best hotels off disney

[KEANE]

this is our 2 girls 1st time at disney ( ages 5 & 8 ) going in november 2003 . love pools and love nice hotels at a good price, where should we stay on or off disney?

thankyou!

 

[NotTooGoofy]

The word classy may have different meanings for different people. For classy onsite resorts, I'd suggest the Grand Floridian. For classy and the nice pool try the Yacht Club. The Stormalong Cay is arguably the best pool on Disney property. Other resorts like Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, and Contemporary offer many amenities but don't strike me as classy.

As for offsite, the one resort that comes to mind is the Gaylord Palms and Resort ( http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylordpalms/ ). Of course then classy and nice pool usually equals $$$.

 

[MJwritestuff]

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside last fall and all five of us loved it (three kids around your kids' ages). It was immaculate and beautiful and exceeded all my expectations. We're staying at the Polynesian this November because it's my dream hotel.
Offsite, we stayed one night at Holiday Inn Kid Suites right outside the park because they offered free kids' meals and free shuttles.
They did have a nice pool, but unfortunately our first five minutes there a kid lost his lunch in the pool and it closed! The food and food court was really crowded and lousy food - I'd rather pay then eat free at a place with cold eggs and eighty people hovering over.
The rooms, though advertised being Kid Suites with Nintendo, were a giant letdown. The room was dirty and lights were broken, etc. The shuttles were not frequent, but we didn't use them so I can't comment.
Seeing the difference when we checked in at Disney's POR was like night and day! Just all the touches were there, and I'd never stay off property again.
It added immensely to our magical trip. Also, the pool at POR was great - my kids loved the slide.
Just my opinion - hope it helps!

 

[mickeydonald]

I must say that I am very biased towards on-site hotels but you have plenty of info. on this board to get more info. on that. Off-site, years ago we did stay at Holiday Inn Kids Suite and the rooms and pool was great. The free breakfast buffet got old after one day but it was a good experience for the price. That said, that was several years ago shortly after it opened. The success of a great hotel is in keeping it looking new and I don't know if they have been able to do that (and based on the prior post it looks like they may have not done that...) The Marriott World Center across the street is a good hotel but geared towards conventions and golfing as is the Grand Hyatt. You may want to check-out the hotels near the Marketplace (like the Hilton.)

 

[dbail2]

We have stayed off site a few times and on site many times. There is nothing like staying on site. The convenience of coming back to your hotel every day for a swim (and nap for some) is great. You do not have to get up as early and never leave the Magic. We enjoyed every hotel we stayed at on site but our favorite is the BWI. second is Poly.

 

[dimimi]

Our kids were 5 and 9 when we went. We got on SO MANY rides with the early entry that we wouldn't stay anywhere else but on-site. When the park got crowded we went somewhere or planned for a show. We liked the Poly, but next time it's Swan/Dolphin or BC. Have fun!

 

[CalGal]

Based upon the ages of your children, I would expect that you are going to want to spend a lot of time at MK. Even though I love the Epcot resorts, especially BWI, I would recommend any of the monorail resorts for you and your kids. You'll save so much time and energy and be right in the middle of the magic. CR is not quite as expensive as the Poly of GF and is loads of fun for kids at that age. Like all the Disney resorts, it has a cool pool including a slide that isn't too too big.

Of course you can save lots of money staying off-site, but it won't be quite the same.

 

[crazelion]

I would post on the Orlando Hotels and Attractions. You will get a different oponion. That's where all the offsite experts hang out at.

Here's my thoughts I set your budget on how much you won't spend on a hotel and go from there.

Travelocity.com for hotels reviews

tripadvisor.com for hotels reviews

biddingfortravel.com for hotels reviews

A good place to check for decent hotel rates is: hotelkingdom.com They have all kinds of discounts for hotels. Even discounts for US hotels thay you can book.

If it was me I would stay onsite.

I would definately ask myself these questions:
How long will I be in the hotel room,

Is it worth it to spend 300.00 a night on a hotel room and not use the amenties.

Where would like to eat at.

What's kinds on amenties is important to me.

How much is parking.

Will I be visiting the other amusement parks, outlet mall and malls in Florida.

I think if start with these kinds questions you can narrow choices quiet a bit.

If wondering where I stay at is All-Star Music and Sports and if fit my needs perfectly.

 

[dawgfan]

I have stayed at the Renaissance just a mile outside Disney. It was a great place to stay. The room was awesome. The price was about $120.00 a night. This is probably comparable to the on site All Stars and Pop Century in November. They may even be a little cheaper. If it was my choice to do again, I would always go with on site if I could afford it. This is especially true with children in the age group you have and especially if this is the first trip for them. That is the only off site experience I have had because after staying on site, I cannot see going back to an off site and being happy.

 

[swilphil]

I would recommend on site at the Swan/Dolphin. It's not Disney owned, but it's on Disney property. It's a deluxe hotel, but they have several discount programs. The location is so good, we didn't have to rent a car or pay for parking. We were able to see a lot in the parks in 3 days because we were so close. To save a little money, you could stay offsite on your first and/or last night.