Narrowing down the options a bit... I'm still stuck on resort choices. The January dates won out because of the school schedule; DS11 in particular will appreciate missing less work. He's a good student in terms of mastering material, but he's not so great with homework!
So since we're going in value season, the sky's the limit on rooms. Well, not quite, but the budget is pretty flexible. We'd like to stick to something around $700/night for all of us, so two rooms at the Poly is about the highest we'd go. In looking around at other options, however, I discovered there's an awful lot available within that budget!
One thing that I know I want for sure that helped narrow the field somewhat is a zero-entry pool for DD. That helped a bit, because rather than bouncing around looking at a different deluxe/DVC property every day, it limited my options to AKL/V, Poly, GF, BLT (but not the Contemporary), BC/YC/BCV, CBR or SSR.
Location rules out SSR right off the bat; I don't think I'd want to stay there without a car, because it is so spread out and so far from the parks, and besides, I've already promised my brother we'd book a Treehouse when he can join us so I'll just wait until then to stay there.
I'm not really interested in CBR for two reasons - the size might be tough on my mom (I'd have to book a pirate room if we stayed there, and I know those are a hike from most amenities), and well, why book a moderate when Disney's running such great deals? There will be time for mods when we're back to paying something closer to full price for our
Disney vacations!
The GF is a stunning resort, but two standard rooms is pushing the budget a bit and the theme just doesn't appeal to me, so that's out too.
That brings me to my short list: BLT, BC/YC/BCV, Poly, or AKL.
BLT looks cool just because it is new and in a great location. I'd book through CRO rather than using points, and oddly enough, because we can fit in a 1 bedroom there it is one of our cheapest options. I'd be booking a MK view 1 bedroom there, so the view would be a plus, especially if DD turns out not to like fireworks or to need an early bedtime, as would the location. The theme does nothing for me, though. It reminds me of the Hyatt Place and Westin Elements hotels we've stayed at in the real world.
The Beach Club is my son's favorite resort, mainly for the pool. I'm not sure how much weight to give that for a January trip, though, because I know SAB closes early in the winter. The location isn't bad, but we'd have boat rides/walks to two parks which might not be the best if we do run into cool weather. We'd have a number of room options here - two standard rooms at either the BC or YC, or a two bedroom villa at BCV if there's one available.
The Poly is the one I'm thinking makes most sense, based on location and transportation. The monorail is climate controlled! It would be very, very nice to have the monorail to both MK (from the resort) and Epcot (from TTC) right there, especially with DD in a stroller. But the lack of a hot tub gives me a little pause, because there's nothing like a nice soak in a hot tub on a cool night, especially after all that walking in the parks.
Then there is AKL. The neat thing about AKL is that for less than 2 rooms at the Poly or BC, we could book a 1 bedroom, club level suite. The kids really enjoyed their stay at AKL with my inlaws, but DH & I have never been there. My only hesitation about AKL is the transportation. With this being our first trip with a stroller, I'm not sure the choice that has only bus transportation to every park is the best option.
Putting the choices to my family accomplished exactly nothing, by the way. We split 2-2, with DH & DS wanting the Beach Club and DD7 & I wanting the Poly. My mom doesn't have an opinion either way; BC is her favorite of the resorts we have stayed at in the past, and Poly is the one she'd most like to try of all the places we haven't yet stayed. And no matter how much I insist that DD1 agrees with DD7 & I, no one takes her opinion seriously!
.
Your brain must be mush with all those options running through it! 
He's not perfect - he actually suggested we take a little time off of Disney after this next trip, to go a few other places the kids have expressed interest in and to save up for a DVC purchase. 
and a weekend during the holidays. 
