Which Disney Hotel best for Teenagers

[21stcenturygal]

We are already going to book the Hard Rock Hotel for 2009 (son's 17th birthday) but which Disney hotel is considered to be the best suited for teenagers (one will obviously be 17 and his sidekick brother will be nearly 13). I did think of just booking one of the 7 DTD resort area hotels but I'd personally love to stay on-site somewhere. Any advice appreciated.

[UKDEB]

Do they like animals? AKL is pretty cool and our daughters and elder dd's boyfriend loved it back in 2004 (they were 19.19 and 16 at the time). The only drawback is its location - you need to drive or take a bus everywhere.

Saratoga Springs is within walking distance of Downtown Disney, or you can take a water taxi. We love it there, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. It has the benefit of being the newest resort - some of the other deluxes are looking a bit tired. It really depends on whether you get lucky with the refurbishment schedule. The Contemporary and Polynesian have both recently had major room makeovers and they're looking pretty good. You can walk to MK from the Contemporary and it's actually a very nice hotel. Would your sons enjoy staying in a hotel with the monorail running through it, or are they past that sort of thing?

Our favourite park is Epcot. The BoardWalk and Yacht and Beach Clubs are all nice hotels and you have the advantage of having easy access to the facilities of all of them no matter which one you choose. The International Gateway entrance to Epcot is easily walkable and it's hard to beat a stroll back to your resort after IllumiNations. The Beach Club is the closest. In the opposite direction is Hollywood Studios, accessible by water taxi or a 15 minute walk. None of these hotels has anything particularly appealing to teenage boys, but the BoardWalk area is a destination in itself and Stormalong Bay (the pool shared by the Yacht and Beach Clubs) is one of the most popular on property.

[CustardTart]

My teenage son loves Saratoga Springs as he likes the pool areas and the proximity of DTD... :goodvibes

[21stcenturygal]

I'll certainly look at those suggestion, thanks. I did think about AK as it is his dream to go on safari but we are planning a special holiday for his 18th/end of A2 levels to Tanzania and so do not want to take the gloss off of that.

[scojos]

cant help with disney but the HRH is amazing, hope you have a lovely time
tracy

[paulh]

if you want to be near downtown disney then SSR
Paulh

[David and Debbie]

I am 20 and we have booked to stay at the Pop Century Resort in the 80's next year. Also coming is my boyfriend also 20 his sister 17 and their parents. I think that the Swan and Dolphin hotels look really nice, but much prefer where we have chosen because it is more disney (good for big kids) if you understand what I am trying to say lol! I haven't been to WDW before so the most exciting part for me is the parks and attractions - the hotel just adds to the experience!

[Dimplenose]

We have decided to go back to All Star Resorts for next year. We have a slighly larger budget than our last trip but as DS will be 18 and DD will be 15 we have chosen to spend extra money on 2 rooms at a value hotel rather than one at a more expensive location.

I feel the food court and Disney transportation will give them more freedom to have some time without mum and dad. Although DD likes to swim, neither of the kids would spend long in a pool so the pool facilities weren't a consideration.

We liked having extra space at a villa on our last trip, but overall were disappointed by the villa experience. So I hope 2 rooms at a value resort will be a good compromise. (Anyway at 18 and 15 there is no way they'd want to share a bed!)

[orangetiggs]

we love pop century, its so much better than all stars we find anyway.

its alot of fun and we are in our 20's so a bit older but still its quite good fun.

we stayed in all star movies for my 21st birthday which was good but pop has ironed alot of the problems we found with the all star resorts

[mattnkatsmum]

I just asked my sixteen year old lad (who has stayed at almost all of the onsite properties) and his vote is for the Wilderness Lodge. His reasoning is that he just 'loves the feel of the place'.

[disneyholic family]

my kids love all the disney hotels, from the all stars to the grand floridian...
they always have, from the time they were toddlers to teens....

when i ask which one, they say they don't care, although i know that their first choice is the GF, second choice WL....but they're happy in all of them...

[SammieG]

i think you need to consider space.....

do your two children want to share a bed? I have to say i would go for a cheaper option and get two rooms...

there is no way i could spend any length of time in one room with just my one son.. let alone two teenagers! :)