First Timers with Kids

[dancemomnj]

This will be our first family trip. We are planning on going in November (Jersey Week). My girls will be 4 and 6. What hotel would your recommend in each category since I am still can't decide what I want to do. Also what character meal do you suggest for my girls.
Thank you all for you advice!

 

[all4fun]

I really suggest you check out allearsnet.com accomodations page. DH and I are DVC members and we are partial to the Boardwalk because of it's proximity to Epcot & MGM and the general atmosphere. Also nearby are the Swan & Dolphin hotels, and the Yacht & Beach Club hotels (and Beach Club Villas - DVC resort). You might also consider renting points from a DVC member (check out the DVC rental board here for info on that).

What kind of characters do your girls like? If they love princesses then you'll want to look into breakfast at CRT or Akershus (Norway pavilion, EPCOT). This page has info on all the Character meals.

hth!

 

[dancemomnj]

Thank you!
My girls are big princess fans being 4 &6. The younger also loves Mickey. We are thinking we will spend most of our time at MK.

 

[scorpad99]

We have stayed at allstar music and pop century , both are great, rooms are small, but lets face it , your in disney to do disney , not to hang in a hotel. I`d rather have the extra money to spend on my trip.
My princess was 8 the first trip and we couldnt get into the castle breakfast so we opted for the one in Norway, and it was magical! I didnt know too much about Disney back then, but I think I planned pretty well. We also did Chef Mickey which is a must for our family for breakfast each trip! Make sure you make ressies 90 days out (you can paln your whole trips meals on the 90 day mark) Which is how we ended up eating in the castle for breakfast this time. Our ressies were for 10:30 and we were the last seating for breakfast................but got to the park at opening and got to open the park!
Ran to Tinkerbells treasures (a store on the other side of the castle near fantasy land) and my daughter got to wake up tinkerbell. Very exciting, they give you a certificate which we saved. It was empty that early , so we got to do every ride in fantasyland b4 breakfast with no wait..............and when we got to the castle and had our pics done with Cinderella in front of the huge Christmas tree (its up in Nov) we went up to eat. All the princesses had made their way around the room already, so the waitress made them all come right in a row to us specially and we got video and pictures and quality time with them all / b4 we got to sit and enjoy our wonderful breakfast! No one rushed us out, since they were cleaning up from breakfast to get ready for lunch. So I`d reccommend a later breakfast, but get to MK early and do rides while it is empty. The food comes plated, but dont be shy , they will bring you as much as you ask for! We did! LOL

 

[dancemomnj]

Thanks so much!
I was interested in Chef Mickey too.
The more I read the more uncertain I am about hotels. If I could do anything I think I would stay at the Poly. becase it's close to the MK... but it's ALOT of money. Then I read about the Allstars (my husband likes the price much better). They sound fine but then I read about bussing. Was it bad with bussing? Were you able to go back later on them for dinner without a problem? The moderates seem like they are only about $300 more.
I'm not sure about the food plan. Most people say it's great. My girls are only going to be 4 &6 and not big eaters at all.
Dawn Very confused by it all!

 

[mess]

I have had the same concerns as you, this is going to be our first trip in July and we have 2 daughters who will be 5 & 7 at the time of the trip. Neither are big eaters either so we decided against the meal plan but have booked at POFQ as they liked the look of the King Triton slide in the pool and we figured it would be a little quieter that the All Stars.

Our girls are Princess mad too, so I am organising the 2 Princess Breakfasts and the rest of the time we will probably just eat where and when we can. I have booked through Dreams Unlimited and will take there advice as much as possible.

Good luck
Nick

 

[flapjack71]

I have been to Disney many times before my family and am planning our first trip as a family so I know how daunting it can be. My advice would be to stay at a moderate rather then All Stars - the price is good but the rooms at AS is smaller with less food choices and further then all other resorts to the MK. Can be hard on people if you don't have a car. Staying at a Moderate will give you more food choices (food court or sit down relaxed meal) pools are great in all of them and the surroundings are always alot of fun. Many people love the All Stars but I always feel that for a first timer you might be alittle disappointed. The moderates aren't that much more, especially if you go on a Value Season time. Check out the Dis site - they have pictures of every resort. http://www.allearsnet.com/

If you do go for the AS - I would check in to renting a car so you can get around with your little ones in a faster method - breakdown happening - hop to the car and off to the room for alittl rest or pool jumping. Go to Downtown Disney for some shopping and play time at Lego land - hop skip to the Boardwalk for a relaxing walk around maybe a boat ride!!! All of this can happen faster with a car.

Remember to just take it easy and enjoy yourselves. Don't worry if you miss a ride - worry that you might miss the jow on the faces of your little ones because you were running around. Disney is beautiful - take the time to enjoy!!!

 

[dancemomnj]

Thank you all! I think moderate is going to be the way to go for us. Next delma is picking the one. I didn't want it to be too for from MK but looks like they all are. How long to get to MK from the busses? I checked into deluxe and it is out of the budget.

 

[KimWDW]

We stayed at POP and I really loved it because POP doesn't share buses with any other hotels. Picks you up, takes you right to the park. Nice and quick.

Also, in addition to three big pools, they have a great kiddie pool and a fantastic splashpad (the Goofy PopJets) which the little kids love to run through.

 

[mom22princesses]

We just got back from a week stay at the moderate POFQ with DDs (7 &4)! I absolutely loved the resort. It is the smallest of all of the moderates and so everything is close. They have a nice big food court (central and close to all buildings), a huge pool with a fun serpent water slide (not too fast and huge for my 4 yr old). There is only one bus stop and we had no problem with bus transportation (excecpt for waiting awhile after Wishes FQ shares buses with POR but it is first on and first off and so we always got a seat. Riverside is close by and it did not take long to go to those bus stops. I felt like POFQ was very centrally located. I took about the same amount of time to get to any of the parks (10 minutes or so, once all were aboard). There is also a boat to DTD (nice 20 min ride) and you can walk or take a boat to Riverside which has a full-service restaurant (yummy!)

We actually stayed at WL 2 years ago and I think I may have liked FQ better. It was so nicely laid out and had an open, airy feeling to it. My DH liked the price better too!
Have fun planning!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

There's something great to be said about ALL of the Disney resorts. Check out the planning video and let your children decide where they would like to say.

If your children are Cinderella lovers, I recommend dinner at 1900 in the GF. My dd loves seeing Cinderella and Prince Charming, and dh and I enjoy the excellent food. Normally, I'm not a buffet person; but I crave the food at 1900.

Crystal Palace for breakfast with Pooh and Friends is another favorite amongst my 3 children (and dh and me!!!). The food is excellent, and the character interaction great! It's fun to make an ADR for before the park is officially open. You can get some wonderful shots of your family in front of the castle...with no one else around!

Have fun!

 

[dancemomnj]

It's so nice to get opinions from people who have stayed at WL and POFQ. I'm so happy that many of you like POFQ! The price difference between moderates and WL is over $900. That's a big portion of my airfare!

 

[dancemomnj]

The 3(will be 4 when we go) year old is already asking to see Pooh. Thanks for the info!

 

[My2Cinderellas]

which resort is a matter of your tastes and budget. my girls are 5 and 7 and I chose the French Quarter because I needed to compromise between deluxe tastes and a value budget. I chose FQ over the other moderates because of all the comments about compact resort/easy to get around.

for dining - remember that ADR's can now be made 180 days in advance. If you are staying onsite, you can make all of your reservations (up to 10 days worth) once you hit 180 days before arrival. If you end up staying offsite, then you have to call every day at 180 days out.

I have the Unofficial Guide and Passporter books, both are helpful in planning what to see and do that will be right for your family. Oh - and get addicted to reading the disboards! I have learned a lot here. DH is leaving the planning to me, but really liked the Passporter book, he's looking through that so he knows what I'm talking about.

for my Princess mad DDs, we are doing the dinner at 1900 Park Fare with Cinderella, a lunch at Akershus in Epcot, and our special end to the vacation treat is the My Disney Princess Tea Party on our last full day.

have fun planning!!!

 

[dancemomnj]

Character Meals are 90 days before correct or are they 180 days too? I'll have to check into it. I have 3 books and reading this board . I am sure learning alot!

 

[My2Cinderellas]

Character Meals are 90 days before correct or are they 180 days too? I'll have to check into it. I have 3 books and reading this board . I am sure learning alot!

in October or November everything changed from 90 to 180 days. some 2006 guidebooks were printed in 2005 before this went into effect, so they have incorrect information.

 

[alite]

A couple of the Moderates have their own bus service. Even if you are located far away from MK, you won't have to worry about full or crowded buses. Some of the modrates are very large, with long walks to the food courts/pools. Do some research as to which building you would like for whichever resort you choose. I'm partial to CSR, but don't have kids to think about.

 

[zdesiree]

I would recommend you to rent DVC points staying at the OKW. I did that last December and I saved a LOT, plus now my family is in love with the hotel. In your case if you are going to stay for a week (7 nights) it can cost you around $820.00 for a studio. Check this option, maybe is good for your family.

 

[dancemomnj]

I am so excited. After much hard thought, I just booked POFQ for November! I think it will be great for my family!