How do you choose?!

[trimad22]

We are in the planning stages -- Like day 1...lol.

I *think* we would like to go September 2015

I will have a 6 & 11 yr old and I have NO clue where to start -- I am looking at places to stay and they all look great.

This is the girls BIG trip -- we have never been and probably will never go again so we want to make it the best!!

Would love a starting point as to where to stay with 2 little girls and of course hubby and I

 

[mort1331]

Congrats and Good Luck

Need a lot more info before giving in depth help. You should start and try to stick to a budget, it can get away from you.
Easy to price out tickets. Then you can look at resort, length of stay, what are must do's. Car or not. Onsite I am assuming, so use Disney transport.
You can do a quick calculation of food by starting with what the dining plan would cost you, then look at the different restaurants and see if its cheaper without, most likely.

That's a start to a long research, but take baby steps and have fun.

 

[trimad22]

Right now we have about $5000 set aside just for the trip and we can add over the next 10 months if needed.

Length of stay is flexible too -- just wondering where is a good place to stay on site with the family. I was looking at Art of Animation but have read that everything is quite spread out and not as people expected.

I want the girls jaws to drop but don't want to have to carry anyone back to the room at night

We will be flying in as well - no car.

 

[Dawn68PA]

My vote? AKL. Dedicated buses, awesome activities for kids, animals right outside your room and huge pool area. A trip they'll never forget.

 

[Winky65]

Location is most important to us. The resorts, while they do have varying themes that might influence your decision, are to us just a hotel with beds. Very nice yes, but we are more focused on the parks. First thing to decide is which park are you going to visit the most. First time we went we stayed at Wilderness Lodge booking through Disney and loved it. Beautiful resort and setting. But we did not spend much time there. Raising the flag one morning was a very nice bonus. My plan was to try a different resort each visit. The next time we went, when our son was 6 we rented DVC points and stayed at the Boardwalk. And we are most likely not going to stay anywhere else again. The Standard room renting DVC points is considerably less than almost every other resort. And being able to walk to 2 parks is a HUGE bonus. Being able to walk to Epcot during Food and Wine Festival makes the trip so much better, for us. We are booking this weekend for a trip 11 months from now and are doing the Boardwalk again. Strongly considered the Animal Kingdom but it just did not seem worth the cost increase for what to us is a (very nice) place to sleep.
Bottom line is figure out what you want from the resort and go from there.

 

[emldrl]

If this is your one and only trip, then I say do it up! I have priced out trips for that month, as we were originally going then, and you can get 6 or 7 nights, 6 day tickets, and dining plan, for just over what you already have saved, and I believe that was for some deluxe resorts. Also, discounts are usually offered that month, although not guaranteed. The value resorts are also very nice, and you could stay longer, but for us, one week will be enough, and we want to go all out with a deluxe resort. There is a really good website called **************.net, that will be VERY helpful. Also, pricing out trips on the wdw website is fairly easy, and is a good way to start.
Whatever you choose, it will be a wonderful vacation!!

 

[WDGPCFR]

#1 - Budget Yours seems to be a decent one so resort options are more than for others.

#2 - Sit everyone down with the computer and look at the resorts. With the ages of the girls AoA and AKL sound like excellent choices but everyone is different. We wandered AoA when staying at POP and it wasn't that spread out. Space is relative.

#3 - if this is likely to be your one and only, not, use your money to schedule special events. I always recommend doing Cinderella's Castle. It seems expensive but is worth every penny in my opinion.

#4 - Travel there early and leave late. Enjoy every minute of Disney you can. Every newbie tries to fit in too much their first time or two, myself included.

I would suggest splitting your budget to plan a second visit in a few years. Visit other resorts to see where you may want to stay next time. All the stress of planning is worth it.

 

[davedmaine]

If you've never been and you have girls, I'd stay at Contemporary. You'll likely spend most of your time at Magic Kingdom and being able to walk there from the resort is a great perk.

 

[olwyngdh]

Look at what you like in a hotel and go from there. I don't like interior corridors, so that puts me in a Mod or value. I use a scooter, so I prefer not to have multiple bus stops, so that narrows it to POFQ or a Value. I adore the over the top theming and huge icons, so that narrows it to a value. Since DD29 is married, she and her husband want a separate room, so there goes the suites, darn it. (I'll give them a few years). That puts me at Pop or the All Stars or the Little Mermaid rooms at AoA. The LM rooms don't get the military discount, so that eliminates them.

Somehow, we always end up at Pop. Dedicated busses, good food court for when we want it, decent pools, friendly CMs (The older woman from Jamaica in Mousekeeping is a riot, and we look for her every trip). Yes, the rooms are smaller, but we don't spend a lot of time in our room anyhow...we are up and out at the parks or lounging at the pool while DD12 swims.

I keep trying to talk myself and my family into POFQ, but it always fails. DD29 even honeymooned at Pop while we were stuck at Shades of Green for her wedding.

 

[BlueFairy]

September - It will be hot, so look at the pools, but be sure to allow time to enjoy them. It is usually free dining, so consider that the restaurants will be very busy and you will need dining reservations (ADRs) and may want to stay in an area with easy access to lots of options (monorail resorts or Epcot resorts make hopping to other hotels for food an easy thing). Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party will be going on at MK. Will you want to attend that? Night of Joy and Labor Day will affect a touring plan at MK in the first week of September (check historical hours). If you are going later than mid-month, you will also want to consider going to Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. Many repeat guests spend LOTS of evenings in Epcot during this time and prefer the Epcot resorts.

Since your budget really will allow for just about anywhere (with proper planning) I agree that letting the kids investigate the hotels may be a great choice.

 

[Aerinha]

I have started trying to decide based on which park I plan to be at most. Loved AKL but it was not my best choice when flower show food booths were my goal. Loved YC but when I wanted to get to all the parks and monorail hotels during a short stay to see Christmas decor it was not my best choice (although nice for seeing the Epcot hotels).

2015 visit I am all about Christmas stuff and planned it to correct previous mistakes. Longer stay and a monorail hotel. I originally thought I would want Gf for another holiday stay to be gingerbread adjacent, but opted for the Poly because gingerbread lobbies are nuts, I want to try different resorts and the Contemporary based on dining visits there just turns me off.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

I agree with a PP that if this is to be THE BIG TRIP and you have $5,000 minimum, I would look at the Contemporary...being so close to MK which will probably be your most visited park...you can walk right over.

Plus it really is "cool" to kids that the monorail pulls right through the building...it is out of our budget range, but if I could, that's the one I would do for a special all-out trip.

 

[imabeimabe]

Granted the Contemporary is convenient but for me the theme is blah. You could almost split your budget & take 2 trips with a moderate. I would stay at POFQ in building 4. It's right by the food court & bus stop. Has a pool with a dragon slide. Boat to Downtown Disney check out TRex. For $45 you can take a wonderful carriage ride (all 4 of you) around the resort. And it's a fairly short bus ride to all the parks. Whatever you decide I hope you have a WONDERFUL vacation and I'm betting you return

 

[lillyshula]

One thing with your budget. Is that $5000 dollars your total budget? Does it include room, tickets, food, and souvenirs? Budgets at Disney tend to be squashed because we budget in the big items and tend to forget all the little things that add up. I would recommend looking at sample menus from restaurants and making a mock meal plan to see how much dining will actually cost you. If you decide to do the Disney Dining Plan, remember that alcohol and tips are not included and must be paid out of pocket. Another thing we like to do with souvenirs for our girls is to get them a preloaded gift card for the entire trip so they know how much they can spend. That helps them know what they really want.

I would love to say with this possibly being your only trip to go for broke and stay in a deluxe resort to have an amazing once in a lifetime experience, but in all reality, how much time will you really stay back to enjoy a deluxe resort and all it has to offer? For around $1000 dollars less you could stay at the Port Orleans Riverside in a Royal Princess room and be just as happy (if not more with the savings). The rooms are super cute and comfortable. The resort is also lovely and has a great bus system to the parks. The pool may not be as "themed" as some of the other resorts, but my girls always enjoy any type of swimming. The lobby and food court area is a convenient 5-10 minute walk from the rooms. We also love the boat ride to DTD.

With the savings of staying in a moderate resort, you can use the extra money you would have spent on a room for a special dining experience, extra souvenirs, or maybe even try one of the special tour Disney has to offer.

Right now I am planning a trip for a stay in a deluxe resort because I have always wanted to stay in one on the monorail system or on the boardwalk area, but I am almost certain my CPA hubby will talk me into staying at the POR again and honestly, I wouldn't mind at all.

Whatever you choose, I hope you have a truly magical vacation!

 

[Ceryssa]

For what may be your only trip (be warned--Disney is addictive; my husband wasn't at all enthused about going to begin with, much less going back, but has since changed his tune and we're now planning our second trip) I'd recommend staying at least a week. Especially since it will be hot in September and you'll want to take breaks in the afternoon and let the kids (and you!) swim/rest. Good things about that time of year are lower crowds, the food and wine festival in Epcot, and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Bad thing is, as I mentioned, the heat, and and likely rain most days (don't let that scare you--most attractions continue to operate in rain as long as there's no lightening, and with it being Florida it rarely rains ALL day. Plus it tends to clear people out of the parks so you might have the place practically to yourself!).

As for where you stay--again, since it's a slower time rates will be a bit lower so you can probably stretch your budget a bit better, especially if a good discount comes out that you can take advantage of (historically there usually is one in September). Just make sure it has a pool you think the kids will enjoy spending time in, because you'll probably want to take advantage of it quite a bit, and if you end up spending that much time at your resort you may want to stick to moderate level or above.

About your budget--we just took our first trip, went for 9 days split between Coronado Springs and Yacht Club and originally thought our budget was going to be about $5000. Suffice it to say we spent WAY more, and that was with free flights (don't forget to include any flights, airport parking, tips, etc in your budgeting) and free dining. You'll talk yourself into lots of special "extras" because "it's our first trip and we don't know if we'll be back, we want it to be awesome". It'll happen, trust me. I'd advise trying to save $1000 or so above whatever you think is your budget lol. Not saying it can't be done on what you already have or that it would be any less great if you did, just a heads-up that money disappears before you know what's happened when at Disney!

Have fun planning! You've found a great resource in these boards!

 

[Bektasmic]

Waaaay back when I was 8 and then 14 years old and doing Disney with my family, I have to confess, I was disappointed those times when we stayed at the "boring" Polynesian or "not as fun" Contemporary -lol. I actually asked my parents why they didn't let us stay at a Disney hotel for those trips-thought they were just trying to save money by not staying at Disney-hahaha. Now I look back and think I was CRAZY! Would LOVE to have someone take me to the Poly!

But through kids eyes, especially ones who don't frequent Disney, those big icons at the Values seem so cool. As I kid I was not impressed by bigger beds, in-room coffee maker, better food, nicer grounds, and closer distances to the parks! Etc... (As an adult however I totally am). But think about your kids' personalities and how much those amenities mean to you and weigh out what works best.

You could also consider a split stay, which is what we are doing in order to get a bit more space at Caribbean Beach Resort but feel more Disneyish by staying 2 nights at Art of Animation. If you do this, search for the split stay thread and make sure if you attach park tickets, to do it on your first reservation.

No matter what, you can't go wrong! You will be at Disney Workd! Whoooohoooooo!

 

[fla4fun]

Make a list of the amenities that are most important to you. Then eliminate any resorts that don't have those amenities. That should help narrow down the list considerably. Only you know what will make or break a vacation for your family.

Once you have your short list, think about which parks you will spend the most time in. Are any of the resorts on the short list closer to those parks than the others, maybe even walking distance? Will you have direct transportation to your favorite parks, or will you be sharing with other resorts? Is there more than one form of transportation available?

Do you need separate sleeping areas for adults and kids? For some families, it's OK to be all together in one smallish room at a value, but for others, having adult space is very important. With the family suites at the values, the FW cabins, and the DVC villas, you can get extra space if you need it.

Also, which theme appeals to you the most. I live in Florida, so I prefer the themes that are least like Florida (WL is a particular favorite of mine). If you live up north, perhaps you are looking for a tropical vibe, or an African vibe, or a southwestern vibe. Some people want their vacation to be very "Disney", i.e., lots of Mickey and the gang all over the place, and others want a more subtle theme that lets them leave the theme parks behind at the end of the day and relax.

As far as your budget goes, consider whether you want to spend more on the resort, or more on other activities. There isn't a right or wrong answer. Some people look at the room as just a place to sleep and shower between the fun in the parks. Some people spend as much time at the resort as they do in the parks so the resort and it's amenities are more important. You can do a lot of shopping and higher end dining on the difference between a value and a deluxe. But if you plan to spend a lot of down time at the resort, having recreational amenities and a well themed pool could be more important than meeting Mickey at dinner.

The only way you can make a wrong decision is if you base your decision on what everyone else says instead of thinking about your family and their needs. What makes a vacation perfect for me isn't necessarily what makes a vacation perfect for you. Lots of people love AKL and it's my least favorite deluxe. I love CR, and a lot of people don't think it has much theming at all. Everyone is different, and only you know what will make your family happy.

 

[trimad22]

THANK YOU ALL!!

We are not travelers at all! If I took my kids to the local motel for the night they would be happy...lol.

Just sitting down to really think this through and I am just so overwhelmed. Everyone keeps saying make a list of what you like or want but there is so much I don't know what I would like or want...lol.

I think I will browse and take in all your postings and start there! Be prepared as I will be back with a ton more questions.

 

[pamkat1820]

Here are my 2 cents.... I learned the hard way on our second trip that the parks and the pool is what gets the kids excited not the resort. From then on I decided that the resort is for the adults. After being at the parks all day, I want to go back to resort and relax.

Think about the size of the bed. Values have double beds..... Mods have queens or doubles. Deluxe have all queens.

The size of the resort itself...... If you just spent the whole day at the park do you really want to go back to the resort and walk another 8 mins to refill your cup.....not me, lol

Think about transportation...... Some resorts only have buses, others have boats, buses or u can walk to 2 parks like the Epcot resorts. Or others have the monorail. Decide if you want to go back to the resort for mid day breaks and how much time it will take out of your day for traveling back and forth.


It's so hard to make this decision do research before you pick.

 

[trimad22]

Here are my 2 cents.... I learned the hard way on our second trip that the parks and the pool is what gets the kids excited not the resort. From then on I decided that the resort is for the adults. After being at the parks all day, I want to go back to resort and relax.

Think about the size of the bed. Values have double beds..... Mods have queens or doubles. Deluxe have all queens.

The size of the resort itself...... If you just spent the whole day at the park do you really want to go back to the resort and walk another 8 mins to refill your cup.....not me, lol

Think about transportation...... Some resorts only have buses, others have boats, buses or u can walk to 2 parks like the Epcot resorts. Or others have the monorail. Decide if you want to go back to the resort for mid day breaks and how much time it will take out of your day for traveling back and forth.


It's so hard to make this decision do research before you pick.

Agree with almost ALL of that!!!

My kids are so easy to please and really a pool is all they need out of the room -- for me I just need to sleep!!
I would rather not spend all our money on the hotel aspect since it will mostly be a place to rest.

We do have to factor in out airfare as well and no doubt eating/souvenirs will come into play

Feel like I may be actually making progress!!