Best resort for almost 3 year old

[kat9661]

I'm new to the boards planning our first trip to Disney. It will be my husband and myself (mid forties) and our grandson who will be just shy of three years old when we travel. My head is spinning from all the resort choices and I'd appreciate any advice as to which resort would be a good match for us and why. I'm guessing Magic Kingdom will be our main venue but we'd also like to go to Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom Lodge looks like it would appeal to our Grandson but is it too far away from everything? We are going off season and are less concerned with price than finding the perfect resort.
HELP!

 

[linfin]

If you are not concerned about price, stay at the poly..couple of stops on the monarail and your at the Magic Kingdom or Epcot. Im in your age group, you'll enjoy it. Hope this helps

 

[Knavey]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1712874

My vote is AKL. See my recent thread on the stay there. We have a 2.5 year old and I just cannot imagine him walking into a room at another hotel with the excitement that he does at AKL because he KNOWS there is a zoo outside his window.

The concern about distance is valid...20 minute bus ride to the farthest park (Disney) and if you are at the end of the wing (as we prefer to be) it can be a long walk from the bus stop.

BUT...we only commented on the walk length once or twice (both times remarking that it would be good to walk off some of that foood we ate) and the only time I really noticed the bus ride length was when I gave up my seat on a packed bus and stood on the ride back. That was one of the days we went to the park and stayed until closing, so the buses were crowded on the way back.

I have not done any other resort than POP Century, so I have a very limited experience with the others, but it is going to be difficult for us to select anything but AKL when we return.

 

[kat9661]

Thanks for such a quick reply linfin. The Poly looks great for the two of us but would it be as appealing for a 3 year old? Are there kid things to do there too? Thanks again. Kathy

 

[kat9661]

Knavey- I've been lurking here all day and enjoyed reading your review a short time ago. In fact, your review steered me towards AKL but my concern was the travel time to the other parks. I'm sure our grandson would love it though and what's 20 minutes? Thanks!

 

[Mike N Kathy]

AKL or poly

 

[TJA]

I think travel time from AKL to the parks is a non-issue, really. AKL does not share buses with any other resorts, so you make less stops at AKL than you do at other resorts.

Having said that, I have a few recommendations. The savanah view at AKL would be awesome for all 3 of you. Not sure how enticing the restaurant options would be at AKL for the child, though.

Beach Club is another option. I say this because of the pool. It is awesome for little ones! It has a sandy bottom and also mounds of sand to play in, shallow water so the adults can sit and also be comfortable. It has a character breakfast at the resort. Also Beaches & Cream for ice cream treats. And you can walk/boat to both Epcot and HS/MGM. And you also have the boardwalk within walking distance. Movies on the beach at night. Rent surrey bikes and ride around the lake. Watch Illuminations without entering Epcot.

Poly is another great option. As posted above, direct monorail service to both MK and Epcot. Great restaurants. Ohana is a fun family-style dinner that offers fun activities for the children. Also a character breakfast. Fun volcano pool. Watch Wishes from the beach.

 

[DiznEeyore]

The Poly is wonderful. The grounds are spectacular, the rooms are newly refurbished (and big!), Cap'n Cook's has good "kiddo food", the pool is gorgeous and is zero-entry so it's easy to get little ones in and out .... Plus, you have the Electrical Water Pageant every night, not to mention fireworks across Seven Seas Lagoon over the castle!

And the convenience of the monorail (esp. with little ones) to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot cannot be overstated. And if you want to do something different, you can take a boat to the Magic Kingdom.

Someone else suggested Beach Club, a hotel we also really enjoy. However, many parents have said how difficult it is to keep a proper eye on little ones at such a big, busy (3-acre!) pool area. That would be a concern for me.

HTH a little ... you might want to check out the resort photos threads on this board to get a "feel" for the atmosphere at the different resorts, too.

Happy planning!

 

[kat9661]

Wow, thanks for all the great tips! The Poly sounds great from a travel stand point, but are there any other resorts that offer the ease of travel? To be honest we just got back from Hawaii a couple months ago and I'd like a different type of resort setting. Thanks everyone......you have all been very helpful.

 

[cjnix29]

My vote is for the WL. We stayed there when my DS was 3 and he LOVED it. He calls it his resort. We stayed at Poly when he was 4, and he didn't like it anywhere near as much. Still had the boat to the MK.

 

[kelscross]

You can't beat any of the monorail resorts with a little one that age. We first went to WDW when my youngest was 1.5 and stayed at CBR, the folding and unfolding of the stroller was a pain.

The next year we stayed at the Poly and loved it!! There's the beach, the zero entry pool, the monorail that you don't even have to fold up the stroller, if you want to take the boat, it's quick although you do have to fold up the stroller. You can eat there regardless, but the Lilo and Stitch breakfast and Ohana is a big hit due to the activities for the kids.

Now my youngest is 6 and she's pretty upset that we aren't staying at "Lilo's House" this year...lol

 

[spiceycat]

who do you want to be happy?

if you then the Polyn

if your Gs - then one of the value resorts - they were designed for this age group.

would think he would love All star movies or Pop Century.

that say - he will be happy regardless. I would go with something you would enjoy.

here are pictures - see what you and him together can go with

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/showgallery.php/cat/504

 

[slug]

I'm new to the boards planning our first trip to Disney. It will be my husband and myself (mid forties) and our grandson who will be just shy of three years old when we travel. My head is spinning from all the resort choices and I'd appreciate any advice as to which resort would be a good match for us and why. I'm guessing Magic Kingdom will be our main venue but we'd also like to go to Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom Lodge looks like it would appeal to our Grandson but is it too far away from everything? We are going off season and are less concerned with price than finding the perfect resort.
HELP!

We went last May when my daughter was just shy of 3. We stayed in the CR with a MK view and it was absoluely the perfect resort for a number of reasons.

First, being able to walk to her window and look at the castle and the MK was great for her. Being able to watch the fireworks over the MK each night was also awesome for her.

Often, she'd get tired around midday. Being able to hop on a monorail and be zipped back to the CR quickly was great. Often, we just walked to/from the MK and she could sleep in the stroller.

We had scheduled a number of different character meals as well as other sit-down meals at not only the MK (Crystal Palace) and Epcot (Akershus), but also at the CR (Chef Mickey's, Cali Grille), Grand Floridian (1900 Park Fare, GF Cafe') and the Poly (can't remember the name of the lunch place). B/C we were on a monorail resort, we could just take the monorail to these places (or walk to the MK) instead of having to get a bus every time. The savings in time is substantial.

Also, the rooms at the CR are great and recently renovated. I haven't been in the rooms at the AK. The rooms at the CR were very modern looking and all have flat screen TV's, which I liked.

 

[kat3668]

I would go with Port Orleans French quarter with your little guy.. The pool has a great slide , the resort is very compact and I just love the boat ride to Down town Disney. Another option may be Wilderness lodge.. as they have to ferry to magic kingdom. I've never stayed there so I can't comment to much about it.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

If you are not concerned about price, stay at the poly..couple of stops on the monarail and your at the Magic Kingdom or Epcot. Im in your age group, you'll enjoy it. Hope this helps

ITA. We stay at the Poly and it is SO convenient. We've stayed there every visit since DD was 3 years old.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I think the Poly would still be your best choice. Monorail to MK, walk to TTC and pick up the EPCOT monorail. My kids loved the Polynesian - great zero entry pool and beach.

Another choice might be YC/BC. It's got a great sandbottomed pool that the kids love and you can take the water taxi to MGM and EPCOT or even walk to EPCOT. They also do Disney movies on the beach.

Of course my ds was almost three the first time we went and he fell in love with the GF - and it's still his favorite resort!

 

[ElizabethB]

If you can afford it, definitely stay at a monorail resort. So convenient to the Magic Kingdom where you'll spend most of your time. A child might be more excited by, say, All Star Movies -- but who wants to be folding a stroller up and hauling a child and a stoller onto a bus -- and then waiting to see if, per chance, you actually get a seat.

At a monorail resort, you put the little one in a stroller, wheel him to the monorail, wheel him -- in his stroller -- onto the monorail, then wheel him off the monorail and into the park. So much easier. Plus, it's so easy to get back to your hotel for a rest, if needed.

The Grand Floridian is a beautiful hotel and has a great zero-entry pool for little ones. That would be my choice!

 

[karmalicousss]

POP CENTURY!! or one of the All Star resorts

 

[penguins1]

Just my opinion but I think the All Stars are the best "kid" themed resorts. You definitely lose something staying at a value however if you want to see a lot of character theming, etc, you might want to consider the All Stars. Plus you can save yourself some money.

I do need to point out the fact that the bus situation is not always so easy here so that is something to consider.

HTH!

 

[hoosiergirl7]

Your grandson isn't going to really care what resort he's at as long as he's having fun. There are pluses with monorail resorts, especially convenience. But there are a number of great resorts for kids. We would've liked to have stayed at CBR (Caribbean Beach Resort) for our trip in April but due to the fact that their main pool is under renovations we decided not to. Our DS 4 is a fish and that would've been why we would've stayed there - for the pool.

However, we're staying at the WL instead and are so excited about it. I've heard this is a great resort for kids and it's close to the MK where we too will probably spend most of our time. It's a short boat ride across the lake and we can even take the boat to either MK or the Contemporary and hop the Monorail to Epcot rather than the bus since DS loves the Monorail.

Ultimately you need to go with where you feel comfortable staying and where you really want to stay, especially if price is not that important to you.