Opinions for our 1st WDW trip w/2 young kiddies

[makeithappen]

So for our very first trip to Disney the DH and I are driving down for a late October week long trip. We have 2 kiddos, DD is 5 and DS is 2. We are look at the AoA and Cabins at FW. Here are some of our needs/concerns:

-fell in love with the theming at AoA, feel our kids will be through the roof with the decor and pools (Ariel is a particular fav with DD)
-because they are so young, putting them to bed early and then turning in ourselves at the same time is less than desirable. We'd prefer to be able to tuck them in and then switch on the TV to unwind a bit ourselves without keeping them awake.
-prefer to have some way to prepare a quick breakfast in room or lunch if we are back at the hotel for a little siesta
-DD and I are restless sleepers and I have heard AoA can be noisy. When DD has a bad night sleep, no one will be having a "magical" time (I dont know where she gets it from )
-concerns with FW Cabins is DH thinks they look dated and dingy and really not wanting to have to rent a golf cart since we'll have our car. Keep reading you need the cart for the ease of getting around the resort to pools and dining
-the deluxe suites and villas are out of our price range

So my thought was either to:
1- spend all 6 nights at AoA in one of their suites (maybe make the last night in the LM room to surprise my DD)
2- spend 3 nights at AoA so the family can experience that great theming then jump to the cabins for the remaining 3 nights to stretch out and enjoy a quieter atmosphere

Based on all of this, can anyone offer opinions on either resort? Any comments on our concerns for the cabins and/or the noise of the AoA? Really need some help making up our minds.

 

[Sue M]

For a week stay I wouldn't do a split stay, esp with 2 kids to pack up and unpack. End result is you wouldn't settle in at either place. And you would loose vacay time with packing & unpacking. So I'd pick a place and stay put. But that's just me.
http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/#codetrends Here is a link with Historical Discounts Disney has put out in the past 3 years. You can look for your dates to see what has been released in the past.

If you are looking for a place to escape to after the children are asleep without disturbing them, the family suites, or the FW Cabins would fit the bill. Or Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge have balconies, so you'd have a place to sit & talk while the children sleep.

 

[jennab]

We stayed at the cabins a few weeks ago for 5 nights. It was 4 adults and 1 child (DS1). We had a car but did not rent a golf cart. We never waited longer than 5min for a bus. We used Disney transportation except 1 day when we all drive to AK (but then split up and DH and I took the bus back. It was a pain to switch buses to an internal bus with a stroller but other than that it was fine. DH and I slept in the room (full size bed) with DS in a pack an play. My parents slept on the pull down bed in the living room. I think for your kids you could put them in the room (there are also bunks so could put 1 on the bottom bunk an 1 on the full bed then you guys take the bed in the living room. It is quiet at night and nice to enjoy your own deck!

We also didn't have time to enjoy the pools or campfire singalong but we did watch MK fireworks from the beach and that was fun!

 

[spiceycat]

how trusting are you?

you can rent a reservation from A dvcmember - and stay in a dvc - either a studio or 1-bedroom - the 1-bedroom is definitely more expensive than the studio.

blt is great because you can walk to the MK and take the monorail to Epcot.

that say BLT studio are tiny.

VWL which is boat or bus to the MK and bus to everything else (except CR, fw - there is a boat)

it has bigger studios - it also has lots of places to relax - of course with young kids you might not feel like going to the lobbies.

if you rent from a DVC member then the price is alot lower than Disney will charge you.

now if you can't trust - then there is also a broker.

 

[jenrose66]

So for our very first trip to Disney the DH and I are driving down for a late October week long trip. We have 2 kiddos, DD is 5 and DS is 2. We are look at the AoA and Cabins at FW. Here are some of our needs/concerns:

-fell in love with the theming at AoA, feel our kids will be through the roof with the decor and pools (Ariel is a particular fav with DD)
-because they are so young, putting them to bed early and then turning in ourselves at the same time is less than desirable. We'd prefer to be able to tuck them in and then switch on the TV to unwind a bit ourselves without keeping them awake.
-prefer to have some way to prepare a quick breakfast in room or lunch if we are back at the hotel for a little siesta
-DD and I are restless sleepers and I have heard AoA can be noisy. When DD has a bad night sleep, no one will be having a "magical" time (I dont know where she gets it from )
-concerns with FW Cabins is DH thinks they look dated and dingy and really not wanting to have to rent a golf cart since we'll have our car. Keep reading you need the cart for the ease of getting around the resort to pools and dining
-the deluxe suites and villas are out of our price range

So my thought was either to:
1- spend all 6 nights at AoA in one of their suites (maybe make the last night in the LM room to surprise my DD)
2- spend 3 nights at AoA so the family can experience that great theming then jump to the cabins for the remaining 3 nights to stretch out and enjoy a quieter atmosphere

Based on all of this, can anyone offer opinions on either resort? Any comments on our concerns for the cabins and/or the noise of the AoA? Really need some help making up our minds.

We stayed at aoa in Sept and loved it. My kids were 6 3 and 20 months at the time. It was great having the extra bedroom and bath. We were in the cars section and it was so fun.

I did not notice any noise while in our rooms. My kids are still talking about our trip. My two year old asks to swim in the nemo pool weekly.

 

[Blessedwithboys]

We stayed in AOA in September with our 2 year old and 4 year old! In my opinion there is just no topping the immersion of AOA!! It is like walking into your childs favorite movie! It was the best experience and the suites are fantastic. The Nemo pool/splash area/ playground was great. We had 4 adults and my two children and we did not find it crowded at all and the stocked kitchenette was a big plus. We had a counter to prepare breakfast and snacks, and the sink for washing sippy cups was a huge plus. We were in the Mater building top floor and did were not bothered at all by pool noise or noise of other guests. I seriously feel like if you can swing the price for an AOA suite it is a must do I would do a little mermaid room fight at some point in the trip to surprise your DD and stay in a suite the rest of the time. Have a great time

 

[anjalee6]

We stayed at the cabins when our kids were 2 years and 8 months old. We had the same idea, quiet way to relax, but we felt like we spent more time driving around on the internal bus or waiting for a bus, which was hard with two little kids. It was secluded and quiet. We put the kids in the bedroom. Son slept on bottom bunk, daughter slept in pack n play. There is another double bed in the room also, but then we had to sleep out in the living room on the hide a bed in the wall and it was not really comfortable. For a week, I wouldn't want to stay on it again. We also found that even with a car, it can be long to get to parks and the resort is very spread out, had to take the bus to the pool, restaurant, etc. I would recommend a resort that is more convenient for young kids. Never been to AoA, so can't offer my opinion there. We find our kids are so tired at night that we can out thevtv on, talk, and walk around and they don't wake up.

 

[makeithappen]

anjalee6, blessedwithboys, jenrose66 Thank you!! your opinions were just what I was looking for! AoA suites here we come!!!! So excited for my kiddies!!

 

[Megsie1000]

You may find that you are so exhausted after a day in the parks that you will just collapse with your kids anyway.