Recently, we asked people to tell us which DVC resorts they thought were the best for families. We received a total of 1374 responses and here’s how they ranked:
| Rank | Resort | %age |
| 14 | Vero Beach | 1% |
| 13 | Hilton Head | 1.2% |
| 12 | Grand Californian | 1.4% |
| 11 | Grand Floridian | 2.4% |
| 10 | Saratoga Springs | 3.3% |
| 9 | Boulder Ridge | 3.6% |
| 8 | Copper Creek | 5.5% |
| 7 | Aulani | 6.3% |
| 6 | Boardwalk | 6.9% |
| 5 | Old Key West | 7.8% |
| 4 | Bay Lake Tower | 8.9% |
| 3 | Polynesian | 10.8% |
| 2 | Beach Club Villas | 18.8% |
| 1 | Animal Kingdom Lodge | 22.3% |
It doesn’t surprise me that Vero, Hilton Head and the Grand Californian make up the bottom of the list. Not because they’re not great resorts, or even great for families. The more likely reason is that fewer people have been there. Of course, you can see that Aulani bucks the trend, coming in 7th with 6.3% . That should tell you something. I’ll wager that a majority of DVC owners have never been to Aualni yet even still, it ranks in the middle of this list. As someone who is madly in love with Aulani, and has been several times I will say this: If you went to Aulani, you likely would have voted for it.
Unlike the poll we did previously, where we asked which DVC resort was the best – this poll was not really close. Overwhelmingly, Animal Kingdom Lodge villas emerges as the best DVC resort for families by a good margin. The big draw here, of course, is the savannah – complete with more than a dozen species of animals. The pool is also a big draw, but not as big a draw as it is for the resort occupying the #2 spot – Beach Club Villas. It’s a certainty that Beach Club’s proximity to Epcot might be a factor for parents, but it certainly isn’t for kids. However, Stormalong Bay (Beach Club’s pool) is without question the best pool at a Walt Disney World resort. I specify WDW because I feel Aulani’s pool is the best of ANY Disney resort I’ve been to.
Polynesian also has great pool (and slide) – coupled with it’s proximity to the Magic Kingdom, it ranks 3rd on our list. Bay Lake Tower comes in 4th, and again, I feel this is mainly due to the close proximity to the Magic Kingdom. Rounding out the top 5 is the original DVC resort – Old Key West. Many commented that the size of the units (measurably larger than other DVC properties at WDW) is a big reason for they feel this is a great choice for families. The 1br villas at OKW are just about 1000 sq. ft – on average, that’s about 200 sq ft larger than any other DVC property.
So there you have it! That’s a look at the best DVC resorts for families. Tell us what you think in the comments below!
What surprises me is Old Key West is 5th and Saratoga Springs is 10th, they both offer large rooms but Saratoga Springs is so close to Disney Springs and the swimming pools at Saratoga are so much better, yes the resort is large, i get that but Saratoga has the benefit of it’s so close to Disney Springs which offers a lot for families.
As a family of 5 (3 tall girls!), I love the larger room and the two-ish bathrooms of Poly. Combine that with the proximity to TTC for the ease of getting to MK and Epcot, you can’t go wrong. The pool, Trader Sams, and citrus swirls at the fingertips doesn’t hurt!
I’m doubly impressed that AKL ranked so high in spite of its major shortcoming compared to other WDW DVC resorts, which is its relative isolation and limited transportation options. If I’m not mistaken it’s the only WDW DVC resort property to rely exclusively on bus service to get anywhere else. No walkway to a park, no boat to Disney Springs, etc. But clearly the resort is enough on its own to win people over! It’s enough for us anyways. We’re there renting DVC points in May 2020 for 7 nights and can’t wait!
I have been to Aulani twice and would still say I like AKL better. Aulani does have the best pools, that is true. But I feel that AKL is a very unique resort. There are other resorts in Hawaii that offer similar amenities to Aulani. Also if you have a young kid napping in the room it’s fun to be able to sit and watch the animals outside your window. I prefer the restaurants at AKL over those at Aulani as well.
If I were going to just stay at resort for several days I would pick AKL or Aulani. But in terms of best for families if you want to visit the parks, I would pick GCV because it is super convenient to be able to walk to both DL and CA.