Bueana vista suites or value resort?

[kermit&delroy]

We are going to WDW for a long weekend for my son's 3rd birthday - we only live a couple hours away.

We booked Buena Vista suites for a reasonable rate and it has 2 rooms, fridge, microwave, full hot breakfast and decent reviews on trip advisor.

Or, we could stay in a WDW value resort for about $50 more total but no two rooms, free breakfast, fridge.

Which would you recommend?

ETA: sorry for the typos!!!

 

[spiceycat]

how many days? 4 or more. then BVS - but less - you would be so short of time.

still BVS is really, really close to WDW.

the only problem is E-nights - if you stay on property then you get access to E-nights - which can be great during the busy season. but heck with a 3 year old you he will be really to drop before E-nights even start.

so go with BVS

 

[MinnieForMe]

We stayed one night there last year before checking into our resort. The room was clean and the breakfast was very good.

For a short stay, my heart would probably lead me to stay at Disney, although we've never stayed in one of the value resorts.

I guess I'm not much help.

 

[anewmac]

I was thinking of staying at Buena also but found about the E-hours and deceided that would come in handy with 2boys that would LOVE more time at the parks. Especially since will be there 1st time at the world. Mine will be 6 and 10. So they can last a bit longs. The plus is you could stay on property and have your 3yr old take a nap during the day then he will be ready to stay up and you can take advantage of the Ehours! Just a thought!

 

[Gillian]

My kids really liked Pop Century. They thought it was cool that we kept seeing different giant characters. For a long weekend you can deal with less space, I'd think. I know we were at Pop for 7 nights and that was about as much as I could handle. When we left to go visit family in Sarasota I upgraded to a bigger room at that hotel!

When are you going? Are there any deals then?

And, I hate to say this, but are you going before your son actually turns 3? We took the kids when DD was 2 and 10 months so we didn't have to buy her tickets.

 

[kermit&delroy]

we are going may 30 and he turns 3 May 31....we didn't buy him tickets we will for our next trip.

I still can't decide!!! We will have our car with us so we won't have to take the bus necessarily. Will we still want to if we stayed onsite? We bought tix for the P&P party while we are there so that is one late night taken care of.

If there was a discount for me, I may consider upgrading in a WDW resort...but for now - value it is. Is POP the value you all would most recommend?

Or to just stick with my off property deal (BVS for $89 a night)!? decisions....

thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Gillian]

Do you have AAA? You can try for a room only discount through them.

The only value we've stayed in is pop century. I liked the resort layout, the food court and the theming. The things that we didn't like would be the same at a moderate - small beds, smallish rooms, no balcony. The busses were very good. The pools were good for us (2 adults, 7 yo, 4 yo). We used our car a few times, but not for the parks although we have at other onsite resorts.

I thought it was a good deal. For a short trip you will probably find you don't need the extra space or refrigerator.

 

[Dardi]

I would go with LBV suites. My family likes the breakfast, and the location makes for a quick trip to the parks. Another plus for us is the two queens instead of the doubles you get in Disney value resorts. We hit the nearby Walmart and make use of the microwave and small fridge.
Although we enjoy the morning early entry while on site, we have found the late magic hours to be too crowded to enjoy.

Hope this helps,
Ron

 

[Brian Noble]

We tend to avoid EMH whether we are onsite or off. The crowds are lower in the other parks, and we get everything done we want and more. We do use the transportation, but for me, the conveniences of extra space and room amenities is more valuable than Disney transportation.

But, that's me. You have to decide what's more important to you.

 

[jerseymom473]

I stayed at this hotel. The rooms were huge, you can put you little one to bed and watch TV in the living area. The breakfast was excellent, really all you could want. The pool was adequate. The only drawback was that it is in a busy area, not parklike like the Disney resorts seem to be, but the extra space is worth it!! The commute to disney was very easy too!

 

[jerseymom473]

Also, you should look into staying at the Doubletree. That's where my family is staying this summer. It's on Disney property, but it's not a Disney owned hotel. It's near Downtown Disney, and it has bus transportation to the Disney theme parks. All the rooms are suites, and can has a one seperate bedroom from the living room and mini kitchen. There is a nice pool, and I'm really excited about staying here. Breakfast isn't included with your stay, that's an extra fee. Suites are about $120 a night! Much cheaper than a Disney-owned suite!

 

[traderneal]

We stayed at the BVS for four nights last year. The only negative I can say is that the rooms are ok, nothing special, they are a bit dated, but clean. Think about it though, how much time will you be spending in the room? And the two rooms is a huge benefit vs the small rooms at the value resorts.


Now for the positives. The hotel is literally five minutes from almost everything. The hot breakfast buffet really is good and saves you a bundle of money vs. having to buy breakfast elsewhere. And finally, think about the money you save.

 

[mickey_mouse52]

One more thing to factor in is you will pay for parking if staying off site. Its included when staying at a Disney resort.

 

[4Seasons]

One more thing to factor in is you will pay for parking if staying off site. Its included when staying at a Disney resort.

When staying at a hotel with free breakfast though, that (to me) makes up for the cost of paying parking at Disney. You have to eat!

 

[kermit&delroy]

Thank you for all the input! I appreciate it.

We have a rate of $89 a night so I guess, with breakfast, I can't find any cheaper!

 

[Gillian]

Sounds good!

Have you looked for a Florida Resident discount? Are you a Florida resident? If you look on the disboards Disney Resorts, then codes & rates there might be info. Sometimes they don't come out until close to the travel dates.

 

[5boyz]

Hi I am just reading about BVS and I think I remember reading somewhere that you can use the sister hotel Cabire Pool...does anyone know that if that is true?

 

[traderneal]

As far as I know it is not true, you cannot use the pool.

However, I am staying at the Caribe in May and I'm wondering if we can use the BVS free breakfast!!