Which hotel?

[Shibafam2011]

Hello! My husband and I planned a trip for our anniversary, my first trip ever to WDW, in May and planned to stay at the Riviera. We canceled it due to COVID-19 and have decided to wait until 2021 and take our daughter, she will be three and is lately Minnie obsessed! I am curious which hotel you would choose for a three year old between Animal Kingdom Resort, the Contemporary- for convenience to MK, the Polynesian or if you have another suggestion for any resort on property! Thank you for any feedback and advice on taking a three year old to Disney World! Stay safe everyone!

 

[MaddieB223]

Hmm, I think if I was you I would pick Contemporary! Chef Mickey's is right there so you can easily spot Minnie if you stop by for dinner! Also a super convenient location to MK. You really can't make a bad choice!

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

Hello! My husband and I planned a trip for our anniversary, my first trip ever to WDW, in May and planned to stay at the Riviera. We canceled it due to COVID-19 and have decided to wait until 2021 and take our daughter, she will be three and is lately Minnie obsessed! I am curious which hotel you would choose for a three year old between Animal Kingdom Resort, the Contemporary- for convenience to MK, the Polynesian or if you have another suggestion for any resort on property! Thank you for any feedback and advice on taking a three year old to Disney World! Stay safe everyone!

Those are all good choices. If money is no big concern, I'd recommend either the Polynesian Resort (the most expensive), for convenience to MK and its pleasant theming, or Animal Kingdom Lodge (least expensive), due to the animals. Contemporary is nice and extremely convenient to MK, but its bland theming won't appeal to a toddler imo, and its tower rooms can get a bit of noise from the monorail.

Any monorail resort is going to be convenient not only to MK, but to other character restaurants on the monorail line such as Chef Mickey's (Contemporary), Ohanas (Polynesian) and 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian). If you'll be using a stroller, I'd definitely recommend a monorail resort, because the monorail doesn't require folding up the stroller to enter the way a bus would.

That said, AKL is my favorite out of these resorts. Your child would likely be amazed to see animals outside of her balcony. And the resort itself is gorgeous, and has good amenities for families. No character dining there, though. Maybe Poly now, and AKL the next trip?

 

[Orange Bird and Churros]

My vote definitely goes to the Contemporary. While the Polynesian and AKL are beautiful, it is easiest to get to MK from the Contemporary and your daughter might like to see the Monorail pass through the hotel!

 

[NMF]

If you're going to be spending the bulk of time in MK do the contemporary! It's so nice and convenient to be able to walk there! However, you should get to the Poly for a meal... as a kid I LOVED going there! I really love Boma breakfast!

 

[kiki02]

Akl

 

[NMF]

If you're going to be spending the bulk of time in MK do the contemporary! It's so nice and convenient to be able to walk there! However, you should get to the Poly for a meal... as a kid I LOVED going there! I really love Boma breakfast!

(I meant Kona cafe at poly... Boma at AKL is amazing, too haha)

 

[westie55]

Poly would be my pick of the 3, but it is the most expensive. I stayed at the Contemporary last year and found it underwhelming. Because it was SO hot and my almost 2 year old was in a refuse the stroller stage, the walk felt very long and we mostly ended up using the monorail. I much preferred our stay at the Grand Floridian. I would consider the GF. It is often cheaper than the Poly. AKL is fabulous and gorgeous. I think it is Disney's best themed resort. We are staying at AKL on our upcoming trip (whenever that may be, I had to cancel April) but that is because the Poly and GF were too expensive. I like the MK area best and being on the monorail is a huge relief when you can roll your sleeping child on without waking her up.

 

[MarkS2112]

Poly has better theming than Contemporary and easy to get to MK. Pool is nicer there also. AK is great theming and has the animals but is harder to get most places from. Grounds at poly much better than contemporary also. So if price is not an issue do Poly.

 

[CopperCreekBear]

I would definitely say the Contemporary! Nothing can beat the view of the fireworks (from a theme park view room). The Polynesian is nice as well, but sometimes feels a little dated to me.

 

[Breems]

We stayed at AKL a few weeks ago with our 2-year old. It's a great choice if you're planning a lot of resort time due to the animals, food options, and theming. If you'll be zooming in and out of the parks (e.g., for midday naps), the long(er) bus rides can be a hassle.

The Poly has great theming, views, and monorail access. Love the pool area. Seeing MK fireworks from the resort never gets old.

Contemporary is my least favorite of the three. As mentioned, the theming is a little bland. If you'll be making a lot of trips to MK, you can't beat that proximity.

 

[NicoleLarson]

I would have to also vote contemporary. Being able to walk to the MK has no price tag. Especially with a sleepy toddler after the fireworks. Trust me, your child will not care at all about the theming. The only place our kids have EVER cared about theming was at the values. Otherwise, nothing is too exciting to them.

 

[Dug720]

I would go with AKL for the animals (and Boma).

I would certainly not pick anything this far out based on a character obsession - especially with a young child - as she may have moved onto a different character by then.

 

[DisSurfer878]

I would love into Bay Lake Tower at The Contemporary or at The Grand Floridian for toddler + MK access + Disneymoon Luxury