Help picking resort

[1sttimedisneymama]

we are taking our son to Disney for the first time in November. He will be 3 months away from turning 3 at that point. We are between a family suite at AoA, a RR at POR, and a room at CBR. Any opinions on which would be best?

 

[robinb]

Welcome to the DIS!

I think a family suite will be overkill for your little family of 3 and a Royal Room will not be appreciated by your son. They look really cool, but I personally don't think they are worth the extra money. That leaves me with CBR. I would spend the extra to get a room in a preferred building. The kiddie splash area for toddlers/pre-schoolers is one of the best on property.

 

[loves to dive]

I agree with PP, except I would even go so far as not to pay for a preferred room. I know, everyone says it's too big of a resort to walk from standard rooms but we were there last week and stayed in Jamaica building, no preferred room and had no problems. There is a bus stop at every building and the walk to Port Royale for us was about 5 min, less that than to the pool.

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

Okay I will keep that in mind. We only thought the cars suite because my son loves cars are there any other good places to stay?

 

[FindMeAFishingSpot]

We loved the Cars suite. DS was 4 and he was amazed at everything. He's 7 now and is past the Cars phase (we're at CBR in June) so I'm glad I got to enjoy it with him. It might be overkill, but if he's a Cars fan, it's so worth it.

 

[terri33inne]

If he loves Cars, and it's in the budget to do the Cars suite, then do it. He will only be in this phase for a short time. Plus it's nice to have the kitchenette to pop popcorn, grab a bowl of cereal, etc. The splash area & zero entry pool at AofA are fun as well, and the Cars pool looks amazing with the cozy cone cabanas (we never made it to the Cars section on our stay there but the pool looks adorable).

I've never stayed at CBR so I can't comment on that. POR I love, and I loved the RR, they are not overly 'girly/princessey' but more royal. POR has cane pole fishing and that is something he may enjoy. I don't recall or know if they have a splash play area for kids, I know they just finished a pool renovation so I'm not sure if this was added.

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

I've been reading the CBR thread and am thinking that may be more for us. It will save us about $200-350 and still has the nice pool and was renovated recently. Now I'm more confused on what to pick which has the best transportation to MK?

 

[addiln]

As the pp stated that car phase will not last long so you should go there and enjoy that resort while you can. Once he is out of that phase the resort might not be as fun as other places. I have stay at CBR and loved it. The resort is great and they also have the pirate themed rooms which you son may like down the line. Any resort you pick I am sure you will enjoy.

 

[goofy4tink]

They all have good transportation to MK. AoA has just one bus stop, and goes directly to the MK. POR has 4, if I remember correctly, so you spend a bit of time on the bus before leaving POR property. Same thing with CBR...multiple bus stops. But, don't choose a resort based on transportation..unless you're going high end and have direct acces (walking or boat) to a park, it's just not worth it.

 

[robinb]

They are all just about equal when it comes to transportation. All those resorts use busses. POR busses make internal resort stops plus a stop at POFQ. CBR buses make internal stops. AoA has a single stop at the front of the resort bu the lines can get long

 

[5kidsmommy]

CBR is lovely and beautiful and the pool is amazing. But if you think he'd enjoy the cars suite and you can swing that I'd do it. You'll also then have two bathrooms which is always nice. But at CBR we stayed in a standard room and it was only a 6 minute walk to the pool, and the pool is amazing!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Personally, I would save the money and go with CBR (preferred and don't let them "upgrade" you to a pirate room!) or a regular room at POR.

I would not spend the extra money on a Cars Suite with a 3-year old. We stayed in a Nemo Suite the first year AoA opened when my DS was 4 and he got over the theme after the first day. Then we were stuck in a big, but incredibly uncomfortable and loud room. The food court was also mass chaos. I will never, ever stay there again.

By staying in a regular room at a mod, you will spend less and get upgraded amenities. If you really want to experience the Cars area at AoA, you could always take a bus to AoA from one of the parks and walk around the Cars area at the resort.

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

We plan on going every other year from now on so may save Cars for when he is 4. Thanks all!

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

Personally, I would save the money and go with CBR (preferred and don't let them "upgrade" you to a pirate room!) or a regular room at POR.

I would not spend the extra money on a Cars Suite with a 3-year old. We stayed in a Nemo Suite the first year AoA opened when my DS was 4 and he got over the theme after the first day. Then we were stuck in a big, but incredibly uncomfortable and loud room. The food court was also mass chaos. I will never, ever stay there again.

By staying in a regular room at a mod, you will spend less and get upgraded amenities. If you really want to experience the Cars area at AoA, you could always take a bus to AoA from one of the parks and walk around the Cars area at the resort.

What do you mean don't upgrade to a pirate room? Do the preferred rooms have views of the pool/beach or lake areas?

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

Another question. We will be flying into to a nearby airport but not Orlando International and it's about a 20-30 minute drive from Disney. Should we rent a car or take a cab? What would be most cost efficient?

 

[DJFan88]

What do you mean don't upgrade to a pirate room? Do the preferred rooms have views of the pool/beach or lake areas?

Pirate rooms are the farthest from the pool/food court area, also known as OPR (old port royale). Preferred are right next to it, which is great for you and a little one, near the splash area. Sure, if you don't go preferred, you could have a good walk. But, you could also have a crappy walk if its real hot and your going to pool continually with 3 year old. Better to guarantee a close building if you can. Especially if your using the mugs at the food court.
Preferred rooms could have view of beach side, or view of parking lot. I suggest you book preferred at CBR, and then put in a request for the views you want.

 

[BOST99]

Another question. We will be flying into to a nearby airport but not Orlando International and it's about a 20-30 minute drive from Disney. Should we rent a car or take a cab? What would be most cost efficient?

I'm not sure the price of grand transportation but we were able to get a smaller size car for just about $100 (I think before taxes) by following the boards here. Look for the month you are going and they will list tips and discounts.

We like the flexibility of having a car on property when using a stroller. We drove from CBR to each park for RD so we were close and didn't worry about lugging our stroller on the bus. We took the bus for MK. It was also helpful for check-in (completely separate building) or stopping at OPR on our way home to get drinks and then drove to our room.

My DD really enjoyed CBR at the same age. Kiddie pool was under construction at the time but we utilized quiet pools and sand beaches. She loved the murphy bed too.

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

Thank you all! Given the price difference I asked our TA to request a standard room top floor in Jamaica 45 or Aruba 51. Fingers crossed!

 

[dansdad]

Thank you all! Given the price difference I asked our TA to request a standard room top floor in Jamaica 45 or Aruba 51. Fingers crossed!

Excellent choice! CBR is our favorite Moderate and 2nd favorite in all of WDW.

 

[1sttimedisneymama]

Okay so my husband brought up something and I want opinions. He heard from someone we can pay for a standard room at Pop but ask for 60s 4th floor and be able to face hour glass lake. If we did that we could turn our 5 night trip into a 7 night trip. Would it be worth it to stay at pop in a standard vs a moderate like CBR?