balcony or not

[xrayvin]

This is my first time planning anything like Disney and I am a little overwhelmed! I LOVE to plan and learn about our vaccations (we usually cruise) Our son is now 3 and we are beginning to plan trips with him...anyway we want to go to WDW in Nov 2008 or 2009 and I am looking at resorts. Do you have to go up to a deluxe resort to get a balcony? We can not afford to get a two room resort and we are concerned about where to go when he goes to bed at night, we will be spending time at resort and some nights he will definatly go to bed before us or nap during the day. Any suggestions on the best place to stay to solve this problem? Thanks in advance for any information!

 

[iloveeeyore]

Yes, you need to be in a deluxe to have a private balcony. AKL and WL are the cheapest deluxes.

You might want to consider All Star Music Family Suites, which is two (smallish) connected rooms, one with a queen bed and the other with pull-out sofa and chair. This would be less expensive than the deluxes, and actually give you a real extra room, so you wouldn't have to pray for perfect weather every day at naptime and bedtime.

Disney Vacation Club properties (DVC) also offer one-bedroom suites. You can book these directly through Disney, or (for less money) rent "points" from DVC members (which requires a lot of mutual trust and research about how the process works). There is a board on this site to find out more info on that. Look under Disney Vacation Club heading on the list of forums.

WELCOME to THE DIS!!!! And happy planning! Good luck.

 

[jlcd]

the Fort Wilderness Cabins have a separate bedroom and an outside deck.

 

[ccigliano]

I vote for the WL or AKL and while the Family Suite may be a little cheaper if it truly is just the three of you - I would pick the amenities of the deluxe resort over the space of the All-Stars resorts. I also agree with the other post about renting points - you could rent a 1 bedroom villa at the WL for about the same price you'll pay for the hotel room at WL directly from Disney. The 1 bedroom is very spacious with a living room, full kitchen, jacuzzi tub and walk in shower and a master bedroom. Good Luck

 

[wilda]

Question for the OP; When you cruise do you normally get two cabins?
I'm curious about why you would need two rooms for 3 people? If it's because of your childs sleeping habits, a lot can change in a year
Anyway, we have stayed in both moderates (with our 2 kids) and deluxe (with our 6 year old GS). The balcony makes things easier and gives the adults a place to "escape" to but...everyone is usually so bone-tired after a day at the parks that falling asleep after a nice warm bath was never a problem for us.

 

[xrayvin]

Thanks for all the advice so far!

Wilda~ when we cruise with DS we would get a balcony cabin. We don't need the room, we just want to be able to put him to nap/bed and be somewhere so he can sleep and we can talk without keeping him up. I agree that after a long night at the parks we will all fall into bed and not have to worry about it, but we are not planning on being at parks all the time, we want 1-2 days just enjoying being on vaccation. Enjoying the pool and the resort facilities are important to us, not only that it also will make DS more enjoyable to be around! Currently DS sleeps ALOT~early to bed sleeps in 1 or 2 naps a day (he will sleep from 12-5 in the afternoon if we let him) So I am hoping for a change in the next year! The only thing that has changed so far is that he wont go to sleep if we are in the same room with him (and then he gets over tired!)
Being we want to do some resort time, we want a room that we enjoy being in. Currently we are leaning toward AK (because of balcony) However I like the look of POFQ but with no balcony we are concerned, just trying to get as many ideas as possible!

I am interested in the all stars family suites, I did not find these online~is it a call only type of room? I do agree if the price in close to AK we would rather have the amenities!

As for the DVC..I know NOTHING so I will do some research on that

Thanks again

 

[rcraw45425]

At his age I'd recommend WL over AKL. If you plan to spend a lot of time at the MK, the boat ride over to the park is quite nice, and would allow you to run back early afternoon if he does happen to crash. This is a view from in inner courtyard view room, 6039:

You can also see the geyser from the balcony:

The most important differences between valuse and moderates and the deluxes can be summed up this way: table service restaurant onsite, inside corridors, and QUEEN BEDS! Plus, at the WL you can hop on the resort launch and ride over to the Contemporary Resort, opening up the dining opportunities of the monorail resorts to you. THere is also a boat to Ft. WIlderness where the Hoop de Doo Review is located along with the petting zoo and the marshmallow roast with Chip & Dale. They also show movies outside over there when the weather is warm enough.