Need Help Choosing a Resort!

[MTW]

DH, DS2 and I will be headed to WDW next October. It will be our first stay onsite and I am trying to plan now. I am having a very difficult time selecting a resort so any help would be greatly appreciated.

In the order of importance: (1) Comfortable Bed (2) "Quiet" Theming (3) Pool and activity areas for our 2 year old...

I showed him pics of WL and CSR. He wasn't a big theme of CSR and thought WL was OK. It seems that some of the theming is extensive - and a little over the top. Not trying to be offensive, just isn't our taste. He said he would be looking for more of a "Doubletree" type feel. We have had good experiences there.

So, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Poly, GF and Cont. seem to be more $$ than I would like to pay. WL/AKL deluxes would be a stretch as it is about $700 more than the moderates for a 6 night stay. Maybe I'm missing something but $100+ per night more for a different room seems steep to me.
I need lots of help!
TIA! Megan

 

[Keith]

You may want to consider renting points at a DVC resort. Check the DVC boards for more information.
If not, try CBR, POR or POFQ.

Also, I don't know if you qualify for the teacher/gov't. empl. rate at Swan & Dolphin, but you can get a pretty good rate there if you do. Entertainment Club members get a discount at Swan & Dolphin, too. I believe Swan has pillow-top mattresses. I don't know for sure about Dolphin.

 

[webray]

The only place on disney property to have comfy beds would be swan/dolphin. The are also nice and quiet. They are starwood hotels, so you get points if you are a member. Great food options, convenient location.
Nice pool. They are luxury resorts with a much lower price tag than disney resorts. We love them. If you watch for specials you can get these rooms at great rates. (mid 100's or so).

 

[catbertdave99]

Check out CBR -- while the pool isn't great, it might be fine for a 2-yr-old and your DH might enjoy the theming of the resort -- we loved it!

 

[vanyel]

I've never stayed there but from what I've read here, and other boards, the Swan/Dolphin sounds like it might just fit your needs, as Webray said.

I do think he'd like WL - you might try to keep convincing him that once he gets there, the theming won't bother him.

 

[KAMommy]

For a pool with a 2 year old, I would have to suggest the Beach Club. We are DVC owners in the BCV, and the kids pool is wonderful. It is huge, sand-bottomed, with a sand island in the middle to play on. Even better, the theming of the resort is wonderful and everyone is incredibly nice. We have two kids and usually stay in a one bedroom in the Villas (gets you a washer and dryer so you don't have to pack as much). Best of all, for us anyway, is that BC is within walking distance to Epcot. Epcot is our favorite park, but the kids..well, not so much! Anyway, we have found that we can go to a park in the mornings, go back and play in the pool for a while, and then walk over to Epcot and tour the World Showcase. This breaks the WS up in little, kid-friendly bits.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree that the pool at Storm Along Bay is wonderful for little ones. The sand area for digging in is great and it is nice for adults too.
We also have stayed in the one bedroom Beach Club Villas. They are expensive, but you have a full kitchen, with every thing you could need to cook. You can save some by preparing breakfast in your room, and other meals as you choose. As another poster mentioned, you have a washer and drier too. Great for packing less with a little one.
You also have a full living room and the extra space is wonderful, especially at night when you have put the little one to bed and you and your husband can relax in the living room.
The theming is not over the top in the villas either.
Their are pictures on allearsnet.com
Enjoy your planning!

 

[Manon]

DH, DS2 and I will be headed to WDW next October. It will be our first stay onsite and I am trying to plan now. I am having a very difficult time selecting a resort so any help would be greatly appreciated.

In the order of importance: (1) Comfortable Bed (2) "Quiet" Theming (3) Pool and activity areas for our 2 year old...

I showed him pics of WL and CSR. He wasn't a big theme of CSR and thought WL was OK. It seems that some of the theming is extensive - and a little over the top. Not trying to be offensive, just isn't our taste. He said he would be looking for more of a "Doubletree" type feel. We have had good experiences there.

So, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Poly, GF and Cont. seem to be more $$ than I would like to pay. WL/AKL deluxes would be a stretch as it is about $700 more than the moderates for a 6 night stay. Maybe I'm missing something but $100+ per night more for a different room seems steep to me.
I need lots of help!
TIA! Megan

I would try POFQ, quiet resort, small resort, and very nice pool for a 2 yo!!!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

IT sounds like you are considering a moderate. We loved CSR. But if you aren't into the theming (Southwestern), then by all means you should consider something that is to your liking. We found that CB had not enough theming for us, so maybe that would appeal to you more. It was a nice place, but the theming was pretty mellow, and the food choices were fairly basic. WE also found Saratoga Springs to be pretty mellow on the theming, so you might consider that too. It is brand new, so it is very clean.

If you are gov't/teahcer/nurse you might qualify for great prices at the Swan/Dolphin. The Swan Dolphin do have theming, and some would say it is a bit over the top, but there is a wide choice of eateries in that area, and the beds there are amazing. The service there is also very good. For the kids, the pools are great, the location is great, and the boat service is a nice plus.

If you really aren't into themed hotels for this stay, you could consider off site, but eat at several of the hotels onsite, to check them out for next time.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Hi,
We are doing the same thing. We are going at the end of Oct with DS2 and we chose to stay at POR. I have always stayed at the deluxes before so this is our first trip at a mod (I wanted to try the values because I think the theming would really appeal to my son, but I was too chicken to make the jump from Deluxe to Value- maybe next time). The main reason we chose this resort was the boat to DTD- by son is OBSESSED with boats now.
Good luck!

 

[Skroops]

We have a DS almost the same age. We like the resort choices that have a separate sleeping area for the crib. We really enjoyed the DVC resort Saratoga Springs. We rented points from an owner and are doing it again for a trip coming up in 3 weeks. With a toddler we enjoyed the full kitchen of the 1 bedroom, and we put the crib in the living area. It was great. It is, however, at least as expensive as a moderate, more towards the deluxe prices. The pool has a great kiddie area with Donald duck and the water sprays which our DS loved. IMO, much nicer than the Doubletrees I've been to, many complain that SSR has less themeing than other resorts. It was beautiful to us. Check out the DVC board for point rentals.
Also we stayed at the Fort Wilderness Cabins. The themeing is rather rustic, but it also has advantages. The price is less than the deluxes, it also has a separate bedroom, full kitchen, a large outside porch area, a grill, and a place to park right outside the cabin. We'd stay there again too!
Good luck! It is so fun seeing the world through your baby's eyes! Enjoy!

 

[Stitch 03]

I have to agree that the Beach Club Villas is probably your best choice. Try visiting the DVC Rent/Trade Board. There you will find plenty of DVC members who are looking to rent out excess points.

 

[marc1477]

Check out the CBR. Its a nice resort, very relaxing, and kid friendly in my opinion.

 

[tinkerbela]

For a pool with a 2 year old, I would have to suggest the Beach Club. We are DVC owners in the BCV, and the kids pool is wonderful. It is huge, sand-bottomed, with a sand island in the middle to play on. Even better, the theming of the resort is wonderful and everyone is incredibly nice. We have two kids and usually stay in a one bedroom in the Villas (gets you a washer and dryer so you don't have to pack as much). Best of all, for us anyway, is that BC is within walking distance to Epcot. Epcot is our favorite park, but the kids..well, not so much! Anyway, we have found that we can go to a park in the mornings, go back and play in the pool for a while, and then walk over to Epcot and tour the World Showcase. This breaks the WS up in little, kid-friendly bits.

i agree with KAMommy: beach club is a good bet. the pool is so wonderful to swim in and there are also little spots where your DS2 can play in the sand. the decor is very family friendly and is beautiful. the beds are comfortable over there. the BC has the Cape May Cafe where they have a character breakfast every morning. minnie, goofy, and chip and dale are there for have breakfast with you.
the location is just as wonderful. you're just a 5 minute walk from Epcot and a nice relaxing 15 minute ride on the water taxi to MGM.
i recommend looking into the BC. go to www.allearsnet.com to check out more information and pictures. good luck on your search.

 

[kocar]

OKW or BCV are good choices for you. OKW just had a new pool rehab with a sandcastle slide theme but definitely lower key than most other resorts. With a 2-yr. old you'd probably like the convenience of having a micro and fridge in your room, which is not offered by the many of the other non-DVC resorts. You usually have to rent the fridge and I've read too many horror stories about fridge reservations gone bad to take a chance. Renting points is an option you could explore to keep costs down. Check out the DVC rent/trade board thread for more info.

Good luck.

 

[MTW]

Thank you for all of your responses! I have been away for a few days and was shocked at all of the posts (although I shouldn't be as people on this site are VERY helpful)!

It looks like I may check out renting DVC points. My husband would really like to have a little kitchenette in addition to the room. We were going to purchase the dining plan, but it may be worth it for us to look into renting points. I do like the idea of paying for everything in advance (dining plan). I wonder if Disney is planning on opening up the plan to DVC owners/renters or some version of the plan. It just seems so much easier to have everything prepaid....

 

[MELSMICE]

I would also suggest renting points from a DVC owner. If you want quiet theming & nice pool I would say try OKW. It is the quietest of all the DVC resorts.

If you want to be close to EPCOT & MGM then try either BCV or BWV, although the main pools are not quiet - actually I guess none of the main pools are quiet now that I think of it.

Check out the DVC Rent/Trade Board & good luck!

 

[MTW]

For those of you who have suggested renting DVC points...have any of you actually done it? I have done a cursory review of the DVC rental page so I understand that you do not have maid service. How else is it different from staying at one of the "standard" resorts. Is it safe to rent the points? Anyone have trouble doing it? And do you all know how far in advance you can book it? Thank you all so much - who knew there were so many decisions to make...where to stay, where to eat, when to go to MNSSHP, etc. etc. And I thought we were planning a simple trip to Disney! Ha!

 

[MELSMICE]

I rented points a few years ago & became an owner after that. A few months ago I had a member transfer some of their points into my account so I could use them for an October trip. It's very simple.

There are a few things you should know/look for.

--it is recommended you rent from someone with a lot of posts or someone well known on the boards

--it seems as though the average rate is between $10-$11 now per point.

--I would say the closer you can book to your trip the better price you may get

--Ask a lot of questions of both the renter & anything else you want to know. (you can ask anything through "the boards") Ask for references from the renter before you make final arrangements

--The owner will call DVC to see if what you want is available & then let you know. You'll then have to decide if you want to book it or not. You may have to be flexible with where you want to stay.

I had a positive experience both times. Both were done via e-mail. I made sure to check references & I didn't have any problems.

As far as it being different from staying at a standard resort...........I think the only thing that is different is the mousekeeping service. Other than that, there is nothing different. OKW has the largest rooms if you are looking for space & the least amount of points needed.

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

We have stayed at CBR, POR and CSR. All three of these moderates were very quiet. All had nice main pools and additional private pools throught the resorts. They all have playground areas for kids as well.

This year, we rented points from a DVC member and stayed at SSR. We did like this resort. It is quiet for now. I do think it will get busier once more of the buildings are finished. Very nice main pool. Our room had one queen bed and a fold out couch.

The year before, we rented DVC points and stayed at OKW. Loved it! Very quiet resort. We had a studio, which is a bigger room with a large bathroom. We also had a covered patio off of our room. But the best part is our room had two queen beds. Also nice to be able to park right outside your room. Very nice main pool that has just been redone and several private pools throughout the resort. We had a pool with a hot tub right across from our room.

If renting DVC points can work for you, I would do it. Both times that we did, we ended up paying the same amount as we would have for a moderate. And, that included the additional fee we paid to have maid service each day.