Best Disney hotel with infant and senior?

[roxannex]

We're thinking of going to Disney in early September with me, my husband, our (then) 10 month old baby, my mom and my 85 year old grandma. (My mom won't leave my grandma at home. She is very spry for an 85 year old woman, though. She walks for exercise on a daily basis.)

My husband and I have gone to Disney quite a few times. The last time we went was last year when I was pregnant with our baby.

I would think that one of the villa hotels would be good, but last year when we went in early May we originally had booked the Beach Club and it was SO crowded that it was awful. We switched to the Yacht Club and had a great time. It seemed like so many people were packed into all the villas that the hotel became uncomfortably crowded. I don't know if it would be like that in September or not.

What we really liked about the Yacht Club (aside from the great pools) was that it was within walking distance to Epcot, the Boardwalk and had boat access to MGM.

The books I've read seem to recommend the Polynesian and Grand Floridian for families with young children. Does anyone know why this is? Is it just because they are closer to the Magic Kingdom?

So, any suggestions? Over the years we've stayed at the Swan, the Yacht Club and the Carribean Beach...all Disney hotels we've stayed at have been nice...it just comes down to what is best when dealing with a baby and a senior citizen.

Thanks!

 

[Nanu57v]

Its because they are on the monorail line. The one bad part about our trip with our nine-month-old was getting on and off the buses. Too hard getting baby and folding up stroller. DH said next time we'll stay on the monorail line.

I'd recommend the POLY. If Grandma can walk, then you can walk to TTC to get Epcot monorail, and take MK monorail from hotel. You'll only have to worry about buses to AK and MGM.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I second the Poly! It is our favorite!!! For the monorail alone it is worth it for us! (3kids, 2 strollers, a double and a single- not having to fold them up to go to MK = priceless!) Also the Poly has a zero entry pool which is so much fun! Both Grandmas and the kids will love it! Oh and did I mention that you can watch Wishes from the beach? Magical! The rooms are nice and big so baby can have some free space to crawl around which is always nice after being cooped up in a stroller all day. There is also a quiet pool which is nice as well. The grounds are beautiful. Hmmmmmm....can you tell that I love the Poly?

 

[jennymouse]

I take my 81yo Dad & aunt & uncle (late 70s) and they all get ECVs. Even if grandma walks at home it's unlikely she'll be able to walk the 6 to 10 miles a day at WDW. My aunt/uncle are very fit farmers and very active and they've both said that there's no way they could do WDW without the ECV. Anyway, since we use the ECVs I always book at either BCV or BWV when I have them along so we can walk/roll to 3 parks and not have to deal with buses except for AK and maybe getting to MK early am.

 

[roxannex]

Thanks for the suggestions! I took a look at the Poly and it does seem really nice! Hmmm....that's going to have to go on the list!

I have suggested to my grandma that she get one of the ECVs. She was scared because she doesn't drive a car! But I really do think it would be the best thing for her. I think if she doesn't get one, we will end up having to rent a wheelchair for the parks. I know how much walking there is at Disney. Even I get tired. We don't expect her to keep up with us. She and my mom are more likely to hang out at the pool and do some shopping. I doubt they will want to go on many rides. They are mainly going to be nice and help with babysitting. But I'm still going to try to convince her to rent one of the ECVs. Will they work using the monorail system? Can you just ride on and off the monorail on them?

 

[HayGan]

I would also recommend the Poly! We stayed there with our boys last December and it was great having the monorail access to our favorite parks. Getting on and off of the monorail with a stroller is so simple (especially compared to the buses!!!)

My mom was also with us a few days and she rented and ECV. The monorail driver will put a ramp out for them to drive on and off of the monorail. It is really simple. Have your Grandma go to a Target or other store that has motorized scooters available for use by patrons. That will give her a feel for how they work and if she is comfortable with driving one. I would recommend renting from Walker mobility if you do rent!

 

[KristiKelly]

I have stayed at both Poly and Beach Club Villas. The monorail is nice. We prefer Boardwalk Villas and will be staying in a 2 BR this Sept. with our 3 kids, my brother & mom. I would also suggest looking into that resort. If you get a Boardwalk view there is lots to see at night sitting on your balcony. We watched the fireworks @ Epcot and also fireworks in the distance @ MK.

As far as crowds. I think it will be much less crowded in Sept than in May. We went 1 year the end of April into May and said we'd never go back that time of year due to the crowds. We prefer Sept & Oct.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you haven't already, you might want to check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the disABILITIES Board. It has a lot of information, including phone numbers and links to the offsite companies (including Walker) that DIS posters have reported good experiences with.

 

[okduke]

We went through these same issues when we were deciding where to stay for our Sept 06 trip. The kicker for us was the difficulty in dealing with buses both from a stroller standpoint and from an availability of a place to sit standpoint. Our party has 17 people in it from 1 year old to seniors. We thought the BWV met most of our needs. In our opinion, the river boats are much better than buses when dealing with these issues. Plus, the location is so convenient for everything (except the Animal Kingdom).

Good luck!