Newbie Needs Help picking DVC Resort to rent points (help me rank our options)

[eidsoj42]

Hi. This is going to be long, but I need help picking a resort. We are military and have been to Disney only a couple of times, and have stayed at Shades of Green...but with the closure of the walkway to the Polynesian, the increase in SoG price, and just a desire to try a Disney resort we are looking at renting DVC. We are planning a trip at the end of January.

It will 5 of us: Myself, my husband, and 3 kids (10 7 and 7 at time of travel)

Due to budget, we are looking at STUDIO rentals at the following locations, the regular/cheap/standard villas :

-Grand Floridian
-Beach Club
-Boardwalk (Standard and Preferred Views)
-Polynesian
-Riviera
-Boulder Ridge

We do not typically spend a lot of time in our room so I was initially going to go with the least expensive option (Boardwalk Standard) but I read several recent bad reviews on TripAdvisor about the state of the non refurbished villas and I don't want to end up with a room with mold/broken fridge etc. It also seems like a lot of these villas have areas under construction (not sure if that will be the case in Jan 2024 so I am not sure how to consider that?). Since it is January, a good pool (yes I know they are heated) is not at the top of the want list. We will do all 4 parks. We will have a single stroller, one of our twins has some limitations that make walking for long periods of time difficult and is quite small for her age so still fits in a standard stroller. We also need rooms with plenty of outlets for medical equipment, and a refrigerator to store medication.

Given this info, how would you rank these for us? It has always been my dream to stay at the Grand Floridian, but I don't know given all of these circumstances if that is really the best choices for us.

I know this is a lot to read, but I truly appreciate any insight more experienced people have to help us make a decision. A Disney vacation is a HUGE luxury for us so I want to pick "right".

Lots of good advice already given here, but for my 2-cents with your situation I’d go with the Poly room. Your kids are young, so I assume Magic Kingdom will be a large part of your trip. Also, they have a great pool, excellent monorail access to the TTC, other resorts for dining, & MK. Rooms are larger there than at other resorts, except perhaps Old Key West which you didn’t list as an option.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Honestly: Stop thinking about it, email the agency. End of January is already within 7 months, so availability is going to dictate direction. The price calculators do not indicate availability at that price.

NGL: You may be back looking at Moderates after emailing. I cannot stress enough the need to be booking before 7 months if you want selection. If you are okay trying to match your dates to confirmed reservations listed, or with Saratoga Springs, after 7 months works. But with 5, a Saratoga studio won't work (limit 4), and the studios tha do sleep 5 dry up fast at 7 months.

 

[wilckepedia]

I'll echo the Poly recommendations, if it's still available. You'll get a murphy bed instead of a sleeper sofa, and the second bathroom would definitely be a benefit for your family size. As others have mentioned, it's easy access to both MK and Epcot as the DVC rooms are very close to the TTC.

If you're having trouble with availability, Saratoga Springs and Old Key West are both typically easier to get, but you'll be mostly in the bus for transportation. I'd echo others that if you're having issues with availability, checking out a moderate or the Swan and Dolphin could also be a good option. In particular since you mentioned stroller usage, one of the Skyline resorts could be a good fit as your family could get your own gondola and the stroller will roll right in without needing to break it down. My other plug for Swan and Dolphin, you'd be in the Boardwalk/Beach Club area and it gets the deluxe resort perks, but it typically runs at the price of a moderate.