Help!! Can't decide which resort for our 1st family trip!!

[LauraOpi]

We are planning our first trip to Disney for July. Our boys will be 6 and 4 when we go. I really want to wow them every chance I get and am looking for a resort they will love. Help!!!

 

[ChristineOH]

AoA would be great, if you don't mind Little Mermaid rooms or can afford the expense of a suite. But since you are a family of 4, All Star Movies could be a good choice. The movie theming is great for kids. Go check out some pictures.

The moderates theming is not really geared to kids, but the pools do have water slides!

 

[DizDaD7]

1st off to the Disboards.

2nd off. Congrats on your 1st trip, of Many to come for sure.

As you previously stated, tough to go for $400 a night. Even so I'd always suggest starting out either at a value, or moderate, than working your way up....

Some people start at the Grand Floridian & then they're expecting everything to match that, which is IMPOSSIBLE.

You've already stated that you have 2 younger boys, and I don't normally request this but CBR , might just be the answer for you.

Pirate rooms, zero entry pools.

AoA is supposed to be nice, if you can swing the $$$, or just try and get POP, or AsSp.

I personally love CSR, just because of the theming and pool area, & best bus system in all of WDW, and the restaurants too.

I'd slowly graduate up to a deluxe...maybe AKL someday or Poly..LoL

Either way have a great time preparing ( this is 1/2 the fun )& a great 1st trip.

 

[Trekkie]

1) It's a pretty safe bet that your kids will love any place that has a pool. (And they all have pools.)

2) The pools at the moderates and deluxes have water slides. The deluxes (at least some of them, don't know about all) also have splash areas. (And hot tubs, which might be kinda important for the Old Folks.)

3) When you move from value to moderate, most of the beds go from double to queen sized, too. Might be important for the grownups.

4) Most of the values have a food court. When you move to moderates, they generally have actual restaurants. (Some people prefer the food court, cause they're heading to the park as soon as they can, anyway. Just letting you know the choices.)

5) Wilderness Lodge has rooms with bunk beds. Might be a real treat.

6) Wilderness Lodge is also just a boat ride from Magic Kingdom. And a (different) boat from the Fort Wilderness campground (which has the Hoop de Do Musical Revue, and Mickey's Backyard BBQ.), and from Contemporary (which has Chef Mickeys, an all you can eat buffet where you can watch the monorails drive through the building, and where Mickey and Donald and Goofy and friends will come to your table for photos and autographs.)

7) Yeah, AoA certainly has a lot of theming. (Lots of the values do.) but I will note that at AoA, you'll either be in a Little Mermaid room (Don't know how the boys feel about that), or you'll be paying more for a Family Suite with a Nemo, Cars, or Lion King theme. (You might want the suite, even though you only have four people. You'll get a mini kitchen, a dining table, and a queen sized bed in the separate master bedroom.)

8) Having said all that? It's your first trip. Odds are, you're not going to be spending much time at the resort. Maybe breakfast, and maybe a break for pool and/or nap in the afternoon.

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PS: just read the people who responded, while I was typing this. And I admit I don;t know much about the place, but I suspect that Pirate Rooms might make a big impression.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are planning our first trip to Disney for Juky. Our boys will be 6 and 4 when we go. I really want to wow them every chance I get and am looking for a resort they will love. I was looking into AoA bc of the theming of the resort. We can't afford 400 a night, as some the the Deluxe resorts are that. The moderates all look nice, but my concern is that the kids won't love them. I have also heard nice things about the Wilderness Lodge, but not sure a big cabin look will be as appealing to the boys. Help!!!

With children that age, the parks will wow them, in fact, it will overwhelm them. There is so much to do and see at WDW that I wouldn't worry too much about the resort. This is where you will come to relax and unwind, and believe me, you will need it.

I suggest you find a resort that appeals to you. Kids just want to go swimming - truly - they do.

But if you want a resort that is affordable and will wow them, then choose one of the value resorts. It has the most "wow" factor for kids of all the resorts. The deluxes have the most "wow" factor for the adults. And the moderates can be for everyone.

 

[pjhootch]

At 4 and 6, any Disney resort will wow them. In fact, the values have more wow factor for little children than the mods or deluxe resorts. In July, a pool is key. A big one... and the parks are completely overwhelming. They will be thrilled anywhere you could stay, so figure out where you are comfortable with both the room and the budget, and go for it.

 

[OZMom]

My kids are almost the same ages as yours. We have only stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, and we did not spend much time in the room at all, but I have to say they loved it. They loved the water slide in the pool area, they loved the nightly campfires, hammocks, fishing, and the drop down bed in the alligator bayou rooms. Also, we took the boat to Downtown Disney twice and they loved that. We were originally booked for Art of Animation, but switched when the free dining came out, and I was so happy we did.

Again, we only have experience with this one resort, but I just wanted to give my 2 cents because I didn't think my kids would enjoy the moderate, but they really did.

 

[jd65]

I don't know where you came to the assumption that the kids won't like the moderates. Those are some of the best resorts for kids. You're a first timer though, so it's probably all overwhelming. First thing you need to remember: YOU are putting all the effort into planning for this trip. Not your kids. Yes, you want to make your kids super happy, but you should get enjoyment too.

While I'm not the biggest fan of the Values, there are some perks. Great food courts, reliable bus service and cool theming. However, think about what there actually is for kids to do at the resort. Take pictures with the gigantic characters? Jump in and out of a pool without a waterslide? It seems tedious and boring. Plus, the double beds are a REAL dilemma for many adults.

The Moderates seem perfect for what you are looking for. Do you want your kids to have as much fun at the resort as they do at the parks? Do YOU want to have as much fun as your kids? The moderates have everything, specifically CSR and CBR. CSR has an amazing pool! That Mayan themed waterslide is amazing. CBR has an amazing pool as well, possibly even better than some deluxes.

Look, I'm not saying spend over $10,000 on a Disney trip. That's ridiculous, it's just a theme park. We've never spent over $4000 on Disney trip and we've almost always stayed deluxe. It's possible with the right budgeting.

P.S. - WL is under $300 and is a deluxe. That boat to MK is amazing!

 

[Meldev]

We stayed CBR pirate rooms in the Fall - kids were DDS 10-8-6 and DS 2 (almost 3)

My kids LOVED CBR pools! Little ones loved the kiddie play area pool

We were upgraded to pirate rooms, I wanted another section, when kids heard I wanted to switch they protested heavily. We remained in pirate rooms and they loved it!

 

[lulusdad]

I have always taken advantage of a deluxe resort but for the price I have chits to stay in a studio villa. It has a kitchenette. Sink fridge countertop and it has a queen size bed with a full fold out sofa. My favorite is the beach club villas. If you time it right you can be in the 300s. Bc has a the best pool storm along bay and it's a short walk to Epcot and studios. Sign up for a Disney visa so you can take advantage of 0 percent financing and rewards. Boardwalk villas are nice too.
Boardwalk villas. Oct 12
Bcv. Oct 14

 

[Disneymomma0783]

We have stayed at CBR for our two last trips and my kids love it! My son was 5 the first time and 7 last time, DD was 1.

Zero entry pool, great pool at that...there are quiet pools in every village if the main pool is busy. Decent water slides. And a seperate play/splash zone for the kids as well.

We stayed in Jamaica 45 both times. It's a standard room, but it's a quick walk through castaway cay to get to the food court and main pool. Close enough to the Jamaica bus stop and then you also have the close enough walk to the bus stop at old port royale.

We are going back in September and doing a split between poly and AKL, but CBR was VERY close to being our home for those two weeks until we got the deal on poly.

I think your kids would love it! As pp posters have mentioned...you're going to be in Disney world....they will be happy no matter what!

 

[WDGPCFR]

We have stayed at the cabins in Fort Wilderness, PORS and most recently POP. Out of the three we enjoyed POP the most. If you read the resort posts you will find that POP has the biggest following. The theming will be impressive to the kids and you will enjoy the flashbacks to your youth. The nice thing about POP is you can walk across the bridge to check out AoA and use their food court giving you more options. We found the bus service to be very good.

 

[beck00]

Our first family trip was at the end of May 2014, and we stayed at Pop. My then 6-year-old and 1 1/2 year-old LOVED it! They had a blast in the big pool, loved the games the lifeguards hosted poolside, really liked the food court and arcade, and couldn't get enough of all the HUGE Disney character statutes all over the resort grounds. We were in the parks 6 days, and they always loved going back to the resort.

 

[soar2014]

You should take your small children to a Value. They will be very happy with the over-size characters, it will be heaven for them. As they get older you can move up the chain.

 

[Marthasor]

I agree with the PP's. Your boys will be wowed by any of the resorts. My DS, who is now 7, has been going to WDW since he was 1 and has stayed at all the deluxes, the Dolphin, CBR, POR, AoA and two offsite resorts. He has liked them all! He just likes the idea of "hotel" - a new atmosphere, a pool, knowing he's going to spend the day in a park, etc. But, I have discovered what can really make or break a vacation for us - whether mommy and daddy like the resort or not! If I or my husband are uncomfortable at the resort, if our transportation time is too long, etc. we get grumpy and grumpy mommy and daddy are no fun on vacation! SO, we pick our resort based on what we can afford, what will be most convenient to the parks we are visiting on any given trip and what is most comfortable for us. That would be my advice to you - pick a resort you can afford and that appeals to you most. I really think your kids will like whatever you choose.

 

[WendyLou]

our boys really enjoyed Pop and All star sports, our oldest loves the pool slide at CSR. That age loves any pool!

 

[GrumpyBelle]

Being this is your first trip, your boys won't know anything other than what you choose. Look and see what appeals to you and what fits in your budget. You could always narrow it down and then show them pictures of a couple of the resorts and see what peaks their interest. PoP may be a nice choice for your boys for a value. CBR is my favorite moderate and has a great pool. AKL or WL are priced less than the other deluxes. Watching the animals at AKL is lots of fun and it is priced about the same as WL.

 

[Dis703]

I think like others have said, kids this age tend to love just about anything. They are so wowed by the whole experience that the resort really doesn't matter. So far our kids have enjoyed every resort we've stayed at and only one had a kid theme to it.

 

[fluffykalie]

We have stayed at pop, cbr, okw, ASsports, and art of animation. My son who is now five loved all of them all he cared about was the pools, and mabey a few other things he noticed that all the resorts have. Like the playgrounds. There are differences between the resorts but none that my son cared about. My husband on the other hand hates the values which I don't really get other then the crowded bus's and food courts. Sometimes you do have to wait for a second bus after park closing. We waited an hour for a bus in May of 2012 after the first fantastic got out. But on our first trip we choose pop and he enjoyed the resort. so it wasn't till I started booking the mods and deluxes that he asked me to stop booking the values.

 

[disnmooner2013]

My suggestion would be if your kids can swim and you can afford it stay at Beach Club. Stormalong Bay is the best pool in Disney Word. Also, Beach Club is a short walk to Epcot and a short boat ride to Hollywood Studios.