best hotel with little kids?

[caligirl06]

At the time of our trip we will have a 7 year old son, 5 and 3 year old girls, and 1 year old son. The baby and 3 year old have never been. I'm not sure which hotel will be best for us. Price isn't an issue. I want to make sure there's a nice big pool and fun activities to do around the hotel because we will probably take a break day. Also what do you think a good amount of time to stay is? (we are going sometime in July). Thanks!

 

[cruisingtwins]

Bay lake tower

 

[MandiC]

They all have their perks.
Bay Lake Tower doesn't have real fun theming BUT they have Chef Mickey's and they are walking distance to MK which would be awful convenient for mid-day breaks.

Port Orleans Riverside was a lot of fun for us, and your whole family could fit into an alligator bayou room. The food at the food court was excellent, the pool was fun, they had a nightly campfire and movie.

Art of Animation has fun theming for kids. You could get a family suite so that you could sleep separately from the kids if you wanted. I don't really know much about it other than that but when we were watching a Disney special I know my kids were in love with Art of Animation

 

[MandiC]

a note with Bay Lake Tower is you'd have to rent points. If Disney runs free dining during your trip you would not qualify in a DVC room, though you would have a full kitchen so you could do some meals that way.

 

[jacknsally19]

Contemporary is nice if you plan on spending more time at MK . The rooms are very big so plenty of room for the pack n play. You can easily see the fireworks which is great with young kids that can't stay out late. The pool is usually not too busy and there is a fun splash pad. There is a sand beach which is nice for a 1 or 3 yr old to play in.... Also you can take a boat to Fort Wilderness from Contemporary which has pony rides, archery, hay rides

 

[jimandami]

a note with Bay Lake Tower is you'd have to rent points. If Disney runs free dining during your trip you would not qualify in a DVC room, though you would have a full kitchen so you could do some meals that way.

You don't have to rent points to stay at a DVC resort. It's usually the cheapest way but sometimes those rooms are including in RO discounts and you can get 30-35% off.

 

[margaret07013]

WL - smaller hotel, compact and under one roof, quick 5 min boat ride to MK where you would spend most of the time, walk to boat dock from the hotel is short, boat stops in front of main gate at MK, walk to the busses is very short. I went last April after Easter at that time with my 1.5 and 3.5 kids and couldn't be happier.

I can't compare to BLT since I never stayed there. This May we are going to Poly before Volcano pool closes down.

I wouldn't make Chef Mickey restaurant as a pro for CR but just me.

If you are going in off season and prefer smaller resort with a quick and convenient access to MK - WL would be your choice. People will tell you about going back to resort for mid day naps and ability to walk - I will take 5 min boat ride after "walking and walking" rather than another walk to the hotel.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I would recommend GF if price isn't an issue. My kids loved the two different pools (one with zero entry and one with a slide) and the Alice in Wonderland water play area. Plus, if you have little kids, being on the monorail is best. AND-- they have the 1900 Park Faire character meal, too.

As for the time you're there-- we were there 9 days and almost felt it was too long. The next time we went for 7 and that was perfect. I know a lot of people say that the more days, the better, but I found we got burnt out with 9 days.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

with 4 kids, even with one under 3 years, you will be limited to family suites or Port Orleans Riverside with size of your group. otherwise it is 2 rooms as rooms have 4 person plus 1 under 3 limit. something to look at when deciding. i am not sure about sizes when renting DVC on points as we have not done.

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

I think that the Contemporary would be best, and it sleeps 5 people since it has a sleeper sofa, I think that if you have a child under 3, a crib can be added for that room

Although I do love the Wilderness Lodge best, if you can all fit in one room in the Contemporary, it is the most convenient since you can walk to MK and take the monorail to the TTC and the Epcot monorail from there.

 

[cruisingtwins]

While technically you could fit in some regular hotel rooms. I think it's a bad idea to have so many little kids in sch a small space. I would at least do a 1 br preferably 2.

 

[lovetogowdw]

When I travel with work, I'm used to staying at upscale hotel chains. But at WDW, it is all about the kids, not the adults. My 8.5 and 3.5 year olds don't mind going to eat at 1900 Park Fair at GF or sitting on the beach to watch the fireworks at the Poly, but ask them which hotel they want to STAY in and the only answer you will get is "Art of Animation". Yes, even with having to take the buses instead of the monorail. Yes, even though there is no slide into the pool. The themed areas are so spectacular and the Nemo and Cars pools are sooooo cool and the Arcade area is so much nicer (yes, than even the Deluxe resorts), that the only place they want to stay is AofA. Get a family suite there and enjoy yourselves. The zero entry pool is perfect for your two youngest children. There are several sites with video tours and/or tons of photos. Check it out.

 

[Jerzetta]

Port Orleans Riverside would be my pick but comments on being at monorail resort is very accurate. My DD 3 would fall asleep on the bus rode back to POR. Not a bad thing just a pain to transfer to stroller when exiting bus. Disney is so kid friendly at All ages. Have fun.

 

[Marionnette]

At the time of our trip we will have a 7 year old son, 5 and 3 year old girls, and 1 year old son. The baby and 3 year old have never been. I'm not sure which hotel will be best for us. Price isn't an issue. I want to make sure there's a nice big pool and fun activities to do around the hotel because we will probably take a break day. Also what do you think a good amount of time to stay is? (we are going sometime in July). Thanks!

Just to add for your consideration:
Fort Wilderness Cabins. They are not as pricey as the villa at Bay Lake and not as cramped as the single room at the CR.

You would have a separate room for the kids, so that you can put them down for an afternoon nap or at night for bed and not have to worry about disturbing them by being in the same room. There's a full kitchen, making it easy to prepare a quick breakfast before you hit the parks. And being a part of the campground, you kids will have room to run off a little steam if they have any energy.

Transportation to the MK is via boat and you may not even need to fold up the stroller for the trip. It depends on how crowded the boat is.

 

[sunkissed4]

Beach club villas! My boys love the pool there and it's a bit easier for me because my toddler likes to get in and out of pools to run around so the sand area was perfect for him. I didn't have to worry about scraped knees or bumps on his head running around concrete.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa, but a 1 bedroom would be perfect for your family as well. It's nice to put the kids to bed and have a living room/kitchen area to hang out at night time.

 

[GaBelle]

I would recommend GF if price isn't an issue. My kids loved the two different pools (one with zero entry and one with a slide) and the Alice in Wonderland water play area. Plus, if you have little kids, being on the monorail is best. AND-- they have the 1900 Park Faire character meal, too.

As for the time you're there-- we were there 9 days and almost felt it was too long. The next time we went for 7 and that was perfect. I know a lot of people say that the more days, the better, but I found we got burnt out with 9 days.

I agree...GF or Poly.
The rooms are larger, the ease of monorail, and the dining options.
Of course, construction at the Poly in July could rule it out.

 

[Runnergal]

We have 4 dc and loved the Contemporary-although I will say that while you can all stay in one room, we had 2 pack n plays and it was really tight. You might want to get two rooms. But my 2yo loved the sprinkler area at the pool and it was easy to watch him there while still keeping an eye on the older ones on the slide and in the pool since they are next to each other. And it is a short walk to MK and easy to get to Epcot too. Have never stayed at BLT but would like to try it next. I believe it has its own pool so you would have use of that pool and the CR pool as well.

 

[Benchley]

I would also add akl to the mix. Waking up to animals outside your room is magical no matter your age. Beach club over yacht club, it's less stuffy and both have access to a fab pool complex.

 

[MtGreenwood]

I would also mention Animal Kingdom. I have a three year old and he loves the animals. They also have a zero entry pool. With the ages of you kids I would look for resorts with zero entry pools.

 

[mom2cgj]

Art of Animation would get my vote. We loved it there with our 3 kids. Plenty of room for everyone in our suite, and the second bathroom was definitely a good thing! The theming of the resort is perfect for kids. The three pools are all fantastic, but the Big Blue (Nemo) is amazing! You can hear music under the water, it's 0 entry, and the spray area is terrific. The food court gets really good reviews (although we never ate there). There is an animator that draws pictures in the lobby, movies in the evening, and fun things to do at the pool, in addition to just enjoying the theming, pools, and arcade. Hands down, I would go with AoA!