Help! Can't decide where to stay with kids.

[DJmommy]

This will be our first visit to the world with our kids, a 6 yr old and a 2 yr old. We are considering 3 resorts so if anyone can give us pros and cons of each I would really really appreciate it.

The 3 are the WL, the Ft W Cabins ( for the extra space ie for naps and early to bed for the kids ) and the CR (we can only afford the Garden Wing if that matters in your response. The CR is not especially my taste but I'm willing to definately consider it if the transportation / dining / entertainment / views for the kids is by far the best of the three in our price range.

Can you really walk to the MK from the CR? How long of a walk? I'm assuming the Monorail is the best way to get there from the CR. Please advise.

Also considering the package with the dining only if we stay at the WL or CR, it seems like a good deal but I don't know.

I appreciate the vast amount of knowledge on these boards from such experienced Disney travelers.

Thank you in advance of your response.

Jacquie

 

[cinmell]

Can you really walk to the MK from the CR? How long of a walk? I'm assuming the Monorail is the best way to get there from the CR. Please advise.

Yes, you can walk from the CR to the MK. The walk is under 10 minutes and it's never been crowded. It's quicker to walk to the MK than take the Monorail b/c if you take the mononrail it stops at TTC, Polynesian then GF before arriving at the MK. The monorail is a very quick ride back from MK to CR. It's also great to be able to avoid crowds at the monorail and just walk back to the Contemporary after parades and fireworks or at the end of the day.

We enjoy the CR b/c we spend a lot of time at our resort so it's great to be so close to the MK which is where we spend a lot of time. The rooms a big and have always been very clean. A lot of people don't like the decor but I find the brightness to be cheery and different.

We like the concourse area of the CR and they have a large arcade and a small playground area near the pools. I know there are many who feel that the pools are boring but my 2 year old loved the pool because of the fountains and sprouting water around the pool. She also loved watching the mononrail zip by from the pool and the water sprites in Bay Lake.

Enjoy your vacation wherever you decide to stay!

 

[head2toewinner]

Although I have bnever stayed there I have been to the cr and if you ask me The garden wing just isn't as magical.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I haven't stayed in either of them but IMHO WL seems to have more of a "magical" feel than the Garden wings of CR. There is a boat that goes over to MK, no monorail. CR might be a little bit more convenient but not much. I think the WL boat goes over to FW also. I don't think you'd want to stay in the cabins because I've heard really horrible stories involving transportation from them and with two little kids that's the last thing you need. BTW when are you going?

 

[java]

My vote is the wilderness lodge out of your choices. The Ft wilderness cabins are a bit of haul and with the kids I don't know about it. There is a really funny trip report on that board from someone that stayed at the cabins- I think it is the Chicago trip link. I have not stayed at the CR in years but I remember the wings being old when we went and I don't think they have upgraded them either. When we stayed we did walk to MK because the walk to the monorail from our room was nearly as long. The Wilderness Lodge is nice- fun pool and easy boat ride to MK. We stayed there two years ago. While it is not my favorite, it is nice.

 

[Deborah_Mary]

My family (me, dh and our 2 kids 6 and 1) have a tendency to stay at the CR. My dh loves it there and so does our 6 year old. Last year we stayed there when our kids were 5 1/2 and 6 months and the walk to MK was just wonderful with them. It's so easy to get to and from there. Plus just one stop away from TTC to switch over to the Epcot monorail. We are considering staying somewhere else this next time, but not because we don't love it. We've gone the last 3 years in a row and we are thinking about trying a different resort.

The CR restaurants are fun too, we LOVE both Chef Mickey's (particularly for breakfast) and also the Concourse Steakhouse too (also for breakfast). We do these 2 on every visit.

The tower (MK view) is the most magical place to be, BUT if one of the garden wing rooms is all you can afford, I'd say still go there. Even in one of the farthest flung rooms, you can still walk throughout the other wing rooms, then under a canopy outside to get to the main building so you would be sheltered IF bad weather was to rise up.

We've never stayed at either FW cabins or WL but we've visited them both via a nice boat ride loop from CR. WL looked beautiful!! We are tempted to try it there, but we are still trying to decide. The pool looks like fun and the lobby is really cool looking too.

At FW we went to Trails End buffet for dinner one night and I would highly recommend there no matter where you stay. Good food for a good price. There's a petting zoo that my 6 year old enjoyed and I've read there are pony rides too, but we didn't get to do that this year. Also campfire and cookout or something to that effect. We've also thought about the cabins since the extra space and room would be wonderful, but we are also not sure about the internal bus system and how that will work for us since we have a real little one.

Anyway... hope this helps at least a little!

Good luck!

Deb*

 

[iluvallthingsdisney]

My vote is for the Wilderness Lodge as well. We like the fact that the WL is close to the MK. The boats kept on schedule to MK. The restaurants at WL were very nice. Whispering Canyon Cafe always had a table when we needed one. The pool is beautiful. The resort is laid out fairly well to minimize walking. The CM's were nice. The decor was very pleasing to the eye.

Con against the CR. The CR restaurants are very popular. It is extremely hard to get a table at especially Chef Mickeys. I have been to WDW many times and still haven't been lucky enough to snag a table that wasn't dining before 9pm. The CR is a bigger resort spread out more. More walking. I don't care for the decor in the guest rooms, but find the main concourse pleasing to the eye. I think the colors in the rooms would keep me up at night. Very modern, most of the other disney resorts don't come close to the decor at the CR. Just not my taste.

I have never stayed at the cabins before. But I have been to Fort Wilderness for the Hoop De Doo Revue and Mickeys Back yard BBQ. Both shows were great, but I can definitely see that the bus transportation stinks. You have to take a bus to FT. wilderness first then transfer to another bus that would take you to your cabin area. Very confusing. I don't even know if they have room service. Just something to think about.

Disney is great I'm sure you will be happy and have a wonderful vacation no matter where you choose to stay. Enjoy!

 

[DJmommy]

Thank you for all the wonderful info. We are planning a November trip and are definately now leaning toward the CR, however concerned that the rooms are outdated in the wings. If anyone has info regarding the wings and which one is better please advise.

 

[Shells9]

Of your three choices, I would go with CR...I would, however, consider AKL.

You would have lots of room in a deluxe (bunk bed) room there, and the kids would really enjoy the animals, story telling and other activities that they have at AKL.

I've not been in the garden rooms at CR -- are they the same size as Tower Rooms, because Tower Rooms are huge!

 

[TJA]

I understand and can relate to your logic about the cabins. I too considered them last year and therefore did extensive research and also posted questions on these boards. In the end, I decided against them ONLY because of the transportation issues. My twins were 1 year old at the time and people hinted it might be a bit on an inconvenience getting on and off all the buses with the stroller, etc. So we stayed at the CR and it was the best decision we ever made (for our situation).

CR pros: The walk to the MK was one of our favorite things to do (took only 10 minutes!). We stayed in the north garden wing and loved our VERY spacious room (with 2 kids that was a blessing) and our spectacular view of bay lake. We could watch the electrical parade from our room every night. Chef Mickey's was fun to just walk to whenever we felt like it, the shops were great, the monorail was great....it has a beach area, playground, huge arcade.

CR cons: It's not what you would call a "beautiful" resort and yes, you can tell it's aging. However, we felt that the pros outweighed the cons by quite a lot. Be aware of upcoming renovations.

WL pros: Now this is a beautiful resort, one of my favorites. You can rent bikes, boats, there is a jogging/walking path, the pool is very nice and fun for the kids, the landscaping is beautiful, the restaurants are good, the lobby is stunning.

WL cons: Not on the monorail (might not even necessarily be a con for your situation). The standard rooms are not very big, not much larger than a moderate resort room.

Personally, I can't stay away from CR. There is something about the magic in that resort. Probably because it is right next door to MK. But you also can't go wrong with WL. Just depends on what you are looking for and what your priorities are.

It sounds like I'm trying to sell you on WL, but my vote is actually for the CR.