What is the most convenient resort for us to book?

[mmiller]

Hi........going to WDW Jan 21-28th 2006 and are booked at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Most people have said that even though it is far away that the transportation system is efficient, not shared by other resorts and not too far. Someone else said that it is way too far and he would never stay there again. We have a four year old.....so what do the concensus or you think is the best resort to stay at(we are not renting a car) that is most convenient with WDW transportation to all the theme parks which does not cost a million dollars. I think we are currently paying about $225.00 per night. ????????????? thanks....melissa cristian gary

 

[cleo]

Just bumping you over to the Disney Resorts forum.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

Hi........going to WDW Jan 21-28th 2006 and are booked at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Most people have said that even though it is far away that the transportation system is efficient, not shared by other resorts and not too far. Someone else said that it is way too far and he would never stay there again. We have a four year old.....so what do the concensus or you think is the best resort to stay at(we are not renting a car) that is most convenient with WDW transportation to all the theme parks which does not cost a million dollars. I think we are currently paying about $225.00 per night. ????????????? thanks....melissa cristian gary

If you have a stroller and want to avoid transportation as much as possible (I hate trying to get my stroller on the buses) then I would vote for Boardwalk, Beach or Yacht Club - you can walk to MGM and Epcot from there - I love that!! There is no guess work in how long it will take you to get there! I am not sure how long the bus takes from AKL but if proximity to the parks is important to you - I would think you would be happy at one of the other ones

 

[Sammie]

Transportation convenience is in the eye of the beholder. I will take a bus pulling up to the AKL and going straight to a park anyday, over a bus making multiple stops at other resorts then going to the park or walking to Epcot in the heat of the summer or the middle of a severe thunderstorm.

No resort is close to every park, certainly some are closer to one or two parks but sometimes actually how close they are (in the amount of time it takes to get from your room to the park) is lost on those that can "see" a park.

There are many things I consider when chosing a resort at Disney, transportation is not of them.

For example we were staying at the Polynesian, friends at All Star. We called each other from our rooms and said to meet at Casey's on Main Street, hung up and left to go to the MK.

We had to walk from our outer building near the beach to the main building and just as we arrived the monorail was pulling away, so we had to wait for the next train. Once loaded we had to wait on the track in between the Grand Floridian and the MK before pulling into the station. The train was full, lots of strollers moving slowly, and we slowly made our way into the park with the masses.

My friend left his room at All Star and walked directly to the bus stop which was very close to his room, just as the MK bus pulled up, he got on and went directly to the park. His bus was not crowded and he quickly exited and went to Casey's to sit down and "wait" for us coming from our monorail resort.

Point being, you can never be sure who will get somewhere sooner regardless of where they stay.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

The Contempory - Garden Wing Std. View goes for $249/night in value season. If you have AAA, you can get a 15% discount off the rack rate and pay $212/night. It's within walking distance of the MK and two quick monorail rides away from EPCOT. The bus transportation to AK and MGM can be a little tedious, with intermittant stops along the way. But with a 4yo, your main focus will probably be the MK. It would be my vote if you're looking for convenient transportation at a comparable price.

 

[HLAuburn]

What about Wilderness Lodge? It's close to the Magic Kingdom, which you probably will be going to more than Epcot or MGM, I imagine. You have the option of taking a boat directly to MK, or over to Contemp to hop on the monorail. And best of all, its the same price as AKL.

We really liked the idea of the animals at AKL, but with a little one, the distance from the parks (and everything else) was a drawback. We decided on WL...good price and good location.

 

[jimmiej]

We've stayed at several different Disney resorts. I didn't notice any problems with the transportation or distance from the parks. AKL is great. We'd stay there again in a heartbeat.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We stayed at AKL for the first time last month. The bus transportation was great. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus going either way.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

All of the resorts have their strengths and weaknesses. Transportation issues are no exception, either. If I were you I would stay right where you're already booked, it's a beautiful resort and not that far away from anything, really. Direct bus service will be nice.

 

[tysonfamilyof4]

oh don't change!! your child will love it! we went this summer and our kids loved AKL. the pool, the animals everything! and we used a double stroller and the buses and as long as you have it folded and are ready when the bus comes, there was no problems!!! have a great time!!

 

[MareSINY]

I went in September with my sister and two nieces (2 & 4). They love MK, so that's our main park to visit. We stayed at the Contemporary and loved the ease of being able to walk to the park in the morning and then take the monorail back at the end of the day. We found taking the monorail there took longer than walking because it goes around to all the other monorail resorts first. We also loved being able to watch the fireworks from our balcony every night either before the kids went to bed, or after they were asleep. Going to other parks or DTD was a bit more work, but it also wasn't really bad because the Contemporary is one of the first stops so we always got a seat with the kids.

We visited WL on our last day and decided we'd like to try staying there on our next visit, it's a beautifully themed resort.

I think you should pick a resort based on which park you plan to visit the most. WL's rates are equivalent with AKL, so you may want to consider the WL if you plan to visit MK often.