Need 1 bedroom & confused where to stay

[lindzegurl]

Hi there and thanks in advance for any info! I'm new to the forums and planning our first family trip. My DH and I will be traveling with our DS-4yr and DD 9 mo. We are going in march 2010 for 1 week.

Our #1 priority will be to have a room seperate from the kids. We don't want to have to turn out all the lights/TV at 9pm when they are asleep for the night.

#2 priority would be to have easy acess to transportation to the parks. I think we will spend most of our time at Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom. We will most likely go back to our room in the middle of the day for the kiddos naps.

#3 I love the "beach feel" that I saw with the Polynesian Resort. (But just realized Tonga is the only place for seperate master bedrooms- its conceirge rooms and quite $$) Could we get the beach feel at the Beach Club Villa too? . Sand? Tiki Torches? Lush Landscapes? I like the idea of the movie nights on the beach for the kids and the light show in the water as well.

Any recommendations?

[kaffinito]

Try Bay Lake Towers.

You will have the Electric Water Parade at night.

You can get a 1 bedroom with a pull out couch and sleeper chair.

The kids would have their own separate bathroom.

The monorail is right across the Skybridge at the Contemporary resort.

You'll have two pools to choose from and they have movies on the beach there.

There is a walkway between CR and BLT to the Magic Kingdom.

Bay Lake Towers is new - just opened up last July.

If you get a Magic Kingdom view you can sit on your balcony at night and watch the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.

[clkelley]

Unless you plan on laying them down in the master bedroom, then once they are in bed on the sofa beds in the living room, you are stuck in the master in 1 BRs.

One thing you might want to look at is the cabins at Fort Wilderness.

They have a bedroom with a double bed, bunk beds, then have a murphy bed in the living room. But with the cabins, you could put the kids to sleep on the bunk beds and still have the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and outside deck at your disposal.

[scot@dvcstore]

Look into the Wilderness Lodge Villas. Beautiful, smaller resort with a short boat ride to MK. Great views across the lake. Enjoy your vacation.

[pooh4me]

I agree that Fort Wilderness is a good choice. It is only a very easy boat ride to Magic Kingdom, plus there are a lot of activities at the Fort. Check out the Camping forums here on the Dis.

[Hopefully]

Our first trip when our children were young many years ago was to the Fort Wilderness Cabins. We loved it there and it made Disney lovers of our family. It was great to have the separate bedroom to put the kids in bed in the evening and DH and I had the LR to relax in. Having the full kitchen also saved us lots of money on at least breakfasts, cold drinks and snacks. The transportation to the MK is by boat and that is a lot of fun. The transportation to the other parks is a bit more complicated and many don't like it. It requires an internal bus ride to a park bus, or renting a golf cart for your stay. We did it both ways, and did not find it a problem.
Now we are DVC owners at BCV. Our family is grown an we love it there. The "feeling" at the BCV is "beachy" not "tropical". The grounds are not as lush as the Poly and there are no Tiki torches. It is set behind the BC itself and the views are nice, but not spectacular. It is the location and the space that make it special.
A 1 bedroom Villa will give you a Master bedroom with a King size bed, TV, Armoire, desk and easy chair. The Master bath opens to the LR as well and features a whirlpool tub, and a walk in shower in a separate room. The bathroom is actually 3 rooms and it is well laiid out for sharing.
The Living Room has a Queen sleep sofa and an easy chair. There is an additional armoire and TV. There is a dining area as well as a fully stocked kitchen complete with all dishes and pots and pans. There is a stackable washer and dryer as well.
You can easily walk to Epcot and a bit longer walk or leisurely boat ride to the DHS. You would take a bus to the MK and the AK. Bus service is good.
You have a large number of dining options in this area. There are the restaurants of the BC, the YC, the Swan, the Dolphin and all of the Boardwalk area. As well, it is just a short walk to all of the International restaurants in WS in Epcot.
The Boardwalk is a short walk away and there is lots of free activity in the evening.
The pool at the BCV is the best on property - really a mini water park. SAB is a sand bottom pool and there is a large sandy beach like area at the kiddie pool. There is also a playground for the little ones in this area.
Bay Lake Towers (BLT) is the newest DVC villa property and it's big draw is that it is within walking distance to the MK. This might be a special option for you with your little ones. The 1 bedroom units here also have 2 full bathrooms, probably not an issue for you yet.
What ever you decide, have a great trip
Good Luck with your choice

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Originally Posted by kaffinito

Try Bay Lake Towers.

You will have the Electric Water Parade at night.

You can get a 1 bedroom with a pull out couch and sleeper chair.

The kids would have their own separate bathroom.

The monorail is right across the Skybridge at the Contemporary resort.

You'll have two pools to choose from and they have movies on the beach there.

There is a walkway between CR and BLT to the Magic Kingdom.

Bay Lake Towers is new - just opened up last July.

If you get a Magic Kingdom view you can sit on your balcony at night and watch the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.

Agreed with everything you said.

[bookwormde]

Deluxes at BC and WL, cabins at FW, and all the DVC 1br and above (I excluded the suites since they are so expensive). BC deluxe and BCV 1br are the most "beach like" but also the least convenient to Ak/Mk. WL has a beach area but it is not the theme of the resort.

The look you are speciying is really poly so I guess you have a decision to make.

bookwormde

[lindzegurl]

Thanks for all the feedback. I think the decision is between the Poly and the beach club villa.

The more I read I think I am leaning towards the BCV. Love that we could make some meals in the room (just learded about the gardengrocer.com) and in room washer and dryer means we could pack a little lighter! :-)

The pool and kiddie area ( I think they also have a playground and movie nights outside) sound fun and unique (with the sandy bottom at SAB).

oh...and the price of BCV would be less...for more space

Thanks again for the great feedback!