What resort is best for staying at with 2 year old

[woodchuck]

We have been to disney alot but we now have a little one. We are going to go next May for his 2nd b-day, and we would like to know from you what resort is the best with a little. Any help would be nice. Thank you!!


Mark
Angelica
Nicolas

 

[swilphil]

We have stayed at both the Swan and Dolphin with our kids as toddlers. It was great to be able to go to MGM and Epcot without having to fold up the stroller. Staying in the Epcot area makes it possible to take very short trips to the park and easily return to the hotel--a deluxe one at that with rates much cheaper than all the other deluxes in the area. The bus service to MK was also very good. This summer the bus went directly to MK after picking up at the Dolphin.

 

[Bethshaya]

I agree. We've stayed at BWV with a small one and the ability to move around without folding up the stroller was wonderful. The BW also had some nice activity when the little one fell asleep for his nap, I was able to sit on the pouch and watch the action outside.

The pools were kid friendly too as he got older each year. Its his favorite thing about the parks...the pools...go figure.

 

[disneyma2]

We took dd to wdw when she was 2 and we stayed at the AKL. She absolutely loved it, we had a savannah view room and she loved going out on the balcony to see the animals. We are big animal lovers here. The bus rides to the park were great, you don't share a bus with another resort, we never waited more then 5 min for bus.

The pool is zero entry, so she really liked that, she just sat and played at the edge. The restaurants had really good food. Mara was a quick service, and Boma is a buffet. We are headed back to akl lodge this Dec, it's dd favorite resort, because of the animals on the balcony, as she calls them.

have fun on your trip )

 

[woodchuck]

Thank you for your posts so far they are alot of help.

Mark
Angelica
Nicolas

 

[woodchuck]

I have just one ? Is CBR a good one for little ones?

 

[NotTooGoofy]

If you're child likes movies such as Toy Story, ASMovies might be a good choice. It has a two-story Buzz and Woody statues that a lot of kids get a kick out of. Rooms though are a little smaller than the moderate resorts.

 

[Kimberle]

The *best* place to stay is where Mom & Dad are happy! Your little one will be fine no matter where you are!

Our first trip with our dd was when she was 2.5. We stayed at the CR. We spend most of our time at MK. It was so nice being so close. She loved the monorail, too. The only drawback with CR is it does not have a kiddie pool or zero entry pool.

 

[TJA]

Our baby twins are currently 15 mos. old. We took them to Disney when they were 7 mos. and 1 year old. At 7 mos. we stayed at AKL. While we loved the resort, only having the bus transportation option was very tedious and inconvenient. Therefore, at one year old, we stayed at CR and it made our trip 100% better. Not having to fold up our stroller because of the monorail made all the difference in the world. And the ability to walk to MK was a fantastic option. It took about 10 minutes to walk there.

So I guess what I would recommend is that you choose a resort that is conveniently located to the park(s) you will frequent the most often. If MK, then you have CR, Poly, GF, and even WL to choose from. You can take a boat from WL to MK. If your family will frequent EPCOT and MGM the most often, then look at an EPCOT resort or Swan/Dolphin. Just my opinion. We view location of the resort as the most important factor.

Good luck!

 

[alexedan]

I agree--went last yr with 2 and 4 year old. Stayed at the Poly and loved it-took boat to MK which they really enjoyed and liked the zero entry pool. Can roll right onto monorail and get to epcot in a stroller also. Food at O'Hanas and Kona's was great. We'll stay there again this fall. Kids also loved the beach and water fountain squirter things they have there plus EWP and fireworks. It was nice to bop back from MK in under 10 minutes to the room if needed.

 

[chancellor]

Another vote for a monorail resort. It's soooo much better dealing with getting in and out of the MK parking debacle if you can get directly there on a monorail. At that age, you will probably be spending more time at MK than the other parks. I have a couple of other observations, too:

At 2 years old, my DS was just as happy at a pool or a playground as he was at the parks, so make sure you pick a resort with a good kiddie pool and playground.

Wilderness Lodge is a great alternative to the monorail resorts - there is direct boat service to the MK which avoids the parking/stroller/tram/bus nightmare just as well as the monorail resorts.

As for your CBR question, we have stayed there with a toddler, and my main complaint (which applies to all moderates) is the sheer size of the resorts. I much prefer being in a more compact location to tote the kids around. Plus you lose the transportation convenience of the monorail/boat. But if price is an issue, CS has a great pool and playground.

 

[turnlisa]

Another vote for the Poly. We have stayed at CBR with little ones and the bus system was a big downside. Not only do you have to fold up the stroller but then you need to unfold it once you get off for the hike to the room. Since there are no elevators at the resort, if you are on an upper floor then you need to refold it to take it upstairs.

We stayed at the Poly last year. My youngest DS had just turned 2. How convenient! Elevators in the lobby to the monorail, rolling the stroller onto transportation! It was great! One of the days my DH got sick so I was easily able to take both kids to MK for the day without any worry. If we had been somewhere else, I don't think I would have braved the buses by myself.

The pool at the Poly is also zero entry plus sprinklers for the little ones. The beach is right there also. Really a great place for the little ones!

 

[woodchuck]

I just want to say thank you to all of you who posted. It has been atol of help to us. We have stayed at poly and cbr that is just dh and I.

Mark
Angelica
Nicolas

 

[woodchuck]

Sorry I should have put csr not cbr.