Have you ever wanted to experience multiple Disney World Resorts in one trip? Curious about which one is right for you and your family? Intrigued about how to get around to each one to explore? We felt the same way, so on our last trip we decided to do something about it. We went resort hopping and this post will tell you all about how we did it, which resorts we went to, and the highlights of each one we saw.

At the end of the walkway after exiting the Beach Club

The most important thing to do when resort hopping is to have a strategy. Which ones are the most important for you to see? Do you have one you are desperate to go to? How do you get to those (bus, monorail, Skyliner, ferry)? Matt really wanted to see the Grand Floridian and I really wanted to see the Wilderness Lodge. They are all kind of lumped in areas together so when we were deciding what to do, we looked at what was around the ones we really wanted to see and that is how we made our plans. We flew in on a Sunday and had the afternoon free, so we decided to check out several that were in the Epcot area. The Yacht Club and the Beach Club are right next to each other, and when we got there, we discovered that there were a few others also in walking distance!

Here you can see the Beach Club, The Yacht Club is directly to its Left, followed counterclockwise by the Dolphin, then the Swan, then the Boardwalk Inn. To the right of the resorts, you can see the France and Canadian Pavilions in Epcot.

Probably the best thing about any of these resorts, is the fact that they are walking distance from Epcot! Within their circle you can also resort hop, meaning you could also hop to any of those resort restaurants. To get here, we took an Uber from Coronado Springs to the Beach Club, and it cost us $7.15 one way.

Beach Club:

Life size shipwreck to explore between Beach Club and Yacht Club.
3-acre water wonderland.
Skyliner, Bus, or Ferry transportation.
Can walk to Epcot!
Part of Disney Vacation Club.
Pirate adventure cruise.
Resort campfire activities.
Movies under the stars.
Boat rental to explore the lake.
Tennis, Volleyball, Fishing, Pools, Arcade.
Tons of room options like suites, home like options, some that include a concierge service.
Deluxe Villa Resort.

Click to learn more or reserve your stay

Yacht Club:

Skyliner, Bus, and Ferry transportation.
Walking distance to Epcot!
Can rent boats and explore the lake.
Resort campfire activities.
Movies under the stars.
Dog friendly accommodations.
Deluxe Villa options with washer dryers, kitchens, and private bedrooms.
Yachtsman steakhouse.
Deluxe Resort.
Full-service fitness center.
Tennis, Volleyball, Fishing, Pools, Arcade.

Click to learn more or reserve your stay

View of some of the rooms at the Yacht Club

We did not stop and experience the other resorts along the circle, but you also pass by the Dolphin, the Swan, and the Boardwalk.

You can rent these to ride around on for $25 for half an hour

We took an Uber back to Coronado after exploring the loop of all the resorts and decided just to get dinner at our own resort. The big resort hopping day was on Wednesday and we took the whole day off from parks to relax by our pool and catch views of four Deluxe resorts: The Contemporary, The Polynesian, The Grand Floridian, and The Wilderness Lodge.

Wednesday morning, we took a bus from Coronado to Magic Kingdom. Instead of going to the park, we simply took a right and walked straight into The Contemporary.

I will be honest, from this side, she is not much to look at. It is super cool that it is EXTREMELY close (literally walking distance) to Magic Kingdom and that the Monorail goes through the middle of it. A lot of people come here for character dining at Chef Mickey’s. It was probably my least favorite Deluxe property that we saw.

We decided to grab a quick breakfast before exploring and went up to their Contempo Cafe to snack on a Mickey waffle. We were surprised to see that it was RIGHT next to Chef Mickey’s and the Outer Rim. There was one small partition separating them. We could see all of the characters! For such a coveted dining reservation, we were shocked that it was not more private. It felt congested and like everything was all in one place (which for some people may be great but we like for things to be more spread out).

View of Chef Mickey’s from where we are sitting eating our breakfast

While enjoying our breakfast, we did have a lovely view of the mural designed by Mary Blair.

We could also see the monorail whizzing past us and could not believe how quiet it was! Once we finished eating, we took a look at the gift shop, went out on the balcony, and crossed over the bridge to the next building and went down to explore the first pool area.

Magic Kingdom is so close I think I can smell the churros!

View while crossing the bridge over to the garden building.

View of one of the pools from the 4th floor.

While waiting to get on the Monorail you can see the Grand Floridian across the lake!

The Monorail has approached to take us to the Polynesian! There is one stop in between.

Contemporary Resort:

Seven Seas Lagoon.
90-foot-tall mural by Disney Legend Mary Blair (Its A Small World)
Chef Mickeys
Pool with waterslide.
Disney Vacation Club resort.
Monorail and bus transportation.
Electrical Water Pageant.
Campfire activities, movies under the stars, arcade, pool table, ping pong, basketball, boat rentals, fishing, volleyball, tennis, specialty cruises, fitness center.

Click to learn more and reserve your stay

The easiest way to get to the Polynesian from the Contemporary is the Monorail. There is one stop in between but it is super-fast and easy. you go through a security screening but then queue up and wait (about 5 minutes) and load up. You can also get there by bus or ferry.

First glimpse of the Polynesian from the Monorail!

We knew right away that the Polynesian was going to be more fun based on the theming we could see as we arrived via the Monorail. It really did look like an island village.

Inside one of the gift shops in the lower lobby

While we loved the theme and overall lush decor of the Polynesian, we were really surprised at how everything seemed to be right on top of each other. Several restaurants were crammed in the upstairs lobby (where you get off the Monorail) along with a gift shop and coffee shop. And just like the Contemporary, the Ohana which is a huge character dining spot just seemed out in the open rather than secluded and special. Because so much was so close together, it seemed SUPER packed and congested.

Beach area looking back at main lobby area

Polynesian Resort:

Monorail, Bus, or Ferry transportation.
Seven Seas Lagoon.
Variety of rooms available- suites, some with concierge service available, villas over the water.
Dole Whips on property!!
Pools, campfire activities, movies under the stars, boat rentals, fishing, volleyball, spa.
Electrical Water Pageant.
Character dining at Ohana.
Deluxe Resort.

Click to learn more or to reserve your stay

We went back through security screening and got back on the Monorail and off the next stop at the Grand Floridian. It was absolutely breathtaking. Grand is a completely appropriate adjective to describe it. If you want something fancy and lovely this is the place. We definitely could still feel the Disney theme, but it felt more adult.

View from the gift shop right when you get off the Monorail to the left

One of the few beautifully crafted chocolate sculptures we saw during our visit

There were so many lovely Disney embellishments throughout the lobby and surrounding areas

The Grand Floridian:

Lavish Deluxe Resort.
Watch Fireworks from Magic Kingdom.
One stop to Magic Kingdom on Monorail.
Bus, Monorail, Ferry transportation.
Seven Seas Lagoon.
Electrical Water Pageant.
Fine dining.
Many room types. Suites, home like villas, some with concierge services.
Pool with waterslide, health club, Grand Floridian Spa, campfire activities, movies under the stars, boat rentals, fishing, specialty cruises, arcade, basketball.

Click to learn more and reserve your stay

After taking in all the elegance of the Grand Floridian, we once again went through security and boarded the Monorail. We got off at the Magic Kingdom stop and headed for the buses. To get to the Wilderness Lodge we checked the board showing where all the busses parked and went to wait for the next bus to arrive. After about 10 minutes, the bus arrived and carted us away to the Wilderness Lodge.

We knew as soon as we walked in that this had a better feel than any of the others we had seen so far. It was so open and spread out. The lobby was reminiscent of the Animal Kingdom Lodge Lobby. The National Park Lodge vibe was strong and we instantly felt at ease and connected to nature.

The lobby was captivating with its totem poles, headdresses, rocking chairs, and massive fireplace

Another reason this resort instantly went to the top of my list, is because as we stepped further into the lobby, we noticed that there were four characters inside!!! Pluto, Rafiki, King Louie, and one of Mary Poppins Penguins! We obviously had to greet each character before continuing on with our exploration of the property. This was around 12:15 on a random Wednesday afternoon in February so we were pretty darn excited (especially since we skipped all parks this day).

Inside one of the gift shops just off the lobby

We stepped outside the lobby and took in the landscape. The tall trees, the waterfalls, the cabin like feel of the resort, it was all lovely.

I spy something in this fireplace rock….do you?

A closer look at the hidden Mickey in the lobby fireplace

The Electrical Water Pageant that goes by every night

Wilderness Lodge:

Deluxe Resort.
Several pools, campfire activities, movies under the stars, fishing, health club, arcade.
Electrical Water Pageant.
Storybook Dining with Snow White at Artists Point.
Tons of room choices. Including villas, cabins, some with concierge options.
Ferry and boat park transportation.

Click to learn more and to book your stay

Once we finished taking in all the wilderness, we went back to the bus station and chose the bus headed towards Magic Kingdom. The bus also served the campground of Fort Wilderness, so we stopped there first to pick up anyone waiting to go to the park. After that stop, we went straight to Magic Kingdom. Once we arrived at Magic Kingdom, we looked for the bus for our resort (Coronado Springs) to head back to our resort to enjoy the pool for the rest of the day. Our whole adventure took about 4 hours (we got to the Contemporary at 9:00am and left the Wilderness Lodge at 1:00pm). We had a quick service breakfast at the Contemporary, and a Dole Whip snack at the Polynesian. We did carry snacks and water with us just in case and it was not a problem at all at any of the security checkpoints. One thing to note is that you cannot use any of the pools at the resorts, they are for resort guests only-you can only look from afar, so if you are planning on going to the pool, plan on enjoying the pool at your resort.

I hope this was helpful! Do you have a favorite resort? Have you been to any of these while hopping or have you stayed at any of these? Share your experience in the comments!! Happy hopping!!

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