Contemporary Wing, POR-RS, or AKL- Std view?

[Luv2Travel]

My family of 5 is going to WDW in October and since we will be buying AP's this trip, we need to go "budget" for our room. Unfortunately, Disney must believe that families of 5 or more are made of money and, therefore, do not need a value or moderate resort to stay in. While we would LOVE to stay at a deluxe hotel with a great view, it's not in the cards for this trip. My problem is, that of all the moderate resorts, POR - Riverside appeals to me the least (I'm more of a beach person instead of the "rustic" look). Anyway, I would love to be convinced that the Aligator Bayou at POR really is nice and that the trundle bed is not as tiny as it looks. Either that, or help me decide which deluxe would be best to stay at. I have young children and the pool will be a big deal for them. We would have to take a standard view of the parking lot at AKL and be farther away from the other parks. Or take a wing room at the Contemporary and have a nice little walk to the monorail or bus stop. Or stay off site at a suite hotel such as Caribe Royale that has a free breakfast and a cool pool. Thanks for any decision making help you can give me!!

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

FYI, Standard rooms at AKL only sleep 4 (2 queens or 1 queen and bunks).

 

[Luv2Travel]

That's right, I think I realized that last night and forgot. I was just looking at which rates might fit my budget if fall discounts were the least bit similar to summer discount rates. Thanks for the info CaliforniaDreaming, at least that narrows my choices down.

Correction - That was why I ruled out the WL, because the standards only slept 4. I didn't realize AKL standard rooms were the same.

 

[mickey'sbud]

How long are you staying? Just a reminder, if you are getting AP for the better rates at the resorts, remember you only have to have one AP to get the rate.

 

[Luv2Travel]

hi mickey'sbud - We're staying for 7 nights. We're planning on returning to WDW next May, and again next October, thus the APs for all of us.

It looks like my choices are down to POR - Riverside, Contemporary - wing room, or off site. I would LOVE to stay at POR, just not in Alligator Bayou. I'd much rather stay in the French Quarter area, around the "mansions." But Disney doesn't give me that choice. I also wouldn't mind staying at the Contemporary for the right rate. I'm just not sure how convenient the wing rooms would be. Just wish I could make my mind up! Maybe the October discount codes (if there are any) will help me make my mind up when they come out.

 

[lisareneeo]

We stayed in AB at POR in November and had a good experience. The rooms are rustic but we did enjoy this resort. We did not use the trundle bed because we are a party of 4. The landscaping is beautiful. The main pool was a hit with my kids ( ages 3 and 5) They loved the pool slide and waterfall. I was also impressed by the number of lifeguards on duty at the pool. We didn't use a quiet pool, although there was one close by to ur location. We stayed in AB building 14. We thought this was a great location. We were close to the South Depot bus stop (which is the 1st one at POR) and close to the main building. We ate in the foodcourt several times and thought it was pretty good. My husband and brother went to the lounge a few evenings and love the entertainment. The guy was Bob Jackson and now having been reading these boards have found out he is pretty popular. My husband also reported many children were in the lounge for Bob's 1st performance of the evening. We never had a problem with the transportation. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. Just keep in mind that POR does share a bus with the French Quarter and stops there 1st. When we were on our trip FQ was closed so we didn't have to share the bus. We thought the resort was very pretty and had a great experience there and would be happy to stay there again.I hope this helps. Have a great trip.

 

[Demosthenes]

You should be able to get a ood rate @ CR in October when the codes come out. I would definately go Dekuxe over moderate--the convenience of being on the monorail alone would make it worth it to me.

 

[eeyore0062]

If you can swing it, with a family of 5, you will definitely be more comfortable at the Contemporary. They have 2 queen sized beds and a daybed, plus the rooms and bathrooms are HUGE at more than 100 square feet of space than those at the moderates or AKL or WL!!! The convenience just can't be beat, and the kids will LOVE the arcade!

In PO-RS you will have 2 double beds and a trundle, and if you are taller than about 4 1/2 feet tall, it will not be comfortable, plus the rooms are only 315 sp feet.

At AKL, you will only have 2 queen sized beds...the rooms there sleep 4. Not sure if they will allow a rollaway bed, but it will cost extra a night, if they do. Also, the rooms there are no bigger than those at PO-RS, and feel smaller since the beds are bigger.

 

[Grumpy92]

You might want to check out the walking tour on www.disneyzone.net/dlresort.htm. They have photos of the AB rooms and will give you a better ideal what they look like. POR is my favorite mod but we love the Magnolia Bend section. With young children I think I would stay with monorail resorts. It is just easier.

 

[Luv2Travel]

Thanks for all of the replies! At least I'm feeling better about either way I go. I'm thinking the Contemporary would be more convenient too, I'm just concerned about the hike from our room in a wing to the park transportation. But again, it's Disney, so either way should be great! Thanks for the help.

 

[Bstanley]

When we stayed at the WL we took the boat to the CR several times and walked from the boat dock to the CR monorail station.

Not to worry - it is not a trek. In fact if I was a betting man I would bet that is was farther to walk from our room at the far end of the Kudu Trail at AKL to the bus stop than it was to walk from one of the CR wings to the buses/Monorail at CR! Or from Tokelau (it'll always be Oahu to me to the TTC - and I don't consider either of those walks as excessive.

 

[Gillian]

Here's another vote for the Contemporary, BUT, I do want to caution you that I've had trouble finding availability there this year. I know you sometimes have to make several calls, and I did, but I still wasn't able to get the cheapest wing rooms for several different dates. This may be bacause Shades of Green/military people are occupying one of the wings.

I hope you can get a great price on a room there! You can also walk to the magic kingdom from there, making it a wonderful location

 

[MJames41]

Another vote for the Contemporary. The wings are great, and very close. You will love it. Even POR - AB is a lot of fun as well, but Contemporary is our favorite.

 

[las3888]

Another vote for the Contemporary also! Agreed that you may have difficulty getting in because of SOG overflow during construction is staying in the wings. We tried repeatedly to get in and wasn't able to for next week. I am not sure when the construction is scheduled to end.

I too am waiting for AP discounts for Oct. Wish they would hurry up!

PS - Walking to the Tower from the wings is not a bad trek in my opinion, plus you can walk to the MK from one of the wings - nice when you burned out on the sometimes lengthy monorail ride.

 

[eeyore0062]

We stayed in the far reaches of the Contemporary South Wing, and cut through the sand when the weather permitted. The walk from there to the park was not bad at all... and if you time it just right, you can hit the Character Caravan in the lobby on your way. It does help to break up the walk, and gets everyone in the mood for the MK!

As for SoG construction... I hear it won't be completed for 18 months.

 

[jiminyfan]

I know that All-stars cannot compete with the Deluxe hotels, but if you are on a budget have you ever considered adjoining rooms at the All-Stars? We got two room for almost the price of a moderate this Septmeber. This gie you lots more space for teh money. We are taking my mother and even though we all could fit into one room it is nice to have private times when needed.

This is especially nice when you have 3 kids, you can give them their own room and still be able to supervise them.

Give it a thought.

 

[LKS]

Our family loves the Contemporary and we have stayed standard wing and tower MK view. Both were fine for a family of 5. We are doing tower this time, only because we are splurging for our 15th anniversary AND we got a GREAT code. Otherwise, we would have been perfectly happy in the wing. I would call and make a reservation NOW and then keep your eyes open for a code to get a better rate. Most people report having trouble getting a standard wing room nowadays with SOG taking up so much space.

 

[Kallison]

We are family of five and have stayed at PO Riverside and Contemporary. POR was fine, but we had a connecting room with my parents. If the five of us were in the one room I think we would have definitely gotten on each others nerves. The double beds are small and the trundle is tiny. I know none of the kids would have been excited about sleeping on it. We stayed at the Contemporary alone and the room was more than adequate for our family. We slept so well in their much larger beds and the kids loved taking turns on the daybed. We got upgraded to the tower, the extra seating space on the balcony was nice. You can't beat the monorail service over the busses. DH says from now on it is the Contemporary for us, it was wonderful and worth every penny.

 

[MinnieMe2]

Another Contemporary vote here. The convenience of the transportation can't be beat. And the size of the rooms is fabulous. We always stayed in a wing room and were very happy with the accomodations.

 

[Linda L.]

You can't go wrong either way. I've stayed at POR three times. The last time, my boys were 9 and 12. My kids refuse to sleep together which is why I always asked for Alligator Bayou. The trundle bed was fine for my 9 year old. He loved it. The rooms aren't real large but we always managed. My kids loved the food court there, the pools were great, the game room was good and the breakfast buffet was wonderful in the main dining. A few nights we enjoyed Bob Jackson, and my kids never laughed so hard. We also took the boat to DD and also over to POFQ to use their pool. I think your kids would love that pool. I know when my children were younger, we thought that was the best pool on Disney property with the dragon slide.
This time, my kids are 12 and 15. We're going in August and staying at the Contemporary. I booked and cancelled 3 times with different codes and different rooms. The third and last time I ended up with the standard room for $148 a night. I've always wanted to stay there for the monorail and the convenience. But I'll tell you, the 12 still wants to stay at POR. He says he's going to miss the donoughts in the food court. Good luck. As far as getting the room at the CR, keep trying if that's what you want. I did, and it worked out. I kept checking online, and the day the standard was available, I was on the phone right away swithching my reservation!