What do YOU think?

[jodi16s]

We are making our first trek to DW in May 2008. We have two children under the age of 5 and had planned on staying at Pop since the price is GREAT! I have been saving for this trip for quite some time. Now that I just about have all of the $$ together, I am questioning whether we should stay at POP or stay at a moderate or deluxe hotel. I know there are a lot of people who love the nicer hotels at DW.. do you think it is worth paying all of that extra money? For our 7 night trip.... I can stay at POP for roughly $800 or one of the nicer hotels for a LOT more.

Help me decide! Is the hotel all that important to you?

 

[saffymom]

For me and my family, the hotel isn't all that important. We generally spend most of our time at the parks, so our room is just a place to sleep and shower. My kids are also both under 5, so swimming isn't a high priority. We usually end up at the kiddie pool(which is really great at POP!).

I love the deluxes, but I prefer to stay value or mod and spend the extra money on character meals or souvenirs for the kids. I get my deluxe fix by scheduling a couple of meals there and spend an hour or two wandering around and shopping.

 

[earthfaries]

I thought the value resort was great. We stayed at POR and CS the first year, then Shades of Green which is considered a Deluxe, but is for military only. They were all nice. Then we stayed at ASMovies and we loved it. The only difference was it was a bit smaller thant the moderate resort. It was just as nice and the decor was great- even more "DISNEY" than the other 2 we stayed in! I would rather spend my extra money on food and souveniers anyday. You are there to do Disney, not the resorts!!!(And you can still do the deluxe resorts by going to the resturants there, monorail hopping from resort to resort and exploring, etc. ) I'm absolutely positive your kid(S) will enjoy eating at character dinners and buying all the great toys and stuff at WDW more than having a larger room! My kid's favorite hotel through all these years has been ASM - because of the larger than life decorations they have at ASM - the giant dalmations, Herbie, etc. they loved it! And the pool was so great!

 

[cinmell]

Is the hotel all that important to you?

YES!!!! We spend a lot of time at our resort. We love staying at the MK monorail resorts b/c we spend most of our time at MK so it is very easy and convenient to hop on the monorail or boat to get back to the resort for a break esp. with little kids. One of the things we love about the Contemporary is that we could walk to and from from there to MK and we were able to avoid crowds on the monorail after parades and fireworks.

We go back to our room for breaks everyday and we use the pool a lot. We often use the boating activities too. Another thing we love about the MK resorts is being able to relax on the balcony and watch the monorail and boats and look out to the MK. We have done this at CR and GF. It is very relaxing and the view is amazing. Looking at the castle while swimming in the Volcano Pool at the Polynesian is great too!

We have also stayed at CBR a few times and it was great every time. The theme is great, the grounds are beautiful and there are boats, an arcade, a main pool and a quiet pool in each island. Old Port Royale is pretty cool and we love Banana Cabana, the pool bar!


So for us, the hotel is important and worth every penny!

Enjoy your vacation, you will love it no matter where you stay!

 

[Mkrop]

YES!!!! We spend a lot of time at our resort. We love staying at the MK monorail resorts b/c we spend most of our time at MK so it is very easy and convenient to hop on the monorail or boat to get back to the resort for a break esp. with little kids. One of the things we love about the Contemporary is that we could walk to and from from there to MK and we were able to avoid crowds on the monorail after parades and fireworks.

We go back to our room for breaks everyday and we use the pool a lot. We often use the boating activities too. Another thing we love about the MK resorts is being able to relax on the balcony and watch the monorail and boats and look out to the MK. We have done this at CR and GF. It is very relaxing and the view is amazing. Looking at the castle while swimming in the Volcano Pool at the Polynesian is great too!

We have also stayed at CBR a few times and it was great every time. The theme is great, the grounds are beautiful and there are boats, an arcade, a main pool and a quiet pool in each island. Old Port Royale is pretty cool and we love Banana Cabana, the pool bar!


So for us, the hotel is important and worth every penny!

Enjoy your vacation, you will love it no matter where you stay!

I have to agree, we LOVE the conveince in the monorail and the kids love riding it evey chance they could. We also walked back to CR after fireworks and got back much quicker. We also love being able to watch the fireworkd from the hotel as well as the Eclectric Water Parade. One night DS4 konked out at 7pm at first we were bummed but then I took DS9 to the arcade and then we came up and wcth both the EWP and the fireworks from our balcony! We did the DDP so meals were not an issue, we did a character meal everday for our TS. We are not big souvnier people, I mean we bought some but nothing budget busting.

I think you will enjoy it no matter what.

Have a great time!

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

I think it all depends on what kind of trip you want to have....

Are you planning on coming back to the room for the kids to nap??

Are your kids able to stay late?

Staying at a monorail resort is very easy for families with kids under 5 with strollers. It makes it easier to come and go to the room without wasting precious time.


If you don't intend to come back to the room in the day, stay at POP!

Otherwise, treat yourself and stay at a monorail resort!

 

[Irishhockey]

Hmm... I would consider two things:
1) How much time would I be spending in the parks? (this is your first trip)
2) Will I be back anytime soon?

With this being your very first official trip, I would say choose a value or moderate. Plus, the money you save can go to dinning, souviners, and those little extra things that help make a trip that much better.

An advantage you have, is that you have nothing to compare it to! Some folks on here have only stayed deluxe, so the thought of staying at a value or moderate doesn't appeal to them... because they "know" what they would be missing.

I would really just go through all the resorts and see what appeals to you the most. Make a list of whats important to you and your family too. If your little ones crash out early would u like to have a balcony for you and hubby to sit out on? If so... maybe try a WL or AKL (most affordable deluxes). Does having a full court matter to you? Maybe you would like a food court and fridge in your room... so what about a moderate? Is swimming going to be a priority? Will you even have time to swim?


Theres so many factors that can go into a resort choice, but I just "hate" the thought of wasting money... so I pick my priorities carefully. I'd love to stay at a deluxe, it's just not in our "budget." Besides, I couldn't stomach the thought of the price tag when I know that money could have gone to photopass pictures, snack and treats, sounivers, family tours, etc.

Either way though... your going to disney world!

 

[RunningMom]

We did our first (so far only) trip to DW last spring, with our kids aged 5 and 3. It was an incredibly fun, relaxing, joy-filled trip for us. The word relaxing is in there b/c we chose to do Disney that way, and the hotel was a big part of it.

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. Every day, we'd go to the parks to be there at the start, spend a few hours until the kids got cranky after lunch, then came home to the hotel. We'd spend the rest of the day at one of the pools (either Riverside or more often, French Quarter's) or doing fun stuff around the resort. Surrey bikes, duck-chasing, playground playing. One night we took the boat ride down to Downtown Disney-- if I had known it would be that much fun to walk around (and visit Lego World) I would have done that twice! (And we didn't even get to Disney Quest, at all).

We didn't do every single ride there was, but we were a happier family b/c we took half of each day off.

I loved Riverside b/c it was so beautiful. My kids want to go back-- my 6 year old son has carefully explained to me several times that when we return, he wants to stay at the same place. (He's making sure I get the message).

To me, the vacation was a family one. That meant I wanted to stay at a hotel where I would be comfortable (a little more room) and refreshed (I thought it was gorgeous and serene).

The kids loved the pool-- it gets hot, so it's not hard to love a pool at Disney-- and they loved having the choice of Riverside or a boat ride away, French Quarter. The FQ pool was better heated, and the slide was better for 5 and 3 year olds, than the bigger Riverside one.

As for transportation....my DH and I were both incredulous at how great the buses were. We never waited for long, only had to stand once (on the bus back from Down Town Disney) and never noticed if it seemed like a long ride to get to one of the parks. I think that's b/c we've never experienced one of the monorail resorts-- if you don't have it in your expectations that it should only take 3 minutes to ride somewhere, then it seems great that someone picks you up and takes you right where you want to go, while you veg. I would hesitate to stay at a deluxe, knowing I'd rather do Riverside again and spend the money I could've spent on a Deluxe.

You can't go wrong, you can't go wrong, you can't go wrong....it's Disney! (But I would vote for a moderate).

 

[jodi16s]

I appreciate everyone's WONDERFUL suggestions! We do plan on being at the parks as soon as they open, and we will be returning to the hotel every afternoon for a nap or to swim. Our oldest child would probably be able to stay up late, but the almost 2 year old... probably not so much. We probably won't go back to Disney until our youngest is around 5.

I will keep looking at the websites and try to come up with a decision. I have plenty of time, but I think I am obsessed with planning this trip!

 

[WindyCityDisney]

I think you're taking the right approach -- keep researching and see what feels right for you.

I agree with an earlier poster that this being your first trip, you have nothing to compare with. In my opinion, Disney will be magical no matter where you stay. Once you see the resorts, you can figure out where you want to stay next time (and start obsessively planning that trip as soon as you get back -- no matter how far off it is).

A couple things that have not yet been mentioned:

1. With little ones, a great pool with water slide is not a big deal. One of my DD's favorite things from our last trip was the pool at ASMo.

2. Food choices. I am a deluxe gal at heart, but the lack of food court for my kids is a definite disadvantage to staying deluxe at Disney. I like the informality of a food court for my kids.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[borgthe]

Hi,

I would rent points from a DVC owner. Usually $10 per point. Go to the DVC rental board on this forum.

 

[nluvwithmickey]

Well I think it also depends on your budget and what you are willing to spend the money on. We prefer to go value and splurge more on the extras that WDW has to offer. Don't get me wrong, I would love to stay at ANY mod or deluxe, I just can't justify the expense when we could have as much fun staying at a value.

However, everyone is different and if lodging is really important to you, keep reserching and checking your budget to see what you can afford.

Have fun planning!

 

[The Sweetness]

With all that there is to do and see at WDW, all you really need is a clean room, pool, and a food court. Other than that you may not be around much (many dont even bother with the pools and food courts) ASMO is also a value, and it was beautifully themed, and the pool area was fantastic. I expect that POP would also be bueautiful. Since you're on a budget, just stick with the budget hotel. It shouldnt effect your vacation experience, and you can spend any extra available funds on other things (like a baby sitter one night for a romantic dinner )

 

[MickeyNicki]

DH and I do not use the pools or anything so price is the determining factor for us. If we can spend a little we go to a value (POP is the only one we like) or a mod, if it is a special occasion we save and go to a deluxe.

 

[disney6family]

We are almost never in our room and we loved POP when we stayed there so I would keep POP and use the money for other things you may want to do like a character meal, a tshirt for the family, etc

 

[daisyduck123]

. do you think it is worth paying all of that extra money? For our 7 night trip.... I can stay at POP for roughly $800 or one of the nicer hotels for a LOT more.

Consider this..... If the money you save by staying at POP means you'll be able to take a SECOND WDW trip sooner, then YES...I'd stay at POP!!

If you won't be able to go back again soon anyway..then I'd upgrade to a moderate or Deluxe.

 

[sharonmickey]

The first time I went with my children I decided to spend the extra money and stay at a Moderate. I was afraid the value hotels would be too small and "cheap" looking.

Boy, was I wrong. We were hardly ever in our room, although we did go back each afternoon to rest. Once we got there I thought - next time I'm definately saving the money and going with the value hotels. I loved the All-Star Movie and Music resorts, so did the kids. I'm looking forward to trying Pop Century this summer.

Of course, if money wasn't an issue I would stay at a monorail resort. However, staying at value allows us to go more often and that's more important to me than the resort I stay in.
Just my thoughts!

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

Last year my kids were 2 and 4 and they LOVED Pop! The pools are great and the baby pool is the best I've ever seen! DD loved the flower pool too. Our schedule was go to the parks first thing when they open. Have lunch around noon and come back to rest and swim. Then we would go out for dinner and maybe hit a park afterwards for an hour or two. My kids were in bed by 8 or earlier everynight, except for the night we went to MK with DD and Nana stayed with DS.

Here are some pictures of the baby pool. It has a spongy ground and tables and shade all around it.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

The extra qualities and amenities of a moderate/deluxe resort may not be worth it, but with two children under 5 you could benefit greatly from staying at a monorail resort. When you've got two young exhausted kids who want nothing more than a nap in air conditioning, the last thing you want to be doing is wating for an overcrowded bus in the heat. Also, you didn't say if you were on the dining plan, but if you are, the nicer resorts (especially those on the monorail line) will allow for good dining and easy travel.

 

[MomWith2Cinderellas]

For our family we like to stay Deluxe. With two young children we do not spend all day in the parks. We usually take a break mid day and either nap or swim. We also like the "extras" that a deluxe offers. We have stayed at CBR and we were just not happy there. We stayed at BWI and loved it! We will be doing the BCV in January and hopefully a few days at Poly or CR.