Resort Review: Deluxe Resorts

Resorts in this category have it all (including a big price tag). Deluxe resorts have more room options ranging from four-person rooms to eight-person suites. The standard rooms have two queen beds or one king and a day bed, which is a sofa that converts into a bed. These rooms also have a bathroom with two sinks, a shower, and toilet. This style room is also available with club-level service for an additional price which gets you your own personal vacation planner to make dining reservations and VIP tours. Suites range from a one-bedroom suite that sleep up to 5 with a king bed, queen-sized sleeper sofa, and twin-sized sleeper chair to a two-bedroom suite that sleeps up to 8 and has a kitchenette and living room area.

Deluxe resorts also have more dining options with multiple table service, quick service options, and lounges. Some dining areas are more upscale than others and have a dress code, these tend to be the more expensive, hard to get into table service places. Like dining at the value and moderate resorts, the food compliments the theme of the resort.

All deluxe resorts, like the value and moderates, have bus service to the parks and Disney Springs. Most also have other transportation options, like boats and the monorail and some are even within walking distance of the parks.

The Contemporary

One of the opening day resorts, the Contemporary sits on Bay Lake and has a modern theme. The key feature of this resort is the fact that the monorail silently runs through its A-frame structure. One of the first things you see as you glide into the main building is a 90-foot tall mural celebrating the Grand Canyon and the Southwest by Mary Blair, designer of the it's a small world dolls. A fun fact (or at least I think it's really cool) is that the rooms of the original building were completed and then slid into place like drawers. The resort has two buildings, the famous A-frame and the garden wing, which is located right next to the main building. A 115,000-square foot convention center is located next to the main building and the garden wing.

With a wide variety of restaurants, you'll be sure to find something to eat at any time of the day. There are three quick service places, each serving different food at various locations around the resort. For table service, there is a more casual option that also has character dining and there’s the upscale option on the top floor overlooking Magic Kingdom. The resort also has wo lounges.

The Contemporary has no lack of stuff to do. There are two pools, one with a water slide and one quiet pool right on Bay Lake. There's also a water play area for kids and private cabanas for rent. Along the sandy beach area (not for swimming) you can play volleyball. Or there are also tennis courts and equipment for rent. At the dock, you can rent boats and take guided fishing trips. Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can start off your day doing yoga on the lawn. Like all other resorts there's also an arcade.

Transportation at the Contemporary has pretty much every option possible. In addition to the bus, you can take the monorail to Magic Kingdom or Epcot, the boat to Magic Kingdom, and you can even walk to Magic Kingdom. The monorail and boat will stop at other resorts before you get to the parks.

The Contemporary from Bay Lake

Polynesian Village

The Polynesian Village tells the story of the islands of the South Pacific, with tall palm trees, sandy beaches, and volcanic rock. The Ceremonial House (main building) has the front desk, gift shop, table service restaurant, quick service counter, and bar. The quick service counter and the bar share an outdoor patio with great views of the main pool and Seven Seas Lagoon, that lake the resort sits on. Luscious vegetation surrounds the buildings named for islands in the Pacific like Fiji, Samoa, and Hawaii.

The resort’s main pool next to the Ceremonial House, the Lava Pool, is surrounded by volcanic rock encompassing the slide. The Oasis Pool is between some of the buildings and is a little quieter, but still somewhat close to the main building and has a pool bar. You can also rent boats to go out on the lake and take guides fishing excursions. There are also volleyball courts on the beach that sits on the Seven Seas Lagoon.

The Polynesian Village offers many dining options from character dining and dinner shows to quick service counters and lounges. At all the restaurants you’ll find Polynesian and Asian cuisine. You can even find the famous Dole Whip from Magic Kingdom at Pineapple Lanai.

There is no lack of transportation at this resort. Of course there are buses to take you places, but there's also the monorail and boats. The monorail circles around the Seven Seas Lagoon to Magic Kingdom after a stop at the Grand Floridian. You can take it all the way around to the Ticket and Transportation Center, which is the stop before the Polynesian Village, to take a monorail to Epcot. Or rather than spend 45 minutes doing that you can walk to the TTC in 5 minutes.

The Polynesian Village

The Grand Floridian

The Grand Floridian lives up to the name with its Victorian elegance. It is designed after the grand hotels built on Florida's Palm Beach back in the early 1900’s. The only word to truly describe the lobby is elegant. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling and a white cage elevator glides up and down. Bouquets of flowers sit on tables next to the light floral couches. The atmosphere walking around the resort is just so peaceful and relaxed. Seated on Seven Seas Lagoon, the Grand Floridian is right next to Magic Kingdom and offers views of the nightly fireworks spectacular and electrical water pageant.

The Grand Floridian has the most options for fine dining (think dress code) each with different cuisine. There is also more casual dining and character dining here, and even a tea room. Quick service places are a bit more scarce here than at other resorts, but there is one and of course there are lounges.

There are two pools at the Grand Floridian both featuring zero-depth entry. The Beach Pool, on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon, has a waterslide, waterfalls, nearby water play area, and private cabanas for rent. The Courtyard Pool is quieter and has a whirlpool, but is also more centrally located. You can also rent boats or go on cruises or fishing trips from the Captain’s Shipyard Boat Rentals. There’s also Arcadia Games (the arcade), basketball courts, and Senses spa.

To get around you have the same options as the Polynesian Village. Buses. Monorail to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Boat to Magic Kingdom.

Main building at the Grand Floridian

 Wilderness Lodge

Wilderness Lodge tells the story of the national parks out west (but mostly Yellowstone). A spring babbles in the lobby overlooking the rocky courtyard that the pool sits in. Totem poles frame the entrance to the gift shop and the exposed timbers of the lobby make you feel like you've really stepped into one of the great lodges of the national parks. The spring that cascades down into the pool area actually starts INSIDE the lobby and flows under the exterior wall and outside. Walking around the resort it feels much more outdoorsy than other deluxe resorts with more towering coniferous trees. In addition to telling the story of the national parks lodges, the resort also tells the story of the great railroads of the west. Old railroad equipment dots the grounds of the resort and rails sit embedded in the pavement. It’s doesn’t feel as big and spread out as other deluxe resorts, but it still has everything you could need and more.

Wilderness Lodge features fine dining, all-you-care-to-eat family dining, two quick service restaurants and a lounge. The food at most of these places is inspired by the Pacific Northwest. Most of the dining options are located in the main building, but some are in an open waterfront pavilion overlooking Bay Lake.

Recreation at Wilderness Lodge is pretty much the same as most of the other deluxe resorts. There are two pools, the Copper Creek Pool has a waterslide and play area and the Boulder Ridge Pool is quieter and has a zero-depth entry. You can also rent bikes to go on the trails around the resort or rent boats and go out on the lake. There’s also the Sturdy Branches Health Club in the Boulder Ridge Villas building.

Transportation at Wilderness Lodge is a little disappointing for a Magic Kingdom area resort as there is not a monorail stop here. But there is water transportation to Magic Kingdom, with stops at Fort Wilderness and the Contemporary first. If you want to ride the monorail, you can take the boat to the Contemporary and catch it there. As always, there are the buses to take you just about everywhere on the Disney property.

The main pool area at Wilderness Lodge

Animal Kingdom Lodge

This resort is by far the most unique resort at Walt Disney World for one reason, you can actually watch giraffes, zebras, and gazelles from the main building and from some rooms. It’s essentially like your room is on the Kilimanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom park. Standing on the overlooks watching the animals is completely different from seeing the same animals in Animal Kingdom. It’s incredibly quiet and peaceful and it can feel like there is no barrier between you and the animals at times. The African-style architecture of the resort feels very connected to nature, with thatched roofs, big exposed wooden beams, and other elements that look like they were pulled right off the grasslands.

Animal Kingdom Lodge has a fine dining option complete with show kitchen, a family buffet, two quick service restaurants, and a few lounges. The food is mostly African inspired, but everyplace also has more traditional and American food. Some restaurants even offer a view of the savannah.

The main attraction at Animal Kingdom Lodge is the animals, so there isn’t a ton to do other than that. There are two pools, one of which is in the Kidani Village part of the resort which is Disney Vacation Club Villas. The Uzima Springs Pool has a water slide and zero-depth entry and has a flamingo pool nearby. The Samawati Springs Pool (on the DVC side) also has a slide and zero-depth entry, but also has a big water play area for kids. For the adults, there’s Zahanati Massage & Fitness Center to help you unwind for all the excitement of the parks.

The savanna at Animal Kingdom Lodge 

Yacht & Beach Club

Yacht Club and Beach Club are technically two different resorts, but they are very similar and share many amenities, so I have lumped them together to make things easier. The two resorts are actually connected and look pretty much the same from the outside in terms of design and layout, the only noticeable difference being the color. Both resorts sit on the shores of Crescent Lake and are right next to Epcot.

Yacht Club Resort takes you back to turn of the century yacht clubs of New England. The lobby is elegant, but not quite as grand as other deluxe resorts. It feels more like a nice, regular (not Disney) hotel you might find on the coast rather than a spectacularly themed resort. As you might expect of a seaside-themed resort, a lighthouse sits at the end of one of the docks near a shipwreck on the beach. Rooms at Yacht Club look like what you might imagine a captain’s quarters on a yacht or cruise ship to look like with brass accenting dark wood and navy-blue furniture.

Beach Club is set in the same time period, but tells the story of a New England beach resort rather than a yacht club. As you might expect the resort has a similar feel to Yacht Club, with slightly different decorations. Beach Club isn’t quite as big as Yacht Club, but since the two are essentially one, it’s hard to really feel a difference. Similar to Yacht Club, the resort does have a relaxed atmosphere and together they have plenty to do. The rooms are like those at Yacht Club, only with paintings of shells and light blue furniture to give it that summery, beach feel.

Most of the restaurants shared by the two resorts are under the Yacht Club’s roof. There is fine dining, character dining, two casual table service restaurants, a typical quick service restaurant, and a grab-and go place. There are also three lounges between the two resorts. Seafood is a common theme at these restaurants, but they have much more just that.

There’s lots of activities to do at these two resorts. Both resorts share the main pool area, Stormalong Bay which features a sand bottom in one area, lazy river in another, one of the tallest resort water slides at Walt Disney World, an elevated tanning deck, and three whirlpool spas. There are also three quieter pools, the Admiral Pool in the Yacht Club area, Tidal Pool in the Beach Club area, and the Dunes Cove Pool in the Beach Club Villas area. For more fun in the sun, there’s a sand volleyball court near the Beach Club pool and tennis courts near the Yacht Club pool. Equipment for both is available at the Ship Shape Health Club located near the main pool area. You can also rent boats and book guided fishing excursions at the dock area.

Transportation at Yacht and Beach Club is pretty simple. Epcot is a short walk away and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is still within walking distance, but it is a much longer walk. Both are also a boat ride away. The boat and walkway to Epcot don’t take you to the main entrance, they go to the International Gateway which is in the World Showcase part of Epcot, far from the main gate. Being able to use this entrance is very helpful for after the fireworks when you want to make a quick escape since everyone else is running to the main gate. To get to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs there are the buses.

Beach Club

Boardwalk Inn

Sitting across Crescent lake from Yacht and Beach Club is the Boardwalk Inn, themed after turn of the century Atlantic City. As the name implies, there is a boardwalk complete with carnival games, shops, and dining along the lake. This is also where the nightlife is now that all the clubs have moved from Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) to Boardwalk. The boardwalk at the Boardwalk Inn feels more like Disney Springs or one of the parks rather than a resort with all the shops and restaurants. There are a few courtyard areas and stretches of open lawn between the wings of the building. The lobby area is designed with both an elegant hotel lobby and an ornate carrousel in mind with pastel colors and carrousel horses and paintings decorating the walls.

Dining here has plenty of options, but no quick service food courts. There is more upscale dining with seafood and steak, a family-friendly pub, a sports bar, character dining, and a few quick service windows and to go carts. There are also three bars and night clubs.

The resort has three pools, one main pool with a roller coaster themed slide, two leisure pools. At the big pool area there is also a kiddie pool and whirlpool spa. Also near the main pool, you’ll find Muscles & Bustles Health Club if you’re looking to work out. Bikes and surrey bikes can also be rented here, or you can also book a guided fishing excursion out on the lake. The resort has tennis courts that are a short walk away from the main building. Fantasia Gardens and Fairways Miniature Golf is also nearby.

Transportation here is the same as at Yacht and Beach Club Resorts. You can take a boat to Epcot or Disney's Hollywood Studios or walk there. To get to the other parks and Disney Springs, there’s the bus system.

The boardwalk at Boardwalk Inn

A Word on Villas and Other Resorts

Most deluxe resorts also have Disney Vacation Club Villas. These have villas and studios, the former having multiple rooms, a small kitchen, and a washer and dryer and the later having a kitchenette. These rooms are only available if not occupied by members of the DVC. They usually sleep anywhere from 6 to 12 people and some are really amazing, like the Bora Bora Bungalows at the Polynesian which sit out over the water. In addition to Villas at some of the deluxe resorts, there are also two DVC only resorts, Saratoga Springs Resort and Old Key West Resort.

Now for the interesting situation that are the Swan and Dolphin Resorts. These are actually not a Disney-owned resorts, but have essentially all of the perks of the Disney Resorts. They aren’t as nice as the Disney resorts and the outside looks like a giant set of building blocks put together by a child. The two resorts are located near Disney’s Hollywood Studios and are also within walking distance of Epcot.