a 1st time visitor needs lots of help

[adznyfan]

I am planning to go to wdw in april with just me and 3 kids (5,10,14) and am very conflicted on where to stay - I have reservations at the cbr and am thinking to switching to po-fq or the poly to take advantage of the monorail-Some questions that I would really like help with are:

how convenient is the poly compared to the mod resorts - am considering it but am torn about the price vs the price of the moderates- but with 3 kids need conveniece

what are some attractions that should not be missed - we're there a week and realize we won't be able to do everything but would like help in picking out what to see - both big and small, well known and little known (we've been to disneyland alot so would like to focus on stuff unique to wdw)

thanks in advance for any help whcih would be GREATLY appreciated

cindy

 

[Boots]

First of all I would like to give you a warm welcome to the boards! Glad to have you here! I think if you could I would try to stay on the monorails since you will be by yourself with children. The WL is somewhat cheaper than the Poly and has a wonderful boat ride that takes you to either the Cont. or to the WK. It is a ride in itself that is very enjoyable. My family has stayed here three times. Don't know if I have helped you any or not. I can't help you too much on what children would enjoy the most in the parks as mine are all grown! Can't wait to have grandbabies to introduce them to the wonderful times to be had at WDW! Have a great time planning your trip!

 

[Gretchen]

I've stayed at Poly, Beach Club, Contemporary: all have plus/minus mostly money! The Poly is the best of those due to monorail proximity. Beach Club due to the pool, and Contemp. due to the garden wings, it's cheaper and close to MK.
Mod's I've stayed at: CBR. That's it. We liked it, had no problems what so ever and would stay there again. I think if I had to choose Poly over PO FQ or Riverside I would pick the PO for the dollars saved. Stay in Riverside and you can get a trundle bed for the little one. If you don't mind the extra dollars I'd go for the Poly. It's a neat hotel. Now if you want more room, don't want to spend as much as the Poly would cost, try the Contemporary. 2 queen beds and a chase lounge. nice big room. For convenience I'd have to go with the Poly or another Monorail hotel.
Now for must see rides, I'll have to get back to you! Even though some of the same things are at WDW as DLand, they are a different experience at each park. I never can remember which Splash is better till I'm on it, Pirates is better/different at DLand, so is Small world. Tea cups are better at WDW. There's no Indy 'ride' at WDW. anyway, I'll get back to ya,
baby is crying!
GRet

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Welcome to the DIS!!!

Choosing a resort is a difficult decision. Even for me!

It really depends on where you think you might spend most of your time. With the ages of your kids I'd guess they'll like MGM the best. Except the 5 year old will probably love MK. Have you thought about one of the Epcot/Boardwalk resorts??? They are really close to Epcot and MGM... there are tons of things to do and see... and you are right in the middle of the action. Then you can grab the bus to MK and AK right out in front of the lobby.

The Poly is also great, and very convenient to MK and Epcot. CBR is one of my favorites, and the bus transportation to the parks is excellent.

I suggest going over to http://www.wdwig.com and looking through all the resort pics. See if one resort really speaks to you. Also check out the resort FAQ's here on the DIS and over at WDWIG. They'll answer a lot of questions you might have.

No matter which resort you choose you're going to have a great trip. There are special things not to miss at every park... I wouldn't even begin to make a list. Just relax and have fun.

 

[Dana_Buckley]

Hello! I highly recommend the Polynesian, it was wonderful! The monorail was great. If you can afford it, you might get alot out of the concierge level. It includes continental breakfast every morning for your crew and bottled water, soda, cookies all day. Afternoon hors'deurves (sp) and deserts and coffee in the evening. I think it's about $100 more per night, if you don't "eat" that much in $$ a day, the convenience adds a lot too. Just an idea.

The Wilderness Lodge might be a good option for you too. You can get a room with a queen bed & bunk beds, if that interests you? And they have a boat launch to MK, and you can still see the Electric Water Pagent from the hotel. For lots of pictures and "rack" rates, you can go to http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp/rescc/costcalc.asp

As for differences at WDW from DL, Buzz Lightyear was my husband's favorite ride, and Pooh was my son's. They still have Country Bears, which are gone from DL. I really enjoyed the show, Beauty & the Beast at MGM and RockNRoller Coaster was awesome. We weren't too interested in Epcot, but most people seem to like, if not love it. I liked eating in the World Showcase! We didn't do very much at AK (too hot!), but the Safari was great, as was Dinoland.

If I were going for 6 days, I would have 2 days MK and 1 for each of the others, then 1 at the water parks followed by maybe Disney Quest or just dinner at your resort and relax, without having to go back out anywhere. Also, I would do Epcot mid-week, so we could sleep in late. And plan on swim time at the resort, too.

I am sure you will have a great time, no matter where you decide to stay! Happy planning!

 

[Luv2Roam]

If I wasn't more budgeted minded, and was traveling with kids, I would go for a monorail resort. Just the convenience alone would be a big plus. But you also have location, location, location!
Don't think you will be able to do it all at WDW. It won't be possible. So don't go in commando style. You won't enjoy yourself as much and you will regret it later.
With The Dis, you picked a great site for free help!

 

[adznyfan]

thanks for everyone's help - got alot of good infor

cindy

 

[DrKnow77]

With a week, you should be able to do quite a bit.... probably not everything, but definetly the high spots.

Some of my favorite attractions are:
Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Small World, Spaceship Earth at Epcot!, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It, Carosel of Progress (maybe closed when you go??) and many others! I can't think of an attraction that I dislike... anything you go on has that "magical" Disney feeling to it.

I've never stayed at the Poly, but its monorail access makes it very very easy to get to MK. I've stayed at CBR and really enjoyed it! But if you've got the $$$, I think Poly would be better because of the monorail.

Have a great time!

 

[goofy4tink]

As you can see, I have a very difficult time choosing my resort! That being said....if money were no object I would stay at the Poly. Being on the monorail and so close to TTC is terrific. Wilderness Lodge has some great points too. The boat to MK, close to the monorail(you can go over to CR and take it from there), and it's less expensive than the other deluxes. I think all the moderates are pretty much the same as far as transit times to various parks. We stayed at POR and didn't find the rides overly long to any of the parks.
As to the parks....MY must do list is:
MK...Small World, Peter Pan, ToonTown, Pooh, Pirates, all the Mts., and most of all...Haunted Mansion.
Epcot...TT, Spaceship Earth, The Land, Cranium Command
MGM...RnRC!!!, StarTours, Great Movie Ride
Love the shows. Fantasmic is terrific. Beauty and the Beast is wonderful. Love SpectroMagic. Legend of the Lion King in AK is excellent.
Have a ball planning. I think it's the best part. Well....maybe the BEST part but I still love it!!!

 

[Mississippian]

I'll throw my two cents in.

1. Buy and read the Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld. Be sure to get the 2003 edition. It is much improved and more information on the resorts. It will also give you a good idea of which attractions you will not want to miss.

2. If you want to be on the monorail, consider the Comtemporary. Their garden-wing rooms, parking lot view, are by far the cheapest on the monorail, and you can actually walk to the MK. That said, the Poly definately has a bit more magic, especially for a family like yours, but it costs a good deal more.

3. I don't remember from your post, but are you buying annual passes. If not, you might consider buying one in order to get the special savings on the rooms. See mousesavers.com for an explainaton on this, as well as money saving tips.

Anyway, good luck to you.

 

[josierac]

If it's a choice between POFQ or CBR I would go with the Caribbean Beach because the rooms are bigger there then other moderates.

For convenience then the Poynesian can't be beat. You have the monorail to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot