Rethinking our resort choice.

[MrsSkellington]

We're booked for 10/29-11/3 at Wilderness Lodge for our first trip with our then-2.5 year old son. I was unable to get the free dining, but oh well, it wasn't a priority anyway when I booked. I love the proximity to MK, and the theme of the resort. But, I'm wondering if I should try to book somewhere else to save money. Other people stay at resorts farther away from MK and do just fine with transportation. I don't want to stay at POP or one of the resorts where the doors open to the outside. The noise keeps him awake. What are some other options? Or is it worth the extra $$ to stay at WL?

This is the problem with booking so far in advance!! I have time to doubt myself. Wait until ADR day on Saturday.

 

[buzznina]

Only the Deluxe resorts have indoor hallways and WL and AKL are the least expensive of the deluxes. So based on that your only other option would be AKL and I do not think you will save much $$ by changing. The only other option would be looking into renting DVC points.

 

[HopperFan]

To have interior hallways you will have to stay in the deluxe category. All values and moderates open to the outside. Put in your dates and see the rates for the other deluxe and you can see the prices but I think you'll see WL is a value at the deluxe level especially since MK is the park you will enjoy most.

That said, some of my noisiest stays have been at the hotels with interior halls because of the noise of kids running up and down and guests returning late from parks. The hall magnifies it. To use your example of POP, was there for a 12 days stay during Free Dining, never heard nor saw another guest on our floor/wing.

 

[luvmy2babies]

Unless you want to book a suite at Art of Animation the others are right about the room being on the outside. And depending on when you are going, you aren't going to save anything booking there. Those are pretty expensive. That said, we've only stayed at the value resorts so far and haven't had any issues with noise outside.

 

[MrsSkellington]

Good to know about the interior/exterior issue. That's the one thing I hadn't looked at that closely yet. We're planning on 2 days at MK and 2 at EP, so maybe a resort near Epcot could work too.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

The resorts near Epcot aren't going to save you any money, and during that time of year, I'm pretty sure they'll be significantly more expensive than WL. The Food & Wine festival is extremely popular and the Epcot resorts are usually fairly full due to their proximity to Epcot.

FWIW, we've stayed at the WL three times now and I think it's a great resort. For a weeklong stay, I really wouldn't want to stay anywhere else. We'll do other resorts for shorter stays, but WL is our go-to resort for longer stays. On our last stay, we also "discovered" (not really...I'd read about it once on the Disboards and finally tried it) an easy way between the WL and Epcot. We hopped the monorail at Epcot, then just took a cab from the TTC to WL. The TTC is essentially across the road from WL, but it's not really walkable (sidewalks don't extend the whole way), and it was only a $5 cab fare. Including wait time, we spent an hour getting to Epcot that morning, but were back in our room 15 minutes after leaving Epcot that evening thanks to the cab ride. The time savings was well worth the $5 we spent.

 

[luvmy2babies]

You could call and check the Swan and Dolphin. If you're flying I don't think you can use DME though.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

Have you stayed in the mods...? They have exterior passages but I've always found them to be quiet. I'd try for FD at CSR.

 

[MandiC]

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and I was very impressed with how quiet it was. I am one that does not sleep well at all when I am not in my own bed and I am a very light sleeper and I had no issues at all there. We were not close to the pool which may be more noisy but it was a non-issue. Transportation wasn't my favorite but it wasn't awful either.
Honestly out of the deluxe resorts while I know WL would appeal to my husband the most it appeals to me the least. If I am going to pay deluxe prices I want to be on the monorail and only have to bus to Animal Kingdom.

 

[TinaLala]

WL is one of my favorite deluxe resorts. Your little one will love the geyser there and the southern wilderness atmosphere. That being said the distance to and from bus to room in some cases at AKL is enormous. POR is my favorite mod resort - they do have the mansion in the back, which is your basic hotel and the bayous with off street entrance.

With all that said...the rooms at WL are a little bigger, more room for a little one to walk around. Beds are SO much nicer at WL for that quick afternoon nap. Plus going back and forth to WL from MK for that nap when everyone is exhausted is so much quicker then POR - IMO.