Help please!

[bobgobblin15]

Calling all Disney lovers, I need help. Our daughter, 11, shared that instead of getting presents this year she would love to go to Disney instead and be at Disney for Christmas. I know it will be unbelievably crowded and we are prepared for that. However, it has been years since we have gone and to give you a hint it’s been so long that I forgot my login name here . I need a hotel. The last time we went we stayed in the Royal rooms at riverside. So I’m looking at that or a room at Coronado Springs. Somewhere between those price points. Or any other suggestions! Please

 

[Skippyboo]

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/fall-holiday-2024-room-offer/

This is the general public discount for the holidays. I would plug in your travel dates and see what’s available. Pop Century with Skyliner access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios is great for short stays where you are going to be park heavy.

 

[Babsy]

Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs is very nice. Good pool. Very upscale for a moderate. Only bus transportation.

Or the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation are cute and AoA has skyliner access and buses.

Another option to consider is the Animal Kingdom Lodge resort view with a request for partial savanna view. Even if you don't get a view of the animals from your room, the resort is gorgeous and there are many places to go and view the animals. Balcony! Only bus transportation.

They also have themed rooms at Caribbean Beach, which is another moderate that is a very spread out resort and has a colourful, beachy theme. It has Skyliner access and buses.

Much depends upon your dates and availability.

 

[bobgobblin15]

Yes! I’m considering AKL now! It’s more but doable. And we have never stayed there and have always wanted to. We have done the Little mermaid rooms in the past when they were a lot cheaper than the price point now. Definitely cute and fun to get your feet wet but not ones we would really want to stay in again. Not necessarily because of the room but because I’m a big foodie and I don’t want to go back to the hotel where my options are pizza, burgers, etc.

 

[Skippyboo]

If you’re a foodie- AKL is pretty good food wise w Boma, Jiko and Sanaa

 

[gottalovepluto]

Before falling in love with a hotel price out tickets and decide if you’re buying LLs. This is not a small chunk of change so I find it necessary to do before setting my hotel budget. (I would use the historical G+ prices from Xmas time last year plus a little bit to estimate LL costs.)

 

[bobgobblin15]

Before falling in love with a hotel price out tickets and decide if you’re buying LLs. This is not a small chunk of change so I find it necessary to do before setting my hotel budget. (I would use the historical G+ prices from Xmas time last year plus a little bit to estimate LL costs.)

Sorry it’s been awhile! What are LLs? Lol

 

[bobgobblin15]

If you’re a foodie- AKL is pretty good food wise w Boma, Jiko and Sanaa

Yes! The menu looks amazing.

 

[jeneric997]

LLs (lightning lane) are the paid version of fast pass.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Sorry it’s been awhile! What are LLs? Lol

Lightening Lanes. Essentially they turned FastPass Plus into a paid product and took out the most popular rides to be sold as stand alone passes. Look up MultiPass Lightening Lanes and Single Pass Lightening Lanes. During Xmas multi pass was going for like $40/person/day last year and that didn’t even include Single Pass rides…

 

[bobgobblin15]

LLs (lightning lane) are the paid version of fast pass.

Oh! Ok is that better than the Genie?? Cause that was a nightmare! And totally a waste.

 

[bobgobblin15]

Lightening Lanes. Essentially they turned FastPass Plus into a paid product and took out the most popular rides to be sold as stand alone passes. Look up MultiPass Lightening Lanes and Single Pass Lightening Lanes. During Xmas multi pass was going for like $40/person/day last year and that didn’t even include Single Pass rides…

Oh my! Thank you! This is something I definitely need to look into since it will be busy.

 

[FlyingDonut]

There are several out there, including the board sponsor; you might consider going through a travel agent as well. They could help you with the deals and (like us) be happy to walk you through the changes between your last trip and now.

ETA: they're generally free to use, and sometimes have various specials, public or just for going through them

 

[bobgobblin15]

There are several out there, including the board sponsor; you might consider going through a travel agent as well. They could help you with the deals and (like us) be happy to walk you through the changes between your last trip and now.

ETA: they're generally free to use, and sometimes have various specials, public or just for going through them

Thank you!

 

[Babsy]

Yes! I’m considering AKL now! It’s more but doable. And we have never stayed there and have always wanted to. We have done the Little mermaid rooms in the past when they were a lot cheaper than the price point now. Definitely cute and fun to get your feet wet but not ones we would really want to stay in again. Not necessarily because of the room but because I’m a big foodie and I don’t want to go back to the hotel where my options are pizza, burgers, etc.

The food is awesome! Boma is a great buffet and Jiko is one of my favourite sit down restaurants in WDW. A walk over to Kidani (or take the shuttle) and you can eat in Sanaa with a view of animals while enjoying a great bread service with dips. It is truly good food. Mara is the QS, and used to be super, but has dropped in offerings and quality, IMO. But we have still been able to. eat a few quick meals here.

Another option is a standard view at. the Wilderness Lodge. It is more expensive than the AKL, but is a boat ride away from the MK and the atmosphere at Christmas is perfect. Just another possibility to consider. Finally, I don't know what discounts you may qualify for and it's not technically Disney, but sometimes prices are too good to pass up on at the Swan or Dolphin. Certainly worth a look and possible consideration.

Gottluvpluto is right about pricing out all the extras that you may want so that you can build a realistic budget for the resort. So expensive at WDW, these days...

If renting points is an option, the new DVC cabins at Fort Wilderness look nice to me (again there may be availability issues). A big plus with a stay here is the full kitchen so that you can get groceries and eat some meals at 'home', saving a substantial amount on dining. From the Dec 22 - Dec 27 (5 nights) it is 132 points which is about $2600.00 at $20 pp. That is just slightly less than AKL resort view booked with Disney with the Holiday savings rate for the same time period. The Dolphin has rooms available through their website as low as $333 per night for the same time period for a total of about $1700.00 (pay up front, no cancellation)

a few examples..

 

[Lumpy1106]

Seems like I've been saying this a lot here lately - if you are planning on sit-down meals, the Deluxe resorts will suit you well. If you are happier stopping in at a QS for breakfast on the way to the parks, a Moderate or even a Value resort is going to be better suited.

To the OPs question, you can't miss with Port Orleans (Riverside or French Quarter), but if you want Skyliner access I'd pick AoA or Pop over Carribean Beach. CBR is big and has a cumbersome internal bus that's an extra step we can do without.

 

[kanerf]

You also might want to look into renting DVC. It may be cheaper than a hotel room, but can't guarantee that. Since you are looking at AKL, you might compare the DVC rental cost to the room cost there.

 

[bobgobblin15]

Ah! Thank yall all very much for all the advice. We decided to go with AKL. One, we just don’t get to go every year or even every two years so when we do go we like to GO! Plus the husband has always wanted to stay at animal kingdom so being we are going at Christmas it’s perfect.