Where should we stay?

[tulamom]

Need advice...

Who is going:

My husband, myself, 8 year old son and 14 month old daughter.

When:

Probably next summer:

We will likely stay as long as possible, probably 10 days. In the past we have only stayed 1 week but with a young daughter we have lowered our expectations for how much time we can spend at the park.

We are considering off site at a condo or townhome but I want to know if there are onsite options that would give us more room and the convenience of either my husband or myself being able to pop over to a park while DD is napping etc.

We don't need lots of space, but with a toddler it would be nice to have mroe than the standard room and a refridg is a must...are there any with microwaves, etc?

Input please!!!

Money is a factor of course but we realize we are spending more this time so just give me your input. Thanks.

 

[chrisw127]

We just stayed in the cabins at Ft. Wilderness. Our cabin was not clean, but that probably would have been rectified if we'd actually complained about it. The customer service was excellent and super friendly. We had no problems with transportation and there was plenty of room in the cabin. I found the bathroom to be pretty roomy (they have those shower curtains that curve out, so the shower seems roomier, which is a plus), there was plenty of storage space, and the kitchen was larger than I expected. There were nicelittle surprises too, like the fact that all the outlets were way above toddler level, thus requiring no babyproofing. I've heard complaints that the beds were uncomfortable, but ours were fine. It was also very quiet and there were lots of activities for kids. We actually spent one day just hanging out and enjoying the resort.

Honestly, if not for the cleanliness issue (and it was bad) we would always stay there. I've heard other people say their cabin was spotless.

 

[browniemtb]

Tulamom, as the above poster pointed out, the Cabins are a great alternative. We stayed there 4 years ago and love it but its not really a quick hop to the parks. On-site we had to rent a golf cart to get from the cabin to the boat launch. The other parks we just drove. Since buying DVC a year later we no longer rent a car and stay in the Epcot resorts.

So, my 2 cents would be to stay at the Beach Club Villas. Rent a 1 bedroom unit from a DVC owner. This will give you plenty of room with a full kitchen and washer/dryer. On top of this the pool is a sand bottom zero entry pool great for the little ones. (Storm-A-Long Bay). Location - well you would be walking distance to Epcot and MGM you could also take a boat. Bus to the other parks. What we do is walk into Epcot and hit a few rides than take the monorail over the MK. To sum it up the Villas would be the best way to go.
If you are curious about this just go to the DVC area in the forum and you will see a rent/trade froum.....here you will see how the transactions are done between owner and renter. If you need any direct questions answered just PM me and I will be glad to help you.

Edit: Just checked point requirements, a 10 night stay in mid July would require 390 points - so to rent this you could expect to pay from $3900 to $4680.

Good Luck

Brownie

 

[Mrs. T-i-double-g-er]

If you can afford it, the concierge building at the Poly is great. The extra money is saved (compared to other Poly rooms) because you get free breakfast and dinner (appetizers, really) as well as really good late night deserts. The Poly has monorail access to MK, and is walking distance to TTC for the Epcot monorail.

Back when we still had babies, this was our hotel of choice. If we were still willing to pay for the convenience, it still would be.

 

[alldiz]

FW cabins....biggest and most ECONOMICAL accomodations near M.K....

All star suites cheaper than cabins....but a hike to m.k....
close to mgm and A.k though...

After that renting points is an option to stay DVC....but that is way
to stressful for me....your ressie could be cancelled and nothing you
can do about it.

Everything else is a regular room.....poly would be the most convenient with
both monorail lines right there.....to run to a park.
kerri

 

[2moms]

I think the answer to your question is to stay near the park you will be at the most. Ft Wilderness or WL would be the most economical near the MK, AKL for AK, etc. POP, ***, and ASM all have really great theming for the kids. In any event, it's hard to go wrong no matter what resort you choose.

 

[EPCOTDUDE]

Im sure you are aware of the heat and crowds at the parks in the summer. I would recommend a Resort that you can spend some time at comfortably. Also one that you could travel to and from the parks quickly. A monorail resort would be great, and the Epcot resorts offer a boat launch or a quick walk to MGM or Epcot. CR, Poly, GF, BWI, BC, YC, Swan or Dolphin would be my recommendation.

 

[Taja]

In general, WDW moderate and deluxe resorts have small refrigerators and coffeemakers. The only resorts with microwaves are the ASMu Family Suites or DVC studios (also have coffeemaker and undercounter refrigerator); the FW cabins and DVC 1 bedroom and larger suites have full kitchens.

WDW value resorts (except ASMu Family Suites) doe not have refrigerators or coffeemakers.

You definitely would appreciate staying on site with a young one, particularly in the summer. Even if the budget dictates a value resort, it's quicker to take a break at the resort than go off property. Although there are many who will disagree with that! *LOL*

 

[Rylee]

Since money is a factor, I would suggest All Star Movie Suites. You could set up the crib in the bedroom and other family members can easily enter and exit the room without waking the baby. With this option you will also have a small refrigerator and a microwave.

The AAA discount is now available on the suites.

The bus ride to the parks in not that bad.

 

[happymommy]

It would be helpful to know exactly what your budget per night is - then we could be more helpful. I agree that with a really young one, you may want to be somewhere that you can escape the scorching summer heat. With my kids, we sometimes did that by going to the room; sometimes we simply found somewhere cool for a while. We used to leave the Magic Kingdom and go to my favorite resort (The Grand Floridian, via monorail) and visit their food court/arcade for a couple of hours of cool lunch. That is also since I don't like the food at the Magic Kingdom much, although I'll eat there if need be. There are little tricks to beat the heat, but the bottom line is your budget.

 

[tlhbdm]

My DH and I just got back two weeks ago from our honeymoon. We stayed at the CR in Tower MK view room. The space was great and the view was AWESOME!!!!! Plus you are right on the monorail line and you can go to EPCOT and MK very easily. Plus we waited maybe 10 minutes for a bus anywhere else. The staff there was very helpful and the room was always clean. With staying at a deluxe you get two queen beds and a sleeper sofa so your family of four would defintely have enough room. Anymore questions just ask.

 

[happymommy]

Just remembered - the first time we took both kids, then they were 4 and 2 (almost 5 and 3) and we stayed 10 nights at the Boardwalk Villas in a one bedroom villa. It was just after 9/11 and we got a really unbelievable rate of about $250 per night. My DH and I love Epcot, so we indocrinated our kids into the love of Epcot. They still adore it! It is so close, so one night I took DS to ride spaceship earth while DD was getting ready to sleep. We were back in minutes. Also, one day we were at Morocco, and DS got his socks wet. My DH went back to the room for dry socks and was back in less than 20 minutes. The convenience was super. We always brought a backpack (and just stopped doing so) with a change of clothes for the kids, and actually me! But no socks. It think proximity to your favorite areas of WDW is important. We love Epcot, so we love the Boardwalk Villas as well as the Swan and Dolphin (we are starwood members and I've stayed 3 weeks free so far). I've heard people say there's nothing their kids would like at Epcot, which I find funny. My kids like where we go! We love the countries, Figment, and of course Innoventions.
With kids, I wouldn't consider staying off Disney property. And while they are little, one room may be okay, but my kids have different sleep needs, so now it's okay for one room only if it's me and the kids. If it's me, DH, and the kids, we need 2 rooms or a villa.
Just look into where you want to be convenient to. And I wouldn't pay for an extra view - you'll be sleeping in the room, not looking out the window.

 

[tulamom]

Thanks for all the input! People asked some questions...our budget...

Well, we are trying to decide that still. I have checked on prices for 1 BR villas, the FW cabins, and AS family suites, and all are technically doable, (we are now thinking of going the first 10 days in June 2008), but we have other major household purchases we may need to make so are trying to decide what we can swing.

Yes, we expect that we will be spending a significant amount of time at the resort this time...and with 10 days there I want it to be comfortable. But, we are very accustomed to staying at the value resorts and have stayed at a moderate once, but never a deluxe (yet). So...having never been to WDW with a baby I'm thinking that we need the convenience of at least a microwave and refridg in the room...the 1 BR villas look appealing because of the w/d but they are at the top of our price range.

I guess AS family suites would be fine and we could just visit the laundry room...the cabins look very nice too with the full kitchen this may be how we go.

Still thinking...

Thanks--