Home Away From Home ??

[MotherOf2Princesses]

I have stayed on site at both Moderate POR and Deluxe WL resorts. But let's face it at the end of the day it doesn't matter how nice the resort is, it's just a hotel room. I plan to go back in May 2006. I was wondering which resort would you recomend for a family with a 5 year old and a 2 year old, girls.
I was thinking Beach Club Villa, Saratoga Springs 1 br villa, or FW Cabins? Thre's also a big difference in price. HELP! Suggestions Please.

 

[WDW LOVR]

We have stayed in 1 BR at BCV, BWV and the Cabins many times and I don't think you can go wrong at any of them. If price is an issue, the Cabins are definitely cheaper and in my opinion they are great. It's a nice boat ride to MK and being separate from the other cabins, it feels like you are in your own place. The only draw back to the Cabins is the transportation in the campground can be slow. The walk to your cabin from the bus stop after a day at a park can be long. But there are lots of things in the campground for kids and when our kids were younger it was our favorite place to stay.

Now the kids are older and MK has moved it's way down on their favorite park list, the Epcot area resorts are their favorites. BC and BW are more expensive, but they are fantastic (our current favorite places to stay) You are a short walk from Epcot and MGM and the the Boardwalk is a blast.

With young kids, being closer to MK might be more important (so the cabins would be better). I guess it depends on what you like to do and what you can afford, but any of the 3 resorts are wonderful, in my opinion.

 

[i12go2wdw]

We stayed at the cabins when our kids were 3, 6, and 9. We loved the space, two rooms and kitchen, like our own little home but our favorite thing was that the kids could run and jump and laugh out loud and we didn't have to worry about our neighbours. We rented a car and parked right in fornt of the cabin so transportation was not an issue. The mousekeeping was spectacular and one of the highlights was to retun to our cabin and see what they had done for us that day-amazing!!
Christine

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We enjoy renting points and staying at the home away from home resorts. We've tried all of them except SSR. I think they are very nice... and great for kids. I would recommend doing some research over on the rent/trade board. You'll want to make sure you get a good deal on points, and avoid weekends. Sometimes it's good to do like 4 nights home away from home, and then move to a different resort to save money on the weekend points.

Good Luck!

 

[AJKMOM]

If the determining factor is the price, I would go with the cheapest. We stayed at FW when the kids were little, and it was great. Privacy was a big factor, only thing was now I realize the pools are sort of plain, not themed at all. Two little kids don't care about a pool theme, thats for sure.

You could check out the DVC board here to see about renting points from an owner. If you aren't sure, just go with the cabins, they are nice.

 

[ccgegg]

We recently stayed at SSR with our 4yo (girl) and 1yo (boy). It was nice, and the walk to DTD was very manageable. However, we walked through Beach Club on that trip and said to ourselves, "Selves, we're staying HERE next year!" For kids that age, I can't imagine there is a better place.

 

[mousefansmom]

I, too, would rent points and stay at BC with kids your age. We stayed at BWV last time, but will be at BCV this year- can't wait! Honestly, any of the DVC properties would be great for a family! Definitely check the rent/trade board, that is how we found our rental for BWV, and then we ended up buying while we were there!
Have Fun-

I have stayed on site at both Moderate POR and Deluxe WL resorts. But let's face it at the end of the day it doesn't matter how nice the resort is, it's just a hotel room. I plan to go back in May 2006. I was wondering which resort would you recomend for a family with a 5 year old and a 2 year old, girls.
I was thinking Beach Club Villa, Saratoga Springs 1 br villa, or FW Cabins? Thre's also a big difference in price. HELP! Suggestions Please.

 

[SB in KY]

If cost is a big issue AND you will have a car, Ft Wilderness is great....however I would absolutely NOT recommend a family staying at Ft Wilderness without a car....you will spend 1/2 your vacation on the buses!! But as the other posters suggested...it is fine size wise for a family of 4 and the privacy and parking right at your door are great.

If you plan on using your car much I would NOT plan on BCV...it is quite a hike to your car. The main draw there is Stormalong Bay, so if the pool is huge for you all then that would be a good choice.

Personally I would opt for OKW over SSR...SSR is nice and new, but the 1BR's there and at BCV are quite a bit smaller than at OKW as are the balconies. Plus you have the advantage of parking right by your door for easy car access. I like the new pool area at OKW better also...not to mention if you rent points it will be a significant savings over SSR or BCV...it is a very laid back resort atmosphere over there.

Whatever you decide...BEWARE....it will be really hard to go back to even a deluxe hotel room after doing the 1BR thing at a home away from home!!! They are pretty addictive!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I see so many people who rent out a DVC reservation say to only go from Sun to Fri (5 nights) and to me that just isn't worth it. And I'd hate to pack up and move somewhere else after 5 great days in a DVC resort. What a let down.

If you want to go for 7 or 8 nights, just average out the cost over all those days and you will still be cheaper than a cash night stay on Disney. See what the reservation would cost from Disney on the website and then see if a member can beat that. More than likely, they can by a good amount.

We always go for at least eight or nine nights and we stay at a DVC resort for all those nights.

If you decide to rent a DVC reservation from a member, make sure you read the FAQS at the top of the Rent/Trade board.

 

[MrShiny]

Definitely worth it to rent points! If the cost of Fri-Sat is too much at the DVC resorts, consider starting your vacation on a Fri or Sat at a cheaper hotel and then switch to the DVC on Sunday.

And remember when you rewnt pounts, there is no additional tax. Much better than the rack rates for these rooms!

 

[spiceycat]

some of us have other committments so we can only stay 5 days - one day to get there - and one day to get back plus the 5 days is 7 days...

OKW studio (sun-thurs) rents for 8 points a night
fri/sat same room - 20 points a night

BIG change!!!

lots of folk who rent points will drive down on Saturday - stay in a cheap Kissimmee hotel that Saturday night - get up early on Sunday and check in - then go to the parks until their room is ready.

this works very nicely.

go with what you can afford. with the magical express there is no need to pay for transportation costs. So I won't get a car (and I am not for my up coming trip).

I got told to try www.wegoshop.com for my groceries.