Resort Advice Needed - please!!!

[donnaleigh]

We are a family of 4 - kids aged 4 and 9 and are planning a trip in January 2007. We have been looking at the deluxe resorts near Magic Kingdom and can't decide between Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian and Polynesian. Wilderness is less expensive but further out. Any advice????

 

[onelugnut]

family of 5, 8 yr old son, 5 yr old girl and 2 yr old son,(so he doesnt really count yet)
i have been pouring over my plans for january 07,
and have for what it is worth to you,
decided that wilderness, is the best hotel for the money if you have it.
Poly, grand floridian, while amazing and my dream someday, is just crazy

i might even suggest to you that you could even go a little further out,
since your kids are not stroller age, bus trips are not a big hassle for you like they are me.

but like i said, i am booked for january 14-19 of 2007 at the wilderness.
and i am excited.
now just how am i gonna pay for it?

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

First off, I noticed that this was your first post. Welcome aboard!!!

Now as for your question, my personal preference would be to be on the Monorail line. Wilderness Lodge is not, so I would eliminate that one. Then it would be a decision between the Poly and GF. I've never stayed at either one, so I can't speak on which one is nicer. GF is sort of the Crown Jewel of Disney resorts, while the Poly is one of the two original resorts (along with my personal favorite, The Contemporary). If you put a gun to my head, I would probably choose GF just because it is "the" place to stay at WDW. But that is just my opinion.

If I was in your position, I would look at the different amenities. Which one has the nicer pools, better game room for the kids, more stuff to do when not at the parks. I would probably base my final decision on that.

 

[plotmom]

First let me say that I'm a bit of a Poly snob, it is the only place I've ever stayed. So naturally I'm going to recommend that you book the Poly too. WL isn't on the monorail but not priced far off those that are, the GF is beautiful (we always go there to eat at Narcossees and 1900) but the pool is boring for the kids and there is a slightly upscale feel. The reason we keep going back to the Poly is it is on the monorail, the pool is really cool, the character breakfast is great, the rooms (just remodeled) are spacious, and you can walk to the TTC to take a direct monorail to Epcot.

 

[Wigit12]

I have to agree about GF pools. DH and I stayed there last year as a treat for our honeymoon as were sadly disappointed. We even commented to each other about the pools being boring if we had taken kids with us. We used DVC points and feel like we really wasted them. I would never pay the rates they charge to stay there. It was beautiful but really didn't see the value of spending the extra money.
I would pick Poly if you want to be on the monorail, but we really are looking forward to trying WL. I think you'd be happy with either one of these.

 

[eliza61]

You've definitely found the best place to ask any disney question. The folks here are pretty helpful and have loads of different advice. I've never stayed at the poly so it's on my "next resort" list too. We stayed at the WL for the first time a couple of weeks ago and we (me, dh, 15ds and 13ds)were blown away. It is absolutely awesome. The pool is a bit small but nicely themed and its a very shot boat ride to MK. My dh and I love, love the GF (talk about Luxury) but we stay there sans kids. I would go with the WL and just to throw a wrench in your plans, take a look at the Beach club. It's got the best pool by far. Stromalong Bay and you can walk to Epcot and MGM. Sorry couldn't resist. I love the deluxes

 

[Kick Save]

Just spent a week at the VWL, and have to put a vote in for that. The theming and atmosphere there is just amazing. Second to none, IMO. Location off the monorail isn't great, but it's still a short boat/bus ride from the MK.

 

[DizneyNutz]

If the monorail is your deciding factor, don't rule out WL for that reason alone. The WL is serviced by two separate boats. One boat runs regularly to the MK and the other to the Contemporary. Hop on the one to the contemporary (5 min ride time) get off the boat and walk inside the lobby to the escalators and go up to catch the monorail. It's Simple and as easy as stepping on and off the boat, so don't necessarily choose based upon that reason only. The boat between the CR and WL does stop running before the boat between the MK and WL does, so might want to plan accordingly when leaving the MK or Epcot ( the only two parks the monorail visits) in the late evening hours. We vote WL.

 

[AgiNJ]

I too amy partial to the Polynesian. BUt I will admit I've been trying to get a Tower room in the Contemporary but strike out every time. But the Poly will always be my favorite. I really feel like I'm on vacation when I'm there. ANd I love the direct access to the monorail, it just saves so much time! Esp. when I take my Mom in a wheel chair, it's just so easy to get around. I've never stayed at the WL but I have heard good things about. Stayed at the AKL once, it was very nice, different, but (I know this will sound silly) but there are ALOT of young children there, running and screaming in the halls. I've never had that experience at the Poly. (My daughter is 18 so we've passed the young kid stage awhile ago. But let me say, no matter where you coose, YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!!! ENJOY!

 

[donnaleigh]

I can see that I came to the right place with my question! Thanks so much for all the info.

We also looked at the Contemporary but thought it would be a little better without the kids. I thought about staying at YC/BC or even Boardwalk but they seem so far from MK. Plus, we are going in end of January so will we really get that much use of the pool? Maybe the hot tub/jacuzzi would be better!

We have a 4 yr old and 9 yr old...won't we spend most of our time in MK? We've never been!!! Well, I went once when WDW first opened and there was only MK. That was about 35 years ago!

 

[DizneyNutz]

I can see that I came to the right place with my question! Thanks so much for all the info.

We also looked at the Contemporary but thought it would be a little better without the kids. I thought about staying at YC/BC or even Boardwalk but they seem so far from MK. Plus, we are going in end of January so will we really get that much use of the pool? Maybe the hot tub/jacuzzi would be better!

We have a 4 yr old and 9 yr old...won't we spend most of our time in MK? We've never been!!! Well, I went once when WDW first opened and there was only MK. That was about 35 years ago!

That must be a new World Record I didn't even know that was possible We can't be away for more than a few months without discussing our next trip Anyway it will be nothing like you remembered. Hoping for the best trip for everyone

 

[GoofyGolferGirl]

We love th WL, we have stayed there the last 4-5 years and the atmosphere is great. They have a great pool with slide, beach area, kids crafts, and the camp grounds are close, you can rent bikes, go on hayrides, visit the petting zoo. Lots of fun sor the kids and parents! I have never stayed at GF but it seemed very formal when we went for a tea party. Sounds strange but I felt like I needed to be dressed up, not in shorts. Poly looks like it would be lots of fun!

 

[DisneyFairy19]

I think a great place to stay with the kids would be GF they have so much there... and its the icon resort for MK... I know they have many activities there for children. I hope you have a great time

 

[JeanfromBNA]

We stayed at WL last year and felt like we spent too much time waiting for the bus, riding on the bus, waiting for the boat, riding on the boat (which is a short ride). WL is lovely and among the least expensive of the deluxe resorts, but we found it too remote.

 

[Hope73]

We stayed at the poly our first rip and loved it. YOu have the advantage that you can have 5 in a room and yes the monorail makes life easier.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We've done both plus the CR and GF, while the main resorts on the monorail loop make life easier, the WL make your pocket book happier. Its the cheapest of the deluxes because of no monorail. We've just come back from a nine night stay there and couldn't have loved it more. Big saving from the Poly to WL, boat to MK is fun, not that hard nor out of the way. We also took the boat to the CR to visit their gameroom and have access to the monorail loop resorts for lounging and shopping. Another great thing from WL is the boat to FW, we enjoy the pizza and beer at Trails End, its quiet and comfy over there in the evening to relax and have some beers.

Don't get me wrong, the Poly is our favorite but pricey, even with the convenience of the monorail. This past trip, to save a few bucks and dine in some better eateries we chose WL, just as appointed as the Poly, rooms not as big but just as Disney as the rest. A very good choice in my book.

 

[Eeyore's Tiara]

I don't know if you are still checking this or not. We stay at the GF and we love it. The GF is quieter than the Poly, but the Poly looks like it would be a lot of fun. There are now two pools at GF so there is a little more action there.
There is fine dining, character meals, and the monorail at GF and Poly. The poly is a more comfortable atmosphere, the GF is a little more reserved. But when I need quiet time occasionally the GF is better for me. And they have all sorts of activities and even afternoon teas for children and adults.

I have 3 kids and the Wilderness is just too far off the beaten path for me. Staying on the monorail, I can spend a lot of time in MK and go back to the hotel very easily. We went to the Wilderness lodge several times and it seemed to take forever. The big question is, "How much is your time worth to you?" I consider every moment I spent travelling between the hotels and parks as lost time. So I tend to value my time more than the cost. So it depends on your personality and what equals value to you.
Hope this helps.

 

[TMB1203]

I vote for WL, but I am a bit biased. We are DVC members and this is our home resort. I have never stayed at Poly or GF (kids still too young for this one, maybe when it's just the 2 of us). I like WL b/c you can take the bus or the boat (works well when 2 year old is sleeping in stroller).

LOVE CR-the monorail makes transportation so much easier. We stayed in the tower w/view of MK in Sept 01 and it was awesome. Too many points for us now....

 

[DizneyNutz]

I vote for WL, but I am a bit biased. We are DVC members and this is our home resort. I have never stayed at Poly or GF (kids still too young for this one, maybe when it's just the 2 of us). I like WL b/c you can take the bus or the boat (works well when 2 year old is sleeping in stroller).

LOVE CR-the monorail makes transportation so much easier. We stayed in the tower w/view of MK in Sept 01 and it was awesome. Too many points for us now....

I vote with you! WL, VWL, anything WL is the best! I guess I am biased as we've never stayed at any other onsite resort, we are DVC as well, have been for about two yrs, we are selling our SSR and have just passed ROFR on VWL

Like you said, the transportation is a bonus, even w/o kids, but I can see how it would be so much easier on folks with little ones, especially since to me, after the sensory overload at all the parks, you get back to the resort and it's like---aaahhhh---we're home It has a "family" atmosphere and for us anyway, you just seem to relax the minute you walk in the door! We normally go straight to our rooms, exchange tenny pumps for a more comfy flip flop, grab our refillable mugs and start prowling the resort

 

[maleficent esq.]

We are a family of 4 - kids aged 4 and 9 and are planning a trip in January 2007. We have been looking at the deluxe resorts near Magic Kingdom and can't decide between Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian and Polynesian. Wilderness is less expensive but further out. Any advice????

I understand that you are looking at a deluxe but with younger children how much time do you really spend in the room. My personal preference get a car and stay at a moderate resort.

From DH: We always get a car, but it could be confusing for first timers, so a GPS might be VERY handy! When we had a youngster, we limited time-in-the park to shorter visits and the pool & food court of our resort were a big part of the fun for her. Thus, it is nice to have two park visits a day with a mid-day nap/swim break! You can also eat lunch outside of the park (to save money). We all have limits on our budget, but (as the Sorceress said) I would reduce my lodging cost to buy park-hopping upgrades, MNSSHP tickets, more days, and a few more character-breakfasts, treats, souvenirs, etc. We DO visit the nicer resorts, but after-all, any room will do for sleeping...