Advice on where to stay so confused.

[sal1309]

We are travelling with 4 adults (2 over 60) and a 3 and 7 year old.

So far quotes for OKW, SSR and Fort Wilderness are good if we stay together.

On the alternative if we seperate we could stay at POR OR POF or if we stretch a bit CB

I am so confused as they all look lovely but would like make sure the kids have a fab time.

Any recommendations, pros and cons or advice would be great.

This would be my first time at WDW its seems so daunting.

Thanks in advance

 

[Caseheidi]

We have visited all but SSR and enjoyed them all. Not sure you can go wrong. I think though, I would first determine if you really all want to stay together. We have found that a little distance on group vacations can enhance the experience. I love my parents dearly, but to be with them 24/7 and I am really ready for some time away.

 

[thefigueroas]

We have visited all but SSR and enjoyed them all. Not sure you can go wrong. I think though, I would first determine if you really all want to stay together. We have found that a little distance on group vacations can enhance the experience. I love my parents dearly, but to be with them 24/7 and I am really ready for some time away.

I completely agree with the above poster. We have traveled with family several times and have found that it works better having our own space. People's personal habit you don't see every day can get really annoying by day 4 and really impact your trip and even your relationship with the other person. With that in mind, I will give you my 2 cents (for what it is worth) about the moderates.

We have stayed at POR and really enjoyed it. The landscaping is beautiful, the food court adequate, and the pool is fun. They have the boat to DTD, as does the POFQ, and a lot of extra activities. It is big. That is the draw for some to POFQ. The size of POFQ is significantly smaller and if you don't mind walking you can get the same services at the POR and the boat has its own stop for POFQ. They are sister resorts and share amenities. The whole Port Orleans area is supposed to resemble Louisiana. You have the Cajun bayou (POR Alligator Bayou section) that opens up to the plantations (POR-Magnolia Bend area) and a little ways down the river you head into town in New Orleans (POFQ). If that appeals to you then go for it. We really enjoyed it except for the transportation. It can get really packed (the two resorts often share buses) so we go here when we have our own transportation.

Caribbean Beach has an entirely different feel as it is intended to have. It is intended to resemble a Caribbean getaway and feels like it. It is HUGE. You can reserve a Preferred room that gets you next to the food court. We just requested the Jamaica area and walked across the island to get to the food court. They have similar amenities to POR but the theming is different. The transportation is an issue again but mainly for its size. It takes FOREVER to get all the way around with multiple stops. As long as you have the patience for it you should be fine. It can get old late at night after a long day at the parks.

One thing you might want to take into consideration is age. I am not sure how spry your over 60s are but Disney can be draining and it might behoove you to choose something close to the main area even if the cost is a bit more if you have mobility issues or any health issues. I have had close rooms and far rooms and it does make for a totally different vacation. I ran a lot of errands for elderly people in my group when we left it to fate and got far rooms. Not a lot of fun after a while. I learned my lesson and when we stayed at the Yacht Club with my mom (serious mobility issues) I was careful to request a room close to the lobby. This allowed her the freedom to do things for herself. Totally different experience.

All in all, you can't go wrong with any of them, it's Disney. They do a fantastic job. Just find the one that best suits your family and lifestyle and go for it. If you do decide to go Moderate and get two rooms make sure they LINK your reservations. This was you can try and get connecting rooms as opposed to adjoining. This allows you to have an inside door that opens between the two rooms to allow a little more family time. Good luck!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are travelling with 4 adults (2 over 60) and a 3 and 7 year old.

So far quotes for OKW, SSR and Fort Wilderness are good if we stay together.

On the alternative if we seperate we could stay at POR OR POF or if we stretch a bit CB

I am so confused as they all look lovely but would like make sure the kids have a fab time.

Any recommendations, pros and cons or advice would be great.

This would be my first time at WDW its seems so daunting.

Thanks in advance

Your family group is close to the same ages as ours is. We have been to WDW many times, but it will be a first for the kids. Do 't worry about what the kids will or will not like when it comes to the resort. The parks will blow them away. As long as the resort has a pool, they will be happy. They will have a fab time. It is the adults that you need to worry about.

We are staying in separate rooms at the same resort. My daughter doesn't want connecting rooms, which is fine. We won't hear the three year old, who can be noisy, like all three year olds can be.

As far as resorts go, if you can afford a two room villa, those are wonderful. The bedrooms are separated by the livingroom and you have a full kitchen and washer/dryer. If the grandparents don't mind sleeping on the Murphy bed, then the cabins at FW will be fun. They have a lot of activities and good pools there. Otherwise, two rooms at a moderate would be a good way to go.



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[stargazertechie]

I personally love SSR! The pool areas are fantastic, especially for the kids, and the resort is just really pretty.

POFQ would be my second choice out of that list. I'm a bit biased. It was the first Disney resort I stayed at. It's smaller than all of the others, so less walking to get from your room to anywhere (pool, food, etc) and the decor is amazing.


I don't think you could go wrong with any of your choices though.

 

[pjhootch]

At 3 and 7 your children will be happy wherever you stay, as long as the adults in the group do not get cranky from too much togetherness. Find a place within your budget and with enough space for you to all spread out a bit. If you aren't used to traveling together, stay at a regular resort and get 2 separate rooms.

All the resorts have a pool for the kids, which is usually enough to please small ones. Trust me, they don't care what the room looks like! The 7 year old will just be thinking about going to the parks and playing in a pool.

 

[a742246]

They are all nice resorts. Wilderness has some nice kid programs, wagon rides, SSR has multiple nice kid friendly pools and within walking distance to DTD. OKW has some nice rooms.

No matter what you choose you will have a great time!!!!

To save money I do not believe you will need park hopper tickets. The last time
we travelled with Grand Kids we only visited multiple parks one day out of 6. Others may be able to comment on this.

 

[Masonmj84]

Your family's age is very close to ours (I just finished a trip with DW, DS8 and DD2, and my parents who are both in their early 70's).

We did a split stay at Poly/BC and had connecting rooms at both resorts. My parents loved it, in part because we only spent a minimal amount of time on buses (the trip was designed so that the only day we needed buses was when we went to AK).

While I slightly preferred the Poly, they particularly liked the BC (loved being close to Epcot World Showcase and the Boardwalk). And they didn't mind transfering resorts (we went to Epcot that day and used bell services to move our bags). In fact, they commented on how fun it was to feel like they were getting two vacations in one.

The biggiest downside to the trip was the cost (we were also on the DxDP).

In that regard, if you want to minimize aggravation with buses but don't want to spend a mint, may I suggest CSR. We were there about a year ago and thought the bus service was really good (in addition, we thought the landscaping and common areas were better than many of the deluxe resorts). The resort is huge, but if you book a preferred room, you will be close to the main building (this also enables you to get off the bus at the first stop and get on the bus at either the first or last stop). The biggest potential downside (or upside, depending on your perspective) in staying here is that you'll see a lot of business convention travelers, which, for some, kind of detracts from the vacation feel.

 

[bjakmom]

If your quotes for OKW and SSR are for the 2 bedroom villas, that would be my pick. With that you are also getting a full kitchen, washer/dryer and jacuzzi tub on the 1BR side and a mini-kitchen with sink, mini fridge, microwave in the attached studio (and the studio has a door your parents could close for privacy/time out). Both of these resorts are quite large and spread out - my only complaint about them - but the upside of that is that each has quiet pools (where we chose to hang last week at OKW when we were there with no kids or grands) in addition to the main pool which hosts all the kids activities and pool parties. If you choose OKW, be sure and eat at Olivia's - it is a gem and we ended up eating dinner there two nights in a row it was so good and so convenient. Both SSR and OKW are easy boat access to/from DTD for shopping and restaurants, so if your folks wanted some time alone and didn't have a car, it would be a great place to go.
All beautiful resorts, though - no losers here - Just a difference in what your room set up will be. Enjoy!

 

[jlsmith376]

I agree with the previous poster about OKW and SSR. Having small children myself it is wonderful to have a washer/dryer, full kitchen and a separate area where we can hang out/talk while they are sleeping. That being said, we have stayed in the 2-bedroom villa at SSR with family and IMO the shared living area is a bit small for 4 adults plus kids. However, we didn't find that we used it that much since we were either in the parks or at the pool most of the time.

Are you bringing a car? If so then you won't have to worry too much about mobility issues at SSR. There are parking lots near all the pools. We always bring a car and we've never had a problem finding parking spots.

 

[jimjenkids]

In the past, we have traveled with family(my parents and sisters). from our experiences, we like to be together, but not to much together! we have found that 2 rooms is better, everyone has thier own space and gets a break form eachother. Even now when we travel, we are a family of 6(soon to have 1 off to college) and have always done 2 rooms. The net trip, we thought about going to 1 room at POR, but....we like knowing that we will have two bathrooms-a must with 2 girls!...

PO is a favorite, either side. we did like CBR, just very big and a lot of stops for the buses late at night.

As it sits, we are just waiting for the lines to open for us to book our trip for Xmas '14 at PO

 

[sal1309]

Thank you everyone for the replies so far. Certainly alot to think about although after some conversations with travel agents today POR is comming up nearly £1000 cheaper than the SSR & OKW villas.

So next question is if we decide for POR is the riverside or french quarter better. Father in law has some mobility issues so any advice appreciated.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Thank you everyone for the replies so far. Certainly alot to think about although after some conversations with travel agents today POR is comming up nearly £1000 cheaper than the SSR & OKW villas.

So next question is if we decide for POR is the riverside or french quarter better. Father in law has some mobility issues so any advice appreciated.

Definitely smaller and more compact is POFQ..... alot more compact .

You can easily walk to POR along the canal if need be.... 20 minutes about.....we stayed there once back when it was called Dixje Landings for one day, too many room issues and yes, we were a long way out for main building, glad the up graded us to a different resort that time...

FQ is great for anyone with mobility issues, short walk to everything .... Highly recommend FQ over POR any day!

 

[Disneyaddictz]

I highly recommend looking further into ft wilderness, it has that " on the beaten path" feel and is appealing to all ages! So much to so at that resort too!

 

[Robbi]

If mobility is an issue, I'd go with POFQ because it is a smaller resort.
SSR is great but if you're planning to eat in the main building, it is a far walk from most of the buildings.
FW is great for kids and having the kitchen is a plus.
If it were me, I'd prefer separate rooms for privacy and quiet.

 

[DVCMikey]

Well if you are going for quotes at SSR or OWK, I would go with those. The rooms are much bigger and nicer.

SSR is very nice and most of it is on a golf course. It has very nice pools that the kids and adults would like and the older couple would probably like the resort.

It is very big and has a few bus stops but I prefer it to most other DVC resorts.

 

[quandrea]

I completely agree with the above poster. We have traveled with family several times and have found that it works better having our own space. People's personal habit you don't see every day can get really annoying by day 4 and really impact your trip and even your relationship with the other person. With that in mind, I will give you my 2 cents (for what it is worth) about the moderates.

We have stayed at POR and really enjoyed it. The landscaping is beautiful, the food court adequate, and the pool is fun. They have the boat to DTD, as does the POFQ, and a lot of extra activities. It is big. That is the draw for some to POFQ. The size of POFQ is significantly smaller and if you don't mind walking you can get the same services at the POR and the boat has its own stop for POFQ. They are sister resorts and share amenities. The whole Port Orleans area is supposed to resemble Louisiana. You have the Cajun bayou (POR Alligator Bayou section) that opens up to the plantations (POR-Magnolia Bend area) and a little ways down the river you head into town in New Orleans (POFQ). If that appeals to you then go for it. We really enjoyed it except for the transportation. It can get really packed (the two resorts often share buses) so we go here when we have our own transportation.

Caribbean Beach has an entirely different feel as it is intended to have. It is intended to resemble a Caribbean getaway and feels like it. It is HUGE. You can reserve a Preferred room that gets you next to the food court. We just requested the Jamaica area and walked across the island to get to the food court. They have similar amenities to POR but the theming is different. The transportation is an issue again but mainly for its size. It takes FOREVER to get all the way around with multiple stops. As long as you have the patience for it you should be fine. It can get old late at night after a long day at the parks.

One thing you might want to take into consideration is age. I am not sure how spry your over 60s are but Disney can be draining and it might behoove you to choose something close to the main area even if the cost is a bit more if you have mobility issues or any health issues. I have had close rooms and far rooms and it does make for a totally different vacation. I ran a lot of errands for elderly people in my group when we left it to fate and got far rooms. Not a lot of fun after a while. I learned my lesson and when we stayed at the Yacht Club with my mom (serious mobility issues) I was careful to request a room close to the lobby. This allowed her the freedom to do things for herself. Totally different experience.

All in all, you can't go wrong with any of them, it's Disney. They do a fantastic job. Just find the one that best suits your family and lifestyle and go for it. If you do decide to go Moderate and get two rooms make sure they LINK your reservations. This was you can try and get connecting rooms as opposed to adjoining. This allows you to have an inside door that opens between the two rooms to allow a little more family time. Good luck!

Last year our family travelled together. We all stayed at different resorts. I recommend this. We met at prearranged spots at the parks, shared swims and a few meals. We had a great time because everyone had their own space.

I highly recommend the HDdr or mic key's BBQ. Everyone loved these and we have some great memories.

I also suggest bc or a monorail resort for the older folks.mt parents stayed at bc and it meant my mum, who is not a park person, could easily do her own thing. She loved ws and the boardwalk.

 

[june@imsarc.com]

OKW definitely! Much more room than any other resort, and I think your adults will appreciate that. You can stay together that way!

 

[msmama]

I was just struggling with the same decision myself (only one kid though).

I eventually went with French Quarter, mainly for the water slide!

After a lot of searching, I did find some reviews on here that turned me off OKW and SSR. The consensus is that they were less themed, more like time share properties than hotel rooms (obviously, because they are, but not what I want in my Disney vacation) and VERY large. One thread, buried many pages down had horror stories about waiting 15 minutes for a bus from their building to the main building where then then had to wait for ANOTHER bus to the park.

I also am a big fan of getting anywhere without taking all busses, which is why both PO resorts appealed to me - you can take a bus to DTD.