Help! Which resort for Kids?

[jennat]

We are headed to Orlando and would like to stay on property this time (last time stayed at HI Family Suites). I was looking at the All Star resorts because they looked so fun and visually stimulating for my kids (dd6, ds9). Then I kept hearing how they are just a glorified motel. So...I started looking at some of the others (CBR..). They look to me to be very adult. Somewhere I would stay with my hubby, not somewhere I want to stay with my kids at Disneyworld (over the top ..fun).
*Am I wrong?
*What resort would you recommend?
*Is "glorified motel" bad?
I would love so feedback. We are not to picky (clean and safe of course), would probably pick a Holiday Inn or Marriot courtyard over Ritz (for price alone...otherwise Ritz here I come!). The animal kingdom looks nice but don't want ot pay that. We are just coming in a few days earlier than our cruise takes off (3 days prior and 1 or 2 days post). Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
Love that banana!

 

[Selket]

The value resorts don't appeal to me but that is just my tastes and not yours of course! I'm just wondering how much time you plan to spend at the resort? Do the values have pool slides? I usually recommend POFQ (just a lovely resort, small, great pool and you can also go to the pool at POR) but perhaps with the ages of your kids, if they really like pool slides, perhaps the CSR would be better? The big pool at that one looks great for older kids. All of the resorts have things geared towards kids so I wouldn't worry about them being too "adult" in that sense.

 

[momo3hods]

We just returned from a seven night stay at All Star Movies in the Toy Story building overlooking Andy's room. There were four adults and my three kids 4, 2, and 7 months in connecting rooms. We loved it, the pool was great as was the food court. We had no problems and spent little time actually in the rooms although our kids loved them.

 

[chobie]

My kids love POP. They also loved the pools at POFQ and POR. Yes, we did some legal pool-hopping. Never stayed at AS, but POP is new so the rooms are still new looking, not grungy. The kids like the pool thee as well.

 

[missstcroix]

Well I do not like motel types so i would never consider a value resort but thats just me. I AM pretty picky and I admit it...having said that...The Caribbean Beach is a moderate with FABULOUS pool with slide and nice property for kids. The rooms are really nothing special...but on a budget and not picky...its a great place for kids. Animal Kingdom we really loved. Bunk Beds in the rooms, views of the animals, nice pool with zero entry and small slide. I did not like Wilderness Lodge...Very buggy and couldnt stand the noise with the open to lobby restaurant with screaming waiters. The Contemporary has a great pool and beach, nice to have the monorail, but the place is oldish and nothing special for the $. My personal favorite is Swan/Dolphin. Not owned by disney, but on disney property. You can get some good deals there..especially if military, nurse, triple A, Enterainment.
Pool is awesome, beach area fun. Access to boardwalk SUPER for kids as nite time is just a walk away from face painting, games and general fun. Take the boat to Epcot and MGM. They are sister hotels and share the pool area...Dolphin is more kid friendly (ice cream store inside and bigger lobby) and closer to the pools. Beds in the Swan are bigger. Alot less chaos than the disney hotels. Just my opinioin. Good luck! Oh and by the way, my kids are 7 & 9. And the Grand Floridian would be the top of the line "Ritz" type place

 

[jennat]

Wow! This is great! Please keep it coming! It is giving me insite that would take hours of research to get.
Don't necessarily need a slide (with regard to the above post), but kindof want this vacation to be "all about the kids". We cruise every year sans kids and this is the first time we are "inviting them along (wink) , we are excited to be with them and want them to have a great time, thereby giving us a great time. Disney is so magical!
Thanks again and keep it coming! Could someone tell me where to find out what the codes for hotels mean.?

 

[AJKMOM]

Coronado springs has a really nice pool area with a slide. The value resorts don't have slides. I would recommend going on the Disney website and looking at pictures. If you don't AKL want (my favorite-but we got a great deal when it first opened), you could also check out PORiverside. The pool area there is larger than FrenchQuarter.

 

[the kabuki]

From your post, it sounds as if a value would be right for you.Personally, I liked POP better, only because it's newer and doesn't feel as spread out as ASM. You're not going to be in your room much anyway and if a Holiday Inn is fine with you than value will be too.

There are many here, myself included, who feel the rooms are a bit noisy, toilets loud, walls thin, but there are just as many who had no problems. If you or your family are light sleepers, I would recommend bringing a some sort of white noise machine with you. While it was loud to me, I was usually so exhausted that it didn't intefere with sleeping. If you do like things a little quieter, request a room that doesn't face the pool. It gets quite loud down and it's open till midnight.

One more thing, we stayed in the preferred 60's building(paid $10 per night more) and I personally wouldn't spend my $ on that again. The 70's and 50's were just as close.

 

[Cellthing]

Personally I love the All-Stars. We have stayed at All-Star Movies 3 times and Music 1 time. I think the rooms are quite adequate, clean and not Motel 6 in my opinion. My DD5 loves the Dalmations at Movies. We have stayed in the Dalmation building twice for that reason. The pools do not have a slide like the moderates if that is something you look for, otherwise I think they are just fine for swimming. We personally do not spend a lot of time in our room other than bathing and sleeping so for those reasons the All-Stars (and Pop) work just fine for us. We are not fancy people but do have standards which we have been happy with. I think the food court has a little bit for everyone, including children which is nice. We are going at the end of April and will be trying CSR for the first time but my heart is with the All-Stars while my children are small (DD5, DD1).

Good Luck with your decision. My vote is go for the All-Star and use the extra money for spending.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

For a moderate I would pick POR. It has a lot for kids, a great pool, carriage rides and great entertainment for the whole family at the RIver Roost Lounge. All Stars and Pop would probably serve you well also - they are clean, fun and the kids seem to love it.

 

[Miffy2003]

My DDs loved All Star Movies! The larger than life characters, the pools, the food court and arcade. There are little touches all around the resort too which they liked - for example the TV screen in 101 Dalmations, the toy car in Yoy Story etc.

If you stayed at a value you could do some other stuff for your kids with the money you save; depending on their ages, might they enjoy a Pirate Cruise, a character meal, the Family Magic Tour etc??

eta: ooops, just seen the ages of your children. Mine were 5 & 8 and loved character dining, Pirate Cruise etc....

 

[F1Julie]

My DD4 loved every resort at WDW that we've stayed at. She's stayed at ASsp, CSR, AKL, and Pop. As long as we're at WDW and there is a pool, I don't think she'd care which resort we stay at. Each WDW resort has it's charms. Choose whichever one you would like to stay at and the kids will be fine with your decision.

 

[dixipixi]

Hi!

I agree with F1Julie. My son has enjoyed EVERY DW hotel we've stayed at. That being said, I do try to take into account his age at the time of the trip. For example, we stayed at the CBR when he was 5 and he LOVED the pool area. This year we're staying at the WL because I think he and DH will like it there (we also love to take trips to the mountains, fishing, hiking, and are outdoorsy types) so I'm thinking that will appeal to them now.

In all fairness, I have never stayed at a value resort, so couldn't give you an honest reaction to those. I have stayed at (or visited) all of the moderates and deluxes (with the exception of AKL) which I plan to visit on this trip. I can honestly say that I would be happy to stay at any of them again.

 

[Bugsmom73]

I would say that any resort you pick will be fine. We have stayed at the WL and CBR with our daughter. I have also stayed at the CBR and CR without children. As a child, I stayed at FW. All resorts have something to offer kids. CBR has great beaches and each "island" has its own playground. It all depends upon how much money you want to spend. Also, check out Deb's website at www.allearsnet.com. It is a great site complete with pics and facts about each resort.

 

[mikkishelles]

We are going in September-it will be the first trip to Disney for our sons, who will be ages 3 and 2 when we travel. I have heard so many good things about the All-Star Movie Resort for children that age, so that is were we made our ressies. Personally, I would much rather stay at POR or Grand Floridian, but, I think my kids will enjoy ASMU much more..

 

[ptrbryant]

We love WL and have been there 3x...but, to help our budget, we want to split the stay with a MOD or Value. At first, all I was researching were Mods...with POR-Mansions being at the top of my list. When DH and DS9 looked at the internet photos of it, they both thought it was "okay". Then, when DS saw ASMovies, he went wild! We have a (part) Dalmatian dog, DS loves Toy Story and Fantasia, etc.--so it looks like a giant dream to him! DH and I aren't thrilled about the room size and decor there, but if we just stay 2 nts., I'm sure we'll be fine. (Also, I've been a bit more encouraged by the very positive reviews ASMo has gotten here lately!). We may even (if a code comes out) get 2 adjoining rooms...still cheaper than 1 at WL. I personally like POP, but think the references are totally lost on DS. Also, c'mon, we're at WDW! Where else could you stay at a hotel like ASMo???? Am willing to put over-the-top fun over elegance on this trip!

Karla B.