>I have 3 boys 11, 8, 6, we will go to the parks most of the day >and night i would like to stay at a Disney Resort but since we >will be gone most of the time i see little value for the additional >cost.
WARNING Will Robinson WARNING - You're going to have to take my word on this, but - you DO NOT want to be on the go from morning till night at WDW - ESPECIALLY - in the middle of a Florida summer. This is not a plan for a vacation, this is a plan for a Death March...
Plan on a mid-day break of a couple of hours at your resort. Have a quiet lunch, enjoy the pool, a little R&R and then head back refreshed to the parks for the rest of the day. Then at about 4pm you can watch as the 'Day-Tripper' families who are staying offsite and are on the last legs of their Death March start yelling things at each other like "We're here to HAVE FUN - !(*^$(&(#$^"...
Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt. Fortunately I am wiser now.
>My intial choice is Wilderness Lodge Villas this July.
Excellent choice, especially if you will be spending a lot of time at the MK. It is a very quick and pleasant boat ride back and forth.
>Please Comment on the following:
>Is it worth the extra money to stay at a disney resort
Yes, without question. First - see the above comment. Once you accept that you really must have a break in the middle of the day the Disney resorts suddenly become much more valuable because of the ease of getting back and forth to the parks from them. Instead of taking over an hour (>30 minutes there and >30 minutes back - yes it does take that long - go to the giant parking lot, find your car, drive to your hotel, repeat as needed) it takes 15 minutes or less depending on where you stay and where you are going.
>Which resort has the best pool area for kids
YC/BC - Storm Along Bay is a mini-waterpark. All the resort pools are quite good though (well, all the ones I've stayed at).
>Do the animals at animal kingdom sleep during the hot days of >July thus reducing the experience.
I've found that the best time to see the most animals at AK is early in the day, or late in the day (just before the park closes). I'm not sure if they are off sleeping or what.
I know that the animals at AKL are taken back to the 'barn' in the middle of the day for care and feeding. So like at AK the best time to see them was in the morning and in the later afternoon.
>What is your favorite resort.
Polynesian, no wait - AKL, no - WL, or DxL, but what about CSR ... oh drat.... Basically I've enjoyed every single resort I've stayed at in WDW. If I had no budget to worry about I would stay at the Polynesian, Concierge, MK view (the rooms fit 5 comfortably), but I would stay at any of the other resorts again without hesitation.
Do you want to go on Safari? Stay at AKL! Visit Hawaii? Stay at the Polynesian! The far northwest? Stay AT WL (VWL)! etc etc...
