Where to stay with a 2 1/2 year old?

[PenguinWaiters]

Hi everyone, this is my first post! I have been obsessively reading this board for about two weeks now, since I finally convinced DH that it was time for a trip, since this October is our 10th Anniversary. Since I teach at a college during the fall, we won't go until next January or February. It will be the two of us plus our DD who will be 2 1/2 by that time. Other family members may go too, but will not stay with us.

So....I am having a hard time deciding where we will stay, although I know that I want to stay ON SITE.

I trying to find a time/money balance - I don't want to spend too much time in transit to stay at a value hotel but I'm also not sure we can afford $200+/night at the deluxe hotels. I'm also a bit worried about the hoards of middle-high school kids that are often at the value places - will it be too loud to get DD to sleep? I also would prefer not to rent a car, but would like to go to many of the great places mentioned on this board - Whispering Canyon, Beaches & Cream, Downtown Disney, etc...

I'm posting here rather than on the resort board because my DD is really the deciding factor. What do you think is the best value for your $$ for staying onsite with a 2 1/2 year old?

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[KristiKelly]

I prefer the deluxe resorts when travelling with small children because of the balcony. We could always put our kids to bed and sit on the balcony and have a little time to ourselves without having to whisper. Have you looked at www.allearsnet.com, you can find tons of pics of the different resorts, also watch for discount codes to come out on www.mousesavers.com. A few years ago, we rented points from a Disney Vacation Club member (this is Disney's timeshare). Anyway, we rented a studio for 6 nights for $830 (this worked out to ~$140 a night, about what it would cost for a moderate but these are deluxe resorts). Check the DVC boards here on the DIS, if you want to find out more info on that. It's really a great economical way to stay in a deluxe resort. As far as the crowds that time of year, I don't know, we usually go in the fall.

 

[ehrn]

we are going on a short trip in dec after my dh's business trip and decided to splurge on the poly for the convenience and proximity to MK--it's hard to justify that kind of $$ though! Our last trip was at POFQ, it was great, and the boat to DD in the evening was such a treat. I agree with the last poster though--consider renting DVC points for a studio--you'll have the kitchenette and a bit more space for your little one to play. if you stay at bwv or bcv you can walk to epcot, at wlv you can take the boat to mk.
planning is half the fun!

 

[skowks]

We went this past Jan with our 4 yo and 9 month old and I went through the same thing. Convenience and room size won out and we ended up staying at the Contemporary. At $249 it was the cheapest of the monorail resorts. I did cut our stay to 5 days to stay on budget but I was still happy with our decision after the trip.

I guess it would probably also depend on where you think you'll be spending the most time. We spent the majority of the time at MK so we used the monorail a lot. It was really nice to just hop on if we wanted to go back to our room for a bit. Came in handy a couple times when we forgot something or decided we needed warmer/cooler clothes. Since it was so quiet when we were there, many times they let us leave the baby in the stroller so we didn't have to do the fold, unfold and rearrange thing.

I was also happy to have the extra space in the room for all our "stuff". You probably won't have as much gear with a 2.5 yo though. Park hours are shorter at that time of year though, so you might spend more time in your room than if you went during the busier times.

I haven't stayed in a Value yet and have only stayed in a moderate (POR when it was Dixie Landings) when I didn't have kids so I can't really do much comparing though.

 

[Karrie Davis]

We are going with our 2 1/2 half your old, well he will be 29 mts when we go in November. We are renting points at OKW for a 1 bedroom. We did POFQ last year and know we like more room. Hopefully after staying at OKW we will get off our wallets and buy some points We were booked at the poly until we rented points.

I know for my son at least & us... we need down time for all off us and great naps for him. Disney is a slow pace with a little one and they will enjoy it more with less change, thus the larger place

Heck even a studio at any DVC will be great! and save you some big money if you rent points. Maybe $800-1000 for a full week!

 

[PenguinWaiters]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far. I was planning on going through AAA since we already have a membership. Can we do the renting points thing through them or does that have to be set up just by us?

Thanks!

I agree that planning is half the fun. I love it! Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We stayed at POR last fall when DS was 2.5 and we really liked it there. We put the pack n play between the 2 beds which helped give us space in the room. We also requested an elevator building so we didn't need to worry about the stroller with stairs (We were placed in Oak Manor which is right across the bridge from the main building with the restaurants/main bus stop).

We used to stay deluxe in our pre-children days, but now rather stay at a moderate and stay for longer so we don't have to race through the parks to see everything.

Good luck and happy planning!! Welcome to the Dis!

 

[Ellester]

As a college instructor I don't know if you would qualify, but there are teacher discounts sometimes available at the Swan and Dolphin. When our dd's were 5 and 2-1/2 we stayed at the Contemporary in the garden wing (great deal due to military discount since Shades of Green was under renovation) and it was perfect for small ones. We didn't come back for naps but their favorite ride was the monorail and it was wonderful to walk back to the room after a day at MK and not have to wait for a monorail, bus, or boat. We do have a trip in the works for this September for POR. Our little guy will be almost exactly 2 1/2. Of course, my recently laid off dh has to get a job if we are actually going to be able to go!

Our experience at the All-Stars was noisy but we have since learned to travel with a small fan to use as white noise and that helps us all sleep better. Plus, our kids are usually so wiped out by the time they get to bed I don't think cheerleaders doing their routines in our room would wake them up! Don't know if I helped you at all, but I wish you the best of luck in planning an awesome trip!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Ditto to what she said about the fan! DS uses one at home so we packed it in the suitcase and brought it along. It helped with any noise we might have heard.

 

[disneyohana]

My nephew really liked CBR. There were always birds to feed by the food court, the kid pool was fun and shallow, it had a nice playground on the beach, he loved the bike ride and wanted to go on a boat. I also had a lot of fun there. The Caribbean music playing in the food court was great and we saved a lot of money not only on the cost of the room but we mostly ate at the food court. The deluxe resorts are great but then you also have to spend more on the food. We saved so much by staying there that renting a car seemed cheap.

 

[PenguinWaiters]

We used to stay deluxe in our pre-children days, but now rather stay at a moderate and stay for longer so we don't have to race through the parks to see everything.

Good luck and happy planning!! Welcome to the Dis!

That is exactly what I am worried about. My DH says let's get a deluxe and stay for a shorter time, but I know that with my DD we will be taking things at a much more relaxed pace. I would like to stay 7-9 days.

And thanks for the welcome! I can't believe how many people have responded so far. Thanks so much everyone!!

 

[eeyoregon]

Check into the DVC point renting idea. You can get a studio w/ a kitchenette plus the balcony which is both practical and relaxing. You can save a lot of $$ by having a fridge and microwave for snacks, breakfast, etc.

Sartoga Springs is within walking distance to DT Disney and has a great main pool with toddler water slide and the walk-in entrance where you just gradually enter the water.

 

[kayla and alex mom]

I traveled to Disney with my daughter when she was 2 1/2 and stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. She did great and we had the balcony. If you are spending a great deal of time at Magic Kingdom it is helpful to be near the park. However, it also depends on you daughter's temperament. We stayed at All Star Movies when she was 3 and the commute to the park was no trouble and she did not have a hard time falling to sleep when we were all in one room. My son has been another story. We've been in houses and one bedroom villas since he was born. If your daughter is flexible you'll be fine anywhere. If not look at renting the points for DVC or for a AAA discount for a resort which will suit your needs best.

I agree with your idea to take a slower pace. That is what we do with the kids and it has worked out well. Go slow and take the naps.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[2poohbears]

Since I teach at a college during the fall, we won't go until next January or February. It will be the two of us plus our DD who will be 2 1/2 by that time. Other family members may go too, but will not stay with us.

So....I am having a hard time deciding where we will stay, although I know that I want to stay ON SITE.

I trying to find a time/money balance - I don't want to spend too much time in transit to stay at a value hotel but I'm also not sure we can afford $200+/night at the deluxe hotels. I'm also a bit worried about the hoards of middle-high school kids that are often at the value places - will it be too loud to get DD to sleep? I also would prefer not to rent a car, but would like to go to many of the great places mentioned on this board - Whispering Canyon, Beaches & Cream, Downtown Disney, etc...

I'm posting here rather than on the resort board because my DD is really the deciding factor. What do you think is the best value for your $$ for staying onsite with a 2 1/2 year old?

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

We stayed at ASMovies Resort the first week of FEB this year with 2 1/2 year old twin boys. They and we LOVED it! It was not noisy at all. I requested a room in the 101 Dalmations building and I requested that we not be on the 1st floor. It was actually quiet in that area. (DH and I stayed near the main pool one time, and that area had more noise for sure). We stayed 6 days and saw a LOT. The bus rides were not bad at all. I think the only time we really had to wait for a bus was when we were leaving the fireworks at MK one night. We were able to go back to the hotel after lunch for a 1 1/2 hour nap, then head back out to the parks and still saw pretty much everything we wanted to see in those 6 days (and that includes 2 days where it poured down raining so it was harder to stroll around). We're going again at the end of JAN/beginning of FEB 2007 and plan to stay at ASMovies again. I just can't see spending more money on moderate or above hotels because we only sleep in them (we don't utilize the pool or any other amenities). Maybe when they are older we might utilize the "extras" more & it would be worth it. Plus, the boys LOVED the characters on all the buildings. They would get so excited in the morning to stroll outside and see the big dalmation dogs on the building...they would kick their legs and smile every single morning...what a wonderful way to start our day!

 

[PenguinWaiters]

The bus rides were not bad at all. I think the only time we really had to wait for a bus was when we were leaving the fireworks at MK one night. We were able to go back to the hotel after lunch for a 1 1/2 hour nap, then head back out to the parks and still saw pretty much everything we wanted to see in those 6 days (and that includes 2 days where it poured down raining so it was harder to stroll around). We're going again at the end of JAN/beginning of FEB 2007 and plan to stay at ASMovies again. I just can't see spending more money on moderate or above hotels because we only sleep in them (we don't utilize the pool or any other amenities). :

We are almost certainly planning to go back to our room everyday for a nap - I'm glad to hear that you found the bus system to be OK for this. I was afraid that it would take up too much of our time taking the bus in, back out for nap, back in for the afternoon and back out again at the end of the day. You didn't think so? I have only stayed off site, and the busses were soooo long there is no way we would have tried to go back and forth like that.

I agree about the amenities - we almost certainly won't be using the pool and I have specific places that I want to eat so won't be eating at any one hotel everyday anyway.

Thanks for your response!

 

[slo]

Welcome to the DIS!!!

My first trip with my oldest DD was when she was 2 and we stayed at The Best Western located in Downtown Disney. The price was right, and the hotel was very nice - we were very pleased . Before we had children, we also stayed at The Royal Plaza in Downtown Disney and that hotel is very nice also for the money

Since then we have bounced back and forth every year between The Poly and the Contemporary because I like being on the monorail circuit.

Good luck with your decision and have a great trip!!!

 

[MeLaNie9]

We went in May with DS2 and stayed at the Poly. This was at my husband's insistence since he thought we should be on the monorail line so we could go back to the room easily if need be. We also had the Magic Kingdom view so that we could watch the fireworks each night since DS is in bed and asleep by 8:30pm each night. I have to say that he was totally right about this one. The Poly was great. The view was great. Being on the monorail was a life saver. Bus travel was awful with the stroller, any bags/gear, and a 2 year old. We will always stay on the monorail line when traveling with small kids (we are having our second in Nov. and hope to go to WDW again when that one is 2).

 

[PenguinWaiters]

We went in May with DS2 and stayed at the Poly. This was at my husband's insistence since he thought we should be on the monorail line so we could go back to the room easily if need be. We also had the Magic Kingdom view so that we could watch the fireworks each night since DS is in bed and asleep by 8:30pm each night. I have to say that he was totally right about this one. The Poly was great. The view was great. Being on the monorail was a life saver. Bus travel was awful with the stroller, any bags/gear, and a 2 year old. We will always stay on the monorail line when traveling with small kids (we are having our second in Nov. and hope to go to WDW again when that one is 2).

Hmmm.. again, this was my thinking too. Boy, you all are really hitting on all of the things that are making this hard for me to decide!

This is where I was initially - monorail, Poly looked great, fireworks, etc..., BUT it will probably be a shorter trip this way, whereas if we go value resorts, as pp's have said - not spending much time at hotel, busses not too bad, etc... - we can stay longer. Decisions, decisions!

Keep coming with your thoughts - they are great and much appreciated!

Thanks,
Terri

 

[mrstomrice]

We stayed at Pop with our 2 year old and loved it! The transportation was great....the farthest ride was MK, but even that was not too bad. I liked the price (about 1200 for 6 nights with tickets through disney's website) and the convenience. our son loved the goofy water spout area too. You may be able to get a king size bed and sleep 3 to a bed....our son never slept with us and it worked well...plenty of room! or get a king and ask for a pack and play, since there is more space in the room. have a great trip!

 

[2poohbears]

We are almost certainly planning to go back to our room everyday for a nap - I'm glad to hear that you found the bus system to be OK for this. I was afraid that it would take up too much of our time taking the bus in, back out for nap, back in for the afternoon and back out again at the end of the day. You didn't think so? I have only stayed off site, and the busses were soooo long there is no way we would have tried to go back and forth like that.

I agree about the amenities - we almost certainly won't be using the pool and I have specific places that I want to eat so won't be eating at any one hotel everyday anyway.

Thanks for your response!

I didn't think the bus rides were bad at all...Especially during the day for nap because very few people were going back and forth to the hotel at that time. As another poster said, MK was the longest ride, and even that wasn't bad (we went to MK a LOT). I think because it's during a low crowd time of year the buses are easier to catch. We usually left the parks about 15 minutes before closing to avoid possible long lines as well. We used umbrella strollers and had no problems folding them up and getting them onto the bus (and we had twins so we were dealing with 2 strollers and 2 kids!). I really liked that we were able to stay 6 days so we could take our time strolling around. We usually got to the parks just before it opened, left just after lunch (eat at 11am if you can and you'll avoid lunch lines), napped in the hotel for around 2 hours, then went back out to parks. (If you eat dinner at 5pm you'll avoid lines as well). We were generally back in the hotel by 7:00 or 7:30 pm most nights (we stayed later one night to see the spectromagic parade - which they LOVED--- and the fireworks and again our last night because MK had EMH that night & we weren't ready to leave!)

a tip someone from here gave me...if you stay in 101 Dalmations Building you are close to the ASMusic resort bus stop as well as the ASMovies bus stop. I noticed the night we stayed late for the fireworks at MK the line for the ASMovies bus was long, but the one for ASMusic was practically non-existant. In that instance, you could take the ASMusic bus and get home faster.