Place to stay for 1st visit with a 4-year old?

[jenisicecream]

Just booked amtrak auto train down to FL to visit Disney for the very first time with my 4 year old.
It will be just the two of us, and we will have our car available. Any recommendation to stay in early October?

Current availability online shows:
Yacht Club
Beach Club
Board Walk Inn
Grand Floridian

Also do you guys just book on disney.com or find a travel agent?

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Ya, a 4 old would have more fun at Art of Animation if you can get it.

 

[JFDIS]

The good news is you can’t go wrong with any of those choices! All listed have convenient transportation, great dining options and fun pools. I was just telling someone at work today that the parks are for my kids (meaning we do whatever they want when we’re there) and the resorts are for me and my husband. We pick where we want to stay. It sounds like deluxe is in your budget so I’d stick with one of your listed choices. I love sitting on my balcony and having a glass of wine when my daughters are out for the night. Maybe check out a few YouTube videos of the resorts/rooms to help you decide.
GF will be best if you have multiple MK days planned.
BW has the best slide on property! My 4yo will go on it 20times +
YC/BC has overall the best pool. I don’t think it’s layout, winch can be difficult to navigate with multiple children, will be an issue since it’s just you and your daughter.
The Epcot resorts are lovely and convenient. I always appreciate any luxury that doesn’t involve me folding a stroller.
I hope you have a wonderful trip with your daughter

 

[Marthasor]

I agree with PP. If you will be going to Magic Kingdom the most, book GF. If you will be going to Epcot and Hollywood Studios the most do Boardwalk or Beach Club. Beach Club gives you a slight location advantage to EP and the Skyliner and the resort has better quick service food options IMHO. Boardwalk has a better pool slide for a four year old. Yacht Club is lovely, just a bit of a further walk to EP/DHS.

 

[DJFan88]

Enjoy the Autotrain! We love it and have taken it about 4 times now, we have traditions with it! The way down we always leave early and get through the major traffic easy, then eat at Glory Days in the nearby plaza and hit the grocery store there to stock up on snacks and for me the individual wine cups (cheaper)

 

[Marthasor]

Ya, a 4 old would have more fun at Art of Animation if you can get it.

The 4-year old will enjoy any hotel they stay in. AoA alone with a 4-year old is not fun. Uncomfortable beds, food court difficult to navigate, and if the Skyliner is down, you have to contend with buses only and you only have two hands to deal with a toddler and a stroller - been there, done that, not fun. OP, stay where you will be in the closest proximity to whichever parks you are visiting most. It will make your vacation much easier.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Are you set on staying onsite?
There are some really nice hotels nearby.

When my kids were younger they liked the value hotels because of theming...

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

If you stay at YC/BC you will also have Stormalong Bay which has the sand bottom that any 4 year old would love. It's a nice place to go for an afternoon break or evening away from the parks. Having dinner poolside is something our daughter loved.

 

[gottalovepluto]

GF. At that age it will basically be all about MK so being able to walk, boat or monorail will be a lifesaver.

 

[DianaMB333]

Art of Animation if any of the main characters is a favorite of your 4yr old…

I own DvC but still for the first trip of my niece -4 yrs old- we picked AoA because she loves Ariel… looking her bright eyes and smile when we got to the building and the mermaid suites proved us right!

after that trip we have been in many of the dvc resorts but she still remembers Ariel’s one every time… so we usually stop there for a photo or two

 

[Prince John Robin Hood]

Grand Floridian is the best of those with a 4 year old since Magic Kingdom is right there.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

At that age it will basically be all about MK so being able to walk, boat or monorail will be a lifesaver.

My kids have been going since they were 6 months old and we spend about 30% of our time at Magic Kingdom, at most. More than any other park but certainly not the majority of our time.

Remember, the parks that are most convenient to MK are also the least convenient to *everywhere else.*

OP, you didn't say whether those were the ONLY resorts with availability, but with young kids I'd go for the highly themed resorts. Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, Fort Wilderness Cabins, Port Orleans Riverside.

 

[HopperFan]

Just booked amtrak auto train down to FL to visit Disney for the very first time with my 4 year old.
It will be just the two of us, and we will have our car available. Any recommendation to stay in early October?

Current availability online shows:
Yacht Club
Beach Club
Board Walk Inn
Grand Floridian

Also do you guys just book on disney.com or find a travel agent?

First, autotrain sounds like an adventure on it's own!

None of those hotels are going to be memorable for a 4 year old, they are just more grown up. But if that is your choices I would go with Grand Floridian so you can be close to the Magic Kingdom. Not sure how many park days but MK is worth repeating.

 

[Marthasor]

First, autotrain sounds like an adventure on it's own!

None of those hotels are going to be memorable for a 4 year old, they are just more grown up. But if that is your choices I would go with Grand Floridian so you can be close to the Magic Kingdom. Not sure how many park days but MK is worth repeating.

A 4 year old will not remember any hotel he or she stays in regardless of theming.

 

[HopperFan]

A 4 year old will not remember any hotel he or she stays in regardless of theming.

I disagree. My one son was 3 his first trip and he has several memories of it. He also has some strong memories of his trip at 5. I think kids are capable of remembering special things that are unlike any of their other memories. Staying at a hotel such as Art of Animation or Animal Kingdom Lodge could leave a big impression and memories on a kid. Also if you are spending the big bucks to stay at Disney, it would be a wonderful memory for a parent to have a child in awe of where they stayed. I guess my point was that the hotels on the list are just hotels and don't stand out as Disney specific so I would use location as the primary consideration when choosing.

And if we think our kids have no memories at 4 ~ why even go?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

A 4 year old will not remember any hotel he or she stays in regardless of theming.

That is not correct.

 

[Disneylover99]

Also do you guys just book on disney.com or find a travel agent?

I book Disney online myself. It’s quicker and easier to make changes on your own rather than having to go through a travel agent.

If you don’t mind the price tag, I’d lean towards the Grand Floridian. But you may want to consider calling and asking if there is any availability for your dates in a moderate or value resort.

 

[buzzrelly]

Honestly, I love the K area but I would recommend the YC/BC. We stayed at The YC in April with my 5 year old niece and she absolutely loved Stormalong Bay, especially the area for the littles. It made for a very relaxing vacation for us because she wanted to go play in the pool and we loved sitting nearby relaxing.

I also love the convenience of walking to 2 parks from there.

My third choice would be The GF, and finally The BW which, for some reason, just doesn't appeal to me as much though I'm sure it's lovely.

 

[Marthasor]

I disagree. My one son was 3 his first trip and he has several memories of it. He also has some strong memories of his trip at 5. I think kids are capable of remembering special things that are unlike any of their other memories. Staying at a hotel such as Art of Animation or Animal Kingdom Lodge could leave a big impression and memories on a kid. Also if you are spending the big bucks to stay at Disney, it would be a wonderful memory for a parent to have a child in awe of where they stayed. I guess my point was that the hotels on the list are just hotels and don't stand out as Disney specific so I would use location as the primary consideration when choosing.

And if we think our kids have no memories at 4 ~ why even go?

Because parents and other family members want to go - should we just sit in the house until our child has the capacity to store solid memories? And yes, the experience will elicit reactions from the child and the child may (or may not) experience joy from it. But children don't have the neural capacity to maintain solid memories until they are about 7 - 9 years old. We all lose our memory as we age as well - so, why should anyone go? Is going to WDW only about remembering everything?

That is not correct.

Yes, it is. It's called childhood amnesia.

 

[gatormom2tots]

My daughter still remembers the pool from her first trip at age 3- so the blanket statement that no child will remember is not entirely correct. My other daughter still remembers part of her trip at age 4- but not age 3.

Regardless, we usually stayed at a monorail resort when the kids were much younger due to proximity to MK. But the first time we stayed at Beach Club with storm-a-long bay it easily became our favorites- and our kids.

Out of all of those, Boardwalk is our least favorite. But would pick it over monorail resorts at this point because we prefer Epcot/Studios over MK.