Help us choose late June resort...

[NashvilleMama]

We'll be back down in the area for a dance competition at the very end of June for 5 days - including over the 4th of July. HOT. My DH does not do hot, so this will be super fun.

That said: we normally avoid summers at WDW so I don't have much experience with resort variables/crowds/pools.

Traveling: 2 adults and 2 tween girls who do not really do well with sharing a bed as the youngest is a very, very active mover when she sleeps. DH and I may have to work remote while there and take some zooms. Pools are really key for us during downtime, which we'll have a lot of it as I'm not sure how much park time we'll actually do other than 1-2 days at most.

Choices:
1. Pop Century - connected rooms. We just stayed there and were impressed with it, one room only on a 2-person trip. But I'm nervous about a) not getting a connected room even when requesting it b) the crowds that time of year. Pros: Skyliner, QS dining was great, theming is a hit with the girls.

2. Wilderness Lodge - we love it. But we'd all be in 1 room which may be difficult with zoom/work conflicts. Pros: love the balconies. Love Geyser Point. Definitely more of a resort/vacation feel for us adults. However the bunk bed rooms are all gone as of now, which would have tipped this into a sure thing for us.

3. Any other resorts we should consider? We've stayed at POR, CBR, All-Star Music, and Beach Club. I could splurge for a deluxe if a room setup worked but a queen + sofa bed is not going to cut it.

Thx!

 

[Schneewittchen37]

If you're looking for more space, is an Art of Animation suite or a Fort Wilderness cabin an option for you?

Edit: I should add more details. I've never stayed at AoA, but the family suite looks attractive if you need more room for adults to work. You'll have a dining table and a living room, so in theory both adults could work at the same time. But in my experience, value resort pools are sad.... and the food courts are lame.

I love Fort Wilderness, but have only ever stayed in my own rig. Anyway, the cabins appear to have a living/dining room and a deck with a picnic table. The resort is awesome. The pool is similar to other moderates with a hot tub and a slide. Great dining options if the sit down restaurants ever reopen. And easy boat access to MK. And if it starts running again, easy boat access to Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary.

And visiting WDW in the summer isn't that bad. My family went in July 2019, you just have to take a break in the heat of the afternoon and accept the fact that sweat happens. For that trip, we stayed at Boardwalk and some days the pool was busy and other days it was empty, it just depends.

 

[disny_luvr]

I was going to suggest the BC. We always put a request in for a room with a sofa, that way my boys each have their own beds. My one son loves the sleeper sofas at the BC and YC. That said, the sofa is a request and not a guarantee. The other reason we love the BC, especially in the summer, is for SAB. It just cannot be beat for a summer trip. Having the ability to walk to two parks is priceless, too.

ETA - The resort-side rooms at the BC have two queen beds and some have a sofa. The sofa isn’t one that pulls out, but rather the back flips down for the bed.

 

[NashvilleMama]

If you're looking for more space, is an Art of Animation suite or a Fort Wilderness cabin an option for you?

I should have mentioned the FW cabin - I looked at that, but it sounds like everything is really, really spread out there. We've never stayed on site, just visited for Hoop de Doo. Are the pools pretty decent? I've read mixed reviews, including that you really need a golf cart rental to get around.

 

[NashvilleMama]

I was going to suggest the BC. We always put a request in for a room with a sofa, that way my boys each have their own beds. My one son loves the sleeper sofas at the BC and YC. That said, the sofa is a request and not a guarantee. The other reason we love the BC, especially in the summer, is for SAB. It just cannot be beat for a summer trip. Having the ability to walk to two parks is priceless, too.

ETA - The resort-side rooms at the BC have two queen beds and some have a sofa. The sofa isn’t one that pulls out, but rather the back flips down for the bed.

I hadn't thought about that, but that could work too....will look into it. thx!

 

[Schneewittchen37]

I should have mentioned the FW cabin - I looked at that, but it sounds like everything is really, really spread out there. We've never stayed on site, just visited for Hoop de Doo. Are the pools pretty decent? I've read mixed reviews, including that you really need a golf cart rental to get around.

Would you drive or fly down?
If you drive down, bring bicycles. If you have a bike, you don't need a golf cart. There are bike racks in all 3 main areas - bus depot at main entrance, meadow pool and outpost/restaurants/boat dock.

 

[Mzpalmtree]

I would echo the AoA family suite suggestion if you enjoyed Pop. We have stayed in them before and liked them. We have a girl and a boy and they are older and obviously won’t/don’t share a bed so this is always a problem for us. The suites have a Murphy bed and sofa bed, so the only caution would be that if you were going to work you’d have to fold up the kids beds to do so. They also have two bathrooms which is awesome with the kids. I’ve always been afraid to get two regular rooms because I was afraid it would ruin our whole trip if the request wasn’t accommodated. I am not sure of your budget, but most of the deluxe resorts offer deluxe rooms or one bedrooms that are a bit bigger and have a third sleeping surface but also come with a much bigger price tag. I believe that most (all?) rooms at the Contemporary and the Grand have a sofa bed. The Contemporary tower is going through a refurb during that time but I think the garden wing may be open. Yacht Club has some rooms with the sofa bed but twice we requested one and did not get it assigned (once we were able to wait for one and the other time we had to make do) so I am now nervous to book there if it’s a necessity. Lastly, a lot of DVC have three sleeping surfaces in the studios—VGF, Poly Villas, Boulder Ridge at WL, BCV, BWV, and Riviera. One bedroom DVC with three sleep surfaces—VGF, Bay Lake Tower, Animal Kingdom Kidani and Jambo, Riviera, OKW. Obviously, the one bedrooms would probably be more comfortable to work from.

 

[holden]

For room space and lower price, I'd suggest a 1BR at OKW. The feature pool is fine but not super exciting. It does have a slide.

If you don't mind spending more, I'd do Kiadani. Nice pool and extra room in the 1BR. It also has an extra bathroom1

 

[Shellyred8]

We'll be back down in the area for a dance competition at the very end of June for 5 days - including over the 4th of July. HOT. My DH does not do hot, so this will be super fun.

That said: we normally avoid summers at WDW so I don't have much experience with resort variables/crowds/pools.

Traveling: 2 adults and 2 tween girls who do not really do well with sharing a bed as the youngest is a very, very active mover when she sleeps. DH and I may have to work remote while there and take some zooms. Pools are really key for us during downtime, which we'll have a lot of it as I'm not sure how much park time we'll actually do other than 1-2 days at most.

Choices:
1. Pop Century - connected rooms. We just stayed there and were impressed with it, one room only on a 2-person trip. But I'm nervous about a) not getting a connected room even when requesting it b) the crowds that time of year. Pros: Skyliner, QS dining was great, theming is a hit with the girls.

2. Wilderness Lodge - we love it. But we'd all be in 1 room which may be difficult with zoom/work conflicts. Pros: love the balconies. Love Geyser Point. Definitely more of a resort/vacation feel for us adults. However the bunk bed rooms are all gone as of now, which would have tipped this into a sure thing for us.

3. Any other resorts we should consider? We've stayed at POR, CBR, All-Star Music, and Beach Club. I could splurge for a deluxe if a room setup worked but a queen + sofa bed is not going to cut it.

Thx!

My recommendations are based on you saying you weren't going to be at the parks much.
1. SSR 1BR villa - In the newly remodeled rooms (the "Perferred" view), there are two sleeping surfaces in the living room, so each girl could have their own sleep space. You are close to Disney Springs, so lots of different eating options. There are multiple pools for you to use there. Full kitchen. Laundry in the room.
2. BLT 1br villa - there are two sleeping surfaces in the living room. There are two full bathrooms. You can use the BLT and CR pools. Full kitchen. Laundry in the room.
3. Poly Villa (DVC side) - There are three separate sleeping surfaces. There is one full bathroom and one bathroom with just a shower and sink. Mini-kitchen. No laundry in the room. Two pools to choose from.

SSR really would be my first recommendation for you, since there a multiple pools to choose from that you can use and the close proximity to DS. I'm not sure how much cooking you want to do, but the 1BR's will have the full kitchen so you can cook perhaps one meal a day if you want. We will frequently cook breakfasts in the room, and then eat out for the rest of our meals. Also, if anyone golfs, SSR is right on a golf course!

 

[Marthasor]

If you want to go deluxe and be guaranteed 3 sleeping surfaces, consider CR or GF. You could also do a studio villa at Poly or RIV.

 

[NashvilleMama]

update: we just booked Beach Club! It's definitely a splurge but for that time of year and not doing parks on quite a few days, I think it'll be worth it. Thanks for all the incredibly helpful advice!