Best Resort w/ a 2 yo?

[Clare]

My DH and I are planning to go back to WDW when our daughter turns 2. We realize that this will be a very different trip than when we went alone (several times!) complete with lots of breaks, early evenings & lots of time at the MK.

We have stayed at several of the resorts (GF, Polynesian, Yacht Club, AKL, WL & Port Orleans), but we are planning to stay at the WL this trip because we love taking the boat to MK & figure we'll be there a lot. Plus it will be an easy trip to go back for naps etc.

Your opinions? Is this a good choice with a toddler? For those of you who have traveled with little ones, what is your favorite resort and why?

 

[spiceycat]

I would go with the Poly - yes the boat ride is nice - it can also be slow - the monrail won't be - with a crying 2 year old - being able to get her back to her bed might made it worth it.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I have stayed at both Poly (with 1 year old and 4 year old) and WL (with 2 year old). Both resorts were great. I have to say that our 2 year old absolutely loved WL. He loved the grounds and the boat ride!
With either resort, you can't go wrong!

 

[crazywig]

on our last trip with ds, age 2, we stayed at the poly and the bwv...i liked the poly for the access to mk and the zero entry pool, but i like having a kitchenette to eat in the room, hold snacks for ds etc.. you might think about getting a studio at the villas at the wilderness lodge

 

[ganggreen4jc]

Have you considered Pop Century or the All-Star resorts? The huge icons are very colorful and visually appealing to the younger kids. WL, as beautiful as it is to adults, will only be viewed as another big hotel to a two-year-old. Try to see it from your childs eyes. The rooms are smaller, but the 3 of you would fit perfectly in a room there.

 

[flagirl]

My daughter is 20 months old and has been to disney 4 times already! There is lots to do with a little one there. We have stayed at the Pop Century and the Yacht Club with her. We LOVED both. The pool at the Yacht Club is awesome for little ones cause of the sand bottom. Plus when she naps my husband and I could sit on the balcony and read - enjoying the nice weather. HIGHLY recommend somewhere with a balcony for that reason. We would sit out there at night too after she went to sleep.....grab some wine from France in Epcot and we were set! Plus we did fireworks at night at Epcot and could be back at the room really fast afterward for her to go to bed. Only bad thing was the cribs at the Yacht club stunk. But that was minor - she still slept great.

Pop is nice too. LOTS of eye candy for the little ones. Plus they have the goofy jet-pool thing that my daughter loved (water shoots from the bottom and kids can run through it). They also have a nice kiddie pool - it is pretty big. I really think that just about any resort on disney property will be great.

 

[caribear]

My 2 year old dd has been to Disney 3 times.....we have stayed at BCV, POR, CSR and AKL. She loved the pool at BCV, especially the little slide. POR-R was nice, but the playground was for an older child. She also enjoyed the pool and playground at CSR, but her favorite is the AKL. I have no problem with the buses...she loves riding the bus! She could stand on the balcony for hours watching the animals...and never wanted to leave the large playground. I think AKL had the best playground on property for a little one.The pool is wonderful also with the zero entry. We might try the Poly in May, but the AKL just keeps calling us back.

 

[swilphil]

I think 2 year olds can be happy or unhappy in any resort. The most convenient with a 2 year old is either a monorail resort or an Epcot area resort. We stayed at S/D twice-- when kids were 1 and 3, then again at 2 and 4. We are going again 6 months later and staying at the CR. I like being able to just push a stroller to/from the parks and be able to return to the hotel after just a short visit if need be. We visited the WL on our last trip for dinner, and found it to be a little difficult to navigate with a stroller. Also all the deluxes now have free fridges, except for WL, which may be because it has the smallest room of all the deluxes. CR has the biggest--plenty of room for the pack n' play.

 

[wirki]

We just got back from staying at WL (11/27-12/5), and I also have a 2 year old. It was really easy to go back and forth from MK, yet Epcot took forever to get our bus. It was not too bad, because we could entertain her with the items we bought. Just wanted to let you know to be ready just in case. We loved it at WL and are staying there again in Feb.. I thought it was great for children.
Hope this helps

By the way we did have a free fridge. Just have to ask for one.

 

[Clare]

Thanks for all the responses...all great! I'm excited to hear about the free fridges....that would be a necessity, free or not, so that is very good news! We still have a few months to think about it, but I think I'm still leaning towards WL.....or maybe YC, Stormalong Bay would be lots of fun!

It's so much fun to think about! Of course, I don't want my daughter to grow up any quicker.....it's already going to fast, but some days I don't think I can wait much longer to go back to WDW!

 

[LibertyLover]

My DH and I are going to AKL and Poly in January with our 2 year old DD. She loves animals so we figured that AKL would enthrall her. I've stayed at BC and loved Stormalong Bay. I understand that parts of it are being renovated at the moment but that other sections are open - at least that's what my friend was told when she made reservations at the YC for January. Depending on when your trip is, you may want to confirm what is going on with the renovations to SBay.

 

[TJA]

We just returned from Poly with twin 1-1/2 year olds. We stayed at Contemporary our prior trip when they were 1 year old. Even before that, we stayed at AKL when they were 7 mos. old. Our opinion based on these 3 trips is that a monorail resort is almost a necessity with little ones, at least if you have more than one little one and a double stroller, etc. You can just roll the stroller right on the monorail. We stayed at WL before we had our kids and love it there. If you are planning to mainly just be at MK, then I don't see why this wouldn't work for you. It would probably be a little burdonsome, however, if you plan to visit the other 3 parks too. As mentioned above by other posters, the Epcot resort area is definitely another option, but probably not the best option if your main park is MK.

 

[Kimberle]

WL is an excellent choice. They have a wonderful little kiddie pool which our dd loved. The beach also has a nice playset which was never busy. The boat ride over to MK is short and easy. Since there is a boat that goes between WL/CR/FW, it is very easy to hop over to Chef Mickeys or Trails End.

We stayed at CR with our dd when she was 2.5. Since they do not have a kiddie pool or zero entry pool, I would not recommend this resort until your child is big enough to swim in a regular pool. They used to have a kiddie pool, don't know why they cememted it over.....

 

[Woodcourt]

We were there last January and DD was 18 months. We will be returning in May and plan to stay at the POP again. DD will be almost 3 and DD will be 1.

We are traveling with friends who want to save money, so we will be staying at the POP again. It was perfect. We loved it. However, our next trip, we will be moving to a Monorail resort just because we want to stay at one!!

We thought the buses were great at the POP..liked the kiddie pool area etc. The rooms are small, but we were not at the room a lot.

Any resort will be great! They will be thrilled to be at Disney! We always are!

 

[blanq]

This not not meant to sound curt, but it's WDW and all the resorts get tons of toddlers each year and all are great for kids. Your child will not remember this trip. I personally would choose a resort based on your and your spouses needs and desires. Yes you will need to spend more time at your resort to accommodate naps and such, so I guess my suggestion is to pick one that has plenty of space for toddler gear and one that will make you feel relaxed and happy to be there. Have a wonderful time making new family memories with your newest edition!

 

[eeyore0062]

Children that young will be happy anywhere their parents are happy.... so if there is a particular resort you like, go for it. If you are going to be at MK the majority of the time, you might consider a monorail resort. The Polynesian is very family friendly.

 

[Mississippian]

When our children were very young, we found the Contemporary to be the best, as you can just walk to the Magic Kingdom. This is especially important when coming back to the room, as it means no waiting.

Be sure to take your own stroller.

 

[Yacht Club Guy]

I would go to Pop Century. i think it attracts more young groups, and mabye when she is older you should take them to a deluxe.... Not sure if you have heard of the PC Resort, but here is a site with great pictures of all the resorts-
www.wdwig.com
disney.go.com/disneyworld
hope those help!

 

[Clare]

Thanks everyone! I agree with the comments that, as a 2 year old, our daughter really isn't going to have a strong preference. We just want to stay somewhere convenient so that our first trip with a child goes as smoothly as possible.

I still want to like WDW again when this trip is over! For me, this first trip with a toddler is a bit intimidating!

Thanks for all the great advice!

 

[DutchsMommy]

I have read this post with interest as we are going for the first time with DS who will turn 3 while we are in the World. We have opted for AKL and the Poly this time around, and I have to say it was a purely selfish choice. I imagine DS will love both resorts, but it was definately mommy who made the decisions!! LOL

It is funny, however, to read such varied responses from everyone on a thread like this - I think almost every resort was mentioned, running the gamet from Value - bus only, love the decor, to "you-can't-live-without-the-monorail" deluxes like the Contemporary. It's almost like asking people what the best hairicolour is! The thing I love the most, however, and what makes me believe this could very well be our best vacation ever, is that EVERYONE agrees WDW is the BEST place to be for people of all ages, and the look on DSs face as he experiences it for the first time will be priceless.

Clare - whatever you choose, have a magical trip