Are the monorail resorts worth it?

[Eastern]

I like the Skyliner but my DH found it hot for warmer days and we were even there during summer.

Oh I just saw OP was asking about summer....yeah I wouldn't book it for summer/rainy thunder season. Can get shut down too often.

 

[PPFlight75]

We love a split stay for our longer summer trips(9-11 nights). This offers the best of both worlds and we split between MK and EP resorts.

This summer we are only staying Poly since it is only 8 nights, and while we will go to all parks, this MK resort is worth it for us.

We love the pools and patios at MK as well as the club level. We love the music and ambiance of the Poly. We don't mind taking the bus and although we will miss the easy walk from HS and MK, we would miss the Poly more.

If you love your normal resort and the skyliner, you might miss it if you switch, but if you like the monorail, plan to spend time at MK, or are interested in a MK resort, you might want to consider a split stay.

 

[ucf_knight]

Hi,

We’re planning a summer trip to WDW this July. We normally stay on the Skyliner route, which my small children LOVE.

We’re still in the planning phase and can’t decide on a resort. So is it worth leaving the Skyliner area for the monorail resorts?

TIA

No

 

[meggiebeth]

My favourite resort area to stay is actually Crescent Lake - I think Yacht, Beach and Boardwalk (plus Swan and Dolphin) are the most conveniently placed of all Disney resorts, because you have really easy access to two parks (Epcot and DHS) as opposed to one (MK) for most of the MK area resorts. The resorts at Crescent Lake are also less expensive than the MK area resorts and I really feel that I get my money’s worth staying there.

If you spend a lot of time at MK or are particularly attracted to one of the MK area resorts’ themes, then absolutely, an MK area resort is a good idea. It all comes down to where you plan to spend your time and what your priorities are.

 

[RickNJane]

I would second the split stay. Last trip we stayed at BWV and BLT. We could walk to 3 out of the 4 parks. Grandkids loved it. Especially BLT since Grandma and I usually stayed in after supper, but the DD and family would walk back to MK. Full disclosure. Home DVC resorts are BWV And BLT. Just added DLH and AK. You could try renting DVC Points for BW or BLT or Both for that matter.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiUK]

Thank you all. It’s been fascinating to read why everyone picks a resort.

We have stayed at the Riviera and Yacht Club (both 15 nights). Both were beautiful hotels but both had a few cons to them.

We like to stay in different resorts but as everyone is such a big fan of the skyliner it’s difficult to be subjective about other resorts and their convenience.

We’ve still not picked a resort! Too many choices.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

Thank you all. It’s been fascinating to read why everyone picks a resort.

This is why we like split stays - too many great choices.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiUK]

This is why we like split stays - too many great choices.

We’ve considered it but on long stays, lose the benefit for ADR (and now Lightning Lanes).

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

We’ve considered it but on long stays, lose the benefit for ADR (and now Lightning Lanes).

ADRs yes. You don’t lose LL benefits, as your stays will be linked. (Meaning I can book all my LL 7 days prior to my first check in day.) I have no idea why it’s different; Disney does weird things.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiUK]

ADRs yes. You don’t lose LL benefits, as your stays will be linked. (Meaning I can book all my LL 7 days prior to my first check in day.) I have no idea why it’s different; Disney does weird things.

Thank you. That’s useful to know.

 

[FSU Girl]

Definitely will depend on your family if it’s worth it. Monorail resorts are best if MK is a focus. We love staying at them and the ease with strollers. My kids like riding them but my toddler LOVES the skyliner. She’d probably stay on it the entire trip if we let her. But she also prefers MK over Epcot and HS

 

[DaBarretts]

Hi,

We’re planning a summer trip to WDW this July. We normally stay on the Skyliner route, which my small children LOVE.

We’re still in the planning phase and can’t decide on a resort. So is it worth leaving the Skyliner area for the monorail resorts?

TIA

Especially having small children, it's so nice to be able to get to your room and back to the parks quickly and easily! I've stayed at GF and Poly.

 

[mousedroid]

Hi,

We’re planning a summer trip to WDW this July. We normally stay on the Skyliner route, which my small children LOVE.

We’re still in the planning phase and can’t decide on a resort. So is it worth leaving the Skyliner area for the monorail resorts?

TIA

First a little unrequested history...

The first time my family visited Disney was in 1972 when I was 5 years old. I remember riding the monorail through the Contemporary and thinking how neat it would have been to stay there. (We probably stayed at a Days Inn in Kissimmee on that trip.) Ever since then it's been my dream to stay at the Contemporary at least once.

Fast forward almost 53 years and I was finally in a position, financially, to make that dream a reality - my wife and I just got back from a 3-night stay at the Contemporary Resort in a park-view room in the main tower. It was... disappointing.

We liked the convenience of walking to MK and taking the monorail to EPCOT and the Polynesian resort. And it was nice to be able to see the MK fireworks from our balcony, but other than that... meh. The room was clean, but very spartan.

Part of the problem was probably unrealistically high expectations from five decades of dreaming. Also, in the past 12 months we've stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in Rome, the Molino Stuckey resort in Venice, the Silica hotel in Iceland, and the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC. Our rooms in all of those hotels were roughly the same price as the room at the CR and with the exception of the Silica Hotel, the rooms we had in each of those hotels completely blew away the room at the CR.

If your kids LOVE riding the Skyliner and the resorts on that route, save your money and continue to stay there. This isn't a knock on the CR or anyone who likes to stay there, it just didn't live up to my expectations and wasn't worth the cost IMO. The last time we were at Disney we stayed at the AK Lodge in a savanna-view room. The cost was similar, and it was WAY less convenient to the parks, but we enjoyed it 10x more than the CR.

 

[blbrodger1]

If you'll be spending a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom, it's convenient, but "worth it" is super subjective.

The monorail resorts are crowded (like others have said, with people staying and not staying at the resort) and you'll still depend on bus transportation to go to any park except MK.

For me, the best is being able to WALK to EP and HS from Beach/Yacht/BW area or take a boat, but the Skyliner is also pretty amazing.

 

[Silvermist999]

We love to stay on the monorail line for dining and transportation options, depending on resort - monorail, boat, bus, walk... Monorail from any of these resorts will take you to MK and Epcot (via TTC) - very convenient. Is it worth it to us, yes!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

If you'll be spending a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom, it's convenient, but "worth it" is super subjective.

The monorail resorts are crowded (like others have said, with people staying and not staying at the resort) and you'll still depend on bus transportation to go to any park except MK.

For me, the best is being able to WALK to EP and HS from Beach/Yacht/BW area or take a boat, but the Skyliner is also pretty amazing.

This is us (except we're not interested in Skyliner!!). There was a time we spent more time at MK and enjoyed the monorail resorts for a few nights. But for us, they've just become way too hectic and really less convenient. The closest thing to a monorail resort we would enjoy occasionally is Poly - ironically because we can boat to MK and walk to the EP monorail! BC is our happy place now for park visits

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

If your kids LOVE riding the Skyliner and the resorts on that route, save your money and continue to stay there. This isn't a knock on the CR or anyone who likes to stay there, it just didn't live up to my expectations and wasn't worth the cost IMO. The last time we were at Disney we stayed at the AK Lodge in a savanna-view room. The cost was similar, and it was WAY less convenient to the parks, but we enjoyed it 10x more than the CR.

Your story is funny to me because “the one with the monorail through it” is my kid’s favorite hotel, followed by AKL.