What is the best resort for small children? Ages 7, 6, 4, 1

[chrisjean1]

What is the best resort for small children? They are ages 7, 6, 4, and 1. Please help! We are going on the big blowout Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise in May 2008.

 

[micmacmissy]

For the first trip, and a blowout trip at that...DEFINITELY go for a monorail resort.

I say Poly or Contemporary probably would be the most fun for the kids. 3rd choice would be GF. You will love the convenience of just walking your stroller on to the monorail to get places.

 

[Kimberle]

Welcome to the Dis!

I have stayed at both resorts. Once in WL and 2x in CR (wing and 14th fl concierge). They are both wonderful resorts.

Is a pool important, if so, do your children swim? If so, stay at WL. They have a kiddie pool as well as 2 regular pools. CR does not have a kiddie pool and it is not zero entry. We didn't swim when our dd was 2.5 (CR). When she was 5.5, and not a swimmer, I had to "swim" her in the pool. She was 4.5 during our WL stay.

 

[spiceycat]

I would go with a 2-bedroom villa at VWL - for the mk.

a room at the Polyn or CR is great - but it is just a room - 2 queen beds, and a day bed (twin size) - for 6 people that will be very crowded.

with a 2-bedroom villa at VWL (DVC resort) - king bed in the master, queen sleeper sofa in the livingroom, and either 2 queen beds in the second bedroom or one queen bed and a double sleeper sofa.

just be sure to ask for dedicated. with a lock out - there is an outside door on the second bedroom.

so would definitely ask for a dedicated.

you can rent one from a DVC member and save you money - Sun-thurs only - don't rent on Fri or sat from a dvc member it cost twice as much.

 

[fumipappa]

If you are trying to stay in one room, there is not much choice because a lot of resorts have occupancy limit as 4. I am not sure how many adults are going with kids but even if only one adult, you are the party of 5( 1yr old is the only one which is not counted) so, choice is,

Deluxe resorts, ASmu suite or FW cabin.

I recommend FW cabin...

 

[StrollPatrolMom]

one with padded walls.



I'd go with the Poly...love the theme-ing and great transportation on the monorail and within easy walking distance to the TTC to hop the monorail to Epcot

 

[Aliceacc]

I vote for the Contemporary.

Imagine being able to monorail or even WALk a tired child back to the resort from the Magic Kingdom for a mid afternoon nap or swim.

In the words of the commercial.... "Priceless!!"

 

[TJA]

Not sure of your budget or taste, but considering you have 4 young children my first instinct is Poly or CR because of the monorail. You will be able to roll your stroller right on the monorail, which is a lifesaver when you have other children in the picture to keep an eye on. At CR, you can walk back and forth to MK, which we love. Poly has a 0 depth entry at the pool and is a hawaiin, relaxed theme. If you are thinking standard room, then both Poly and CR have the largest standard rooms in Disney, I believe.

 

[chrisjean1]

i cannot the believe the amount of goodwill and support this site has shown, especially for newbies. thank you all for your kindness and advice. no doubt, i will look forward to educating myself here before the big trip.

cheers,
chris

 

[princessesrule4]

Welcome!

When my kids were little, they LOVED the Contemporary! It is the first place I stayed as a child,too and was in awe! From the monorail to Chef Mickey's to the shops and arcade, it is definitely a kid's dream!

Also, as long as you don't stay in the Garden Wing, all the rooms are right there in the Tower, which was great with kids and not having to walk too far.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[WDW1979]

What is the best resort for small children? They are ages 7, 6, 4, and 1. Please help! We are going on the big blowout Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise in May 2008.

Your 1 year old will not count for the limit in the room as he/she can stay in a crib, but that still leaves you with a family count of 5 for room-limit purposes. This eliminates the value resorts (except for the expensive family suites), and most of the moderate resorts except Port Orleans Riverside. Not counting the infant, with a family of 5 booked to stay at Port Orleans Riverside the resort will put you in an Alligator Bayou room with a trundle bed (ask for this when you book). The trundle bed slides out from below the bed closest to the door of the room, and is great for either of your kids aged 6 or 7. I highly recommend Port Orleans Riverside as it is a beautiful resort with wonderful landscaping, has lots of pools including a children's pool, and it's a great price. This is by far the cheapest option, but although it's the cheapest money-wise, that does not mean Port Orleans Riverside is a sub-par resort. It is one of my favorites.

As for the deluxe resorts, most of them will accomodate 5 (plus an infant) in a room, except for the Wilderness Lodge (and possibly not Animal Kingdom Lodge). My understanding is that at Wilderness Lodge, most rooms are limited to occupancy of 4 (plus an infant?).

A budget choice for the deluxe resorts that will accomodate your family is a standard view room in the remaining wing of the Contemporary Resort. I concur with another post on this thread that the Contemporary is not ideal for very young kids who cannot yet swim, so if a toddler pool or zero entry pool is a requirement for you, then maybe the Contemporary is not for you. But if you did pick the Contemporary, it is great for parents with little kids, particularly a 1 year old, as it is about a 8-10 minute walk from the Magic Kingdom. No loading the car or waiting for the Disney bus, no trams, etc., and if baby needs a nap Mom or Dad can quickly get back to the hotel room, then return later. Doing that from almost any other resort would take much longer and would be very inconvenient (exception: travel to and from the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian would only be slightly longer, but these are very expensive hotels).

I highly recommend the cabins at Fort Wilderness. They have a capacity of 6 people, and have a full kitchen. I love the FW cabins! This is a reasonably priced option, as well.

Of course, if money is no object then I recommend a two-bedroom villa at the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. You can walk from your villa to the WL marina and take a boat to the MK, and the WL has great pools for kids.

 

[ashef]

Adding to what WDW1979 said about Port Orleans Riverside, another benefit is that you can use the pool at the sister resort, Port Orleans French Quarter. The POFQ pool is wonderful for little kids -- it is built around a magic dragon (or a magic sea serpent or some such) and the dragon's long tongue is a gentle water slide. There is also a boat from both Port Orleans resorts to downtown Disney, which is fun & a big hit with kids.

 

[ashef]

Oops, I sent that last one before I finished!

If I were going with 4 little kids, I would have to have a kitchen. Going out to eat for three meals a day would be much too complicated. You could have groceries delivered from a nearby store. Renting points from a DVC owner is probably your best bet, but others know more about that than I do.

 

[alicenwonder99]

With the 4 kids, I would recommend a FW cabin. If you plan to have a car with you, you park your car right outside of the cabin. Also, the kitchen is great for making breakfast every morning (even if it's just a bowl of cereal...lol). With 4 kids, I know you probably go through alot of milk. The cabins have a full-sized fridge, so it can hold a couple of gallons of milk, juice boxes, water bottles, etc. You have lots of cabinets to store your snacks. It has a full-sized oven so you can make pizzas or snacks at night.

We never cooked full meals when we stayed at the cabin, but it was nice being able to make oatmeal for breakfast, hot chocolate at night, pizza rolls for a late night snack, etc.

The kids can be a bit louder because you aren't sharing a wall with a neighbor. There is also a porch for the kids to play on. There are 2 tvs in the cabin.

HTH