Daddy gone for holidays. Where would you stay?

[Mickey Fliers]

Here is the low down. My DH is a Navy Pilot and will be leaving on a six month deployment in early December. I want to take my boys to WDW to "try and forget" that Daddy is gone for the holidays. My boys will be 9,7 and 4. This will be an "all-out", concierge and all the works trip. Where should we stay? Here are my thoughts:

Grand Floridian: Never stayed there. Seems great. I love the monorail access. Would I want the main building?

Poly: Believe it or not, the hot tub thing is a huge negative in my book. My boys are big "hot pool" fans. Poly lovers, convince me otherwise.

CR: Never stayed in the tower. MK view sounds great. 14th or 12th floor?

WL: Absolutely love it there. Might be a bit more troublesome not having monorail access. I will have three DS's all by myself. But Xmas decs. at WL can't be beat.

Any help would be great. Thanks so much in advance.

 

[rascalmom]

I would choose the CR. The rooms are huge, the tower view is unbeatable, the arcade is amazing and the pool is great. They have a great pool slide and a hot tub in full view of the pool so you can keep an eye on everybody. The monorail access is great - a big plus when managing 3 boys by yourself. Great food choices - Chef Mickeys, a decent counter service place & the Concourse Steakhouse. Not sure Cal Grill would be a hit with little boys though. Great shops too. Good for you - go & have a great time. It will make Dad's time away go much more quickly and they will have lots to tell him when he comes home.

 

[MermaidsMom]

Here is the low down. My DH is a Navy Pilot and will be leaving on a six month deployment in early December. I want to take my boys to WDW to "try and forget" that Daddy is gone for the holidays. My boys will be 9,7 and 4. This will be an "all-out", concierge and all the works trip. Where should we stay? Here are my thoughts:

Grand Floridian: Never stayed there. Seems great. I love the monorail access. Would I want the main building?

Poly: Believe it or not, the hot tub thing is a huge negative in my book. My boys are big "hot pool" fans. Poly lovers, convince me otherwise.

CR: Never stayed in the tower. MK view sounds great. 14th or 12th floor?

WL: Absolutely love it there. Might be a bit more troublesome not having monorail access. I will have three DS's all by myself. But Xmas decs. at WL can't be beat.

Any help would be great. Thanks so much in advance.

Stay at the Grand Floridian. It is relaxing, peaceful and convenient and that is what you will need the most. If you can afford it, absolutely stay in the main building.

 

[blanq]

Three boys at the frufru GF? Sorry, but I would pass. Personally, it is too romantic and would make me miss my DH even more, if I were in your situation. You have already been to the WL, and I whole-heartedly agree it is a fantastic place to stay, but why not give a new resort a go? I would recommend either the Poly or CR (although I note you have previously stayed here, a tower room might be fun if you haven't had that experience before) for your trip. Both would give you monorail access and your boys would probably get a kick out of either of them. As far as the Poly hot tub, if one is that important I guess the Poly might not be for you.

BTW, I think your willingness to go to WDW without your DH is a wonderful way for you to make Christmas as special as possible for you and your kids! What a great idea and way to make some incredible memories, and to make the best of your situation!

 

[LindaBabe]

I'd take them to AKL! Concierge there is terrific and you have access to the sunrise safari. They have two hot tubs and a lovely pool, too, as well as two yummy restaurants and animals. Hope you can still get a room!

 

[eeyore0062]

My first choice would be the Poly, but if the hot tub is a deal breaker, than go with Contemporary 1st-- Your boys will LOVE the game room! There are 2 hot tubs there, and of course the pool now has a slide. If you can get a room with a MK view, even better! I think for boys this would be a dream come true!

BUT, if you really want to be adventurous, stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge... no it has no monorail, but who cares? It has SO MUCH MORE! Wake up to see the animals from your Savannah view room. Lounge at the zero entry pool, and relax in the hot tub. Yep, maybe my 1st choice would be AKL, if I had boys.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

You all have given me so much to think about. Disney is so great about giving you so many choices. My biggest problem though, is guilt.

I feel like I am leaving DH out of a great vacation. Don't get me wrong, I am excited that I will be able to give my boys a magical trip, but I feel bad that DH won't be there to share it with us. I guess that is part of the package when you marry a military man. It is hard to plan a "perfect" vacation and know that your spouse won't be part of the memories. I guess that means that I have to make it even more wonderful for my boys. This will be the first time in five years (don't know how we managed it) that DH will be gone for at least six months.

So, basically, at this point I think I have narrowed it down to CR, WL, AKL or GF (in that order). I also like the Epcot resorts, but I definately enjoy those more with my DH.

Thanks again, keep the opinions coming.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Hello from Montgomery County!

CR isn't my favorite resort (you've stayed there so you know what it's like), but I think that I might choose it for the ease of getting to the MK. It's a short walk or if you're staying in the tower it's very easy to hop on the monorail.

I've never stayed at GF, but I've visited and it's really not "me". I've stayed at WL a couple times and like it, but I think monorail access would be good. I've stayed at the Poly and like it, but you want the hot tub.

T&B

 

[F1Julie]

Another vote for CR. You can walk to MK or use the monorail. I'd think that would be great being the only adult with 3 boys. And since you do have 3 boys, I'd pass on the GF. It just seems to stuffy and uptight to me - not the kind of place for kids. You ruled out Poly because of the hot tub thing and since you've already been to WL, I'd try somewhere new.

 

[jeepgirl30]

I would not stay at the GF with children. It is the only one of the Deluxe resorts where I have stayed but both DH and I said no way with kids. Actually no way on our own. It is a beautiful property but for us the "fun" was not there.

We were there for a business reward trip. My coworker had his DS and DS's friend, ages 5 and 6. The boys enjoyed the pool but the parents felt really hesitant in the main areas because they got a few looks when the boys were just being boys. The boys were really good kids.

I think they themeing is a bit glamourous for young boys. I would think they would enjoy the themeing of the other resorts much better.

Prayers are with your husband and your family during this time!

 

[lovethattink]

Here's advice from my 11 year old...

GF---Best Christmas decorations. Good pool. The fanciness doesn't bother me. I'd stay here and have fun!

Poly---Don't like the brown buildings, they look drab. Christmas decorations nice. I love to eat dinner at Ohanas!

WL---like the pool. Takes longer to get to MK by boat. I love the restaurant with the all-you-can-drink milkshakes!

CR---I'd want to stay here on a Friday night because of pin trading. Pool is good. Arcade is great! I like the icees at the counter service across from arcade.

 

[Disney Spaz]

Hey from Howard County!

My DH is a former Marine and Iknow how hard it is when they are away. I would do the Poly or the WL only because I agree GF is too romantic and CR is Disney and Xmas enough for our tastes. Good Luck.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Hey from St. Mary's County

Thank you guys for all of the advice and support. It will be hard, but I am bound and determined that my boys will have a great holiday. I will let you know where we decide to stay.

 

[Carrieberry]

CR in the tower hands down. They will love it. GF- too fru fru for kids that age I agree. Poly- just not "cool". Nice and more romantic, but no hot tub as you said, and just not a place kid's that age would love. WL- access not as easy.
CR is cool for kids, huge rooms, great views, Chef Mickey's is right there and you can even walk to MK. Plenty to do and since you are going all out, you just can't beat the Tower. Floor 14 -the higher the better!

 

[LibertyLover]

Hello from Anne Arundel County!

I would say CR. The arcade is fantastic. I had my 3 godchildren (13, 12 and 10) there several years ago (tower room) and they loved the arcade and the pool. Having the monorail right there made things easier for me on my own with 3 kids. The restaurants were all good too.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I think that just about all of Maryland is represented on this thread.

Mickey Fliers, OT, but my DD's top choice of schools is St Marys College. Hopefully she will get in since she really likes it there. How do you like the area?

T&B

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Well, how do I put this, I would not choose to live here any longer than I have to. My DH is Navy and stationed at NAS Pax. We have been to St. Mary's College several times and the campus and surrounding area are very lovely. The concert series during the summer is a lot of fun with great atmosphere. The quote I hear often is "Wow, St. Mary's College is pretty cool. It is the closest thing to NOT being in southern MD, while still in S. MD". There are some postive attributes, but I definately don't want to raise my boys here. Tell your DD that the closest mall is Waldorf, and I personally don't think it is that great. I would much rather drive the extra distance to Annapolis. There isn't a ton to do here, but then again, I am not a teenager/young adult. Good news, we do have a Starbucks.

No decent movie theatre. Great restaurants are few and far between, with a few exceptions. All this being said, St. Mary's College has a good reputation and the campus really is nice and secluded. Nice atomosphere.

You may want to take a visit down here. Believe me, I know it is far.

Hope this helps. Any more questions, please let me know.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My DD is also considering Salisbury, which seems so boring to me. She wants a small college, which wouldn't be what I would choose, but of course I don't get to choose this time around.

My husband brought her on her St Mary's visit so I haven't actually been on the campus, but have been to the area for a baseball tournament about a year ago. Seems a bit quiet to me, but I tend to like all the range of shopping, recreation, restaurants, etc. At least I know that SMC is not a party school (and there is a Target in the area--important to her).

How much longer do you have in So MD?

T&B

 

[swilphil]

I would also pick CR. I'm hearing great things about the 12th floor. It sounds like the 14th floor needs to be rehabbed, but if you are going Dec. 2005 it could be done by then.

Definitely stay at a monorail resort, at any rate. You can always take the boat over to WL to see the decorations and maybe grab a bite to eat.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Everyone seems to be voting for CR. Great. Now, what is the difference between the 14th and 12th floor. Are they both concierge? Do they share a lounge?

Thanks.

Tigger&Belle You are right. We do have a Target and Pier One and a few other shops. It is very quiet down here. Which may be very good for a college student who needs to get studying done. I am with you. I went to a school with 20,000 undergrads. I like the busy life. We will be here until the end of the school year and then it is off to Maine. You wouldn't believe it, but there is more to do there, than here.