What is the best resort to stay in?

[2JasonsandMe]

Hello Everyone!

O.K. Due to my job I can never plan my life because my job consists of taking care of everyone else. DH and I decided
that yes we will book a trip and fly out a week from
today <--- YIKES! We desparetly need a vacation here is what we would like;

We would like 2 bedrooms <--- must have

Deck off of room <---- must have

Full kitchen <--- would make life easier

breakfast bar <--- would make mornings easier

Internet Bar / fax <--- not too important

We would like to feel like we spoiled ourselves because we decided to not to due Christmas and take a 14-15 day vacation instead. Of course our 4.5 year old will get presents

I "was" going to book all 14 days at Liki Tiki but after reading what I have read here I will pass Thank God they were closed yesterday when I called to book. I thought it was wierd that they had a low budget answering machine.

Should I split my stays at 2 places? I don't know what do to now.
I'm wondering if we should just get on the plane and come down and look in person. There's so much crap on the internet it's hard to know what you'll get. I orginally had my eye on CBR but they do not have decks at all and they are just going to shove us in a one bedroom w/ twin beds<--- cannot due the twins!

PLEASE HELP! Also we plan on having Christmas Morning there so it is important that I can cook or have a up scale resturant to eat in.

Thank You!!

 

[SnackyStacky]

Since you're on the Disney resorts board, I'll answer your question about Disney owned hotels FIRST. If you're planning to stay off-property (that's Disney-speak for any place that's NOT within the 47 square miles that encompasses Disney World), I'll get to that in a moment.

If 2 bedrooms are a MUST have, then you have two options:

1.) adjoining rooms at any of the Disney hotel properties (however, Disney deluxe hotels have 2 queen beds....I don't know if that makes a difference as to having a standard room as opposed to a 2 bedroom suite)
2.) a 1 or 2 bedroom suite at one of the Home Away From Home resorts. (a 1 bedroom has 1 bedroom, but the living room area has a hide-a-bed in the couch)

If you're further going to limit that to absolutely having a deck, that'll narrow down your choices. You now need to pick either a deluxe or a home away from home. And not all rooms at all of the deluxes have balconies, so you'll need to be careful in that respect too.
I think that the only properties that guarantee you a full balcony are: the Yacht Club, the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Wilderness Lodge, contemporary tower...I think all the Polynesian rooms have full balconies, but I'm not sure. At quite a few of the deluxes, not all rooms have full balconies. So you may end up with a standing room balcony, or you could get a full one. If it's an absolute for you, you'll want to call the hotel directly and ask if all rooms have a full size balcony.

All of the Home Away From Home Properties have balconies as well as full kitchens, and a breakfast bar. I don't believe any of the Home Away From Home properties offer internet access in room, but I could be totally off-base. You'd have to check with someone else about that.

Since you're flying out in a WEEK, it's way too late in the game to consider renting points for a Home Away From Home. (If you're unfamiliar with what that means, check out the DVC board. It's all explained there....) You'll need to book either with a travel agent, or CRO.

Since you're going to be there for 14 days, you'll probably want to get an Annual Pass. It'll be your best choice financially for park admission, but may also save you a bundle on your room. Call 407-WDisney and ask if they have any Annual Passholder rates for whichever resort you decide on during your stay.

If you were speaking of something off-property, then I would reccomend starting a new thread on the Orlando Hotels board. You'll get more help over there in regards to off-property hotels.

 

[2JasonsandMe]

Thanks Dan!

We want to stay on Disney Property. I am most interested in the home away from home. Do they have a name? Also I was thinking about maybe staying at the Polynesian for the last
3-5 days of our trip.

How is Animal Kingdom? Do wild animals really just walk by?

Liki Tiki is out of the question! I am leaning toward CBR w/ the Polynesian stay at the end.

I read on a none Disney site that disney and Epcott are open chritmas day, Do you know if this is true?

Thank you for all your help!

 

[winniedapooh]

You can go to Deb Willis's site or Mousesavers.com for a lot more information on rooms and rates. All the parks are open and they have special times due to the holiday crowds, this will be listed here as well. I would suggest a crash course, for a few hours, in Mousesavers and use the link to get to Deb's site. Can help you save a lot of money and make the most out of your trip. A wealth of information and easy to navigate. Have a blast and wear a lime green bow or button down there so people will know you are from the DIS boards! Pixie dust to you.

 

[campingcorgi]

Since you are planning on flying out in less than a week and you are going at the busiest time of the year, you'd better call Disney and see what is available--asap!

 

[spiceycat]

dvc resorts have 2 -bedroom - full kitchen, and internet connection.

None of the WDW resorts service breakfast - but VWL, BCV and BWV have room service

here is a site with information on the DVC resorts

www.dvc-resorts.com

OKW is by far the cheapest to rent - but is not within walking or boating distance to any of the theme Parks - it does boat to DD.

VWL is boating distance to MK
BCV and BWV are boating/walking distance to Epcot and Studios.

all other transportation is by bus (no matter where you are staying)

So I would pick my favorite park - if the AK - then I would go with AKL - they might have suites that meet your needs - or OKW - since all AK transportation is by bus - OKW is fine and you get lots more room at OKW than the other DVC resorts.

just pick your favorite park - expect to pay - even renting from a DVC member - they have to cover costs - DVC is not a cheap way to go to WDW but it is a very relaxing one.... (in a 2-bedroom - studios are a different matter)

you can rent from a member - just go to the DVC rental/trade site on this board.

you can get what each resort rate is from the WDW site.

here is the AKL
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wd...lKingdomLodgeResortRatesListingPage&year=2003

 

[spiceycat]

forgot if Disney is too high for you - then
Marriott Vacation Club at
www.vacationclub.com

or Hilton Grand Vacation CLub
www.hgvc.com

are both great places to stay and they have 2 bedrooms - some of the best I have stayed at - there are some Marriott very close to Disney property.

 

[SnackyStacky]

Originally posted by 2JasonsandMe
Thanks Dan!

We want to stay on Disney Property. I am most interested in the home away from home. Do they have a name?

They sure do! The Home Away From Home Resorts are:
Old Key West
Beach Club Villas
Boardwalk Villas
Villas at the Wilderness Lodge

Also I was thinking about maybe staying at the Polynesian for the last 3-5 days of our trip.

How is Animal Kingdom? Do wild animals really just walk by?

Well, it depends. IF you book a Savannah View room, yes, the animals freely roam on a savannah that is right outside your window. However, if you book a standard view or pool view room, you'll have to go to one of the animal viewing areas throughout the resort.

I read on a none Disney site that disney and Epcott are open chritmas day, Do you know if this is true?

Yes. The Disney Parks are open 365 days a year.

Thank you for all your help!

Your welcome!

A few more words of warning:

*As someone said, you're leaving incredibly soon, so you REALLY need to call Disney Reservations and see what's available. Your choices may be very limited!!!

*As I said, I'd HIGHLY reccomend getting an annual pass. When you call reservations, ask the agent if there's any rooms available at an annual pass rate.

*If you have a problem, go to www.dreamsunlimited.com and see if they can't help you.