Cant pick a resort. Help!

[laura0528]

I need help choosing a resort for our upcoming last week of Agust trip 2013

Background: We went to WDW for the first time the last week of August 2012. We stayed at the Poly because our family (dh, dd3, ds 5 and me) and MIL and aunt all went. We wanted the ease of the monorail because of the elders, and afternoon naps.

This time I don't know where to stay. Going the last week of August for 8 nights, kids will be 4 and 6, and only us 4. I still think we will need naps.

Would like Pop for the price, but don't want to regret spending a lot of time on buses. Would like Contemporary for walking to Mk, but not sure about theming or price.

Where would you stay and why?

 

[Ghosthost999]

We adore the Contemporary. If price is not a problem, I would stay there. If you are being budget conscious the Pop is also great. We didn't have a single bus issue when we stayed there in 2011. It's the best of the value resorts in my opinion. So, really, I think it comes down to a question of money and what you feel comfortable spending.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I need help choosing a resort for our upcoming last week of Agust trip 2013

Background: We went to WDW for the first time the last week of August 2012. We stayed at the Poly because our family (dh, dd3, ds 5 and me) and MIL and aunt all went. We wanted the ease of the monorail because of the elders, and afternoon naps.

This time I don't know where to stay. Going the last week of August for 8 nights, kids will be 4 and 6, and only us 4. I still think we will need naps.

Would like Pop for the price, but don't want to regret spending a lot of time on buses. Would like Contemporary for walking to Mk, but not sure about theming or price.

Where would you stay and why?

We are going to stay at the WL in February with grandchildren age 3 & 5. They will love the boat ride to MK. And the bus ride between MK and WL is just five minutes long.

I don't like the theme of the Contemporary either.

 

[Jasperann]

We have stayed at Fort Wilderness (we did tent camp) the cabins looked so cute. The buses were really never an issue except for one night coming back from DTD when the bus took forever to get there and then took the long way back to FW. The boat ride to MK was so nice and relaxing, loved it.

We stayed at All Star Music and we never had an issue with a bus, except again for DTD. We waited for about a half hour for it to arrive and then it took almost 45 mins to get to DTD and she took all these roads I've never seen before AND didn't seem like she wanted to be working that night if the turns she took that bounced those of us that were standing all over the bus. The ride back was much shorter though, about 15 mins I'd say...

This time we are going to stay at the Boardwalk, because of the closeness to Epcot. It is our families 'overall' favorite park. We visit there more than any of the others.

 

[kkbutterfly]

I personally think the value resorts have better bus service than the monorail or epcot resorts just because they have so many more guests at the resorts, they are able to send more buses, quicker, and they all do one drop instead of stopping at multiple resorts.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I would stay at WL, hands-down. First of all, it's less expensive than the Poly. Secondly, the boat trip to and from MK is lovely, and you can still go back and forth for naps. But because it is still a deluxe you won't have to give up everything you had at the Poly.

 

[FlyingBelle]

I would stay at WL, hands-down. First of all, it's less expensive than the Poly. Secondly, the boat trip to and from MK is lovely, and you can still go back and forth for naps. But because it is still a deluxe you won't have to give up everything you had at the Poly.

I'll second that!

 

[mouselike-harrier]

Another vote for WL! When DD was small, the boat ride from Mk was the only way for me to get her to nap. She fell asleep on the boat and I was able to put her down, no trouble at all!

 

[laura0528]

These are the prices I got:
9 day park hopper with regular dinning plan and air fair

CR = 7102
WL = 6906
PORS = 5933
POP = 5200

My gut is saying POP

 

[patty57]

Nothing wrong with Pop! You could also look into renting points at WL or BLT for around the price of a moderate resort.

 

[Jasperann]

These are the prices I got:
9 day park hopper with regular dinning plan and air fair

CR = 7102
WL = 6906
PORS = 5933
POP = 5200

My gut is saying POP

If free dining comes out the other prices would be lower too.

We have an awesome pin and that is why/how we are staying at the BWI this next time.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

During the last week of August you will be spending a lot of time by the pool. I'd look into a resort with a great kid's pool area, like Beach Club or AKL (the Kidani pool has a fun kid's area).

 

[linlin]

Animal Kingdom Lodge can be a great place for kids ( the animals out the window bit never gets old) and is also a lot quieter than the values. I will admit that the transportation takes awhile though ( unless you are heading to Animal Kingdom, it generally takes longer to get anywhere else )

If you are looking at Value resorts, I'd say either Pop or Art of Animation will be your best bet. Pop has the best transport out of the values imo. Art of Animation will probably be a little less noisy ( inside corridors vs. outside corridors) and will have a lot for your family to do if you get tuckered out at the parks. Only downside being that if your son doesn't have a thing for the little mermaid, you'll have to pay for one of the suites ( but hey, everyone gets their own space :])

 

[Disney Doll]

Many things come into play when making a resort decision...finances, family needs, ease of transportation.

Per your prices Pop is quite a bit less expensive than the CR or WL, as one would expect since it's a Value vs. a Deluxe.

Pop will be a bus ride to everything. CR or WL will be a boat (WL & CR) , monorail (CR) or walk (CR) to the MK. Is ease of transportation the the MK worth another $1700-$2000 to you? Do you feel that you would be spending the MAJORITY of your time at the MK, with just short jaunts to the other parks? If so, pick CR or WL.

If it's worth it to you to have a little extra "schlepping" to do in order to save that $1700-$2000, then choose Pop.

If you choose Pop, since you'd be saving $1700-$2000 on hotel costs, could you spend a little $ on renting a car so you could drive yourselves to the parks? Would that make the transportation aspect, having to leave for naps etc., a bit easier?

Note that even if you stay at Pop & rent a car, I'd still bus to the MK since the bus drops you right at the front gate, as opposed to to driving which brings you to the TTC where you then still have to get the monorail or ferry to the MK.

 

[clanmcculloch]

How much would queen vs full sized beds be worth to you? The difference between your Pop and POR quotes is $733. Yes you'll still have the busses everywhere though you will have the boats to DTD.

 

[shburks]

We did a stay at Pop followed by two stays at WL before going back to Pop and we were so disappointed in Pop. You may find it hard to like after the Poly! Perhaps a moderate is a happy medium? I'd highly recommend WL though!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We had a similar debate for the same length trip. We looked at all the options for our trip last September and settled on WL. While we were there we explored the other resorts and saw things we liked about each of them. The buses from POP weren't bad at all, and we liked the area in general and walking between there and AOA. The Full beds are a big downside though. POR appeared to be our favorite moderate, and has a similar rural feel to WL. It did seem quite spread out though, and like the moderates and values has multiple buildings and outside hallways. We liked that WL was the least expensive of the Deluxe resorts, and really enjoyed its location and theme. We also visited AKL and found it to be very nice since it has a nicer pool and being right near the animals is amazing.

For our trip next year we stayed with WL because once you spend the extra to upgrade to a resort with Queen beds, it wasn't that much more (or was at least worth the extra for us) to get a resort where everything is under one roof (nice for September rain), the location is beautiful being on Bay Lake, we can walk through the woods to Fort Wilderness which we enjoy, and we have the extra transportation option of taking a boat to MK or CR (which doesn't save any time but is peaceful and beautiful).

I think Disney has their resorts priced very smartly, which makes each option seem exciting at its price point. It comes down to what you prefer and which features matter most to you, as well as how much you are willing to pay for them. At least they are all Disney, so you really can't go wrong whatever you choose. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Allieran3]

We have stayed at Fort Wilderness (we did tent camp) the cabins looked so cute. The buses were really never an issue except for one night coming back from DTD when the bus took forever to get there and then took the long way back to FW. The boat ride to MK was so nice and relaxing, loved it.

We stayed at All Star Music and we never had an issue with a bus, except again for DTD. We waited for about a half hour for it to arrive and then it took almost 45 mins to get to DTD and she took all these roads I've never seen before AND didn't seem like she wanted to be working that night if the turns she took that bounced those of us that were standing all over the bus. The ride back was much shorter though, about 15 mins I'd say...

This time we are going to stay at the Boardwalk, because of the closeness to Epcot. It is our families 'overall' favorite park. We visit there more than any of the others.

Ok I know its off topic but how was tent camping? How long did you stay? And do u know if you get free dining when u tent camp?

 

[jperrot1]

I vote for the Contemporary because you had mentioned you liked the convenience of the Poly. The Contemporary is also on the monorail. Plus you'll get a different experience (and very similar convenience factor).

 

[babyberger]

We stayed at CR for the first time the first weekend of December. I only booked it because DS begged me to. We had recently stayed at YC and WL and I was very worried about lack of theme compared to those two (and all the other WDW resorts). To be honest DH and I missed the "feel" of YC, and DH kept saying he felt like he was in an airport when we walked through the grand concourse, but the convenience of the CR was amazing! No winding hallways to get to an elevator or food, or buses, etc. Everything was so close and convenient. With kids I definitely recommend CR We are returning in Feb and the kids have informed me that they only want to stay at CR from now on