Which resort to stay at with FD?

[lmhall2000]

Please help me, money is all relative, right??

I can't say money is no object because I have three teenagers heading to college in years 2014-2016..so here are the options with the announcement of free dining...so here are my options:

Contemporary Resort: $4186

Fort Wilderness Cabins: $3401

AOA Nemo Family Suite: $3721 (with the $540 additional to upgrade to full service dining...)

AOA Nemo Family Suite: $3181 Only Counter Service

We really enjoy the TS to relax and be with the family, and we'd likely spend more than $540 if we just ate at 3 of our choices instead of 6.

So, which would you vote for....

We've been to CR once, love the theming and comfier beds/proximity to our fave park MK

Have never stayed at the others..

Transportation complaints worry me about the Cabins and will we have the "Disney" feel?

 

[tng123]

Has free dining been offered?? Or are you just saying IF free dining becomes available?

 

[bgraham34]

I dont think its been offered.

 

[lmhall2000]

As of right now it will likely be offered May 6th for Disney Visa holders and May 9th for others, booking Sept. 2-Sept. 25th...QS at Values, DDP at others

 

[emilyindisney]

I just saw on another board that a poster whose brother is a TA heard FD will be available for booking on May 9th for September 2nd through 25th.

My vote is for the Nemo Suites. I loved AoA and had no complaints about transportation or getting that Disney feel. Plus, the Nemo Suites are closest to the main building/bus stops!

 

[Happyjen27]

Please help me, money is all relative, right??

I can't say money is no object because I have three teenagers heading to college in years 2014-2016..so here are the options with the announcement of free dining...so here are my options:

Contemporary Resort: $4186

Fort Wilderness Cabins: $3401

AOA Nemo Family Suite: $3721 (with the $540 additional to upgrade to full service dining...)

AOA Nemo Family Suite: $3181 Only Counter Service

We really enjoy the TS to relax and be with the family, and we'd likely spend more than $540 if we just ate at 3 of our choices instead of 6.

So, which would you vote for....

We've been to CR once, love the theming and comfier beds/proximity to our fave park MK

Have never stayed at the others..

Transportation complaints worry me about the Cabins and will we have the "Disney" feel?

I voted the CR for a few reasons:

1. In the odd chance that FD does not come out (although I hear that the guy who posted it is VERY reliable) you may still be able to rock the room discount.
2. CR has awesome transportation options
3. CR is only $465 more than AoA if you pay to upgrade to the DDP. I feel like for such a small amount, CR would be an amazing upgrade.
5. What if the worst happens and AoA is once again shut out of FD?

 

[Diegosmom]

Are all three teenage boys coming on the trip?...wonder how sleeping arangements would be at AOA...I thought the pull down was smaller and isnt the couch only full size?

 

[lmhall2000]

Are all three teenage boys coming on the trip?...wonder how sleeping arangements would be at AOA...I thought the pull down was smaller and isnt the couch only full size?

Sorry, one son teenager and two daughters...so the girls would share a bed and my son would have the murphy bed or the day bed at CR....we have always stayed at Deluxe before because they did not have family suites at Values when we last traveled to the World in 2005....If I could get the pricing for the standard view room I would book CR...just going over 4k hurts my head!

 

[lmhall2000]

I just called to see if they would have any standard view rooms at CR which would bring my total below 4k...nope...but I went ahead and switched to CR for fear all the garden view rates would disappear...AAAGH!! That makes the 6th time I have switched our reservations!!! Geez Louise!!

I very well could end up back at the cabins but not many are voting for those...I just don't want to see dishes/kitchen while I'm on vacation..we rarely get time to get away so when we do, I just want to ride Splash Mountain 27 times and lay by the pool....the room is to sleep in and I don't want to waste time on a bus getting somewhere....sigh...but that $$ savings always throws all my 'perfect wishes' out the window! I appreciate all the votes...come May 6th, hopefully you all will have decided for me!

 

[Tntfras]

I just called to see if they would have any standard view rooms at CR which would bring my total below 4k...nope...but I went ahead and switched to CR for fear all the garden view rates would disappear...AAAGH!! That makes the 6th time I have switched our reservations!!! Geez Louise!!

I very well could end up back at the cabins but not many are voting for those...I just don't want to see dishes/kitchen while I'm on vacation..we rarely get time to get away so when we do, I just want to ride Splash Mountain 27 times and lay by the pool....the room is to sleep in and I don't want to waste time on a bus getting somewhere....sigh...but that $$ savings always throws all my 'perfect wishes' out the window! I appreciate all the votes...come May 6th, hopefully you all will have decided for me!

I hear you! We are in the same boat....we are currently booked at CR garden view garden wing for 9/7-9/14 prior to our Disney Fantasy 7 night Western Caribbean Cruise and are trying to keep costs for resorts down. We are torn between keeping CR GW ressie or changing to WL (which is our fav) or to our first Mod Resort like POR....decisions, decisions!!!

 

[Sue M]

I voted for CR. location, location! Can't beat walking to MK, and monorail to Epcot. Rooms are large, everything under one roof. It's not that much more then the value suites.

FW cabins are difficult if you don't have a car. I believe you need to take a bus to get to MK boat or park bus, and many people rent golf carts to get around.

 

[lmhall2000]

I hear you! We are in the same boat....we are currently booked at CR garden view garden wing for 9/7-9/14 prior to our Disney Fantasy 7 night Western Caribbean Cruise and are trying to keep costs for resorts down. We are torn between keeping CR GW ressie or changing to WL (which is our fav) or to our first Mod Resort like POR....decisions, decisions!!!

If we only had four in our family or five with one small enough for the POR fifth bed then I would definitely book POR! Before the cruise do not spoil yourself with too large a room, those cruise ship rooms are quite cozy!

 

[lmhall2000]

I voted for CR. location, location! Can't beat walking to MK, and monorail to Epcot. Rooms are large, everything under one roof. It's not that much more then the value suites.

FW cabins are difficult if you don't have a car. I believe you need to take a bus to get to MK boat or park bus, and many people rent golf carts to get around.

That is what I feared with cabins, plus it is love bug season, just not keen on being around all the love bugs flying around.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

What about two value rooms at POP? Two rooms are cheaper than the suite at AoA and the savings could almost pay for the upgrade to DDP. You aren't guaranteed connecting rooms, but since your kids are older it might not be a big deal.

 

[lynn46356]

I agree with momof2gr8kids. We are a family of 5, husband, myself and 3 boys, 25, 24, 14. Our last family trip to WDW we did the exact same thing. We booked 2 rooms at Pop. They were next door to each other. The adult sons loved having there own space, tv (of course) and bathroom. We did too. No one had to share a bed either.

 

[lmhall2000]

What about two value rooms at POP? Two rooms are cheaper than the suite at AoA and the savings could almost pay for the upgrade to DDP. You aren't guaranteed connecting rooms, but since your kids are older it might not be a big deal.

I actually priced that out, it's not that much cheaper, maybe about $300 less than family suite to get two rooms...but we really enjoy sleeping in the same room, some of our best family discussions come at night reliving our favorite rides and planning out the next day....we are sooo sooo busy during the other 358 days of the year that we really love to just all hang out together.

Now a wrench in my thinking or ignorance!! I thought QS meant just one QS and 1 snack per day...I did not know it meant 2 QS pp per day plus a snack...so now I'm wondering if I should just stick with Nemo Suite and do QS and save roughly $900...is it really worth $1100 (figuring in tips) to eat out for 6 nights? Oh geez, dh was all set and agreed with CR as the best choice, when I threw out this wrench he said, "Yep, it's a tough decision." He sees it both ways...so do I

 

[TheDisney411]

I just called to see if they would have any standard view rooms at CR which would bring my total below 4k...nope...but I went ahead and switched to CR for fear all the garden view rates would disappear...AAAGH!! That makes the 6th time I have switched our reservations!!! Geez Louise!!

I very well could end up back at the cabins but not many are voting for those...I just don't want to see dishes/kitchen while I'm on vacation..we rarely get time to get away so when we do, I just want to ride Splash Mountain 27 times and lay by the pool....the room is to sleep in and I don't want to waste time on a bus getting somewhere....sigh...but that $$ savings always throws all my 'perfect wishes' out the window! I appreciate all the votes...come May 6th, hopefully you all will have decided for me!

Your cheapest and probably most comfortable option will be to get 2 connecting rooms at a value resort. We have a large family and do free dining every year and that's what we have done for years. But, we have stayed at most of the other resorts at some point over the years. I did not enjoy the cabins at all. I felt they are way overpriced for what they are and need updating badly. The real deal breaker was only one bathroom. With multiple teenagers, two bathrooms is a must. Two connecting value rooms gives us more room and 2 bathrooms and its a lot cheaper than the cabins.

 

[malacajo]

lmhall............................I think CR is your best option....But you already knew that already We want to eat some sit downs with you guys So basically, I guess I'm being greedy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TheDisney411]

lmhall............................I think CR is your best option....But you already knew that already We want to eat some sit downs with you guys So basically, I guess I'm being greedy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Value resorts can pay the difference and upgrade to the regular dining plan from the quick service during a free dining promo.

A room only resort at CR will save the OP about $130 per night off rack rates. A free dining discount at a value, with 2 connecting rooms and including the FD upgrade charge would save the OP about $265 per night off rack rates.

 

[lmhall2000]

Value resorts can pay the difference and upgrade to the regular dining plan from the quick service during a free dining promo.

A room only resort at CR will save the OP about $130 per night off rack rates. A free dining discount at a value, with 2 connecting rooms and including the FD upgrade charge would save the OP about $265 per night off rack rates.

There are no standard rooms available and no guarantee of connecting is not how we want to spend our family time...actually, we are saving $1700 off rack rate for CR and an additional $500 if we do two standards...but we would only consider AoA because rooms open on inside, with two potential asthma cases, we need to have better air filtration or rooms. If I can snag standard view we would save $200 more...we drive ourselves crazy! I know $500 difference will not mean much in a few years!

Malacajo! Yes! Can not wait to share dining experiences!!!!