Having trouble picking a resort

RNmomto4boys

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Hi. I am brand new to all of this Disney planning stuff and am having trouble picking a resort. We are a family of 6 and I am planning a first Disney trip for all of us. I have been looking at renting points and that is still really where I would like to go, but the resort I really wanted (Boardwalk due to its close proximity to Hollywood Studios and Epcot) has no availability through DVC rental. Now I am looking at other resorts and am thinking instead of a 2 bedroom villa, maybe try to get two regular rooms. So I have a few questions if y'all can help me.

Pros/cons to multiple rooms vs 2 bedroom.
What parks are closest to the parks? I would love to be within walking distance of one or two.
We would love a really good bar at the resort that my husband and I can relax at after getting everyone settled in for the night.

Budget for room only is 4000. We are going to be staying 11/14/20 to 11/19/20.

Thanks so much for your help!
 
Two rooms means two bathrooms and more affordable than a 2br villa. However, I believe you have to have an "adult of record" in each room; can't just put the kids in one and adults in another. If you have connecting rooms, of course, this is really moot as you can just leave the door between the rooms open, but there's not always a guarantee of getting that type of room.

You can walk to both Disney Hollywood Studios and Epcot from the Boardwalk Inn, Yacht Club, or Beach Club. Also from the Swan and Dolphin hotels, which aren't technically Disney properties (Marriott/Bonvoy properties, I think).

I don't know the ages of your kids so I don't know how far away from them you are comfortable being, but we liked the bar at the Yacht Club and at the Boardwalk (although our favorite is at AKL), and there is also ESPN Club on the Boardwalk, as well as some frozen drink stands just outside BWI (with tables, sit outside looking at the lights on the water as the resorts settle down for the night- it's pretty peaceful).
 
If you are looking at a 2BR, check out Bay Lake Towers. You can walk to MK from there. Plus you'll get 3 bathrooms.

Another DVC option is two rooms at the Polynesian. Each room has 2 bathrooms (one only has a shower/sink, but nice to have a second shower). Most rooms are connecting, though there is no guarantee you'll get connecting rooms.

If you are willing to give up walking to a park, Old Key West has large 2BR units.

Finally, Animal Kingdom Kidani 2BR units also have 3 bathrooms.
 
We are going to be staying 11/14/20 to 11/19/20.
If you are not going until November, DVC availability for Boardwalk owners only *just* opened up. Its still very early for any of the DVC rental brokers to have any availability. It just means that the brokers have no Boardwalk owners with enough points to accommodate you at this point, it doesn't mean the resort is sold out of 2BR units. At the 7 month mark, any DVC owner can rent their points (not just Boardwalk owners), so it becomes much easier for the point brokers to have enough availability of points. If I were you, I'd check more than one broker and get myself on the wait list, so that if a Boardwalk owner happens to come through, you have that pending request for points.

That said, your dates may coincide with Food & Wine, and Fall is a very busy time for DVC in general. Its possible they may book up prior to the 7 month mark because of this, so definitely have a backup plan.

Pros/cons to multiple rooms vs 2 bedroom.
If you decide to book through Disney and book multiple rooms, IMO the pro is that people have their own space. I'm not sure what the ages of your group are but if you're traveling with extended family, I can speak from experience that its nice to have your own space to retreat to at the end of the day. If you're one immediate family of 6, keep in mind that they will not guarantee you connecting rooms or even rooms next door. They will try to accommodate the request, but its possible you could be down the hall or a floor up. If there's only two adults, you may need to split up in that case.

What parks are closest to the parks? I would love to be within walking distance of one or two.
I assume you mean which resorts are closest to the parks. Yacht Club/Beach Club and Boardwalk are in walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Contemporary is in walking distance of Magic Kingdom. For all of the other on-site resorts, you'd have to either take a bus, boat, monorail, or gondola to the parks. Animal Kingdom is only accessible by bus (unless you're driving yourself, of course).

Swan/Dolphin resort is also in walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios; however, they are not considered true Disney resorts. They are owned and operated by Starwood. Their location is great, and often their price is great too. They have many of the same benefits as an on-site resort, but there's some key ones that are not included. For example, they do not come with complimentary Magic Bands, you can't get a dining plan, and no Magical Express from the airport. There may be others I'm forgetting.

We would love a really good bar at the resort that my husband and I can relax at after getting everyone settled in for the night.
The Epcot resort area (Yacht/Beach, Boardwalk, Swan/Dolphin) is probably best for this because each has a lounge, but its easy to walk to the other resorts as well for more options. Boardwalk also has ESPN Club, Jellyrolls, and Big River Grille which would be good for a night cap. Swan/Dolphin also caters to convention attendees and business travelers, so their lounges/restaurants usually get good reviews because of this.
 


I would do a suite at Art of Animation. You can't walk anywhere but you have easy Skyliner access and 5 nights is only $2400 for the room. I wouldn't risk getting 2 adjoining rooms at another resort because there's no guarantee.

I just priced really quickly on WDW's site (so not renting points) and unless you trim the trip back a night or two, you won't be able to get a 2-bedroom villa under $4000. Saratoga and Old Key West were close but not within walking distance of anywhere.

Keep in mind November discounts aren't out yet either. There's no guarantee you'll get a discount, but you may be able to get some money off.
 
We are also a family of 6 and I ended up booking two rooms at Movies. I had originally booked one room with a pull out couch at a Disney Springs Hotel, but we decided for just a little bit more we could have two rooms on property. The benefit is two bathrooms and 4 beds instead of 3. We are going in May, but for 4 nights it was only $1100. I did look at the every option from DVC points to the family suites at AofA and Music but in the end it ended up being more economical to do two rooms at movies. They aren't near anything but we will only be in the room to sleep. We requested connecting rooms, but know that it is a possibility that we won't get them and we are okay with that. But my two oldest are 19 and 17 so its not a huge deal if they are not right next door.
 
I second the Art of Animation recommendation. We just stayed there and it's super convenient with the Skyliner. MK will still be a bus ride, but it's not too bad. You could get a reservation set up there while you continue to see if any DVC points pan out, if they do, cancel the AoA reservation and you're good to go.
 


I am a DVC owner and would totally recommend a 2 bedroom rental. If you have a rental car you get free parking at resort and parks as well as free washer/dryer in Villa. The extra living space will be so nice. I’m seeing for your dates availability for Beach club (234pts) which is a great location. You’d probably go over $4,000 since points average around $19pp especially near the 11m window which means only an owner that owns at that particular resort can book it. Boardwalk already doesn’t have full availability for your dates. Bay lake has availability, cheapest is lakeview at 265 points, standard view is booked up. Animal kingdom, Saratoga and old key west all have availability and are lesser points that could keep you in $4k budget, you can calculate points for different room types if you google DVC resort calculator. I’d find an owner and rent points ASAP. There are rental boards here on Dis or various FB groups but I don’t believe we can mention other sites.
 
You can probably book any two bedroom villa except for BWV. But some will cost more than $4000 for the nights you want. Those are sold out. Probably because they are all lockoffs and when all the studios are booked, all the two bedrooms are gone. For your first trip and first DVC rental, I'd go with a broker and not a direct owner.
 
I'm somewhat in the same situation with planning a trip in Dec 2020. Looking at 3 rooms for 6 people. Our aim is for 3 bathrooms. All are adults 18 and over. Basically 3 couples. We're looking at DVC rental options. But as others have stated, at 11 months out the availability of rentals is not as numerous as what will be available at 7 months out. Any potential room discounts are also not out as yet. So, I booked room only at a moderate resort with the thinking that either I'll rebook there with a discount or a DVC rental will come through.

My suggestion is to book room only the rooms you can afford now, but keep your DVC rental requests active. If a room discount offer comes through before DVC, then change to that. If you keep to room only, you retain the flexibility to switch to a DVC rental. It's a little unsettling when your preference is to have your room set but it will help you to get the best room for your budget.
 
I have had a bit to drink tonight. If you are not restricted by cash you should choose the resort that appeals to you the most. The base of your vacation is important as far as the accomodations. The atmosphere of the trip is where you are staying.
 
I'm somewhat in the same situation with planning a trip in Dec 2020. Looking at 3 rooms for 6 people. Our aim is for 3 bathrooms. All are adults 18 and over. Basically 3 couples. We're looking at DVC rental options. But as others have stated, at 11 months out the availability of rentals is not as numerous as what will be available at 7 months out. Any potential room discounts are also not out as yet. So, I booked room only at a moderate resort with the thinking that either I'll rebook there with a discount or a DVC rental will come through.

My suggestion is to book room only the rooms you can afford now, but keep your DVC rental requests active. If a room discount offer comes through before DVC, then change to that. If you keep to room only, you retain the flexibility to switch to a DVC rental. It's a little unsettling when your preference is to have your room set but it will help you to get the best room for your budget.
Kidani 2 bedrooms have 3 bathrooms. Off topic but wanted to mention if you didn’t know!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top