14 Days 'til Disney World - Part 4: Get Me Off This Fence!

The worst part about planning my own Walt Disney World vacation is selecting a Disney Resort Hotel to stay at. [please note that I call Disney hotels "resorts" because as a vacation planner, I am trained in "Disney Speak".]  It can take me weeks to pick a Disney resort.  Lots of guests view the resorts as just places to sleep and shower in between visits to the parks.  That's a terrible approach to this very important element in a Walt Disney World vacation.

There are many factors to consider when choosing a WDW resort to call home during your vacation.  For me, the biggest factor is the hotel's theme.  I love being transported to somewhere else when I am in the Disney bubble.  I don't want my resort to scream Disney, but I also don't want to feel like I am at a chain hotel.

This week I have been researching nine Disney Resorts, including seven Deluxe, and two Moderate Resorts. I have previously stayed at four of the Resorts I've been considering.  Each of these Resorts appeal to me in different ways. Like a nightly rate of around $250 for a Savanna View room at Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Or staying in a new Deluxe Studio at my favorite Resort, Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Seeing the recently refurbished Caribbean Beach Resort or Coronado Springs Resort as it nears completion of a major expansion are also factors I am thinking about.

For years I have wanted to stay at the Yacht Club Resort.  But I haven't been able to find the right price or room category.  Beach Club and Boardwalk Inn both showed availability at rates within my budget.  But they aren't Yacht Club.  That theme is where my heart is set.

 Late Thursday, I found a great rate at Yacht Club resort for five of my eight nights.  I could do a split stay with Wilderness Lodge and spend the other three nights there. I decided to sleep on it since I had had Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge on hold until midnight on Friday.

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Friday morning my decision was made.  I was going to drop Animal Kingdom Lodge and book Yacht Club.  But the room and rate was gone! By now I decided I no longer want Animal Kingdom Lodge and I have to stay at an Epcot resort.  Beach Club had the same room and rate as Yacht Club, but it was for six nights. A little while later that same rate came-up for Yacht Club.  I'll stay the six nights, but I don't want to spend only two nights at Wilderness Lodge.  Off to lunch to decide.  Oops!

I return from lunch, and of course the room and rate at Yacht Club is gone.  This is not acceptable.  I called our Disney Travel Agent number and spoke to a Disney rep.  She was able to secure the room and rate I wanted, so I booked it on the spot.  Now I have the last two nights of my trip to figure out.  Since this will be a shorter stay, a deluxe resort is no longer necessary.  I was considering Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans French Quarter.

That night after going to bed, I spent some time watching online video tours of these resorts on Youtube. Either the boring hosts put me to sleep, or I passed out from the terrible, amateur camera work.  I woke up yesterday morning, still dizzy from those horrible videos.  I took a Dramamine and proceeded to go back online to book my selection, Caribbean Beach Resort. I chose this resort because I have stayed at Coronado Spring before, as well as Port Orleans' sister resort Port Orleans Riverside.

So my stay is set. I will spend my first six nights at Yacht Club Resort, followed by two nights at the recently, and completely refurbished Caribbean Beach Resort.  Hopefully staying at a Moderate resort after a Deluxe won't be much of a problem or a buzzkill.  I am thrilled to finally get to stay at Yacht Club, and am looking forward to Caribbean Beach as well.

During the great hotel debate, I was also weighing a "hard ticket" event.  There are Disney After Hours events taking place at Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom during my stay.  I have never seen Animal Kingdom at night, which means I haven't been to Pandora or seen "Rivers of Light" yet. The park is open until 8pm each night during my vacation, so I will get to see some of it at night.

Since I haven't experienced Disney After Hours before, attending this event would allow me to see what the park is like with a smaller crowd, and enjoy three extra hours at night.  It will also help me  decide whether or not to recommend the event to my Clients and others.  I purchased a ticket for the event, at the $95 Annual Passholder rate.  The three-hour event takes place on my first night there.  If I really like it, I might also buy a ticket for Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom on the following Monday.

Right now, I am a little behind on FastPass+ and dining reservations.  I haven't added any additional FastPasses since part 3 of this series.  Fortunately, most of the restaurants that I like have plenty of openings.  I am still looking for dinner at California Grill, and maybe dinner at Be Our Guest.  I've had breakfast and lunch at BOG in the past.  Dinner never really appealed to me.  If you have any feedback on this experience, please feel free to share it in the comments.  I'd also welcome your thoughts on Jiko, Coral Reef, and the newer Disney Springs restaurants.

After nearly a week of planning this trip, it's becoming clear to me that visiting Walt Disney World on short notice is very do-able.  What do you think? I plan on writing two more parts to this special series during my final week of planning.  Please stay tuned for updates on my dining plans and FastPass efforts. And please feel free to share this or any of my blog entries with friends and on social media.