Which resort for first time family visit?

[lp199]

Hi All,

We are planning our first family trip to WDW June 2020 and, while I know that this can be somewhat subjective, I would love some advice from Disney veterans. We are looking to either rent DVC points for a one bedroom villa or book one of the Fort Wilderness cabins for our family of two adults and three kids ages 14, 11 and 9 and I don't know which would be the better option for us.

Having a kitchen it important to us as we will be doing our own meal prep so resort restaurants are not a factor in our decision. Since we will be going in June, location is a concern especially if we want to take a break from the parks during the worst part of the afternoon heat. We also want to be able to be there when the parks open without too much difficulty.

So where would be the best place to stay? We were looking at AKL but I'm concerned about it being so far away from the parks but happy to reconsider? I'm open to suggestions!

Thank you!

 

[Ross Kratter]

In terms of proximity to the parks:
Fort Wilderness is right near Magic Kingdom, and there's a direct boat.
Riviera is right by Epcot, and you can get there via the Skyliner.
Boardwalk, Beach Club, and Yacht Club are within walking distance of Epcot via the International Gateway entrance.

 

[Sue M]

Ft. W cabins look fun, and there is a boat to MK, but I think you’d have to take an internal bus to get to the boat. Many families rent golf carts to get around, it’s big.
Wilderness Lodge, near Ft W has DVC, Boulder Ridge. It also has a boat to MK, and a beautiful resort.
Beach Club and Boardwalk in the Epcot area are good options. Walk to Epcot and can walk (although a little longer walk) or boat to DHS.
Bay Lake Tower is walking distance to MK, and walk across to The Contemporary for the monorail.
AKL or Kidani is wonderful. And only 5 min bus ride to AK. Bus is your only option at that resort, but we stayed there 2x and always come back for afternoon breaks. We aren’t park commandos.
It comes down to what parks will you be at the most. If you’re going to be at MK the most, I’d stay at Boulder Ridge or Bay Lake. If you’ll spend more time at Epcot and DHS stay in that area, etc.

 

[DrunkJam]

I think your first resort is one that will colour your impression of WDW forever.
We stayed at Wilderness Lodge our first trip, it was meant to be a one and done trip, but we fell in love with WL, and I am about to make my fourth trip in June. It's beautiful. I think the DVC villas have kitchen there.
BUT, other people fall in love with other resorts. I totally recommend WL. We stayed at Grand Floridian once, and it just wasn't the same, but, some people fall in love with GF, or Poly, or...
Maybe look at some pictures of place with kitchens (DVC resorts, and Fort Wilderness I think) and see what makes you smile?

 

[Babsy]

Hi All,

We are planning our first family trip to WDW June 2020 and, while I know that this can be somewhat subjective, I would love some advice from Disney veterans. We are looking to either rent DVC points for a one bedroom villa or book one of the Fort Wilderness cabins for our family of two adults and three kids ages 14, 11 and 9 and I don't know which would be the better option for us.

Having a kitchen it important to us as we will be doing our own meal prep so resort restaurants are not a factor in our decision. Since we will be going in June, location is a concern especially if we want to take a break from the parks during the worst part of the afternoon heat. We also want to be able to be there when the parks open without too much difficulty.

So where would be the best place to stay? We were looking at AKL but I'm concerned about it being so far away from the parks but happy to reconsider? I'm open to suggestions!

Thank you!

As you are going in June and have three children ages 9-14, I expect that swimming in the heat of the day during breaks would be a popular activity. I suggest either the Beach Club Villas (BCV) or the Boardwalk Villas (BWV). Both are walking distance to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios and also have a boat option. The BCV also have Storm Along Bay, which is a very nice pool for older children. The Clown pool at BWV has a great slide that many kids enjoy. Also, these locations are fairly central, so not too far from either the MK or the AK.

During the evening, there are buskers and lots of entertainment along the Boardwalk, which can be enjoyed from either. Finally, even though you plan to cook most meals in your villa, it is very nice to have an occasional meal in World showcase of Epcot.

If you think that the Magic Kingdom will be your most visited theme park then the Wilderness Lodge DVC options might be a good bet. There is a boat to the MK and to the Contemporary. Bay Lake Tower (BLT) is awesome (with walking distance to the MK) but the pools available here are less well themed than most on property. There are no one bedrooms at the Polynesian, so that is out unless your budget allows to put a bungalow in the running. We just returned from a family trip where we stayed at the BLT but we had small children and were visiting in Dec when swimming wasn't a priority.

I agree with DrunkJam that you need to look at pictures of the resorts to get a good idea of what will appeal to you thematically. The atmosphere at Disney resorts is incredibly well done and will impact how you feel about the resort that you choose. Also consider what amenities suit your family best and have a look at which resorts are the best match for your family.

Finally, I would try to make the decision soon. DVC in June for a one bedroom isn't usually difficult to find, but you are inside of 7 months now. So to have your best chance at your choice of resort and room category, I would start looking to rent ASAP.

Good luck!!

 

[Miffy]

Of course you're going to get recommendations to every single resort!

There are two factors here: (1) your budget and (2) what your family likes and intends to do.

If you're going to spend most of your time at MK, then you want to stay in that area. As someone else has already mentioned, the Fort Wilderness cabins are great, but be aware that in order to get around there efficiently, you'll need to rent a golf cart, so add that cost into your calculations.

If you're going to be at the Studios and Epcot for the major part of your trip--maybe you're planning on doing Star Wars Galaxy's Edge at least a couple of times--then stay in the Boardwalk area for sure, although with the Skyliner, the Riviera is also a good choice even though at this point it might be quite expensive, even renting DVC points.

If you and your kids are animal lovers, you can't do better than Animal Kingdom Lodge (Villas, at Kidani). Both areas--Jambo and Kidani--are amazing, there are so many animals to see here, and the bus ride to Animal Kingdom is only 5 minutes, which is great if you're planning on spending time there. AKL/AKV are always described as being isolated, remote, and/or far from the parks, but it's a 15 to 20 minute bus ride from here (I'm here right now!) to MK, Epcot, and DHS. You can't walk to any park from here, so if that's what you want to do, then stay at a resort where this is possible.

Understand that wherever you stay, one or more parks are going to seem far away. For example, if you're on the Boardwalk, it's maybe a 15 or 20 minute bus ride to MK or DAK. There are threads here with detailed information about travel times to the parks. Apologies that I don't have time to locate one right now--it's checkout day for us and we're packing. But look on the Transportation board.

Also--and as someone who loves staying onsite, this is hard to say!--you might want to consider renting something off-site. Especially if you've got a car. There are places nearby, like Wyndham Bonnet Creek, that are probably considerably less money than staying even on DVC points. The advantages of onsite are tremendous, though, especially with your teenagers, since they'll be able to use Disney transportation, assuming this is okay with you.

Have a great trip!

 

[_19disnA]

Also depends on your budget and how many meals you plan to eat outside of Disney. For a family of 5 to be jammed into a 1 bedroom place seems like a bad plan. You can stay offsite and rent very nice homes for a lot less money, many of which have their own pool and certainly have more living space/bedrooms, etc. Meals at Disney tend to be pricey, so if you stay off-site, you can also eat some meals where you are staying or even go out to dinner for far less money. You didn't say if you are flying or driving, but even if flying, you could rent a car to get around.

Over the years, we have stayed both off-site as well as at Disney. A lot depends on your budget and personal preferences. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. You can still eat/visit the various Disney resorts even if not staying there.

 

[bluezy]

While I'm no help at recommending DVC rooms/resorts as we've always stayed in 2 rooms at ASMovies or Pop Century or a suite at Art of Animation, we have considered the cabins at Fort Wilderness a few times but always decide against them. I just thought I'd share the reasons the cabins wouldn't work for our family (this may or may not apply to your family).

1. Too complicated/time consuming to get to most of the parks. You either need to take an internal bus to get to the parks bus stops or you need to rent a golf cart. Can also be a long walk to the pools depending on location.

2. One bathroom. We have 5 kids (all teens or adults now) and even when we travel with just 3 of them, we still prefer 2 bathrooms for our stays at Disney (7-8 nights). We can deal with 1 bathroom for 1 or 2 night stays-- but not for a lengthy vacation. If the bathroom in the cabins was a split bath (tub/shower and toilet separate from the sink area) it might work, but having it as one room just doesn't work or us.

3. The bedroom sleeps 4 people and the murphy bed in the living room sleeps 2. If I'm paying that much for a room with a private bedroom, my husband and I want the bedroom. I really don't want the kids having the private space and us sleeping in the open living space.

4. The kitchen does nothing for us (I know you said that you *do* plan on using the kitchen so this probably doesn't apply to you). I'm on vacation and don't want to spend my time cooking meals. We've had friends who have stayed at a cabin and planned to do lunch or dinner at the cabin every day. They had driven to Disney so when they got close to Disney, they stopped at a grocery store and bought food for their meals for the week. They quickly found out just how much time meal prep and returning to the cabin to eat took out of their day and ditched that plan by day 3 of their 8 day stay. Fortunately, they had a friend who lived about 20 minutes away and they came and took all of the unused food so they didn't have to throw it away at the end of their trip.

I know a lot of people love the cabins but they just don't work for our family. Luckily Disney has plenty of options! I hope you're able to find something that works for your family and budget!

 

[LovesTimone]

Our friends stayed at Saratoga Springs in one the Treehouses... with their Grandkids and they are the ages of your kids... the kids loved it, and so did they.... The used the BBQ grill several times, and enjoyed sitting outside her youngest grandson, did not want to come in off the porch, he just loved sitting outside... Their grandkids live in the NYC, in Manhattan, so this was a real treat for them... as well the floor plan gave them the space that they needed, and that the kids loved.... They did swim a couple of times, and the pools were "cool" or "on point" as the oldest grand-daughter stated.... as far as the buses to the parks... they were okay with it, they have visited before... they did use Uber a few times, at night after the park closed just due to the wait time to get on a bus... they loved being close to Disney Springs, and enjoyed walking around in the evenings a couple of times, they really liked the restaurants over there... as far as use of the kitchen, they used it in the morning for breakfast, and for night time snacks... the rest they did character meals, and quick serve...

They will be back after school get out next year, and they always plan where they are going to stay next, and they all picked the Treehouses for the next visit....

So as a local, and passholder.... here are a few thoughts...

The parks are crazy busy during June, and the heat and humidity are even crazier....which is something that you should really take into consideration when plan your days...

Is having a kitchen a must... such as food allergies or something along those lines?

So when you say using the kitchen for meal prep... are you planning to make all of your meals? the reason I ask, even if you are planning to take lunch in the parks, you really need to have a way to keep everything cold, not just cool but cold... even something like peanut butter and jelly, will get melted and sweaty with the heat...plus the amount of water, or sports drinks you will need to keep everyone hydrated... will need to be carry in which is heavy... so extra weight to carry around...

If this is your first visit, and leaving the parks, no matter where you are staying takes time away from the parks... especially for a first visit, you are going to want to see things like the fireworks, parades, meet and greets of the characters. If you are planning on going back to the resort which I recommend that you do with the heat and humidity... You can figure on about 30 to 60 minutes for travel time... so a least 2 hours of travel time you should plan for.

Have you look at getting a family suite, with the kitchenette, you could bring breakfast items along, and get stuff for sandwiches... the cost on this would most likely be alot less than a DVC rental... plus you could look at maybe getting the Quick serve dinning plan, or even the Regular dinning plan... this way everything will still be paid for upfront... and you don't have to worry about meals...

I have a cousin that came with her family... and they were going to cook meals her reason was to save money ... she said that she felt all she did was cook, and wash dishes at the vacation rental, plus clean up and wash clothes the whole time that they were there, plus she said that they threw away alot of food, because they ended up eating in the parks, and that some of the food the brought in, was wilted, or damp from the humidity.... which is what her DH said that they should have done in the first place... their second trip they stayed at AOA in a family suite, and it worked out much better for them with Quick serve dinning plan, the third trip they got 2 value rooms with Free dinning, and upgraded from the quick serve to regular dinning plan, so that they could do a few character meals... now when the visit they go for the 2 rooms at a value... and get the dinning plan... this works for their family...

I would check out all the options, look to see if there are any offers out there, that might work for you... and run the numbers, and re-run the numbers... plus make sure to included the cost of groceries...

 

[Hopefully]

While I'm not help at recommending DVC rooms/resorts as we've always stayed in 2 rooms at ASMovies or Pop Century or a suite at Art of Animation, we have considered the cabins at Fort Wilderness a few times but always decide against them. I just thought I'd share the reasons the cabins wouldn't work for our family (this may or may not apply to your family).

1. Too complicated/time consuming to get to most of the parks. You either need to take an internal bus to get to the parks bus stops or you need to rent a golf cart. Can also be a long walk to the pools depending on location.

2. One bathroom. We have 5 kids (all teens or adults now) and even when we travel with just 3 of them, we still prefer 2 bathrooms for our stays at Disney (7-8 nights). We can deal with 1 bathroom for 1 or 2 night stays-- but not for a lengthy vacation. If the bathroom in the cabins was a split bath (tub/shower and toilet separate from the sink area) it might work, but having it as one room just doesn't work or us.

3. The bedroom sleeps 4 people and the murphy bed in the living room sleeps 2. If I'm paying that much for a room with a private bedroom, my husband and I want the bedroom. I really don't want the kids having the private space and us sleeping in the open living space.

4. The kitchen does nothing for us (I know you said that you *do* plan on using the kitchen so this probably doesn't apply to you). I'm on vacation and don't want to spend my time cooking meals. We've had friends who have stayed at a cabin and planned to do lunch or dinner at the cabin every day. They had driven to Disney so when they got close to Disney, they stopped at a grocery store and bought food for their meals for the week. They quickly found out just how much time meal prep and returning to the cabin to eat took out of their day and ditched that plan by day 3 of their 8 day stay. Fortunately, they had a friend who lived about 20 minutes away and they came and took all of the unused food so they didn't have to throw it away at the end of their trip.

I know a lot of people love the cabins but they just don't work for our family. Luckily Disney has plenty of options! I hope you're able to find something that works for your family and budget!

1. Yes Transportation is 2 buses or a golf cart and a bus/boat to the theme parks. My family considered the Golf Cart another ride at Disney and we loved it.
2. Yes the Cabin itself has only 1 bathroom, but you can request to be near a Comfort Station with all the bathrooms you need. It works out well.
3. The bed in the living room is no longer a Murphy bed. Since the refurb several years ago, it is now a Queen size sleep sofa and reportedly very comfortable.
4. Kitchen I agree this is personal choice. But we found that we saved a significant amount of money just with eating breakfast in while we got ready. Also it was a joy to have cold drinks, and snacks when we returned. In the refurb I mentioned above the full size stove was replaced with a 3 burner cooktop and a large convection microwave, along with a full size refrigerator and a dishwasher. There is also a small charcoal grill at each cabin.
We would go back to the cabins for sure.
Also June is only 6 - 6.5 months away. Many DVC rentals, especially those near the parks book solid soon, if not already.
Good Luck and have fun.

 

[MrsDuck]

Highly recommend Wilderness Lodge for your needs!

 

[lp199]

Wow, thank you all for all of the fantastic advice! Since this is our first trip I really appreciate hearing others experiences.

A few things:

1. A kitchen is a must due to some severe food restrictions. We already know we’ll be mostly DIY’ing it for food.

2. We would prefer to stay at a Disney resort for convenience and because we would like to get the full experience.

3. While we live in a climate very similar to Florida, I am concerned about the heat and humidity especially for my husband’s sake as he’s not as “Disney excited” as the rest of us so I really want him to be as comfortable as possible while making sure we don’t have too much difficulty getting to and from the parks if that makes sense.

4. I have looked at many YouTube videos about dvc one bedroom villas. One question I have is that I saw that many of the one bedrooms only accommodate four like BCV. Do they allow you to add a fifth person and how cramped would that be?

Again thank you all for your help!!

 

[Karebear]

I have 2 children that hate sharing a bed on vacation. We have stayed at both BLT and AKL Kidani in DVC. Both of those locations provide a chair that converts to a single bed in addition to the sleeper sofa. They both also have 2 bathrooms which is a plus in the morning. My favorite location is Beach Club but I have only stayed in the hotel there and not the villas so I can’t comment on their set up.

 

[lynzi2004]

We have stayed at Ft Wilderness in the campground twice. In fact, it was our first trip! We loved the Fort! BUT, transportation is a definite issue if you don’t have your own car or rent a golf cart. There is no way I would stay there for a week without one of those so if flying in, make sure to include the cost of a golf cart rental in your plans. If driving, you will be fine with your car, but plan to drive to the parks instead of taking the buses. So that is a bit of a deal breaker if ease of transportation is a concern!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Wow, thank you all for all of the fantastic advice! Since this is our first trip I really appreciate hearing others experiences.

A few things:

1. A kitchen is a must due to some severe food restrictions. We already know we’ll be mostly DIY’ing it for food.

2. We would prefer to stay at a Disney resort for convenience and because we would like to get the full experience.

3. While we live in a climate very similar to Florida, I am concerned about the heat and humidity especially for my husband’s sake as he’s not as “Disney excited” as the rest of us so I really want him to be as comfortable as possible while making sure we don’t have too much difficulty getting to and from the parks if that makes sense.

4. I have looked at many YouTube videos about dvc one bedroom villas. One question I have is that I saw that many of the one bedrooms only accommodate four like BCV. Do they allow you to add a fifth person and how cramped would that be?

Again thank you all for your help!!

If renting points, the DVC one-bedrooms that sleep 4 can accommodate a 5th guest, but you have to provide your own bedding and linens. Not something, I personally, would want to do while on vacation. I would consider a two-bedroom with a family of 5 when all of the kids are over the age of 3. I would also recommend picking the resort that will be closest to the park or parks you will be visiting the most. If it's MK, look at BLT, VGF, CCV and BRV. If it's EP/DHS, look at Riviera, BCV and BWV. If it's AK, look at AKV. If those come in at a higher price point than you would like consider SSR and OKW though those will not be as convenient as the others.

 

[nkereina]

If you decide to rent DVC points, your decision may be made for you depending on availability at this point. Most DVC is booked 7-11 months in advance, and we are within the 7 month window for most of June now. June is a very busy time of year, and 1BR is a popular unit. I think its still possible to secure a DVC rental if you act now and are flexible with your dates and resort. You will have the best luck securing something at AKV, Saratoga, or OKW. If these three are available, AKV would be my choice. If you decide to go the route of renting DVC points, I would start engaging the brokers today.

 

[Shellyred8]

I would lean towards either AKL-Kidani or BLT because they have 2 full bathrooms. We stayed at a BLT one BR once and it just felt HUGE!
I love BWV for their proximity to HS and EP. It's also a quick bus ride to AK and DS. The ride to MK is going to be a bit longer, but it's not horrible.

Happy planning!

 

[Elsaalltheway]

First part of research is what one bedrooms actually accommodate five people. That will already limit where you are able to stay. So your options are Bay Lake Tower, Grand Floridain, Old Key West, and Animal Kingdom Kidani. I've stayed at the Grand and really enjoy it. plus it will soon have a direct walking path to MK, and you have the monorail to Epcot, and Animal Kingdom is nice when you have a Savanah view. and also BLT has direct walking access to MK.

 

[bluezy]

1. Yes Transportation is 2 buses or a golf cart and a bus/boat to the theme parks. My family considered the Golf Cart another ride at Disney and we loved it.
2. Yes the Cabin itself has only 1 bathroom, but you can request to be near a Comfort Station with all the bathrooms you need. It works out well.
3. The bed in the living room is no longer a Murphy bed. Since the refurb several years ago, it is now a Queen size sleep sofa and reportedly very comfortable.
4. Kitchen I agree this is personal choice. But we found that we saved a significant amount of money just with eating breakfast in while we got ready. Also it was a joy to have cold drinks, and snacks when we returned. In the refurb I mentioned above the full size stove was replaced with a 3 burner cooktop and a large convection microwave, along with a full size refrigerator and a dishwasher. There is also a small charcoal grill at each cabin.
We would go back to the cabins for sure.
Also June is only 6 - 6.5 months away. Many DVC rentals, especially those near the parks book solid soon, if not already.
Good Luck and have fun.

And this is a perfect example of how one thing is a complete "miss" for one family and a total "hit" with another.

1. The golf carts have zero appeal to our family (some of our kids worked at a golf course and driving a golf cart felt more like work than vacation. ) We don't always travel to and from the parks as one group so having a golf cart just adds another layer of stress (who gets to use the golf cart...who has to take a bus...who has the keys to the golf cart). Not to mention, we'd need a 6-person golf cart which isn't a guarantee. We'd rather be within a short walk to the bus stop and only have to get on one bus.

2. Having to walk outside to get to a comfort station as a second bathroom is not the least bit appealing to me. Nor would I have wanted our kids doing that on their own when they were younger. And with my luck, even if I requested to be close to a comfort station, we'd be as far away as you could possibly get...and one of the kids would have taken the golf cart somewhere....

3. I got the bed situation in the living room reversed. I was thinking it *used* to be a sleeper sofa and is now a murphy bed. My mistake. I wasn't even considering the comfort level -- just the fact that if I'm paying that much money for our accommodations and there is a private bedroom available, my husband and I are sleeping in it. And obviously that doesn't work in the cabins...unless 3 or 4 kids are going to squeeze on one bed in the living room which isn't going to happen since they're all teens/adults.

4. We also usually eat breakfast in the room mostly out of convenience and time savings. I have no desire to cook a meal, though. I cook, clean, and do laundry every day at home and my husband is very adamant that I *don't* do those on vacation. Otherwise, it's not a vacation for me, it's just every-day living in a different location. We find that a microwave and refrigerator are all we really need in our room. And we don't even use the microwave every day. The fridge in the suites is plenty big enough for us to stock it with milk, water, and other drinks. We also bring lots of snacks for the room. Plenty of space for all of those things in the kitchenettes in the suites.

What it boils down to is that a suite at AoA costs us the same as a cabin at Ft. Wilderness (when adding in the cost of the golf cart). We prefer the amenities of the suites (private master bedroom, mini kitchen, 2 bathrooms, direct bus service with no transfers) over the amenities of the cabins. Like I said before, I know people who absolutely LOVE the cabins and they can't understand why we barely even consider staying in one. But I totally understand why some people love them. I also understand why people don't love the suites at AoA. It's all good. Everybody stays at the resort and room type that works for them.

 

[Babsy]

Wow, thank you all for all of the fantastic advice! Since this is our first trip I really appreciate hearing others experiences.

A few things:

1. A kitchen is a must due to some severe food restrictions. We already know we’ll be mostly DIY’ing it for food.

FYI:

WE booked a two bedroom at BLT for easy meal preparation due to allergies. It was great! DD, DSIL, DGSs were kin the one bedroom and DS DDIL and DGDs were in the lock off studio. WE (DH and I) had another separate studio. The one bedroom is amazing at BLT and it is so close to the MK. WE loved our stay there. Room 8810 was the one bedroom that our DD's family stayed in. A lake view, but you could also see the castle and fireworks from the balcony. The kitchen there is a full kitchen so perfect for meal preparation.

WE did book a few restaurants, however. And we were very happy that we did......
WE have a grand son who is severely anaphylactic to all dairy, nuts, seeds, sesame and flax. These allergies are life threatening. He is six years old and ate his first meal that his Mom (my DD) or I didn't prepare, in Disney World. The joy on his face to be able to eat food that he didn't bring to a restaurant was heart warming. My daughter cried.

The chefs at WDW take care of people with severe allergies very well. It was still very stressful for my daughter, as there is always some risk. Having her own kitchen to cook most meals in most of the time helped her deal with the situation a lot.

WE even did a dessert party! I told DD to bring some treats in for DGS as I expected that this would be a challenge, but when we arrived the chef came to greet us and the next thing we knew DGS had a huge platter full of special treats that were prepared just for him and that were all safe for him to eat. He was so excited! Memorable moments indeed!

Just wanted you to know that some meals may be possible at some restaurants with dietary restrictions. You do need to let the restaurants know in advance and be prepared to wait a little longer at meal times. Just so worth it, though.

Good luck!