stairstepmom
stairstepmom
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2010
We are planning a 9-night trip for next mid-November (probably weekend of Veterans Day and week after). It's DH and I, our 7 kiddos (ages will be 18 mos, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9!) and we're bringing Grandma and Grandpa too.
Last time we stayed at POFQ and though we had a great trip and got a TON done, it still felt very rushed, a bit stressful and we weren't thrilled with the resort (theme/vibe, room size) and the bus service both in the morning for pre-RD ADRs and at night did get tiring after dealing with 2 strollers and a bunch of tired kids. Getting to an Ohana breakfast was not pleasant. We were all just getting up so early, going to bed so late - complete exhaustion by the end of the week! We're staying 3 nights longer this time but would love a little more convenience in the resort.
So, we've decided to rent DVC points for this next trip (which is only a tiny bit more than 3 rooms at POFQ!), we will be doing 3 studios as it's cheaper than a Grand Villa and we all liked having our own separate rooms to retreat to, big kids loved "sleeping over" with Grandma or Grandpa, etc.
We are having such a hard time deciding which resort to go with though. If money were limitless we'd choose 3 rooms at the Poly or GF, hands down. But, within our budget, we are choosing between studios at:
* BLT
* WL
* BCV
* BWV
* AKL Kidani
We will have 2 days each at Epcot, HS, AKL (might end up as more like 1 1/2 days for HS or AKL with a resort break in there) and 3 days at MK, plus our departure day (must be back to resort by 3:30). We will be doing MVMCP once and Wishes Dessert Party once on an MK day. We will be doing DTD one night (probably an AK night).
We are doing the DxDP, would like to do a pre-RD breakfast most days in the park, though it would be nice to not have to leave the resort at 7:15 to make an 8:00 ADR. We have 3 resort restaurants on our must-do list: Ohana breakfast, Chef Mickey's (breakfast or dinner is fine), Boma (dinner - thought we could just hop over there after an AK day). We would like to swim if the weather is good, but we're figuring it will probably be too chilly for our crew, so pool is not the most important.
We love all the themes, with BLT at the bottom of our list - it's beautiful of course, but it feels like a hotel we stay at for a city trip, not a Disney trip. Especially with the holiday decor, we'd really love to have a strong theme. Then again, the convenience of the location is a huge draw. But I wonder how convenient it actually is, as walking to MK would have its own stress with so many little ones, and the monorail could potentially take just as long (or longer) than bus service from other resorts. The OLP transportation wiz says 35 min from BLT to Epcot via monorail ... even from AKL it's only 20 min!
Plus, this is an expensive trip and I want to love the resort we're at for itself, not just for its location.
We've considered a split stay, 4/5 maybe BWV/WL or BCV/BLT or AKL/BLT.
Oh and this trip is going to be a surprise - kids are getting woken up bright and early to head to the airport - so we try to get their input for a theoretical future trip, but can't talk too much about it LOL. And they like all the resorts anyways!
What would you choose and why? Has anyone stayed at a few of these resorts - which did you love the most?
Thank you!!
Last time we stayed at POFQ and though we had a great trip and got a TON done, it still felt very rushed, a bit stressful and we weren't thrilled with the resort (theme/vibe, room size) and the bus service both in the morning for pre-RD ADRs and at night did get tiring after dealing with 2 strollers and a bunch of tired kids. Getting to an Ohana breakfast was not pleasant. We were all just getting up so early, going to bed so late - complete exhaustion by the end of the week! We're staying 3 nights longer this time but would love a little more convenience in the resort.
So, we've decided to rent DVC points for this next trip (which is only a tiny bit more than 3 rooms at POFQ!), we will be doing 3 studios as it's cheaper than a Grand Villa and we all liked having our own separate rooms to retreat to, big kids loved "sleeping over" with Grandma or Grandpa, etc.
We are having such a hard time deciding which resort to go with though. If money were limitless we'd choose 3 rooms at the Poly or GF, hands down. But, within our budget, we are choosing between studios at:
* BLT
* WL
* BCV
* BWV
* AKL Kidani
We will have 2 days each at Epcot, HS, AKL (might end up as more like 1 1/2 days for HS or AKL with a resort break in there) and 3 days at MK, plus our departure day (must be back to resort by 3:30). We will be doing MVMCP once and Wishes Dessert Party once on an MK day. We will be doing DTD one night (probably an AK night).
We are doing the DxDP, would like to do a pre-RD breakfast most days in the park, though it would be nice to not have to leave the resort at 7:15 to make an 8:00 ADR. We have 3 resort restaurants on our must-do list: Ohana breakfast, Chef Mickey's (breakfast or dinner is fine), Boma (dinner - thought we could just hop over there after an AK day). We would like to swim if the weather is good, but we're figuring it will probably be too chilly for our crew, so pool is not the most important.
We love all the themes, with BLT at the bottom of our list - it's beautiful of course, but it feels like a hotel we stay at for a city trip, not a Disney trip. Especially with the holiday decor, we'd really love to have a strong theme. Then again, the convenience of the location is a huge draw. But I wonder how convenient it actually is, as walking to MK would have its own stress with so many little ones, and the monorail could potentially take just as long (or longer) than bus service from other resorts. The OLP transportation wiz says 35 min from BLT to Epcot via monorail ... even from AKL it's only 20 min!
Plus, this is an expensive trip and I want to love the resort we're at for itself, not just for its location.
We've considered a split stay, 4/5 maybe BWV/WL or BCV/BLT or AKL/BLT.
Oh and this trip is going to be a surprise - kids are getting woken up bright and early to head to the airport - so we try to get their input for a theoretical future trip, but can't talk too much about it LOL. And they like all the resorts anyways!
What would you choose and why? Has anyone stayed at a few of these resorts - which did you love the most?
Thank you!!