Which resort is best?

[Dancermomof1]

My husband and I are looking to book a trip for either after Christmas or the beginning of June but have found that most of the resorts are booked for the dates we want. Our top pick was Animal Kingdom Lodge but so far the only resorts with availability are Saratoga Springs, Old Key West or The Grand Floridian. We have never stayed at any of those and are looking for reviews from people. Which resort is best in your opinion(especially with a toddler age 2).
Thanks.

 

[Suzanna1973]

If you go to allears.net, and click on accomodations, you will find reviews from people who have stayed in these hotels. They even list the pros and cons and there are pictures of each hotel.

Good luck!!!

 

[minnie4me]

We love the GF, but it is much higher in price than the other 2 you listed. First the hotel is fabulous, so pretty !! Second, it is nice to have several restaurants right on site. Third, the monorail, it is easy access to MK, transportation station, etc...easy to get from point A to B with little ones. DH & I have stayed several times and once w/ DS, I'd stay there every time if I could.

 

[Dancermomof1]

We love the GF, but it is much higher in price than the other 2 you listed. First the hotel is fabulous, so pretty !! Second, it is nice to have several restaurants right on site. Third, the monorail, it is easy access to MK, transportation station, etc...easy to get from point A to B with little ones. DH & I have stayed several times and once w/ DS, I'd stay there every time if I could.

Thanks for your opinions. I also like the idea of having the monorail for the sake of my son. We have eaten there a few times and hhad pictures taken and it looks like a beautiful resort. Are the rooms pretty spacious?

 

[BigEeyore]

SSR and OKW are both DVC resorts, so the accomadations are going to be larger than the GF. Both have studios (queen bed, fold out sofa, kitchette) and 1 and 2BR villas that have full kitchens and washer/dryers. With a baby, I'd go with either OKW or SSr to have the kitchen facilities and larger rooms - especially if you'd like to be able to put the baby down at night and then not have to call it a night yourself!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

If there is a resort you want - KEEP CALLING Central Reservations back! Don't assume they are all completely sold out! People call and pre-book reservations all the time and are constantly changing them - moving to different hotels, etc. Keep in mind that people will cancel and rebook when the Annual Passholder rates open up, or at the 45 day mandatory final payment time. A lot of people put down deposits, and then realize they can't afford their trip and cancel. That means you could possibly even shift your reservation to another hotel at the last minute.

Give yourself a 2 week period and call every day 2 times a day - once in the AM and once in the PM. I can almost guarantee you that you will see different hotels become available every day as people change their plans or cancel their trips.

Out of the two DVC resorts you have chosen, we have two kids and are members at OKW and have stayed at both. If you pay a little more and get a 1 BR unit, you will have a washer and dryer to clean baby messes in your room. A big bonus. We love AKL&V - stayed there last year. You can get any of the room types there - even the villas. The new wing of those opens in May 2009, so they would be open for a June trip.

 

[Dancermomof1]

If there is a resort you want - KEEP CALLING Central Reservations back! Don't assume they are all completely sold out! People call and pre-book reservations all the time and are constantly changing them - moving to different hotels, etc. Keep in mind that people will cancel and rebook when the Annual Passholder rates open up, or at the 45 day mandatory final payment time. A lot of people put down deposits, and then realize they can't afford their trip and cancel. That means you could possibly even shift your reservation to another hotel at the last minute.

Give yourself a 2 week period and call every day 2 times a day - once in the AM and once in the PM. I can almost guarantee you that you will see different hotels become available every day as people change their plans or cancel their trips.

Out of the two DVC resorts you have chosen, we have two kids and are members at OKW and have stayed at both. If you pay a little more and get a 1 BR unit, you will have a washer and dryer to clean baby messes in your room. A big bonus. We love AKL&V - stayed there last year. You can get any of the room types there - even the villas. The new wing of those opens in May 2009, so they would be open for a June trip.

Oh wow! Thanks for the tips. I think I am going to try to call and "bug them" because we really have our heart set on Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our little boy LOVES animals so a Savanna view would just be over the top perfect for us. After looking at pictures of the other resorts they look nice but I think I will keep trying for AKL. Thanks for your help everyone!!!