10+ days stay . . . Where would you stay?

[caribbeandream]

Going to pretend you said money was no object lol and honestly answer the Poly. I have done two 9 night stays there quite well vs my last 9 night Dis trip at WL where I seriously regretted my choice.

I'm curious as to why you regretted a 9-day stay at WL? As for the money part, well, I do enter a lot of sweepstakes so maybe I'll get lucky and win! P.S. - If money were no object I would move to DW. My family can come visit me there.

Since your more outdoorsy and do not need to stay at the more plushy resorts to have a great vacation, I would vote for FW. And with all the $$ you would save over staying at the high end deluxe resorts, you can rent a golf cart, which the boys will love, and pay for a lot of your meals.

Well, I'm actually both. I could stay at the FW cabins and at the Grand Floridian Club Level and enjoy both stays thoroughly. But yeah, with three growing boys eating as many meals as possible in our room (cooked, not grab and go) would save us a lot of $$$. The boys are all old enough to help in the kitchen and my sister loves to grill outdoors. If they were all little and all the work fell on my shoulders then I would not be willing to cook on my vacation.

If you guys are thinking about doing a split stay I highly recommend it, especially if you're are in Disney for 10 days... I was at Poly last week for 5 days and got sick of their counter service food pretty fast...

I had not thought about split stay but several here have mentioned it. I am definitely considering now.

i don't honestly know if it would be worth moving hotels with your kid/siblings, but that's what's worked best for us. it means getting to explore a few different environments (from new restaurants to new things to see to specific parks being closest).

I had not considered split-stay but with two pre-teens and one teen it's nowhere near as difficult as moving with little ones. They can all pack their own bags and would totally enjoy the adventure of a new resort.

I’ve never stayed at Saratoga’s Treehouse Villas.

The treehouse villas look amazing! I was just looking at them last night. The one thing I did read is that they are not convenient for those travelling w/o a car because they are far from the bus stop.

 

[marchingstar]

I had not considered split-stay but with two pre-teens and one teen it's nowhere near as difficult as moving with little ones. They can all pack their own bags and would totally enjoy the adventure of a new resort.

hmm good point! then i would definitely do a split stay. if you’re trying to balance your budget, i would suggest starting at a value/moderate and spending your last few days at a deluxe. somewhere like riverside would give you a bit of an outdoor feel (sounds like that works for your group!). then maybe spending your last few days at an epcot area resort? beach club if you’ll use the big pool, boardwalk if you would prefer non-swimming entertainment.

 

[foodiddiedoo]

Have you taken a look at the Treehouses at SSR? There's 3 full bedrooms plus a sofa bed, it's got a fun outdoorsy vibe, and it's a treehouse! The floorplan is pretty well laid out, with two bedrooms with a queen bed, a bedroom with bunk beds, and the living room with sofa, lots of closet space, and multiple bathrooms for getting ready.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would rent points and get a 2-3 bedroom villa at a DVC resort. I particularly like the BC. My teenage son never wanted to leave the resort and actually stayed behind to hang in the pool while we hit Epcot one night.

 

[nkereina]

I would rent points and try to get Boardwalk Villas or Beach Club Villas. With a trip that is a slow/relaxed pace and plenty of pool/resort time, either of these would be conducive to that schedule. Its so easy to walk to Epcot or DHS and walk back whenever you want to, and there's a lot of things to do at the various resorts in that area, which are all accessible by boat or walking. The mini golf course is very close as well.

 

[maxiesmom]

I would do a split stay between an Epcot and a Magic Kingdom resort.

 

[Babsy]

I would do a split stay between an Epcot and a Magic Kingdom resort.

This! The perfect combination, IMO. 10 days is just right to split - lots of time at each resort to enjoy.

 

[marchingstar]

i feel like we hit the “perfect” combo last trip: 3 days in a savannah view at AKL, 4 days in Sugar Loaf at GF, 3 days at BC. it was like a greatest hits tour:
- AKL has amazing views and an amazing, removed location. great food and a chance to relax before some busy park days
- GF is so darn beautiful. we could very easily hop to MK and back as much as we wanted through the day with very little time in transit. Plus, staying club level meant there were constant goodies to enjoy. we definitely maximized our park time, plus it meant we could easily return in the less busy evening hours most days.
- BC at the end was such a treat. we had a pool day, where we ate tons of ice cream and floated around the lazy river until we got sunburned. we strolled into epcot for an occasional meal and along the boardwalk at dusk. another great area to enjoy

i suggested a split between a moderate and epcot area deluxe because i kind of guessed that with needing 2 rooms, a slightly more budget friendly option might be nice. but if you can swing deluxe all the way, you’d never regret it!

 

[shocker]

I would suggest off site at the Staybridge Suites on Suiteside Dr. 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bath, a full size kitchen (i.e. can make your own meals), complimentary hot breakfast buffet every morning and 3 nights a week complimentary dinner. Earn points for free nights later. No resort fee or parking fee (last I knew but they're all changing). Walk to Giordanno's Pizza (order ahead, can take 30-45 minutes to bake). Visit all the resort fun places you want, but have your own space to stay in. Have fun!

 

[Nancyg56]

OKW 2 bedroom on points!

I was thinking the same thing.

OP- I would not suggest a split stay under yuour conditions. I imagine the boys might need a constant in the room situation. At that age, My DGD would not have fared well if we packed her up mid trip.

We have booked a 2 bdrm at OKW for our December trip. Normally we share space, however with our crew this trip, we need more room, so this choice was a good one for us. I wonder if the amenities would be for your family. The resort is set up differently than some of the others, and is more like "home" with games available, and spacious grounds. The 2 and 3 bedroom have a full kitchen, which fits your cooked meals request.

We have booked on a cash basis through Disney (free dining, YAY) however you could consider renting points, which woudl reduce the cost. It seems your family will not care about daily housekeeping, so why not?

 

[caribbeandream]

i feel like we hit the “perfect” combo last trip: 3 days in a savannah view at AKL, 4 days in Sugar Loaf at GF, 3 days at BC. it was like a greatest hits tour:

i suggested a split between a moderate and epcot area deluxe because i kind of guessed that with needing 2 rooms, a slightly more budget friendly option might be nice. but if you can swing deluxe all the way, you’d never regret it!

You just suggested *my* perfect split-stay itinerary! My son could handle it. I'm not so sure my nephews could handle moving hotel rooms twice in one trip though.

OP- I would not suggest a split stay under your conditions. I imagine the boys might need a constant in the room situation. At that age, My DGD would not have fared well if we packed her up mid trip.

I'll definitely rely on my sister to let me know how much change they can take on the trip. Disney is pretty overwhelming as it is and you are correct, they might handle the sensory overload better if we all stay put in once place and we all have separate rooms. They have matured a lot lately though so we'll see how they are doing when the time comes.

 

[meggiebeth]

It really depends on your budget - if it allows, a DVC villa would be an excellent choice. What I like about most of the DVC properties is that they tend to be in the middle of the action. With YC/BC, we were so close to everything that it was really easy for different people to split up at different times and be independent.

Fort Wilderness is another good option, but bear in mind that you will be in a cabin rather than a hotel room. Lots of space and privacy though. You may also want to look into renting a golf cart if staying here as it is very spread out.

The other option would be to stay in two individual rooms at a moderate resort - at the moment, Port Orleans (both sides) are good choices.

I’d definitely say that if you can, stay onsite. You’re so much more flexible with Disney’s free transport around the resort and I wouldn’t want to be limited by public transport offsite getting around if you don’t have a rental car.

 

[85glht]

I would stay where ever your wallet allows for the amount of time you are there.... budget be damned: Polynesian.... on a moderate budget: POFQ
on the cheap: Pop Century

 

[GreatLakes]

I'd rent a house in your situation OP.