Best mod for pre-schoolers?

[phillytwins]

We stayed at BWV back in April, but we need to scale back on budget for our upcoming trip. What do you think is the best mod for 3 yr olds? We will probably spend majority of time at MK and AK. But the kids love pools, so that is a big factor.

Thanks!

 

[tiggersmom2]

When are you going? I only ask this b/c there is a new code out for Oct - Dec. and the AKL is going for 149.00/night, not much more than a mod!!

Out of all the mods, I prefer POR. We particularly like the Alligator Bayou section b/c it is so reminiscent of Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn. My kids loved the themed pool and we took them fishing and actually caught fish!! I highly recommend POR.

 

[phillytwins]

Hey - you must have ESP! We don't have the dates down yet, but it might be Dec 20-25, or else January. The AKL is $200/nt with the code for 4 of those nights. So I am giving it some thought. Is it worth the extra $66/nt to stay at AKL over a mod???

POR sounds good too, but I'm concerned about its size and the bus wait time. We have twins who will be just under 3 yrs when we go. The stroller is getting heavy to push!

thanks

 

[cjsmom5]

Our preference for this age is POFQ. We have been at this resort when our DS was 18 months, 24 months, 3 years, 4.5 years, and 5 years. Now he is 9 and it doesn't thrill his heart as much as it did.

For a three year old there are several pros to staying at this resort.
1) It is compact and even the farthest rooms are not that far from the heart of the resort (less walking/carrying with a 3 year old).
2) As far as transportation it shares with POR and POFQ is first on the bus and first off the bus. This is nice because you get a seat when going and when coming back, if you have to stand you are first off.
3) The alligators and theme at the pool are perfect for a 3 year old. They are magical. My DS then 3 loved the cascading water from the clamshell and the slide was the perfect side. The kiddie pool was also welcome although by that age he preferred the bigger pool.
4) The resort has a nice size food court. It isn't too big but still offers quite the variety.
5) The boat transportation down to DTD used to be a ride for our DS at that age. He loved riding on the boat and it was relaxing and not cramped.
6) It is close to DTD so when you want to shop it doesn't take a long time to get there and back - nice for those with younger kids.
7) The playground there is a great size for this age. It isn't too "kiddie" but also isn't too big.

For us, the POFQ worked out great. When we stayed at the POR (then Dixie Landings) when he was that age it just wasn't as magical or convenient. But, it was still nice.

 

[phillytwins]

Thanks cjsmom. I do like the size of POFQ and the bonus of having the boat rides. Have you stayed at any other mods, to compare POFQ to?

POFQ was not available when I tried the other day, but I just checked on-line and it seems it might be available now! I will call CRO tomorrow.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Hey - you must have ESP! We don't have the dates down yet, but it might be Dec 20-25, or else January. The AKL is $200/nt with the code for 4 of those nights. So I am giving it some thought. Is it worth the extra $66/nt to stay at AKL over a mod???


POR sounds good too, but I'm concerned about its size and the bus wait time. We have twins who will be just under 3 yrs when we go. The stroller is getting heavy to push!

thanks

I really think AKL IS worth the extra $66. The pool is just to die for and the Mara food court is incomparable. They also have bunkbeds.....my 5 year old will be in heaven...lol. The clencher for us is QUEEN BEDS! All the mods have full beds and there just isn't enough room! I love that my hubby and I have a queen bed and my 5 year old has the bunk beds....soooooo nice.

 

[cjsmom5]

As far as mods go we have only stayed at POFQ and POR. We have toured Coronado Springs (but we live in the SW so it isn't much of a get away) and also CBR. Both have rooms similar in size to POFQ and POR. But the grounds are much bigger - more spread out. The pool at CS is really nice, though. At the time we didn't care for the food court but that was just our preference.

As far as the AKL goes ... for us the clencher is the queen beds, too. And, my DS9 loves the bunkbeds. If your budget can handle it I would definitely say to switch over. If you get a savannah view room your 3 year old will love looking at the animals. It is a neat resort. Plus, they have tons of kids activities if you are at the resort. At that age my DS would have loved the cookie decorating. We have stayed in the savannah view room, the deluxe room and the concierge rooms (same as deluxe). The bunkbeds are great, though. In fact this year we switched from YC to WL because my DS wanted to sleep in the bunkbeds. Next trip we are back at YC, though!

Transportation at AKL is nice, too. Only one stop and you don't share with anyone else.

The AKL and other deluxe hotels just have a different feel than the moderates and the rooms are a bit bigger. The moderates were perfect for us for a number of years but as I get older and my DS gets bigger the deluxe resorts seem to have our name on them. We have been blessed and can afford to stay at them now ... where before the moderates were the only ones that fit our budget.

If the WL is available it is another deluxe that would be good for your family. It is close to MK where you will be spending a lot of time...but far from AK where you also said you would be staying.

If you can't get the resort you want ... just keep trying ... they often will open up ... especially after the 45 day mark as that is when packages must cancel or there is a penalty.

By the way, transportation at POR can be trying with the stroller and twins (wouldn't know though as I only have one). We have heard others say that it is easy to have two single strollers than the double stroller as far as carrying on and off the bus transportation...but again ...we only were dealing with one ... so this is simply what I have heard. There are four stops at POR plus the stop at POFQ.

 

[phillytwins]

I am really torn now! WL is booked, but like you say, I could keep checking and see if there's a cancellation.

About AKL, I hear that is a huge place and could also mean a looong walk to the buses? Is it that bad? I do like that they don't share buses with other resorts though.

Still lots to think about. I will sleep on it. THanks for the input.

 

[Amy&Dan]

If you don't get a great deal at WL or AKL and do go the mod route, I would probably pick POFQ. I have stayed at all four mods and enjoyed them all. However, for the age of your kids, POFQ is a real winner. Its smaller, the pool slide is not as long and daring and I think on that slide, they can come down with an adult. They couldn't do that at the other mods, you have to be a strong swimmer (no life vest or floaties) to use the other slides at the mods. The boatride is a real plus to DTD and when POFQ shares buses with Riverside, it is picked up and dropped off first.

My personal favorite is CBR with CSR and POR close behind. However, my kids are 11 and 13, so my needs and wants are different!

I agree with cjsmom5 about the stroller issue at POR. Given the bus sharing, if you have strollers, and full buses it can be a pain. Transportation wise, the best mod is probably CSR. No bus sharing and since its a convention resort, many of the guests don't go to the parks and therefore don't use the buses. However the spread out nature of the resort might not be the best and the pool while wonderful is better geared for older kids in some ways. CSR does have a nice playground near their main pool and several quiet pools.

CBR is wonderful and the only moderate that has preferred location. So even though its huge, you can get a guaranteed room (costs a bit more) near the food court and main building. CBR doesn't share buses and its pool is good for little kids too. It also has a playground (maybe more than one can't remember) and six quiet pools. So in a sense, CBR would be my second pick for you if you go moderate due to the preferred location rooms, and the fact the rooms are the largest of any of the mods. In fact CBR rooms are almost the exact same size as the rooms at AKL and WL. No bunkbeds available here and of course the beds are doubles, not queens.

Good luck with your planning and upcoming trip!

 

[Buttercup Roberts]

When my son was that age, his goal in life was to get on the dragon slide at the pool at Port Orleans French Quarter.

It's a great resort for little kids, I think, because it's so much more compact than the other moderates. Playground and pool are easier to get to, and so is the food court.

 

[SGMCO]

We stay at POR on last trip and visited POFQ to swim
and I really liked the Pool at POFQ better because it was
less crowded, the chemicals were balanced (POR gave us a
chemical burn because of the heavy chlorine imbalance).
Because of so many kids in the POR pool, I guess they have
to add plenty extra chlorine. You could smell the strong chlorine
whenever you would walk past on the side walk.

Being an adult I really loved the Hot tub better at POFQ also
because it was not right next to the main pool but hidden away and
larger than POR, also it was not felled with kids (nice if parents want to
take turns with the toddler and the other parent can go to the HT).

 

[phillytwins]

Ok, I think I'm gonna bust a move and make the reservation for POFQ. That would save $500 compared to the AKL price when you add all the taxes in. So then we can get the meal plan

Thanks!

 

[septbaby]

We were at CBR over Labor Day with a Philly 5yo. He and we really liked the resort. The rooms at CBR at bigger than at any other moderate. We were in Martinique 22. Bus stop was right out front, quiet pool at the end of our row and near the food court/main pool. There is a kiddie pool as well as a hot tub in that area. CBR also has beaches so your 3yo can enjoy some time playing in the sand, but now swimning in the lake. There are usually playgrounds on the beach areas as well. There is a rather large gift shop and arcade in the food court bldg.

We had no complaints about buses. Even though the CBR que can get filled at MK, the buses just keep on coming! We were on the dining plan and found lots of choices and flexibility there. The food court and pool were open til midnight, so it was possible to grab a snack before heading back to the room. There is a bar at the pool as well. I did not enjoy, but my mother came back from the hot tub one night laughing about a couple from the UK who very much enjoyed the bar and were having a challenge finding their room. So for those who want a drink at the tropics CBR can help with that too.

I must confess that we did book AKL for our next trip. We want to try something different and think our now 6yo will love the pool and activities there. We will also enjoy the queens, Boma and general amenities at AKL.

 

[disneydance]

I would reccomend AKL if you are willing to pay the extra $66 a night the walk to the room depending on where it is can be long but... To help you out there are glass animal viewing areas on the way over there. Also the pool is great and walking down to the lobby each morning puts you on to us its absolutley great and we loved it the Mara and Bomas are to die for but if you do decide to go w/ a mod i reccomend POFQ due to less walking

 

[MissionMouse]

We stayed at BWV back in April, but we need to scale back on budget for our upcoming trip. What do you think is the best mod for 3 yr olds? We will probably spend majority of time at MK and AK. But the kids love pools, so that is a big factor.Thanks!

You should select a resort that is going to be fun and easy for the adults. Children at three years old are going to go with the flow and once they understand their at Disney World...the resort isn't that important as the MK. Pick the resort that you perceive is going to make you vacation easier for you, since you are the one who is going to be lifting and pushing throughout your stay.

 

[Mike©]

We stayed at BWV back in April, but we need to scale back on budget for our upcoming trip. What do you think is the best mod for 3 yr olds? We will probably spend majority of time at MK and AK. But the kids love pools, so that is a big factor.

Thanks!

It depends on how much your 3 yo can afford!

 

[mrincredible2008]

We stayed at BWV back in April, but we need to scale back on budget for our upcoming trip. What do you think is the best mod for 3 yr olds? We will probably spend majority of time at MK and AK. But the kids love pools, so that is a big factor.

Thanks!

hello, we have stayed at pofq, bwv and csr. my ds enjoyed the pool at the fq at a younger age. we all enjoyed csr last trip but i think your little un will enjoy the french quarter more than other mods based on pools, which is all that matters to my ds. only stayed at bwv for clown pool

 

[Buzz2001]

Check out my CSR website below for pics and info. CSR has a great playground area by the main pool along with a kiddie pool. CSR has the best pool of the mods though I think the slide would be too much for a 3 yr old.

 

[phillytwins]

Thanks for all the help. I booked POFQ and am really excited about it. I think we're going to wait on AKL until the kids are 4 yrs old, and then we can take advantage of the kids club. And since we splurged on BWV back in April, I've got to stick to the budget and go for a mod this time. I'm hoping to get a chance to visit CBR and/or CSR while we're there to get a feel for those. As if we'll have the time to spare!!

 

[mrincredible2008]

I'm hoping to get a chance to visit CBR and/or CSR while we're there to get a feel for those. As if we'll have the time to spare!![/QUOTE]



check out all the info buzz has when considering csr. we stayed at csr on our last trip and used all of his info. we loved the resort. when you little one gets older, this is a great resort.