resort question

[2ddprincess]

Hi. New to DIS. Planning first trip to DW in Sept. with two daughters, 4 and 2.5. I am looking for advice on which Disney resort to book. I am going to assume we will need to take a mid-day break for a nap for the 2.5 yr old, so transportation is important. I don't want to waste a lot of time waiting for buses, but am o.k. with buses as long as the trip and waiting is minimal. I am interested in a NICE place without breaking the bank that has some cool things for the girls, even if its just a nice pool. Don't know how much time we'll spend at the resort versus the parks, but I would like the option of taking a day off from the parks to relax at the resort if there's stuff to do there. I don't know ANYTHING about any of the resorts. So instead of wading through all the descriptions, I was told to come here and ask the experts. The only recommendation I got was from a friend who stayed at POFQ and because it was newly renovated and liked it. Some of the themed hotels look fun, but we don't want a very loud place either. Any advice?
Finally, I have seen people on this site who have booked their trips years in advance. Am I going to run into problems since I'm booking only a few months ahead?

 

[EsmeraldaX]

POFQ is very nice and has a great pool for kids. We stayed there with my neice when she was 4 and she loved the pool.

I just stayed at AKL last week and it has a lot for kids. Even if you book a standard view room, with no balcony view of the animals, there are still enough public viewing areas at the hotel that the kids will love it. They have activities like cookie decorating and storytelling around the firepit at night. It's a wonderful hotel. AKL was very quiet.

I have only stayed at one of the values, Pop Century, and I could see how a kid would love it there with all the bright icons and the fun pools. We found it to be fairly quiet (though many people who stay there complain of noise) and we found the bus service to be okay.

Also, I have not stayed there, but I know Wilderness Lodge has a lot to do as far as activities also, including a petting farm.

AKL & Fort Wilderness are somewhat less $$ than the other deluxes, and I actually like the theming there better than some of the more expensive ones. If you can, I'd go for one of those just because there is so much to do right at the hotel.

I don't think you'll have a problem booking a few months in advance if you can be flexible about when you go and where you stay. I booked AKL around March for last week. No problems at all. But the 50th year celebration has started and summer is coming so keep that in mind. It may be crowded.

 

[scoutsmom99]

Hello again

If you have AAA they offer discounted room rates at WDW. It might even be worth getting a membership to get the discounts (before buying the membership though figure out if rooms are available with a AAA discount (call Disney 407-WDISNEY) and make sure that you will save money if you get the membership (you most likely will!)) Also checkout www.mousesavers.com for money saving ideas.


I agree with Esmeralda X on hotel choices.
Deluxe
AKL is fabulous and has lots of great activities even if you only book a standard room ($199 a night in September)
WL is also great and very close (a short boat ride) to MK (I’m guessing you will probably spend a lot of time at MK) (Also $199 a night in September)

Moderates
POFQ is the smallest of all of them and the grounds are just beautiful ($134 a night in September)

Value
POP also has some fun themeing and those pop jets that kid’s love. ($77 a night in September $89 for a preferred location (read closer to food court, busses, pools.)).


Don’t worry too much about the busses. They are wonderful and I have never experienced overly long waits (not that it can’t happen!). In the “value season” they run about every 15-20 min to the parks and DTD.

Check out these sites for resort information
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_hot.htm
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Resorts/resortmain1.htm#hm-disneyhotels-nav

You will be fine booking just a few months out. If you do decide to book your trip without a travel agent start looking at airfare (if you are flying). Book your airfare as soon as you find a price you are comfortable with. You might ask on the transportation board what a decent airfare will be from your local airport.

I hope this information is not overbearing. If you need anything clarified let me know

 

[Trinity721]

Welcome to the DIS 2ddprincess! I have heard lots of great things about POR and POFQ, but have not had the chance to stay at either of them. Hopefully we will get to on our next trip, whenever that is.

Might I suggest Coronado Springs, because we have had the chance to stay there. This resort has a Southwest feeling to it. We absolutely loved it, and with our DD (who is turning 3 in July) it was just what we wanted. The bus service was just great. Coronado Springs has their own bus service, meaning that they do not share buses with any other resorts. At the parks and at the resort, we didn't wait more than 15 min for a bus. The pool was fantastic. DD had a blast in the little kiddie pool, and even jumped in the big pool with her Daddy. The food court is great, and DD liked the selections from there. She is picky too! There is an arcade by the pool and also at the main building, El Centro. In the Cabanas section there are hammocks and sand, so sometimes after a long day we would relax there while DD played in the sand. Even though there was a convention going on, it was still very quiet for us. Overall it was just a wonderful experience and we would stay there again. If you need more info or would like to check out pictures, Buzz2001 has a great site dedicated to it. Do a quick search on his name and he has a link in his profile or signature.

If you want to stay somewhere nice, but don't want to break the bank I think moderates are a perfect 'in between'. If you are looking to save even more money the Values are a good choice too, though I have never stayed at one myself. Good luck with everthing, and I hope you find the DIS useful

 

[MrsDude]

The Caribbean Beach Resort.

We stayed there last October and it was beautiful. The whole place had a laid back island feel. The buildings are clustered into little villages, each one having its own pool. There is a food court and sit down restaurant at Old Port Royale (the resort's center), and there is also a large main pool near OPR. You may rent bicycles and little boats at the resort, or lay on the hammocks and relax. CBR has its own bus service as well, so you will not have to go to other resorts in order to get to your destination.

Our room was in Trinidad North which was very close to OPR. Martinique is also very close to OPR and both Trinidad North and Martinique are preferred locations (meaning you pay the water view rate). In my opinion you really do not need a water view room at this resort, as this resort has some beautiful courtyards. Request rooms in Trinidad North, Aruba, Martinique or Jamaica if you wish to be close to the food court, and Barbados and Trinidad South if you prefer to be away from the action. There is an internal resort bus that will take you to all the villages, the custom house (where you check in) and OPR, if you are in one of the more remote villages.

 

[Joy]

We stayed at the WL for our first trip with our DS 5 and DD 4. We are going back next year. If you could swing the $199 plus tax, I think you would have a great trip! Here is what we loved about it:

The price was great for a deluxe. (it is only about $50 more per night than a preferred moderate room.)

The kids loved the pool. It was just right for their age.

The boat to the MK was great, we went back to the hotel every afternoon

We loved having a balcony

We got to be the Flag Family!!!

We could take the boat to the Chef Mickey's for dinner!

I liked that the hotel was all under one roof. I like to get up early, so I went to the lobby in the morning while everyone slept and I planned our day. It was a great way to get some time to myself, and the lobby is so lovely.

We loved the CMs and our Mousekeeper was just super!!

The lobby is very peaceful and relaxed - we went to both the Poly and the CR for dinner and the lobbies were so BUSY!!


This is what I didn't enjoy so much:

I didn't like waiting for the buses, but you will get that no matter where you stay unless you rent a car.

I didn't really like the Whispering Canyon Cafe - everyone else seems to love it, but I just would rather not be accosted at breakfast. After the first day, we grabbed some food at the Roaring Forks Snack Bar and ate it outside by the pool - which was just great!!

Good luck with your choice! I'm sure you will have fun no matter what you decide!!

 

[homedad]

I agree with Joy and the other posters about the WL. I have done my research, read the pro's and cons and feel this is best for our situation(DS4 and DD2) and for our finances. We have recieved a AAA rate of $169 for that time and have 3 rooms and are hope to buy an AP and save more if they post discounts. I just think that the location and putting my kids on a boat to go to "mickeys house" will be just too cool.

 

[dawgfan]

POFQ won't break the bank. It is a quick trip to all the parks especially MK where I assume you will spend a great deal of time with little ones the age your taking. The pool is awesome and worth a pool day with no park entrance. In any resort you will spend some wiat time on a bus. It is inevitable. I have not had horrible bus service anywhere I have stayed of visited. The bus ride will be longer for the values especially the All Stars. AKL is also a good deal away and a long bus trip from most parks. POFQ or POR would be my suggestion.

 

[chyam]

I have to agree with most the the other posters, the WL is a great choice but so is POFQ if you want to save a little money, the WL is a boat ride away from MK and as others said to the CR for Chef Mickeys, also the petting zoo is either a boat ride away or a walk on the nature trail ( probably to long of a walk of the 2.5 year old though) But after staying at POFQ I have to say it is not a bad choice either, they have a great food court as does Riverside it's sister resort and walkable from POFQ. POFQ has a great pool with a themed water slide, Riverside has several pools besides the main pool. WL has one large pool with a small slide, a quiet pool near the villas and a kiddie pool. WL also onl has a small snack bar besides the 2 restaurants. It would be a toss up for me since both resorts are great. But given the time of year you are going (Sept?) traditionally the park hours are shorter so you may not need an afternoon break. A lot of times during the slower times the MK will close at 6 or 7pm so that is also something to consider. I have always been a WL lover but after this past trip at the FQ I already made ressies for there again in Oct. Everyone has their favorites so weigh out all the advantages and also the $$ issue, more money saved is more money to spend on other things. Also POFQ and Riverside have a boat that will take you right to Downtown Disney, it too is a nice little ride. And actually this resort is not all that far away from the MK.

 

[2ddprincess]

Thank you all for your great advice. I think I have narrowed it down. Quick question. Do all the resorts have kiddie pools? And is the water slide at POFQ too big for a 4 year old? Thanks again.

 

[HIHO...HIHO]

We just got back yesterday from WL. LOVED it! Cannot say more other than that! It was absolutely great and was perfect for little ones! They have so much to do and the boat ride to MK was so quick and painless! With our kids being 7 and 5, we spent 3 days at MK and would definately recommend staying on a resort near the MK with young kids. We never waited more than 10 minutes for the boat. Also, we were surprised with a free upgrade to concierge level - which was even more great. I would not consider staying anywhere else now until the kids are older. It was definately worth the extra money. I have to tell you that our kids wanted to go back to the hotel after a couple hours at the parks and swim at the pool - and I hear this from many people with young kids, so being so close to the hotel was worth every penny!
HAVE A GREAT TIME!

 

[dawgfan]

WL and POFQ have kiddie pools and the slide at POFQ is okay for a 4 year old as long as you either go down with the child (lot's of parents do this and it is great fun) or you wait at the bottom to catch the child. They have to move out of the way of the slide quickly so someone else coming down won't hit them.

 

[Carolinagirl1063]

I have a 4 y/o she LOVES the AKL zero depth pool, slide, animals,fire pits, storytelling,playground and Simbas Clubhouse for her "daughters nite out". We only left her there for an hour and she thought it was all there just for her! She liked the CBR too, but prefers AKL.

 

[snowmouse]

When our oldest was a toddler, we found the location of the YC/BC ideal. We loved the convenience of heading back at naptime and then being so close to so many evening dining options. After naps and a swim (this is a great pool) we would head in the 'back door' of EPCOT and choose a country to dine at. Of course, that toddler is now heading for High school, so the Boardwalk and all of its options for both dining and entertainment would now just be icing on the cake for convenience. Also the boat to MGM is great. This would definitely be my vote for toddlers, although my kids now also love POR.

 

[2ddprincess]

I was really leaning towards WL, but then read a trend that had several complaints about the rooms at WL. The lobby and resort were great, but people complained about paint peeling, shabby carpet, rusty showers. I don't want to pay a deluxe rate for that type of room. What was your experience?

 

[2ddprincess]

JOY - Thanks for the info. What was your WL room like? One of the trends on this board described the WL rooms as in bad need of renovations. What did you think?

 

[Joy]

Our room at the WL was perfect. So was my SIL's room. She has stayed there twice. We are going back next year. If you get a room that you don't like, asked to be moved. Even at the Poly people complain about the rooms sometimes and the Poly is $100 more a night.