Not a Con 2016 - Hotel Costs & Room Tours
PLEASE NOTE: All these trip-related posts are also being posted on my forum, http://notacon.freeforums.net
At some point I will probably email them, too, but in all honesty the forum is WAY easier to keep track of.
This is going to be the thing I need most from you guys by I'm estimating November of this year: decisions on where everyone wants to stay. Now, as you saw in my previous post, the most savings are for when everyone rooms together. BUT, this is a vacation, and as much as I love my friends, sometimes you just need space to yourself :) Do NOT be ashamed to say "Well, I/my partner and I/my polyamorous group of 6 people want my/our own room!"
If you haven't read the Five Geek Social Fallacies, give it a read. Y'all may all be good friends of mine, but I'd be super ignorant to think we're all gonna get along enough to spend the ENTIRE trip sharing bathrooms ;)
Anyway, back to hotels! For everything in my plans, the price estimates are for renting Disney Vacation Club points to cover hotel costs. DVC point rental is 1) Much less expensive than getting rooms directly through Disney 2) Actually approved by Disney, as I learned when we did the Vacation Club tour on our last trip there and 3) Gets you a WAY fancier room. At rack rate, Disney's Pop Century hotel (their least expensive hotel and most similar to staying at a Motel 6, only with Mickey lamps, though I hear the food court is pretty tasty ) costs about $875 for a week; through the DVC, you can stay at a Studio room in the Animal Kingdom Lodge for $966. Less than a hundred bucks, FAR fancier hotel. You might not get a Savannah view (those are a bit pricier) but still, you get all the fancy restaurants and shops AND you get a lobby that opens out onto the Savannah.
So there's that.
All rates in this table are taken directly from David's Vacation Club Rentals, and are assuming a 7-day trip from Friday, November 4, 2016, to Friday, November 11, 2016. Rates DO change a bit, depending on the exact week, though most of mid-September through Thanksgiving is the off-season for the parks (and hence, some of the least expensive times to visit). You are welcome to check out that website yourself for information on how this all works. They have the best cost calculator I've seen so far, though there are a few other DVC rental businesses :)
Rooms are listed with their Maximum Occupancy in parenthesis, if you want to do your own math and see how much the rooms cost per person. Please note that most rooms include fold-out couches that sleep 2 (hence the Studios sleeping 4), and having slept on one, I would personally not recommend it for a week.
Wondering why the rooms are linked? Those go to room tours (please assume that all rooms are pretty similar, no matter their view; they may not be EXACT, just as a warning). This is the most thorough-effing-chart in the history of vacations. Apologies for the advertising for travel agencies in the videos; they are the most convenient collection of room tours :)
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Closest Park: Animal Kingdom; fair distance from all other parks
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Only to the restaurants and for a general poke-about, never stayed. It is gorgeous.
Neatest Features: Being right on the Savannah and seeing the animals, of course! Boma is a terrific restaurant, and generally rated as the best buffet in Disney World.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaValue$966 (4)$2212 (4)$2982 (8)-Standard$1232 (4)$2534 (5)$3206 (9)$7406 (12)Savannah$1624 (4)$3122 (5)$4144 (9)$8022 (12)Club$1848 (4)$3766 (5)$5068 (9)-
Bay Lake Towers (The Contemporary)
Closest Park: Magic Kingdom, literally within walking distance. Monorail ride to Epcot.
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Only passing through on the monorail.
Neatest Features: Dude, the monorail goes right through the main hotel and you can walk to the Magic Kingdom
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaStandard$1744 (4)$3360 (5)$4560 (9)
-Lake$2048 (4)$3856 (5)$5040 (9)$10368 (12)Magic*$2416 (4)$4592 (5)$6192 (9)$12480 (12)*This means you get a view of the park.
Beach Club Villas
Closest Park: Epcot or Disney Hollywood Studios, both within walking distance (there's also a boat)
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Yes, it's quite lovely!
Neatest Features: Being in Epcot's backyard is probably the biggest reason to go here.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomStandard
$1712 (4)$3488 (4)$4448 (8)
Boardwalk Villas
Closest Park: Epcot or Disney Hollywood Studios, both within walking distance (there's also a boat)
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Yes, it's where me and SpotWeld spent our honeymoon!
Neatest Features: Has an actual boardwalk, just like in New Jersey (well, probably cleaner!). Lots of restaurants, nightclubs, and boardwalk-themed entertainment.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaStandard$1248 (4)$2656 (4)$3696 (8)-Preferred$1712 (4)$3408 (4)$4528 (8)$9392 (12)
Grand Floridian
Closest Park: Magic Kingdom by monorail or boat. Supposedly you can walk but there's no paved sidewalk. Monorail ride to Epcot.
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Have been there to eat and shop, have never stayed, though we toured the DVC model room
Neatest Features: The most upper-class looking of the Disney hotels. The lobby is absolutely stunning, and the monorail is right there.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaStandard$2000 (5)$4288 (5)$5744 (9)-Lake$2448 (5)$5136 (5)$6928 (9)$13856 (12)
Old Key West
Closest "Park": Downtown Disney, which may be known as Disney Springs by the time of this trip
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Nope.
Neatest Features: Apparently the first ever DVC resort? According to reviews it's beautiful, but I honestly can't find anything too exciting about this one.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaStandard$1092 (4)$2436 (5)$3248 (9)$5012 (12)
Polynesian
Closest Park: Walking distance to the Transportation & Ticket Center to catch a boat or monorail to the Magic Kingdom; Epcot via monorail
Has Tabbie Ever Been: This is my favorite hotel in Walt Disney World, though I have never actually stayed there
Neatest Features: TIKI HOTEL. Wonderful breakfasts at the Kona Cafe; amazing dinners at Ohana; will be gaining Trader Sam's Grog Grotto -- a tiki bar -- sometime in 2015.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomStandard$2080 (5)--Lake$2448 (5)-$13984 (8)
Saratoga Springs
Closest "Park": Downtown Disney/Disney Springs
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Yes, stayed for a night with friends. It's sprawlingly large.
Neatest Features: I think you can walk to Downtown Disney from parts of it. Also the treehouses, obviously.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaTreehouseStandard$1456 (4)
$2884 (4)
$3668 (8)
$7238 (12)
$4130 (9)
Wilderness Lodge
Closest Park: Magic Kingdom by boat or bus
Has Tabbie Ever Been: This is one of the few Disney hotels I've never set foot in, even for the restaurant
Neatest Features: Set up like a National Park lodge; has a geyser. Have heard wonderful things about the restaurant, Artist Point
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomStandard
$1712 (4)$3488 (4)$4448 (8)
Hopefully that was comprehensive enough! Please comment with the hotels you are interested in, as well as any questions or other commentary :) All input is EXTREMELY WELCOME at this point; it's why I have started planning so early!
At some point I will probably email them, too, but in all honesty the forum is WAY easier to keep track of.
This is going to be the thing I need most from you guys by I'm estimating November of this year: decisions on where everyone wants to stay. Now, as you saw in my previous post, the most savings are for when everyone rooms together. BUT, this is a vacation, and as much as I love my friends, sometimes you just need space to yourself :) Do NOT be ashamed to say "Well, I/my partner and I/my polyamorous group of 6 people want my/our own room!"
If you haven't read the Five Geek Social Fallacies, give it a read. Y'all may all be good friends of mine, but I'd be super ignorant to think we're all gonna get along enough to spend the ENTIRE trip sharing bathrooms ;)
Anyway, back to hotels! For everything in my plans, the price estimates are for renting Disney Vacation Club points to cover hotel costs. DVC point rental is 1) Much less expensive than getting rooms directly through Disney 2) Actually approved by Disney, as I learned when we did the Vacation Club tour on our last trip there and 3) Gets you a WAY fancier room. At rack rate, Disney's Pop Century hotel (their least expensive hotel and most similar to staying at a Motel 6, only with Mickey lamps, though I hear the food court is pretty tasty ) costs about $875 for a week; through the DVC, you can stay at a Studio room in the Animal Kingdom Lodge for $966. Less than a hundred bucks, FAR fancier hotel. You might not get a Savannah view (those are a bit pricier) but still, you get all the fancy restaurants and shops AND you get a lobby that opens out onto the Savannah.
So there's that.
All rates in this table are taken directly from David's Vacation Club Rentals, and are assuming a 7-day trip from Friday, November 4, 2016, to Friday, November 11, 2016. Rates DO change a bit, depending on the exact week, though most of mid-September through Thanksgiving is the off-season for the parks (and hence, some of the least expensive times to visit). You are welcome to check out that website yourself for information on how this all works. They have the best cost calculator I've seen so far, though there are a few other DVC rental businesses :)
Rooms are listed with their Maximum Occupancy in parenthesis, if you want to do your own math and see how much the rooms cost per person. Please note that most rooms include fold-out couches that sleep 2 (hence the Studios sleeping 4), and having slept on one, I would personally not recommend it for a week.
Wondering why the rooms are linked? Those go to room tours (please assume that all rooms are pretty similar, no matter their view; they may not be EXACT, just as a warning). This is the most thorough-effing-chart in the history of vacations. Apologies for the advertising for travel agencies in the videos; they are the most convenient collection of room tours :)
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Closest Park: Animal Kingdom; fair distance from all other parks
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Only to the restaurants and for a general poke-about, never stayed. It is gorgeous.
Neatest Features: Being right on the Savannah and seeing the animals, of course! Boma is a terrific restaurant, and generally rated as the best buffet in Disney World.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaValue$966 (4)$2212 (4)$2982 (8)-Standard$1232 (4)$2534 (5)$3206 (9)$7406 (12)Savannah$1624 (4)$3122 (5)$4144 (9)$8022 (12)Club$1848 (4)$3766 (5)$5068 (9)-
Bay Lake Towers (The Contemporary)
Closest Park: Magic Kingdom, literally within walking distance. Monorail ride to Epcot.
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Only passing through on the monorail.
Neatest Features: Dude, the monorail goes right through the main hotel and you can walk to the Magic Kingdom
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaStandard$1744 (4)$3360 (5)$4560 (9)
-Lake$2048 (4)$3856 (5)$5040 (9)$10368 (12)Magic*$2416 (4)$4592 (5)$6192 (9)$12480 (12)*This means you get a view of the park.
Beach Club Villas
Closest Park: Epcot or Disney Hollywood Studios, both within walking distance (there's also a boat)
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Yes, it's quite lovely!
Neatest Features: Being in Epcot's backyard is probably the biggest reason to go here.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomStandard
$1712 (4)$3488 (4)$4448 (8)
Boardwalk Villas
Closest Park: Epcot or Disney Hollywood Studios, both within walking distance (there's also a boat)
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Yes, it's where me and SpotWeld spent our honeymoon!
Neatest Features: Has an actual boardwalk, just like in New Jersey (well, probably cleaner!). Lots of restaurants, nightclubs, and boardwalk-themed entertainment.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaStandard$1248 (4)$2656 (4)$3696 (8)-Preferred$1712 (4)$3408 (4)$4528 (8)$9392 (12)
Grand Floridian
Closest Park: Magic Kingdom by monorail or boat. Supposedly you can walk but there's no paved sidewalk. Monorail ride to Epcot.
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Have been there to eat and shop, have never stayed, though we toured the DVC model room
Neatest Features: The most upper-class looking of the Disney hotels. The lobby is absolutely stunning, and the monorail is right there.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaStandard$2000 (5)$4288 (5)$5744 (9)-Lake$2448 (5)$5136 (5)$6928 (9)$13856 (12)
Old Key West
Closest "Park": Downtown Disney, which may be known as Disney Springs by the time of this trip
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Nope.
Neatest Features: Apparently the first ever DVC resort? According to reviews it's beautiful, but I honestly can't find anything too exciting about this one.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaStandard$1092 (4)$2436 (5)$3248 (9)$5012 (12)
Polynesian
Closest Park: Walking distance to the Transportation & Ticket Center to catch a boat or monorail to the Magic Kingdom; Epcot via monorail
Has Tabbie Ever Been: This is my favorite hotel in Walt Disney World, though I have never actually stayed there
Neatest Features: TIKI HOTEL. Wonderful breakfasts at the Kona Cafe; amazing dinners at Ohana; will be gaining Trader Sam's Grog Grotto -- a tiki bar -- sometime in 2015.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomStandard$2080 (5)--Lake$2448 (5)-$13984 (8)
Saratoga Springs
Closest "Park": Downtown Disney/Disney Springs
Has Tabbie Ever Been: Yes, stayed for a night with friends. It's sprawlingly large.
Neatest Features: I think you can walk to Downtown Disney from parts of it. Also the treehouses, obviously.
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomGrand VillaTreehouseStandard$1456 (4)
$2884 (4)
$3668 (8)
$7238 (12)
$4130 (9)
Wilderness Lodge
Closest Park: Magic Kingdom by boat or bus
Has Tabbie Ever Been: This is one of the few Disney hotels I've never set foot in, even for the restaurant
Neatest Features: Set up like a National Park lodge; has a geyser. Have heard wonderful things about the restaurant, Artist Point
Studio 1 Bedroom2 BedroomStandard
$1712 (4)$3488 (4)$4448 (8)
Hopefully that was comprehensive enough! Please comment with the hotels you are interested in, as well as any questions or other commentary :) All input is EXTREMELY WELCOME at this point; it's why I have started planning so early!