Help me decide, which resort with toddler and 12 year old?!

[radishtoaster]

I have so much to say in response to your question, so bear with me

First of all, I definitely recommend renting DVC as long as you're aware of the cancellation policies etc. We have exclusively rented DVC for our past 4 stays, and have two upcoming stays booked also on rented points. We have had wonderful experiences, and feel it's a great alternative to direct-booking. In my opinion, it's a high value for your money particularly in terms of proximity to the parks.

Which leads into transportation. My family puts high priority on convenient transportation to the parks. We really prefer to stay at resorts that give us plenty of transportation options ASIDE from the buses. This was really the push for us to start renting DVC, since the resorts that offer the best transportation options are deluxe resorts, and of course we were looking for a way to make that sizeable nut a little more affordable. Back when we started renting DVC, moderates (and values) were almost exclusively bus-only, but they've come a long way since then with the Skyliner, so if we were to stop renting DVC, we'd probably also consider a moderate along the Skyliner route.

So, after transportation, our next biggest priority is always theming. We have young kids (now 6 and 2) and are also from the Northeast, so I do get what you're saying about Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club. That said, we've had absolutely wonderful stays at each over those, along with the Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge. In terms of the kids, I don't find the over-the-top Disney theming (like Art of Animation) necessary for them to have a good time. Would they love it? Yeah, I'm sure they would, and I also know people who have stayed there and had great experiences. But my kids love Boardwalk, and being able to see Spaceship Earth from our balcony. Our daughter absolutely LOVES the fanciness of the GF They love the pool at Beach/Yacht Club. It's a lot up to preference of course, but I figure they get tons of characters and such in the parks, to the point where I wouldn't sacrifice convenience of transportation solely for that.

Also, my personal experience is that with small kids, Magic Kingdom is the priority and I prefer to be closer to MK for that reason. It's why our next two stays are at GF and WL. Magic Kingdom has the highest number of rides my youngest can ride. When my littlest is older, I'd love to do the Epcot area resorts again because personally I just love being able to eat dinner over there and just walk back to my hotel room.

Thank you (and everyone else) this is a wealth of good anecdotal information for me and that's really what I'm looking for, everyone has such great info and experience and everyones experience is different so it's really fun for me to see and hear different perspectives!

It seems like you've got similar priorities as us. I agree with not particularly wanting to be bound to the buses, which is why any of the walkable, boat-able places seem like a better deal for us.

I swear this wouldn't be a problem if we just didn't love Disney so much and want to be at every place all the time, haha!

 

[radishtoaster]

The pool at BC/YC can be problematic. The beachy toddler area is very nice but the rest of the pool is very big and the slide entrance is actually outside of the pool area and across the sidewalk around the lake. It is impossible to stay with the toddler and even keep half an eye on an older child. My DD was an excellent competitive swimmer when she was 12 and even I became somewhat worried about her while swimming at that pool.

Oh my goodness, this is incredibly helpful! I was thinking along the same lines, my 12 year old would be all over the place because of course he loves slides and so would the 2 year old, but on opposite areas! that sounds like a stressful pool time for me and dad!

 

[radishtoaster]

4. I would not recommend CR - it feels like an airport hangar. If you want to stay near MK, I would do Poly or GF. WL is fine, but the rooms are small - the boat to MK is lovely. Our absolute favorite resorts are YC/BC and BWI (or BCV, BWV - BCV being our absolute favorite). I am from the Northeast and I don't think these resorts lack theming at all. I stay in EP resorts 85% of the time. If I want more "theming" we will go to a resort for dinner or other activity (dinner at Poly, AKL or WL, for instance)

5. I would recommend the EP area for kids who aren't big on rides. Nothing beats being able to walk right into EP and just stroll around without having to deal with more transportation.

This is exactly why we were thinking staying closer to EP would be fun for everyone initially. As a younger person and when my oldest was young we always ended up going to EP more than once per visit as it always feels like there's more to do if you don't want to wait in ride queues . I can definitely see the benefit, and the theming isn't bad at all, not knocking it, just worried we've stayed at a few places close to home that are very similar theme wise, but after all is said and done I'm sure the kids probably don't even notice it as much as I would.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Oh my goodness, this is incredibly helpful! I was thinking along the same lines, my 12 year old would be all over the place because of course he loves slides and so would the 2 year old, but on opposite areas! that sounds like a stressful pool time for me and dad!

As much as I love Boardwalk Inn and Yacht/Beach Club, the biggest drawback for both of those was the pool setup.

We have a smaller age gap between our kids so it wasn't quite as big of an issue, but yes, Stormalong Bay is LARGE and spread out. Also my then 1.5 year old was absolutely NOT content to just sit in the shallow part of the pool and play with the sand. He wanted to follow the older one everywhere and seriously would have just walked straight into the zero-entry water if he could. It was not a relaxing time. Boardwalk Inn doesn't have that particular issue, but there the kiddie pool is small and set off to the side so it's either that, or you're holding them in a normal depth pool.

The solution is a SPLASH PAD! Particularly for your younger. They have them at Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, and others. We especially loved the one at the Grand Floridian. It's right next to the bar

 

[robinb]

Oh my goodness, this is incredibly helpful! I was thinking along the same lines, my 12 year old would be all over the place because of course he loves slides and so would the 2 year old, but on opposite areas! that sounds like a stressful pool time for me and dad!

The area in blue is the beachy area. The area in red is the pool slide. The entrance is the pirate ship across the sidewalk. The area in green is a very deep "lazy river" area with a fairly strong current. You can do it with two adults as long as you don't mind being separated.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Lots of experience with family & friends. So I am trying to help with your decision .
#1 Do not delay making reservations forSept/ Oct/Nov23 because MNSSHParties dates will be booking soon.
I recommend researching floor plans and booking with Disney but always check the Cancel Policy.
I just found (WDW prep school) with some nice updated photos .
A room that sleeps 4 would be 2 beds and a DVC Studio that accomadates 4 would be one bed and a couch or some updated that sleep 5 .
The Poly and the Contemporary , for instance have been recently updated and have 2 Queens and a daybed.
They have the monorail or walk to MK or you also can walk to TTC from the Polynesian for their ferry transport or monorail line to Epcot.
Might not sound important until the end of the night and those departing crowds for all forms of transport….so nice to walk across street to Contemporary .
Also the nightly Electrical Water Pageant from the Contemporary and Polynesian has been the most first and forever memory for my grandchildren from toddler age to now as teens! It is a must …
Polynesian probably has a better pool and waterplay area plus Quick service and pool bar and beach play area with fireworks nightly.
I have also stayed at Art of Animation which has Skyliner , and family suites but the floor plan needs to be looked at . Do you really want kids in couch in living area and dining table fold down while parents are in one bedroom ? How usable is that for sleeping and kitchenette without making noise? Hated that ! Really not good and expensive.
I loved the Riviera … but don’t know about renting points from strangers …

 

[robinb]

The solution is a SPLASH PAD! Particularly for your younger. They have them at Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, and others. We especially loved the one at the Grand Floridian. It's right next to the bar

I think the splash pads at AKV Kidani and SSR are both really nice. But, I think that SSR might be a little OKW-ish for the OP. Kidani is nice, the animals outside your balcony are cool and parking is super easy. The only downside is that most of the restaurants are over at Jambo next door. AKV is one of the last DVC resorts to fill up so there might be availability for when the OP wants to go.

 

[kylenne]

As much as I love Boardwalk Inn and Yacht/Beach Club, the biggest drawback for both of those was the pool setup.

We have a smaller age gap between our kids so it wasn't quite as big of an issue, but yes, Stormalong Bay is LARGE and spread out. Also my then 1.5 year old was absolutely NOT content to just sit in the shallow part of the pool and play with the sand. He wanted to follow the older one everywhere and seriously would have just walked straight into the zero-entry water if he could. It was not a relaxing time. Boardwalk Inn doesn't have that particular issue, but there the kiddie pool is small and set off to the side so it's either that, or you're holding them in a normal depth pool.

The solution is a SPLASH PAD! Particularly for your younger. They have them at Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, and others. We especially loved the one at the Grand Floridian. It's right next to the bar

Having to leave the actual pool area to get to the slide was the worst as an adult, I can't imagine with kids. (I fully admit I'm in the minority for not liking SAB though.)

 

[Rory607]

Others have made really good points about the pool and with the ages of your kids, it could be stressful. I would suggest Poly for you. Close to MK, can watch fireworks there and the pool area is more manageable. It still has a slide for your older one and there is also a splash pad for the toddler. The theme is fun and tropical.

 

[danceintherain]

We just made this decision. We're staying at the Beach Club. I think I would have preferred the Contemporary, but DH chose the Beach Club.
For DH, being able to walk to 2 parks is a big deal. We'll have a car, but that's not always enough for him. We'll drive to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Walk to Epcot, and take the bus to Magic Kingdom. DH will be able to leave whenever he feels like it, and however he feels like it for the most part. Obviously, the Magic Kingdom will be the least flexible.
We decided not to rent points, because the cancellation just isn't flexible enough. We were actually supposed to be going next week with a much larger group, and renting points, but our youngest has cancer, so the rest of the group will just spread out more.

My kids don't care about theming. All they care about is where/how they're going to sleep, and that there is a pool. The pool "quality" is less important to them. We may end up hanging out at the quiet pool rather than SAB.
Originally, my thought was to stay at the Wilderness Lodge, because I DO care about theming, and we're going to be there when Christmas décor is up, but DH decided that having 6 separate beds was worth more. Then we don't have to fight with the kids over who shares.
The Polynesian was going to be enough more expensive and you can't walk anywhere from there, so Beach Club won out.