Need quiet WDW hotel room

[123blueberrypie]

Please help! 7-yr-old son with ASD is very sensitive to noise, especially when sleeping. We travel with a white noise machine, but it can only block out so much. We will all be miserable if noises wake him up. I'm hoping we could nap in the afternoon and he is not an early riser, so daytime noises are an issue also.

I was looking at Poly, but then read the groundskeepers can be loud early in the morning. Plus I'm unsure what the construction will be like in the last week of October and whether the noise would affect us. So then I decided on Beach or Yacht Club but heard that they will be under construction this year too.

I also liked the idea of him playing in the sand at Stormalong Bay there to calm down, but then I heard the pool is really loud with games and music. He'll be wearing his earmuffs at the parks, but I want him to have a break and be able to relax. Are all the fun themed pools loud?

I've also read reviews from several different resorts mentioning extremely loud toilets. Do all Disney resorts have these?

I'm starting to wonder if we need to stay off property, but we love the idea of transportation being taken care of. I would sincerely appreciate any advice and information. Thanks!

 

[ToddyLu]

This is going to sound crazy but some of the most quiet rooms I have been in have been on the third floor, backside of Pop Century. Wherever you stay do not stay by the pools. POFQ is also a smaller very quiet resort. Another quiet resort is SSR-outside entrance, no long hallways for people to run down. I often laugh and when we have been to SSR tell my companions that we will see a tumbleweed and hear the wind if we stand in one place long enough--very quiet. I have not been able to hear toilets from other rooms at AKV but they are definitely loud to flush. Honestly, I would stay off property. Bonnet Creek is at the edge of property and you drive by the entrance to get to other Disney Resorts.

Disney transportation is loud, with beeps and crowds. They peep loudly every time they dip down to load a scooter or wheelchair. You may find that driving is better for you. You can drive to parking near the gate at Epcot, AK and DHS--MK is the only park where you have to park, get on a tram to TTC then take monorail or ferry across to MK.

 

[Gracie09]

I would look into the cabins or treehouse villas. They free standing structures so no shared walls. The main pools do tend to be loud but most resorts have quiet pools.

 

[ToddyLu]

The larger resorts do have "quiet pools". I would see if there is a thread ( and I am sure there is) on the DISabilities forum related to traveling with sensitive children with different diagnoses. I would also ask my questions there becasue they are the ones with first hand knowledge and understand the limitations you may face. I hope you have a wonderful trip!!

 

[Allison]

Honestly, I would look at staying offsite or perhaps the Fort Wilderness cabins.

 

[Cedarmom]

We were happier with the motel structure of ASMu than we were with the hotel structure at akl. The hallway noises were loud at akl. We heard nothing at ASMu. No toilets, no suitcases going down the walkway, no loud talking. There was someone staying above us because they dropped beads or something one morning, but that was the extent of our noticing any neighbor noises. we were on the far back side of jazz building 2. We had a pretty big buffer of trees before the parking lot so no road noise, and no general 'walking by' noise as it was off the beaten path. I wouldn't hesitate to stay in that location again. We also have a little one very sensitive to outside noise, albeit different reasons.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

regarding the pools, EVERY themed pool at WDW now has extremely loud pool games with a CM on a loudspeaker and music all day long, apparently because that is what the guests wanted. There are smaller, mostly unthemed pools at each resort where this kind of thing is not going on - but you can actually hear the main pool from across the resort sometimes. If a themed pool is a necessity, I'd do some research into offsite resorts.

 

[Allison]

I was going to say that the term "quiet pool" is a misnomer and doesn't in any way mean the pool is quiet. It is really just a name for a pool that is not the main themed pool.

 

[buffettgirl]

Are you eligible for Shades of Green? Extremely quiet, and on site.

 

[bookgirl]

I think you'll be okay at BC/YC. If there is construction just ask to be away from it. It's a long hotel and the rooms at the end of the halls are very quiet. (though you will have a longer walk to the busses and food areas) Also there is a lot of music at SAB, but the quiet pools are just that, quiet. Because it has such a popular main pool I found very few kids at the quiet pools.

 

[LilyWDW]

I was going to say that the term "quiet pool" is a misnomer and doesn't in any way mean the pool is quiet. It is really just a name for a pool that is not the main themed pool.

Agreed.

The biggest issue OP is that there is NO way to guarantee that your room will be quiet to the point that you need it. We can all suggest resorts and rooms until we are blue in the face, but there are variables you just can not account for such as your next door neighbors or emergency maintenance needs. There are outdoor movies at some resorts as well that you need to be aware of. The pool parties during the day are VERY loud as well. I stay at POFQ and you can hear the music and noise from them through a good part of the resort.

One tip though would be to request to be on the top floor, thus reducing any noise that may come from above. I have also found that resorts with interior corridors (so your deluxes) often end up being louder due to the noise being contained by the hallway.

 

[123blueberrypie]

Are you eligible for Shades of Green? Extremely quiet, and on site.

Unfortunately not. Thanks for the idea though.

 

[Amanda999]

Lots of good info already from PPs - just wanted to add (as a mom of twin ASD DSs) its a bit of a gamble: you can pick the quietest room area (Pop's lakeview rooms are quiet - I agree with PP) BUT a cheerleader group or screaming baby (or twin babies!) could be the room next to you - with a connecting door. (I don't care what anyone says, I can hear the next room much more if we have connecting doors.)

We had a lovely corner Royal Room garden view at POR last week of August 2013 (very low crowd/resort not filled). Connecting room. Half way through our vacation a family of 6 (5 + 1 baby (maybe it was 4+1 baby)) moved in. The baby screamed around 11pm and 5am every single night. I feel for the family - but I think you need to be aware that the hotel rooms are really just not soundproof from the random loud neighbors. Could happen at the Ritz, too, I'm sure.

Oh - and you can hear toilets flush (sometimes more....) in all the values and moderates. I could hear every world our neighbors at Pop said last month (adults, not yelling, connecting rooms).

The value food courts are so loud - even at 6am - I was thinking of buying those noise canceling headphones (and I'm not sound sensitive) to drink my coffee in peace. The play loud music there all day long.

Not trying to be down about the onsite hotels - we love them - but I don't expect calm. Sometimes it is very quiet at the deluxes and moderates, but you can't be guaranteed.

I stayed at the Poly 3x and it did seem that the walls were more soundproofed, but perhaps I just had quiet neighbors.

If sound is a huge concern, for the price of a value I'd book a 3 bed, 3 bath townhouse at Windsor Hills. We did that last August. Private splash pool, park at the door, close to AK (quiet side road to get to AK), McDonalds drive through on the way home from that shortcut, Publix close by, club pool with slide, no one above or below you. they have pool houses too. I paid less than $100/night with taxes and cleaning. HTH.

 

[123blueberrypie]

Thanks for all the ideas everyone. I just want to clarify that we do travel quite a bit and have been fine at regular hotels with explaining our situation and requesting a quiet room, then using our sound machine. But we have never stayed at a hotel under construction or with a loud pool party happening outside every day. :/

Does anyone know if the Swan & Dolphin would be a quieter option? Thinking they may not have a loud pool that we could end up near, since it's not technically Disney.

We are staying the last week in October, so maybe with lower crowd levels, we could have a better chance of getting a quiet room if we request one??

I am leaning towards staying offsite, but DH really, really wants to stay at a Disney hotel to get the full experience. Any awesome resorts/vacation rentals offsite I might be able to sell him on? Location near Magic Kingdom and a great (heated) pool area, maybe with a lazy river, would be good selling points.

Thank you!!!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

OP I would look at the cabins at Fort Wilderness as an option for quiet. granted not a hotel room but no shared walls

 

[seashoreCM]

I would say that Coronado Springs has very good soundproofing. Not perfect but the rooms in the outlying buildings with outside walkways should be as quiet as you can reasonably get at any hotel. The other moderate priced resorts Port Orleans and Caribbean Beach may or may not be as good because they are older and construction standards might not be as stringent.

The room I was assigned to had a roaring central air conditioner unit on the ground just outside. I went into the room, closed the door, and could barely hear any noise. Now if the AC unit cycled on and off I probably would have heard that all night long, but it was running continuously. For you, if you add your tabletop white noise generator, that should mask just about any noise except perhaps someone walking by and being rambunctious.

Something funny happened the next night which is worth sharing. I got off the park bus late that evening and headed for my room. When I was almost there I realized I had forgotten the exact building number! The front desk was quite far and I did not relish walking back. And I did not have a cell phone. After a few minutes I finally thought, "find the loud air conditioner." I did that and was back in my room in just a few more minutes and with a minimum of additional walking!

 

[LoveToTravel2001]

We've stayed at CBR many times and I have to say we've never had a problem with noise. Again, nothing is guaranteed but we never heard the people next door or toilets flushing. Dad requires absolute silence to sleep and I never had a problem getting her to sleep. Each country has a quiet pool and they are pretty quiet (you could always end up with the loud obnoxious kid but that's anywhere) and the beaches can be played on for the sand. Trinidad South is pirate themed, the farthest country from the main pool and due to the isolation, pretty quiet (but a long walk to the food court). We had Jamaica 41 one year and I swear I thought I was the only guest out there (after that I always booked preferred location). Again it puts you farther from the food court and main pool but pretty quiet overall. We usually request preferred location in Trinidad North and have always found it to be mellow. You can the main pool activities some but it's more like a low murmur. The number of buildings they have leaves lots of options - away from main walkway, away from parking spots...
Good luck and have fun.

 

[Thing 1]

CSR would be our choice too. We love the resort and have never had a noise issue. I would request a second or third floor room in a remote location. We like being near the main building but being more remote would be better for you. The property is just very quite and relaxing. I have to say that the quite pool there IS mostly very quite.
We have stayed on that back side of POP (70's) and yes it can be wonderful and quite, but its a value with thin walls and we had a family next door one time that were just terrible. Kids screamed and yelled late etc, and you can hear toilets there.

I do tend to suggest on site to give you the advantage of EMH, especially at night, but you might want to avoid the buses. They can be quite loud and very stimulating. I so also suggest lots of utube research on different attractions to find those that might be over the top too loud for him. The stunt car show at HS is one that comes to mind. Even ear muffs can't dim that one too much.

 

[tobikaye]

I know many have mentioned the cabins at FW. I will say that if anyone consider these for quiet, I would suggest requesting that you be placed to the back of a loop and not near the main roads. I know when I have stayed at FW and been near the opening of the loops, that I can usually hear a bit more noise from cars or buses. It is usually muffled some, but still more likely to be heard.

 

[bellazachmom]

I would vote for the Wilderness Lodge.

We always stay at the DVC villas, but the regular rooms are great, too. As long as you request not to open to the main lobby you should be fine.

The resort itself has some wonderful quiet spots to get away from everything, also.