Where to stay and when????

[jmv]

This is my first time back to Disney since I was a young child. Now I'm taking my two sons who are 8 and 11 for their first trip. I need advice and I'm hoping I can get some different opinions from "people in the know."
First off, we are looking at the dates of Sept. 23-27th or 28th. How are we going to be on weather. I'm worried about rain/heat.
Secondly, we were going to stay at the Polynesian since I had heard it was the best place to stay for the convenience factor. We are planning on eating at Epcot most nights even if we are at a different park during the day and will probably go back to our room during the day to rest. But if we stay at the Polynesian because of the cost we will only stay four night/five days. We can stay at Animal Kingdom standard view for five nigts for about the same price as four nights at the Polynesian. Which would be better to do?
Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MHSweb79]

There's no "best" place to stay - everyone has a favorite.

If you stay at the Poly for the monorail convenience, you'll still have to bus to AK and the Studios, as well as Downtown Disney. Note: If you plan to eat at Epcot every night, you'll need park hoppers.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful but they only have bus service to all 4 parks. I would definitely choose an extra night over the monorail. And if you are going to have a car, that would be a no-brainer.

My family loves POFQ and it's much cheaper than both of the above. We've always had great bus service from there and it also offers a free boat ride to Downtown Disney. We did a split stay at Poly & POFQ in 2009 and we voted POFQ our favorite (for half the price!).

The only resort we loved more than POFQ was the Beach Club, but that's very pricey too. It's a short WALK to Epcot so it would be very convenient for your nightly dining plans.

 

[kmb584]

As the PP stated there is no right or wrong answer here, but rather doing what is best for you and yours.

The Poly is a beautiful resort and #1 on my list but it's also not one that my bank account agrees with (most of the time). I'd prefer a longer stay at a Moderate resort. You do lose the convenience of having the monorail on your doorstep but Disney transportation isn't too bad. Keep in the mind that even if you do decide to go the monorail resort route you'll still need busing to and from AK and DHS!

Since you're planning on dining at Epcot the majority of the time, have you considered an Epcot resort? The pricing there can also be out of the ballpark but you'll have the park itself in your backyard. You can reach the International Gateway within minutes!

 

[Hootch]

touring crowds will be generally low but dining crowds will be heavier. It will be hot most likely.

I wouldn't cut down my vacation time to stay at a deluxe hotel. You just don't spend that much time in your room. (Or probably more precisely, we don't spend that much time in our rooms.)

We have stayed at deluxe, moderate and value levels. POFQ has become our resort of choice. The size small provides just about as much convenience as the Contemporary (which I think is slightly more convenient but not necessarily better than the Poly) when we stayed there. The pool, food court, parking lot and buses are so close you spend little time walking around the resort. And those little intra resort trips can add up quickly in the larger resorts.

Easywdw has a comparison of resorts in the various categories. Some people values some attributes more than others. They use their own weighting but you can use your own system in picking out the best resort.

http://www.easywdw.com/category/disneybest/bestresorts/

As noted above an Epcot resort might be more convenient if you plan to eat in the World Showcase almost every night. It is also close to DHS which should interest your sons and the Beach and Yacht Club resorts share the best pool area at WDW. You can find rack rates for all resorts here:

http://www.mousesavers.com/roomrates2012.html

You may even be able to add that extra day by shopping resorts. Comparing the least expensive rooms for that period, the Contemporary is about $90 less per night and the Beach Club about $70 less.

In fact there is a general public offering that shows the Yacht and Beach Clubs and the Boardwalk with up to 30% discounts and Poly, Grand Cal and Contemporary with only up to 20%.

August - September: Save up to 30%!

Discount is valid for stays most nights 8/15/12 – 9/29/12.

Save up to 30% when booking a room at select Walt Disney World resorts from 8/15/12 – 9/29/12.

Sample Pricing: The following pricing is for select dates 8/15/12 – 9/27/12, Sunday – Thursday in a Standard Room. Sample pricing does not include tax. Rates will vary depending the resort, room type, and dates of travel. Click Here to see a list of the non-discounted Rates.

Disney's All-Star Sports Resort just $70/night!

Savings Include:

5% - Pop Century, Port Orleans French Quarter, Fort Wilderness Campsites, Animal Kingdom Lodge (Savanna view, Arusha view, Savanna view bunk bed, Arusha view bunk beds), Wilderness Lodge, All other Deluxe villas not listed below

15% - All-Star Movies Resort

20% - All-Star Sports Resort, All-Star Music Resort, Port Orleans Riverside Resort,Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Contemporary Resort and Polynesian Resort

25% - Coronado Springs Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort and Fort Wilderness Resort Cabins

up to 30% - Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, BoardWalk, Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view, pool view, pool view bunk bed, Standard room club level), Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Old Key West Resort

This discount must be booked by 8/14/12. The number of rooms set aside for this offer is limited. Minimum stay requirements may apply for Friday or Saturday arrivals. Excludes suites, 3-bedroom villas and Art of Animation Resort. All discounts are subject to availability, certain restrictions apply.

You may be looking at this already but in case you haven't seen the offer it might save money.

 

[canopynut66]

everyone has a favorite and when we started 65 trips ago we stayed in deluxe and tried them all and then went to moderates and tried them all and liked POR the best of those. then we tried allstars values and stayed in sports movies and music then tried POP and loved it and been going there since. this October will be our 6th stay there. the bus service is the best of any WDW resort. food court is good but we do not eat in food courts much. the time your goin did have free dining offer and if so you can upgrade pay the $16 upgrade and have the one counter service and one table service a day. we like it as we like the character breakfast and can use a TS for them. then also give us other TS to use in nicer places as well for dinner. you then have to book reservations for those TS to be sure you get in where you want and can do that 180 days out.. we liked both the Poly and AKL but is a lot of money and we stay two weeks at least. NOT that were saving anything as we just bring more stuff home from shopping.

 

[AshleeH]

We've never stayed at the Epcot resorts, but I've heard great things about them - I would suggest, if you're planning to eat at Epcot every night (or nearly every night) to stay at one of those.

We stayed at AK:Kidani Village our first trip and it was textbook perfect for our family (at that time - Contemporary is the best for us after finding out how much my kids love MK). Really look at what you're wanting to do, look at the hotels that best fit, and choose your favorite.

 

[Lady74]

What time do you plan on getting into Orlando? If it's late why not stay at a cheaper resort the first night and then move to the resort you want for the rest of your stay.
Disney World will move your bags to your next resort for you, so no need to check out move your bags and yourself and waste precious time.
Go the extra day! All you have to do is check out in the morning hand your bags to the front desk get to the parks and then when your ready to go back to the other resort check in and your bags are already in your new room.
Hope this helps!
HAVE A MAGICAL TIME