Where to stay on a first visti?

[RJacks]

I'm new to this site and still trying to figure things out. I'm planning on visiting Disney sometime in September 09. Any suggestions on where to stay on a first visit. I have two children, 10 and 11.

 

[dogodisney]

How much do you want to spend on accommodations?

 

[MAKHayes-DisneyDiva]

We went for the first time in 2006, foolishly thinking it was to be our one and only trip to WDW! We chose the Yacht Club (a deluxe resort) since we were splurging. We loved it! Unfortunately it spoiled me. When we returned to WDW in 2007 we stayed at Coronado Springs (a moderate.) It was OK, but it didn't live up to our first resort.
So what am I saying exactly? If you have the means, stay at a deluxe. Beach Club, Yacht Club and Boardwalk are all walking distance to Epcot and DHS. With older kids, you might find you spend more time at these parks and less at Magic Kingdom. Otherwise, the Contemporary is newly renovated, on the monorail line, and very close to Magic Kingdom.
Have fun planning and have a magical trip!

 

[foxlore]

Well it really does depend on how much you have to spend and what's important to you. I personally like the moderates. My preference is Coronado Springs for several reasons. First, the transportation is good - no sharing buses. Second, the grounds are nice and relaxing. We really haven't made good use of the pools etc when we've been there, but we enjoy the hammocks! LOL They also have recently refurbished the rooms and each room comes standard with a fridge - which is important to us. I find that I'd rather pay the difference between the value and mod for the ammenities. That being said I'm just not enthralled with WL or AKL. I like WL, but they can't guarantee a king - CSR can. So they get my business. The rooms also aren't recently rehabbed so frankly I can't see spending the extra. Now that is just my POV - many love WL and it books quickly - and many love AKL. AKL, Boma aside, just leaves me cold - it's not my cup of tea. I also frankly am not a fan of GF - horror of horrors!! LOL It's too stuffy. If I were going to stay at a Deluxe it would likely be the Contemporary. I also like Boardwalk very much - great proximity for me... I haven't done... So, really you need to think about what you want in a resort... There are many good ones to choose from and it really is personal preference and $$$$...

 

[princess&her4princes]

Depending on what you want to spend, there are so many great options. With little kids, we really liked POP, the theming is cute, the price is right, they have their own bus and there is a food court for quick meals with tired kiddos. We feel like we don't spend a lot of time in the rooms, so as long as it's clean, safe and fun, we are happy....good luck with your plans!!

 

[DWFan4Life]

Depending on what you want to spend, there are so many great options. With little kids, we really liked POP, the theming is cute, the price is right, they have their own bus and there is a food court for quick meals with tired kiddos. We feel like we don't spend a lot of time in the rooms, so as long as it's clean, safe and fun, we are happy....good luck with your plans!!

Same here, we stay at POP during our first trip with kids, they really liked it. As much as my kids concern, I'm happy with it.

Have a nice day.

 

[mpalusze]

We are going in March for the first time and staying at CBR. I hope we like it!

 

[Sheribo]

Our first visit was to POR. We have 3 kids so the trundle bed was what got our attention. We loved it there. We have stayed at ASMo recently and there was no comparison. ASMo was a standard hotel room, sorry to say but I've stayed in Holiday Inn's that were bigger, cleaner and cheaper.

The landscape and atmosphere at POR was really worth the extra cost.

 

[ToddyLu]

If you are doing value--Pop is better in my opinion. It has its own bus system to the parks. At All Stars you may have to ride with Music, Movies and Sports guests with Movies usually being the last drop off. It is a little aggrevating at night when you are tired. Pop is newer although we have had nice rooms at All Stars. We trully do not spend any time at the resort so Moderate and Deluxe do not fit us, we stay at the value resorts. We do not swim or drink and we usually eat at the parks. I believe All Star has suites now which may be more economical for a family with several kids.

Keep in mind that Disney World is huge. When we talk about resorts you are talking 10-15 buildings the size of really large hotels all in one complex. So at Pop you have 10-15 3 story Buildings in one resort. It is sometimes a walk from the bus to your room. If that is an issue you will want to stay in a Monorail Resort. Sometimes first timers do not realize the scale of Disney World. There is lots of time talking about transportation because it is an issue. I have found that outside of staying on the monorail line, the bus system is the same as far as type of bus and amount of time waiting. The cool thing about Moderate and Deluxe resorts are that their pick up and drop off is much closer to the gate that those of the Value resorts. We Value Dissers have more walking to do. Have a fun time planning!!

 

[daisygirl902]

My first choice is always Pop! Nice rooms (we pay the tiny bit extra for a delux - closer to food court and busses), awesome pools (the bowling pin pool is the best), and good food court for breakfast and/or lunch. It's fun for kids, but I'm 31 and my BF is 26 and we both love Pop! I'd choose it over any other resort hands-down!

 

[RJacks]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'm not really sure what the "budget" will be yet. I was looking at renting DVC points for one of the resorts. I just haven't quite figured that process out yet. Any pointers on that would be great.

 

[MAKHayes-DisneyDiva]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'm not really sure what the "budget" will be yet. I was looking at renting DVC points for one of the resorts. I just haven't quite figured that process out yet. Any pointers on that would be great.

We are renting points for the first time for our June trip. I found an owner here on the boards and feel very comfortable with her and with our transaction. There are very specific guidelines for posting on the DVC board, so be sure to follow those. Look for an owner who has been on the disboards for a while, with several posts. (I read that tip somewhere and though it won't guarantee an honest DVC owner, at least you'll know it's someone who has been around here for a while.) And be sure to ask for references.

I suppose we could show up at Boardwalk Villas in June, only to find that the owner we rented from has sold her points and cancelled our reservation. But I really don't think that will be the case. I guess that's why not everyone rents points - something could go wrong and Disney has nothing to do with it. But I have faith!
Good luck.

 

[NTDreams]

GO moderate. I would recommend CSR. They have a great pool.

 

[clatour@eatel.net]

check out the bonnet creek

 

[mblc14]

Our family has only went once, and we stayed at POP. We love POP and have no problem ever staying there again, or recommending it to anyone else. Next time we are really looking into staying a little closer to MK, since that is where our kids wanted to spend most of their time. The bus system is fine, but it did get tiresome towards the end of the trip...waiting,cramming in, etc... Anytime we could take the monorail or any other mode of transport, we took it.

Good luck with your planning, and have some fun!!!

 

[jdb1232]

You should definitely look at the DVC section here on the dis boards. There is a lot of info about how to go about renting and what type of accomodations you might like to rent! Good luck!