Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 If I had never stayed on property then ... well ... I have to say that my first stay would likely be at a deluxe resort or at least a moderate. Of course, my first WDW resort stay was at the Contemporary because in the old days there were no mods or values. So long as you truly know what you are getting, you'll be fine. I've probably spent 25-35 nights at Pop since it opened, so it's not as if I don't like the place. It's just very ... very ... basic. Think small, spartan rooms. You will be on top of your neighbors. The food court is quite good, but is also loud and crowded. The pools are nice, but never heated to the 80 degrees they used to advertise (although coming from Vermont, 73 degree pool water will likely be fine if you're swimming to begin with!) If you go in not expecting much, you'll likely be very happy. They also play a nice selection of music too!
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Goofy, I'm in Massachusetts, so "hi neighbor" One daughter lives in southern NH and is looking for land & home in mid-Vermont. My uncle used to have an inn in Burlington, then relocated to Shelburne Harbor, Vermont is beautiful, beautiful country! But I would hate those winters even more than I hate Mass. winters. Although right now it's 40 and raining, melting the snow.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Thanks, I'd love to take you up on that, but alas..... POR is really nice tho. No, no I need to stop thinking about WDW now, I have to save up for a trip in 2010 with my son and any other family members who aren't afraid of the heat.
Originally Posted By Maryutigger We've been going to DW every year since 1996 and stayed at Value Resorts (All Star Sports everytime). The ONLY negative I have is one or two times the busses were REALLY running late in June. Had at least 45min-1hr. 15min. wait..The food court is nice, food's good. It IS a little loud, but keep in mind these value resorts for for families!! But, all in all we loved it. The themeing is very good...We joined DVC in 2005, so we've stayed at the DVC resorts since then. But, we DO go back to All Star Sports for the pizza and remenice..
Originally Posted By fkurucz ^^Wow. When we lived in north San Diego county it would take about one hour to drive to DL (avoiding rush hour of course). Last time we went we stayed at a hotel near Anahem Stadium (or whatever its called these days) because we got a greaqt rate. It took about 5-8 minutes to drive to the parking garage. Its nice that WDW has all the greenbelt space, but it does make moving around the resort (via busses) a chore sometimes.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Uhm ... ah ... what greenbelt space? WDW is all hotels, timeshares and asphault these days.
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt <<^^Uhm ... ah ... what greenbelt space? WDW is all hotels, timeshares and asphault these days>> SO untrue!! There is LOTS of green & blue!! Being from The North we always find the FLA foliage/birds very interesting! We saw the herons or whatever they are dive in Bay Lake to catch fish!! Well, what else is there to do on those little boats going to The MK!! It's a slow boat after all...
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <^^Uhm ... ah ... what greenbelt space? WDW is all hotels, timeshares and asphault these days. < when you grow up in a big Northern City - WDW still looks like a rainforest comparatively
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>If I had never stayed on property then ... well ... I have to say that my first stay would likely be at a deluxe resort or at least a moderate.<<< Funny thing...I never thought about WDW resorts in the viewpoint of luxury. I am of the belief that you can buy luxury wherever you are, on or off site. My thoughts were leaning toward the thing that I have heard expressed over and over on these threads. That was the immersion into all things Disney. The continuation of the "magic" and theme throughout the property. That's is the recurring statement whenever there is a discussion about on or off site choices. So after all these years, I am going to give it a shot and see what all the hubbub is about. And yes, a 72 degree pool would seem like a hot tub right about now. 80 degrees would burn the skin. I once made the statement that the only place I would even want to stay in at WDW would be the Contemporary and then it would have to have a balcony facing MK. The other more frugal side of me won't allow me to spend that much money for such short term pleasure. Must be the Vermonter in me.
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<There is LOTS of green & blue!! Being from The North we always find the FLA foliage/birds very interesting! We saw the herons or whatever they are dive in Bay Lake to catch fish!! Well, what else is there to do on those little boats going to The MK!! It's a slow boat after all...>> I recall riding the bus from the Pop to the different parks and often seeing nothing but greenery on both sides of the road.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<SO untrue!! There is LOTS of green & blue!! Being from The North we always find the FLA foliage/birds very interesting! We saw the herons or whatever they are dive in Bay Lake to catch fish!! Well, what else is there to do on those little boats going to The MK!! It's a slow boat after all...>> <<when you grow up in a big Northern City - WDW still looks like a rainforest comparatively>> Yep. But when you grow up in Florida, WDW now looks like a city. I recall when you only had one entrance ... World Drive ... and you had to drive miles through forests just to hit the magical toll plaza ... I remember when the night sky was pitch black because there was no development around let alone all around ... I remember when WDW didn't have a single traffic signal ... I also remember how overnight vast tracks of greenery disappeared for development ... I literally watched them clear the sites for places like Coronado Springs and the Westside almost overnight. Take a walk into the deepest reaches of say FW ... and that was what most of WDW was like until the 1990s!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Funny thing...I never thought about WDW resorts in the viewpoint of luxury. I am of the belief that you can buy luxury wherever you are, on or off site. My thoughts were leaning toward the thing that I have heard expressed over and over on these threads. That was the immersion into all things Disney. The continuation of the "magic" and theme throughout the property. That's is the recurring statement whenever there is a discussion about on or off site choices. So after all these years, I am going to give it a shot and see what all the hubbub is about.>> That's just the thing, though. I don't find the values very ... well, magical. And immersive? That all depends on what your definition is. If over the top, loud, tacky theming and people running around with mugs all the time is immersive, then I think you'll be happy. But when I think ot true Disney immersion, I view it as a resort experience with much detailed theming and ammenties too. That's why I love WL and Poly so much for example. And even PO is just very New Orleansish to me. POP is a nice Disney motel. It does immerse you in something ... I'm just not sure what. I hope I am making sense ... I am sure folks who have stayed at all levels of Disney accomodations probably get what I am saying more than those who haven't.
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt Spirit, I actually ALMOST agree w/Post #32 but, I DO NOT live in a city & many parts of WDW are still lush & green! I guess my tree is still half standing!
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost I think I agree with Spirit on this one even though I never lived in Florida. When I drive on the property all I see is Florida. Strands of development interspersed with natural growth, etc. I am from the land of trees (green) and mountains so it doesn't look overgrown to me, but it does look pristine. I don't know why, it just does. It maybe because I usually always go there when it is pushing the end of winter here. All the pure white snow by then is dark and dirty and looks anything but inviting. Can't say that anything about WDW makes me shake my head with disappointment. I also enjoy the fact that I can wander around in t-shirts and shorts and snicker at the locals all bundled up in parka's. It makes me smile.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 We stayed at WL this year, walking around the grounds, you wouldn't know you were in Florida.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 < recall when you only had one entrance ... World Drive ... and you had to drive miles through forests just to hit the magical toll plaza ... I remember when the night sky was pitch black because there was no development around let alone all around ... I remember when WDW didn't have a single traffic signal ... < oh I remember it too ( although I also rememberhow tacky some of the placeson 192 were early on - similar to around DL ) - however it's all perspective. Is it as secluded as it used to be- heck no. Compared to cement and asphalt out the wazoo - still pretty nice. ( But I agree it needs to really think about removing any more at all )
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 I remember when there weren't so many private cars on the roads, I think the buses were faster then without everyone in the way.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost The first time I went was in February 1983. Epcot had just opened that past October. I don't remember much about the scenery but I'm guessing it was pretty greenish. What I remember the most was the radio broadcasts that told you where you were and which lane to be in. That impressed the heck out of me. You could say that I was hooked on the way in. I had never seen such organization or people moving skills. I had never seen the switch back lines before. We joked about how we were sure that at some point in time we would actually be meeting ourselves in one of the turns. Vermont was pretty primitive and, for lack of a better way to put it, quiet, population wise. Another thing that amazed me was that I actually met people that I knew from home at MK. I was walking along and heard my name called, turned around and there was an x-neighbor of mine. Since we drove down we, of course, had Vermont plates on the car, so every time a Vermonter would pass us or we pass them everyone would hang out the window and wave. What a great experience. My kids were convinced that I must have known everyone in the world. They were so easy to impress at that age. Anyway, my memory for detail is not that clear. I don't think I was looking for landscape as long as none of it contained snow. I was too busy marveling at the physical and mechanical magic that surrounded me. And the detail...one memory is on Tom Sawyer Island there were a bunch of mechanical chickens that were operating...I couldn't believe it. Carousel of Progress totally blew me away and in EPCOT Ctr. Spaceship Earth was astounding to me. It still remains one of my current favorite must see's. I guess I can concede that a lot has changed on World Drive over the years but having been to DL it sure beats the heck out of Harbor Blvd. I was wondering...If Walt truly hated the interference of HB on his fantasy world, why did he have the monorail built on top of the berm overlooking the street?
Originally Posted By MPierce >> I recall when you only had one entrance ... World Drive ... and you had to drive miles through forests just to hit the magical toll plaza ... I remember when the night sky was pitch black because there was no development around let alone all around ... I remember when WDW didn't have a single traffic signal ... I also remember how overnight vast tracks of greenery disappeared for development ... I literally watched them clear the sites for places like Coronado Springs and the Westside almost overnight. << I bet you walked 5 miles to school bare-foot back in those days too.
