Favorite resort for family of 5

[mrsp1030]

Now that we are a family of 5 with 3 boys what would be your favorite with boys ages 8, 6 and almost 3. We've stayed at AK and WL and loved both and are debating if we rent points for a one bedroom again or do we try out Poly, beach Club or contemporary. We go about very 2 years and this is the last time we wot be paying for all 3 since little DS will not be 3 yet. We will be driving also so have a car. Just curious as to opinions.

 

[AJKMOM]

If your kids like to swim, the Beach Club is a good choice. The pool area is great for all ages.

 

[Mazz519]

Beach club is awesome, Ive stayed at most of the resorts and my 3 boys love the Beach Club.....the pool area is great.....We are staying there again this July

 

[clanmcculloch]

I'm obviously among the minority here but I'm really not fond of BC for a family with multiple young kids who aren't strong swimmers. The pool is very spread out. You can only see small portions of the pool from any given spot. There are areas of the pool that are deep. I much prefer a smaller pool where you can see the majority of the pool from a single spot. I'm guessing you'll spend more time at MK than DHS with kids that age so transportation from CR and Poly would be better for you than BC. Poly has the boats and monorail to MK and if you walk to TTC then a single monorail ride to Epcot. CR is walking distance to MK and then monorail (transferring at TTC) to Epcot.

If you like the theming at AKL and WL then I think the one that'll be most to your liking would be Poly. It's styled in those same darker tones and has a more intimate feel. The pools are also a lot smaller and the slide isn't nearly as high which is good for younger kids though it's still exciting enough for kids the ages of your older ones.

 

[jbeanz2001]

If the little one isn't 3 yet, you could stay in a resort for 4 people with him in a pack n play.

 

[mickeynut1]

Now that we are a family of 5 with 3 boys what would be your favorite with boys ages 8, 6 and almost 3. We've stayed at AK and WL and loved both and are debating if we rent points for a one bedroom again or do we try out Poly, beach Club or contemporary. We go about very 2 years and this is the last time we wot be paying for all 3 since little DS will not be 3 yet. We will be driving also so have a car. Just curious as to opinions.

We've stayed at all of them except the CR (although not in the villas, just regular rooms at AKL/WL/BC) and our favorite is the Poly. We love the location, the pool, the large rooms, the beach, and Captain Cooks. You can't go wrong with any of them, IMO, but the Poly would be our choice for the reasons listed .

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

BC absolutely. My kids love the pool and love walking around the boardwalk. They also love the ice cream at Beaches and Cream and the game room. It is a great hotel and a great location.

 

[Stbsl01]

Now that we are a family of 5 with 3 boys what would be your favorite with boys ages 8, 6 and almost 3. We've stayed at AK and WL and loved both and are debating if we rent points for a one bedroom again or do we try out Poly, beach Club or contemporary. We go about very 2 years and this is the last time we wot be paying for all 3 since little DS will not be 3 yet. We will be driving also so have a car. Just curious as to opinions.

I have 3 girls (3,5 and 9). This is my first year traveling and paying for the youngest. I opted for a Lion King suite at AoA, if it isn't to "Disney Immersed" for you. The theming is great for my little ones but still interests my older child. I tried to splurge last year, as I wouldn't have to pay for the youngest.... but my husband broke his leg and we had to cancel. AoA wasn't open yet- so I guess it all worked out. Good Luck!!

 

[Aliceacc]

For our family, its the Beach Club, particulary since we only go over the summer. Stormalong Bay is simply amazing!!!! We love the resort: the whole vibe, the location (seriously, it took us under 5 minutes to walk to Epcot!!!), even the smell when you walk into the lobby. It's our new family favorite.

But with kids the ages of yours, you'll be spending a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom. So allow me to put in a plug for the Poly.

It's lush and gorgeous.... it really does transport you to a different place. My kids loved the volcano pool with its waterfall and zero entry. And the location is also wonderful-- the monorail to the MK is right there, and you can walk to the TTC for the Epcot monorail. (I really had to talk my kids,particularly my son, into the Beach Club last year. The monorail has always been one of his favorite things about WDW.) For young kids, it really is a wonderful choice. My girls learned how to do the hula one year, and there's almost always someone in the lobby doing coloring pages or a craft. And you're a short monorail ride away from the Magic Kingdom... that's incredibly nice at the end of a long day!!!!

I agree with the poster who said that it might be hard keeping track of 3 young kids at SAB. It's immense; there's no one spot where you could sit and see everyone in the water. Yes, there are lifeguards, but I always figure they're the backup, not the main source of safety. The Volcano pool at the Poly is different; unless they're up on the line for the slide, you can see them.

Really consider the Poly, it's a wonderful choice! I would think that it's probably the best choice for your family.

 

[KevinK]

Our family consists of five including three kids ages 8, 8, and 7. We have stayed at the cabins, POR, and the Boardwalk and hands down our favorite is the Boardwalk. The rooms have two queen beds and a day bed which would be good for your 3 y/o. It is a five minute walk to Epcot and a short boat ride to DHS (you could walk but it is about a mile). At night the Boardwalk has free side show entertainment. The buses are not usually full so rarely do we have to stand after a long day at MK. One night we were the only ones on the bus coming home from MK! The pool is a nice size and the water slide is shaped like a roller coaster which my kids love. Also there are plenty of places to eat.

 

[lmhall2000]

Poly or Contemporary...bottom line...monorail is your best bet with tired little boys...quick jaunt back, love the Neverland babysitting service for a night out...our kids were 4,5, 8 when we used it...convenience adds load to a vacation...boys will love the volcano pool or staying in a hotel with a train running through it

 

[kam1011]

I like the MK resorts and our favorite overall is Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary. Amazing views, you can walk to MK or the monorail is right there. I don't find the pool as crowded as other resorts. (It's also not quite as amazing as some others, although it has zero entry and a giant slide.) The beds are the best in the World. The resort is active, busy, etc. Always something to do.

My second favorite is Saratoga Springs, which doesn't get much love on here, but it's quiet, well appointed, many pools and playgrounds. We had a water view with Downtown Disney on the other side of the water. And by many pools, I don't mean one really cool pool and a bunch of other pools that look like the one in my back yard. They have a couple really cool pools It is the opposite of BLT.

We're a family of five also. I'm not overly picky and we like all the villas. Do take note that some 1-bedrooms only sleep 4 and some sleep 5. You will be allowed to book a room that sleeps 4 because your youngest is under three, but if he sleeps in a bed, you may come up one short.

 

[mrsp1030]

Thank you all for opinions/advice. So hard to make a choice but since it will not be our last trip to the world by any means, it is easy to try out something different. I'm afraid that since we are use to a one bedroom, the lack of space might get to us eventually. Our two oldest always talk about our savannah view room at AK and I would love for our youngest to experience that also. I think as they get older, beach club sounds like it would be perfect!

 

[darkwing818]

Thank you all for opinions/advice. So hard to make a choice but since it will not be our last trip to the world by any means, it is easy to try out something different. I'm afraid that since we are use to a one bedroom, the lack of space might get to us eventually. Our two oldest always talk about our savannah view room at AK and I would love for our youngest to experience that also. I think as they get older, beach club sounds like it would be perfect!

We're at the BC right now (just got off the Fantasy Saturday) our DDs love the pool here & the choice of restaurants is exceptional.

 

[texasteacher35]

We're at the BC right now (just got off the Fantasy Saturday) our DDs love the pool here & the choice of restaurants is exceptional.

The Epcot area is phenomenal!!!! My favorite!!!! We will be at BWV in a few weeks, can't wait!!!

 

[Mazz519]

BC... great pool, were dvc members so we usually get the 2br villa, a lot of rm and a great resort all around... Wilderness lodge is pretty cool also nice pool zero entry for small kids and a slide.

 

[SA mom]

The Swan and Dolphin both have these rooms called Deluxe Alcove rooms. They are bigger than a regular room. We stayed in one about 2 years ago with three adults and two pre-teen girls. We had plenty of room and the pool is awesome.

Now that our pre-teens are older, though, we will be looking into something with 2 bathrooms!

 

[jade1]

If the little one isn't 3 yet, you could stay in a resort for 4 people with him in a pack n play.

Or a VGF studio.

BLT 1 BR would be great.

 

[mrsp1030]

We may consider a studio. I just know our choices will be down to certain deluxes, one bedrooms and two rooms at moderate as they get older. So, trying to decide if we spend more money on room for the trip since wont be paying ticket for youngest DS.

 

[mid630]

I definitely think you need to look at the dynamic of your entire trip. We had a NYE arrival with our 3 kids. We knew we wouldn't be doing any parks that day, so we decided that would be our day to go around and look at Christmas decorations at the resorts & do Chef Mickey's for dinner so something felt "Disney" about the day. We also had 1/2 our days at MK. So after considering many, many, many options, we decided Contemporary was the resort for us for THIS trip, hands down. We could walk to MK, had easy monorail service for Epcot, and direct bus service to AK & DHS from our hotel.