Best resort for resort itself?

[PoohBearFamily]

Fort Wilderness cabins. Plenty of space for your family, and lots of fun things to do around the FW campus.

This is the second suggestion for Wilderness. I'll have to look at the amenities! Thank you!!

 

[PoohBearFamily]

With only 4 park days I would do a family suite at AoA. If it were a more park heavy trip I would recommend a deluxe due to transportation for the kids. You will have space to spread out in a family suite.

Thanks for the tip!!

 

[PoohBearFamily]

If you are spending that much time at the resort, I would recommend a Deluxe resort that has more amenities over a value like Art of Animation. You could save some money by renting DVC points instead of direct through Disney, and it will give you a slightly larger room.

But IMO I'm afraid your family will come home and wish you had spent more time in the parks... Maybe 2 park days and 1 day off, or at least an extra MK day?

Thanks for the tip about the DVC and deluxe rooms! Yes maybe we'll do 2 days on, 1 day off. I hear there's alot at MK for little kids!

 

[PoohBearFamily]

The Poly, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom Lodge are the three that I would gladly stay at for an extended period of time even if they were not park-adjacent. Amazing theming, wonderful amenities -- sometimes I really with they weren't at WDW so I could really enjoy them properly without running off to the parks every day!

Oh thanks so much! This is helpful!

 

[PoohBearFamily]

GF would be my top choice. Not folding a stroller is of the highest value to me. Getting the stroller and two toddlers on the Skyliner is not relaxing. Also, the dining options at GF and the MK area are plentiful. We prefer quick service with our kids and both GF and Poly have fantastic quick service dining. My kids are also entertained with splash pads and pool slides.

Love the not folding a stroller factor!! Thanks for the tip. Can you eat at Polynesian if you stay at GF?

 

[PoohBearFamily]

For spending time at the resort, I would recommend Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I would recommend looking into more park days though, possibly with a stay at one of the monorail resorts. We love staying at the contemporary and being able to walk back and forth to MK. We will often do a park in the morning, head back to the resort, out to dinner, and then back over to MK to do a couple rides or fireworks, then not have to worry about getting tired kids and strollers back onto a bus. GF has a walking path now too, which is nice when the park closes and monorails are busy.
It really gives opportunity to do more of what Disney has to offer at a slower pace.

This is a great plan! It seems to be cheap to add on extra park days too.

 

[RanDIZ]

If you don't own DVC, can you borrow DVC to get discounts? Is that correct? I keep hearing the tip to use DVC. Thank you for the advice! I see Animal Kingdom mentioned a lot here in the thread!

You can rent DVC points from other members for stays which is a significant discount to the cash rate. The board sponsor and rent/trade forum on the DIS is a great place to start. Other discounts only apply to the member. Although resort parking is free to the person staying at the time.

 

[Marthasor]

You mention walking to Poly from Grand Floridian, does this mean you can use the ammenties at other resorts? Restaurants?

Is CR the contemporary resort? And I didn't know that about AoA, so thank you!

You can walk to the Poly to go to the resort restaurants. You cannot use the pool. If you want to eat TS at the Poly, I highly recommend booking ADRs.

Yes, CR is the Contemporary.

 

[Marthasor]

How do you use DVC rooms? Does this save money in the deluxe resorts? Thanks for all your tips! Amazing advice

You can either book DVC villas through Walt Disney Travel Co. (just as you would book a regular resort room) or you can rent DVC points to book a villa. Renting typically has very strict cancellation terms, so I would look at that type of booking very diligently before putting down any money.

Wilderness Lodge sounds fun! What are the kid friendly activities there? Thanks!

As a family of 6, you will only fit in a deluxe-club level room at WL. Lovely rooms, but quite expensive, if that's a consideration.

I'll have to check these out! Are these cheaper than the Disney resorts usually? Is it a far drive if we rented a car?

You do not want to stay in a Universal resort if you are, primarily, visiting WDW parks your entire trip.

1 room for sure with how young our kids are, I think! Fireworks views sound amazing. Is this available from all the Deluxe resorts?

Thanks so much!!

Poly, CR and GF have fireworks or "theme park" view rooms. You can also simply walk out of your room at those resorts and go to a fireworks viewing area if you don't want to spend the money on that room category. The deluxe resorts in the Epcot resort area do not have fireworks view rooms, but there are areas where you can see the fireworks and some rooms where you can see them, but that is luck of the draw and nothing you can definitively book.

That is so cool! Thanks for the advice on AoA. Can you see fireworks from this resort?

I believe you can see some Epcot fireworks near the Cars section of the resort, but someone who has stayed there more recently may have better info. There are no "fireworks" view rooms there nor do the rooms have balconies.

 

[PalmettoPath]

You mention walking to Poly from Grand Floridian, does this mean you can use the ammenties at other resorts? Restaurants?

Is CR the contemporary resort? And I didn't know that about AoA, so thank you!

You can definitely book dining at other restaurants -- in fact it's a great way to visit other resorts and then browse the shops and grounds afterwards. CR is indeed Contemporary Resort.

 

[melissalovesfigment]

I have 3 kids (5, 3, and infant). My top choice would be Yacht/Beach Club. The pool is amazing. You can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. There are a ton of restaurants around Crescent Lake and Rivera (take the Skyliner). Polynesian would be my second choice. It is soooo relaxing and you can walk or take the monorail to Grand Floridian and Contemporary. Boat to Wilderness Lodge and Ft Wilderness. Walk or monorail to Magic Kingdom. Monorail to Epcot. The pool is very good. It has a great zero entry area, a good slide, and the splash pad is awesome. You could watch the MK fireworks every night from the beach area. I would avoid AoA unless it is the only one that fits your budget. If you are going to spend that much time at the resort, I wouldn't choose a value. The food will get old very quickly. We have stayed at almost every resort on property (not Grand Floridian or Old Key West) and would choose Yacht/Beach or Poly depending on budget. Davids DVC Rental might be a good option if you need more space than a standard deluxe room.

 

[FutureMrs.Incredible]

Thanks for the tip about the DVC and deluxe rooms! Yes maybe we'll do 2 days on, 1 day off. I hear there's alot at MK for little kids!

I would check out dvcrequest.com for DVC rentals. Warning: it is not refundable, but you can get a lot of bang for your buck. And yes, MK is easily the best park for little ones - most characters and most rides with little/no height requirement.

 

[snikki]

But IMO I'm afraid your family will come home and wish you had spent more time in the parks... Maybe 2 park days and 1 day off, or at least an extra MK day?

I do agree with this. I would at least add a day at magic kingdom. Make it 5 day tickets.

 

[fivikse]

Cabins at Ft Wilderness! Check the camping board for up to date info on activities but in the past they’ve had pool activities, chip and dale sing along campfire, movies, pony rides, can see electric water parade, the cabins are great for kids - extra space and a little porch.
But I would also get more days on your tickets. You might want the option to pop into a park for dinner even on a lazy day.

 

[SDKMom]

You have lots of great suggestions! Wherever you decide to stay, I suggest you seriously consider two rooms or a suite. A lot of the rooms at Disney are SMALL! I think you'll appreciate the extra space to spread out.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Definitely a monorail resort! The time invested in buses can be exasperating and you'll find out that time is money at WDW.

 

[jimmymc]

My top choices, in no particular order:

• Grand Floridian
• Wilderness Lodge
• Port Orleans Riverside
• Caribbean Beach
• Fort Wilderness Cabins
• Saratoga Springs

Every moderate and deluxe resort will have nice themed pools, water play areas for kids, and playgrounds. Consider being at a resort which is on the monorail, skyliner, or near Disney Springs so you have more food options on the off days.

If you have 6 people, there are far fewer rooms which hold that many. Art of Animation and All Star Movies have 2 room suites, the Ft. Wilderness cabins sleep 6, and the deluxe resorts have DVC villas you can rent. The rest of the value and moderate resorts would require you to buy 2 rooms, unless one of the kids is under 2 years old at the time of the trip.

 

[Sue M]

With 4 kids, if one is under 3, (I think) they don’t count for room occupancy. All the rooms with pull down or day bed has a limit of 5 people. So depending on ages AoA may be your only choice without having to book 2 rooms.
The Cabins at Ft. W may be a nice choice too.

 

[Joe Brig]

Maybe a split stay? Nothing beats walking to Epcot from the Beach Club.

 

[Mwh76]

Animal Kingdom hands down! I own DVC there and love every bit of it. It’s a destination in itself. And you asked for resorts alone with kids under 7. They will enjoy 2 Savannah’s and 2 different pools. Arguably the best restaurants on property. You’ll hear some negatives about transportation, but I’ve never had an issue and you’ll only be traveling “far” to MK. EP and HS aren’t as bad and AK is right next door. You will not be disappointed staying here.

How long is the bus ride from AKL to MK? Would be going next June.