Planning 1st trip to WDW - need resort advice!

[My2Cinderellas]

We are planning our first trip to the world for next spring. Being a compulsive planning type A person, I want to start making room reservations, but after reading lots of information and many many threads here, I am still at a toss up for where!

we are DH, me, DD7 and DD5. I'm not a park commando and will need some down time at the resort. Looking at our budget, I have come up with 2 options and would like some input from you experts!


Option 1 - POR or POFQ for the entire trip (7 nights)

Option 2 - split stay between ASMo and WL.

TIA!

My2Cinderellas

 

[TheresaNY]

I would definitely split the trip up between the two resorts. Both ASMo and WL are great places - but very different from each other. I find that staying in the resort is half the fun. WL is beautiful and you can't beat hopping on a ferry to the front of Magic Kingdom. The ride is beautiful and so enjoyable !!
POR was great too - could even split between POR or FQ and ASMo if you want to save even more. Personally, if you can make it to WL, it is worth it !!

 

[DemoBri1]

If you don't mind switching resorts in the middle of your stay then definitely go the AS and WL route. Just be certain that WL is the 2nd half of your stay otherwise you might be disappointed going from WL to AS.

Being that it is your first trip, however, you might want to avoid the hassle of packing up and moving to a new resort. You might want to take a look at the other two moderates, Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach. I think CSR is the more popular of the two, but if you're set on PO I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Whatever your choice, just remember one thing...HAVE FUN!!!

Brian

 

[3lilprincesses]

i would split the stay! i think it's exciting to try a new resort. and it shouldn't be too much of a hassle either. you do need to pack your things, but it's not like packing at home when you can't decide what to bring! just take everything and re-pack. didn't take me long at all. then disney will move your things from one resort to the next while you head out to the park! when we did it, it was very smooth. we were so glad we did it because even though we've only been to disney once, we got to try 2 resorts. we're doing this on our january trip again.

have fun!

 

[goofy4tink]

I love splitting my stays. I own DVC and usually go for about 8 nights...so I either start or finish my trip with a two night stay at a resort I either love or one I have never tried before. The main part of my trip is at my DVC resort..BWV. But......it does take time and effort to switch resorts. Especially with two little ones!!! You have to repack everything, have Bell Services come take them away. Then you have to get to the new resort (not a big issue), check-in and wait for your room/luggage. We did this last month. We moved from BCV to POR. We waited for a room for 2 hours. Not any fault of PORs....we just wanted to relax and wait for the building that we really wanted. But, our luggage hadn't made the transfer yet. So, we had no bathing suits to swim in, which would have been nice. Again....my fault, I should have known better and packed them in our fanny packs that morning.

But it does take time away from being in the parks. But, on the positive side, you could make the switch, go to the new resort and let the kids hang out at the resort playground, eat lunch and just explore the resort while you wait for your room. Be sure to pack your bathing suits and anything you might need in a backpack for the afternoon. don't make my mistake. I would recommend booking POR and staying there for the whole stay....much more relaxing. If you do.....take the girls to DD via the boat. That's a lot of fun.

 

[Mis4Mouse]

We split our stay last time and it was great....but my vote goes to staying at one resort your entire 7 nights, since this is your first trip.

I'd use this first trip to get a feel for resort life, the parks, with as little stress as possible.

Not that switching is stressful, cause I haven't found it to be, but there is just so much to absorb and enjoy on your first trip, that switching in the middle of it only gives you one more thing to worry about.

I'd stay at PO for the week, and maybe visit the other hotels (for dinner or just to browse around) so you can start planning which two hotels you will stay at on your next trip!!!

Sue