The old question - which resort?

[US here we come]

Hi, my first post, so I apologise if I am not in the right spot! We are a family of 4 from Adelaide, 2 adlts, son 14 and daughter 7 and we are travelling to Orlando in late June 2013.

I have read so many conflicting reviews/opinions etc on the various resorts that I am completely lost as to where to stay, and whether we should include a meal plan etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - BTW our budget is moderate, but not budget.

Thanks in advance

 

[Aliceacc]

There are some rooms at Port Orleans Riverside that sleep 5-- they have a trundle or a murphy bed. Your daughter and son could have separate beds. http://allears.net/acc/faq_dxl.htm

I've never stayed there, but friends adored it!

We love the meal plan; we didn't have it last summer and I really missed it.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Hi, my first post, so I apologise if I am not in the right spot! We are a family of 4 from Adelaide, 2 adlts, son 14 and daughter 7 and we are travelling to Orlando in late June 2013.

I have read so many conflicting reviews/opinions etc on the various resorts that I am completely lost as to where to stay, and whether we should include a meal plan etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - BTW our budget is moderate, but not budget.

Thanks in advance

US Here We Come, welcome to the ANZAC DISBOARDS. You will get lots of great advice. I am off to WDW to conquer my third castle in September so cant help much with the accomm advice. The poster above raised a good point about Riverside. I am staying at French Quarter.

Keep checking in. Most people are at work but they will start finding there way here not long afterwards.

 

[Marlea98]

Welcome.

I've never stayed onsite but if I did I would love to try Old Key West.

We are staying at a WorldMark resort this year when we go as we are timeshare owners. After our DCL cruise we will be spending a couple of nights at Royal Pacific Resort for the Universal Studios component of our trip.

I think it depends on if you like to have space to move, if your kids would be happy sharing a bed, if you like a kitchen, more than one bathroom etc. I'd say make up a list of things you must have and work from there.

 

[tapdancer]

We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside in September. I have researched this thoroughly and had friends stay there in November and thought it was fantastic.

We stayed at Beach Club (deluxe) in 2011 which we loved, this trip we are adding New York so had to look at a Moderate to keep within budget.

 

[US here we come]

Thanks everyone for your fabulous advice.

Tapdancer, we are also heading to New York straight after Orlando - still trying to figure out that accommodation too!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Thanks everyone for your fabulous advice.

Tapdancer, we are also heading to New York straight after Orlando - still trying to figure out that accommodation too!

We are off to New York and Washington. Seems like the thing to do when on the East Coast. How long will you be in New York?

We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside in September. I have researched this thoroughly and had friends stay there in November and thought it was fantastic.

We stayed at Beach Club (deluxe) in 2011 which we loved, this trip we are adding New York so had to look at a Moderate to keep within budget.

You too! We will have to if we cross over. Are you going to NY first or last. Would have loved to stay at Wilderness Lodge but POFQ keeps it in the budget.

There are some rooms at Port Orleans Riverside that sleep 5-- they have a trundle or a murphy bed. Your daughter and son could have separate beds. http://allears.net/acc/faq_dxl.htm

I've never stayed there, but friends adored it!

We love the meal plan; we didn't have it last summer and I really missed it.

Welcome to the Australian side Aliceacc. Love your avatar Lumpy is my daughters favourite Disney character. She is so devastated that there is no merchandise anymore. She had more luck on a trip we took to Europe. We came home with five more Lumpy's. Her Lumpy travels with us always and she is almost 11. You have me pondering Riverside instead of POFQ for the extra bed but I think my girls will be too big for it and so that we will just have to share a bed. They are Disneyworld. They should just get over it.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Hi, my first post, so I apologise if I am not in the right spot! We are a family of 4 from Adelaide, 2 adlts, son 14 and daughter 7 and we are travelling to Orlando in late June 2013.

I have read so many conflicting reviews/opinions etc on the various resorts that I am completely lost as to where to stay, and whether we should include a meal plan etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - BTW our budget is moderate, but not budget.

Thanks in advance

Welcome to the boards
The first decision is onsite vs offsite. Going by your dining plan remark, I'm guessing that you're tending towards onsite. My only suggestion is to avoid the Caribbean resort where the beds are smaller than the other moderates.

 

[Minniemum]

Hi, my first post, so I apologise if I am not in the right spot! We are a family of 4 from Adelaide, 2 adlts, son 14 and daughter 7 and we are travelling to Orlando in late June 2013.

I have read so many conflicting reviews/opinions etc on the various resorts that I am completely lost as to where to stay, and whether we should include a meal plan etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - BTW our budget is moderate, but not budget.

Thanks in advance

Welcome US here we come! Congratulations on booking a trip to WDW and beyond You're definitely in the right spot for advice from fellow ANZers on both

Firstly, I feel your pain! Trying to decide between so many great choices is difficult. I think it will come down to your preferences eg theming of hotel, type of pool, size of resort, size of hotel room, food options, transportation etc. Instead of just telling you which I think is the best resort, I thought I would take you through our process of elimination in a hope it would give you some clarity on developing your own criteria.

Disney don't do budget, they do value Everything Disney do is quality otherwise they wouldn't put their name to it. There are 5 value resorts. On our first family visit we opted for a Value resort. At the time, we excluded AOA because it was still being built and the 3 All Star resorts for the following 2 reasons.
1. They share buses to the resorts. This may result in longer waits.
2. Reviews indicated large school groups frequent these resorts. Not so great if you're wanting a quieter environment.

Therefore, we chose Pop Century. We loved it! The theming around the resort was brilliant and the transportation system (bus) was great. No complaints here.

Our second visit we decided to opt for a moderate. Of the 5 moderate resorts we excluded:
FW Cabins - we are sooo not the outdoorsy type!
Caribbean - theming didn't really appeal.
Coronado - no real reason, just preferred others.

It came down to the 2 Port Orleans resorts. What won us over were the shared facilities which gave us more dining options and multiple pools, plus having the boat option to DTD. All this and only a quick 10 minutes apart!

Deciding between the 2 was difficult as both had advantages over the other.
Riverside: Bigger and healthier quick service area, pool better suited to my DD, TS restaurant and the Murphy beds (which would easily be big enough for your DD).
French Quarter: Smaller resort which was quieter, one centrally located bus stop.

For the past 2 years, coming up for 3 we have opted for POFQ. Whilst we would swim and eat more QS meals at POR than POFQ, our decision was based purely and simply on the transportation. POR has multiple stops and it can sometimes take 20 minutes just before you get out of the resort. For our family that's time better spent in the parks not getting to them

With regards to the Dining Plan we are all for it. Many people have crunched the numbers and will tell you that it does and doesn't represent value. It will all depend on your family's eating habits. For us, DH loves knowing that by the time we get to WDW it's all done and paid for except for the tips (oh, and my shopping )

These are of course just more opinions but they are what works for our family Hopefully I've given you some ideas about things you may want to consider for your family.

All the best working through it and keep us posted on your decision

 

[Snickals]

I've never stayed moderate, although have seen the foyers (very nice!), only Pop so can't help you but just wanted to say Welcome and have fun holiday planning!!!

 

[tapdancer]

You too! We will have to if we cross over. Are you going to NY first or last. Would have loved to stay at Wilderness Lodge but POFQ keeps it in the budget.

We are doing 6 nights in New York first then 10 nights in Orlando. I have booked Radio City Apartments, the price was reasonable and the location is great. I have friends who stayed at TRYP and they loved their hotel, it's just slightly further out than Radio City.

I thought doing New York first would be better as it will be fast paced, then we can relax a bit in Orlando being our 2nd time there we can take it a bit easier, well that's the plan.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hi, my first post, so I apologise if I am not in the right spot! We are a family of 4 from Adelaide, 2 adlts, son 14 and daughter 7 and we are travelling to Orlando in late June 2013.

I have read so many conflicting reviews/opinions etc on the various resorts that I am completely lost as to where to stay, and whether we should include a meal plan etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - BTW our budget is moderate, but not budget.

Thanks in advance

Welcome to the DisBoards and the ANZAC section.


Offsite/onsite, dining plan/Out of pocket (OOP), car hire/disney transport....only you and your family can work out which is best for you. There really isn't a wrong decision.

Everyone will have their preferences and opinions; and it is great to seek the information.
It will come down to the type of holiday you want to experience and your budget.



My only comment is that late June is hot in Orlando. Whichever resort you pick, make sure you like the look of the pool (and amenities). You might be wanting to come back in the afternoon to spend time there.

 

[Aliceacc]

Welcome to the Australian side Aliceacc. Love your avatar Lumpy is my daughters favourite Disney character. She is so devastated that there is no merchandise anymore. She had more luck on a trip we took to Europe. We came home with five more Lumpy's. Her Lumpy travels with us always and she is almost 11. You have me pondering Riverside instead of POFQ for the extra bed but I think my girls will be too big for it and so that we will just have to share a bed. They are Disneyworld. They should just get over it.

My Lumpy affection is the result of a single mastectomy in 2008... "Heffalump" became our joking codename for my ever-changing shape as I went through reconstruction.

For what it's worth, I was able to find both a stuffed Lumpy and a Christmas ornament on our trips. I want to say DTD, but I'm sorry I have no idea where.

The extra bed thing has never worked for us either; my only son is a good 4 inches taller than I am and would never fit into those smaller beds. So we just save for a longer time, pray for a deal, and go Deluxe.

Oh, and you guys will love NY. Be prepared for temperatures that be kind of ugly... "hot, hazy and humid" are the bywords of NY in summer.

 

[PrincessInOz]

My Lumpy affection is the result of a single mastectomy in 2008... "Heffalump" became our joking codename for my ever-changing shape as I went through reconstruction.

For what it's worth, I was able to find both a stuffed Lumpy and a Christmas ornament on our trips. I want to say DTD, but I'm sorry I have no idea where.

The extra bed thing has never worked for us either; my only son is a good 4 inches taller than I am and would never fit into those smaller beds. So we just save for a longer time, pray for a deal, and go Deluxe.

I think we can all say the same thing.

Mastectomy is not fun.....glad you're now on this side of the heffalump!

 

[Busy Busy]

Hi!

We stayed at POR when it was Dixie Landings back in 1997 and loved it. Then in 2011 we booked POR again, but got free dining - so we upgraded to the Wilderness Lodge. It was gorgeous, and I'll never forget walking into that amazing lobby for the first time - but when I look back I don't know if it was worth it to upgrade.

WL has the boat to the MK, but POR has the boat to Downtown Disney, the quick service food area at POR is amazing and the WL was quite a lot smaller - SO - this time we have booked to go back to POR and there will be no changing!!

We are really excited to take the kids back to POR and I am looking forward to doing the washing while sitting by the pool with a cocktail!!

Even after my rambling - I agree with everybody - I don't think that you could find a resort in WDW that wasn't lovely and filled with things that make you happy - it's Disney World!!!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

My Lumpy affection is the result of a single mastectomy in 2008... "Heffalump" became our joking codename for my ever-changing shape as I went through reconstruction.

For what it's worth, I was able to find both a stuffed Lumpy and a Christmas ornament on our trips. I want to say DTD, but I'm sorry I have no idea where.

The extra bed thing has never worked for us either; my only son is a good 4 inches taller than I am and would never fit into those smaller beds. So we just save for a longer time, pray for a deal, and go Deluxe.

Oh, and you guys will love NY. Be prepared for temperatures that be kind of ugly... "hot, hazy and humid" are the bywords of NY in summer.

I hope all is still going well for you. Heffalumps are very friendly and helpful creatures. I am so glad that lumpy helped you through such a tough journey with a sense of humour.

We will keep out eyes open for Lumpys in WDW and will think of you. .

I am so looking forward to coming to New York. Where we are in Australia is very hot and humid so am hoping we will be OK. A deal at a deluxe would be great but I also feel very blessed to be visiting WDW full stop.

 

[Jade+3]

Welcome.

We stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort and loved it. We requested a building that was more central. Some of the rooms (the pirate themed rooms) are quite a walk away from the food court. What we liked was all the pools. We only swam in the main pool once and it was so crowded. All the other times the kids used the quiet pool near our room and they usually had the pool to themselves. We are trying Port Orleans Riverside this time.

I found these websites useful when looking for rooms, especially the resort maps and the guide to which buildings to request.

http://www.disneycaribbeanbeach.com/

http://www.portorleans.org/

In New York we stayed at Radio City Apartments.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

We stayed at Wilderness Lodge and loved it.
We stayed at Pop Century and loved it.
We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter 1 month and a half ago and loved it.

I agree with Minniemum, the bus situation at POR is long and in my opinion a nightmare.

POP has it's own bus and I highly recommend the resort for that reason alone .

We loved POFQ, what a quaint well themed resort it is.

Wilderness Lodge is stunning, no doubt. We loved it but I don't know whether it's worth the extra dollars over POFQ.

POP is amazing for the money.

You will love NYC, I can highly recommend Hilton New York, we have stayed there twice now.

Radio City Apartments get a fabulous rave too and are cheap although they book out well in advance, so not sure of your chances for that one.

 

[mymickeyfans]

Another here for Port Orleans Riverside! We stayed there this past October and LOVED it. We did the dining plan also which was great. The pool, food court, and boat to DTD were fantastic!!! The grounds are absolutely beautiful.

Have a great trip

POR - 10/2012

next trip:

 

[gregpso]

My first advice is do not go late June. Way too crowded. best to go may or september. I have friends in the USA who say the crowds are ridicilous in June/July Just warning you.

re resorts Pops century is a good price resort to stay at. If you want to spend more the beach club is great