Help me pick 2nd half of split stay. CR plus ? in December

[Snyders22000]

We're planning our first trip to WDW this December. We're going to do a five night stay at WDW prior to a 3 night DCL cruise. Our kids will be 5,3, and 8 months old at the time of our trip. We're driving down so we'll have our car.

Our first night will be at the Radisson Lake Buena Vista (using rewards points) since we'll be getting in fairly late. Nights 2 and 3 I was able to book at CR Garden Wing room with the room only discount (excited about proximity to MK and Epcot plus the monorail access) however they didn't have rooms available at CR for nights 4 and 5 or our stay. I need you help deciding where to stay these last 2 nights.

Here are some options that are available. Poly standard view (love the monorail access and theming), Wilderness Lodge Bunk room (should be pretty during Christmas and bunks would be nice), Beach Club Villas Studio or 1 bedroom (pool looks awesome but might be too cold to swim? Walking distance to Epcot?), Animal Kingdom CL with Savanna view (sounds awesome & would love watching animals but would we regret being so far out from parks?), or Fort Wilderness Cabins (would be nice to have separate bedroom/extra space but not sure about getting around to the parks with the kids?).

I know that is a lot of choices but I'm having the hardest time narrowing it down. The most important factors are ease of access to parks (not sure how big of a deal this is since we'll have our car and not completely dependent on busses etc although monorail access is definitely a plus) and theming that the kids would enjoy. Which would you choose and why?

 

[minnie mum]

If you are going to be there anywhere from the week before Christmas to the New Year, I think you have to take off the rose coloured glasses and be brutally practical. CR will be great for ease of access to MK, so I'd recommend that you plan all your MK days during your stay there.

Then I'd move over to an Epcot area resort. Now you are walking distance to 2 of the parks for your next 2 days, and a bus ride to AK. Swimming in December can be iffy, no matter what resort you're at.

AK is one of my favourite places, and ordinarily I'd recommend it, but for this time of year, the buses will be very crowded- and you'll spend more time waiting for or riding on buses than you would at an Epcot resort.

IMO, the cabins would be a major step down in resort quality from your other choices, and transportation times would be much higher.

 

[spiceycat]

CR and BCV sounds good - although the BCV might already be gone - so would decide fast.

 

[NicoleLarson]

Are you dead set on doing a split? I have a DD4 & DS 9months and all that packing and unpacking just seems like a horrible nightmare... not a vacation. Can you get anything for all nights? I like wilderness lodge (especially at holiday time...it just can't be beat, IMO). You have the boat to MK...no breaking down strollers! Also you can take the boat to CR and have monorail access.

 

[Snyders22000]

If you are going to be there anywhere from the week before Christmas to the New Year, I think you have to take off the rose coloured glasses and be brutally practical. CR will be great for ease of access to MK, so I'd recommend that you plan all your MK days during your stay there.

Then I'd move over to an Epcot area resort. Now you are walking distance to 2 of the parks for your next 2 days, and a bus ride to AK. Swimming in December can be iffy, no matter what resort you're at.

AK is one of my favourite places, and ordinarily I'd recommend it, but for this time of year, the buses will be very crowded- and you'll spend more time waiting for or riding on buses than you would at an Epcot resort.

IMO, the cabins would be a major step down in resort quality from your other choices, and transportation times would be much higher.

I should have mentioned that we are going the second week of December (7-12) so it shouldn't be terribly crowded yet, at least according to the crowd calendars I've looked at. Thank you for the recommendations, I'll go take a look at the Epcot resorts again!

 

[Snyders22000]

Are you dead set on doing a split? I have a DD4 & DS 9months and all that packing and unpacking just seems like a horrible nightmare... not a vacation. Can you get anything for all nights? I like wilderness lodge (especially at holiday time...it just can't be beat, IMO). You have the boat to MK...no breaking down strollers! Also you can take the boat to CR and have monorail access.

That's true. The peaking and unpacking could be a pain. I didn't realize you could roll the strollers onto the boat. That was one of the things that turned me off a little to WL, I hated the idea of having to fold both strollers up for the boat, busses, and car. How long is the boat ride to MK from WL?

 

[sharadoc]

Fort wilderness cabin has a separate bedroom for naps and the bunkbeds. A full kitchen would come in handy with little ones. Plus you park at your front door. It's easy to drive to all the parks from there and so easy to load and unload your stuff.

There's so much to do there - chip and Dale singalong show, movie, fireworks and water parade at the beach.

There's an old Travel Channel show that follow a family just like yours who stay in a cabin (and a couple others). It shows the benefits of staying there. If you could find it On Demand or Youtube, I highly recommend it!

 

[NicoleLarson]

That's true. The peaking and unpacking could be a pain. I didn't realize you could roll the strollers onto the boat. That was one of the things that turned me off a little to WL, I hated the idea of having to fold both strollers up for the boat, busses, and car. How long is the boat ride to MK from WL?

Actual time in the boat is probably 10 minutes. It does take 5-10 minutes to load and unload. They are heated and cooled so that is nice as well. However, the boats to FW and CR have a step so you will need to breakdown your stroller.

 

[mickeynut1]

We're planning our first trip to WDW this December. We're going to do a five night stay at WDW prior to a 3 night DCL cruise. Our kids will be 5,3, and 8 months old at the time of our trip. We're driving down so we'll have our car.

Our first night will be at the Radisson Lake Buena Vista (using rewards points) since we'll be getting in fairly late. Nights 2 and 3 I was able to book at CR Garden Wing room with the room only discount (excited about proximity to MK and Epcot plus the monorail access) however they didn't have rooms available at CR for nights 4 and 5 or our stay. I need you help deciding where to stay these last 2 nights.

Here are some options that are available. Poly standard view (love the monorail access and theming), Wilderness Lodge Bunk room (should be pretty during Christmas and bunks would be nice), Beach Club Villas Studio or 1 bedroom (pool looks awesome but might be too cold to swim? Walking distance to Epcot?), Animal Kingdom CL with Savanna view (sounds awesome & would love watching animals but would we regret being so far out from parks?), or Fort Wilderness Cabins (would be nice to have separate bedroom/extra space but not sure about getting around to the parks with the kids?).

I know that is a lot of choices but I'm having the hardest time narrowing it down. The most important factors are ease of access to parks (not sure how big of a deal this is since we'll have our car and not completely dependent on busses etc although monorail access is definitely a plus) and theming that the kids would enjoy. Which would you choose and why?

We have stayed at all of the resorts you mentioned (although we stayed at the BC rather than the villas and have not stayed CL at AKL) and while the Poly is our favorite resort overall, I think I'd go with WL bunk beds in December. All of the resorts are beautifully decorated, but the WL is just amazing and I think your kids would love the bunk beds. The WL is also very convenient to MK via boat, but we have always found the buses from there to be great. All of the resorts you are considering have great themes, but the WL would be my first choice as far as holiday decorations. Good luck deciding, although you really can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[Marthasor]

I would either keep checking to see if you can stay in CR all nights, or I would switch all nights over to Poly. I would not do a split stay with only 4 nights.

In terms of monorail access, Poly can't be beat. You can, of course, take the monorail to MK, but you can also walk over to TTC to access the monorail to EP without having to go on the entire monorail resort loop - it's great! Plus the Poly is gorgeous!! Much better theming than CR, IMHO.

Honestly, I would not do WL with three young children. Yes, it's gorgeous at Christmas and you can take the boat to MK, but you will be breaking down your stroller and having to navigate with 3 young children on buses to all of the other parks - not fun!

If you have to split your stay, I would think about which parks you are planning on going to. Are you going to all four parks? If so, I would keep CR and then switch to an EP resort - that way you will only have to take a bus to AK. If you aren't going to EP and/or DHS, then go for AKL. My biggest advice, whatever you do, is keep your bus transportation to a minimum!