Rank the DVC Resorts

[DVCjj]

Stayed at all.

BWV
BCV (own)
BLT
CCV
RIV
POLY (own)
BRV
AKV
VGF
VGF Big Pines
SSR
OKW
AUL

 

[BamaGuy44]

Just ranking the 4 we've stayed at
1. CCV
2. Poly
3. Riviera
4. BWV

We enjoyed all 4, for different reasons. Would happily stay at any of them. Booked at AKV this year, looking forward to trying that one! Also can't wait to try BCV and Aulani.

I'm sure we'll give SSR and OKW a go at some point as well. VGF isn't really our vibe, not sure why, but I get why people love it.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

this is such a subjective thread, and question....because it depends on what you want for that trip.

Each resort is good and bad for different things .....
If I want a quick get away with out parks, and maybe without kids, I want to be at Saratoga,

I love having out at the springs, eating at the springs, relaxing at the pool or maybe the spa....

Bay Lake if the kids want MK, but if they want MK then then they want the poly, so??

Riviera is quickly becoming a family favorite because of the skyline...

 

[com_op_2000]

AKL-J
BC
BLT
BWV
OKW
SSR
WL - both of them
AKL-K
VB
HHI

will not stay at again:
Poly

Have not been to:
VGF - Had booked last year but Hurricane Ian got in the way.
West coast resorts

 

[Counting Stars]

Ranking only the resorts we have stayed at:
1. Beach Club- just feels like vacation when you are from the Midwest Love the pools, theming, and location. Used to love Beaches and Cream but not so much since it became "popular sit-down restaurant ". Can easily walk over to the Boardwalk in the evenings.
2. Copper Creek/Boulder Ridge- Beautiful resort. Love the water view and the boats. The lodge itself is gorgeous. Many years spent commuting so busses are no problem. I am fine with letting someone else drive.
3. SSR- Love the location and Disney Springs for entertainment. The units are very pretty after the refurb.
4. Old Key West- Truly special resort. Very laid back, roomy. Great after a full day of skin to skin in the parks. Big fan of the friendship boats as well.
5. AKL Kidani- We really enjoyed our stay. Will definitely go back. The restaurants are great, the pool area is really pretty. The one bedroom units are laid out really well.
6. Boardwalk- Love the location. The staff there have always been very impressive, friendly and helpful. Not a fan of the long hallways.
7. BLT- Great location, and love the second bathroom in the one bedroom units. Good for traveling with teens. Not a fan of the vibe- feels too much like a high-rise back home.
* Still want to try VGF and Poly, but haven't quite made it yet.

 

[zavandor]

I cannot make an exact ranking, I'd rather use groups. It's very hard to decide if I prefer AKV or VGC since they're for completely different occasions and both spectacular.

Group 1: The very Best
- AKV
- VGC
- BWV

Group 2: Love them
- BCV
- POLY
- VGF

Group 3: Love them, just a bit less
- SSR
- OKW
- BLT


Never stayed at, yet:
- RIV
- CCV & BRV
- AUL
- HHI
- VB

 

[AvidDisReader]

Only those I have been:
1. BLT - nothing beats end of night after long day at MK, a 5 min walk back to room. Easy access to Monorail to go to Epcot. 2 bathrooms in a one bedroom. Never understood the complaint of not "Disney" enough.
2. AKL-Jumbo - the vibe of this resort is tremendous, but the wait for transportation in early morning clearly makes it number 2,
3. AKL-Kidani - The fact you need to hike to Jumbo for a quick service restaurant puts this behind Jumbo.
4. OKW- Just a really nice all around resort. But really need a car, I value my time way too much to wait on the bus system. The large room places this ahead of:
5, SSR - Under rated resort. So many nice features including short walk to Disney Springs. Negative is like OKW, really need a car to go anywhere but Disney Springs. The room layouts are not as efficient as other resorts. When going on short notice, availability makes this resort greatly appreciated.
6. Poly- Found the rooms to be really uninspiring. Easy access to Monorail is nice. Large space for studio. But the high point charts make this a very infrequent stay.
7. BWV - Was really disappointed in this resort. Maybe if I had gone after a refurb, but the rooms were tired with furniture way past its prime. Still, cannot beat the short walks to Epcot or Hollywood Studios.

 

[SG131]

This is fun! I know my opinions differ from a lot of people's as far as my favorites.

1. BLT - Great location, great views, no endless hallways
2. BWV - Relaxed resort with walkability to two parks and plenty of entertainment
3. VGF - Awesome splash pool for kids without being a total zoo, the original rooms are such nice quality
4. CCV - So relaxing
5. BRV - Never stayed here, but has a similar atmosphere to CCV just not as centrally located
6. BCV - Too busy and noisy, but decent location
7. Poly - Same as BCV
8. AKV - Too far from everything other than AK, which we will only spend 1 day out of a 12 day trip at, we don't care much about the zoo outside and the food options are limited for the picky eaters of our group
9. Riv - Too high on the points charts and with no walkability anywhere I have no interest
10. SSR - Too big of a resort with amenities too spread out and the issue of the internal bus loops
11. OKW - Same as above, but lack of elevator makes this the last resort for our group since we have a stroller and a scooter

I've never stayed at any of the DVC outside of Florida. I wouldn't mind trying the VGC, but the others, I'm not sure I will ever have a reason to try making a reservation there.

 

[kilik64]

Only stayed at 3 so far:

BLT - Did a studio with 2 adults and 3 kids (7,2,1 at the time) and loved it. Had a great lake view and literally cant beat the ease of getting to MK from there, which we did 2 days at MK
SSR - Just went earlier this month, great room location, grounds were fantastic, very quiet, paddock pool and play are was great. Only real negative was artist palette is pretty bad but its close to DS with many better options (Chicken Guy!). Buses were totally fine, might have just been slow when we went at SSR, but never had any issues with full buses or taking a long time etc. Boat to springs was very nice too.
BCV - liked the location to epcot, room was fine, but gotta say i think SAB is overrated honestly. End of the day its still a pool and the fake sand was kinda weird really. Having cape may is a big plus though, loved our meal there.

Yea I just put SSR above BCV...

 

[a742246]

BWV Boardwalk view
CCV
BCV
SSR for non theme park stays
AKV
OKW
GF standard view. Didn’t like this at all.
HHI,
VB


did not stay at poly, BLT, RIV, BRV
so I didn’t rate.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I still need to read through all of the responses. I finished my list. I based it only on pictures and videos since I've never stayed at any of the resorts on this list....except The Grand Californian on the hotel side.

So for my rankings I looked at studios only and just compared decor and whatnot. I placed resorts higher if they just had a 'vibe' that I prefer. And if they seemed quiet. I also based it a little bit on location/transportation but really not too much.

1. Grand Cali
2. Boulder Ridge
3. Copper Creek (especially the cabins even though we'll never have the points for those!)
4. Beach Club (Honestly, this kind of ties with the two above. Loses a point for theme/decor but then gains some points for the pool area and walk to Epcot.)
5. Aulani (I'd probably rank this #2 if it wasn't so far away.)
6. Poly
7. Hilton Head (It looks low-key and cozy.)
8. Disneyland Hotel (Just kind of stuck this in the middle for now.)
9. AKV
10. Saratoga Springs
11. Old Key West
12. Riviera (I know it's super new but it just doesn't speak to me, I guess.)
13. Vero Beach
14. Boardwalk (I have no real feelings on this one. I mean...it's so close to Beach Club so I have no desire to go here.)
15. Grand Floridian (I've always loved the outside of this place and the monorail is nice. But the inside decor does nothing for me.
16. Bay Lake tower (It's literally forgettable. I'd have to Google it again because I already forgot why I didn't like it.)

 

[TinkB278]

1. RIV- it really does have that je ne sais quois (haha). I feel like I am truly in the riviera when I arrive although I do agree with another poster that they need mid tier dining here.
2-AKV- I love the theming and the dark woods. It feels cozy. Great dining options.
3-PVB- Again, love the theming and the dark wood. I love getting bread pudding from kona cafe and eating it in bed with a movie and a cup of decaf. Do not love the walk to the lobby.
4- VGF- have not stayed here but I love being on the VGF grounds. Beautiful and bright. Love the look of the new rooms but sad about the kitchenette and apparently paper thin walls.
5-BWV- Fun atmosphere, the rooms left much to be desired.
6-BCV- Did not get the appeal of this resort. I was so underwhelmed by the pool, especially the “lazy river”
7-BLT- nope. I did not like the studio I toured, did not like the lobby, did not like the pool.

Haven’t stayed at or toured CCV, BRV, OKW, or SSR so don’t feel like I can comment on those.

 

[intamin]

Going to just do WDW, although Grand Cal and Aulani would probably be in my top 5 otherwise

1. Riviera - biased because I own here but LOVE the rooms and the skyliner, Topolino's, views of Epcot/HS, it's ALL good
2. Animal Kingdom Lodge - great food, theming, freakin' savannah, only downside is transportation
3. Polynesian - monorail loop, walking distance to TTC, great theming, just wish it's lobby was like how it originally was and desperately needs other room types besides studios and bungalows - the tower can't come soon enough
4. Boardwalk - walking distance to Epcot, love the nightlife on the Boardwalk
5. Beach Club - same as above, but I prioritize the aesthetic of the Boardwalk over Stormalong Bay
6. Copper Creek - love the theming of the lobby although I wish the rooms were larger
7. Grand Floridian - again love the theming of the lobby, and aesthetic of the resort not as much of a fan of the rooms, decor of the rooms kind of feels like grandma's place
8. Boulder Ridge- I just prefer being closer to the lobby and the dining which is why CCV is higher for me personally
9. Bay Lake Tower - proximity to MK, wish it had more of DL hotel's theming, really is a missed opportunity for such a prime resort sadly
10. Saratoga - I love SSR because of how close it is to Disney Springs but too many stops on the loop, bus only transportation and too spread out
11. Old Key West - same as SSR but not as close to Disney Springs although I do like how large the rooms are

I can't say there's a DVC resort I truly dislike, it was actually hard for me to put SSR near the bottom because that's honestly where I first started falling in love with Disney World. Still have to stay at a bunch of these so we'll see how it all ends up panning out.

 

[intamin]

1. RIV- it really does have that je ne sais quois (haha). I feel like I am truly in the riviera when I arrive although I do agree with another poster that they need mid tier dining here.
2-AKV- I love the theming and the dark woods. It feels cozy. Great dining options.
3-PVB- Again, love the theming and the dark wood. I love getting bread pudding from kona cafe and eating it in bed with a movie and a cup of decaf. Do not love the walk to the lobby.

You have good taste, for your first 3 anyways

 

[NVDISFamily]

We turned this into a fun family exercise. I was overruled on some things

1	VGC	It's our 1st love. Great location. If we could only own one resort this would be it.
2	Aulani	I don't fully agree with the family but that's okay. I'd say it's in our top 5 but it's weird as I don't really want to own points there.
4	CCV	Easy pick for the family. We love Wilderness Lodge, the grand villa is our favorite room at WDW, love the cabins, could go on…
5	Riviera	This one stole our hearts and our $$$. We like it and are happy to have it as on of our main home resorts.
6	AKV	Yea, we love the Peter Dominick resorts and had to own some points here. It has a friggin savannah.
7	BRV	As of this moment the only 2042 resort that would tempt me to own there. Love the lobby. It's at Wilderness Lodge. We love that place…
8	BLT	High on our list to try in the near future.
9	PVB	High on our list to try in the near future. A classic. Looking forward to the new tower (we are 2BR people and we hope they will do it well).
10	GFV	We are foofoo (bougie) types but the Grand Flo didn't really seal the deal for us. The grand villa is a bit too much. Point chart is ouch.
11	BCV	Family voted this here due to pool and location. I'd be tempted to own if it had a longer contract.
12	OKW	The OG resort, good vibe/charm… and WOW the square feet and point chart. I'll likely pickup up at least 200 points here for a week in a GV every few years.
13	VB	Really looking forward to visiting this resort over the years, likely going to try and make a stay before or after a cruise as the years go by.
14	SSR	Was our first stay on rented points. We like the pool, high availability, rooms are solid. Likely going to have plenty of family stays here to save on points and extend our trips.
15	HHR	Sounds like a fun place to stay. We'll try and make it one of these years.
16	BWV	Great location. Not sure if it's just not our style. We'll likely stay in the coming years and we may move it up.
17	VDH	I'm being silly and putting this at the bottom until Disney gives us the point charts… GIVE US THE CHARTS!!!

 

[BamaGuy44]

Very interesting thread to read through. Love seeing everyone's lists and the reasons people love the different resorts. Great that there is so much variety, life would be so boring if we all liked the same things!

 

[tidefan]

Love them all, but here goes. Strangely enough, I found that the fact that we drive every trip was a big factor:

1) Aulani - love every trip there. Would go every year if we could.
2) BLT - We really like BLT. Not sure why it gets the hate. Easy Parking. Great for MNSSHP!
3) VGF1 - Love the Deluxe Studios. Again, easy parking.
4) VGC - Stayed in a 1-Bedroom here. Can't beat the location!
5) VB - Great location. Would love to stay in a cottage.
6) CCV/BRV - What's not to like about the Wilderness Lodge
7) HHI - Underrated for super cheap early January stays
8) PVB - Would be higher except for the time I couldn't get back to my room with clean laundry due to rain
9) SSR - Actually really like the resort. New refurbed rooms are very nice. Like the pools here.
10) AKV Kidani - OK resort, can park under building
11) OKW - Low point charts and big 1/2/3 Bedrooms!
12) BCV - Hard to get into. Had a good stay though.
13) AKV Jambo - I got a 10k medal for the walk to the room
14) BWV - Same as above, but only got a 5k medal
15) RIV - Not sure what it is. Stayed in a GV and it was nice. Just something about the resort doesn't connect.
16) VGF2 - Not a fan...

 

[Royal Consort]

Sod it, I self identify as fancy.

1. Villas at Grand Floridian. - the original villas evoke the feeling at Hong Kong Disneyland hotel more than the main Grand building. I love all the Victorian Disney hotels (HK and Tokyo). I also want the Disney IP. I want it everywhere. The fountain, chalk drawings, umbrella elevators. Yes, yes, yes.

2. Grand Californian - Sophistication meets arts and crafts with a hint of the rustic. Details abound with theme carefully considered in each fixture around the resort (except the white security cameras in the dark lobby which give me no end of frustration!!). Also the BGM for Grand Cal is the best of any resort.

3. Riviera - classy without the self consciousness of GF. Refinement at WDW. Love the branding the resort has produced and the Disney artwork. Prefer a tower far more than disconnected buildings.

4. Aulani - when the mountain breeze meets the ocean breeze in the lobby, its a moment. The valley is an oasis and a Disney bubble unto itself. A true escape. Beautiful, joyful, earnest, soulful (as much as a vampire mega corporation can be)

5. Boulder Ridge - would own here if it were not for 2042. Theme and details are immaculate. I just love to sit in the BR lobby and decompress.

6. Copper Creek - the atmosphere of WL is transcendent. The rooms, however, are not. Squishy and limited in studio availability ruled this out of the ownership equation. Riviera won out above a fixed week here.

7. Polynesian - I like this resort mostly for its dining and beverage options. Sit on the tiki terrace every trip. Happy place, happy moment. I do not, however, consider Poly well themed. It's 'themed' to tiki culture and kitsch. There's little 'polynesian' about the Polynesian. I do wonder what pacific Island guests think of this place at times.

8. Bay Lake Tower - theme park view , bay lake view enough said.

9. Beach Club Villas - location is great, facade is nice, views are not anything impressive and I think Stormalong Bay is truly overrated.

10. Animal Kingdom Villas. - so. far. away. Stop it. I fly from Australia and I think this place is FAR. The theme is incredible. I don't like the theme but it's executed meticulously.

11. Boardwalk- Theme is en point. Once again, it doesn't resonate with me but I like the Boardwalk itself more than the resort. I once said I found the rooms here rather vile to which another poster commented that such strong wording should only be used for Nazi's ...so let's not have that again.

12. Old Key West - lovely views from some rooms. Access to Disney Springs is leisurely and tranquil down the Sassagoula. One bedrooms are spacious and homely. Doesn't give me Disney vibes.

13. the Villas at the Disney Institute/Saratoga Springs - is there. I feel nothing. Landscaping is lovely and if you like Disney Springs, fantastic access. But no. This place doesn't communicate Disney or any whimsy of any kind.

Excluded: VB and HH. I have no familiarity and unlikely to visit.

 

[KimMcGowan]

Ok, this is a fun little brain exercise. Here are mine:
1. Copper Creek - our hands down favorite
2. Polynesian - it’s the Poly, our first Disney Deluxe stay. How can it not be right near the
top of every list???
(These first two are easy - buy where you want to stay)
3. Boulder Ridge - almost as awesome as CC
4. Beach Club - the International Gateway is what sets this resort, not Stormalong Bay,
apart from others.
5. Bay Lake - there is just something about being able to walk across the bridge into the
Atrium that makes me happy every time.
6. Riviera- elegance (with a Skyliner) that doesn’t scream exclusivity.
7. Kidani - Saana sets this one a tiny bit higher than its sister resort.
8. Jambo - echoes of the WL lobby and savanna views. If this was closer to anything
else at WDW I am certain it would be a top 5 for everyone.
9. Old Key West - it almost pains me to rank this wonderful resort so low.
10. Boardwalk - I love the Crescent Lake location but just don’t love the theme.
11. Grand Floridian - it is beautiful, I get it. However, I feel a little like an imposter
every time I visit.
12. Saratoga Springs - the Disney Springs access cannot be beat. However, the theming
Puts this at the bottom of my list.

 

[ClaraOswald]

CCV - own at CCV and it tops them all for us - definitely home, sweet Disney home!
HHI - also own there - it's our winter getaway from the cold and snow and my "be at peace" place
BRV - love the Lodge and the revamped rooms look great, though we've never stayed there - but it's the Lodge!!
BCV - love the location - Yacht Club was our favorite resort prior to buying into DVC
BLT - cannot beat a theme park view room and the walk to MK - magical!
BWV - never stayed, but again we love that location
RIV - love the resort and location, hate the point chart - also needs some mid-tier dining and a proper indoor lounge
AKV - never stayed, but it's on our list - love, love the dining options
Poly - we don't stay in studios, but we do adore this resort - the new tower will probably push this up the list
VGC - this is a hard one, as we rarely make it to the left coast but if we do that's where we want to stay (and doubt VDH will change that)
GFV - too stuffy for us, but love the dining options - fun place to visit but I wouldn't want to "live" there
VB - haven't stayed there, but it looks nice and hope to try it out
SSR - DS location would be nice, but it's too big and spread out for us
OKW - hate to put the OG dead last, but the limited dining / lounge options, few elevators and size make this a no go

I didn't include Aulani as we've never been to Hawaii. We'll be there in October for the first time though, and are prepared to be blown away!

Can I ask what HHI is like in the winter? Not just the resort, but the area. What kinds of things do you do while there? I've never been out there and I'm curious about it.

Two things I find interesting:

1) Poly seems to have the biggest swings in ranking. Why is that?

2) Grand Flo
a) what makes it feel “stuffy”
b) are the paper thin walls only in the new tower?

Paper thin walls?! That's a deal breaker for me. I wonder which DVC resorts/rooms are the most quiet? I was happy with how quiet our regular room at the Grand Californian was and I assume the DVC rooms will also be quiet. Wondering which WDW ones are good for light sleepers.