Staying on Disney property and some questions?

[Mel921]

My husband and I booked a room at POP for two nights in February. It will be us and our three kids (10, 8, and 1). We are thinking of bringing my mom with us. If we decide to bring her along, would she be able to stay in our room even though it's only supposed to be a max of 4 in the room or are we going to have to book a second room?

Originally we decided to stay on the property to get the extra hours at the park, but the days we will be there, it isn't going to be of any benefit because the MK is only open an extra hour in the am and open to 11 pm anyways.

Are there any other benefits to staying on the property?? You can take the monorails, etc. even if you aren't a Disney resort guest, right?

Thanks!

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Okay fellow Dissers, Mel is new so no flames! Mel, you have hit on a very sensitive topic here (which is allowing more than the allowed number of people to stay in a room).

But I am going to answer your question this way......you don't WANT to have that many people in that room. It is really, really small. You will actually feel it with just the 5 of you. The rooms are only 260 square feet. But two nights and the five of you (with one being so young) will be fine. If it were a 10-day vacation, I would advise a larger room for the 5 of you.

So, what are your options if you want to bring mom along. Here are the three lowest cost options staying on Disney property: two rooms, a Family Suite at All-Star Music (may not be available since you are looking at next month) and a Wilderness Cabin at Fort Wilderness. You can also look at the Port Orleans Riverside as an option, but for roughly the same price, I'd rather have two rooms at POP.

The benefit of staying at a Disney hotel: you are in the magic 24/7 and that is really cool. WDW is so huge that even if you stay really close by off-property, it is still far away.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

 

[Disney Fool]

I'm going to chime in also. If you are going in February during school vacation, you may very well want that extra hour in the AM at Magic Kingdom! Pop Century sleeps 4 plus a baby. All Disney transportation including ferries, monorails and buses are available without extra cost. And, if you are staying on Disney property, parking the parks is free. Since this is your first post, Welcome to the DIS Boards!

 

[Mel921]

Sorry! I just figured that it's like every other hotel and was more of a guideline than anything else. Didn't realize that it was such a sensitive topic. My mom isn't even going to go on any rides. She has never travelled much and I thought it would be great to bring her along so she can see my kiddos their first time at Disney.

Thanks for the help

 

[TexasTodds]

Another option IF it would be available would be to try to get a room in the Alligator bayou section of Port Orleans Riverside, so that one of your boys could sleep on the trundle, and the other in a bed with your mom. Still, that is ALOT of togetherness, unless you are used to traveling together, since the value and moderate resorts only have double beds.

Hope this helps!

PS...I also have 3 kids -- DS8, DS5, and DD3, and I know how helpful it is to have a 1:1 ratio at a park when dealing with kids!

 

[cara loves the poly]

My husband and I booked a room at POP for two nights in February. It will be us and our three kids (10, 8, and 1). We are thinking of bringing my mom with us. If we decide to bring her along, would she be able to stay in our room even though it's only supposed to be a max of 4 in the room or are we going to have to book a second room?

Originally we decided to stay on the property to get the extra hours at the park, but the days we will be there, it isn't going to be of any benefit because the MK is only open an extra hour in the am and open to 11 pm anyways.

Are there any other benefits to staying on the property?? You can take the monorails, etc. even if you aren't a Disney resort guest, right?

Thanks!

Welcome to the Dis! There is a TON of information on here! Have fun planning!

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

Why are you assuming your Mom won't go on any attractions? How about Cinderella's carousel? (Can't get tamer than that.)

How about watching the show in the castle forecourt?

If you're going to buy her a ticket, I'm sure she will find lots of things to enjoy in the parks, especially with her grandkids.

With only two nights in WDW, staying on site will maximize your time.

 

[septbaby]

I think it's awesome that you'd like your mother to enjoy the Disney magic with your kids. My grandma actually took me on my first Disney trip. I was a paying adult by the time I went with my mother.

You probably already know your mother will need a ticket just to walk into a park at Disney, so that is a definite additional expense if she does come. I'd call or use the online system right away to see what it would take to switch your reservation to a family suite. If that's not available you are probably looking at about $200 to get a second room at Pop for two nights.

How are you getting to Disney? If it's by plane the Magical Express service is wonderful!!!!

Staying on site and using the Disney transportation system saves time and gives you flexibility. Say the older kids are having a blast, you husband can stay with them if you want to take the little one back for a nap. Or say you want to go to one park and your Mom wants to head elsewhere or rest up in the room and meet you later, it'll be really easy to do that without worrying about who has the car.

Do not underestimate the value of one hour in the morning. Most people don't get to the park at open so that means you get both that extra hour plus at least another hour of light volume traffic in the park. We were able to take our 6yo completely through Fantasyland in that amount of time; no rushing and some multiple rides. Your older kids may be able to ride some really popular rides first thing that would take an hour to get on later in the day.

That fact that you got those out of the way early would allow you the option of going back to the room for pool time, naps dinner and coming back to MK to close the park down at 11pm.

Also if you are not getting park hopper tickets you can only visit one park per day. That extra time on your MK day could prove to be very valuable and you can select another park for your second day. Most would probably select Epcot; its open late has the Illuminations show and has good rides, food and international flare is really nice.MGM might be interesting if you want to see Fantasmic, ride the Tower of Terror, etc. it is probably open late too. Unfortunately you'd have to pick either Fantasmic or Illuminations. Given that the Animal Kingdom closes earlier and you only get 2 days, I'd probably skip the park, but take the bus over to the hotel, Animal Kingdom Lodge and seek out a viewing area to try too see the animals. No charge to do that.

I never stayed on site until this last trip in Sept. now I can't see handling it any other way! I know my mother ie. grandma was glad to leave us in the park so she could head back for some rest and pool time. I also left the family and went off to play golf. We just met up later and everyone enjoyed their day.

 

[Deb & Bill]

How old is your mother? I'm 57 and I go on lots of attractions. But I don't do Cinderella's Carousel because it goes round and round and I can't go round and round (or up and down and back and forth). But PotC is great fun. Likewise Buzz Lightyear, Splash Mt, etc.

I brought my mom once and she was 83 at the time. We even took her on Test Track (but in the end we shouldn't have, made her too dizzy).

Never discount that extra hour in the morning at MK. You can do lots of attractions in the one little hour that you can't do later on in the day.

 

[Shmily1]

Welcome! Staying on-site is just part of the Disney experience. Everything is so dramatic at POP that your children will love it! Not having to drive from park to park is a big advantage for us since everyone may not want to stay at the park from opening to close (like I would) but they can go to the resort and take a nap and come back for dinner and fireworks. This may be good for you since you have a little one.

Taking your mom is a great idea!! There are many things she can do there that would be fun for her and fun for your children to experience with her. She could go to Fantasmic which we love and many of the other attractions in Fantasyland. I usually take DD16's BFF with me when we go and she is one that gets really sick with not much movement. She loves to go to WDW because there are lots of things she can do without being sick. Your mom may want to go with one grandchild on Indy Speedway while you or DH goes with the other child behind her to keep her from getting hit in the back end. They are on a track so no one else could get to her if you were in the back.

I'm sure your mom would love to see the Lion King and Nemo at AK. They are great shows. Also, your children are big enough to have a great time at Epcot and there are lots of things your mom could enjoy seeing there.

Have a great time and enjoy every minute of it!!