Looking for some planning advice.

[pixleyyy]

We loved our Feb. trip to Disneyland so are planning an early December trip to WDW. We are looking to stay at a WDW property. We have a party of 7 and were hoping to share a room. In addition, we are looking for a resort that has good transportation options for us all, which includes transportation from my MIL, who is in a wheelchair. Can anyone suggest one or two good resorts that might fit this bill? And I'm not looking for the cheapest but I don't want the most expensive either ... something moderately priced would be good. Thanks in advance!

And one more question ... how far in advance can you reserve rooms?

 

[minnie61650]

We loved our Feb. trip to Disneyland so are planning an early December trip to WDW. We are looking to stay at a WDW property. We have a party of 7 and were hoping to share a room. In addition, we are looking for a resort that has good transportation options for us all, which includes transportation from my MIL, who is in a wheelchair. Can anyone suggest one or two good resorts that might fit this bill? And I'm not looking for the cheapest but I don't want the most expensive either ... something moderately priced would be good. Thanks in advance!

And one more question ... how far in advance can you reserve rooms?

I would like to suggest two connecting rooms at the All Stars.

I know you said you were not looking for the cheapest but you also
mentioned that MIL uses a wheelchair,

I have limited mobility and use an EVC (electric scooter) when I am at Disney and I have found the All Star Resorts to be very accessible.

It is my favorite resort to stay at,

I am 55 years old and travel several times a year. I often stay at 4 star hotels.
So the deluxe resorts do not have anything special for me.
All Star is like being in the heart of the Magic and that is where I want to be.

All Star Music is my favorite.It is quieter because more couples stay there. I love staying at the Clypso building. It is closer to the pool,food court and bus stop.

Here is a site with a map of All Star Sports and All Star Music.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmap.htm
Scroll down.All Star Music is at the bottom of the page.
The Calypso buildings at All Star Music are #1 and #10 are nearest to the food court and bus stop.

The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

Here is the map of All Movies.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmovie.JPG
The Fantasia Buildings are the preferred buildings.
The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.
It is a great place to stay .
Preschoolers love it.
It is like being in the middle of a Disney Movie Fantasyland.

The buses are wonderful.

Bus rides are quite short from the ALL Stars according to PassPorter.com

All Star Buses-CBR buses---POPbuses--PO buses--- Contemporary
MK 20 min---- 20 min-----25 min------10 min---20 min(mono)
Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----20 min------10 min---15 min
MGM 10 min----12 min-----15 min------15 min---20min
AK 10 min------20min-------15 min----15 min---20 min
DTD 15 min----20 min------20 min-----15 min---35 min

It only takes 10 minutes to get to Epcot,MGM and AK from All Stars.
MK is 20 min away. That's the same amount of time it takes on the monorail from the Contemporary.

A WORD ABOUT BUS SHARING

To me Bus Sharing at the All Stars is really a non issue.

It is usually just our stop and maybe one more on the way to the parks. On the way back sometimes it is all 3 but often Sports and Music share and Movies has it's own bus back.

I guess some people who stay at POP see all 3 All Star names on the return sign of our bus stop when they head to the POP bus stop and think All Stars also has 3 stops on the way to the park.
(Even when we stop at another AS resort to load up it has not taken more than 5 minutes and we are on our way!)


The gift shops are seperate from the food court at the All Stars.
When staying at the All Stars you can use any of the All Star pools. that means 3 main pools ,3 quiet pools and 3 kiddie pools to chose from.

Pop has 2,880 guest rooms. 4 floors in each building.
Each of the All Stars have 1,960 rooms. 3 floors in each building. That means more people in the food courts,in the pools and waiting at the bus stop at POP than at the All Stars.

I have visited WDW more than a dozen times with the 1st time in Oct. 1971. It was brand new. I've stayed at FW, Disney Inn, a few the of Hotels on hotel Blvd., CBR and the towers at the Contemporary. I got to see the MK from my balcony at the Contemporary and I'm happy I got to experience it once. I just prefer the All Star Resorts.
The theaming is pure Disney.
My last 5 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we took dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 for 8 nights we stayed at the All Stars Music. I thought about AKL and even though we can well afford AKL I just wanted Alex to experience the Disney Magic at the All Stars on his first visit.
Where else can one find Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse at the pool?

Have fun wherever you choose to stay.

 

[Buzz2001]

CSR is a large resort that does not share services with other resorts and offers some deluxe amenities because it is a convention resort.

CSR has a salon, spa, and a gym that other moderates do not offer. CSR has full menu room service and offers an internal shuttle system provided by golf carts to assist in getting to and from the main building to the villages.

It is also the only mod to offer suites.

CSR is situated around a 15 acre lake and CBR is situated around a 45 acre lake.

CSR has terrific transportation. It does not share with any other resort (like POR / POFQ) and it only has 4 bus stops within the resort (vs 8 at CBR). And since CSR is centrally located, you'll have a quick ride to all the parks.

And being a convention resort, the buses seem less crowded because guests are busy with their conventions.

Photo by Ducky4Disney

CSR has the best pool of the mods and probably the second best on WDW property. Best mod pool. It offers a great slide (123 ft long), an arcade, a sand volleyball court, and a playground at the main pool area.

Review from mousesavers.com!!

Coronado Springs is my Best Value choice in the Moderate category. It has several advantages compared with the other Moderate resorts. It is newer, so there has been less wear-and-tear on everything. Also, Coronado Springs is a convention hotel, so it has a few extra amenities not offered at the other Moderates, including a salon, a health club and a more upscale food court.

The theming is radically different in the three areas of Coronado Springs. You can request a specific area when booking but there is no guarantee you'll get your request.

• The Spanish-style Casitas at Coronado Springs are very peaceful, with courtyards featuring tiled fountains. Casitas Buildings 1, 3 and 2 (in that order) are the closest to the restaurants and services. Casitas Building 4 contains the salon and health club, if those are important to you.
• The Cabanas at Coronado Springs have a beachy Caribbean feeling. Cabanas Building 8A is very close to the feature pool, which may be a blessing (convenience) or a curse (noise, light). Cabanas Building 9B is closest to the marina and relatively convenient to the restaurants and services.
• The Ranchos at Coronado Springs feel quiet and secluded -- some would say isolated -- and feature desert landscaping and pueblo-style architecture. They look closest to the main pool on a map, but in actuality they are separated from the rest of the property by a swamp, so it can be a fairly long walk from these buildings to the pool, and a very long walk to the restaurants.

 

[pixleyyy]

Wow, what wonderful information! Thank you both. I'll check out those suggestions.

 

[minnie61650]

Wow, what wonderful information! Thank you both. I'll check out those suggestions.

My Pleasure.

Here is a little info to help your MIL .

I always use Disney transportation.
When you go to the bus stop the WC/EVC line is to the left of the regular line since the WC/EVC lift is located at the back door of the bus. Be sure to wait there with your family.The WC/EVC's are loaded first for safety reasons.
The rest of your family will enter through the rear door Then the bus driver will close that door and open the front door so the rest of the guests can board.

Disney started mainstreaming most of their lines in the late 1990's. Those in WC/EVC will usually enter in the regular line. She will be able to stay in the WC/EVC until just before boarding most of the time.
Sometimes the WC/EVC may be pulled from the mainstream line part way down so they can board the ride in an
Accessible area. WC/EVC's can't climb steps so sometimes they need to take an elevator. Or they may need to board a ride where the riders usually exit in case
they need an accessible vehicle or need the moving sidewalk slowed or stopped so they can board.
You can pickup a book for Guests with disabilities at Guest Services or you download a copy of the book which is posted on the disABILITIES board.
Have fun at Disney!
Please check out the disABILITIES board there are lots of helpful hints and info on that board.

Have fun at Disney!

 

[lovetoseemickey]

You could also "rent points" from a DVC owner for a two bedroom. Depending on your travel dates. Weekends are the most expensive, but the accomadations are fabulous. (kitchen, washer and dryer, living room) Sunday thru Thursday are more reasonable. Two bedroom about $240 a night at the Boardwalk.(total- since they are points, you don't have to pay taxes) Dec1-14

There are other DVC resort to check out. I would make reservations immediately!!! It is a very busy time of the year! I went last December and I would also suggest the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Dates/tickets are not on sale yet, but it was worth the $40 a ticket.
One last thing- if you go in Dec. be ready for crowds and check out the lights at MGM! Nobody does it like Disney/ no one can afford to do it like Disney!!



Good luck planning.