Category Archives: Disney Resorts

Port Orleans French Quarter

June 3, 2014 Barbara Ryan 1 Comment

Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts are two of the most popular moderate resorts.

Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter is the smaller of the two sister resorts and designed in a New Orleans Bourbon Street style.

Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez!

Rooms

There are 1008 rooms at French Quarter. Options include Standard (parking lot view, although lots of trees mitigate this), Garden View, Pool View and River View. Rooms offer 2 queen beds or a limited King bed option.

One of my favorite sites for information on the Port Orleans Resorts, it’s all-encompassing!

Dining

French Quarter has a large Quick Service food court, Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory offering breakfast, lunch and dinner options as well as the immensely popular beignets! Poolside snack bar and pizza delivery service also available.

Recreation

Scat Cat’s Lounge offers entertainment 4 nights a week. Swimming in Doubloon Lagoon with the Sea Serpent slide and poolside activities are always fun. Movies under the Stars nightly, Cajun Campfire, playground, and an Arcade.

Many more special activities like Horse-drawn carriage rides, fishing, surrey bike rentals, Pirate Adventure cruise for kids is available next door at Riverside. There is a walking path between the 2 resorts and boat transportation as well. Pool hopping is allowed between the two sister resorts as well.

Transportation

Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside share bus transportation to all parks. French Quarter is picked up and dropped off first. Water Launch is also available to Downtown Disney via a 15 minute ride down the Sassagoula River offering more dining choices.

Port Orleans French Quarter is an amazingly well themed resort, one of the smaller of all Disney resorts in-keeping with the quaint New Orleans charm. This was the resort my husband and I stayed at on our honeymoon and we really enjoyed it.

Disney Resorts

Wilderness Lodge

May 22, 2014 Barbara Ryan 1 Comment

Disney’s Wilderness lodge is themed after the Pacific Northwest, the beauty and majesty of the great outdoors abounds! The lobby of this hotel is spectacular and worth a visit just to see it.

Rooms

This rather small and compact resort has 725 rooms and 181 Villas in the adjacent Villas at the Wilderness Lodge Disney Vacation Club property. Which incidentally, has it’s own lovely lobby dedicated to Walt Disney’s love of trains. Rooms range from the standard 2 queen bed configuration, but also offer a bunk bed option and a few king-bedded rooms. The Old Faithful Club is the Club Level offered at the Wilderness Lodge with it’s concierge lounge, continental breakfast, midday snacks and evening wine, hors d’oeuvres, cordials and desserts.

1 bedroom villa at Villas Wilderness Lodge

Dining

Many visit the Wilderness Lodge for one of the very popular restaurants on properties, Whispering Canyon Cafe. This restaurant offers a fun playful atmosphere and comfort BBQ style food. Kids can play, run around on wooden horses and see the mayhem ensue when someone asks for ketchup!

The Wilderness Lodge also offers a Signature Dining venue . I consider Artist Point to be one of the most underrated restaurants in the World. Few know about this rustic yet elegant choice offering American cuisine with Pacific Northwest flavors.

Roaring Forks quick-service is located right inside the hotel, not far from the pool area with indoor and outdoor seating. A pool bar outside with seating and a cozy lounge near Artist Point round out the options.

Recreation

The Resort offers two heated swimming pools, one by the Villas and the main pool with a slide by the Lodge overlooking Bay Lake. There is a children’s pool, whirlpool, beach for sunbathing, marina with watercraft for rental, arcade, playground, health club and movies under the stars. Another fun feature, bike rentals and access to the trail to Fort Wilderness. Don’t miss the hourly erupting Geyser!

The Wilderness Lodge also offers a children’s club so parent’s can get a night out, Cub’s Den is located right by the doors leading to the covered walkway to the Villas.

Transportation

The Wilderness Lodge is a just a stone’s throw from the Magic Kingdom and accessible via Water Launch. Boats go between the Lodge and Magic Kingdom as well as a separate boat to Fort Wilderness and the Contemporary Resort. A large and smaller boat alternate, on the larger boats, strollers do not need to be folded up. All other parks as well as Magic Kingdom are reached by bus.

The Wilderness Lodge is a spectacular resort on the lower level of Disney Deluxe Resorts making it a perfect choice for easy “off the monorail” access to Magic Kingdom. It’s in the heart of the Magic Kingdom resorts, but still completely away from it all.

Disney Resorts

Contemporary Resort

May 11, 2014 Barbara Ryan Leave a comment

Disney’s Contemporary Resort is the “face” of Disney Resorts. The first resort to open and the sight of it is what most people associate with Disney resorts.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort offers some unique features that make it an excellent choice for families. While lacking in an over-the-top theme that many of the other resorts have, the resort is modern, fresh and fun!

Rooms

The Contemporary offers 655 rooms between the main Tower with either Theme Park or Bay Lake views and the Garden Wing. Rooms are exactly the same in either building but note that in the Garden Wing, 1st-floor rooms have a patio, but second-floor rooms do not have a balcony. Garden Wing rooms are often a better bargain and a much quieter location just a short few minutes walk to the Tower. Club Level is offered via their Atrium Club or Tower Club. Club level offers concierge service, lounge with continental breakfast, midday snacks and evening wine, hor ‘d oeuvres, cordials, and desserts.

Recreation

Two heated pools with a slide, whirlpools, water feature, poolside cabanas available for rental overlook Bay Lake. A beach for sunbathing and viewing the evening Water Parade, tennis, health club, arcade, and a marina with watercraft rentals. Activities at the resort include movies under the stars and poolside fun in the afternoon led by Cast Members.

Dining

Disney’s Contemporary Resort offers one of the best signature dining establishments on site. The California Grill is located high atop the hotel with its own private terrace for viewing the nightly fireworks show, Wishes at Magic Kingdom.

Downstairs, the Wave serves breakfast, lunch and dinner while on the 4th floor concourse Chef Mickey’s offers your favorite characters for a buffet breakfast, lunch or dinner. Also on the 4th floor concourse, the Contempo Cafe is a quick-service with plenty of seating, dine while watching the monorail come and go. A poolside bar and grill serves up snacks and meals and beverages.

Transportation/Location

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!

That’s right, the location of this resort is a major benefit of staying here. It’s walking distance to the Magic Kingdom park. A short 7-10 minute stroll along a pathway brings you to the front gates of the Magic Kingdom. Nothing beats walking home after the fireworks while everyone else is scrambling for the buses and boats.

Another super benefit…the Monorail goes right through the hotel’s main concourse. It’s a sight to see and entertainment in itself. Hop on the Monorail (resort line) to get to the Ticket & Transportation Center where you can switch to the Epcot Express. Or stay on and visit the other Deluxe resorts on the Resort Line. Stops at the Polynesian Resort, the Grand Floridian Resort and then the Magic Kingdom Park before arriving back at the Contemporary. Buses will take you to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom as well as Downtown Disney. The Contemporary boat launch offers service to the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness as well.

The location and convenience of the Contemporary is perfect for families, especially those traveling with young children and using strollers. The walkway and the monorail eliminate the need to wake a sleeping child, and we all know kids need all the sleep they can get after a day in the parks. When we stayed here, the walkway was our favorite feature, because it was so easy and convenient we stayed for fireworks and spent more evenings at Magic Kingdom than we would have otherwise.

Have you stayed at the Contemporary? What did you prefer, the walkway to Magic Kingdom or the Monorail being right there?

Disney Resorts

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

April 30, 2014 Barbara Ryan Leave a comment

One of Disney’s Deluxe Resorts is the Yacht and Beach Club, two distinct hotels that share some recreational facilities.

The Yacht Club is a circa 1870’s mid-Atlantic themed hotel. Think Jersey Shore, Atlantic City or even New England.

Rooms
Standard rooms are comfortable and offer all the amenities. All Yacht Club rooms have a balcony, 2 queen or 1 king bed, many with an additional daybed. View options include Standard, Garden or Water. Club Level is offered at the Regatta Club with concierge service and a lounge serving continental breakfast, midday snacks and evening wine, finger foods, cordials and dessert.

Recreation
The centerpiece of the hotel is the shared pool. Except, it can barely be called a simple pool. Arguably the best pool on-site, Stormalong Bay, as it’s called is a three acre aquatic playground for young and young at heart. A pirate ship water slide, sand-bottom zero entry pool, lazy river with tubes (which are free to use), whirlpools and plenty of space to lounge. At night you can see some of the higher fireworks from Illuminations right from the pool.

The hotel offers the Sandcastle Club for the kids if parents want a night out alone. A lovely white sand beach for movies on the beach nightly. There is a quiet pool with a whirlpool and tennis courts as well.

Dining
The Yacht Club features several dining options. Top tier dining at one of Disney’s Signature restaurants, Yachtsman Steakhouse is right in the hotel. A more casual Captain’s Grille serves Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The lobby lounge, Crew’s Cup, offers coffee and some pastries in the mornings for a quick bite. The Ale and Compass Lounge offers lite fare in the afternoons and evenings.

Venture outside to Beaches & Cream Soda Shop for ice cream and burgers for lunch or dinner, overlooking Stormalong Bay. Of course, poolside dining and adult beverages are available for lunch and dinner at Hurricane Hanna’s, where kid’s meals come in a bucket with a shovel for playing in the sand later!

Additional close by options are restaurants inside the adjacent Beach Club Resort including their Marketplace for quick service meals and grab and go items. Or a stroll around the lake to the Boardwalk where there are more restaurant and quick service options. Or if you have Park Hopper, a must if you are staying in this resort location, you can hop into World Showcase at Epcot for dinner in the country of your choice or even grab breakfast in France in the mornings!

Transportation
This location is optimal! A short 5 minute stroll brings you into the International Gateway at Epcot. This is located by the United Kingdom pavilion. A slightly longer walk, about 20 minutes, will take you to Hollywood Studios. Friendship Boats are also available for traveling to and from Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Buses to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom as well as Downtown Disney, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon pick up just outside the lobby of the hotel.

These photos are from our last family vacation to Disney World where we called the Yacht Club Resort home. My boys loved the pool and often chose the pool over more park time. We loved the convenience of getting to Epcot and Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom bus was quick.

What’s your favorite Walt Disney World Resort? Where do you want to stay next?