Pop Century Review

Disney’s Pop Century Resort is a value hotel in Walt Disney World with a reputation among frequent Disney guests as being the est value hotel. Since the opening of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, this reputation no longer holds true, but Pop Century is still an excellent option for guests looking to save money on lodging but still desiring the perks of a Disney hotel, such as Extra Magic Hours, Disney’s Magical Express, and free transportation around Walt Disney World.

As we stated in our All Star Movies Review and All Star Sports Review, the Value Resorts are quite divisive. Some love them for their convenience and price-points, others hate their design and feel they’re over the top and tacky. Although they’re far from being our favorite hotels, we don’t mind the Value Resorts for what they are.

Whether the Value Resorts are right for you comes down to the nature of your visit. If you’re taking a “the room is only for sleeping” type trip during which you want to be in the parks as much as possible, the Value Resorts are great because they’re often $100 or less per night, and allow budget-conscious guests to stay on Walt Disney World property. (more…)

Disney’s Beach Club Resort Review

Disney’s Beach Club Resort is a Deluxe Resort hotel at Walt Disney World themed to the seaside resort cottages found in New England in the early 20th century. The hotel is regularly lumped together with its sister resort, the adjacent Yacht Club Resort (sometimes even referred to as “Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort”), but is distinguishable in that it has a light blue color scheme as opposed to the gray of Yacht Club, and is generally more laid back in theme. If you want to get technical, this review actually is more specific to the Beach Club Villas units in Disney Vacation Club, as that’s where we stayed in Disney’s Beach Club Resort (although we’ve visited regular hotel rooms at Beach Club, too). With the exception of similar, but different rooms, the rest of this review applies equally to both the villas and the regular hotel. If you’ve read our Disney Vacation Club rankings, you know that Beach Club ranks highly for us.

We feel that Disney’s Beach Club Resort is the most well-rounded resort-hotel at Walt Disney World, with a great location, wonderful dining, great theming, and top-notch amenities. The rooms are average for a Deluxe Resort, so this might be its one stumbling block, especially for those who spend a lot of time in the rooms, but otherwise, Beach Club fires on all cylinders to rank as one of our top Walt Disney World resort-hotels (it’s my #1). (more…)

Bay Lake Tower Review

Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort ranks highly on our list of top Disney Vacation Club resort-hotels at Walt Disney World. Given that, this positive review should come as no surprise. Bay Lake Tower is the newest Disney Vacation Club property at Walt Disney World…at least until the Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (talk about a mouthful!) open in late 2013.

Bay Lake Tower was controversial from the moment its construction began as many viewed it as an eyesore that distract from the Contemporary, and it remains rather divisive among Disney Vacation Club members to this day. Some believe the theme is too “sterile” or “un-Disney” and some believe the amenities (namely the pool and community hall) aren’t as impressive at Bay Lake Tower as they are at other Disney Vacation Club resorts. With the exception of the “un-Disney” complaint (the word Disney isn’t an adjective), I can understand where these folks are coming from. The theme is not for everyone, and if a Disney Vacation Club stay is about enjoying the resort, Bay Lake Tower will probably be low on your list. If, like us, you enjoy what the resort has to offer but don’t spend a ton of time at it beyond dining, we think you’ll love Bay Lake Tower. Plenty of people love it, too! (more…)

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Review

Wilderness Lodge is a Deluxe resort-hotel at Walt Disney World that is themed to…the wilderness. More specifically, to the Pacific Northwest (says Disney, I think it’s themed to the West, generally) and the National Park lodges of the early 20th century. Having seen a few National Park lodges in similar style, I think Disney hit the nail on the head as far as theme and design go. Wilderness Lodge is a bit larger than the lodges I’ve seen, which actually helps better convey the cavernous and domineering feel of the lodge. In the case of real National Park lodges, the buildings were presumably built this way as a small, cramped area would have been a letdown after tourists saw the large and breathtaking natural wonders of the world. In the case of Wilderness Lodge, a smaller hotel similarly would have been a letdown after seeing the man-made wonders of the (Walt Disney) World.

For some reason, Sarah and I have only stayed at Wilderness Lodge once. This highlights our poor judgment (and I suppose your poor judgment for reading a review by someone who admittedly has poor judgment), because Wilderness Lodge is one of the cheaper Deluxe resorts, offers great location, and has quite possibly the best design and best-executed theme of any of the Walt Disney World hotels. We finally stayed there as part of our whirlwind tour trying to capture the Magic of Christmas at Disneyland and Walt Disney World (unfortunately, we only captured a talking otter named Emmet), at which time we realized it’s the perfect place to stay at Christmas. (more…)

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside Review

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside is a Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World. In our Moderate Resort Comparison, we previously ranked it as Walt Disney World’s top Moderate, on par thematically with some Deluxes! As mentioned there, the theming really shines at Riverside, which draws is themed to a rural Louisiana port city that is along the Sassagoula River. Riverside is divided into Alligator Bayou (bayou) and Magnolia Bend (mansions), which assists it in offering more thematic variety. In addition to these two different styles, each building within the sections uses different materials based upon its location on the river. The backstory is interesting and engaging (and is executed cleverly throughout the resort), and the quiet pathways that litter Riverside make it a great place to take a romantic stroll. The grounds are absolutely stunning, with rich wilderness in the bayou and perfectly manicured gardens around the mansions.

This variety of theming is really quite impressive and is pulled off remarkably well. The mansions of Magnolia Bend are surrounded by large, perfectly manicured lawns and beautiful gardens, which provide a stark contrast to the untamed wilderness and seemingly uncontrolled growth in Alligator bayou. In Alligator Bayou you feel you’d be at home floating down the river in a rickety boat hunting for crawdads. In Magnolia Bend, you might be better suited donning your dress seersucker, putting on a bow-tie, and drinking some mint juleps. (more…)