Disney newbie looking for resort tips!!

[Irin997]

So, we've never been to Disney and I am dying to take my daughter (who is 6 now). We will probably be going in Spring of 09 as a multipurpose gift....mine and my daughter's birthday and my receipt of (finally!) my bachelor's. I've saved up a meager $150 so far.....and need help picking a resort! From those that have been around the block, which category do you recommend? We're considering these: POP, Cont, Poly, or CBR. The question is, do you really use the extra amenities, is the extra at a deluxe or moderate really worth it, what do you like better?? I have no idea and gosh darn it, Disney had to build so many beautiful resorts!! POP has great reviews from the DIS members and it's much newer, always a plus! I love the modern look (and location) of the Cont, and I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, which is why I love the Poly. I cruised the carribbean last fall which is why CBR looks pretty cool. I know I have quite a long, long, long time to choose, but anyone have any great input??

Thanks!!

 

[safetymom]

If you would like more information on CBR check out the links below. We love it there. I don't think you can go wrong wherever you decide to stay.

 

[beccasmom]

You can't go wrong no matter where you stay, really! All the resorts you mentioned have a lot to recommend them. The Poly and CR are on the monorail, making it a snap to tour the MK (and at the CR, you can walk back if you are so inclined.). We really enjoyed CBR; it is a great resort and the first moderate that WDW opened. We've never stayed at POP, but it has many loyal fans!

Do as much research as you can - there are scads of books and websites. Some folks enjoy the extra amenities at the pricier resorts; some could easily do without. The moderates (and values) have food courts, which make it easy to grab a quick bite on the run or eat what you want when one is craving Italian and the other wants a taco! Think about where you think you will spend most of your time and try to stay closest to that area if you can. Transport will be faster and easier that way. Disney transportation is generally very good. There are times when you'll need to change buses to get somewhere.....buses don't go from resort to resort, for example.

Try the following website/books for starters:

- http://www.allearsnet.com/ - excellent; wish we'd had it when we first went!
- The Unofficial Guide to WDW - honest, funny and full of great tips
- Birmbaum's Official Guide
- The Passporter Guide to WDW

 

[Trekker]

And do not forget of course that these DIScussion boards are only a small part of the information available right here on the DIS!

www.wdwinfo.com

 

[FlashScout]

Ditto beccasmom's post. Those are great resources and each gives a different perspective.

Think about your preferences for hotels now when you travel - are you more of a Motel 6 person, or do you prefer nicer accommodations? Is this going to be your only trip to WDW for a long time - then you may want to splurge on nicer rooms. If you plan to spend a lot of time at the Magic Kingdom, then a monorail resort or the Wilderness Lodge will make transportation easier. It helps to be a short monorail or boat ride away in mid-afternoon when you and the kid are exhausted and need a break. On the other hand, if EPCOT and Disney/MGM Studios is where you'll spend more time, then a resort in that area would be more convenient.

Check out resort and room pictures on allears, visit the FAQ threads on this board, read reviews, and keep asking questions. A bunch of us enjoy answering them!

Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[DavidHobart]

You can't go wrong with any choice. But if you can afford Poly, and it's your first trip, go for it. Poly has the most convenient transport of all the hotels--because in essence you are on both the epcot and the MK monorails, since Poly is an easy walk to TTC. Moreover, it is one of the 5 most kid-impressing hotels (the others being WL, AKL, Pop, and the All-Stars).

If you can afford only the moderates..think twice about what will work best for your family. I love the moderates--am planning a trip to Cornado Springs right now--but they can be nearly twice as expensive as the values for very little more on the room front.

For example, the bed sizes (fulls) are the same at the values and the moderates, and the room at the moderates is is only a couple of feet wider than the values.

For many families, nearly the same money as one room at a moderate spent on an all star suite is a much better payoff: almost twice the square footage, a big bed for the parents in a separate room...

 

[Jrabbit910]

Personally the best choice that your making for your 2009 trip is staying on Property... thats the best choice so far so your doing great!!!

As for which resort you should stay at they are all great choices. I feel that each and everyone you picked has some great quaility's!!! The choices you made are for each budget... so I think thats where you should start... PoP is fantastic... great for kids and grown ups alike... Brings back alot of memories for adults and kids always love the oversized objects!
CBR- is another great resort- next year they are refurbishing the pools so that will be new for you! and the decor is great as well.
Never stayed at the POLY but I would love to and if it fits in our budget for next year thats going to be one of our top choices.... (same w/ the CR).
I think all your choices are really great... each is unique in thier own way...

Check out some of the pictures on the boards of each resort and see which one really "POPS" out at you for you and your daughter...

Congrats on your degree and have a blast on your trip.. planning is half the fun...

 

[El Nebuloso]

We haven't stayed at Poly or Contemporary, but POP is our favorite value, and CBR our favorite moderate (wonderful theming, lush grounds, relaxed atmosphere - we prefer Jamaica and Aruba). As others have said, the choice to stay on property to begin with is a great start.

 

[disneyworldgal]

My two cents...

If you are staying for a short period (5 nights or less) then I'd suggest staying at Pop (like you said, great reviews). You really won't be spending too much time in your room for a 5-night or less stay (you'll be in the parks).

If you plan to build in some R&R (6 nights or more should allow you that flexibility), then I'd highly recommend staying at Riverside or Caribbean Beach (my favorites of the mods). You get a lot of bang for your buck at both! Riverside has the perk of the complimentary water taxi service to Downtown Disney (which is one of the reasons we love it so much). Both pools will be more elaborately themed than Pop (mods have slides), so that's a fun perk too.

If you can swing it, I'm certain you wouldn't be disappointed with any of the deluxe!

Last but not least, if this is the only time you'll be going to WDW, then I'd lean towards the mod or deluxe category... Might as well make it super special!!!

Hope that helps a bit!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

I would think for you I would say the Cont. We stayed at the Poly as well, but it's more $$ and for us it wasn't anything extra we couldn't or didn't get at the Contemporary. Also, you can walk to MK or take the mono. After a long day and sometimes night-at MK it would be nice for you to be able to walk back to your room. That's what we do at the Beach Club. We end our day usually at the World Showcase with dinner and just walk "home". It's sooo nice. But I think next trip we will be back at MK at the Cont. Let us know what you decide.

 

[miraged]

It doesn't really matter it is Disney and it is magic. We stayed out first time at All Star Music for five nights. When we had the luxury of staying for ten days we stayed at CBR, which was like a vacation within a vacation, since the children loved the hotel, all the pools and all the amenities. We haven't ever stayed at a deluxe, although, we have had dinners there. They really did love the CBR, the room was a little bigger, the main pool more fantastic and the pool of our own all theirs. Nice to have our own fridge in our room, the bus service was great, and the littlest one loved all the bunnies, lizards and birds. Truly great, and we did take advantage of the marina, first time my biggest one drove a motor boat by himself. Our favourite vacation so far. Have a great time, I know you will,
love,
Donna

 

[Irin997]

Wow, thanks everyone for the great resources, tips, and ideas. Luckily, I have quite a while to decide, but at least at this point I can probably start to narrow down where I really to spend our time. Our plan is to take a two day drive down (we're in MD) and we'll probably stay for anywhere from 7-9 days. So I think based on that, we'll end up at either a mod or a deluxe. I guess I'll just have to see how much $$ I end up saving up in my "Disney Vacation" emigrant account! At least I'm making a decent return!!

Anyway, thanks again for all of the great advice!!!

Asahi

 

[Irin997]

BTW, I think I'm leaning towards the Poly....can't go wrong with a hawaiian paradise...in FL!

The other resort tugging at me is the WL, simply because I lived in CO for almost 10 years and I LOVE it there...

decisions, decisions....

 

[Dizchic123]

Everytime we have been we stayed at the poly and although it is more expensive the atmosphere is great and we have never had a bad experience there. So that would be my number one pick.

 

[bigmoonmullen]

Hi:

There is a bunch of great insights all over these boards...

What I would suggest is that YOU and YOUR Family first need to attempt to figure out the following:

How much time you plan on spending in the parks each day versus time spendt at the resort?

Which Park do you plan on spending the most time in? For anyone who wants to spend lots on time in Epcot and/or MGM you can't beat BC/YC/Swan/Dolphin or BW.

Will daily naps be required for any of your family?

Will daily mid-day breaks be required for any of your family?

How much time are you wanting to spend at the resorts pool?

Is all of your time going to be spent inside WDW? If you are going to spend days(more than 1) at other parks i.e. Seaworld or Universal then you are spending a lot at moderates and deluxes for what...

If you are staying more than 7 nights consider a split stay... always leaving the nicer resort for the second portion of your stay.

Most importantly, HOW much can you can afford? It's very easy to end up spending more money than you thought at WDW...

Our family loved the BC. We have also stayed at POP... personally we spend most of our time at the parks so for me the Value resorts such as POP is Great for me... However, this December we are staying at AKL(2 nights) & WL(7 nights).... I lost the vote BUT during the Christmas season how can you go wrong staying at WL when from what I've read it is absolutely decked out for Christmas

Take your time... ask questions... and save your spare change +.

Good luck,

Mark

 

[pwrflpills]

Please allow me to pitch some alternatives. I know your trip is a long ways off, but based on the amount of savings you have to date I'd like to recommend some alternatives to the $250+/night Disney deluxe hotels.

I'm a young professional who has had to be cost conscious when visiting Disney, which has often meant making concessions in the hotel department. Avoiding "throwing away" tons of cash on a place to sleep could make it possible for you to get a LOT more out of your vacation without feeling like you've missed a thing!

First, a quick opinion of the deluxe hotels. While the theming can be very impressive and exciting to be around, all disney hotels have fairly impressive theming and the inflated "deluxe" prices can leave lots to be desired, especially if you're on a tight budget. At the end of the day, deluxe rooms, theming aside, are no better than your average Marriott or Hilton hotel room.

I don't know you or your standard of living, but most people visiting Disney, especially for the first time, should basically be blown away by most of the moderate hotels. They are just as nice and the difference in the rooms is negligible. You might get a few more square feet (literally, a few) or a bigger bed in a deluxe, if you're lucky (I had to fight for my king size bed on my last trip to AKL) but all in all, the moderates are just as cool as deluxes and the difference in actual quality is not reflected in the price.

I guess some updated deluxe rooms at CR, GF and maybe Poly (I don't know)have flat screen TVs and fresher furniture. But, don't forget that "view" rooms are more expensive than "basic" rooms at deluxe hotels. I don't agree with these things being worth $100-1000 more per night. For my money, I'm happy with saving that money and being able to enjoy better meals, snacks, drinks...and don't forget your first time souveniers! Everything from a professional picture on Main Street USA to Minnie ears to t-shirts/sweatshirts to light-up necklaces adds up quickly and it's nice to not have to go into debt to be able to afford that stuff.

Since you've never been there, even staying off property would be exciting for you. Just being in the vicinity of Disney is electric. You can start by looking at the hotels on Hotel Plaza Blvd (Hilton, The Palace, Best Western, Double Tree, etc.). I believe these hotels are on property, but even if they're technically not, they are within the "gate" on the east side of the property and just steps from Downtown Disney. The Palace is a nice hotel, with rooms larger and nicer than most moderate Disney rooms at about the same price. They even have rooms that face the parks for fireworks viewing, etc.

Another good close-to-property option is the Marriott Village on Vineland Ave just SE of the property on the other side of I-4. These are relatively new Marriott hotels (Courtyard, Fairfield, etc.) that have good prices and lots of local restaurant options (Uno, Bahama Breeze...Hooters ). You always have the option of exhausting your day at the parks and then crashing at these cheaper hotels. Oh, and breakfast tends to be included - that could save you $30-75/day.

One word about value resorts. I've never stayed at one of these, but they appear to be like a Motel 6 with big, larger than life theming surrounding the buildings. If that standard for a room doesn't bother you and money is a issue, but you REALLY want to stay on property, go ahead and consider one of these. They're just not for me.

All in all, it comes down to what you can afford (or how much debt you're willing to go into) and how you're going to be using the room. If you're going to be out all day and using the room for a crash pad, paying for a deluxe could be not worth it. If you plan on spending time at the hotel's ammenities and spending time taking breaks or naps in your room, then you might want to look at it. Either way, a moderate is MORE than enough for MOST people.

Good luck on your search, LONG wait, and have fun!!!

 

[bigmoonmullen]

Hi Irin997

Pwrflpills has a lot of great points.

We also rented a 3 bedroom condo 3 miles from the entrance for $600.00 for the week back in 2002... it was an outstanding condo... we used our car for that trip to get to and from.... If you stay offsite you will have a tendency to stay in one park for the entire day… so I think that Park Hopper passes in that case are not be really worth it. BUT offsite you can save a ton of money... That said I prefer onsite there is something about the atmosphere... However, if money is a big key issue I would never hesitate staying offsite.

Our next trip in 2004 was on-site and we really enjoyed the convenience of using the Disney transportation system. How much is that worth??? That’s everyone personal call.

My brother’s family stayed at the Caribbean Beach (really spread out) and really enjoyed it… his only complaints that I know of was that his location was at the end of the bus line which meant at times the bus was already full or they had to stand on the bus… so on any large resorts I think location within the resorts needs to be considered. His other issue was that he thought the rooms were on the small side for a family of four. POP rooms are slighty smaller but in our case there are only two of us so it's no big deal.

Have fun with your planning,

Mark

 

[Irin997]

Lots of great insight from everybody. One thing I've definitely decided is that we're staying onsight. There are too many great advantages to staying onsite, particularly the transportation system. The poly is a front runner simply because of it's monorail access, which I believe someone mentioned can easily get you to Epcot or MK. In addition to staying onsite, we're planning on taking advantage of the dining program. You can't beat the value from all the various people and websites on how expensive meals are.

Now my reasons for a deluxe or moderate room: yes, we'll spend a lot of time at the parks, most likely in the first three or four days, but I don't necessarily anticipate spending 8 or 9 hours every day at one of parks. In fact, I anticipate some sort of 2 or 3 hour hiatius in the middle of the day to go back to our room, maybe swim a bit, and recharge for the rest of the day. Secondly, this could very well be our only trip to WDW or 1 of 2, depending on when the next child comes along. I want to make it the best trip ever! I've already anticipated spending a good $5k on everything for this trip, and I've just started saving a small amount everyday to help fund. Considering the fact that we won't even be booking for another year and half, you never know what could end up in my bank account! Sure that extra $1500 for the room can be put somewhere else, but when taking a vacation like this, I'm prepared to go all out!! This could be the only time I see WDW...at least for a very long time.

Thanks everyone!!

 

[ms_mckenna]

Just thought I would add this. It has been spot on for a lot of people. http://hotels.about.com/cs/disneyworld/l/blwiz_wdw01.htm If you decide you want to stay onsite.

 

[Jrabbit910]

Just thought I would add this. It has been spot on for a lot of people. http://hotels.about.com/cs/disneyworld/l/blwiz_wdw01.htm If you decide you want to stay onsite.

thanks for that post. I never knew about it before and it was fun taking the test... Unfortunatley the results was a hotel that we didnt like... (top 1).... but the others were great choices... so once again thank u!