have questions need answers..PLEASE! Thanks!

[Family helper]

I am trying to plan a trip to Disney World. I have 6 adults, 1 senior and 5 kids (ages 5-8). We are flying in on March 12, 2005 and flying out March 19, 2005.
1.) What hotels on the resort are kid friendly that are either value or moderately priced. What is the difference between the two?
2.) I have seen the prices and options for the packages to Disney, Silver and Gold package interest me the most. The only price range if given for 3 days, we are going to be there for 8 days.
3.) Any other information about packages or helpful hints for our trip would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Family Helper

 

[oogieboogie]

Hi, first off WELCOME TO THE DIS!

Have you checked out http://www.allearsnet.com The site give a ton of great information, including package prices, ticket prices, even menus from various restaurants/counter service.

You might want to also pick up The Unofficial Guide to WDW. This guidebook has a wealth of information too.

That said, as to question 1 - The difference between the moderates and values:

1. The moderates' pools are more elaborate, they have slides while the values have no slides.

2. The moderates and values are more spread out except for Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ) which is the smallest of the moderates.

3. The rooms of moderates are slightly bigger than values. They provide toiletries (shampoo, soap and facial soap). Meanwhile the values except POP Century have a shampoo/soap dispenser stuck on the wall of the tub/shower.
The moderates will have 2 sinks while the values have 1 sink. The moderates should be outfitting themselves with a refrigerator in the near future whereas the values do not have one.

4. The moderates will have in addition to a food court, a lounge/bar, and a full service restaurant. The values will only have a food court.

Kids seem to like the All Stars Movies because it has the giant Woody and Buzz sculptures. But Pop Century is also very cool with the younger crowd. POFQ has a cool serpent slide while POR has a little fishing hole where you can actually do some fishing. Coronado Springs (CSR) has a great pool area too with an ancient Mayan pyramid in the middle.

The Port Orleans Riverside (POR) have rooms that hold 5 people in a room (with a trundle bed). The max you can fit in a value room is 4.

Have fun planning! Read the boards here, ask lots of questions, do lots of research and you'll be fine!

 

[*Flower*]

Value resorts would be the All Stars (Sports, Music, Movies) and Pop Century.

Moderates would be Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter (one big complex- they used to be 2 resorts), Caribbean Beach Resort, Coronado Springs Resort.

I would consider a Gold or Silver package only if I planned on eating a LOT of food. A good number of people who book the meal plans find that they could save money on their meals without the prepaid plans.

I've never done the Value resorts..... when we first started going we'd stay at the Motel 6 on Irlo Bronson.

I have done Port Orleans Riverside, and I think that it's really comfortable. The food court is great for breakfast, and we tend to split meals at table service restaurants- so that saves us some money too.

Have you booked any rooms yet? If not, you might want to SOON. As you can see from these boards, the farther in advance that you book- the bigger chance that you'll get what you want.

You'd probably need at least 3 rooms, so I'd either call Disney directly or if you'd prefer to have someone do the planning for you- try Dreams Unlimited (they run this website). They're really great at what they do........

Good Luck!!!

 

[Pig Pen]

You should also check out www.mousesavers.com - you may be able to find discounts on rooms and rental cars. Although you will be traveling at a busy time so discounts may be few.

You may want to check out buying at least one annual pass. For your group it may be worth the money if there are any resort discounts available for annual passholders.

I have stayed at two different value resorts, one moderate, and three deluxes.

For your kids' age range, the values would be ideal. The problem I found was that the pool and food court areas seemed crowded and chaotic. But the theming is appealing if you don't care about the noise and activity. If you are counting on using the bus service, be aware that they are usually pretty crowded at the values. I think they share buses.

Coronado, the moderate I have stayed at, has one fabulous pool area, with additional quiet pools scattered around. The theming is southwestern and the resort is absolutely gorgeous. It has a food court as well as a full service restaurant. There is also a fitness center. It is a conference center so is geared more to business people, although I didn't find that a problem at all! We never had any problems with the bus service.

We are usually pretty laid back so slow transportation is not an issue for us anyway.

As a DVC owner - I would highly recommend that you check out renting points and staying in a villa. Go to the Disney Vacation Club thread on these boards and check it out. I count 12 people in your group so you would need several rooms, so maybe a couple 2 bedroom villas would work.

You may also want to check out a couple cabins at Ft. Wilderness.

Have a great trip. The DIS Boards are the best place to find any type of WDW information so you are well on your way already.