Our one time chance to stay at a disney resort...need advice/help

[mintee]

So my mother in law is allowing us to use her time share for the first time ever...we would like to use it on a Disney resort. We have 7 year old twins who love to be entertained. We do not plan on going to the park but maybe for 2 out of the 7 days. Which resort has the most activites/things to do? We wanted to book beach club villas, but they are all booked up for this summer...
What are your thoughts on Wilderness Lodge versus Bordwalk versus Animal Kingdom villas vs Bay Lake. View is great, but that will not entertain kids...need fun pool and things to do...we could just stay at her home resort, Sheraton Vistana, but we really want this to not seem like a plain old hotel.
Any thoughts??
Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help!!

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

Yacht or Beach Club would be my vote. Great pool area, proximity to Boardwalk, movies on the beach, campfires, etc. Lots to do there!!

 

[chrismass]

AKL is my vote - imo waaay more kid activities throughout the day instead of WL is more after hours, plus watching the animals is always fun. And if the parks aren't a big concern then it won't matter that your far away from them, which is probably the number one complaint about AK.

 

[Luvamouse]

Forgive me for asking, since I do not belong to Disney Vacation Club and so am not completely tuned in, but how can you use the Sheraton's time share at a Disney Resort? Do they do that? Perhaps I misunderstood your post.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Bay Lake Tower would be great because of the walkway to and from the Magic Kingdom, plus it's great with the Resort Monorail access from the Contemporary.

 

[2manypets]

Bay Lake Tower would be great because of the walkway to and from the Magic Kingdom, plus it's great with the Resort Monorail access from the Contemporary.

Yes, but they said they would go to the park only 2 days so the walkway is pretty much useless on the other days and riding a monorail around in circles would get mighty boring after awhile.

I would suggest the Boardwalk. There's a lot going on over there at night and during the day the pool is really fun.

 

[halinar]

As a Saratoga Springs Resort DVC member I wouldn't discount a stay at this resort. There are activities planned throughout the day for the kids. The pools aren't bad.. there are two themed pools to choose from and it's a close walk to downtown disney changing up what you do can do for a day without having to rely on transportation to get you there. With legoland and the toystore you can assemble your own Mr. Potato Head or play with the lego so you feel like you're participating in activites but they don't cost you anything. Also, make sure you book a character breakfast at one of the resorts. You don't have to go to a park, and this too will give you a magical moment and an activity for the day so you can just come back to the resort and relax.

Check out the disney dining reservations on line and look for "character" dining experiences. The downtown disney area is also a great way to catch buses that will take you to the resorts for the character dining.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/

Enjoy

 

[ebird08]

Given your 4 choices and the age of your twins, I would pick either AKL or Boardwalk. AKL is big and has animals. That's cool for 7 yo's! And, Boardwalk is close to everything. You could spend time on the boardwalk itself or take a boat over to Yacht and Beach clubs to check them out...

 

[francie57]

My vote would be for the BWV. The have things going on at the pool for kids during the day and they also have the community hall with things to do. Also you would have all the activities at night to see. Even though you aren't doing parks each day, you would have easy access to two parks and all the restaurants that the area offers.

 

[grace&philipsmom]

...we could just stay at her home resort, Sheraton Vistana, but we really want this to not seem like a plain old hotel.
Any thoughts??
Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help!!

I didn't know that timeshare was interchangeable with DVC?

 

[PADISFAM]

me either, I thought is was just RCI

 

[PADISFAM]

based on a very quick search -- Starwood Vacation Ownership is not able to trade into DVC. RCI just recently (within the last year or so) was able to trade w/ DVC & I believe they were the first (& only) one. OP I would have your MIL check into things before you get your heart set on it -- but if all is good -- my vote would be AKV -- that's our home resort & we love it!

 

[mintee]

Thanks for all the feedback! She is connected with RCI, so these properties show up as ones we can use. We originally wanted the beach club, but the are all booked up

So is what I am hearing, we should rule out the Wilderness as there is not enough to do?

Which pool is better than, Boardwalk or Animal K? I am just concerned that we will not even get the savannah view, so since seeing the animals out of your balcony is so cool...we will miss that luxury. I just want to make sure that the resort we pick has cool things...that is why I loved the idea of the beach club with its beach and campfire...
Do either of those three have a sandy beach area?? I wish the website had more pictures!
Thanks everyone

 

[shannonmme]

You should go to allears(dot)net and you can take a photo tour of the two resorts.

If you do pick AKV, there are plenty of places to view the animals besides the room balconies.

 

[KSG'sDisneyMem]

I would have to say Bay Lake or AK. Bay Lake because the pool is great for kids, you can see fireworks every night, and they also have movies outside (near the pool) every night on the big screen. With 7 yo twins, you are close to Chef Mickey's (a must do if your boys are into that), there is a sandy beach area (no swimming allowed of course) and you can hop the monorail or walk to MK. You can view the electrical water pageant every night as it travels around Bay Lake usually between 9-9:30 and is fun to see if you have never seen it before. You also have the easy access to the monorail for other possible dining options at other deluxe resorts, or going to EPCOT (if you are planning to visit that park). I would say AK because of the animal viewing areas, the childrens activities that are available (see resort for info), and a decent playground as well as the Boma (in my opinion) having the best breakfast buffet that i have experienced. I am not exactly sure how that would work if you are at AKV as I have never stayed there. I think if you cannot stay at BC (which has the absolute pool option) then one of these two would fit the needs of two young boys.

 

[sharadoc]

Wilderness Lodge would also give you access to Fort Wilderness. Between the two of them, there are a TON of activities for kids. There is a boat that runs between the two, and at least one bus goes to both resorts, so you can hop on over.

At WL, you have a fun pool and community hall, with activities for the kids. At Fort Wilderness, there is a nightly campfire with Chip and Dale, and a movie for the kids. Plus pony rides, horseback riding, canoeing, cane pole fishing, shuffleboard, bike riding, etc. etc.

At either one, you can see the fireworks at MK from the beach, and the Electrical Water Parade.

After those, I would probably consider Saratoga. Two great pools with little kid areas, plus two quieter pools. Community Hall for activities, bike riding, and Downtown Disney for a ton of shopping and eating.

 

[helloconnie]

All the properties offer something fun...

Here is what I would suggest (knowing that BCVs are booked)...
Animal Kingdom
If your kids like animals this would be the choice, especially if you are not planning on spending a lot of time at the parks. Request a Savannah view and I would recommend staying at Jamba House instead of Kidani. The resort has a ton of activities throughout the day. The pools at both Jamba House and Kidani are wonderful. You can watch animals all day from the viewing decks and at night with the night vision googles. However, it is a 15-20 minute bus ride to all the parks except AK.

Wilderness Lodge
Wonderful Pool. White sand beaches. Playground. Arcade. You can watch the fireworks over the MK from the beach at night and see the water parade. Good activities and they have one of the supervised kids clubs if Mom & Dad want to get a way for awhile. (Fee for the supervised kids club) Plus, it is a very quick boat ride to the MK.

Contemporary Resort
Very clsoe to the MK (5 minute walk or monorail ride). It's on Bay Lake so you have the white sand beaches. If you stay at BLT, you have access to both the pools at BLT and CR. Plus, it is very easy to visit the other monorial resorts for pool time or exploring.

Boardwalk Villas
Lots of shops, restaurants, clubs on the Boardwalk. You can rent bicyles or jsut stroll along the boardwalk. There is a lot going on but after a day or two young kids might want something else. This resort is close to EPCOT and Disney Studios. It is about a 20 minute bus ride to the MK.

 

[mmmears]

I was going to say BC or AKV.

Since BC is full, I suggest AKV. There are more resort activities for kids there than you can imagine -- all very unique to AKL and having to do with animals or Africa. Also, you have access to the big pool at AKL, plus the new water play area (complete with slides, squirters, etc.) at Kidani. I think that, other than BC, it's the best pool complex for kids of that age. Plenty of things to do, the animals to look at, great restaurants -- definitely the kind of place where you get that "wow" factor and also fun to stay at even when not going to the parks.

 

[arihillfarm]

I don't know where the Sheraton Vistana is but I just spoke with RCI and if the timeshare is within 35 miles of the Walt Disney World Resort, you may NOT exchange into any of the Disney resorts. I'm guessing this is to keep people from buying other Orlando timeshares and exchanging into DVC resorts when Disney would much rather you just buy into the DVC so they get your money directly. We own a timeshare in Kissimmee so your post prompted me to check this out since we've never been RCI Points members although our timeshare resort qualifies for it. Hope this helps!

-Astrid

So my mother in law is allowing us to use her time share for the first time ever...we would like to use it on a Disney resort. We have 7 year old twins who love to be entertained. We do not plan on going to the park but maybe for 2 out of the 7 days. Which resort has the most activites/things to do? We wanted to book beach club villas, but they are all booked up for this summer...
What are your thoughts on Wilderness Lodge versus Bordwalk versus Animal Kingdom villas vs Bay Lake. View is great, but that will not entertain kids...need fun pool and things to do...we could just stay at her home resort, Sheraton Vistana, but we really want this to not seem like a plain old hotel.
Any thoughts??
Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help!!

 

[ccgirl]

arihillfarm is correct. If the timeshare you are looking at trading is Sheraton Vistana it will not trade with Disney due to the 35 mile exclusion area. There are other threads on this. Some where the trade was "accidentally" allowed and then cancelled on them once the mistake was found. If your timeshare is outside of the 35 mile exclusion area and you are able to trade, I would say BWV. It has a great atmosphere. You can rent surrey bikes and there are performers on the boardwalk.