First Time Family

[WaterLinds]

I have questions in a bunch of topics, so I figured the family board would be the best venue. I hope I've guessed right!

We are planning our first family trip to WDW for the first week in February 2015. I grew up in Fl, and visited many times as child (ahem...a long time ago!), but my Canadian husband has never been, and neither was our 3.5 year old son.

I am trying first to narrow down our preferences for a resort, so we can get some package quotes. My son would love riding the monorail all the time, and it expect we will spend more time at MK than the other parks, so although it stretches the budget a bit I was hoping with the off season discounts we could stay at one of those resorts. Poly was my original first choice because I know he would love the volcano pool, but with the construction I am not sure it makes sense to go there now. So probably Contemporary as our first choice?

If we look beyond the MK resorts, my next choice was Beach club, but again with the construction! What else at Epcot would you recommend for a family with a young child?

I've been pondering the AoA suites, too, because having the extra room is always nice when your kid goes to bed early. My main concern is transportation--the convenience of being right at MK or Epcot is hard to beat. I will be about six months pregnant, and I suspect I will appreciate not having to wrangle a tired kid on the bus at the end of a long day every day (I know we will still likely use the buses some days, of course, to go to other parks).

Once we get the where sorted out I expect I will be back with more planning questions as we make dining reservations and other plans!

 

[mrsp1030]

I would give WL a try. Quick boat ride to MK and Contemporary. Excellent theming and one of our favorite overall resorts!!!

 

[WaterLinds]

I had been thinking of WL, I think we would have fun there. I had read some concerns about the transportation--particularly in the low season, as I guess the bus service is usually shared with FW then? It's not a total deal breaker, and I'm sure my son would enjoy riding the launch to MK, but it knocked it a bit lower down the list. How long does the bus usually take to get to the various parks?

I need to read more about the construction plans at BC/YC, I think, to decide if those are still options. I know if Stormalong Bay is open my son would love that.

What about Boardwalk? I've heard it can be noisy at night, but I imagine that depends on where your room is? Otherwise it seems like it might be fun for a kid?

POFQ had also been recommended, but again I wondered about the length of the bus service in February, since I understand both PO resorts share buses then. Going down to a moderate would certainly allow us more flexibility in our budget for other fun experiences, which would be nice.

 

[mopp22]

We have stayed at WL several times, and the buses were never really an issue for my family. On our way to a park, WL was the second stop, so it was a quick ride. On the return trips, we had to stop at FW first, but the resorts are very close to one another, and it didn't add much time. The ferry to MK was awesome, and if you want to, you can always take the monorail from Epcot to MK and hop on the ferry back to WL. We have stayed at BC as well. If I had to compare the 2, I'd say the pool is better at BC, but the lobby and general layout were better at WL. My kids had loads of fun just playing in the lobby at WL, running across the bridge and tossing coins in the water.

 

[MandiC]

I'd make a list of your resort must-haves.
Do you want more kid-friendly decor (Art of Animation) or adult-friendly (Port Orleans Riverside/Contemporary)? Does it not matter?
Is proximity to MK a must? Epcot? How high on the must haves list is that?
Do you want extras? A cabin at Fort Wilderness you get the extra space and kitchen and it is a boat ride away from MK (though I heard it's quite a large resort to walk around and has an internal bus system) It also has the Chip and Dale Campfire and pony rides. POR has a carriage ride and when we were there had fishing as well as boat rentals.

If I had a small child I'd want the Contemporary. It is the only resort you can walk to and from MK, and to me that is a huge bonus when you have stroller-aged children. I believe the only resort you would need to take the bus to would be AK. Some people don't mind the buses, I was not a fan of all the waiting. You pay so much to be there, to spend all that time waiting around seemed like kind of a waste sometimes. On the days we went to the parks in the morning and didn't come back until night it didn't bother me as much but if you plan to go back to the resort during the day it was more frustrating.

There are discounts for that time of year too and those deals only tend to have a certain amount of rooms at certain resorts. No way to know without calling I don't think but it'd be worth asking about as you decide.

 

[ktlm]

We have stayed at WL a few times and really like it. I would not hestitate to stay there again. The rooms are smaller than the monorail resorts or BC/YC though. If you want the monorail, the GF is really nice and the CMs are great over there. I have heard some people say they think it is stuffy, but we have never felt that way or been treated anything but wonderful by the CMs even when we are in the lobby or stores all sweaty and dirty from being in the parks all day. I'm thinking the people that say it is stuffy may never have actually stayed there. You will occasionally see dressed up people around the main building because they have a ton of weddings there and there are people dressed up to go to Victoria's and Alberts, so maybe they have seen those people when they visited the resort for whatever reason and that gave them a "stuffy" vibe. I've been in a "stuffy" hotel before, and I don't get that feel at GF at all. We have never stayed at the Contempory because the style does not really appeal to us, but the walk to MK can't be beat, and the next monorail stop is the TTC to switch to the express monorail to EPCOT.

If you are looking at the EPCOT area resorts, I would recommend YC over the Beach Club if you are 6 months pregnant. The smell that they pipe into the Beach Club lobby is really strong, and I know how smells can affect pregnant women. I have allergies and when we stayed at the BC, it made me really sick. We just got back from a stay at YC and we absolutely LOVED it. It is just a few steps further to walk to EPCOT. YC is closer to the boat dock if you want to grab the boat to DHS instead of walking. There was no lobby scent to make me sick. They do not have a CS inside, but they are connected to the Beach Club and it isn't horribly far to go to that CS. The YC gift shop does have some stuff, there is Hurricane Hanna's at the pool where you can grab CS for lunch or dinner, and there is a lounge which is open in the morning by the lobby that has coffee, orange juice, sodas, and pastries. I was worried about no CS, but it was not an issue at all. I don't know if February is warm enough to spend time at the pool, but if it is, Stormalong Bay is fantastic. I have heard the refurb is just the redoing of rooms, which shouldn't really impact you. We were by the Poly a few weeks ago when we were there and while we love the Poly and really enjoyed our stays there, I would not want to be staying there right now. It was just a mass of construction walls. I don't think BC/YC will be the same experience, as I don't think they are doing a massive reconstruction. We absolutely loved YC- it is one of our favorites.

 

[WaterLinds]

MandiC, I would say decor is a pretty low priority. Pretty sure my son will be thrilled enough by everything without needing extra theming in the room.

I think the proximity/travel time is pretty high on the list, although it will depend on the deals we can get and what we can afford. The prices I am seeing online are still quite high, but hopefully we can find a decent deal!

 

[WaterLinds]

Ktlm, thanks for the feedback on BC/YC, that's helpful. I've read contradictory things about the renovations there, so will double check to see if I can verify what's true. For us, February will probably be warm enough to be at the pool as long as the Polar Vortex doesn't hit again! I understand all the pools are heated to 82, so that will feel great to us, even if the air is "cool" (as long as it's above freezing, it will feel balmy to us in February!).

I hadn't heard about the scent issue at BC before, so that's good to be aware of.

I had ruled out GF based just on price rather than stuffiness at this point. The right deal might change our minds, of course, but I expect our budget won't stretch quite that far.

 

[ktlm]

GF, BC, YC, poly and contemporary are usually around the same price. If we can't get a discount, we usually do WL. The boat to MK is nice and the resort is well themed and beautiful. We stayed there when DD was 3 and she loved it. We have done AKL and it is great but it is far from everything. We have also done POR and liked it too. I think it is hard to go wrong with any WDW resort!

 

[NicoleLarson]

Another vote for WL. I can't think of any bus issues we've had there. I love, love, love the boat to MK! Not having to fold a stroller and wake up a sleeping child is priceless. Also, highly recommend CR, try the garden wing to save money. You may want to check out orbitz. They will usually give you an extra 10-15% on top of whatever discount disney is currently offering. When in February are you going? Start making dining reservations now!

 

[WaterLinds]

So far in my searches, GF is about $100 more per night than poly or contemporary, and then BC/YC are $50-100 less than those, so the difference is significant. I, kind of shocked at how much Poly is with the construction.

I haven't checked orbitz, so will take a look there!

 

[NicoleLarson]

So far in my searches, GF is about $100 more per night than poly or contemporary, and then BC/YC are $50-100 less than those, so the difference is significant. I, kind of shocked at how much Poly is with the construction.

I haven't checked orbitz, so will take a look there!

Try REVIEW15, for an extra 15% off. That's the mousesavers code.

 

[NicoleLarson]

Try REVIEW15, for an extra 15% off. That's the mousesavers code.

Just did a sample of dates feb. 7-14th and it brings WL to $231/night! BC and BW are $300, so that's a starting point for you.

 

[mopp22]

I have found that WL is the most affordable of the Deluxe resorts. AKL is usually right around the same amount, but that is not one I would recommend to you due to its distance from the parks.

 

[WaterLinds]

Thanks Nicole, that's helpful! Once I decide on our top three choices I was planning to get quotes from some travel agencies as well as searching myself.

I do keep coming back to AoA as a possibility despite the location, because of the suites and the pool. And even though I said theming was low on my list of priorities, Nemo is one of the few Disney movies my son has actually watched, so that does appeal a bit. We will likely end up in our room for 12 hours a day at least, so having the extra space is nice.

I have a hard time with decisions! But I want to get the hotel sorted out so I can move on to dithering about dining. I know no one can tell me for sure what would work for us, but I appreciate all the feedback that has been offered.

 

[MandiC]

I think AoA would be really fun with a 3 year old
I will say, we did POR, but when we got home we saw a show (Walt Disney World Resort Hotels) and my 8 year old asked why we didn't stay at Art of Animation other than transportation the negative to AoA to me was lack of an on-site restaurant. This may or may not matter much to you, I do believe they have a food court. Have you ordered a planning DVD? You can get one sent to your house for free, it might help to watch it

 

[ktlm]

So far in my searches, GF is about $100 more per night than poly or contemporary, and then BC/YC are $50-100 less than those, so the difference is significant. I, kind of shocked at how much Poly is with the construction.

I haven't checked orbitz, so will take a look there!

The prices can be so different at different times of the year, and based on what is going on in the parks at that time. When F&W is going on, BC/YC are usually more expensive than GF, Poly or CR. I have checked at other times and found them all almost identical. I have seen the Poly cheaper than GF, but usually the Contempory has been the same price as GF when that is the case. After seeing the Poly on our trip a couple of weeks ago, I'm surprised that the rates have not been lowered during the construction period. I would not be happy if I spent full price for the way it is right now. We stayed at GF during construction a couple of years ago, and it seems like the rates were lower than usual- not much because it was the beginning of the holiday season and the GF is a holiday favorite because of the decor and music, but it still seems like they at least had a little bit of a break for the construction! Seems like I remember being a little irritated because we had booked a bounceback the year before and the going rate during the construction wasn't that much higher than what we had booked with the bounceback discount, so I kind of felt like we were really getting that much of a discount like we had thought we were. Yes, I am that person that sometimes randomly checks the resort rates for different dates for fun, or for the time period we are going to see what rooms are left, or if the deals have changed, etc. I know, I'm Disney crazy!

I have heard good things about the AOA family suites, but we have never been over to that resort to see it.

 

[esquared221]

I just wanted to add that we stayed at WL Villas during our stay this past May with our DD7 and DS almost 3 and we loved it. The selling point for me was the short boat ride to MK which is where we spend most of our time. At the end of a long day you just want to get back to your room and relax and it was super easy to do that on our MK days. One night we stayed for Wishes and when we left with the mass exodus out of the park we just walked over to the boat which is directly across from the gates and were on our way back to our resort within minutes. Meanwhile the line to the Monorail was backed up all the way down the ramp and up to the gates and the bus area was a zoo. I have never been so happy with our resort decision as I was in that moment

 

[WaterLinds]

I did order a planning DVD, it was ages ago and it hasn't come yet, so I should check on that I guess! But we watched most of the clips online after I ordered it, I think, and we've also watched a lot of the YouTube previews of the resorts, too. That was how we initially decided on the Poly, before news of the construction.

I've contacted two agencies and asked for quotes for CR, WL, and BC for starters. I'm going to do some pricing out on my own, too, with the Orbitz discount and things (looks like Orbitz is also offering a ticket deal that I am not seeing advertised elsewhere? 5 days for the price of 3--and we were going to get 5 day tickets, so that would work well for us. I know there are other ticket deals out there, too, so I will compare the totals.).

If the deluxe options come back higher than I'm expecting after all that, we will re-evaluate AoA. I wish a suite or 1 bedroom villa at one of the deluxe properties was an option, because I would love the extra space to put DS to bed early and relax in the other room, but I don't think we can afford any of those options, so it's either a suite at AoA or just live with the one room elsewhere. He's a better sleeper than he used to be, so we might be fine tiptoeing around him. Or we might be so tired we crash when he does! Hard to predict how things are going to go.

Thanks again everyone for all the advice. Hearing how many people really like WL has been helpful, especially.

 

[MandiC]

Have you looked into how much it would cost to rent points for a DVC? I have heard that it can save quite a bit of money and then you get the added advantage of a suite in a Deluxe resort. I know David's DVC rentals has a calculator that will tell you about how much each resort will be for the amount of points you'd need at the time of year you give and the amount of days you plan on staying