Where to stay?!? Help!!!!

[mandasmommy]

We are planning our first trip to Disney (since I was there when I was like 10).
We are probably going to be there from April 16-22. By "we", I mean myself, husband, two kids, 5 and 3, and my parents. We all get along well.

We are trying to figure out where to stay, and I have narrowed down the options to...

(a) two rooms at Contemporary Resort. Garden View - $542 each.
(b) two rooms at the Contemporary - Tower Bay Lake View - $657 each
(c) two rooms at the Bay Lake Tower of Contemporary - Deluxe Studio Lakeview - $607 each.
(d) Two Bedroom Villa at the The Villas at Disney Wilderness Lodge - $1171
(e) Disney Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village - 2 bedroom villa (standard view) - $1232
(f) Disneys Beach Club Villas - 2 bedroom villa - $1213

The benefit of the villas is that with kitchens breakfast would be a little easier. We were planning on doing the Deluxe Dining plan, and having a kitchen in the room would allow us to save up some meals so that we could double them up and have them at some of the nicer restaurants.

We do want to be on the monorail with easy access to the parks, but I think all of these places are, but I don't really know very well. We prefer more quiet accomodations and don't need to be right in the thick of things.

Thanks!!

 

[jaykorf001]

We are planning our first trip to Disney (since I was there when I was like 10). We are probably going to be there from April 16-22. By "we", I mean myself, husband, two kids, 5 and 3, and my parents. We all get along well. We are trying to figure out where to stay, and I have narrowed down the options to... (a) two rooms at Contemporary Resort. Garden View - $542 each. (b) two rooms at the Contemporary - Tower Bay Lake View - $657 each (c) two rooms at the Bay Lake Tower of Contemporary - Deluxe Studio Lakeview - $607 each. (d) Two Bedroom Villa at the The Villas at Disney Wilderness Lodge - $1171 (e) Disney Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village - 2 bedroom villa (standard view) - $1232 (f) Disneys Beach Club Villas - 2 bedroom villa - $1213 The benefit of the villas is that with kitchens breakfast would be a little easier. We were planning on doing the Deluxe Dining plan, and having a kitchen in the room would allow us to save up some meals so that we could double them up and have them at some of the nicer restaurants. We do want to be on the monorail with easy access to the parks, but I think all of these places are, but I don't really know very well. We prefer more quiet accomodations and don't need to be right in the thick of things. Thanks!!

Out of the resorts listed I believe only the Contemporary is on the monorail. AKL and Wilderness definitely are not. I'm not 100% sure on Beach Club but someone who knows will respond. I think only Contemporary, Grand Floridian, and The Poly are monorail resorts. I also wanted to mention if you are doing the deluxe dining plan you will likely have more meals than you can eat so I wouldn't consider that when weighing rooms vs villas. Good luck. Looks like a nice trip.

 

[staceyrhood]

Only the Contemporary is on the monorail line. As well as Grand Floridian and Poly. Beach Club is by a Epcot so you could walk over there.

 

[baler31]

The only resorts directly at the monorail are Contemporary, Poly, and Grand Floridian. Bay Lake Tower is connected by a walkway but frankly it is easier to walk to Magic Kingdom than use the monorail from Bay Lake. You would use it for Epcot.

It would be helpful for you to read the basic information found in the threads for each resort. That information is located on the first page. JMO but Contemporary is a bustling resort, exactly the opposite of what you describe that you want. I agree that a monorail resort is best for the ages of your kids. Contemporary is very nice because you can walk to Magic Kingdom. I do not like the bathroom set up.

I would not consider the Poly due to current construction. I would rec. you look at Grand Floridian. It is a quieter resort and it was always my children's favorite. Easy trip to Magic Kingdom on the monorail as it is the first stop after you board. Take the boat back as it is the first stop back. You may want to look at Wilderness Lodge also, not on monorail but very good transportation from this resort. Smaller rooms but also less expensive.

I would also ask that you research if the Deluxe Dining Plan is right for your family. It is a lot of food and requires a large time commitment that may not be ideal for small children. We dine at signatures most evenings but still find that as we do not eat desserts and prefer appetizers that the plan is more expensive for us than paying OOP.

If you drop the deluxe plan you may want to consider a club level room that would include a heavy continental breakfast and snacks throughout the day with appetizers and adult drinks in the evening with a late dessert service. You can read about club level in the threads on each resort. The lounge is a nice place for a group to meet and relax outside the room as well.

 

[happymommy]

If you prefer quiet, I also agree that although the only resort you listed that is on the monorail is the Contemporary, it is far from quiet.

I would look into renting points (check out info on that - google David's vacation rentals or also look at www.redweek.com for rentals of already booked weeks) versus booking through Disney if you're interested in a DVC resort. I like to have a kitchen, a living room to relax in, plus a washer/dryer, so won't stay a full week in a hotel room ever again! That being said, I would suggest looking over at the Boardwalk or Beach Club villas - the evenings can be lively but pretty there, and the mornings are so peaceful around the lake! The transportation is excellent - walk to Epcot, boat (or walk) to DHS, and then bus to other 2 parks (or monorail from Epcot to MK). It's my favorite area when staying on site.

I agree - rethink the Deluxe Dining Plan! We did the regular dining plan (not deluxe) once when it was "free" with our package. That alone was too much food (and I had simple breakfast items in the room, just cereal and milk, fruit, etc). Every counter service meal came with dessert, which I could not eat. We ended up tossing (wasting) so many desserts (we'd take a cookie to go instead mostly, which ended up still not getting eaten). Plus, table service meals take lots of your time. My kids could at most do one sit down meal in a day, but even then sometimes they'd rather not.

I recommend looking at some more options. Agree that if you're looking at spending that much, consider concierge level for breakfast and evening snacks (although not on the monorail and only relies on bus transport, the Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge level has the best food/drink offerings. Many nights we were completely full from the evening appetizers - they were literally a full meal plus wine and beer too). Plus you can get a room with bunk beds (my kids enjoyed that).

Good luck with your planning!

 

[kiki02]

We are planning our first trip to Disney (since I was there when I was like 10).
We are probably going to be there from April 16-22. By "we", I mean myself, husband, two kids, 5 and 3, and my parents. We all get along well.

We are trying to figure out where to stay, and I have narrowed down the options to...

(a) two rooms at Contemporary Resort. Garden View - $542 each.
(b) two rooms at the Contemporary - Tower Bay Lake View - $657 each
(c) two rooms at the Bay Lake Tower of Contemporary - Deluxe Studio Lakeview - $607 each.
(d) Two Bedroom Villa at the The Villas at Disney Wilderness Lodge - $1171
(e) Disney Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village - 2 bedroom villa (standard view) - $1232
(f) Disneys Beach Club Villas - 2 bedroom villa - $1213

The benefit of the villas is that with kitchens breakfast would be a little easier. We were planning on doing the Deluxe Dining plan, and having a kitchen in the room would allow us to save up some meals so that we could double them up and have them at some of the nicer restaurants.

We do want to be on the monorail with easy access to the parks, but I think all of these places are, but I don't really know very well. We prefer more quiet accomodations and don't need to be right in the thick of things.

Thanks!!

just curious: you sure the garden view is only $542 ? how many nights will you stay ? = total$$$$$$$

 

[kiki02]

We are planning our first trip to Disney (since I was there when I was like 10).
We are probably going to be there from April 16-22. By "we", I mean myself, husband, two kids, 5 and 3, and my parents. We all get along well.

We are trying to figure out where to stay, and I have narrowed down the options to...

(a) two rooms at Contemporary Resort. Garden View - $542 each.
(b) two rooms at the Contemporary - Tower Bay Lake View - $657 each
(c) two rooms at the Bay Lake Tower of Contemporary - Deluxe Studio Lakeview - $607 each.
(d) Two Bedroom Villa at the The Villas at Disney Wilderness Lodge - $1171
(e) Disney Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village - 2 bedroom villa (standard view) - $1232
(f) Disneys Beach Club Villas - 2 bedroom villa - $1213

The benefit of the villas is that with kitchens breakfast would be a little easier. We were planning on doing the Deluxe Dining plan, and having a kitchen in the room would allow us to save up some meals so that we could double them up and have them at some of the nicer restaurants.

We do want to be on the monorail with easy access to the parks, but I think all of these places are, but I don't really know very well. We prefer more quiet accomodations and don't need to be right in the thick of things.

Thanks!!

just curious: you sure the garden view is only $542 ? how many nights will you stay ? = total$$$$$$$

 

[jaykorf001]

We stayed at AKL Club Level last summer. The food offerings (breakfast in the morning/appetizers and desserts in the evening) were nice and very good. The alcohol selection limited at all the clubs at Disney. What's nice about AKL Club Level is that you become eligible to do the Sunrise Safari which I highly recommend.

Some do not like that AKL is bus only transportation. Others will tell you it's a matter of 5-10 minutes. It is a quiet, relaxing resort and awesome to see the animals. They also have accommodations that are part of Disney Vacation Villas. My friend is going to stay in them this March with her parents and kids 6 and 3. For her the animals outweighed the bus. Also, AKL does not share buses like many of the other resorts. Can make it faster. I've seen many on these boards complain about how long it takes to get to Magic Kingdom from Beach Club. No resort is perfect in every aspect. You have to research and pick what's right for you.

I'd also note that AKL and Wilderness Club have the smallest of the deluxe hotel rooms. This was my only complaint about AKL. I wanted more room to sit and relax in the evening and maybe watch tv. There was no room to do this except in bed. That's why I'd lean towards renting points and getting a villa vs two rooms. Some people don't care about that though.

I learned TONS before our trip by watching and reading these boards. I encourage you to do the same. And you can get those villas so much cheaper by renting points vs going directly thru Disney fwiw.