Sorry this is kind of long - it is a short question but I wanted to give some background, since everyone has such different considerations for their specific child.
We are currently booked in a monorail resort. On our last trip with our son (his first to the World), we split between Polynesian and CR and were really very happy that we were able to walk to and from MK (while at CR) and take the monorail to MK and EPCOT otherwise. Taking the buses to AK and DHS was very challenging, so we only spent time at those parks for a combined 3 of our 11 days at Disney. He has a very short attention span, so waiting for the buses for more than 5 minutes just wasn't working for us. We never waited more than that for a monorail, and he was fine on the monorails. He was sometimes fine on the buses, sometimes had meltdowns.
We are planning on going to Disney again in May and were going to stay at a monorail resort again. We are all booked, deposit paid, but now we are thinking of renting a car to avoid buses altogether. I would like for our son (and the rest of the family) to experience other resorts and other parts of Disney, like the adorable boardwalk area. Just trying to find a good match. The car rental really opens up our options, and I think CBR and S/D may be the best non-monorail options for us.
I have been very much wanting to try an EPCOT area resort and I think the Swan or Dolphin seem like a great choice. The food options appeal to us, as does the ability to walk to two parks; we ordered room service for dinner several times on our last trip. We are basically going to do only quick service meals for breakfast and lunch (much easier with our son) with the exception of a couple of old favorites, so WS so close by seems like a great option. The pool area look fantastic. I think the rooms look super nice, too - almost as nice as at CR, which is my current favorite room style. We would get a resort view room if we stayed there. We are going on the trip with my parents and sister, who are nurses, so they would have the added bonus of the nurse discount if we stay at S/D. They are currently booked at CBR.
Another option is a pirate room at CBR. Our son is in a pirate phase (that and Toy Story) and we thought he would get a kick out of the pirate rooms and pool. I booked my parents in one of the pirate rooms just in case he ended up doing better by the time we are getting close to the trip (and thus wouldn't have a problem with the buses). Then we would move them to a preferred room at CBR and switch into their pirate room.
Anyhow, the ultimate question is whether there is anything we should keep in mind about these resorts as we consider switching. Since we can drive to the parks rather than be stuck with making multiple stops on the resort buses, I think we will have avoided the number one negative of S/D and CBR. I already know about the parking fee at Swan/Dolphin.
I can't promise that we won't switch to a one bedroom at BLT once discounts come out, or if we decide to rent points closer to the date. I do love that walk to MK - we ended almost every night there on the last trip. This will give me something to think about, though!
Thanks so much, and sorry for the long post!
We are currently booked in a monorail resort. On our last trip with our son (his first to the World), we split between Polynesian and CR and were really very happy that we were able to walk to and from MK (while at CR) and take the monorail to MK and EPCOT otherwise. Taking the buses to AK and DHS was very challenging, so we only spent time at those parks for a combined 3 of our 11 days at Disney. He has a very short attention span, so waiting for the buses for more than 5 minutes just wasn't working for us. We never waited more than that for a monorail, and he was fine on the monorails. He was sometimes fine on the buses, sometimes had meltdowns.
We are planning on going to Disney again in May and were going to stay at a monorail resort again. We are all booked, deposit paid, but now we are thinking of renting a car to avoid buses altogether. I would like for our son (and the rest of the family) to experience other resorts and other parts of Disney, like the adorable boardwalk area. Just trying to find a good match. The car rental really opens up our options, and I think CBR and S/D may be the best non-monorail options for us.
I have been very much wanting to try an EPCOT area resort and I think the Swan or Dolphin seem like a great choice. The food options appeal to us, as does the ability to walk to two parks; we ordered room service for dinner several times on our last trip. We are basically going to do only quick service meals for breakfast and lunch (much easier with our son) with the exception of a couple of old favorites, so WS so close by seems like a great option. The pool area look fantastic. I think the rooms look super nice, too - almost as nice as at CR, which is my current favorite room style. We would get a resort view room if we stayed there. We are going on the trip with my parents and sister, who are nurses, so they would have the added bonus of the nurse discount if we stay at S/D. They are currently booked at CBR.
Another option is a pirate room at CBR. Our son is in a pirate phase (that and Toy Story) and we thought he would get a kick out of the pirate rooms and pool. I booked my parents in one of the pirate rooms just in case he ended up doing better by the time we are getting close to the trip (and thus wouldn't have a problem with the buses). Then we would move them to a preferred room at CBR and switch into their pirate room.
Anyhow, the ultimate question is whether there is anything we should keep in mind about these resorts as we consider switching. Since we can drive to the parks rather than be stuck with making multiple stops on the resort buses, I think we will have avoided the number one negative of S/D and CBR. I already know about the parking fee at Swan/Dolphin.
I can't promise that we won't switch to a one bedroom at BLT once discounts come out, or if we decide to rent points closer to the date. I do love that walk to MK - we ended almost every night there on the last trip. This will give me something to think about, though!
Thanks so much, and sorry for the long post!
