Disney once that I can remember, but they had the Christmas decorations up and it was insane!
I think it’s super cool how the entire castle can have a changing wallpaper from the projectors. Also, it really makes it a magical place in how great a variety in architecture there is from place to place. It makes it seem like you’re travelling across the world going from one part of the park to another, or in this case, even from one resort to another. A moana themed resort would be cool.
I’ve never been to Disney and have been debating on whether or not to add it to my bucket list. Your blog definitely convinced me! The Polynesian looks and sounds so beautiful, your description in this blog is definitely one of its strengths. While your blog is not meant to be persuasive, it definitely does a good job at convincing your reader to visit Disney.
I’ve had the pleasure of staying at the Grand Floridian before. Normally, when my family goes to Disney, we are very park-oriented, and we usually do not care much for hotel-related activities, so really any hotel with clean beds and running water will do for us. But way back in 2015 my mother, who is a pathologist, signed up for a conference that would be hosted at Disney World, and her work complemented her with reservations at the Grand Floridian, the conference’s principal venue.
The Grand Floridian is very swanky. I think it’s the grandest and most expensive resort in the park. I remember being overawed when I first entered the main building. It’s essentially a long, rectangular hollowed out space that climbs up five or six stories and terminates in the oval-shaped roof. A giant chandelier hangs aloft, and there are large, spacious balconies that rim the walls on the interior side. Everything is done up very well. The majority of the structure is made of wood, which has a subtle sheen applied to it, and the tones are bright and white without being pale. The design choices give the place a very fancy but also very homely air. It feels very luxurious without seeming tacky or excessive like the faux-gold-encrusted lobby of a Dubai hotel.
I remember hearing the piano playing when I entered, and I remember looking up at the ceiling, which seemed sky-high to a littler Baybars. We showed up at the hotel somewhat late in the afternoon, and spent the rest of the day exploring the hotel. We tried to get into Victoria and Albert, but found out that (1) we were absolutely not dressed for the occassion, and didn’t have the get-up the restaurant required, and (2) we needed a reservation way, way in advance. Bummer. But we did eat at the larger, more accessible restaurant that sits adjoined to V&A, and that was very nice!
We weren’t on the hotel grounds much. I don’t care how well-crafted or -designed a hotel is, Disney World is just going to be better. On one of the off days we swam in the pool awhile and did some hotel-organized activities. It was all very standard fare. I will say I enjoyed the experience on the whole, but the Grand Floridian does have some drawbacks. It’s one of the less themed resorts, and it really doesn’t have that Disney factor. The Grand Floridian kind of feels and looks like a Hyatt Caribbean resort with some extra steps. It’s pretty standard fare, which is fine, but it isn’t very Disney I feel. Needless to say, the rooms carry a hefty per diem charge. While the hotel itself is certainly magnificent, the rooms themselves are just fine. They’re no great improvement on the amenities you would find in the Orlando Marriott where we typically stay during Disney vacations. Thankfully my mom’s work compensated her for the rooms, but I’m not sure I would go back if I had to pay full price.
All around, a good hotel. I really want to try the Polynesian, or the Wilderness Lodge.