Disney Vacation Club Resort Rankings
Which DVC resorts are best & worst at Walt Disney World? These Disney Vacation Club rankings cover our top picks and least favorite Deluxe Villas based on theme, rooms, restaurants, pools, location and more. We cover the pros & cons of each property, and why we love each of them. (Updated February 8, 2022.)
We’ve re-ranked the resorts on this list once again following room redesigns at a couple of resorts (with a new #1 pick!) and more on the horizon. Admittedly, our opinions have also…let’s use the charitable term and say “evolved” since the last time we refreshed this list, and that plays a role in the rising and falling stock of some DVC resorts.
Before you close this post out as “irrelevant” if you’re not a Disney Vacation Club member, it’s worth noting that you do not need to be in DVC to stay at these resorts. For one, all are bookable directly from Walt Disney World, they’re the “Deluxe Villa” tier, which is treated just like a traditional hotel. For another, you can use our Tips for Renting Disney Vacation Club Points to step into the shoes of a DVC member–and save money in the process!
One thing we want to make clear is that there’s nothing objective about these Disney Vacation Club resort rankings. We initially tried that approach, but realized it’s a fool’s errand. For one, we have a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in our various vacations, and it’s tough to separate out our own biases from the basics of each property.
For another, this involves inherently apples to oranges comparisons. Unlike hotels as a whole, there are quirks to the DVC resorts. How does a purpose-built resort like Old Key West compare to an add-on like Bay Lake Tower or room conversions like the Polynesian Villas? Speaking of the Poly, does it get penalized for not having 1-bedroom units? Are common areas and amenities that are shared with the hotel included? If two separate resorts are very similar but one has distinct advantages, does the other fall significantly?
There’s also the reality that even the bottom resorts are places we enjoy. Some of my best adult memories at Walt Disney World are at Saratoga Springs, where we stayed on our first real trip together. Walking back to Saratoga Springs after a night at the Adventurers Club was great, and proximity to Disney Springs gives it a lot of appeal. Likewise, Bay Lake Tower’s short walk to Magic Kingdom might be enough for many to put it at the top of this list.
Really, it seems like each resort has a strong selling point that could make it #1. From the spacious rooms and laid back vibe of Old Key West to the wildlife and self-contained “resort” experience of Animal Kingdom Lodge, each brings something to the table. Beyond that, so much depends upon the purpose of our trip (e.g. is dining at Disney Springs a priority?), time of year we’re visiting (is enjoying Christmas in the Pacific Northwest important?), and more. All resorts compliment one another incredibly well, and part of the appeal of Disney Vacation Club is the ability to experience its many, varied resorts.
All of this leads to the caveat that this is all either just for fun or an exercise in futility, depending upon your perspective. With that on mind, on with the rankings…
10. Old Key West Resort
Although these rankings are entirely mine, Sarah’s dislike of Old Key West does influence me a bit. By contrast, I love Old Key West. I love that it’s so spread out (walking it gives me something to do in the morning), and I love that the foliage has really matured here. It also has the largest Disney Vacation Club rooms, and was recently refurbished. It also has Olivia’s, which is beloved among longtime DVC members–and for good reason.
Even viewing Old Key West in the most favorable light, though, it pales in comparison to other resorts, which have more well-rounded dining rosters, better entertainment, and more convenient locations. Pretty much everything that OKW does well, another resort does better. Whether it be the isolation and seclusion of Animal Kingdom Lodge or the rooms at Saratoga Springs, which compares to OKW in a lot of ways and gets the edge in most of them.
Old Key West will likely always be divisive among Disney Vacation Club owners, and I suspect most will place it near the top or the bottom of their own lists. I certainly don’t hate it and would happily book a stay here, which should further underscore the top-to-bottom strength of the DVC lineup at Walt Disney World.
9. Bay Lake Tower
With each subsequent update to this list, Bay Lake Tower falls further. One of the big reasons for this is that our experience with the rooms in the last few years has been negative, with them looking worse-for-wear and prematurely worn. The build quality and finishings are just not on par with everything that came after BLT, and it shows.
Another reason is that Grand Floridian is also within walking distance of Magic Kingdom, meaning that Bay Lake Tower has lost its main selling point for us. Previously, that made up for a lot that BLT is otherwise lacking. Another big negative for us is the lack of Top of the World Lounge, which still has not reopened. We’re starting to wonder if it’s gone for good.
As a result of all that, we cannot imagine what circumstances would convince us to book Bay Lake Tower over the Villas at Grand Floridian, as the latter is superior on every single front. Same goes for the Polynesian Villas, which aren’t as directly comparable, but are also far superior as far as monorail loop DVC resorts go.
Nevertheless, Bay Lake Tower is a good option if you have small kids who will frequently want to take a midday break–or be in bed ~10 minutes after exiting Magic Kingdom at the end of a long day in the park. Even though it’s no longer the only DVC resort within walking distance of Magic Kingdom, it’s still the shortest walk, which counts for something. Bay Lake Tower also has access to the monorail, and solid dining at the Contemporary.
On the other hand, the rooms are smaller than counterparts at other resorts, the finishing isn’t quite as nice (we’ve had rooms here in rough shape a couple of times, which I’m told is not uncommon). Nevertheless, we really like Bay Lake Tower. We just don’t love it, as we do the other entries on this list! Here’s our full analysis of Bay Lake Tower.
8. Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
I’m admittedly a nostalgic person. The Disney Vacation Club resort for which I have the most nostalgia is Saratoga Springs. This is because Sarah stayed here when we took our first serious Walt Disney World trip together as adults. It’s what caused us to fall in love with Walt Disney World again and it’s the resort we eventually chose as “home” for our Disney Vacation Club purchase (for purely economic reasons).
Despite this, Saratoga Springs landed in last place on this list for a while. It was too bland, too far from everything worthwhile, and the rooms were nothing special. For years, it reminded us too much of a condo community we could find at home, and offered nothing to make us overlook those parallels.
However, Saratoga Springs Resort has aged like a fine wine. (It’s like the opposite of Bay Lake Tower, in that regard.) Over the last decade, thematic enhancements have been made to the pools and other common areas, and it now looks truly themed (albeit more lightly than other resorts) while also feeling fresh.
The latter point is thanks to a comprehensive, multi-year refurbishment project that brought nice new rooms. All of that, plus the superlative dining and shopping options within walking distance at Disney Springs makes Saratoga Springs a winner. Years after Pleasure Island closed, Saratoga Springs is once again a place we loved staying. Read more in our Saratoga Springs Resort Review.
7. Disney’s Riviera Resort
The newest DVC property at Walt Disney World, there’s a lot to like…but also a lot to dislike about Disney’s Riviera Resort. The biggest downside is that Disney has taken a region rich in beautiful architecture and lavish design, and made one of the most thematically boring and uninspired resorts. That’s a huge disappointment, and it feels like so much potential has been squandered here.
The biggest upside is the luxurious accommodations and the high end finishing of the rooms. Moreover, the restaurants slate is formidable and Disney Skyliner access to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is huge. The location is less appealing than Crescent Lake or Magic Kingdom DVC resorts, but Riviera Resort has enough to put it above Saratoga Springs and Old Key West. Read our full Disney’s Riviera Resort Review for more.
6. BoardWalk Villas
We place a high value on location and the resort’s overall theme, and BoardWalk scores highly in both regards. Walking from the Crescent Lake resorts to Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios is one of my favorite things to do at Walt Disney World, and the overall atmosphere at BoardWalk Inn is exceptional.
However, the last room refurbishment at BoardWalk left them dull and like an ordinary chain (a trend you’ll see continue with other entries on this list). The easy way to offset that is by booking a BoardWalk View room–you’ll want to spend all your in-room time on the balcony! Suffice to say, there’s so much to love about this resort. Read our full BoardWalk Villas Review.
5. Beach Club Villas
Although the Beach Club Villas room update was really uninspired and underwhelming, we still love the resort as a whole. The rooms may be lacking in the personality department, but the common areas more than make up for that. Moreover, the Beach Club Villas score highly because of the amazing pool, location within walking distance of two parks and the Skyliner gondola station, and reasonably good dining options.
Delving a bit deeper into the location, the Beach Club Villas are the closest resort to Epcot and the International Gateway Skyliner station. Beach Club Villas offer the amazing Crescent Lake ambiance of the other resorts around there, but also has its own secluded, popcorn light-lit pathway. Given everything else that the Beach Club Villas offer, you will find yourself far less worried about the room here than you will anywhere else. Read our full Beach Club Villas Review for more.
4. Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas & Kidani Village
Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House and Kidani Village arguably should be broken out and ranked separately given that the former is a room conversion and the latter is a quasi-stand alone resort. Yet, they’re a short walk from one another, have similar rooms, and largely share amenities. We see no material differences between them, and book interchangeably (with a conservation of points being our main goal).
The strength of both has long been the savanna, which is perhaps the best “amenity” offered by any Walt Disney World resort that no other hotel in North America can offer. This alone makes AKL a great “staycation” or resort-only experience, and would be enough to secure Jambo House and Kidani Village spots in the top half of this list.
But that’s not all that they offer. Both sides of the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas offer solid rooms that do a good job of balancing theme and quality, the dining at Animal Kingdom Lodge is among the best at Walt Disney World, and the feature pools are underrated gems at both.
So what faults do they have? Well, location. That can be minimized if you’re a fan of Disney’s Animal Kingdom or if you’re taking a trip to enjoy the resorts. It’s also amazing at Christmas, which is when I would encourage anyone to stay here. This is the one resort that should sneak to number one for a lot of you if you don’t agree with my number one. Read our full Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village Review for more info and photos.
3. Villas at Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
With our prior update, the Villas at Grand Floridian claimed the #1 spot. With this update, VGF falls to #3. There’s a decent chance it’ll reclaim the #1 ranking once the current expansion and room redesign is done. (Wilderness Lodge has #2 on lockdown for personal reasons, but I recognize the “importance” of a Magic Kingdom monorail resort taking the top spot.)
As recognized previously, the Villas at Grand Floridian benefit tremendously from the walkway between Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom. That’s a game-changer, and makes VGF really attractive for us, as we’d rather walk than wait in long monorail lines at the end of the night.
The high ranking might come as an especially big surprise given that we’ve been detractors of the hotel side of Grand Floridian for a while. Instead of the flagship hotel at Walt Disney World, it often feels dated and failing to over commensurate luxury for the price point. This problem is slowly being fixed at the main resort, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
However, the Villas at Grand Floridian have never suffered from the same woes. The rooms are beautiful, luxurious, and better-themed. Guests can enjoy the many amenities that make Grand Floridian Walt Disney World’s flagship resort, but without paying those exorbitant rates. The location is fantastic. That’s why if we could stay anywhere at Walt Disney World right now, DVC or regular resort, the Villas at Grand Floridian Resort would be in the running as our pick. Read our full Villas at Grand Floridian Review.
2. Villas at Wilderness Lodge (All of Them)
Wilderness Lodge is far and away my favorite resort at Walt Disney World year-round, but I really love it at Christmas. Love actually might be too tame of a word. Looking at this photo takes me back to the night it was taken. Admittedly, I am biased towards Wilderness Lodge at Christmastime due to my own personal experiences there.
That said, objectively, Wilderness Lodge has great theming, solid pools, and great food. Geyser Point is an underrated gem and Storybook Dining at Artist Point is now one of the hottest character meals in all of Walt Disney World. The rooms were also recently refreshed, improving them and giving them a greater feel of luxury while still remaining on theme. And then (again)…there’s Christmas at Wilderness Lodge. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has stayed there around Christmas who doesn’t absolutely love the place.
Note that we don’t differentiate between Copper Creek and Boulder Ridge here as we don’t see the differences being significant or outcome determinative, but that will probably change after Boulder Ridge’s upcoming refurbishment. If the test room we’ve seen is any indication, we’ll prefer it significantly more than Copper Creek. You can read about the pros & cons of each in our Ultimate Guide to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
1. Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows have a laid back South Pacific theme, plus a convenient location on the Magic Kingdom monorail loop. Now that the hotel overhaul is finished, the arrival experience is even better and the grounds are looking nicer. (Undoing a bit of the damage from the previous reimagining.)
More significantly to this re-ranking is the room refurbishment to the Polynesian Villas. Although this project was a soft goods refresh rather than a full reimagining, it was one of the most thorough soft goods renovations in recent years. (The same is now coming to the Grand Floridian and Boulder Ridge Villas.) The functional improvements to these new rooms coupled with the finished resort refurbishment are enough for the Poly Villas to reclaim the top spot.
Beyond that, the style here hits the nail on the head, balancing Disney theming with high-end luxury. The atmosphere at this resort is top-notch, the pools are great, transportation is a breeze to Magic Kingdom or Epcot (a short walk to TTC), and the dining options are good (don’t sleep on Kona Cafe–despite its ordinary appearance, it’s better than ‘Ohana).
While my heart is with Wilderness Lodge, if I had to blindly recommend a resort to someone else without knowing anything about their personal preferences (e.g. you), it would be the Polynesian Villas. We’d even go a step further–this is our overall #1 resort at Walt Disney World for 2022. Thanks to the room quality and layout, proximity to Magic Kingdom, and the overall atmosphere, this is the quintessential Walt Disney World resort!
Itching to Do DVC?
If this article has you excited about the prospect of becoming a Disney Vacation Club member, we highly recommend that you read our Disney Vacation Club Buying Guide to see if membership is right for you. That Guide includes every variable you should consider, and provides an objective approach to buying into Disney Vacation Club, rather than the emotional pitch the Disney salespeople will give you. If you’re ready to buy, we recommend using DVC Resale Market.
If you’re not interested in buying into Disney Vacation Club, but still want Deluxe Villa accommodations at Moderate Resort prices, we highly recommend renting points Disney Vacation Club points, as you will save considerably over booking directly from Disney (typical savings over even a discounted Deluxe Villa price are around 50%). Renting is also a great way to try Disney Vacation Club before buying to see if it’s really right for you.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What are your Disney Vacation Club rankings? Favorite resort? Least favorite? Are you considering buying into Disney Vacation Club? Do you agree or disagree with our rankings? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I agree that Poly is my favorite, but studios won’t work for us. Our upcoming trip involves 9 of us and we are currently booked at BW using (moms) DVC pts. I’m thinking of requesting BLT bc of the extra bathroom. Now, I’m reconsidering after reading your review. Any suggestions (I understand AK also has the same layout as BLT- with the crew we have, we’d prefer more efficient transportation).
Additionally, we are looking into buying into DVC and also thought BLT would be best. I’m an over thinker… and welcome any guidance
AKL is closer to 3 (THREE) of the parks than any MK resort. The “its secluded” or “it’s so far away from everything” is a MYTH! But Poly/AKV are interchangeable as my favs …
JS – No, I’m sorry. We are DVC owners at Kidani and its an absolutely WONDERFUL resort. However, regardless of the physical distance, it feels remote from EVERYTHING besides Animal Kingdom.
If folks have the time and patience for the remote nature of this resort, especially if people can swing the points cost of the Savannah view, its absolutely worth it.
But this said, we often stay elsewhere, points permitting, based on our priorities, typically our choices being Beach Club (Epcot) or Saratoga Springs (due to the gorgeous renovations and proximity to DS, which we love).
I have a disabled six year old. He needs a enclosed bed (same size as a twin) set up in the room for his safety. Which DVC resort would offer the most room for this and which size room. The bed can be in the living area of the room if it is big enough. Also we need the resort to be wheelchair friendly. Any suggestions?
Riviera. The living room in the 1 bedroom has 2 Murphy beds. One is a twin size. You world just need a portable guard rail for the one side. The Murphy bed kind of encloses it on 3 sides. The resort is wheelchair accessible as is most of the resorts. Hope that helps!
We became DVC members the 2nd year it existed at OKW. Our large family loves it there! We been there more times than I can remember and love it. It’s spread out over a large area and is truly like going home after a busy day at the parks.
It has several pools, plus the main pool, a great family restaurant, BBQ pits to cook out, and beautiful units.
I particularly love hitting the parks in the morning and going back to the condo in the heat of the day to enjoy the pool and rest up for the evening in the cooler evening in the park again. When children or grandchildren need naps each day this works out well too. We also have dinner at Olivia’s the first night.
That has become a family tradition.
OKW has larger units, well decorated, beautiful landscaping, and one, two hedroom & efficiency units that are on the ground floor and Grand Villas above that are huge and are two story.
If you would like a respite after a long, busy day in the park OKW offers that. There is also a boat service up by Olivia’s that is fun to take and of course the busses that Disney provides, with many pickup locations throughout OKW.
Theresa, I want to thank you for pulling at my heartstrings. 🙂
Everything you’ve written so resonates with me, as my Aunt purchased at OKW in 1992 when it was simply called “Disney Vacation Club”. I remember times there with my family, some of whom have passed, so very fondly. The spaciousness and relaxation afforded by the villas, and the beauty of the grounds, foster a peacefulness that simply isn’t present elsewhere in the DVC resorts, including my beloved (and very underrated, IMO) Saratoga.
For those that wish to have a more “chill” Disney experience, and don’t rise and shine everyday by the glimmer of Genie+, (and even perhaps for those who do) OKW is such a true delight.
I particularly recommend buildings 32 and 33, for the proximity to the bus stop, but also the lovely Turtle Pond pool, and amazing views of the ponds/fountains.
Cheers.
Need a clarafication ..
When we purchaced into DVC we were told that the DVC Villas are only for DVC members and that they are not rented to non DVC guests. I ask this question because for the last several year, when trying to rent a DVC Villa at the 11 month window the premium view villas were already rented. Under the DVC contract this should not be. As DVC member, you cannot reserve a DVC villa before the 11 month window. When did this change and it is clearly not allowed in the DVC purchase contract.
Disney still owns points in all of the properties, and they sell them on normal rack rate bookings. They don’t rent them out perse, they are treated as normal Disney rooms. I will say I am shocked though, I just looked now, and from today every single room at every single resort is open at the 11 month window. I do not see anything blocked off. Now I’m sure there are busier times, But right now the booking window is over top of MLK weekend and starts of arts fest which is typically a very busy time.
For room types in high demand like Jambo’s value and club level rooms or Boardwalk’s standard view studios, people walk reservations at 11 months. This practice ties up these rooms even before the 11 month booking window opens.
just spent 2 1/2 week at Disney, stayed in deluxe hotel beds not made. WHAT?????? Waited for disney bus Wilderness Lodge 1 hour, there goes early 1/2 hour.
Security a nightmare, I handicap on scooter, waited in line finally got to front, what had to go to back of another line, get in. OHHHHH MY GOD i made it, only to be behind a huge crowd waiting to be scanned for early 1/2 hour. Every park we were in had major rides down, Waited in 1 to 2 hour lines ride goes down, so sad to bad. go to Universal stayed at portofino as Tom suggested….Abosulutely awesome!!!!!!! Security checkes before entering Universal, a breeze. Although you can do universal in in 2 days, we spent 1 week at less than disney . DISNEY, SO SAD TOO BAD
pay extra pay u dont get in. Than
We stayed at the Poly in the late 90s and loved it so decided to try the deluxe studio in January as we only had 2 kids along this time instead of all 4. The second shower and extra full twin pull down at the Poly villas was key for us with two teens but we prefer a 1 or 2 bdrm at Kidani or anywhere really. Poly’s location by TCC really can’t be beat but the cramped rooms with no dresser and the landscape neglect at that end of the resort were a huge disappointment. We are going back to Animal Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge villas in the future.
My big problem with any DVC resort that it’s tough to sleep 4. A studio or 1 BR unit is no better than a standard hotel room. A 2 BR unit is likely way more expensive than getting 2 regular hotel rooms.
Out of curiosity- How is a 1 bedroom no better than a regular hotel room? It’s double the living area and in the case of BLT and Kidani, has an extra bathroom.
The 2BR is more expensive than two hotel rooms because there’s an entire extra room incl kitchen. It’s essentially three hotel rooms.
Hi Joey, as I mentioned, it’s tough to SLEEP 4. A 1 BR Villa has a 1 bed and a pullout couch. I’d argue that a standard hotel room with 2 queens sleeps better. The added space and kitchen is great, but who would rather sleep on a pullout vs. bed? Maybe if the kids were less than 5 years old, but my teenagers say no thanks.
Ah, I see. However, I think this is quickly changing. Im 40 (eeek!), and slept on the fold-down, real mattress at both SSR and Riviera. It’s quite lovely. As the resorts get renovated, keep an open mind. I think the appeal may change, and 1BR are often easiest to book.
Generally speaking, and especially for a not-super -park heavy trip, or one that is adult focused
…apologies hit submit by accident.
…I wish more people would give SSR a shot. Proximity to the Springs, the lovely grounds, very enjoyable pools, Spa (when it opens), and renovated, luxe rooms make for a lovely stay.
We easily slept 6 (1 under 3) in a 1 bedroom. Much different than 2 Queens in one room. The kids hate hearing dad snore and much prefer the pullouts in the living room!
Good Comments. I see by some of the pics that many of the rooms now have a pull down Murphy bed. I’m thinking those are a lot better than a pull out couch. Correct, although 2 queen beds is nice for 2 teens, having the extra space is super nice.
BLT is in desperate need of a refurb! Hopefully that happens soon!
Maggie and Joey, thanks for informing me about the 6 month mark, I did not know this! DVC rental store never told me about this. Now I feel better about waiting. Thank you!
For my 40th birthday I decided to live it up and take my niece to WDW and stay in the deluxe resorts, attend Christmas party and dessert fireworks party. Not a cheap trip but renting points helped!. Most people would hate moving around so much but I looked forward to each new stop. We did a tour around the parks staying at BLT studio one night. Polynesian studio 2 nights and Beach Club one bedroom (upgraded at arrival to a two bedroom) for a night. With Disney moving bags we simply went to the park in the morning and returned to a different hotel in the afternoon. I’m a light packer so this works for me but not for most I imagine. My birthday is in December and I loved all the holiday decor at each hotel. The Polynesian to me was the best. Having two bathrooms and 3 beds to choose from in a studio was awesome. The shops, food, and proximity were all so great. The two bedroom Villa at BC with a direct view of spaceship earth was amazing and I felt truly spoiled. Zero complaints but my love for Hawaii and the Pacific won out. BLT was not bad but nothing memorable either. We also stayed at The Dolphin but that’s another post. Really looking forward to a return and to try GF and Wilderness Lodge
I think your list is good. The one fact I think is missing or maybe I missed it, is the types of rooms. Having just toured riviera, BLT, vgf, poly and beach club we settled in BLT. And yes in 10 years that may be different but now we have small kids so the extra distance walking is real going to. VGF. Yes rooms are nicer but the convenient location is huge. We loved poly but the lack of room options makes it undesirable. Now if we could always stay in a bungalow that would be different. Rivieras location sucks. Beautiful resort great food but getting to parks isn’t great. Especially in the summer thunderstorm time of the year. Beach club was good but it’s lack of units and views dropped it on our list.
Honestly it came down to location. The rooms will be updated multiple times in the next 40 years. As with all resorts. But the location is by far the best in my opinion. Now if the ever develop the land between contemporary and ttc it may sway me. And if we ever go childless we would certainly stay at either poly or vgf. Maybe we’ll bank and borrow to stay in a bungalow one day. Who knows. But the points suck to stay there. The one great thing that’s not really scored in your ranking is the number of units for families that need more than studios. GF is adding a ton of studios. We don’t care about the kitchens but the two bath one bedrooms at blt is a huge per o with our kids smaller. Abs the ability to easily jump to a two bed when needed with great views is huge as well. But as always great comparison
Thanks, Tom! Just got from a stay (last week) at the Poly and GF Villas. I love the rooms, views, food selections, and drinks at the Riviera. I’ve stayed there on solo trips and really enjoyed those qualities, but my wife refuses to stay there based on the boring outside appearance alone. I get it. It’s boring! But the rooms are fantastic! I agree on the Poly… amazing! I love the theming and location. With the new walkway from GF to Magic Kingdom, we walked from Poly to MK for rope drop. I great way to get your steps in before the meals at MK and the surrounding resorts. The GF villas just finished a soft refurbishment. I wasn’t impressed. Many of the hard elements like furniture are outdated and in rough shape. Disney really should have done a complete remodel. Yes, the new carpet and other updates are nice. But they really highlight the age and weariness of the other items. Tom, again, thanks!
Great list! Where did you see the refurbished Boulder Ridge room concept? We booked for Dec there and I’m wondering if we will get lucky with the new rooms.
I agree with ranking Old Key West last. It was a one and done for us when we stayed there last year. Our biggest gripe with OKW is the bus system there. There’s only one bus for a ton of stops, so unless you’re in a room near the first bus stop, chances are good you won’t be getting on the bus by the time it hits your stop if you’re trying to board during peak hours. Saratoga Springs has the same problem. You can very well wait for the 3rd or 4th bus before being able to board one. We ended up just walking to the first bus stop in order to get on a bus. Only problem with that, though, is you’ll be on the bus for over 15 minutes before it even leaves the OKW property.
The swimming pool is definitely inferior to all the other DVC resort pools (except for Saratoga Springs, which is comparable to OKW). And there’s no indoor seating for the quick service restaurant. So expect to get wet if it rains.
AKL Jambo House and Kidani Village are our two favorites. You can’t beat the ambience at either of those resorts. It may be a longer bus ride, but it’s not bad. I’ve ridden on buses that were closer to the park, but it felt like a lot longer a ride. I love the zero entry pools & the kiddo loves the slides. And why would you NOT stay at a place where you can buy Zebra Domes in the lobby gift store?????
I think you need to separate the unique values that DVC resorts bring. Due to the hassle with Genie, for my last visit I hated our day in the park and so that is not a big part of our trip to WDW now. We stayed in OKW and had more fun in the DVC Community hall, playing tennis, taking a boat to DS, playing golf etc., and relaxing in the huge room. So I’d hate to stay in BL – I can foresee our future visits based on what the resorts themselves offer – so AKL, OKW and WL are my top 3.
We are attempting to rent a Grand Floridian Villa through the DVC rental store, but we’re finding the process a bit confusing and complicated. We requested Thanksgiving week (granted, very popular dates) about a month ago but still haven’t secured a villa. I’ve asked DVC rental store for updates, but they just say it can take a long time to rent the points and the villa (this is the part I find confusing … am I renting someone’s points, a villa, or both?). During this same time period, other family members have had better luck securing their villas through Dave’s rental. Perhaps coincidence, or does Dave’s provide a different/better service? Does anyone have any experience or advice with this process? Thanks for any thoughts!
Dave’s is great with excellent customer service. I highly recommend them.
I use the DVC Rental Store frequently, and have also used Dave’s. What happens is that each site has a forum of members who belong to the Disney Vacation Club. When you put in your request, they alert these members to your dates, room type, and resort. If you are more than 6 months from your date (which you are), then only members who have that resort as their home resort could respond saying that they’d use their points to book the villa for you. This makes the pool of available people, so it can take more time to find a member matchup for you. Other considerations are how many points you’re requesting and how popular your resort is.
To answer the question about whether you are purchasing points or a villa…you’re purchasing points from a member who will book the villa, and then add the names of your party onto the room. The points will never be in your posession, though. You’ll just get the room, and the member will be compensated at the agreed-upon rate.
To Sara’s post- you probably won’t hear anything until exactly 6 months out. I had the same experience but the day the 6 month booking window opened up I was able to secure reservations.
Sara, have used David’s many times as have friends of ours, and always amazing customer service. They are the only company we’ve used to rent points so I can’t comment negatively on the one you are currently using, but without hesitation I would recommend you try contacting David’s to see if you have better luck. David’s seems to have a large pool of members to pull from when trying to secure points and I’ve never had a problem. GOOD LUCK!
Your rankings and explanations are entirely justifiable, a good write-up. But I do have a quibble… For the most part, you appear to rank them the same way as you would evaluate regular deluxe hotels, using more-or-less the same criteria and weights. The list almost reads like, “ranking the Disney resorts that have a DVC component” — Without too much consideration to the unique aspects of DVC. For example, you group together Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek as both being adjuncts of Wilderness Lodge, but Copper Creek has one huge advantage — the availability of the cabins.
And for other sister resorts, I’d ask the question of whether the DVC is adding anything (or subtracting) versus the regular sister resort. Of course Polynesian is a top Disney resort, but apart from overpriced Bungalows, what’s the DVC aspect adding? With all studios, you aren’t gaining much compared to booking a room at the resort. BLT possibly deserves to sink even lower, as the rooms, location, and amenities are actually largely inferior to the Contemporary resort. Conversely, look at Animal Kingdom Lodge and all it brings to the table as a DVC — room categories that range from “value” rooms all the way up to concierge rooms (the only DVC with club level access). and Kidani brings its own excellent pool and dining, not just leaching off the main resort amenities.
Old Key West — Not sure if it would be enough to take it out of the cellar, but deserves credit for having “vacation club” recreation that aren’t seen as often in the regular resorts, like basketball courts, volleyball, fishing, a community hall.
Of course, no way to objectively compare all these aspects either. Just feels like there should be a bit more consideration to the DVC-ness of the DVCs.
Your point is absolutely valid, and perhaps I should do a better job of addressing that.
It’s just a challenge to cover every angle in succinct rankings (not that these are by any means succinct). It’s also important, for me at least, to know my audience. For this post, it’s primarily people who are not DVC members, but are interested in dipping their toes in and seeing if it’s for them. (I also know that the majority of readers doing so are booking studios.)
Tom, I assure you, your readership isn’t just “tourists” and includes a huge proportion of blog-reading DVC owners and prospective owners. I don’t give praise lightly — You have the best Disney blog on the internet, by a pretty decent margin. (between high quality content and photographs, up to the date useful information, insightful commentary, and an optimistic personality). Your blog is must-reading for the Disney World loving community..
And thus, the basis for my quibble of treating the DVC resorts in the same way as the regular resorts. (Though I appreciate there is no easy way to quantify the “DVC” qualities either).
If I may make a suggestion — Instead of breaking up your ranking lists as “Deluxe Resorts” and “DVC” — Your “Deluxe Resorts” rankings should include all the deluxe-level properties that can be booked by a cash paying guest A novice visiting WDW and reading your deluxe resort rankings, wouldn’t even realize that booking Riviera is an option. Polynesian is high ranking whether the guest chooses to book a regular room or a studio villa. Old Key West is bookable as a cash room, but ranks low based on location, lack of signature dining, etc.
Then a separate ranking of DVC, geared towards the person really looking for DVC-specific information.
Anyway, just my minor nitpicks.
I’d love to stay at every resort so that I can experience them each, but even renting points I find that the monorail loop resorts just aren’t worth the extra money spent. That, and it’s a hassle to book them since most of my vacations are last-minute. Maybe I just don’t see the appeal since Magic Kingdom is my least favorite of the parks, but I’d far rather have one of the Crescent Lake resorts where I can get to both Epcot and HWS without any real effort. I still want to stay at a monorail resort one day just to see what it’s like, but it’s just never seemed worth it so far.
Otherwise, I agree with all the points made in each of your rankings. Wildnerness Lodge unexpectedly stole a place in my heart, and even Saratoga Springs was lovely in the preferred rooms right next to Disney Springs. Though it sounds silly saying ‘springs’ twice in the same sentence. I’ll be staying at Old Key West at the end of the month just before my Starcruiser voyage, so that’ll be another one to check off the list…