Overwhelmed!

[Mousetopia]

I'm working on booking my family's week-long WDW vacation for the end of September 2017. There are 4 of us - my wife and I, and our daughter (who will be 9) and son (4). Mom, daughter and I have been to WDW before, but out son hasn't. None of us have stayed on property.

There are too many resorts to choose from!

I've heard to stay at Moderate resorts, and I've heard to not stay at Moderate resorts. I've heard to stay at 1 resort the entire time, and I'be heard to split my stay between Economy and Deluxe.

What are *your* recommendations?

My criteria:
(1) Bookable (9/23-30/17)
(2) I most likely won't spend to stay at a Deluxe for the entire week (unless there is some overwhelming reason)
(3) Since the period we will be visiting has historically been included in Free Dining, I'd like a resort that would most likely offer it.

Thanks!

Very simple! Research the resorts for amenities, theme, location and choose what sounds good to you and makes sense for your budget..all you get otherwise it is personal opinions. Every resort has its haters and those that swear by it. There is no wrong choice. Chances are you will have a great experience at any of them..and there is no safe pick that guarantees perfection..so go with what makes you say yes!!

 

[Mousetopia]

Thanks everyone! HAs anyone here done a split stay? What all does it entail? Would you have to carry your luggage over to your new resort on the shuttle bus?

There are many threads on splits stays with all the info, check it out.

 

[alex9179]

I wouldn't recommend, or not recommend, a split stay. That's dependent on the family/travelers. I, personally, wouldn't choose it for a short stay but your dates would be doable. We did it on our first trip with an AOA/Poly split and it was no biggie. We dropped the luggage off at bell services on our way to the buses and it was at our resort when we were done touring. This was pre-magic band. I've read some stories about MBs not opening the new room's door and charging/dining snafus. Not everyone experiences this but it would be irritating to have to take care of it if you'd rather be in a park.

POR is nice and we enjoyed the dining options there. We were in Acadian and the bus stop was very close. The walk to the main building wasn't too bad. This is my resort pick for our split stay next year with my DH and kids. We're planning on several non-park days and I like the boat to Disney Springs along with the entertainment available here. Fri/Sat rates are higher so staying here on those days helps the budget, too!

We chose the Epcot area resorts for the second half because we'd like to spend our evenings at that park. YC/BC is our first pick (whichever has the better deal) because of SAB for our kids.

So, think about where you'll want to be for the day/evening and the resorts' proximities. That may help whittle down the choices for you. Look at pictures for a theme that appeals to your family and check out the menus. My kids have enjoyed every resort. DH and I are more about easy transportation to the various activities and dining options so, we care FAR more than the kids. We're doing a split stay (dependent on getting vacation requests approved) because we can stay a few days longer, for nearly the same amount of money as 6 nights at a Deluxe, by spending part of it at a Mod and enjoying a more relaxing vacation rather than hard core park touring most days.

 

[GPC0321]

So far Coronado Springs is the only one I've stayed at, and I fully recommend it to anyone. Not saying it's better than the others, how could I know? But I enjoyed it both times I stayed there. It was our first experience staying on site at WDW, and we liked it enough that 17 years later we chose it to stay at again. It's a pretty resort, the bus service is very good, and the pool is great. I think it's the only moderate resort that serves hot meals at the pool bar. As someone else mentioned, it's the most centrally located resort, the bus rides to all four parks are short, so that's nice. It has been described as "deluxe lite" around here before, so that's high praise. And for the best at Coronado, if you choose "Business Class" level rooms you get access to a lounge that serves continental breakfast every morning and snacks and drinks in the evenings. Those rooms are also in the best location on the resort's property (it's a fairly big resort), a short walk to the main pool, the main building/restaurants, and the bus stop. And the beds are really, really comfortable too.

That said, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the mods. Probably can't go wrong with any resort period since it's your first stay on property. Of the values, I think Pop Century and Art of Animation are just a cut above the All-Stars, mainly because they are newer.

The deluxes are all great, and really choosing one of those depends on your budget and which park(s) you anticipate spending the most time in. Renting DVC points is a way to make a deluxe stay more affordable, but that involves a lot of research to understand how it works.

Good luck choosing! You won't be disappointed no matter what you choose, so set your budget, see which resorts fit that budget, and then read up on them. They all have up-to-date video tours posted on Youtube that really give you a good idea of what each place is like.

 

[bnhonest]

OP, agreed on the whole "find what fits in your budget". For a first timer to WDW, the parks themselves are going to have you bewildered and in wonder. Don't complicate it by stressing over hotels. Don't do split stay this time around. There is too much on the line to have to worry about where to take your luggage, where they will take it and when they'll give it back. Don't stress over transportation. They will all get you there and back. You will likely be so busy trying to do all and see all at the parks, which won't give you a lot of time for the resort (unless you force yourself to stay there one day).

Pick a price that works and a theme that looks appealing, book it and then don't worry any more about it.

 

[NicoleLarson]

1) I whole heartily agree with the advice to SET A BUDGET!

2) once a budget has been set, that will help to narrow down resort choices.

3) For a first timer, no way I would split stay. I've stayed on site numerous times and done these many times but I know all of the ins and outs. I'm also not trying to "do it all" in 1 trip, so that makes it easier.

So with that being said I've stayed everywhere but POP and FW. The only place I would not chose to stay again is CBR. It wasn't bad but it was actually my 1st on site stay and it was just too large. My favorite is CSR business class. The bottom line is that they're all really nice so I don't think you can go wrong with any. See what appeals to you and if it's in your budget go for it. IF a discount comes out in the future then it will just be icing on the cake.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

If pool is something that is important, I know Port Orleans French Quarter just remodeled to have a new Aquatic play area for kids. This was opened in March I think. Also the Coronado Springs resort has a neat pool area.

POFQ never gets FD. In fact the bounce back for FD ends in Sept on the 9th so I'm thinking an advertised FD may not happen during that period after the 9th. I love POFQ. I'm sure the op would love it there.

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

If you know NOTHING about any of the Disney resorts and why you should stay at one, you can always stay at a local motel or value resort for much cheaper. Some of the value resorts also are barely above the price of local motels and get the benifits like magic morning and I think a more rubust Disney bus selection. All Star Sports seems to be the cheapest of them.

Your desire to stay at the Moderate and up resorts should be from a burning desire from knowing you want the experience of a particular one and are willing to put down the money for it. If you don't know what each one is all about and you can't answer the question yourself as to why you should stay there, you have no reason to spend that much. You're there for the parks. Not the hotels, anyway.

That said, here is a pretty current look at the hotels.

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

Thanks everyone! HAs anyone here done a split stay? What all does it entail? Would you have to carry your luggage over to your new resort on the shuttle bus?

On my first Disneyland visis, we did a split stay, and by that, I mean my mom was so angry at the quality of the Mariot we were staying at after walking in our room that we quickly moved to another hotel

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

Value resorts are a no go for us, for no other reason than the double beds. Just. Can't. Do it.

Upon rereading your username after my research, I just realized you probably have more than two people to worry about so this isn't much of a solution, but I'm looking at Pop Century and AoA and it looks like you can get a single king sized bed in a normal room instead of two doubles. Maybe a money saving option if only you and your husband are going sometime in the future.

 

[gravityhammer]

Thanks, everyone! It looks like the Coronado may be for us.

 

[goofy4tink]

A few thoughts.....I would suggest not tying free dining into the equation. There are no promises that it will be offered. And if offered, it isn't available at all resorts! I would find the resort you like and go from there. You can probably sit and figure out what your dining budget would be by looking at various restaurants and figuring your daily food costs. Then, see if paying full rate for a room is offset by not having to pay for dining!
I love Pop Century! It's a fun resort, especially for kids. It's reasonably priced. The only thing it doesn't offer is a pool slide! That's the one down side if you have kids that love the water and are very comfortable in it. Pop has great transportation! When you get on the bus, you go directly to the park...no other stops. AoA is pretty much the only other resort that has that happen, consistently. Most other resorts either have multiple stops within the resort, or the bus makes stops at other, nearby resorts before going to a park.
There are sites that you can go to that will give you some great resort info, as well as tons of photos...check them out!

I wouldn't recommend a split stay for you. That means almost a day without a room! That's kind of a pain with kids. I would choose one resort and stick with it. I do split stays all the time.....but, I've been to WDW tons of times and don't care if I don't have a room until the middle of the afternoon. My husband, on the other hand, hates moving. He wants to stay put once he unpacks!!
Have fun planning...it's half the fun!!!

 

[Vylette Rose]

Hmmm, where to begin.
Split stays- we have done split stays. although it is nice seeing two reports on one trip I never feel like I could get properly settled into either resort. It is very doable just not something that we have enjoyed as much.
Where to stay?- we have stayed value through deluxe, including aoa. We are now dvc members. I would consider renting dvc points. You can often get a much better room for less money this way. Beach Club is amazing, as is OKW and Animal Kingdom. We have also enjoyed Saratoga Springs , but it is a big resort and quite always from everything(except The Springs). You won't get free dining with DVC but it may not matter anyway.

 

[RustManFan]

The moderates are a great choice. I have stayed at both POR (many times) and CBR twice. I don't know if anyone else feels this way but CBR was ideal when my kids were little (like under 10 or so) and POR was the better choice as they got older. Now we won't book anywhere else!! It just has more of an adult feel to us....

I would only do a split stay for a longer visit where you have a full day to move between resorts and enjoy some non-park experiences.

 

[Sagginit]

There are so many resorts in can be hard to decide. I would start with budget. From there move onto a tier (value, moderate, or deluxe) and then start looking at themes as well amenities. There are a lot of varying opinions on resorts as far as which ones are better. I have stayed at a few different resorts as I have had different needs and desires on different trips. All Ears has a fantastic breakdown of information and pictures to reference, I just used them when booking my last trip. You may even find an old fashioned tour book on WDW helpful (I never recommend buying unless you think its really necessary as they change each year, you can often find a few at a local library that you can check out).

Discounts vary so you can't count on them if you are planning this far ahead. I booked recently about 70 days out and while FD was no longer an option as a deal, I was able to get a room only discount. In the past when we got FD we always paid to upgrade anyway so the deals are not always as great as they may seem on paper when you add up all costs. If you are going to ever consider FD you also need to research menus and figure out how much you would spend w/o FD to determine if it is a deal for you. Since you have two children this can be a deal if you planned on a lot of character meals as they are a set price no matter what you order or not a deal if your children eat like birds. Also the kind people of the Disboards pointed out that I had to check places like Orbitz, AAA, and even private travel agents to see who had the best deals as discounts are giving out in blocks and set aside for different types of bookings.

 

[rosiebean]

A few thoughts.....I would suggest not tying free dining into the equation. There are no promises that it will be offered. And if offered, it isn't available at all resorts! I would find the resort you like and go from there. You can probably sit and figure out what your dining budget would be by looking at various restaurants and figuring your daily food costs. Then, see if paying full rate for a room is offset by not having to pay for dining!

I'd agree with this. And in addition to looking at dining budget, look at menus and think about what your family will actually eat. My family are fine with splitting meals or having a few appetizers instead of entrees, things which are a no-go on Disney's dining plan. We also aren't huge dessert eaters. I'd probably go all in for free dining if it were included in the cost of the room, but if paying OOP for dining, I'd actually lose money using it.

I've found that I've saved more money using a room only discount (with an additional %15 to 10% orbitz code discount when booking there) vs paying rack rate with free dining.

 

[Momto8]

We are booked this year for the last week of September and found very little availability for FD at the moderates and we booked the day it came out. Our first choice was CBR but only the pirate or water view rooms were available. I think POR only had the Princess rooms. Nothing at none of the other moderates for our dates. The price for both of those rooms came to over $300 per night with tax for that week since it is regular season, which IMHO is not worth it - I would never stay in a pirate room either. We were able to get value resorts but couldn't get our first choice until about a week later, and we had to pay the upgrade to regular dining, which would have come out to almost the same cost for 2 adults with 2 children over 9 if they had offered standard rooms at the moderates. There would have been no problem with getting a moderate if we were going the week before, but we have to go when the kids are out of school for fall break. There are 25 of us going.

Keep in mind that a lot of schools in Georgia (and maybe in other states too) have fall break that week. Also the Epcot Food & Wine Festival is going on too, so if it's like this year, you may be limited in your choices whether value or moderate. Just be prepared to call the day they release FD if they offer it.

Good luck with your planning!