Which DVC Resort is best with small children?

[pkwoo84]

We are looking at renting points from someone because we are in need of a suite. I originally wanted to stay at AKV but now think that may be better to try out when the kids are a little older. I have not done a lot of research on the other DVC resorts so I was wondering if anyone could suggest which one may be best with a 5, 2, and 1 year old. Space in the room, not a lot of walking, quick transportation to the parks, etc. are all an issue so please feel free to share your thoughts. This is also our 1st trip to disney ever so any other tips would be great. I am curious about how the dining plan works out with small kids as well. Thanks! Kristy

 

[browniemtb]

For a close proximity to the the parks with kids.......I would suggest looking into VWL, which is a boat ride away from MK. With kids at the age of yours, MK is more than likely where you will be spending most of your time. Other alternatives would be BCV or BWV, both walking or boat distance to Epcot and MGM.

DDP, my family loves it. Especially for the character dining. But it is again personal preferance. Some love it some not so much.

Good Luck.....room sizes are relatively the same throughout the DVC system.

Brownie

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Vero Beach and Hilton Head Island Resorts. Since they are not wdw resorts they build in extra programs and CMs to keep kids and parents happy. As far as wdw resorts I think it is a toss-up.

 

[MILLZ]

They are all good ur in Disney the best place in the world

 

[DVC Mike]

The best DVC resort for children is the one I am not staying at.

 

[dvcdisney]

We have young children as well and we agree with the previous posts of BWV, BCV and VWL for convenience. However, I cannot comment on the 2 bedroom suites other than the OKW (we stayed there once with my parents) and I find that the suite has plenty of room. As for the other resorts, we have only stayed at the 1 bedrooms and they are a good size for us, but not nearly as large as the two bedrooms. We have stayed at a studio once and we found it acceptable as long as we didn't spend a lot of time at the resort/room.

If you are getting the two bedrooms, I think you will be happy with the size at any of the DVC resorts.

As for the DDP, we also usually get it. It's convenient and we find that it is perfect for our family. We use all the table service credits for dinner and it's nice to relax after a long day of walking. We use the counter service for lunch so that we are not tied down too long during the day and we want to be out and going on the rides. And the snack credits are great. I usually have to have a Dole Whip Float each time I'm in MK.

I see that you have a 5 year old (only one who will be on the plan) and the 2 and 1 year old can "eat off your plate" in the table service restaurants. I would suggest adding some buffets to your ressies for variety of foods. When your other children are 3 and over then they would have to be included. Keep in mind that if you want to purchase DDP for your other children, you can! You just ask MS to include them in the DDP and for the purpose of the DDP, your children will be 3. We were unhappy with the child menus so we ask them to put our son on the adult plan and there was no problem. My children do not like mac and cheese or chicken nuggets etc. They are used to eating adult type meals.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Read all the posts you can find on renting. It's not like making a reservation directly from Disney. The cancellation policy will not be the same. Payment will not be the same. Many others.

Read up on renting before you actually confirm with a member.

 

[MinnieGi]

All the DVC's are great for families in a one bedroom and up size! The villas with their kitchen, washer and dryer, living room all make it a comfortable way to stay with little ones. We have stayed at almost all the DVC's through the years with our little ones and they have all been great. Our kids are now 7 & 3, however they started going as infants!

Realize you will be walking alot at WDW no matter what resort you stay at!

 

[gobo2]

If you are doing strollers and don't mind walking, you might prefer BWV or BCV because you can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. This means less waiting for buses or loading strollers onto buses which interupts naps.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

not a lot of walking

Oh Goodness Kristy, WDW might not be the place if you don't want to do a lot of walking. I get shin splints from disney vacations.

We love the BCVs, great sand bottom pool for kids..walking to Epcot, Studios..and walking thru Epcot to get to monorails for Magic Kingdom. We avoid buses like the plaque with strollers

 

[kellyf2626]

We just got back from a stay at OKW with a 5 month old. We specifically picked that resort because a) the rooms are a bit bigger as compared to other DVC resorts and b) you can drive right up to your room and walk right to your door (as opposed to long, winding hallways from the lobby). It was so much easier with all the "stuff" we had for my little guy. Plus the extra space was fabulous...we actually set up his pack-n-play in the laundry room! It was like his own little bedroom!!

 

[llmurphy17]

I would suggest, BWV or VWL

 

[pkwoo84]

Thanks to everyone for offering your opinions. I like the idea of being able to avoid the buses all together. Just to clarify, I realize there will be a lot of walking but I would like to avoid a large resort where we will have a long hike to get to our room since we will be doing plenty of walking the rest of the day. I do like the look of OKW after looking at them all but it sounds like a few of the others may be a better choice. Any feedback on OKW from anyone else? We will be looking for a 1 bedroom suite.
Kristy

 

[gracelrm]

I like VWL when my kids were young for one main reason. We visited MK the most and I could board a boat to MK and never have to fold up the stroller. I absolutely hated folding up the stroller with all the stuff to board busses and I didn't have to do that to go to the MK from VWL. Also, my son, when he was about 3 really, really liked the quiet pool at VWL. He was able to play on the steps of the pool and have fun with not too many people around. Dad and the older two kids would go to the main pool - we'd hang out at the quiet pool. It was great!

JMO

 

[Deb & Bill]

The OKW villas only have three buildings that have elevators. The rest all require that you take the stairs up two or three floors. Not all that bad to me, but if you are hauling a stroller up and down a few times a day, it might be tiresome.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

After staying at BWV with my sisters and their kids 6, 8, and 9, I would highly suggest that you stay at OKW especially if you have a car.

As much as BWV is my true love, I could see that it didn't fit my sisters' touring styles at all. I'm still kicking myself for not going to OKW.

With OKW,

1) You are very close to your car.
2) The kitchens are much larger.
3) You have a large patio/balcony
4) traditional tables instead of breakfast bars
5) more casual resort
6) more casual room
7) You have 2 beds instead of a bed and a couch in the studios.
8) the walks are a lot shorter at the end of the day.

At BWV, my sisters were a little afraid that the kids would misbehave because the resort is pretty fru fru, and the parking was inconvenient. The kids didn't eat much and their meals were expensive. As much as I disagreed, my sisters couldn't wait to get off property. Luckily for me, when they saw the proximity to Epcot and DHS, they understood why I chose BWV. I think they liked the view too. Whew!

With that said, there are no poor choices, just better ones.

 

[yaksack]

We have stayed at the Wilderness Lodge Villas and loved. I think thw WL is the best because it is a short ride from the MK, by boat or bus.
I think another perk of being ath th WL is that you are within walking distance of the Fort Wilderness. They have a little petting zoo for the kids and some fun things to do.

We have visited the Beach and Yacht Club and liked them both, but we did not feel they were too kid oriented.

 

[PooksMom]

My family loves OKW because of the easy room access, the less stimulating environment and the spacious villas. Lately we've been renting a car, makes it much easier than bussing IMHO. Although I enjoy the larger resorts, (room service ) OKW is always the best place for this family to stay. Have Fun with whatever you choose

 

[blancosofhollywood]

Hi there,

We stayed this past October at Saratoga springs with my 3 year old niece adn 23 month old son. We had a 2 bedroom suite and it was HUGE! Plenty of room for all of us. ( I also had my mother in law and Brother in law with us.

Even though the resort is Big, the bus depot was just a block ( i'm from NY) away and we never waited more then 5 to 10 minutes for a bus. It was not as hard as you think.

The rooms are new, clean and fresh. We loved having the full kitchen so we could go back to the room at lunch time, eat and take a nap before going to the parks again.

We are staying at Old Key west in a couple of weeks in a 1 bdrm and then again back at Old key west in April with my Family in a 2 Bdrm. The Disney people that sell the DVC memberships will all tell you that OKW has the largest rooms out of any of the properties. I can't wait to stay there.

No matter where you stay, you will love it.

HAve a great trip.

 

[Magic4Four]

We have 5 and 3 year old girls. The VWL is perfect for a family with small children. Easy transportation to MK, good quick service food right off the pool deck and an all around stunning theme inside and out. Our girls played for hours in the kiddie pool just to the side of the main pool. We actually were able to relax a little . Good luck.