Can't Decide Please Help

[davisfamilyfive]

We are traveling for 10 days the end of August with an 8, 9 and 14 year old. I have narrowed it down to the following:

Grand Floridian Outer Building Club Level - Is it too fancy for three kids? Will buses to the other parks be long?
Wilderness Lodge Deluxe Room Club Level - Is the waterslide small and boring for older kids? Are buses shared with Fort Wilderness?
Beach Club Standard View Club Level - Will the pool be crazy busy? Also read that the club level is not the best here, is this true?
Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village 1 Bedroom Villa Savannah View - Will transportation be an issue? Is the resort as awesome as people make it out to be?

These are my top picks with my concerns after lots of research on each location. We have never stayed in a deluxe before so want this to be a very memorable vacation for the family. Please help me choose, LOL, I am driving my hubby nuts!!!

Thank you

 

[my2lovedisney]

I have only ever stayed Savannah at AKL and at Wilderness. Animal Kingdom Lodge is our Fave. People complain this resort is FAR from everything however, I never really can tell. Now, with that being said you have pros and cons to many of your choices.

Grand Floridian is on the monorail, IF my husband told me I could book GF I would do it in a heartbeat. Why? Because my kids like to swim mid afternoon and hopping on the monorail to go back to your resort is fast! Plus, they have 1900 Park Fare (great buffet with Characters). Their pool area is said to be pretty good.

Wilderness Lodge is a nice resort as well, not on the monorail but a MK area resort and you can use the boat to go there or buses. I can't remember if it shares buses with Fort Wilderness or not. The pool is great, there is a waterslide! I believe in August one of the pools will be under maintenance but not the one with the waterslide.

Beach Club--personally I've never seen but from what I understand has THE best pool on property. There is a sand bottom zero entry and then a regular pool and water slide, lazy river. I believe Beach and Yacht share so I imagine that it may be crowded. But, like I said, never been. My kids however, would LOVE it.

Animal Kingdom Kidani's pool is smaller than Jambo's but still nice. We've never had an issue with buses at AK resort. And Jambo house is AMAZING. But, you'll be at Kidani. Boma is delicious (located in Jambo house) Kidani is about a 8 minute walk from Jambo or you can use the bus to shuttle over.

The first three you mentioned were CL (club level) rooms which earns you free snacks available throughout the day (I believe) pastries and bagels etc in the AM and then other things in the afternoon/evening. I've personally never stayed CL, but I imagine it would be a great perk!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

What are your parks plans? We always travel at the end of August and it gets hot, so I try to keep waiting for transportation to an absolute minimum. If you are going to MK for most days, I would pick GF (no, it's not too fancy for children). If you are going to DHS and EP most days, I would pick BC. If you are staying 10 days, I would consider doing a GF/BC split to keep transportation to the parks to a minimum. It's really nice to walk right out of EP, change and go to the pool! I've never found the pools to be overly crowded at the end of August.

 

[davisfamilyfive]

We plan to do all four parks twice and both water parks. My husband doesn't want to do a split stay.

 

[ErinsMommy]

I know you didn't list it, but have you considered the Poly? Its a short monorail to MK, you can walk to TTC to go to Epcot. The volcano pool I heard is awesome. I've heard BC/YC share the pool and it gets very busy there because of it. Its great to walk to Epcot and HS though (although HS is a bit of a further walk). Another option may be, Boardwalk Inn. Another fun looking pool and walking distance to Epcot & HS.

 

[megs1313]

Grand Floridian Outer Building Club Level - Is it too fancy for three kids? Will buses to the other parks be long?
Wilderness Lodge Deluxe Room Club Level - Is the waterslide small and boring for older kids? Are buses shared with Fort Wilderness?
Beach Club Standard View Club Level - Will the pool be crazy busy? Also read that the club level is not the best here, is this true?
Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village 1 Bedroom Villa Savannah View - Will transportation be an issue? Is the resort as awesome as people make it out to be?

These are my top picks with my concerns after lots of research on each location. We have never stayed in a deluxe before so want this to be a very memorable vacation for the family. Please help me choose, LOL, I am driving my hubby nuts!!!

-These are interesting options...I wouldn't say that GF CL has much in common with AKL, so it makes it tough to answer this! Here are thoughts I have just looking at your situation:

1. AKL isn't Club level...so that's like on a whole different thing in terms of experiences. BUT, it's got a kitchenette and you're staying 10 days, so that's a factor to consider. Our 10-day AKL CL trip is still my favorite ever. AKL feels like home to me, so yeah, I think it's as awesome as people make it out to be.

2. If you're already concerned about how busy the BC pool will be, I'd suggest not doing the BC. It's probably going to be busy. On a side note, I can't stand the smell they pump into BC. Most people love it, but it gives me a headache.

3. GF too fancy? yeah...it might be actually. GF is nice, but I wouldn't say it's "fun." That's JMO.

4. I don't think you can go wrong with WL and the only time I've done the bus there, it wasn't shared with FW (though I don't know if that's a guarantee at any given time)

You have some fantastic options. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[davisfamilyfive]

The Polynesian isn't available but yes would definitely be on the list if it were. It seems to pop up every once and a while when I check my dates but then disappears again when I go back in to look again. I guess if the Polynesian is top pick I just need to grab it the next time I see it!

 

[lborne]

While I LOVE the GF, I am now more inclined to stay at AKL over any other Disney resort for one giant reason - it is always less crowded and so is more relaxing. Yes, you pay the penalty of longer transportation times. The times we have stayed there have been great. And even recently - we were in Orlando this Memorial day (read very busy) weekend but were doing other, not to be mentioned parks. But I needed my Disney fix for the afternoon and so we drove to AKL for drinks at Victoria Falls. No problem getting through security and did not even need the 3 hr parking limit. Last time we tried that at any monorail resort, we were told NO WAY.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We plan to do all four parks twice and both water parks. My husband doesn't want to do a split stay.

Ok, given this, my vote is BC CL. You will be within walking distance (or boat if you like) for 4 of your park days, cutting down travel time considerably. You will have one of the best pools on property and you will have two queens and a day bed.

My second choice would be GF, again, for proximity to the parks, plus the resort is gorgeous and has a ton of onsite amenities plus the monorail to the other resorts, MK and the TTC to transfer to EP.

I love 1-bedroom villas, but I would not want to sleep on those living room pull-outs in AKV Kidani for 10 days.

WL is also gorgeous and the deluxe rooms are nice, but you are limiting yourself in terms of transportation and possibly sharing buses with Ft. W. We are staying here in August, but only because we will take uber to all parks except MK. The last time we stayed here, the buses took forever!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

We are traveling for 10 days the end of August with an 8, 9 and 14 year old. I have narrowed it down to the following:

Grand Floridian Outer Building Club Level - Is it too fancy for three kids? Will buses to the other parks be long?
Wilderness Lodge Deluxe Room Club Level - Is the waterslide small and boring for older kids? Are buses shared with Fort Wilderness?
Beach Club Standard View Club Level - Will the pool be crazy busy? Also read that the club level is not the best here, is this true?
Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village 1 Bedroom Villa Savannah View - Will transportation be an issue? Is the resort as awesome as people make it out to be?


Thank you

Grand Floridian's pool with a slide is horrendously busy! We have pool hopped here several times with DVC and there are never any chairs, even regular chairs to eat food at, and the pool slide line is very long.

Wilderness Lodge- the slide looks dinky, but was surprisingly fun. Both my husband and I enjoyed it.

Beach Club - This would be my top choice, but then you said you are doing two water park days, so maybe the best hotel pool on property could be saved for a trip without water parks?

AKV- The Kidani pool slide is one of the best on property. The giant splash area there would probably entertain your younger two as well. Plus separate room for the adults plus a kitchen?! And animals? This would probably be my top choice followed closely by beach club.

 

[Marionnette]

We are traveling for 10 days the end of August with an 8, 9 and 14 year old. I have narrowed it down to the following:

Grand Floridian Outer Building Club Level - Is it too fancy for three kids? Will buses to the other parks be long?
Wilderness Lodge Deluxe Room Club Level - Is the waterslide small and boring for older kids? Are buses shared with Fort Wilderness?
Beach Club Standard View Club Level - Will the pool be crazy busy? Also read that the club level is not the best here, is this true?
Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village 1 Bedroom Villa Savannah View - Will transportation be an issue? Is the resort as awesome as people make it out to be?

These are my top picks with my concerns after lots of research on each location. We have never stayed in a deluxe before so want this to be a very memorable vacation for the family. Please help me choose, LOL, I am driving my hubby nuts!!!

Thank you

I would do the AKV 1-BR given that it has 2 bathrooms. The extra space that a 1-BR gives you will be much more relaxing than sleeping 5 people in a single hotel room with one bathroom will afford. You'll have a full kitchen and (if you need it) there will be a washer/dryer right in your villa. Watching the animals on the savanna in the evening or early morning can be very relaxing. However, Kidani has l-o-n-g hallways and it can be a hike to the bus stop, lobby or pool from your villa. And unlike the other resorts on your list, AKV-K is not in close proximity to one or more parks and you will not get CL service or amenities.

 

[Nancyg56]

I would choose the Grand or the Beach CLub. I do not think the Grand is too fancy for kids, mine loved it. I will say that I found the pools to be HOT. There was not a lot of shade, IMO.

The BC pool is fabulous, but it is going to be busy there. Perhaps not an issue due to the waterparks you are visiting, but keep that in mind. I think that this is a relaxing resort and with the Boardwalk you have a multitude of options to keep the family occupied.

I love love love AKL. It is a stunning resort with a great pool. If you choose to stay there you might want to plan a little extra resort time because it is like a World away from reality.

When I choose a resort for my family I look at our focus for the vacation. Are we planning more MK time or Epcot time? Do we want to spend more time relaxing at a resort over rushing to the parks? WIll we use the facilities, and if so, which ones? I choose for convenience and location as well as amenities.

 

[jo-jo]

Noting the age of the kids, one comment about the pool at BC. In order to get to the slide, you have to leave the pool area, walk across the path to the beach side, and climb the steps to the slide entrance there. Not sure if you would feel comfortable having the kids running back and forth like that.

 

[VAfamily1998]

With three kids, the 1 bedroom villa at Kidani would immediately be off of my list because it only has one "real" bed. Assuming you and your husband get that, all of your kids will be sleeping on pull out sofas/chairs each night, for ten nights. In addition to the comfort factor, I always find it annoying to have to "prepare" (pull out sofa, make up the beds with sheets, etc.) a bed each night after a long hot day in the parks, and having to put it away again each morning.

 

[Skippyboo]

If you are going to all 4 parks twice and the water parks, you are not going to be spending a lot of time in the hotel I am guessing. Would it be better to skip club level and use the money for two connecting regular rooms?

 

[Mousemommy1]

I love, love, love the GF and we didn't find it to be too fancy for us and our 3 kids. It was perfect!

BC is a good location for August, because of the pool. We did BC in August one year and we didn't find the pool to be too crowded and we were in it every day. We did not love BC CL however, but it was when the lounge was being rebuilt so it was in an alternate location. I'd be willing to give it another shot.

My kids loved the slide at WL -- but they don't like scary slides, so there's that. Their CL is awesome!

I think we are going to do the 1 bedroom at AKL next year. I think it will be awesome!!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

My pick would be GF. No, it is not too fancy for kids. It is just a theme with Victorian flair. August will be HOT. The resort set up at GF works great. If you are staying outer building CL, you are in Sugarloaf which overlooks the courtyard pool(which has fun water jets) and is the closest building to the main building for quick access to food, shopping and transportation. The beach pool (with slide) is a little further walk but not far. The slide and waterfall at this pool is really fun and we have never had trouble finding a table w/chairs or loungers. Sugarloaf is easily accessible for grabbing snacks and drinks while hanging at the pools.

Another plus is the ability to watch the EWP each evening and the MK fireworks from the resort without fighting crowds at the park. Also GREAT having easy access to all the dining options on the monorail and across the lake at WL/FW.

The rooms are quite spacious and the service at GF is super friendly. The live music in the lobby just adds to the atmosphere and creates a great relaxing afternoon diversion if you need it

While the YC/BC is a great resort, there are a few issues that make a big difference for our family....YMMV. Although you can walk to EP, there is no bus. You must always walk in/out of IG which is a far walk from the front of EP for morning rides. This also means if a rain storm arrives, you are stuck walking/running through the rain to reach your resort...not fun. The pool is large and somewhat disjointed with walkways/bridges. You cannot keep an eye on your children if they are in different areas of the pool. As a PP mentioned, you must leave the pool area and cross a public walkway to get to the pool slide steps. To access CL food offerings, you will have to enter the main building and go up the elevator to the CL floor. Also--counter service food is VERY limited at this resort.

We have not stayed at AKL or WL. Until WL opens the new pool area near the DVC rooms, I would not consider this resort. Too many people for a small pool with a small slide. Although AKL is a unique resort, I would not want to stay there for 10 days. With limited dining (without hopping on a bus) and all bus transportation, I consider this a 3-4 day resort option not 10 days.

Good luck with your decision

 

[Babsy]

We are traveling for 10 days the end of August with an 8, 9 and 14 year old. I have narrowed it down to the following:

Grand Floridian Outer Building Club Level - Is it too fancy for three kids? Will buses to the other parks be long?
Wilderness Lodge Deluxe Room Club Level - Is the waterslide small and boring for older kids? Are buses shared with Fort Wilderness?
Beach Club Standard View Club Level - Will the pool be crazy busy? Also read that the club level is not the best here, is this true?
Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village 1 Bedroom Villa Savannah View - Will transportation be an issue? Is the resort as awesome as people make it out to be?

These are my top picks with my concerns after lots of research on each location. We have never stayed in a deluxe before so want this to be a very memorable vacation for the family. Please help me choose, LOL, I am driving my hubby nuts!!!

Thank you

With the age of your kids and your plans to do two days at each park, it looks like the most convenient location would be the BC. The only problems are that the pool will be very busy and the BC does have some rooms with only 2 queen beds. If you get a room with only 2 queens, they will give you a rollaway but it makes an already small room even more cramped.

The GF outer building CL is very nice. No, it is not stuffy with kids - we go all the time with DS and granddaughters. They actually own DVC there and much prefer it to the Poly, surprisingly to me. The rooms at the GF are the largest on property and all have two. comfortable queens and a nice sized daybed. The CL lounge is small and somewhat forced into a small 'lobby' area as you enter the Sugar Loaf building. However, it is a very convenient, central location at the GF and is a nice enough place to grab a quick breakfast in the morning plus an occasional snack during the afternoon and evening. The food served is the best of all the CL's IMO. If you are around at tea time, the warm scones with cream and jam are just fabulous! We make a point to go back for these at least once during every CL stay at the GF!

The GF is the flagship hotel at WDW and so has many great places to dine, two very nice pools and a spectacular lobby that is a very nice place to relax and explore. The transportation to the MK is really good - anywhere else is by bus or the monorail X monorail to Epcot. Generally speaking we did not find the transportation to be significantly better or worse from the GF than any other WDW resort. We do like the seating at the bus stop, though, and the access to the MK is only surpassed by the CR.

Looking at all factors, I would give first place consideration to one of these two resorts. We do love WL and AKL, but they are not first choices for us due to smaller room size, location &/or transportation.

FWIW, if it were me, I would book the GF if I could only stay at one resort. We like the MK area the very best, overall, and find the transportation to the MK so much better when staying on the monorail. (We would book a split, actually with the GF and BC, but your DH doesn't want that so I understand that is out).

Have a wonderful trip!!! I am sure that wherever you choose, you will really have a special time. All four resorts are remarkable and any one of them will give a memorable vacation.

Enjoy!