Best Experience?

[jd7004]

I have a 6 and 4 year old.

What would be the ultimate experience for them as far as resort, and what dining plan for the best character experiences?

 

[dawgrif]

Are they boys or girls? Chef Mickey's, Tusker House, and Crystal Palace are our kids favorites but I have two boys. They loved the Pirate Rooms and pool at CBR. They also like Pop Century as well.

 

[jd7004]

6 year old is a boy
4 year old a girl

Is AKL worth it? I don't think we would be at the resort much?

 

[skatalite]

I have a 6 and 4 year old.

What would be the ultimate experience for them as far as resort, and what dining plan for the best character experiences?

If your children love Disney movies, then it's hard to beat Art of Animation, which has incredible theming. All of the resorts have multiple activities for children, such as movies every evening, pool-side games and so on.

However, any resort will fascinate the kiddos. All of them have Disney charm (some stronger than others) and all of them are kid-friendly.

As far as character dining goes: Here's a list of the various locations for character dining. Some require a single table service credit per person, and some — like Cinderella's Royal Table — are signature dining experiences which require two table service credits per person.

So, which dining plan is best? It depends on how many character dining experiences you want to have. The deluxe plan gives three meals per day per person, and thus provides you plenty of wiggle room.

However, also consider how your family eats normally. Some find the dining plans give too much food, or aren't worth it when picky eaters are involved. It might be less expensive to pay out-of-pocket for your meals.

Cheers!

 

[Mrs D]

For resorts, I concur that Art of Animation is the ultimate kid resort!

For character meals some of our favorites are 1900 Park Fare, Akershus, Crystal Palace and Tusker House.

If you'd like to do 1 character meal per day then the Disney Dining Plus would be the right plan for you. At ages 6 & 4, I wouldn't want more than 1 sit down meal per day.

 

[margaret07013]

A few suggestions:

1) resort - I would strongly recommend WL. why? proximity to MK via boat (5 min ride), small, compact, swimming pools manageable to control your kids, not expensive as CR, GF or Poly.

2) dinning plan - one TS per day probably would be more than enough. I wouldn't do breakfasts. When I went with my kids - we did late lunches and QS at 5-6pm or QS at lunch and dinner.

I would not recommend Chef Mickey at CR - I am not going into food quality, but simple time away from the park. I mean if I am in MK - why would you want to waste morning time or during the day to go to CR to eat for 2hrs while you can accomplish the same by eating at Crystal Palace and plan your MK day even better?

by staying at WL - you can plan your MK days with midday break. Go early and late but have an option to rest in the middle.

its easier to prepare the breakfast in the room than lunch or dinner - thats why i wouldn't waste TS on breakfast.

 

[pinoke]

We love Chef Mickeys and try to do a character dinner/late lunch on our arrival day. It's a fun way to start your trip! It can be difficult to see characters in the parks without wasting time standing in line. We always found that the regular dining plan with one sit down meal was a great deal for families with kids. It allows you to cool off and feel free to schedule those more expensive character experiences. We also enjoy Tusker and Crystal Palace, but for those you need to use a park admission so you'd have to decide if you will want to do that.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We love the EPCOT hotels especially the BC. Our kids love the pool. We love that you can walk to EPCOT and a boat ride to HS. From AKL you have to take a bus ride everywhere. It is a beautiful hotel but If you have a stroller it is a lot of folding and unfolding. We also can't wait to try WL.

We love Akershus. The princesses are great and love the food. Did not care for the food at CRT.

Pirate Adventure cruises are great. This year we are doing the Pirates and Pals Fireworks voyage. We can't wait.

Enjoy!

 

[Chrysti]

We have always loved the beach club when staying with our little ones. The pool is awesome and the accessability to Epcot and Hollywood Studios can't be beat. That being said I think this trip we are going to try for the Grand Floridian for its ease to MK. We love the character breakfast at Cape May Cafe at the BC and another really good one is Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine in the studios. That one features playhouse disney characters. We always try to make it to Chef Mickeys as well.

 

[katie111]

My kids favorites at that age would definitely be Art of Animation or All Star Movies. We stayed at Boardwalk and POR but they all thought the theming at those hotels was "boring". We loved the convenience of the BW and how beautiful it is. However, that was totally lost on the kids. The loved the playground at ASMO and the theming. They loved walking around and checking out all the various statues. I think we got a picture in front of every one on the property. The also loved riding the buses. It was like another ride for them. We have also stayed at WL. This did have some "wow" factor for the kids but I think they still missed the "Disney" theming. The one big thing I miss at the deluxes especially with little ones is a decent food court. Now that they are a little older (11, 10, & 6) I think our next stay will be a the BC. They are old enough now to start appreciating convenience.

I think "best" is a very relative term. To some it means luxury, to others it means convenience, and to some it means "what will the kids like best"?. There are many people who would never stay at a value, but I have to say that my kids absolutely love them.

For character meals, we love breakfast at Cape May and lunch at the Crystal Palace. We also really liked the lunch at Akerhaus (even my 2 boys enjoyed that one). We have not had good experiences at Chef Mickeys (food selection was poor and the character interaction was very rushed). Dinner at the castle is amazing. All of my kids absolutely loved it. And of course BOG if you can get a reservation.

 

[clutter]

My kids favorites at that age would definitely be Art of Animation or All Star Movies. We stayed at Boardwalk and POR but they all thought the theming at those hotels was "boring". We loved the convenience of the BW and how beautiful it is. However, that was totally lost on the kids. The loved the playground at ASMO and the theming. They loved walking around and checking out all the various statues. I think we got a picture in front of every one on the property. The also loved riding the buses. It was like another ride for them. We have also stayed at WL. This did have some "wow" factor for the kids but I think they still missed the "Disney" theming. The one big thing I miss at the deluxes especially with little ones is a decent food court. Now that they are a little older (11, 10, & 6) I think our next stay will be a the BC. They are old enough now to start appreciating convenience.

I think "best" is a very relative term. To some it means luxury, to others it means convenience, and to some it means "what will the kids like best"?. There are many people who would never stay at a value, but I have to say that my kids absolutely love them.

For character meals, we love breakfast at Cape May and lunch at the Crystal Palace. We also really liked the lunch at Akerhaus (even my 2 boys enjoyed that one). We have not had good experiences at Chef Mickeys (food selection was poor and the character interaction was very rushed). Dinner at the castle is amazing. All of my kids absolutely loved it. And of course BOG if you can get a reservation.

+1

Depends on your definition of 'best.' But this is what we found to be true at those ages. (Haven't seen AoA, though.)

 

[ajwolfe]

So far I think my boys loved the pirate rooms the best at CBR. However, we didn't really care for the resort itself due to it being so large. There second favorite would probably be POFQ - they really loved the calm, fun feeling of it. And I think we were less stressed there because there was less people and it was a smaller resort.

 

[AshleeH]

We stayed in AK: Kidani Village on our first trip when my boys were 7 and 4 and they loved it! However, we've since switched to the Contemporary area. The kids don't seem to like it as much, but the convenience for us to get to MK is worth it.

As for dining - Chef Mickey's is a huge hit for us and whenever I ask them where they want to eat, that's always the one and only answer.

 

[expeditioneverestgrl]

Art of Animation is by far the best kids resort! Incredible theming. We stayed at the cars and nemo and loved both! I would definitely do AoA. Chef mickeys is probably the best character dining restaurant.

 

[happymommy]

As far as resorts go, wherever you choose to stay, your children will probably have the most wonderful time! It mostly depends on what you want and need as far as bedding, amenities (room service, table service restaurant at the resort, balcony off the room as well as interior corridors).

A value resort will have double beds and no balcony, and the door will open to the outside. A moderate will most likely have queen beds, but still no balcony and the door will open to the outside. Then you have the grey area - Fort Wilderness cabins - they do look so fun and cozy. Some DVC resorts have interior corridors (I've only stayed at the Boardwalk Villas, and my kids absolutely LOVE it there since they were 2 and 4) but I understand that Saratoga Springs and Old Key West have exterior corridors.

Deluxe resorts are like a nice hotel. So from there, if you want a hotel room you need to look at what you want and price.

I'd suggest starting with www.allears.net to see what appeals to the grown ups! Then see what is in your budget.

Also, remember you can rent from DVC owners on sites like www.redweek.com. I've done so a few times. Matter of fact, just got back from a stay where I rented from a Tugger (Timeshare Users Group) for our spring break and paid about $100/night for a one bedroom villa at the Boardwalk Villas (preferred view, and it was the nicest one we have had yet). Disney price normally is $700/night. Woo hoo!

 

[Kimberle]

The resort really depends on your budget. Lot's of good choices in the value, moderate, and deluxe categories.

Personally, I don't like the dining plan. I find it to restricting. You also don't need a dining plan to do character meals. I like to save and just pay for the meals with cash. I find we don't spend as much as the dining plan would cost.

My fav character meals are Chef Mickeys (the big 5), and Crystal Palace (Pooh). I'm not so much a pooh fan, but I find the Crystal Palace just charming. Breakfast at Cinderella's castle is charming, but very expensive. If you've little girls, it's worth doing once to experience the magical look on their faces.

 

[lazer]

Another great meal your kids might like is the Disney Jr meal at Hollywood and Vine at HS. Only place to meet Sophia and Doc McStuffins. Jake is there too.

 

[Tiggergirl123]

We have always loved the beach club when staying with our little ones. The pool is awesome and the accessability to Epcot and Hollywood Studios can't be beat. That being said I think this trip we are going to try for the Grand Floridian for its ease to MK. We love the character breakfast at Cape May Cafe at the BC and another really good one is Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine in the studios. That one features playhouse disney characters. We always try to make it to Chef Mickeys as well.

I definitely second this resort and area for convenience and magic! We have stayed at nearly every location around the "world" of Disney. Yet, this area in particular is truly magical. When dusk arrives, the lights of the boardwalk reflect off the lake, and lend an old seaboard type of "FUN" to the air! Walking into and out of Epcot is such a treat, and being able to simply "walk home" after illuminations has ended is truly priceless~! Hope you opt for one of the amazing resorts in this area, your children will never forget the memories you make and share together. Whatever you do...have FUN!!

 

[jperrot1]

If you are doing WDW after the Polynesian Construction (maybe later 2015ish???) then I suggest the Polynesian Club Level Magic Kingdom view room. If the Poly construction is going on during your planned WDW trip, I recommend Grand Floridian Club Level. I base this on your family make up including a 4 and 6 year old as a monorail resort allows for strollers to go on and off without folding them up, as well as the magical MK view from your resort, as well as how magical a Club Level stay is.

For a 4 and 6 year old, I suggest Cinerella's Royal Table Dinner with a booking during the fireworks. We also like Ohanah at the Poly. The Crystal Palace has a great character experience, also. If you have girls, my wife highly recommends the Royal Table (lunch, not dinner), or Akershus at Norway (Epcot) breakfast for a great princess experience.

Now, if cost is too much at the Poly or GF, I agree with a pp that CBR is a fantastic alternative, and this resort has a complete guest room rehab scheduled to begin April 2014 in which case a CBR booking could yield a brand newly refurbished room with Queen size beds. Here, based on your family make up, I think a preferred room would be great as you should have a 1-3 minute walk from your room to the main pool/toddler pirate themed water play area/main building with food court and gift shop and stuff. The cost here is much less than the deluxe resort stays I've earlier suggested.

This past Summer 2014 we stayed 8 nights at CBR and it was a fantastic (and less costly) stay. But we have stayed at the Poly Club Level MK view stay, and I can tell you it was worth every penny (all be it all lot of pennies) as the magic you experience with this kind of stay is explainable.

Have fun making a decision

 

[sunkissed4]

We stayed at AOA cars suite and my boys loved the theme. But, by far, hands down, our best resort experience was BC. Amazing!! Loved the walking distance to Epcot where we have most of our meals and they loved the pool.

It depends on your park strategy though, we rope drop have lunch and head back to the hotel to swim and nap. If you're in the parks all day then you don't really have the time to benefit from a nicer resort so it's probably not worth the money in that situation.