First Time trip

[Hodgkiss]

I'm looking for some suggestions on where to stay and what to look for in planning my family's first trip to Disney World. My daughter is 4 and son 1, so a kid friendly hotel would be preferred.
Thank you for any suggestions!

 

[Rneighh]

I would strongly suggest staying on grounds it is so much nicer to not have to deal with driving to and from the parks. Once you make that decision then select the price range you want to spend Value, moderate or deluxe. Then the selection will be easier.

Renee

 

[Grumpy92]

The Disney resorts are wonderful and your children will love them. You might keep an eye on mousesavers.com and see if any of the discounts apply to you. You also might want to order a Vacation planning Video/DVD (free) on disneyworld.com. It will give you a good overview of the parks and all the resorts. After you choose a resort and make your resv then think about one character meal. Choose one with your childs fave character and make a PS at 407-wdw-dine.

 

[capnho]

All the Disney resorts are pretty kid friendly. I think the main variable is how much space you want and how many $$$ you want to spend. I think staying offsite is a lot more difficult with small kids, as I can guarantee that you'll want to take a midday break from the parks.

If you are able to spend a bit more, I can't say enough about the home away from home resorts. We stayed in a 1-bedroom at Old Key West last year with 5 and 3 year olds. It was very nice having them sleeping on couches in the common area while we had the bedroom (and the two-person jacuzzi tub!) to ourselves. Having a kitchen for snacks and meals was a huge advantage when we were getting tired of theme park fare, plus eating breakfast in the room saved us quite a bit of time and money versus having to buy breakfast every morning.

The only drawback about OKW is that the pool doesn't have the great theming of some of the other resorts. My kids still loved splashing around in it, so it was pretty minor. There are other home away from home resorts, so if that's important to you you could check out one of the others.

Good luck, and I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter where you stay!

 

[Tigger Fans!]

<font face=bedini COLOR=purple size=5>Welcome to the DisBoards Hodgkiss!</font>
We've all learned tons from this site! Hope finding these boards will make your trip even more magical!

I'd recommend staying onsite - especially with young children. Your kids will probably want to spend most of their time at MK - and I'm sure you'll be waiting in line for Dumbo a few times!

What category of resorts are you interested in? Value, Moderate, Home Away From Home, Deluxe???

 

[Hodgkiss]

Thanks you all for the immediate responses. I have the Resort video, and we are looking at one of the moderates or the deluxe resorts. So far I've received alot of positive feedback about the Carribean Beach and Port Orleans for the Moderate and Deluxe, I have heard alot of positives about the Contemporary Resort and the Swan. I was hoping to get as much research as possible before booking.
Thanks again.

 

[msteddom]

With such young children I would stay at either one of the Monorail Resorts or an Epcot resort depending on which park you think you will visit most. You will appreciate the ease of the transportation options.

Melissa

 

[swilphil]

The Swan/Dolphin are both great resorts. I find the Dolphin to be a little more kid friendly. We stayed there with our two sons (3 and 1) and they loved the pool and lobby. The location is so convenient to return to the room, and the bus transportation to MK is excellent. They have great rates for govt./teachers/nurses, as well as the Entertainment Book rate.

 

[rngclick]

have