Value vs moderate with littles

[Disney Spaz]

My vote is for POR soley based on the time of the year and the fact that the bus stop sat the mods and deluxe resorts are covered versus Values that are open to the Florida sun. It doesn't sound like a lot but if you are waiting for a bus standing in the sun in August it gets hot fast.

 

[Moliphino]

uber is very cheap, and direct.

They'd need 2 carseats, though.

 

[bffdisney]

My kids (Just about 3 year old twins at the time) are transportation lovers, but we literally spent a whole day at the pool and then riding the skyliner back and forth, then went to Springs for dinner. If you think your kids would like the skyliner, that was a HUGE bonus for us. They still talk about it 2 years later! That's really all they remember from Disney. Good thing they were still free because I would have been disappointed if I paid and that's all they liked!!

 

[frecklamy]

Haha the transportation is definitely a consideration - and part of the POR attraction (boats!!). This is all so helpful, thank you - kind of sounds like can't go wrong with lots of options, so just got to weigh up the most important for us!

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Haha the transportation is definitely a consideration - and part of the POR attraction (boats!!). This is all so helpful, thank you - kind of sounds like can't go wrong with lots of options, so just got to weigh up the most important for us!

Yes, that is the best way to do it, pick a few resorts and then narrow it down based on what is important to you. As you can see different things are more important to different families and you need to pick what is important to yours. Good luck and have a magical trip. I will add that we have been going to WDW since our 1st DD was an infant and we have had a great time at all levels of resorts from value to deluxe. To us, we are going for a fun family vacation and the resort/rooms will not make or break our vacation.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

If I can make an out side the book suggestion here …

Have you looked into rent DVC…

I haven’t priced moderates in a while but they usually compare to renting DVC…

Might be worth investigating

 

[leebee]

DD30 and I stayed at ASMusic this summer in room 3601 of the Rock Inn. We really enjoyed the view out the window and there was a pool in easy walking distance. I have stayed at both Music and Movies several times, and I have to say that we don't mine the AllStars at all. There is a queen bed and a queen murphy bed in each room, and yes, the murphy bed is comfortable; I slept on it several nights and it has a better mattress than what we have at home. The resorts are smaller, so it is faster/easier on the feet when you get back from your long park days, and there is plenty of variety in the food court if you want a meal at your hotel. Honestly, if budget is of concern, the AllStars are a pretty decent choice for Disney accommodations.

People talk about the convenience of the Skyliner, and while we love riding it, it's not all that. IF there is thunder in the area (I think they look at at 10mile radius, a CM said) the Skyliner shuts down. There is often a change involved depending on the route, and when we were there in August they were putting more than one travel group into each cab and asking people to fold strollers for more space. We enjoy riding the skyliner, but it isn't a big factor in our choice of resort. IMO, most Disney resort rooms are on par with the EconoLodge to the Hampton Inn; what you are paying big bucks for is the additional amenities. For example, our kids were happy in any pool, so an over the top pool with a slide wasn't a big draw for us. Personally, we choose AllStars pretty frequently when we stay onsite, with Music being our favorite.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

We have 3 kids and have stayed at every level from value to deluxe and are now DVC. We usually travel in August as well. I would go with the value rooms for the following reasons:

- The skyliner will be down frequently in August which negates any benefit (and also the extra cost) of staying at POP. We won't use our DVC points for anything longer than a night or 2 at RIV because of the skyliner weather issues, it takes awhile to get the busses started on those routes when they make the decision to shut down the skyliner
- Slide or no slide, young kids will still have fun in a value resort pool. Your kids are young enough where they don't know what they are missing regarding pools at other resorts, so a value pool is fine.
- AS movies has such good theming for the price, other than AoA it is the most in your face Disney themed resort. When we had 3 kids ages 6 and under, that resort was our favorite

Since you were in the ICP, you know what August weather is like. Make sure you have a rain cover for the stroller, stroller fan, etc. We went yearly in August with 3 young kids- we took precautions, survived and even had fun. Plan for lots of breaks, stay hydrated and enjoy those air conditioned attractions as much as possible.

You can spend time at other resorts but not at their pools. Take a look at the monthly resort activity guides. AKL has free animal and cultural activities for kids to enjoy (you don't have to stay at AKL or any of the resorts to participate in the activities they offer). Fort Wilderness also has great kid friendly activities for a fee like gem mining and pony rides. Check out DVC community halls for crafts, games and other activities (the ones at AKL, SSR and BLT are our favorites but they are all a lot of fun- you do not have to be a DVC member to enjoy the activities there).

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Let me add something in regards to posts saying that the skyliner will be down a bunch in August. We rarely go in August but the 1 time we did, the skyliner closed only once that affected us leaving HS, and all we did was walk to the buses, it really was not a big deal. I lived in Central FL for 18 years and when going to the parks in the morning there rarely is going to be any thunder or lightning and if there is then prepare for it to be like that for most of the day. It is very common to get late afternoon (3:00-5:00) storms that come in on a daily basis, but a lot of them are over in 1 to 2 hours and then nothing more. Now I will say that in August you could get a summer storm that will last a few days and this would shut down the skyliner, as well as most, if not all, of the boats. I also would not want to have to walk to or from a park if staying at an EPCOT resort. Me personally, I would not let that factor into "my decision" and our family thinks the skyliner is a big plus for staying at POP, to the point that my DW will not even consider the all-stars.
Now I will add that WDW can make it A LOT better for their customers, by putting any closure's on their app, it's not difficult at all.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Let me add something in regards to posts saying that the skyliner will be down a bunch in August. We rarely go in August but the 1 time we did, the skyliner closed only once that affected us leaving HS, and all we did was walk to the buses, it really was not a big deal.

Last August, we were at DHS and wanted to take a mid-day break and go back to Beach Club. As we walked toward the exit we saw that it looked like a storm was approaching. By the time we got to the exit the skyliner had stopped. We walked to the busses and asked a CM if the busses to Beach Club would start soon and he said 'not yet, you can still take the boat'. We ran over to the boat just in time to find out that the boat was no longer running. The CM at the boats told us the skyliner resort busses should be running soon. As we walked back to the busses the torrential downpour started or else we would have just walked the 20 minutes back to Beach Club at that point! We asked the same CM at the busses when the bus route to Beach Club would start and he let us know it would be awhile, he also apologized and said he got the notification the boats had stopped as we were running over to catch a boat. It took 45 minutes for a bus to arrive.

Similar situation when we were at the front of EPCOT on the same trip. Strong thunderstorm and flooding as we exited Guardians at the end of the night so we decided to head back to Beach Club. The flooding in EPCOT along with the sensory issues my DD12 has with thunder (she freezes with anxiety) meant we couldn't easily walk to the international gateway to walk back to Beach Club so we went to the busses. It took an hour to get on a bus to Beach Club. We watched bus after bus after bus from nonskyliner resorts arrive but nothing for the skyliner resorts as we stood outside in the heavy windswept thunderstorm (Ubers for 5ppl were well over $100 at that point). We finally made the decision to take whatever bus came next to chill in their lobby and wait out the storm but thankfully they turned an AKL bus into one we could take to BCV.

It was at that moment that DH said staying at the RIV was out as we were considering it for our next trip. He also soured on BCV and would now rather wait out a thunderstorm in a park instead of wasting time trying to get on a skyliner bus.

ymmv

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Last August, we were at DHS and wanted to take a mid-day break and go back to Beach Club. As we walked toward the exit we saw that it looked like a storm was approaching. By the time we got to the exit the skyliner had stopped. We walked to the busses and asked a CM if the busses to Beach Club would start soon and he said 'not yet, you can still take the boat'. We ran over to the boat just in time to find out that the boat was no longer running. The CM at the boats told us the skyliner resort busses should be running soon. As we walked back to the busses the torrential downpour started or else we would have just walked the 20 minutes back to Beach Club at that point! We asked the same CM at the busses when the bus route to Beach Club would start and he let us know it would be awhile, he also apologized and said he got the notification the boats had stopped as we were running over to catch a boat. It took 45 minutes for a bus to arrive.

Similar situation when we were at the front of EPCOT on the same trip. Strong thunderstorm and flooding as we exited Guardians at the end of the night so we decided to head back to Beach Club. The flooding in EPCOT along with the sensory issues my DD12 has with thunder (she freezes with anxiety) meant we couldn't easily walk to the international gateway to walk back to Beach Club so we went to the busses. It took an hour to get on a bus to Beach Club. We watched bus after bus after bus from nonskyliner resorts arrive but nothing for the skyliner resorts as we stood outside in the heavy windswept thunderstorm (Ubers for 5ppl were well over $100 at that point). We finally made the decision to take whatever bus came next to chill in their lobby and wait out the storm but thankfully they turned an AKL bus into one we could take to BCV.

It was at that moment that DH said staying at the RIV was out as we were considering it for our next trip. He also soured on BCV and would now rather wait out a thunderstorm in a park instead of wasting time trying to get on a skyliner bus.

ymmv

That day was totally bad, and the worst part was that WDW made it worse by giving bad information, and like I said a simple post of the skyliner and boat closure by WDW on their MyDisney app would have prevented most of this. Great decision to head to a different resort. Our trip the day it rained for us, we did not wait any longer for a POP bus then any other resort, so the only consistency is their inconsistencies. Besides that day how was using the skyliner on the other days? If taking mid-day breaks then yes, you could definitely have more issues with the skyliner because of the afternoon storms. Our family does not like heading back to the resort for a break and much rather take them inside the parks.
We have had some bad waits with buses and a terrible episode with the monorail, and like you mentioned, walking in the rain is not a great option either. Even with that, we do not let that decide what resort we stay at because we have been enough to know that resort or transportation issues can happen at any resort. We drive to WDW and still MUCH rather use WDW transportation then to drive to the parks. The only time we use our van is to drive to DS or a different resort, other than that we do not see our van until it's time to pack up. LOL Hopefully your next trip will be 100% smooth