Deciding on a resort - family of four with a 2 and 5 year old, value, mod or deluxe?-

[olliesmom]

We are planning our first trip since 2018 for April 2023 and are having the hardest time deciding on a resort. We have always stayed deluxe in the past when we could find great discounts, but prices have just skyrocketed.

Our family includes myself and my husband and our two kids who will be almost 2 and 5 during the trips. We are staying for six nights.

I have been going in circles with the following 3 options:

1. Pop Century - the kids would probably love the giant figures and bright colours at this age, it has skyliner access which seems great and the price is definitely the best! I also anticipate doing lots of counter service with the kids’ ages so the food court is appealing! The cons would be lack of a zero entry pool and the adults would miss the theming of the deluxes.

2. Caribbean Beach - the cost is around what we used to spend on the deluxe so the budget would be reasonable-ish. Still has skyliner access, a zero entry pool and food court. I’m really just worried about bus transportation to MK since I think we would spend a lot of time there and bus service seems better from the POP? But maybe a bit of an extra wait might be worth the upgrade? It would be roughly 1K more for the week vs. POP.

3. Beach Club: this would be throwing the budget out the window but is by far our favourite resort. Our five year old would absolutely love the pool and we have the Beach Club background music playing on Spotify at home almost all the time! It’s just our happy place. But it’s about 2,500 more than the POP for the week. There is also no food court or great counter service nearby, and if we are going to spend tons of time at MK I don’t know if it’s worth the investment on this trip? We could pretty easily Skyliner over from the POP for Cape May character breakfast or Beaches and Cream sundaes!

This will be our first post-pandemic trip anywhere and first time traveling with two kids (our 4 turning 5 year old was 10 months on our last trip!). Any thoughts would be hugely appreciated!

 

[janischa]

Have you considered making a DVC reservation? It may be difficult still finding a reservation at Bay Lake (DVC connected to the Contemporary) but sometimes you do still find the right confirmed reservations for sale on facebook groups. Renting via DVC is rather particular though and might require a bit of looking into the pro's and con's. There's a few subforums about it.

 

[olliesmom]

Have you considered making a DVC reservation? It may be difficult still finding a reservation at Bay Lake (DVC connected to the Contemporary) but sometimes you do still find the right confirmed reservations for sale on facebook groups. Renting via DVC is rather particular though and might require a bit of looking into the pro's and con's. There's a few subforums about it.

I have been looking at this too! I actually almost submitted the request with the deposit through David’s last night, but the flights booked separately from Toronto right now were so expensive. The above options were Costco travel packages with pricing that was so much better I think we have to stick to what’s available through Costco!

 

[janischa]

It would probably be cheaper to rent directly from a DVC owner via the forums, but that's sadly no use if the flights alone are so expensive.
What a difficult choice to make. Personally, I would have chosen for the Caribean as disney holidays tend to be hectic enough and going back to the resort, is always a bit of quiet time, so i prefer peaceful surroundings. (i've never been to the caribean though, so i'm just assuming it's a more relaxed atmosphere than Pop, which i did do as one of my earliest trips and found rather busy) The zero entry pool would also be important for me, as i like being able to watch the kids play from a distance without having to 'hold' them constantly. Of course Beach Club would be the loveliest choice, but unfortunately money isn't endless.

 

[olliesmom]

It would probably be cheaper to rent directly from a DVC owner via the forums, but that's sadly no use if the flights alone are so expensive.
What a difficult choice to make. Personally, I would have chosen for the Caribean as disney holidays tend to be hectic enough and going back to the resort, is always a bit of quiet time, so i prefer peaceful surroundings. (i've never been to the caribean though, so i'm just assuming it's a more relaxed atmosphere than Pop, which i did do as one of my earliest trips and found rather busy) The zero entry pool would also be important for me, as i like being able to watch the kids play from a distance without having to 'hold' them constantly. Of course Beach Club would be the loveliest choice, but unfortunately money isn't endless.

Thank you, this really helps! We do like relaxing downtime too and spending time at the pool each afternoon to recharge the little kids. And the kids being able to play with a bit of independence in the pool would mean we get some time to relax too.

I think this has helped boost CBR to the top spot!

 

[Marthasor]

If BC is your favorite resort and you are used to staying deluxe, I think you are going to be very disappointed with Pop. I would split the difference and do CBR or, price out Swan/Dolphin (we prefer the Swan, but Dolphin has a better "QS" IMHO) as a room-only through the Marriott site. Transportation from Swan/Dolphin to MK/AK isn't great, but you can walk over to YC or BWI and use their park buses.

 

[MinneTinK]

While the cost is high, we always do YC or bc. Yes the pool is amazing but the biggest perk for us (with two small kids) is the proximity to the parks. We walk with our double stroller to both dhs & Epcot and we always take a mid day break to swim & nap. We also usually do MK & AK at rope drop and spend our evenings at Epcot Avoiding the bus as much as possible allows us so much more time to relax. The kids sometimes fall asleep in the stroller and we can just walk back to the room instead of waking them, folding stroller, standing on a bus etc. as far as food options, we do a garden grocer delivery for breakfast items, snacks, drinks which really helps with the kids & costs!

 

[Disneylover99]

I recommend giving Pop a try. You might love it! You’ve got 2, big, convenient food courts between Pop and AofA. Pop has a smallish splash pad for toddlers. Easy to hop on the AofA bus at MK or AK if you missed the Pop bus or line is too long.

I hated SAB at the BC when my kids were younger. Just too busy and hectic there.
CBR. Too big.

If you want a moderate, I’d suggest POFQ. They have a really nice, aquatic play area for small children. It’s fenced in separately from the pool. Plus they have a playground. Perfect for very young children.

 

[Maxie86]

Since you will be spending the most time in the MK have you considered the Wilderness Lodge. Can't beat the boat transportation to MK.

 

[danceintherain]

Only you know what your budget can handle. We haven't been able to stay Deluxe with our kids. My kids love ALL pools. They don't really care if its fancy or not.
We ARE staying at the Beach Club villas for our next trip, but my parents are paying for it.
I had Contemporary booked for the couple days we'll be there before the rest of the group arrives, but DH requested that I switch it to a cabin at Fort Wilderness, because he doesn't like staying in a single room with the kids. The main pool is supposed to be closed while we're there, so that's kind of a bummer. Granted, we have 4 kids. The last time we all went to Disney, we had only 2 kids. We were all perfectly happy at moderate level. It will be a long time before we opt to spend the money on 2 rooms at a Deluxe, if we ever prioritize that. Fortunately, we have the option to stay at Shades of Green.

 

[RoseGold]

Don't count out Swolphin. Location of BC and maybe cheaper than the other options.

Of these, I'd pick pop.

Exception would be if you think your kids could stay up for the late extended hours. Those are INCREDIBLE and only for Deluxe/Swolphin.

 

[Eastern]

Your kids are young, so go with the cheapest. At that age, everything is exciting. BC has a nice pool but you will have to be all over your 5 year old in that big area. I vote POP. Try Caribbean Beach (or my favorite mod, POFQ) next time and save BC for when they are 8/11.

 

[notatallmagic]

As a family who has also stayed at all three resorts, but whose kiddos are now older - just my opinion

We still LOVE Pop. Preferred Pool View if you can find it gives you super convenience to the pool area and everything else. We LOVE Skyliner, and the ease and access, and can still enjoy the Boardwalk vibe, the Quick Service and other restaurants at CB and Riviera, and save tons of money. Pop is still my kids favorite x 100, and we've stayed at about 75% of the resorts at Disney. We still love walking around at Pop and Art and seeing the theming - it just seems so...Happy Disney . And the Skyliner is one of, if not my favorite - ride in the parks.

So, for our short trip in June, we are split staying a couple nights at Pop to enjoy Epcot and Hollywood, and then doing one night at a Magic Kingdom area (for us Wilderness Lodge - haven't stayed there yet). My son loves a hot tub too. It's a little less convenient to split stay with younger kids, but still an option. Have a wonderful time!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

I recommend giving Pop a try. You might love it! You’ve got 2, big, convenient food courts between Pop and AofA. Pop has a smallish splash pad for toddlers. Easy to hop on the AofA bus at MK or AK if you missed the Pop bus or line is too long.

I hated SAB at the BC when my kids were younger. Just too busy and hectic there.
CBR. Too big.

If you want a moderate, I’d suggest POFQ. They have a really nice, aquatic play area for small children. It’s fenced in separately from the pool. Plus they have a playground. Perfect for very young children.

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Our family also found SAB to be so hectic with young children which made it the opposite of relaxing!

POFQ is a great choice for your family for the reasons stated above. It also has really good quick service food, a single bus stop, a very compact layout, and the boat to Disney Springs.

 

[olliesmom]

Thank you all your thoughts! I am 99% sure now we are going to go with the POP and use some of the savings for a few extra things like a Cape May character breakfast! When I asked my four year old what he wanted to do today, his answer was he wanted to go to Costco to buy a water bottle from the vending machine. And his sister is at her happiest sitting in a cardboard box. So while they're this happy with the simple things, I think we will start small and like some of you have said, wait until they would really be able to enjoy a deluxe resort along with us!

 

[Kelly014]

I always vote deluxe if in the budget because the amenities are just nicer. Zero depth entry pools will definitely be your friend at those ages. Also, our kids are 13 and 8 and we have been to Disney several times when they were much younger. Do not underestimate the blessing that is the balcony when you have little kids sleeping in your room! I have many happy memories of turning on the white noise and getting them to sleep, while DH and I would sit on the balcony and share a bottle of wine. We don't interrupt their sleep, and we get a moment to ourselves to unwind after a long but good day!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Thank you all your thoughts! I am 99% sure now we are going to go with the POP and use some of the savings for a few extra things like a Cape May character breakfast! When I asked my four year old what he wanted to do today, his answer was he wanted to go to Costco to buy a water bottle from the vending machine. And his sister is at her happiest sitting in a cardboard box. So while they're this happy with the simple things, I think we will start small and like some of you have said, wait until they would really be able to enjoy a deluxe resort along with us!

They’ll have a blast then

My 2 cents

-I found the walls to be rather thin at Pop so consider a noise machine/app if you have a light sleeper in the group

-Maybe splurge on a Minnie Van for your MK day. They aren’t always available and run like $40 these days *faint* but kids seem to get a kick out of them and adults love the steps/standing they save

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

My vote would be CBR because of the water play area. We did 2 resort-only days there when my kids were 5 and just-turned 3 and my oldest still talks about the amazing water play area, even though we have stayed at deluxe resorts (VGF and SSR) since then. Plus, we appreciate the extra floor space of moderates for strollers at that age. Pop can get pretty crowded when the murphy bed is down. We stayed there when we used a pack n play for the youngest and we just put the oldest in bed with us instead of using the 2nd bed, so it might depend on how much stuff you are bringing for the kids. If you are spending much time at the resort, the pool, plus other places around the CBR resort like the sandy areas with hammocks to relax in and sand for kiddos to dig in gives CBR a big advantage over Pop.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Oh also CBR has a really nice playground!

 

[midwestdee]

We stayed at Pop in 2019 with DD’s family. Our 1st time at a value resort - preferred room near lobby & pool. I really liked it. Skyliner hadn’t opened yet. DGS were 8 & 4 - both loved the pool area. I thought the food court was great - I admit I’m not a foodie - if I don’t have to cook it - it’s fine. A big downer at CBR - no elevators- if you’re older or schlepping littles back to your second floor room it’s something to consider.