Which resort is best?

[RC Fan]

Hello!

Just looking for some personal opinons here as I may be staying on-site early in 2005 with my brother and his family.

Which resort is the best?

Which resort is the best for children(7 & 9 year-old)?

Do any of the resorts have rooms that sleep six?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[StitchGirl]

As for which resort is the best, that is really gong to depend on what you enjoy, and what you are looking for-- will you be using amenities such as a gym? Then the deluxe resorts or Coronado Springs are probably your style. Do you want to save money but still stay on site? Then the value resorts are your type. Do you have a peference on the theme? Then you may choose according to that. What are some of the things you are looking for in a resort?? As for "in general," here, you will probably get someone who likes every resort

As for kids, again, that depends-- you are in Disney World, so every resort will have something geared towards kids. A lot of kids like the All-Stars with the large characters and themes. What do your kids like??

As for the sleeping 6-- I'm don't think any "basic" room does, but you can get 2 connecting rooms, or a suite at some of the deluxes that can sleep 6-- I've never tried this so others can probably answer better!

 

[erikthewise]

Originally posted by RC Fan
Hello!

Just looking for some personal opinons here as I may be staying on-site early in 2005 with my brother and his family.

Which resort is the best?

Which resort is the best for children(7 & 9 year-old)?

Do any of the resorts have rooms that sleep six?

Thanks for your advice!

"Best" depends on who you're talking to.

Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members such as myself feel their condo-style resorts (Beach Club Villas, Boardwalk Villas, Villas at Wilderness Lodge, Old Key West, Sarasota Springs) are far better than the hotel-style resorts.

Among the Deluxe resorts, Grand Floridian is the most expensive, and has the most impressive lobby and overall decor, and the largest rooms. But all the other deluxe resorts have their fans too. My favorite is the Polynesian, and I have lots of company!

For children I would recommend either the Polynesian or the Beach Club/Yacht Club. Any of the "monorail" resorts (GF, Polynesian, and Contemporary) are very convenient to the Magic Kingdom. BC/YC guests have access to the best resort pool at WDW, Stormalong Bay, and you're also a short walk from Epcot.

With six, there's a lot to be said for getting two rooms at a value or moderate resort. But if you insist on getting six into one room, your onsite options are limited.

A 2-bedroom suite at a DVC resort will do the trick, but they're expensive! I think the rack rate is $545, and availability is limited. You can rent points from a DVC member for a lot less, but that's a long story: see http://www.mousesavers.com/disneyresorts.html#rentpoints.

The deluxe resorts also have suites that are even more expensive; unless you're made of money they're not an option.

Fort Wilderness cabins will hold six; I think it's two queens plus bunk beds. And they're more reasonably priced than most other options. I think a Junior Suite at Wilderness lodge will hold six. The Swan and Dolphin have similar rooms.

If one of the six is a child under three that can sleep in a pack-n-play crib, you can probably stay in a deluxe resort room that ordinarily sleeps 5; most of them do.

Last and least is the Doubletree Guest Suites near Downtown Disney. Technically onsite but not a Disney resort, it is nevertheless a good value for a room sleeping six.

 

[RC Fan]

We will need a good pool, as both kids enjoy swimming. We will not require exercise facilities. I know some of the resorts have better bus service than others; I would like a resort with good bus service.

The only place I have stayed on-site was the Grand Floridian. I felt it was very over-rated for the price.

 

[las3888]

In my own opinion, I would try for a deluxe if possible...if you want good transportation and the kids are 7 & 9, you might want to be closer to MK (plus staying in a monorail resort is really magical). I agree with you that GF is not worth the extra $. An option you might consider is a wing room at the CR. You have great Disney magic there, access to all the amenities of a great deluxe hotel - access to the monorail for MK (although not sure on bus service to other parks). It is a a great place for kids of that age, plus I think the wing rooms, especially if you can get a discount code, are the best value among deluxe resorts at WDW. Just my opinion! Good luck with your decision!

 

[Nickunited]

Bus Service - So far the only one I really thought was above the rest was at Coronado Springs - It has a really good pool too.

Pools - As I said CSR has a good but most the resorts have very nice and big pools and some resorts even have 4 or 5 smaller pools to compliment their major pool!

Fit 6 - AKL has suits - might want to look into that. Also, I stayed in a 2 bedroom suite at Old Key West. It has a master bedroom with a Jacuzzi (YAY!) as well as a second bedroom with two double beds - finished kitchen. etc. Oh - a couple of TV's.

Going by what you said - I would look into OKW. They have a couple of different room options other than the 2 bedroom. They have a BIG major pool (Very nice) and they have a variety of smaller pools also. The Bus Sytsem was solid there too.

Good Luck!

 

[JLDSMD]

If you're looking at Moderate resorts, I would say PO-FQ. It is compact and very nice. It was recently refurbished. We have stayed there and PO-R. The PO-R is more spread out and has 4 bus stops. FQ only has 1. The bus usually stops at FQ first before going to Riverside. You have a better chance of getting a seat or even on the bus at FQ.

We stayed at Riverside last year while FQ was closed and the people at the remote bus stops usually didn't get on the first or second buses through the resort. Add the fact that FQ is now open, the people at the main bus stop will probably have problems getting on.

With regards to the other two Moderate resorts, I have not stayed at CS or CB, but I know they are both large and at CB they have several bus stops. I'm not sure if they run several buses through CB or not, but I would imagine they do.

 

[Buzz2001]

It all depends on what your looking for. What type of theme you want to be surrounded by, your budget. CSR is a good choice at the moderate level. Check out my CSR website below for pics, links and info.

Mousesavers.com rated CSR best in the moderate category.