Where to stay with a non- park-loving DH

[tarheelmjfan]

Another option would be the Fort Wilderness cabins, especially if your DH is an outdoorsmen.

-You could easily attend HDDR or Mickey's Backyard BBQ. The campfire sing-a-long with Chip & Dale is a lot of fun. Plan to stay for the movie.

-Grab a pizza to go at Trail's End & have a picnic on the beach, while you watch Wishes & the Electrical Water Pageant.

-You can rent bikes or watercraft.

-If staying in the cabins, I'd rent a golfcart for the week. Let the kids help you decorate it, so it's easy to spot your cart. Riding around on one of those can be as much fun for kids as the parks are.

-The pools aren't crowded. Unfortunately, there's probably a reason for that. They're very basic.

-One thing FW is lacking is a counter service restaurant. You can purchase a few things in the stores, but it's pretty limited. Trail's End & TE to-go are open until around 10pm though. You can always take the quick boat ride to WL to grab a bite to eat at Roaring Fork.

-The boat ride to MK is a nice, quick ride. You can also ride a boat to CR, & catch the monorail.

-I almost forgot the pony, horse & hayrides. Your kids would probably love one of those.

This option isn't for everyone, but I have a BIL who hates crowds & this would definitely be the place I'd book for him. Good luck finding the right place for your family.

 

[mom22boys]

Another option would be the Fort Wilderness cabins, especially if your DH is an outdoorsmen.

-You could easily attend HDDR or Mickey's Backyard BBQ. The campfire sing-a-long with Chip & Dale is a lot of fun. Plan to stay for the movie.

-Grab a pizza to go at Trail's End & have a picnic on the beach, while you watch Wishes & the Electrical Water Pageant.

-You can rent bikes or watercraft.

-If staying in the cabins, I'd rent a golfcart for the week. Let the kids help you decorate it, so it's easy to spot your cart. Riding around on one of those can be as much fun for kids as the parks are.

-The pools aren't crowded. Unfortunately, there's probably a reason for that. They're very basic.

-One thing FW is lacking is a counter service restaurant. You can purchase a few things in the stores, but it's pretty limited. Trail's End & TE to-go are open until around 10pm though. You can always take the quick boat ride to WL to grab a bite to eat at Roaring Fork.

-The boat ride to MK is a nice, quick ride. You can also ride a boat to CR, & catch the monorail.

-I almost forgot the pony, horse & hayrides. Your kids would probably love one of those.

This option isn't for everyone, but I have a BIL who hates crowds & this would definitely be the place I'd book for him. Good luck finding the right place for your family.

Wow, what a great list of reasons to try the FW cabins. Out of curiousity, do you know how much the golf cart costs to rent? Does the campground share pool facilities with any other resort?

Thanks!

 

[Simba's Mom]

you described OKW - except for the food choices and if you get near the HH that is taken care of too.

if you get a studio you have a kitchennett, a 1-bedroom and up has a full kitchen. Not talking about cooking and making meals. Order meals (from grocery stores) already prepared - you are just heating them up. Everything has a microwave.

Epcot area is too busy for me.

It isn't rare at OKW for you and your family to be the only ones in the pool. except the main pool - avoid that one. okay let you child go there for the slide - but otherwise pretend it doesn't exist.

Here's another vote for OKW. OP, your DH sounds very much like mine, and OKW is by far his favorite resort for the calm atmosphere.

 

[LeahA]

Polynesian has a wonderful pool, lush landscaping. You can get a hammock on the beach or lounge chairs under one of those shade umbrellas. You have monorail to MK, walk to TTC to take monorail to Epcot. You can eat at Kona Cafe or O'hana. The walk up counter service restaurant Captain Cooks is very good as well. Besides the main pool there is a quiet pool. The tiki torches are lit at night, you can get a patio or balcony and sit out at night with a cocktail. You can watch the Electric water pagaent and the fireworks from the beach or your balcony/patio if you get that type of view.

 

[klofan]

I would say the Swan. It's close to Epcot, but quiet. It's not run by Disney, so you can enjoy WDW but w/o being surrounded by Disney 24/7.

 

[spiceycat]

I am surprised the Poly hasn't gotten much attention.

Any more advice????

Much thanks!

you say he wasn't fond of the MK - can't see staying at resort that looks at the park that he likes the less.

Epcot resorts can understand. Although they are too busy for my taste.

 

[Disney Ron]

WL has the ultimate relaxing laid back atmosphere. Lobby is beautiful. They have a wonderful lounge (you can even get a drink and sit in the lobby to people watch). Resort food choices here are great Roaring Forks (CS), Territory Lounge (serves good flatbreads, wings, and nachos), Whispering Canyon (fun for kids, good for any meal) and top-notch signature dining Artist Point. The pool is nice. The boat launch from WL makes it so easy to access MK, monorail, or Fort Wilderness (see HDDR). We have never had trouble with the bus service here either.

A great second option is Boardwalk Inn. Like your DH we love WS. There would be alot of activity for DSs. You can walk to MGM or Epcot, or take the boat. The restaurants in that area are endless. Boardwalk Bakery, Spoodles (or pizza window), ESPN, Flying Fish, Big River Brewery, Cape May, and all of WS restaurants are close by. They have a nice pool area also.

You can not go wrong with either choice.
Good luck choosing!
Mrs. Disney Ron

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Wow, what a great list of reasons to try the FW cabins. Out of curiousity, do you know how much the golf cart costs to rent? Does the campground share pool facilities with any other resort?

Thanks!

Allearsnet lists golf cart rental as $47/ day. If you can afford it, they definitely would make the stay more fun. Here's a link for FW info on Allears, in case you're interested: http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_fw.htm

There's 2 pools. A large main pool & a smaller pool near the cabins. There's no theming or slides, but they're never crowded.

 

[Wendi2000]

Animal Kingdom Lodge. There are plenty of activities to do, the culinary tour is wonderful! The pool is great, the whole atmosphere of the resort is extremely relaxing. The food is fantastic. He can simply sit on the balcony (or many other places) and just watch the animals roam around. It is a fabulous place to stay just for the hotel.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Wow, what a great list of reasons to try the FW cabins. Out of curiousity, do you know how much the golf cart costs to rent? Does the campground share pool facilities with any other resort?

Thanks!

If you stay at Ft Wilderness, you are only entitled to swim at Ft Wilderness. There are some FW guests who think they are entitled to swim at Wilderness Lodge because both resorts have Wilderness in their name. But, sorry, not true.

 

[mom22boys]

If you stay at Ft Wilderness, you are only entitled to swim at Ft Wilderness. There are some FW guests who think they are entitled to swim at Wilderness Lodge because both resorts have Wilderness in their name. But, sorry, not true.

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought I had read of that exact thing, but it didn't make any sense to me. Wouldn't the pools at WL and WLV just get overcrowded?

 

[Disney MAINEiac]

I have to echo what others have said, I love WS in Epcot and the food choices in epcot are tops IMHO. Boardwalk would be my choice. -Close to EPCOT (walking distance and you enter directly into WS)
-He can go bass fishing in the lake
-drinking around the world (nuf said )
-the ESPN restaurant and sports bar is on the boardwalk and nursing a cold brew and watching a game, while you and DS are in a park might be just the unwind he needs (the wings are good too!)
-MGM is also walking distance
-there are two quiet pools that were all but empty when were there (everyone seems to go to the giant "kid vomiting clown" pool )
-also if you can swing a 1-bedroom villa it feels like being home with the living room, full kitchen, master bedroom and everything, he could even just hang out in the room and be quite comfortable just watching a DVD movie you can get at the rec center.

 

[MELSMICE]

My suggestions would be either YC, AKL or Poly if you can afford deluxe.

If you are looking for a moderate then I suggest CSR, only because it's a lot quieter than the other moderate resorts.

We have stayed at all the EPCOT resorts except the Dolphin & found the most quiet & relaxing to be the YC. Also, being on the Boardwalk gives you some great options other than the parks.

We haven't stayed at AKL, but if he likes the animals then he'd enjoy going to the savannah & watch them.

The Poly is my favorite out of all the deluxes & transportation to anywhere is very easy from there. I find it to be a very relaxing resort.

 

[Merryweather]

Why not rent points and stay at a DVC resort?

You mention that while your husband doesn't like MK for long periods he does enjoy AK. Why not AKL? They have their own bus service unlike YC/BC who share with BWI as well as S/D during the day.

If your DH isn't into crowds I don't think he's going to find SAB all that appealing so you might want to investigate BWI.... as long as you're ok with clowns.

If you are thinking more of a moderate resort POFQ is great. Also check CSR out. If it is of interest I would recommend Searching for the thread that lists all the conventions to be sure they won't be overrun with conventioneers.

Would the values be too close a fit for your family?

 

[Demosthenes]

I would go with SSR without question. It has the best bus service (despite bus service being lousy no matter where you are IMHO), the golf course, the spa, a couple of nice and uncrowded pools, proximity to DTD, two restaurants and villa style accommodations. I think it is exactly what you are looking for. The only other place you might consider is FW, but by the time you add the cost of the cart in, you can definitely do SSR in a 1 bdr. villa for less.

 

[MainStreetFireman]

I am surprised the Poly hasn't gotten much attention.

Any more advice????

Much thanks![/QUOTE]

Here's a vote for the Poly! When I read your post, it's the first resort that came to my mind. Even though the Poly is an "MK resort," the environment feels VERY removed from the hustle and bustle of the parks (except for mid-day at the main pool). It is quiet and relaxing and exotic, but is still right in the middle of everything, making transportation to anywhere in WDW easy. The monorail offers easy access to many, many dining options, and there's nothing like being able to make that needed escape from the MK by a quick and relaxing boat ride. You can request a room on the TTC side, where the Epcot monorail is just steps from your room. And if the volcano pool is too crowded, the quiet pool is often almost deserted. (We are Poly lovers, you can tell.)

The Epcot resort area would also be a great choice for your needs. The S/D might be the "quietest" of the options, but that's my impression from what I've heard, not from personal experience. That might make a great separate poll topic.

Have fun deciding. ALOHA!

 

[Donald&Tinkerbell]

Has the World Showcase entrance, ESPN Club, Jelly Rolls, quite resort, between the World Showcase, Studios, Boardwalk, Beach & Yacht Club, tons of restaurants.