HELP! Where should we stay?

[DISFANSHAN]

My DH and I are so confused. We are trying to decide between staying at a condo type resort - The Vistana, which has a bedroom, living room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, etc. Or stay at a Disney resort, either the AKL, WL, or CSR. As much as I want the extra room at the Vistana, (our DS4 is travelling with us too), I have stayed there before, and wanted to try the Disney resort thing. We definitely can't afford a suite at a Disney resort. I can't decide if it is worth it to sacrifice the extra room just to have the Disney ambiance.
By the way, we do come back to the room to relax/nap/shower in the late afternoon before we go back to the parks.

Any opinions would be appreciated!
We are staying for 6nts in December.

Thanks!

 

[lmhall2000]

"We will never stay offsite again" When we go to Disney- that's all we do- we really don't like going off site to SeaWorld or Universal yet- so if you're planning on spending most your time at Disney- I'd DEFINITELY go with on site- if you're planning on spending time half and half then I think off site would work fine for you. We have 3 small children- and just love the ease and convenience of having everything so close by and you can't beat the resorts there- they really are Disney magical. I would probably go for Wilderness Lodge - just a lot of fun things for kids to do around there.

ENJOY!!!
Tara

 

[DISFANSHAN]

THANK YOU IMHALL.

DOES ANYONE HAVE A DIFFERING OPINION?

 

[jwsteelman]

Without a doubt you should stay on Disney property. When were there we always bring our 12,10,9 year old kids back to our resort for a swim or break, you can't beat the convenience of being right on property. Also, using Disney's transportation makes it a breeze getting around.

 

[susy]

Well, since I live in a condo in FL, that's just not my idea of a vacation. BORING!!!!!


AKL is magnificent!!!!! I also LOVE CSR! Onsite is the best!

 

[mad4themouse]

I see that you'll be sailing on the Wonder in a few weeks. If you don't feel cramped in your stateroom, you will have issues with space in any of the onsite resorts!

Since you like to return to your room to relax in the afternoon, I would highly recommend staying onsite. Choose a resort close to your favorite park and call it home for those 6 nights.

The advantages of being close to the parks when decide to call it quits is priceless and with only 2 adults and a small child, a deluxe room will not feel all that cramped. AKL and WL have balconies that you and your DH can relax on while your DS4 drifts off for a nap.

Personally, I would choose the WL for its convenience to MK. The AKL, although it has great theming, is farther from all the other parks with the exception of AK. And while I absolutely love CSR, the theming my not appeal to a 4yo as much as the other 2.

 

[Kimberle]

We've done both. We go to FL every year. Every other year is a "disney" year, we'll stay on-site. The "off" years are US/IOA/Sea World, etc, w/ minimul Disney.

The "off's", we generally stay at a suite (we really like Country Inn's & Suites in Calypsso Cay). We do like the extra room too.

However, our "on" years, at Disney, we get a regular room. We also pay about 4x as much as off-site. (But hopefully no more, since I've caught on to the DIS secrets!!) I can honestly say, when you "do" disney, you really need to stay on-site. There just is no comparisen!! I can't tell you how nice it is just to hop a boat and ride accross the lake to MK or grab a bus to MGM. The resorts are beautiful and relaxing. Plus, you get the advantage of early entry (a "must" when the parks are busy.)

Since you're so undecided, why don't you split your stay? Stay for 3-4 nights off site, then 3-4 nights on-site? Or, another thought, get 2 rooms at an All Stars.

Relax & don't stress yourself out! Where ever you decide to stay, you'll have a wonderful vacation!!

 

[kalamazoo]

I think you really have to ask yourself how important the extra room is to you. If you and your ds are going to be roughly on the same schedule then go ahead and try a WDW resort. We find it hard to stay in 1 hotel room for more than a few days because our kids' bedtime is earlyish and we like to have downtime after they have gone to bed.

Another thing to consider is whether or not you want to eat out all the time. Though we do not cook elaborate meals or anything, I find that having a kitchen is nice. I find that mealtime at WDW can feel like such a production sometimes.

We have tried a few of the deluxe resorts, but with the kids we stayed at Ft. W cabins (which gave us privacy and a kitchen but frankly did not do much for me and did not seem particularly convenient transportation-wise) and at the Polynesian (for 1 night) which was nice and seemed to be in the thick of things. I, personally do not find that the moderates and AS resorts offer enough to make it worth our while though many guests love them. Of the resorts you listed my choice would be AKL just because it seems a little more laid back but, at the same time, has a number of activities available for guests and I've heard that the buses are pretty good because they essentially do not share a route with anyone else.

I've stayed at Vistana Villages and found it quite pleasant and, having a car, not particularly inconvenient for getting to and from the parks. I would say, on average, it took about 15 - 20 min to get to or from any of the parks. You definitely get way more room for your money. I would say that staying off-site the main inconvenience would be if your party wants to split up and you only have one car, but if it's only you, dh and ds then chances are this won't be an issue.

 

[pstepka]

Why not rent points from a DVC member and stay in a studio at one of the Home Away From Home resorts (BCV, BWV, etc.)? It would run about the same price as a moderate room. We rented points last month for the BCV and will never stay anywhere else now. It was wonderful!!!!

Pam

p.s.
I PM'd you.

 

[Grumpy92]

Vistana is very close and I have heard good things on these boards about them. Are you planning on making meals in your room or eating out? Take the daily parking fee into consideration.
For afternoon breaks the convenience of a onsite hotel is a plus.
Of the resorts you listed WL is probably the one most like. The boat to MK is wonderful as is the transportation to other areas. AKL & CSR are nice but can seem far flung. Although we have stayed at CSR and found the transportation good.
YOu might want to think about other options is you really want the kitchen and stay on property. Rent DVC points or stay at FW in the cabins. We have always found the cabins relaxing and quiet a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the parks.
Basically it is going to come down to your personal preferences.