Best Resort for a Toddler?

[FireflyTrance]

We are going on a family cruise out of Florida next February, and I decided it would be fun to also go to WDW for a few days beforehand. The last time I went we didn't have a toddler, and I keep wracking my brain trying to figure out where would be the best place to stay. We went to DL in May and stayed at a suite room in a hotel that was in walking distance of DL, so we could easily come back for a nap, and watch TV in the other room while DD was sleeping.

We would like a resort where we can quickly get back for a nap in the middle of the afternoon, but also one that has a balcony or suite layout, since DD goes to bed a lot earlier than we do and we want to be able to hang out somewhere and not wake her up. I know some of the deluxe hotels have suites, but those suites are out of our price range. I like AKL with a savana view, it just seems like it will take forever to get back and forth from there. I am up to stay almost anywhere that will work well logistically if anyone has any suggestions? Our max budget is $450ish a night. I might also look into vacation club rentals.

 

[DopeyDame]

Yacht Club (balcony) or Beach Club or Boardwalk Villas might be a great choice. You can walk to and from Epcot and Hollywood Studios. At YC/BC you'd have the fantastic storm along bay which is great for toddlers.

Of course, any of the monorail resorts would be great for the MK convenience, but I'm not sure about the balcony situation there. Wilderness Lodge Villas would meet your needs too.

AKL would be my last choice as far as the deluxe resorts go, simply because of the logistics.

 

[epsmith921]

Last fall we stayed in a standard club level room at the boardwalk inn. It was fantastic. We had a balcony over the boardwalk which was just lovely. We are not big pool folks so we didn't visit any pools. We were right across the hall from the lounge which was quite convenient. We had breakfast there every morning and then would catch the bus to MK. We took the monorail back and walked through Epcot. Note park hoppers are required for that.

We selected boardwalk because we love the Epcot resorts and it was one of the least expensive deluxe resorts for our trip. We also wanted to be in an area we liked as we knew we would be spending a fair amount of time in our room.

For our next trip though we will have two children so we are planning on one of the MK area resorts.

The contemporary is the most walkable to MK of course so there is that convenience, and if you're interested in the villas, they have Bay Lake Tower.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

If you rent points, you may get into BLT that time of year in that price range, which knocks out all your criteria at once.

 

[RachaelA]

Bay Lake Tower. Having traveled with a toddler a few times (staying at BLT and AKV-Kidani). There is nothing that can even come close to being able to walk back and forth to MK. it makes it so easy for naps since with a toddler you will probably spend a lot of time at MK (and then you can take the monorail to the TTC and switch to the Epcot line). No needing to collapse a stroller with a sleeping kid in it to come back from either park.

 

[FireflyTrance]

Thanks for the input! We are waiting until our leave gets approved, and then I was going to check into vacation club rental availability. BLT does seem like it would be a good choice if we can get a room there. Or anything in walking distance of some of the resorts is a plus in my book too

 

[hamiltji]

I did a lot of research on this topic before booking and decided on the WL. Unfortunately our trip is scheduled in the middle of the pool refurbishment (sniff, sniff) so we have now switched resorts.

But we liked that even the standard rooms have a balcony. Also there is the 10 minute boat ride to MK and the price is significantly under your $450 budget!

Good luck with your planning!

 

[FireflyTrance]

Thanks for the tip! I have never been to WL and don't know much about it, but the 10 minute boat ride does sound like a huge plus.

I did a lot of research on this topic before booking and decided on the WL. Unfortunately our trip is scheduled in the middle of the pool refurbishment (sniff, sniff) so we have now switched resorts.

But we liked that even the standard rooms have a balcony. Also there is the 10 minute boat ride to MK and the price is significantly under your $450 budget!

Good luck with your planning!

 

[branv]

Haven't been with a child yet (but we'll be taking our then 2 year old in 2015). But I second WL. The non-dvc rooms balconies are nice, and we just loved the MK boat rides. Plus you're next to FW which had some great activities for little ones.

That being said, if our budget will allow Poly we'll probably choose it over WL when we go. Mainly bc the rooms are bigger and you can take the monorail to MK and walk to the TTC to catch the monorail to Epcot (rather than facing 2 monorail rides to get there like with CR and GF).

 

[FireflyTrance]

Thanks for the tips! I love Poly, it just might be out of our budget this time, but I might as well go check how much it is at time of year.

Right not I am thinking WL or BLT would be a good choice for us in terms of value and convience. I think DD would love the boat ride.

Haven't been with a child yet (but we'll be taking our then 2 year old in 2015). But I second WL. The non-dvc rooms balconies are nice, and we just loved the MK boat rides. Plus you're next to FW which had some great activities for little ones.

That being said, if our budget will allow Poly we'll probably choose it over WL when we go. Mainly bc the rooms are bigger and you can take the monorail to MK and walk to the TTC to catch the monorail to Epcot (rather than facing 2 monorail rides to get there like with CR and GF).