Help Choosing Resort!

[motelseti35]

Hello! I am new to Disney vacation planning, have been there once previously as a small child and don’t remember much. I am trying to surprise my daughter for her birthday Oct 2022, she’ll be 7 then, and have no idea which resort to choose...I was think Art of Animation Little Mermaid Room due to the theming but my concern is location. The other option I was considering was Contemporary or Grand Floridian due to close location to Magic Kingdom, but don’t want theme to disappoint and want it to be as magical as possible for her. Any suggestions?

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I've never stayed at AoA, but I do hear the LM rooms are a hike from the resort lobby. It looks like a beautiful resort, though.

Any resort in the MK area would get my vote, if your budget allows for it. WL is usually the least expensive choice as it is not on the monorail loop.

Spending time with you at WDW should be magical regardless of the resort you choose.

 

[Turksmom]

I don't know your daughter, so I'm not sure which characters she likes. AoA is a great resort, but the LM rooms are far away from amenities. The Nemo suites are closest to everything. The All Star Movies has fun character theming and is more compact. If she's into princesses, the new Moana rooms at Poly are very nice and would give you the location near MK. Port Orleans has Princess and the Frog themed rooms. It's not as convenient for transportation, but the grounds are very pretty.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

I woul choose a MK resort. You cannot go wrong with contemporary, GF, or WL or Poly. Are the pools important? GF has a great splash area while poly has a better themed pool. WL is more quiet

 

[Miffy]

Is cost not at issue here? The MK-area resorts are far more expensive than AoA, for example.

I think it's likely that your 7-year-old would be happy anywhere you stay, even if it would be a relatively inexpensive motel on I-Drive. You'd be at Disney and she'd have a great time.

Does your daughter love animals? The obvious choice, if your budget would allow it, would be a savanna-view room at Animal Kingdom Lodge. There's nothing that can compare to sitting on the balcony of your hotel room and watching giraffes, zebras, etc., etc. Yes, the only park AKL is near is DAK, but unless you plan on spending all your time at MK and can afford an MK-area resort, AKL is no further from MK than any non-MK-area resort.

Are you going to be spending a lot of time at DHS and/or Epcot? Then consider an Epcot-area resort.

Really, start with price. The difference in price between the Grand Floridian and AoA is huge. Look at mousesavers.com, where rack rates for all the resorts are listed.

But if money is no object and you're anticipating spending most of your time at MK, then stay at an MK-area resort. Your 7-year-old daughter will be thrilled.

 

[cvjw]

Poly or GF. The location can’t be beat. Both resorts are amazing.

 

[Sarahslay]

Both of my daughters at that age didn't care where they stayed, everywhere was magical! That being said, Contemporary is having a renovation with an Incredibles theme, and I know my daughters wouldn't have cared for it as much. They wouldn't have hated it, but it's a heavy IP re-theme in the rooms. If cost isn't an option I would personally go with Poly, after that GF. I do like AoA, but those Little Mermaid rooms are far from everything, and if you go during a hot part of the year (which is 80-90% of the time) it's just a mass of concrete with no shade and it's exhausting especially when you're tired. If cost is an issue then I would go with the princess rooms at Port Orleans Riverside if you think she'd like a princess theme, or if you want to be close the action of MK go with WL which doesn't have that theme but is fun and just a boat ride away. We stayed there at Christmas time when my youngest DD was about to turn 7 and she LOVED it, plus they just did a room refurb which is really nice.

 

[Eastern]

Spending time with you at WDW should be magical regardless of the resort you choose.

 

[holden]

I also vote for a MK resort. I grew up going to Poly and loved it. The walk to/from MK//BLT/CR can’t be beat. You’ll most likely spend more time at MK than other parks. WL and GF are great options too.

Having visited WDW many times with my kids, I’d definitely do an MK resort.

 

[Marthasor]

I would consider Grand Floridian, Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge and pick the one you think best suits your daughter’s personality. If you can afford a deluxe resort, I would take AoA off the list.

 

[Bahamontes]

Until EMH returns shortly, the perks of a Disney resort are few. Location is about all they can offer at the moment, but, for me, that’s enough that they get my dollars.

As has been said a few times upthread, location is HUGE. I sincerely believe that it can make the trip. It’s so nice (and now essential) to be able to go back to the hotel midday, or hop on Disney transport and be whisked to a park. Imagine being ready to go home and having to pack everything and everyone up, get in line, take a long ride, amd then have to schlep to T

I’d point you to the Epcot area resorts. So easy to walk to Epcot, the water and boardwalk are so nice to relax near, and HS is a super quick boat ride.

No, it’s not particularly convenient to MK. And I realize that the littluns are happiest there. HOWEVER: MK is a madhouse at the moment, with limited entertainment options to thin crowds. The hour leading up to HEA is frenzied, and I think you’d probably want to be out of there by then. So now you have a bunch of ways to get to/from Epcot to MK.

If fireworks at MK are essential, disregard my advice entirely! The trip back to any non-MK resort at park close can seem ENDLESS.

Take too many pictures, have too much fun, and enjoy every minute. I swear, the magic isn’t just marketing.

 

[JFDIS]

If budget allows I’d absolutely pick a MK area resort. It’s been said but the LM rooms at AOA are a 10+ minute walk to the main pool or lobby. Doing that walk in the heat and rain is a real drag. I also found the rooms tiny and dark. My dd is four and asks me every other week if we can stay at the Polynesian again. We stayed off property last week and I was full of envy when our monorail passed the Poly and GF.

 

[Tammy A]

I have 4 kids, 2 girls, 2 boys. We often traveled with my sister and her two kids. We stayed at the poly 2 times, the beach club once and all star music many times. Ironically one we stayed at the all star music, we never wanted to go anywhere else. The price allowed us to returm every year. We always got a family suite and a preferred room right next to eachother and the kids loved it. They loved the pools and the movies at the pool in the evenings. We did a character breakfast every other day and they got 2-3 souveniers each. But more importantly it was the time we all spent together, something you cannot put a price on.

 

[Sue M]

Any of the MK resorts would be great. I think there’s something magical about seeing the Castle and being able to relax and watch the fireworks and Electric Water Parade from your resort We loved both Poly and GF. Contemporary holds no appeal to me. We also love Wilderness Lodge.

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

What does your DD like at home? Not just princess or Disney likes, but daily or weekend activities? So many families state that what their children remember most is the resort pool. If that might be true, then Beach Club is my vote for the waterpark-like pool complex. We also enjoy the walk to Epcot, walk or gondola to Hollywood Studios, and the "beach" and walk around the Epcot resorts area.
If MK is where it's at for your DD, then go MK as most suggest. If campfire songs with Chip and Dale is more DD's speed then consider Fort Wilderness cabin. If your DD is into shopping, then consider Port Orleans or other resorts with boat or walk to Disney Springs. Resorts and parks will be magical as long as it fits your DD's personality and definition of magical.
Consider also what is your likely touring strategy: early park, nap or pool break, then evening park; or one big chunk of time at a park until you drop. Would you use evening extra hours for deluxe guests if you could? Consider ease of access to your resort and transportation and if you need a deluxe resort for the evening hours ammenity. (e.g. my kids thought the boat ride from FW to MK was a ride, so this was a plus for them not a minus. Another trip, the magic was storytelling by the firepits at AKL and night goggle viewing of animals; another trip it was the food court and kitch of PopC. Surprisingly, while the monorail is always a hit between MK and Epcot, the kids didn't seem overly impressed with the Contemporary - even with a fireworks view balcony.)
My point is YMMV - consider DD's personality then see where it overlaps with yours because if the adult is miserable that pushes magic away. Happy Planning.

 

[Shelleyrich]

I don't know your daughter, so I'm not sure which characters she likes. AoA is a great resort, but the LM rooms are far away from amenities. The Nemo suites are closest to everything. The All Star Movies has fun character theming and is more compact. If she's into princesses, the new Moana rooms at Poly are very nice and would give you the location near MK. Port Orleans has Princess and the Frog themed rooms. It's not as convenient for transportation, but the grounds are very pretty.

The Moana rooms sound nice! But the monorail is still down, right? Any hope is that resolving by Jan 2022? I guess you just rode busses everywhere?

 

[trishie30]

I would suggest that you also look into renting DVC points for your trip, if you choose a resort with a DVC piece. The cost would likely be lower than what you would pay for a rack rate, and you might even find that you can book something that would be out of reach if you were paying case (i.e., a Lake View studio at Poly or a theme park view room at Bay Lake). I have two girls who are now 15 and 16, and I agree with previous comments that kids generally love the pool the most, no matter where you stay. If your daughter is the same, and you would consider a DVC rental, you can't go wrong with Poly, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom, Old Key West or Saratoga (and several DVCs have multiple pools). Proximity to your preferred park is key, so consider which one you expect to spend the most time in and look at that park's local resorts. No one resort is close to everything, so choose the location you think will work best and then just enjoy. Visiting Disney with a daughter that age truly is magical and something you both will remember forever!

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

The Moana rooms sound nice! But the monorail is still down, right? Any hope is that resolving by Jan 2022? I guess you just rode busses everywhere?

So, technically the monorail has continued operating throughout the Poly refurbishment. The Epcot line alone was “temporarily discontinued” (for more than a year!), but is back up and running again! The issue was/is that the Poly’s monorail station itself was/is under refurb… and still is not complete. However! You can easily walk to the TTC from the Poly & jump on either express monorail from there (straight to MK or to EP). The Poly’s station is supposed to be back up and operating very soon… I definitely would not hold off booking the Poly at this point -the renovations look fabulous!!

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

The other option I was considering was Contemporary or Grand Floridian due to close location to Magic Kingdom, but don’t want theme to disappoint and want it to be as magical as possible for her. Any suggestions?

As others have said, if MK area resorts can be a choice- they should be! The proximity to MK cannot be beat!! All 3 of the monorail resorts have special qualities- and I don’t believe you could possibly go wrong with any of them!

Most young ones’ favorite park is MK, so I would personally buy park-hoppers, and then make park reservations at MK every single day. I would also plan to go back to the resort & swim/rest every day as well. After being rejuvenated at the resort, head back out for the evening (back to MK, over to a different park, or even to Disney Springs!).

My sis & I did this in June with my 9yo niece & it was the best trip!! We kept worrying that we would be MK’d out, but we weren’t at all! Instead, it added to our relaxed feeling & we let her make more decisions about where to go/what to do. With no FP’s, our previous mode of extremely detailed touring plans was thrown out the window… and it very much benefited my niece bc she is more laid back & wants time to just soak up the sights. We did so much that week & every day was different & fun!!

Best of luck to you!

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Agree that if it's in your budget MK-area resorts are amazing for the quick walk/transport to the park. Stayed at GF with my sister back in March and even though the rooms were a bit dated, the ability to walk to MK was unbeatable. GF also has a cute splash pad, and a nice pool. If you want an even faster walk, Contemporary is literally across the street.

Otherwise, Yacht Club is our personal favorite - YC and Beach Club share the pool which is pretty incredible if you're planning to spend some days or afternoons there. Also appreciate the market and quick service food options, and the close proximity to DHS and Epcot.

I also like Caribbean Beach which is more of a middle option - comfortable enough rooms, cool pool for kids, Skyliner access to DHS and Epcot, and we've never really had issues with the bus transport (they can take a while but that's really for any resort, it's just the nature of Disney buses.)