Disney Deluxe Resorts

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort is a "deluxe" classed hotel resort in the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida which opened on April 16, 2001. This African themed resort is located adjacent to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. It is unique in that it allows guests the opportunity to watch wildlife graze outside their rooms and public areas in the resort within proximity, conveying the feeling of being in an actual African savanna. The feeding of animals from the room balconies is strictly prohibited. Video cameras are in place outside to record and discourage such activities. This hotel was designed by architect Peter Dominick. On October 11, 2006, Disney announced to local media that this resort would be home to the newest Disney Vacation Club property, Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. On February 18, 2008, Disney announced the first phase was complete with 109 rooms. A separate building, currently titled Kidani Village, is being built to the west of the lodge to house more than 300 villas. The Sunset Savanna is being extended to the new structure and an introduction of even more species of animals. There will be a new feature to Disney Vacation Club members. Now people have the option to have concierge while still staying in a villa. There will be a large concierge lounge which serves to a number of floors; much like Sugar Loaf Key in the Grand Floridian resort. Also, a new pool exclusive to villa residents is being built. This pool is much bigger than the villa pool sizes and it is planned to have water slides and a water playground.

Disney's Beach Club Resort is located on the lagoon which lies between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios and is close enough to walk to either Epcot's International Gateway park entrance or Disney's Hollywood Studios. Boat transportation also runs to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios as well as the BoardWalk and the Swan & Dolphin. The resort shares amenities with Disney's Yacht Club Resort and also has villas that are part of Disney Vacation Club. Located at the Beach Club is the popular Cape May Cafe which holds an indoor clambake for dinner and a character breakfast currently with Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Chip n' Dale. Beaches & Cream Soda Shop is a small snack shop located here as well. The Beach Club Resort shares a pool, Stormalong Bay, with Disney's Yacht Club Resort. The pool that they share is the largest and deepest pool in Walt Disney World. It has a huge slide that goes across the street, whirlpools, waterfalls, and a "lazy river" that is very deep (more than 6 ft). It is the only pool where a wrist band is required for entry. (Wrist bands are available, free of charge, to all guests staying at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort. All you need to get them is to show your room key to one of the lifeguards near where you receive towels.) The Beach Club, and the Yacht Club, were featured on the Travel Channel show "Great Hotels."

Disney's BoardWalk Inn Resort was built to be very reminiscent of the boardwalks that were famous along Coney Island, New York in the 1920s-1940s. The sherbet-colored facades, flagged turrets, striped awnings, and even the waterslide, the "Keister Coaster" resembling a wooden roller coaster are all inspired by that by-gone era. It is one of the Epcot Area Resorts, located across the lagoon from Disney's Beach Club Resort and Disney's Yacht Club Resort, and it is a short walk to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. There is water transport available, free-of-charge, to Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, The Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and the Swan and Dolphin resorts. The hotel also shares its lobby with Disney's BoardWalk Villas.

Disney's Contemporary Resort received designation in the Florida Green Lodging Program. The most prominent of the hotel's four stand-alone buildings is the Contemporary Tower, built as an A-frame with outer walls which slope inwards around an inner atrium. The Contemporary Resort offers two pools and a private beach on Bay Lake.

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa was inspired by the luxurious Victorian era beach resorts built along Florida's east coast during the late 1800s and early 1900s; its exterior is modeled after the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, California, with red gabled roofs and white walls. The resort's outer lodge buildings—Sago Cay, Sugarloaf Key, Conch Key, Boca Chica and Big Pine Key—are named for islands in the Florida Keys. Along with Disney's Polynesian Resort, the Grand Floridian sits on the shores of the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon near the Magic Kingdom. The hotel occupies land that had been earmarked for an Asian themed resort during the initial development of Walt Disney World Resort in the late 1960s. The resort contains 867 rooms among six buildings at an average of 400 square feet (37 m²) per room. A standard room can sleep up to five people. The Grand Floridian is categorized as a deluxe resort, one of four types of accommodations at the Florida site. According to The Walt Disney Company, it is considered Disney's flagship resort.

Disney's Polynesian Resort has a South Pacific and Hawaiian theme. It was originally called the Polynesian Village,[1] "Resort" replaced "Village" after the resort hotel's expansion in 1985. This is one of two of the original Disney World resorts, the other one being the Contemporary resort. The resort originally opened with 492 rooms. It was designed by Welton Becket and Associates of Santa Monica, California and WED Enterprises and constructed by US Steel Realty Development. The rooms were constructed fully off-site and each weighed 6 tons. They were slid into place just like the Contemporary Resort and the now-defunct Court of Flags Resort, which were also built by US Steel. In 1978, a new longhouse (Oahu) opened (later called Tokelau) and gave the resort a new total of 634 rooms. The resort's last major expansion came in 1985 (adding what is now Tahiti and Rapa Nui longhouses) which brought the room total to 853. This total was then reduced to 847 when 6 of the rooms were removed to add the concierge lounge onto the end of Hawaii longhouse. Just recently, the resort embarked upon renovations to the whole resort. These new renovations to the rooms were completed in December 2006 with some ongoing changes going into 2007.

Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort was designed by the Urban Design Group and opened on May 28, 1994. It is Walt Disney World's most popular resort as ranked by readers of Disney Magazine. The resort is themed to evoke the atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest. It includes both natural and Native American elements. The resort includes a working geyser and hot springs. The main building is modeled on the historic Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone National Park from 1904. The resort features two table service restaurants: Artist Point, a dining experience reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest; and Whispering Canyon Café, which evokes the atmosphere of a Western-style lodge. It also includes fast food at Roaring Fork Snacks. There are twelve official Hidden Mickeys in the Wilderness Lodge. You can ask for a list of them at the front desk to help in your search. There is boat transportation available to the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. The resort's sister hotel is Disney's Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland Resort, California.

Disney's Yacht Club Resort is a New England nautical-themed resort. Disney's Yacht and Beach Club resorts share many amenities and resources, including staff and management. Boat transportation from the resort runs to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios as well as the BoardWalk and the Walt Disney World Swan & Walt Disney World Dolphin resorts. The resort is about five minutes walking distance from Epcot, and roughly 15 minutes walking to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Guests can use the back entrance to Epcot through the World Showcase between the France and the UK Pavilions. The Yacht Club is home to a 73,000-square-foot (6,800 m²) Convention Center shared with the Beach Club. The Yachtsman Steakhouse, the resort's fine dining location, serves beef from Canada, Australia and the US. The steakhouse has the famous Minnie Moo as their mascot, and a photo of her is shown in the front of the restaurant. The Yacht Club Galley is the Yacht Club's family oriented dining location, serving New England entrees. The resort's distinctive grey siding with red and white striped awnings distinguish itself from the light blue motif of Beach Club. The Yacht Club is slightly more formal in decor than the Brach Club, designed to make guests feel as if they are actually on a ship rather than inside a land based structure, and to cater more toward business clientèle rather than families. Color tones of deep blues, browns, and bronzes are used to convey a nautical feel. Hidden Mickeys can be found in the carpeting in hallways leading to guest rooms. The Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts share one of the nation's largest sand bottom pools, Stormalong Bay. The pool is a "mini-water park", featuring a sand bottom swimming area, lazy river, and large slide from a wrecked ship just outside of the play area on the beach.


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