AKL or Contemporary with young kids???

Amy&Dan said:
Also, since I was a kid, I dreamed of staying there. I have never thought of the CR as being "stuffy", we'll see how I feel after our October stay. Good luck!

I have also dreamed of the CR since I first saw it on a trip with my parents. That monorail going through was so cool to a kid. I will finally be staying there in one month and I can't wait. The monorail rather than buses is a perk that I can't wait for.
 
Not to try and start a firestorm of opinion on the age of kids going to WDW. All experts say, going before age 8 is a waste of time & money. It's really is a parent thing. You might want to check into the closing of the Kids Club at the CR this past fall. I read this on the DIS, page 8 , Disney Resort Forum
I can say from experience form staying at the AKL , they do have a lot of on site activities for the children.
 
SilverCrab said:
Not to try and start a firestorm of opinion on the age of kids going to WDW. All experts say, going before age 8 is a waste of time & money.

I used to share this opinion. Until we had a daughter and decided we wanted a little vacation. We were trying to think of places we could go on vacation that are child friendly and Disney came to mind. And since children under 3 are free, it makes sense for us right now.
 
ryannsmom said:
AKL is probably better bet. You could have a long walk to the monorail or lobby in CR wing rooms. I felt like I was on a convention because it had a business feel to it.

That is exactly how I feel about the CR. Maybe because the first time I went...way back in the 70's was for a convention my dad was attending. But being there again a couple weeks ago the feeling hasn't changed - I don't care for the Lobby or the 4th floor, just to "businessy" for my taste. Thanks ryannsmom
 

SilverCrab said:
Not to try and start a firestorm of opinion on the age of kids going to WDW. All experts say, going before age 8 is a waste of time & money.

Thanks, I understand your POV (and I wonder why you brought it up if you don't want to start a "firestorm"), but I really would like to meet these so-called "experts" who think spending time with my kids is considered to be a "waste of time." :teeth:

Also, if you could have seen the look on my 5-year-old's face when we told her that we were going to Disney World, and if you could hear her talk about this trip almost everyday and tell everyone she knows about this upcoming trip -- I would find it hard to accept that it would be a "waste" to take her there. She obviously comprehends, and she obviously will enjoy.

And how fair is it for us to wait until all our kids are of the "appropriate" age before going on vacations? If we had more kids, does this mean that we would have to wait until ALL kids are over the age of 8? If I had more kids, the oldest one might be married off by then, and then I would have "wasted my time" by NOT going on more vacations with them.

Of course, this is from a family who has taken their 5 and 2-year-olds on trips to Europe already ...

Experts, schmexperts. I'll bet most of them are a bunch of sourpusses who hate children to begin with. :teeth:

Linda
 
I have stayed at both hotels 3 times each. The AKL is fabulous in every way except LOCATION. You will spend a lot of time on the bus (IMO the most un-Disneylike mode of transport!). I disagree with the Previous Poster who said the bus ride is worth staying there! We used our car to avoid the buses.

My kids have always loved the CR. We were just there for a week in February and had a ball. Stayed in the South Wing. A little worried about that as it is on the far side of the hotel. We had a wonderful room overlooking the pool and lake. Could see the Water Pageant each night.

The rooms were very large and bright. We love the "Tomorrowland" theme.

When you enter the bath there is a vanity with 2 sinks and the tub/shower. Through another door is the toilet with another vanity (no sink as shown on floor plan). Love it that you do not have to wait for someone on the potty in order to use the tub and sinks!

The CMs there were so nice and helpful. Treated my DD11 like a princess for her birthday.

The pool is 3 or 3.5 feet all over with a water slide and fountains in the pool. There are two water jet playgrounds and 2 hot tubs, although only one of each was operational while we were there. The adult pool is just past the main pool on the lake.

We requested a room as close to the main building as possible and we were only 3 rooms from the end. Great location. I was worried as we had stayed (and were spoiled by) the tower on our last trip to the CR. The rooms are exactly the same, just the view and location are different.

As far as the properties go, you cannot go wrong with either (IMO). But, with children that young, I would definitely go for CR. My kids are 11 and 14 and are true Epcot fans. But, this trip we spent a lot more time at MK because of its proximity to our hotel. They became "young" again (in a good way!)!

Hope this helps! Have a great time!
 
I have stayed at both and would choose the Contemporary heads and tails over AKL for little kids, although we've only stayed in the tower and that's really convenient. I don't know how convenient the garden rooms are. I think you will do significantly less walking at the Contemporary, and they have allot of conveniences for you right there on the first floor of the tower including a place to get a smoothie or capaccinno for you break!!!

Our kids loved the pools. The monorail is also handy when you are at the park and have to go back, it's closer than the busses. The rooms are large and cheerful, the day bed is a very good size. The table in the rooms is also a good size that your kids can sit a do stuff on it. We really loved the Contemporary with kids, and as you can see we have stayed at allot of places and I always say that with little kids you can't beat it.
 
All experts say, going before age 8 is a waste of time & money.


Could you list some of these "experts" by name and area of expertise? And, define the sense in which those "experts" define "waste of time & money"? Are you postulating that 7 year olds are not capable of enjoying WDW? Or that they will be unable to recall the trip with perfect detail in adulthood?

The statement appears absurd to me and I wonder on what it could possibly be based.
 
We've stayed at AKL in a Savannah view room and CR in the North Wing. AKL is absolutely fantastic and unique -- perhaps one of the most amazing hotels in the country (I travel a lot both on business and pleasure, so have some basis for that opinion).

Having said that, there is no question that with young children, I would pick the CR North Wing. We loved it. The room decor is really ugly, I must be honest, but the rooms are huge -- with plenty of room for two queen beds, a day bed with a large table at which we easily gave the kids cereal each morning, a big bathroom with a separate toilet area. Also, we had a first floor room with a patio. We had a standard view room which looked out on a pretty pond with trees and hanging moss. There were bunnies and ducks. We loved stepping out on the patio and it made the room seem even larger than it already was. We could not sit out on the patio in the evening because the "no-see-ums" ate us alive. But, we enjoyed it at other times.

We think the convenience of the monorail with children, not just to MK but also to Epcot, could not be beat. Your kids are young enough that I think you will enjoy the monorail convenience more than they would enjoy the ambience of the AKL. I will say I thought the walk to MK was too long to do with young children -- it was considerably farther than I thought it would be. Also, some complain that the wings are a bit farther from the monorail than the tower rooms -- true but not a problem for us. The kids loved riding the monorail and the fact that it passed through the hotel. They missed riding the monorail this year when we stayed at the Dolphin.

The pools at CR are very nice. We loved the quiet pool right on the lake's edge. There is a great slide in the main pool. We did have a bird "poo" problem with lounge chairs at the pool. The staff could do a better job on that. But, we were there during Hurricane Charley, so have to cut everyone some slack. The hotel staff were great during the hurricane.

As for the comment that under a certain age, kids won't appreciate the trip. Well, I'm taking my parents and niece to Disneyland in Nov. My niece is 18 months. DH said isn't she a little young to enjoy it. My answer -- yes, but grandma and grandpa are the perfect age to enjoy it with her. She may not remember the princess lunch -- but they will for the rest of their lives. So, we'll take her on the rides appropriate for her age, let her see new things, practice her walking when she's tired of the stroller, talk to the CMs with her limited vocabulary and I know we'll all have a ball! She won't remember it, but we will!
 
I think it comes down to theming vs. transportation. I think as a resort AKL would be much better than CR, but at those ages, transportation is a big deal. We stayed at the Poly and transportation was key -- not just to MK, but also being able to easily get to GF and CR for meals. There was no feeling that we were "contained" to Poly. The days we had to use buses for MGM and AK were much more draining on us and we never wanted to do a second set of bus rides in the evening. It's so nice when you are done with a day at the park that you can come back to your room, rest, and then hop on over to one of the other monorail resorts (and with CR you could get to WL as well) for dinner and a walk around the grounds.

As for the "experts" I have to totally laugh. WDW is a *massive* resort/park complex. Saying that there is some universally accepted age at which it is worthwhile to bring a child is like saying that there is some universally accepted way in which one must tour the parks. Sure if you are a hard core park commando, age 8 is probably the earliest you could drag your poor child around from dawn 'til dusk grabbing food on the go and not have total rebellion. But our DDs loved Disney at 2.5 and 4.5. We all had a fabulous time. We only spent 1/2-3/4 days in the park, enjoyed hanging out at the resort and scheduled pleanty of character meals that became as much of an "event" as our time in the parks. Our youngest probably won't remember any specifics of the trip, but she'll still have the underlying experience of having fun with her family as she grows up. Plus she was "free" so no waste of money. Even if we did have to pay for her, the memories DH and I have are priceless. Disney is actually one of the easiest vacations to do with young children that there is.
 
The pros and cons have been outlined pretty well, and it probably comes down to individual preference and what's a priority for your family, just like every other family trying to decide where to stay.

DH and I love AKL, but we spend lots of time at the resort and little time at the parks, so we really enjoy all it has to offer. We much prefer the decor and atmosphere at AKL, but loved the convenience of the CR when doing MVMCP and visiting MK often. And the huge rooms are really a treat.

You could get a poor view/location (or an upgrade!) in any resort, and need to request something different. Food at Mara is good, but that's the only food choice unless you want fancy or a buffet (both EXCELLENT restaurants, but don't know if the kids appreciate that).

From the CR to the MK, the monorail goes clockwise, so stops at the other resorts before arriving at the MK. It may be quicker to walk (~ 7 minutes from the bus stop area). When we stay at any of the MK resorts, we love to get on the monorail and resort hop, AND take the boats to resort hop. You can go to WL to eat at Whispering Canyon, to FW for the HDDR or the petting zoo, or to any of the character meals at the Poly or GF (or pick up some fast food or ice cream at any of these resorts). The kids may love to ride the monorail and the boats just for the heck of it.... it's free entertainment. And, you can rent the little watersprites, or a canopy boat, and have a great time out on the lake. There's a kiddie play area in the north wing area, so you might request to be close to that and/or close to the bus stop. It's very convenient to have a ground floor room near the play area.

As others have said, there's some great things about each resort, so you're bound to be glad you stayed wherever you decide.
 












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