Please help a dad with no patience in reading multiple threads

[BillySanDiego]

Ok it took me 3 hours to figure out what'd DD, DW, etc is. It took me another hour to get through the grand Floridian thread. I'm shot. Just looking for some quick advice from you kind people of the most awesomeness place to stay for 3 nights. I don't want budget. Ive worked 7 months of double shifts to be spoiled in luxury with the kids

 

[cwt580]

my dream room would be Contemporary resort tower room with magic kingdom view........


Grand Floridian is very nice but not our taste. Polynesian is one of our favs also. Some dont like the island feel.

Poly is nice for Monorail and very short walk to transportation center for mono to epcot.

We have stayed Poly 3x and now we usually stay at Wilderness lodge just because it feels like we are at our home away from home....


Any of the deluxes are nice. all depends whos coming with, where you want to be close to,,etc...........

we definitely want to try Boardwalk Inn someday....


IM a dad also and the 1 who makes all the plans.......

 

[thej]

Since you have 3 nights and want awesomeness... I'd suggest one of the 3 Monorail resorts (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian). They are all a quick trip to the Magic Kingdom, and relatively quick to Epcot on the monorail. All can give you a great stay, with good food and luxurious service and surroundings (especially on the club/concierge level).

Me, I'd go for the Theme Park View rooms in the Contemporary. A private balcony for the fireworks every night is a memory that's hard to top.

If your kids love a pool, and you are going to take time to use the one at the resort, the Polynesian is the ticket for you. The pool is Awesome, as is the rest of the resort.

Be sure to make reservations for a character meal (breakfast seems best) if your kids are young enough to enjoy one. Each of these 3 resorts offers a different one. But you can reserve whichever has the characters your kids like best.

Contemporary - Chef Mickey's (buffet with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald)
Polynesian - Ohana (Family style - characters @ breakfast only with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey & Pluto)
Grand Floridian - 1900 Park Fair (buffet with Mary Poppins, Mad hatter, Alice from Wonderland)

You might find the accommodations pages for these 3 on Allears.net more helpful for a quick read than trying to follow the threads here. Here's the links.

Contemporary - http://allears.net/acc/faq_con.htm
Polynesian - http://allears.net/acc/faq_poly.htm
Grand Floridian - http://allears.net/acc/faq_gf.htm

I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter which you choose!

 

[minnie mum]

Since budget is no object, then go for one of the deluxe resorts. Do you have a preference on location? Do you think you would prefer a monorail resort, an Epcot area resort, or something else? Instead of trying to read through each and every resort specific thread, start out just by looking at the photos. You'll see pretty quickly if you like the look of a resort or not. Once you've narrowed your choices a bit, then perhaps we can help you more.

If you don't want to do that, then here are my favourites: Grand Floridian on the Monorail, Beach Club at Epcot, and Animal Kingdom Lodge.

FWIW there's a sticky on the 'Welcome to the DIS' forum with a list of our more common abbreviations.

 

[DianeW]

Polynesian, Beach Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Go to www.disneyworld.com and you can see photos of every resort, their rooms and their pools.

Is there anything in particular you want in a resort? What is important to your family? Tons of space? Amazing pool? On the monorail? Close to a certain theme park?

That will help us give you better recommendations. Also, how many in your party and how old are your kids?

 

[staceymarie]

I agree with cwt580--Contemporary Resort with theme park view--although I do love the Bay lake view and even prefer it now.
I have stayed at both Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge as well. Poly--while really beautiful, is very spread out and a little bit in need of a refurb-in my opinion. The Wilderness Lodge was really a lot of fun, It has beautiful grounds and very homey feeling--although not on the monorail line. The boat was very dependable though and we never waited long. This is actually my favorite resort at this time although my daughter loves the Contemporary so we will be there this next time. I'm suggesting Contemporary for you though because I feel it's just a bit more luxurious and convenient.
I never stayed at Grand Floridian--kind of "grandmotherly" looking in decor in my honest opinion. Great to visit though--I love the gift shops and restaurants.

My vote is Contemporary with the clean and spacious rooms and you cannot beat the close proximity to Magic Kingdom.

Obviously, I have not stayed at every deluxe so I cannot comment on any others!

 

[Missytara]

My goal of a dream vacation for my retirement is the Boardwalk Inn.

Lots of entertainment on the Boardwalk; love Kouzzina's restaurant, love the easy access to the International Gateway and love the overall look of the resort and its interior. The rooms look amazing.

Have a wonderful trip, wherever you end up!

 

[mommysdb]

For a quick three day trip, either the Poly or the Beach Club. Poly, because monorail access is excellent for both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Beach Club if your kids are older and would prefer more time in Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Plus, for kids older than 8 or 9, Beach Club pool is far more impressive (my kids love the Poly but think the pool is boring).

 

[DisneyLindsay]

If money were no object for 3 nights, MY top three places to stay would be

1: Poly- great pool, great restaurants and on the monorail. Also love watching the fireworks from the beach!!

2nd: Beach Club- beautiful resort, storm a long bay, and walking the beautiful path to Epcot, also love Cape May restaurant. All that seafood Yummm!!

3rd: Animal Kingdom Lodge with an Animal view balcony!

Go to the offical wdw website, look at the pictures of the resorts and the amenities. Or Check out the picture threads here. If it is not a surprise than I would ask the kids what one they like the look of best! You won't go wrong!! All of the resorts are great!

 

[courtneylauren]

Any of the 3 on the monorail path, which is Grand Floridian, Contemporary, and Polynesian. All are conveniently located, have the monorail, and are deluxe. Deciding factor would just be the theme you prefer.

 

[notaclue]

Another vote here for Beach Club. Best pool on property, excellent restaurants, right on the Boardwalk with lots to see and do plus it's a beautiful resort. We've stayed at the Poly twice and just don't care for it; the Great Ceremonial House is a screaming madhouse and the pool is too small. I wouldn't base my choice on the monorail because the monorail can be very unpredictable so you can't really rely on it to get anywhere in a timely manner. Check out one of the Beach club threads on these boards.

 

[toodycat]

You don't say how old your kids are, but here are my ideas:

1. The Grand Floridian is by far the most luxurious experience you will have at WDW. A theme park view room is pure magic at fireworks time. The character brunch is excellent and the feature pool has a lot of kids' activities. You can't beat the convenience of the monorail either.

2. No child will forget a trip to the Animal Kingdom Lodge with a savannah view room. How many kids get to see zebras and giraffes roaming free in Florida? The theming of this resort is great. Meals are excellent at Boma where there are kid-friendly options in addition to African cuisine.

3. I've never stayed at the Beach Club, but if you have kids who like to swim, there is no pool quite like Stormalong Bay. The Beach Club is convenient to Epcot and Disney Hollywood studios. Character meals at the Cape May Cafe are some of the best I've had. You can also walk along the boardwalk at night which is fun as well.

Have fun with your kids! You've worked hard for it.

 

[EpcotBill]

Ok it took me 3 hours to figure out what'd DD, DW, etc is. It took me another hour to get through the grand Floridian thread. I'm shot. Just looking for some quick advice from you kind people of the most awesomeness place to stay for 3 nights. I don't want budget. Ive worked 7 months of double shifts to be spoiled in luxury with the kids

I think you may have made this even more complicated. Everyone has their own opinion of what is awesome. Lots of people will give you their opinion. Awesome to you may be ho-hum to someone else and vice versa.

We don't know what you like in a vacation. We don't know how old your kids are or what they like. It's too difficult to give an unbiased recommendation without more information. If it were me I'd ask more specific questions and do more research on my own. Good luck, I hope you find your awesomeness.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

You did not mention how many kids, ages or boys or girls. This could have some bearing as to where you are staying. I have never stay at the GF but always wanted to. If money were no object that is where I would stay, concierge level. Second choice would be BC also concierge lever, this is my sisters favorite way to go. All that being said if you have always wanted to stay in the tower at the contemporary then go for it. Never stayed club level there but friends have and they loved it. I haven't been to the Contemporary since the late 70's. We usually stay DVC though so we won't get our GF trip till the villas there are opened which is scheduled for late 2014.

 

[tjmw2727]

Depends on the ages of the kids and which parks you want to visit but goingin cold my 3 fav's are:

Beach Club - hands down best pool, service and a great location
CR or Poly - tied
Animal Kingdom Lodge -

 

[bellebud]

knowing your dd's age would help a lot. have you guys been to disney before?

If I had to pick just one, w/out knowing these other factors, I'd say MK view Tower room at the Contemporary. You cannot beat the MK view at night. If you really want to splurge, Concierge Level there. Seeing the monorail loop, the castle, the astro orbitor go around and around is awesome!

Concierge level at the Poly is also wonderful (theme park view), BUT the 2nd floor rooms don't have a balcony, so no sitting out there and enjoying the castle changing colors, etc at night. And at certain times of year, the Poly pool is laughably crowded. It's beyond ridiculous. I've never seen the Contemporary pool get that way. You can sit in the pool at the Poly though, and watch the fireworks (or on the beach)... so that's pretty cool.

Also, Bay Lake Towers... new villas attached to the Contemporary Tower. MK view. The pool is very nice and private - no one can get in that building and through to the pool area w/out a room card. Not so w/ other resorts. So not overcrowded.

 

[MMS1125]

If your kids are older (I'd say 7ish and up) then I'd probably stay at the Beach Club mainly for the pool

If you want a monorail resort I'd DEF stay at the Poly. It's by far my favorite resort and the volcano pool is pretty awesome there too!

Which park do you plan on visiting most? If you plan on MK or EP I'd def stay at the Poly since it's pretty easy access to both via monorail and with only 3 days you want to minimize your travel time

 

[BillySanDiego]

Thank you all for the great responses so far. This has helped me and my ADD a lot

 

[BillySanDiego]

some answers to the great questions. Sorry I should have been more detailed.

Daughter is 10 and son is 7 . Most of my life savings is going to a Disney Cruise that we're taking after the 3 night stay in DisneyWorld

I want someplace with a great pool for the kids because I'm guessing after 3 days park hopping in July we're gonna need it lol

 

[cwt580]

kids 10 and 7......they may not like GF....

Cont with MK view would be unforgetable at that age. The mono coming inside is awesome to kids...good choices for food also. Cali grill, Chef mickeys for characters, Wave for just a bit different.....fireworks from cali grill is a must at least once......



you driving or flying? transpo to and from your resort choice could be of concern to some...

Done the cruise 2x and liked it but did feel "trapped"... a bit hot in July on deck.