Help picking a hotel!!

[TMEF23]

Good Morning! I received a pin code for certain hotels with travel dates between May and August 14. I am teacher and go back to work August 26th anyway. In my party will be my DH, myself, and our twin boys (20 months at the time of the trip). I have visited Disney about 22 times, while my DH has only been twice. Neither one of us has been there with children, so this is a whole new experience/planning adventure for us. We plan on visiting August 9th to the 15th and driving down from PA.

I am really struggling when choosing a hotel. I have not stayed an entire week for the past 8 years and prior to that we stayed at value resorts for many of our last trips. I have stayed at many different Disney hotels, but for some reason am now very confused/overwhelmed about picking a hotel. This will be the very first family vacation I take and the boys have not slept anywhere besides their own cribs!

Budget: I looked into 1 bedroom Villas, but they are out of our price range. I also looked into the Contemporary as I originally wanted to be on the monorail, but I just can't justify the extra expense! We are considering the following hotels: Yacht/Beach Club (I think more of the Yacht Club rooms have balconies), Boardwalk Inn, Port Orleans Riverside, Caribbean Beach, All Star. I am also considering using my teacher discount to stay at the Swan/Dolphin, but am concerned about all the negative reviews on trip adviser lately!

Questions:
- My DH has an extremely bad back, but we refuse to let it control our lives, so we plan to live life to the fullest. However, we will be travelling with a double stroller (City mini double) and while it is great to push, it is still a beast to fold. Is it worth the extra money (about $1000) to stay where there is additional transportation options? Is it really a giant pain to fold that stroller to get on the buses?
- Eating: After reading so many of the other boards/posts (everyone has so much advice!!), I think sometimes our schedule might be to be at a park for rope drop and then return back to our hotel around 2pm and be there the rest of the day. What are our counter service options at a deluxe resort? What do you do for breakfast in the morning? If we stay at a deluxe resort it doesn't seem like they have a food court, so I'm just not sure what we do for quick food?
- Rooms: We need to be able to fit 2 pack n plays in the room. Will they fit at all of the hotels? Also, do all of the hotels have a mini fridge or is there a way to get one in the rooms?
-Kiddie pools/play areas: Which hotel has the most baby friendly pool/play areas?

Thanks so much! I have already received so much wonderful advice. I am just overwhelmed and stressed about which hotel to pick. I had no idea how much more difficult planning a vacation for a family was than just for 2 adults!!!

 

[Kimberle]

Have you priced the wing rooms at the CR? They are pretty reasonably priced. They are amoung the largest on property.

Since you are a teacher, you qualify for special rates from the Swan & Dolphin. You should check the rates. Note, these resorts do charge for parking. They are in a wonderful location with lots of food options.

Another idea, is to rent a cabin at FW. You'll have 2 rooms, plus a full kitchen with a outside grill. You could save a lot of money by preparing some of your own meals. You can also park you car right at your cabin. To get the the MK, take the FW boat. The large boats do not require you to fold your stroller. (There is a smaller boat that does the FW/WL/CR loop.) FW has lots of great family activities such as a campfire w/ Chip & Dale, pony rides, places to view farm type animals, plus lots of room to run around.

 

[mericletwins]

Budget: I looked into 1 bedroom Villas, but they are out of our price range. I also looked into the Contemporary as I originally wanted to be on the monorail, but I just can't justify the extra expense! We are considering the following hotels: Yacht/Beach Club (I think more of the Yacht Club rooms have balconies), Boardwalk Inn, Port Orleans Riverside, Caribbean Beach, All Star. I am also considering using my teacher discount to stay at the Swan/Dolphin, but am concerned about all the negative reviews on trip adviser lately!

Questions:
However, we will be travelling with a double stroller (City mini double) and while it is great to push, it is still a beast to fold. Is it worth the extra money (about $1000) to stay where there is additional transportation options? "Worth" is subjective, so it is hard to say. When we traveled with our twins at that age, we went out and bought umbrella strollers so we had a lightweight, quick folding option. We bought the clips that turned them into a double or we could separate them. It worked out well. I'm sure there are some good, lightweight inexpensive stroller options out there now. You may want to consider getting one if your's is a pain to fold.


- Eating: After reading so many of the other boards/posts (everyone has so much advice!!), I think sometimes our schedule might be to be at a park for rope drop and then return back to our hotel around 2pm and be there the rest of the day. What are our counter service options at a deluxe resort? They don't have food courts like the values, but there are CS type places. The BC has a little marketplace, Poly has a QS place, etc.

What do you do for breakfast in the morning? It depends on how long you are staying, but we always get groceries delivered to our room. Bananas, milk, cereal, breakfast bars, a case of water, apples, peanut butter, etc. If you are staying for more than a couple days this may be a good option. You can also order diapers (assuming they are still in diapers) so you don't have to pack all you will need for your stay. Or, since you will have a car, you can run out and get your own groceries. I believe all resorts now have at least a teeny tiny fridge in the room.


- Rooms: We need to be able to fit 2 pack n plays in the room. Will they fit at all of the hotels? Also, do all of the hotels have a mini fridge or is there a way to get one in the rooms? They should fit with no problem at the mods, deluxes and villas. They will fit at a value as well, but it will be very crowded.

-Kiddie pools/play areas: Which hotel has the most baby friendly pool/play areas? I think the BC/YC has a beautiful kiddie area. It has a sand bar in it and if you get kids meal at the poolside CS, they come in a bucket that they can play with in the sand. It is a very large pool area over all, but that was never a problem for us. Some people consider it a drawback, but to me it makes it less crowded. Contemporary also has a nice kiddie pool/play area. Saratoga Springs also has a nice kids area with squirting fountains to run through.

This would be my advice, having been where you are with toddler twins. I would look into renting DVC points, either directly from a member or through David's Vacation Point Rental, and stay in a one bedroom villa. You can put the babies down for a nap and still have a place for you and hubby to hang out. It will also give you a full kitchen so you can get some groceries for breakfast and possibly dinners (we have done things like spaghetti, burgers, etc in our villa). The cost savings by making some of your meals in your villa vs. eating all meals out, will save you enough money to justify any additional cost over a moderate. It will also give you a washer and dryer, which I found invaluable when my kids were small. All the resorts that have villas also have nice kiddie pools, which is on interest to you.

Of the villa resorts, I would narrow it down for your purposes to Beach Club, Boardwalk or Bay Lake Towers. With Bay Lake you can walk directly to the Magic Kingdom or hop the monorail and then switch to the Epcot monorail and not have to fold your stroller getting to two parks. If you stay at the BC or Boardwalk, you can walk directly into Epcot and not fold your stroller. You can walk to DHS, but in August it might be too hot. It is a farther walk than to Epcot I think. (for some reason though I think the BW villas are on the DHS side of the building so maybe the walk is much shorter than I think.) Someone who has stayed in the BW villas can probably clarify. If you have park hoppers, you could also walk through Epcot and hop the monorail to TTC and then switch to the MK monorail to get to the MK. We do that frequently. My kids have always thought the monorail was a ride unto itself. If you do that, it conceivably gives you three parks you can get to without folding your stroller.

If you do not want to rent points, then I would recommend those same hotels for their regular rooms for the same reasons.

I hope that helps!

 

[tunetown86]

First of all R*E*L*A*X!!!
I stayed at the Dolphin in December. We had two rooms, both King sized beds. The one my husband and I used was a standard king size room. My mother had a connecting room that had the king bed, a sofa and chair with a coffee table, this room was emmense!! There would be plenty of room for two pac'n'plays. I didn't like the extra parking fee there, but all totaled, the Dolphin was less expensive than the rooms at Yacht, Beach or Boardwalk. You also have the same transportation with the boats!! No folding strollers for Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Of course you will need the bus to get to the Magic Kingdom, but that is so with any of the Epcot area resorts. Just remember to add about $30.00 in extra fees to the posted room rate at Dolphin and you will be good. Dining plans are not offered at the Swan/Dolphin, so if you are planning to use the dining plan, this is not a good choice.

 

[twinboysmom]

Hi OP. I answered you already on the family board and since you have posted a few new questions I will offer up my 2 cents again.

I belive that if we fit 2 pack n plays in all all star room for a week (with a large double stroller) and did so easily, then you can fit 2 into any room on property.

Let me add a hotel that you haven't mentioned that might be a nice compromise for you. Would you consider the WL? This is where we stayed in May when we brought the boys for their first trip at 18 months. It offers a boat to the MK (they mostly run the larger boats you can push the stroller on) and a small boat (must fold stroller) to the CR when you could take the monorail to the TTC and transfer to the Epcot monorail. We found bus service here pretty efficient (although I still recommend driving to the any other park other than MK since you will have a car). Our boys enjoyed the beach on the lake, the geyser, and the pool was fun as well. The grounds offer a lot of fin walks and there is a paved trail to fort wilderness that we walked. Fort wilderness had a nice playground the boys really enjoyed. Also a plus IMO is that we really enjoyed the options at roaring forks, the QS. WL is usually one of the cheaper deluxe options.

Let me just comment on your stroller. I believe that you have the best option for a double. We have several double strollers. I would love to have the citi mini for our WDW trips but just didn't have the budget for it. We have a bob jogger. Now that is a beast to fold! For our WDW trips we purchased a maclaren double that I got for half price brand new. I have watched the citi mini's fold and I think it is by far easier than any other double. The umbrella strollers just won't be as comfortable for your boys and the canopies are poor. Even a higher end one such as a maclaren still will not push as well as the citi mini. After two trips with the maclaren we are going back to the Bob for our trip next month.

I actually think the BC/YC and the BWI have the worst of the quick service options for food. I believe either the swan or dolphin (thinking dolphin) does have an option for quick service. Let me express my thoughts on these hotels. We haven't stayed at the s/d, but have bw and BC. I think they have some of the worst bus service on WDW. We experienced (June stays) shared buses between YC/BC, BWi, and s/d. Boardwalk has had the worst parking situation on property (many people park here and cheat-walk to the parks or park to use boardwalk area). Also to me, storm along bay is too large for me to feel comfortable bringing my boys yet. Just my opinion.

You mentioned that your boys have not slept anywhere other than their cribs. Have they slept in pack n plays? Mine refused and I mean refused until I put a replacement mattress in the pack n play. We bought them off of amazon and if you are interested, I would be glad to provide you with more information. You might consider renting two cribs from an offsite company for your stay. It would make your room tight but it might be worth it.

You asked about it being a pain to fold the stroller on the buses. Only speaking for us, yes, even my maclaren. I still think your stroller choice is the best but it is still difficult to manage 2 toddlers (not always cooperative), all your gear, and the stroller on a bus. And while most people are helpful, do not expect that people will be willing to give up a seat for you. Especially is your DH has a bad back. Once again, why we prefer to drive to all parks except MK.

And like a PP stated, just relax. No matter what hotel you pick it will be fine. We had 3 great trips last year. We loved the WL (used our dvc stayed 1bedroom villa), had a great time in a tiny movies room for a week, and enjoyed our split stay in a music family suite and a treehouse villa (with family). Don't rule our a family suite either. Especially if you want a separate area for you and DH to sleep. The values are fantastic for the kids. I think renting dvc for you is going to be difficult, especially for a boardwalk area dvc or BLT rental.

Let us know what you decide and ask as many questions as you can think of. Hope this helps a bit!

 

[Marlton Mom]

I am a huge Beach Club/Yacht Club fan so I would urge you to check out the Beach Club/Yacht Club FAQ thread. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2892905

The Beach Club and the Yacht Club are sister resorts, connected to each other, sharing some of the same amenities, like the pool and each have their own theming.

There are lots of helpful people who post there that will be able to answer specific questions regarding your needs. Definitely take the time to check out page one of that thread as many of your questions will be answered with the information posted there.

That being said I can tell you that I stayed at the BC for 10 days in June of 2011. We did not find the buses to be a problem and they came promptly with a minimum of a wait. We always got a seat both going to the parks and coming back. One of the advantages of staying at an Epcot area resort is that you are a boat ride away from Hollywood Studios and Epcot. It is very easy to roll the double stroller on the boat with out the need to pack it up. As for Epcot we were able to easily walk to the International Gate entrance in Epcot which is located between France and England.

While there we had a world of quick service dining options so to speak. We also had places at the Boardwalk area to find something to eat. At Beach club they have something called the Market Place. There is a link on page one of the Beach Club/Yacht Club FAQ thread that will take you to about 6 pages of detailed information about what is offered at the Market Place. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=41330436&styleid=52#post41330436


Another helpful option, especially for parents of little ones is to consider a delivery of necessities from Garden Grocer. You can get breakfast items or diapers delivered to your room and Bell services will keep everything refrigerated until you have it sent to the room upon check in. The Market place will also have fresh milk and other items that will come in handy.

The pool at the Beach /Yacht Club resort is called Storm Along Bay and it has what no other pool as a Disney resort has...a shallow sandy play area in the pool that would be perfect for your little ones to play in. You can see pictures of this on the FAQ thread to get a better idea of what that is like. This type of configuration provides endless hours of entertainment for the kids in a relaxing and safe setting.

There are so many other reasons why staying at the Beach Club/Yacht Club may very well be the right move for you. The stroller friendly transportation between two parks (Epcot and Hollywood Studios), the great pool complex and all the dining choices that surround you are just a few of the reasons. Definitely find out more about this resort by way of that FAQ thread to see if the Beach/Yacht club will be a good choice for your vacation.

~Marlton Mom

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Based on the list of WDW Resorts you are thinking about staying at I would go with the Boardwalk Inn for the following reasons. In my opinion they have the best theme/atmosphere, entertainers who perform every night, among the Epcot Resorts they have the most Table Service Restaurants and Quick Service locations, it's a 5 minute walk to Epcot, they are the closest Epcot Resort when walking to Hollywood Studios which takes between 10 - 15 minutes, all but four of their rooms come with a balcony, so it's a very good chance you end up with one and in my opinion their Luna Park Pool area has the best theme among any of the WDW Resorts.

 

[KristiKat]

I think everybody is making some great suggestions for you. I have one thing I wonder if you've thought about regarding your children and the pack n plays. At 20 months my child could climb out of and turn the pack n play over. Getting close to those terrible twos, those were fun times. Maybe you should consider getting bed rails instead. I had one that folded up and fit into a car quite nicely. They probably would take up less space in the car than the 2 pack n plays. This maybe an unpopular suggestion I don't know. They will be getting close to the toddler bed age anyway so it might be worth a thought.

 

[TMEF23]

Thanks for all of the information. My DH and I are down to two hotels: Yacht Club vs. Beach Club. We want to make sure that we have a balcony so we have a place to go hang out once the children go to sleep. I also really like the idea of being able to walk to EPCOT, cut through to the MK monorail if needed, and take the boat to HS. In one of the pictures I noticed that there was an actual crib, but I thought Disney use pack n plays. Also, what type of pack n plays???? Should I just bring both of our own?

KristiKat-- I also have thought about the problem of maybe knowing how to get out of their crib, but since my little guys were born 8 weeks premature, they are really tiny in height/weight, so I am really hoping this gives me a little more time in their cribs. Although, my sister was just forced into the transition to a toddler bed with her son at 22 months old! If they do transition, then we would change our ressie to two beds and need some rails!

Marlton Mom--- Thanks for the link to the wonder FAQ thread. It was so useful, especially with all of the pictures. I was so glad to see the BC marketplace has some easy choices for bfast. Yogurt Parfait works for me!! Do you know if there is one for the Boardwalk?

mericletwins--If I wasn't so spoiled by the ease of pushing the City Mini Double, I would be willing to use our double Jeep stroller (umbrella). That one is so much lighter and easier to fold, but what you sacrifice in weight you lose in the ease of use during the day. We just took the boys to the zoo in the city mini and I remembered how much I love it for day trips! The full recline and huge sun shades lets the boys take a nap right in it! Also, thanks for the advice on renting. I looked into it, but don't quite feel comfortable to do it for this trip. Next time, I need to plan my trip further in advance and I might give it a shot (I just need more time to research, which I don't have yet!) I had no idea about the world of renting!

 

[KristiKat]

Thanks for all of the information. My DH and I are down to two hotels: Yacht Club vs. Beach Club. We want to make sure that we have a balcony so we have a place to go hang out once the children go to sleep. I also really like the idea of being able to walk to EPCOT, cut through to the MK monorail if needed, and take the boat to HS. In one of the pictures I noticed that there was an actual crib, but I thought Disney use pack n plays. Also, what type of pack n plays???? Should I just bring both of our own?

KristiKat-- I also have thought about the problem of maybe knowing how to get out of their crib, but since my little guys were born 8 weeks premature, they are really tiny in height/weight, so I am really hoping this gives me a little more time in their cribs. Although, my sister was just forced into the transition to a toddler bed with her son at 22 months old! If they do transition, then we would change our ressie to two beds and need some rails!

Marlton Mom--- Thanks for the link to the wonder FAQ thread. It was so useful, especially with all of the pictures. I was so glad to see the BC marketplace has some easy choices for bfast. Yogurt Parfait works for me!! Do you know if there is one for the Boardwalk?

mericletwins--If I wasn't so spoiled by the ease of pushing the City Mini Double, I would be willing to use our double Jeep stroller (umbrella). That one is so much lighter and easier to fold, but what you sacrifice in weight you lose in the ease of use during the day. We just took the boys to the zoo in the city mini and I remembered how much I love it for day trips! The full recline and huge sun shades lets the boys take a nap right in it! Also, thanks for the advice on renting. I looked into it, but don't quite feel comfortable to do it for this trip. Next time, I need to plan my trip further in advance and I might give it a shot (I just need more time to research, which I don't have yet!) I had no idea about the world of renting!

My sister had her son premature also. He was very small at that age so you are probably on the right track with the pack n play idea. He is 4 now and still small but he's always a joy to be around. God bless you, I know it's been hard. My sister had a rough time with her premie and he was just 1, can't imagine what it would have been like for her with twins. A lot of people don't realize how stressful it is until it happens to them or someone close to them. It broke my heart when she had to leave him at the hospital for a few weeks and I can't begin to imagine what that must have felt like for her and then to take him home and all the extra precautions she had to take. I've gotten off track a bit, lol. Enjoy your vacation, I'm sure you've worked very hard these past months.

 

[gabzee]

Yogurt Parfait works for me!! Do you know if there is one for the Boardwalk?

The Boardwalk has the Boardwalk bakery. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[dskib]

You've gotten some great advice so far. The only think I have to add is that we stayed at CBR a few years ago and requested actual cribs and got them! Full size cribs. It was tight, but no big deal.

Also, and this is just me, if I had to deal with 2 toddlers, a hubby with a bad back, and a monster stroller, I'd probably get a car. We just have 1 little guy and had our hands full with him, stroller, backpack, etc.!!!

Good luck and have fun!