Where would you stay?

[ECCMama812]

My son's high school band will be traveling to Disney just before Easter this year. My daughter (age 11- not really into princesses anymore) and I are looking to plan a trip at the same time so we can see them perform. I'm waiting to make my final decision about which hotel hoping that some discounts will be released for that time and waiting to see what flights are available from our closest airport. I'm debating between a few different hotels- Animal Kingdom Lodge is our favorite, but that is not in the budget for this trip. Keeping the trip as low budget as possible is most important, but it would also be nice to maybe stay somewhere new.

All Star Movies- cheapest on-site (I stayed here before, but my daughter hasn't. I took my sons on a Star Wars trip and we stayed here)
Pop Century- adds the Skyliner (We stayed here for our first trip, but daughter was just about to turn 2 at the time, so doesn't remember). It's not my favorite theming, but the Skyliner would be nice- right now about $200 more than ASM
Swan/Dolphin- with a discount, maybe it will be comparable or not much more? Hoping to use the teacher discount possibly. Never stayed here- about $500 more than ASM
Drury Inn- cheapest, still some Disney perks, but not all (not being able to book LL 7 days in advance is my main concern about Drury). Plus bussing might not be as convenient? We've stayed at Drury Inns before (not the Disney Springs one) and liked them- about $200 less than ASM

This will be more of a park centric trip- our last trip at AKL was more of a resort trip. We'll be in the same park as the band each day, so no flexibility on that. I think we'll be in Epcot on Monday that week. The only restaurant that we know we want to try right now is Cake Bake Shop. Boma is daughter's favorite, so we might go there as well.

We've stayed Pop Century, All Star Movies, Port Orleans Riverside, and AKL. We are trying to keep this trip as low budget as possible, especially knowing that we're going Sun-Wed just before Easter, so anticipating crowds and most likely getting LLs and knowing that hotels and LLs will be more expensive that week. Daughter thinks she would pick All Star Movies over Pop Century based on the theming.

The band is staying at a hotel off-site. I prefer not to do that since we'd have to rent a car then and I'd rather not drive to the parks.

I'm curious- where would you stay? Is there another resort that I'm not thinking of that might fit? I'd love to try Swan/Dolphin, but the logical side of me says that the extra $300 or $500 for Swan/Dolphin would pay for a lot of LLs.

 

[hardcorestitch]

My son's high school band will be traveling to Disney just before Easter this year. My daughter (age 11- not really into princesses anymore) and I are looking to plan a trip at the same time so we can see them perform. I'm waiting to make my final decision about which hotel hoping that some discounts will be released for that time and waiting to see what flights are available from our closest airport. I'm debating between a few different hotels- Animal Kingdom Lodge is our favorite, but that is not in the budget for this trip. Keeping the trip as low budget as possible is most important, but it would also be nice to maybe stay somewhere new.

All Star Movies- cheapest on-site (I stayed here before, but my daughter hasn't. I took my sons on a Star Wars trip and we stayed here)
Pop Century- adds the Skyliner (We stayed here for our first trip, but daughter was just about to turn 2 at the time, so doesn't remember). It's not my favorite theming, but the Skyliner would be nice- right now about $200 more than ASM
Swan/Dolphin- with a discount, maybe it will be comparable or not much more? Hoping to use the teacher discount possibly. Never stayed here- about $500 more than ASM
Drury Inn- cheapest, still some Disney perks, but not all (not being able to book LL 7 days in advance is my main concern about Drury). Plus bussing might not be as convenient? We've stayed at Drury Inns before (not the Disney Springs one) and liked them- about $200 less than ASM

This will be more of a park centric trip- our last trip at AKL was more of a resort trip. We'll be in the same park as the band each day, so no flexibility on that. I think we'll be in Epcot on Monday that week. The only restaurant that we know we want to try right now is Cake Bake Shop. Boma is daughter's favorite, so we might go there as well.

We've stayed Pop Century, All Star Movies, Port Orleans Riverside, and AKL. We are trying to keep this trip as low budget as possible, especially knowing that we're going Sun-Wed just before Easter, so anticipating crowds and most likely getting LLs and knowing that hotels and LLs will be more expensive that week. Daughter thinks she would pick All Star Movies over Pop Century based on the theming.

I'm curious- where would you stay? Is there another resort that I'm not thinking of that might fit? I'd love to try Swan/Dolphin, but the logical side of me says that the extra $300 or $500 for Swan/Dolphin would pay for a lot of LLs.

Book All Star if you can so that you can be close to your players. If you don’t mind otherwise, get Drury. The Drury buses are as reliable as Disney’s.

 

[ECCMama812]

Book All Star if you can so that you can be close to your players. If you don’t mind otherwise, get Drury. The Drury buses are as reliable as Disney’s.

The band is staying off-site. I'm taking a look at that option now- something to think about!

 

[scrappinginontario]

If budget is main priority plus ease of access to parks, I would go with All Stars.

 

[hardcorestitch]

The band is staying off-site. I'm taking a look at that option now- something to think about!

In that case, try booking the hotel or another one close to it...

 

[Dug720]

All Stars. I've heard questionable things about Drury.

 

[gottalovepluto]

All Stars. Stick to your budget! Since you can afford it over Drury I think it is a good investment because the 7 day LL access for the very crowded week will be needed (expect peak LL pricing). Pop or Swolphin would be an unnecessary splurge.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

I’d say book All Star but keep checking Swolphin prices - they fluctuate dramatically and you might key lucky!

 

[hardcorestitch]

All Stars. Stick to your budget! Since you can afford it over Drury I think it is a good investment because the 7 day LL access for the very crowded week will be needed (expect peak LL pricing). Pop or Swolphin would be an unnecessary splurge.

Then again… if they still want to eat at other resorts, it’s just a Disney Transport bus and a reservation away…

 

[kanerf]

Have you looked into renting DVC? It can sometimes be cheaper than some of the regular hotels.

 

[SwanVT2]

All Stars. I've heard questionable things about Drury.

What have you heard? We have booked Drury for next vacation.

 

[Dug720]

What have you heard? We have booked Drury for next vacation.

It's not super clean mostly.

 

[ECCMama812]

All Stars. Stick to your budget! Since you can afford it over Drury I think it is a good investment because the 7 day LL access for the very crowded week will be needed (expect peak LL pricing). Pop or Swolphin would be an unnecessary splurge.

I think this will be the most crowded time we've visited! We've gone Memorial Day weekend before, but I'm thinking this time frame will be even more crowded. I'm anticipating expensive LL, but also thinking they will be necessary because of the crowds.

I’d say book All Star but keep checking Swolphin prices - they fluctuate dramatically and you might key lucky!

Oh, good to know! I think $200 or $300 more than ASM would be worth it for the proximity to Epcot area, but that would be my max.

Then again… if they still want to eat at other resorts, it’s just a Disney Transport bus and a reservation away…

Yea, that's where I'm wondering if Pop is worth it over ASM. The Skyliner would make Cake Bake Shop easier, plus let us explore other resorts a little easier. We just don't love Pop's theming.... Though if we're at ASM, we'd try to do Cake Bake Shop on our Epcot day, so probably not a deal breaker.

Have you looked into renting DVC? It can sometimes be cheaper than some of the regular hotels.

We have- I just get nervous about a last minute cancellation. We had a flight to Orlando get cancelled once and wasn't able to fly us out for another 2 days. We ended up rescheduling that whole trip for a different month since it was a short trip.

Thanks all! You've confirmed that All Stars makes the most sense right now in order to stick to the budget during a busy and expensive time frame! Especially since daughter watched some resort staycation videos and likes the idea of Movies over Pop. I'm thinking the Skyliner while nice, won't really be worth it for this trip.

 

[bluezy]

I'd book Pop just for the extra added convenience of the Skyliner. ASMo would also be fine (I'm just partial to the Skyliner -- makes it so easy to get to other resorts for meals and just general visits to see decorations or whatever). I'd book something right now since it will be a busy time of year and certain resorts could sell out. There's really no downside to booking right now. You can cancel or change the reservation later if needed.

 

[ECCMama812]

What have you heard? We have booked Drury for next vacation.

We've stayed at the Drury closer to Universal before and husband as stayed at several in the Midwest. The continental breakfast and evening kick backs were a huge perk and cost savings! If it weren't for not getting the 7 day LL access during Easter week, I'd seriously be considering Drury for this trip.

We stayed at the Universal one about 4 years ago for a school competition for my sons with the rest of the team. The rest of the team had never heard of Drury Inns before, but once we were all there and they experienced the breakfast and evening kickbacks, it was a favorite of everyone's!

 

[ECCMama812]

I'd book Pop just for the extra added convenience of the Skyliner. ASMo would also be fine (I'm just partial to the Skyliner -- makes it so easy to get to other resorts for meals and just general visits to see decorations or whatever). I'd book something right now since it will be a busy time of year and certain resorts could sell out. There's really no downside to booking right now. You can cancel or change the reservation later if needed.

I'm hoping to book in the next week or so- just waiting for Allegiant's March/April flight schedule to be released since they are the best airline that flies to Orlando out of our closest airport. Depending on flights, we might have some down time on Saturday- that makes me think the Skyliner would be nice in order to explore that day.

 

[ChapterThree]

I haven’t read all the previous replies but I would def recommend the Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve. If you are looking for access to Epcot and Cake Bake Shop, it is right there and so close! Plus you get some Disney perks like early park access and early LL booking.
I’ve stayed at Disney Deluxe Resorts, and I will say, the Dolphin is not up to par with them, but the location and price savings definitely help. I’ve stayed at Swan Reserve, and it is really nice and new, with very subtle Disney themes, and the views can be spectacular if you get a theme park/fireworks view.
FYI The Swalphin resorts do charge resort fees, so check on those too. That does up the costs in the total amount.

 

[ECCMama812]

I haven’t read all the previous replies but I would def recommend the Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve. If you are looking for access to Epcot and Cake Bake Shop, it is right there and so close! Plus you get some Disney perks like early park access and early LL booking.
I’ve stayed at Disney Deluxe Resorts, and I will say, the Dolphin is not up to par with them, but the location and price savings definitely help. I’ve stayed at Swan Reserve, and it is really nice and new, with very subtle Disney themes, and the views can be spectacular if you get a theme park/fireworks view.
FYI The Swalphin resorts do charge resort fees, so check on those too. That does up the costs in the total amount.

When looking at hotel/tickets prices for Swolphin on the Disney website, is the resort fee included in the total price on the Disney website? Or is it added in later on?

 

[disny_luvr]

I’d book Pop. My sons went with their high school marching band the week before Easter back in 2022 and my husband and I stayed at Pop for nothing more than the Skyliner and it was so convenient. Their high school is going again this year the week before Easter so both bands will be there at the same time. I hope you all gave a great trip! My boys say it is one of their favorite experiences from high school!

 

[leebee]

I'd stay at an AllStar and use the money you save for your food budget. I know people love the skyliner, but if it rains or there are thunderstorsm within an 10 mile radius ( think that's what it is) the Skyliner shuts down. Swolphin sounds lovely but I have never been able to get a price I can justify, even with teacher/AAA/Bonvoy discounts (take a look at the Marriott site and see what the prices are like, and this might also answer your question about the resort fee) and honestly if it's a week approaching Easter, any discounts there are going to be gone already. If you are trying to figure out how to do Cake Bake, you could always do it on your Studios day and take the Skyliner over to the Epcot station, go to CakeBake, and then boat (or walk) back to the Studios.

PS also before you commit to offsite, consider the cost of a rental car. They are usually pretty astronomical these days, even if you book months in advance and then cancel/rebook over the intervening months. You'll also have to pay to park at the theme parks.