Baby's First Trip: Which Hotel?

[marchingstar]

Hi All! I'm starting to dream about our first trip with our baby (due any day now), and I'm wondering what your thoughts are about where we should stay. Details I can think of that are relevant:
- baby will be between 6 and 12 months (depends on their temperament, what time is best with work schedules, etc.)
- we will probably be a party of 5 (me, wife, baby, and in laws), although we would definitely need either a suite or two rooms
- I haven't travelled before with a baby! My guess is that we will spend more time in MK than any other park, and also a fair amount of time at the hotel

So...if you were planning our trip, where would you suggest we stay and why?

Thanks in advance for your ideas

 

[pixiegoose]

Budget? It won’t be helpful to you if people suggest deluxes but you have a value budget.

Also helpful to know when you’d like to go.

Personally, we stayed at CSR when we went with our oldest at 6 months. Honestly, for us, having a baby made no difference in where we wanted to stay. And we never went back for naps- she slept well in the Ergo in the parks.

 

[Lilsia]

I would definitely get 2 rooms. I would avoid the value resorts if you could. The rooms are smaller and it is a bit more difficult to fit a pack and play into them. We stayed at the Contemporary the first trip with our kids(of course is was much cheaper back then) but it was great just walking to MK. Just know that you will have to take it slow and try to keep the baby on a feeding/sleeping schedule. Of course all babies are different so just be prepared to adjust your plans.

 

[bumbershoot]

The best hotel for a baby is the one the baby's parents are staying in. Period.

I haven't travelled before with a baby! My guess is that we will spend more time in MK than any other park, and also a fair amount of time at the hotel

A baby doesn’t care where you are. A baby will like Epcot as much as MK and if they had any smidgen of caring would probably would like AK the best because of the animals.

To make this trip for the baby is pointless. This is your trip and the baby is with you. The baby will enjoy being with you no matter where you are. You will get cute pictures no matter where you are. There will be tantrums wherever you are. And the baby might have emotional outbursts, too.

Traveling with a baby is like being at home with a baby, but in different surroundings. And you have to carry more with you. I’d have a car so someone can run out to the store for forgotten items etc.

 

[dansdad]

The best hotel for a baby is the one the baby's parents are staying in. Period.

Truer words have never been spoken.

 

[TOBS2010]

At that age, babies are extremely portable---but they just require a lot more luggage. If money were no object, I would stay in a monorail for the pure fact, I like the Magic Kingdom best and you can do a decent amount with a baby in tow/in a carrier. Most of the time you don't have to dismantle a stroller before getting onto the monorail so that is a parent bonus. If you are big on food/drinks then I would otherwise consider staying at a Epcot/HS resort. You could walk and take a boat into those two parks. So many different dining options in that area compared to some other resorts with the Boardwalk, other resorts and Epcot countries.

Getting two rooms could be a bonus for you in your situation. However, other places to consider could be Saratoga Springs and Old Key West. They have two bedroom units, that would allow you for both you and your inlaws to have their own space. If they are doing any babysitting that option could work out nice since you won't have to move baby at any point. There would also be a ton of room to spread out and you would have a full kitchen/living space in addition to the bedrooms. As a parent of young kids myself, those places have in-room washers and dryers. Babies sometimes go through lots of clothes and such---so that would be a huge bonus to the trip of being able to conveniently do laundry.

 

[marchingstar]

Budget? It won’t be helpful to you if people suggest deluxes but you have a value budget.

Also helpful to know when you’d like to go.

Personally, we stayed at CSR when we went with our oldest at 6 months. Honestly, for us, having a baby made no difference in where we wanted to stay. And we never went back for naps- she slept well in the Ergo in the parks.

Good questions! I shouldn't have posted my question without these details. Budget is flexible. We have only stayed moderate (POR, CSR) and deluxe (CR, BC, GF, AKL) before.

Time of year will either be October or May. Very different times of year, obviously, but we want to wait and see how life as a family starts before committing to a date.

We've stayed at CSR before and we loved it! The resort is beautiful and the rooms are nice too. We haven't been since the renos, so I bet it's even nicer now.

Thanks for the questions and suggestion!

 

[marchingstar]

I would definitely get 2 rooms. I would avoid the value resorts if you could. The rooms are smaller and it is a bit more difficult to fit a pack and play into them. We stayed at the Contemporary the first trip with our kids(of course is was much cheaper back then) but it was great just walking to MK. Just know that you will have to take it slow and try to keep the baby on a feeding/sleeping schedule. Of course all babies are different so just be prepared to adjust your plans.

Thanks for the information! We stayed at the Contemporary before and enjoyed the proximity, but I think I would prefer somewhere with a bit more to do in the actual hotel this time. I'm not sure though!

Room size is definitely a big factor, and I didn't realize that value rooms would be so small. We haven't stayed value yet, and it sounds like this might not be the trip to try it out. Thanks again

 

[stephk1981]

While I agree, pick a hotel based off of your needs or likes..... traveling with a baby does require a lot of 'stuff'. We returned last week from w ten night trip, split stay at Beach Club and Grand Floridian. I would never stay in a value with an infant, having a couch and a bit of extra room came in handy for nighttime change/ feedings. Our daughter is 7 months old, and honestly she did really well the entire trip. As a previous poster mentioned, be prepared for outbursts of crying, but depending on your baby's temperament it may go all well. We also have a ten year old, when he was a baby, we would have never taken him to a place like Disney. He cried often while out, and was generally cranky. We took him at two, and still dealt with that. Our daughter didn't cry at all while out, not once.... completely different temperament. I would wait to see how your baby acts while out after 4 months. If she does well on outings to the zoo and such, she'll be fine. As far as resorts, I love being able to walk to Epcot from Beach Club, but the Magic Kingdom Resorts bag checks before getting on the monorail make a huge time saver. Have fun

 

[marchingstar]

The best hotel for a baby is the one the baby's parents are staying in. Period.

A baby doesn’t care where you are. A baby will like Epcot as much as MK and if they had any smidgen of caring would probably would like AK the best because of the animals.

To make this trip for the baby is pointless. This is your trip and the baby is with you. The baby will enjoy being with you no matter where you are. You will get cute pictures no matter where you are. There will be tantrums wherever you are. And the baby might have emotional outbursts, too.

Traveling with a baby is like being at home with a baby, but in different surroundings. And you have to carry more with you. I’d have a car so someone can run out to the store for forgotten items etc.

You're totally right this trip is for us! We have spent years trying to grow our family, including a late loss in pregnancy #1, so we have been imagining this trip for a long time. Baby won't remember, but we will.

I guess I could have worded my post a bit more carefully. I'm sure baby won't be concerned with hotel theming! I suppose I was asking less 'what hotel will baby like' and more 'what hotel will work best for our whole group for this particular trip.' Thanks for helping me clarify.

 

[marchingstar]

At that age, babies are extremely portable---but they just require a lot more luggage. If money were no object, I would stay in a monorail for the pure fact, I like the Magic Kingdom best and you can do a decent amount with a baby in tow/in a carrier. Most of the time you don't have to dismantle a stroller before getting onto the monorail so that is a parent bonus. If you are big on food/drinks then I would otherwise consider staying at a Epcot/HS resort. You could walk and take a boat into those two parks. So many different dining options in that area compared to some other resorts with the Boardwalk, other resorts and Epcot countries.

Getting two rooms could be a bonus for you in your situation. However, other places to consider could be Saratoga Springs and Old Key West. They have two bedroom units, that would allow you for both you and your inlaws to have their own space. If they are doing any babysitting that option could work out nice since you won't have to move baby at any point. There would also be a ton of room to spread out and you would have a full kitchen/living space in addition to the bedrooms. As a parent of young kids myself, those places have in-room washers and dryers. Babies sometimes go through lots of clothes and such---so that would be a huge bonus to the trip of being able to conveniently do laundry.

Thanks for the ideas! We haven't stayed at Saratoga Springs or Old Key West before, and I hadn't thought about wanting laundry in the suite. That's a great point! Do you have a preference between these resorts?

Your other advice is definitely in line with some things we've talked about too. We've enjoyed staying on the Monorail before, and it does sound like it makes transit even easier with a stroller. And the pool at Beach Club is amazing, plus the benefit of lots to do right around the resort.

 

[marchingstar]

While I agree, pick a hotel based off of your needs or likes..... traveling with a baby does require a lot of 'stuff'. We returned last week from w ten night trip, split stay at Beach Club and Grand Floridian. I would never stay in a value with an infant, having a couch and a bit of extra room came in handy for nighttime change/ feedings. Our daughter is 7 months old, and honestly she did really well the entire trip. As a previous poster mentioned, be prepared for outbursts of crying, but depending on your baby's temperament it may go all well. We also have a ten year old, when he was a baby, we would have never taken him to a place like Disney. He cried often while out, and was generally cranky. We took him at two, and still dealt with that. Our daughter didn't cry at all while out, not once.... completely different temperament. I would wait to see how your baby acts while out after 4 months. If she does well on outings to the zoo and such, she'll be fine. As far as resorts, I love being able to walk to Epcot from Beach Club, but the Magic Kingdom Resorts bag checks before getting on the monorail make a huge time saver. Have fun

It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! We aren't making any definite plans yet, because like you're suggesting we want to see baby's temperament first. But I hope that we have as great a time as you had

We've done split stays before (last time included Beach Club and Grand Floridian too!). I was wondering if it might be too hard to do one with a baby, because there's nowhere for them to nap during the day when moving hotels. How did you manage that day?

 

[stephk1981]

It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! We aren't making any definite plans yet, because like you're suggesting we want to see baby's temperament first. But I hope that we have as great a time as you had

We've done split stays before (last time included Beach Club and Grand Floridian too!). I was wondering if it might be too hard to do one with a baby, because there's nowhere for them to nap during the day when moving hotels. How did you manage that day?

I can honestly say changing resorts was the one thing I regretted about this trip. We go often with the ten year old and often have done split stays. To say it was hard changing resorts with all baby's stuff is an understatement. As far as her feedings and naps, she mostly napped in a stroller whiley husband and I took turns going on rides with the older one. Or some days napped in the room while one of us took older one swimming. The DVC option would have been great to have a microwave and dishwasher for bottles. If you all nurse nbd, but we do bottles this time around and bringing the sterilizer was a pain. Hope your trip is magical, great memories ahead!

 

[marchingstar]

I can honestly say changing resorts was the one thing I regretted about this trip. We go often with the ten year old and often have done split stays. To say it was hard changing resorts with all baby's stuff is an understatement. As far as her feedings and naps, she mostly napped in a stroller whiley husband and I took turns going on rides with the older one. Or some days napped in the room while one of us took older one swimming. The DVC option would have been great to have a microwave and dishwasher for bottles. If you all nurse nbd, but we do bottles this time around and bringing the sterilizer was a pain. Hope your trip is magical, great memories ahead!

That's kind of what I was afraid of! I love split stays, but I can only imagine how much work it was to move rooms with a baby! Thanks for sharing your experience

 

[buzznina]

Truthfully, we have stayed at all 3 levels with one of our 2 DDs as an infant and had a great time at each. When we took our 1st DD at 6 months, everyone said you need to be on the monorail. So we booked POLY and yes it was convenient BUT when we went again a couple of months later and stayed at ASMU and we had just as much fun. We had no issues with using the buses with our stroller all it takes is a routine. POP's new rooms have 2 queen beds with one being a murphy that folds up, giving you a lot of room and would be great for a pack-n-play etc. if you wanted to go that route.

 

[sbd78]

If money is no object, I'd choose a monorail resort because you don't have to collapse the stroller getting on and off the monorail. Of course, those are also the most expensive. Strollers + buses are a pain in the butt. We've done it many times, and it worse once you have 2 and need to drag a double stroller on and off buses! Otherwise, choose the theme that appeals to you the most because the baby won't care or remember.

 

[rwdavis2]

.....
A baby doesn’t care where you are.
:
:
To make this trip for the baby is pointless. This is your trip and the baby is with you. The baby will enjoy being with you no matter where you are. You will get cute pictures no matter where you are. There will be tantrums wherever you are. And the baby might have emotional outbursts, too.

Traveling with a baby is like being at home with a baby, but in different surroundings. And you have to carry more with you. I’d have a car so someone can run out to the store for forgotten items etc.

^^^This. Just stay where traveling with an infant will make it easiest for you.

 

[coast2coastmickey]

We've done both: off-site and Yacht Club at 3 months and 6 months. Yacht club was nice when we were at Epcot/HS since we didn't have to fold up the stroller or anything, but the room was super tiny and the crib took up a ton of room.

We preferred the off-site situation. We would spend all day at the parks, she would nap sporadically throughout the day, and having the extra space of a full suite with separate bedroom was really helpful for changing diapers and sleeping at night.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

My vote would be either an Epcot resort or Saratoga Springs. With an Epcot resort, you have the close proximity to 2 parks so if your in laws want to go back to a park at night or they offer to watch the baby, you can walk on over and relax for a bit. Also, if you did YC or BC, you'd have Stormalomg Bay and baby would probably have fun playing in the sand.

With Saratoga, you have the close proximity to Disney Springs, either by walking or by boat. I'd recommend a 2 BR villa there. The full kitchen is great for storing things in the fridge, washing bottles, etc. The washer and dryer will be such a lifesaver with a baby and you'll have lots of room to stretch out. You can put the baby to bed in one of the rooms and still have a place to hang out in the living room area. The 2 BR villas already come stocked with a highchair and a playpen, so you won't have to request those. Two of the pools have zero depth entry and there are splash pads at 3 of the pools.

 

[scrapquitler]

Hi All! I'm starting to dream about our first trip with our baby (due any day now), and I'm wondering what your thoughts are about where we should stay. Details I can think of that are relevant:
- baby will be between 6 and 12 months (depends on their temperament, what time is best with work schedules, etc.)
- we will probably be a party of 5 (me, wife, baby, and in laws), although we would definitely need either a suite or two rooms
- I haven't travelled before with a baby! My guess is that we will spend more time in MK than any other park, and also a fair amount of time at the hotel

So...if you were planning our trip, where would you suggest we stay and why?

Thanks in advance for your ideas

The baby isn't going to care which resort you choose. Personally, I like the values. I don't think the deluxe is worth the extra money and the transportation of multiple bus stops within the resort at the moderates makes them very unappealing to me. But that's just me.