Which resort?? Mother with baby

[vbarry]

My husband and I are taking a 4 year old and 7 month old to Disney 2/26/05-3/5/05. I have received a good AP at Animal Kingdom. I need a resort with a nice pool and a balcony since I will be spending time in the rooms for naps. Something easy to get back and forth from the parks and pool. Any moderate resort with a balcony??

 

[lucyem]

We were at the Polynesian this past month with a 2 yr old. I know it's not moderate in price but the ease of getting to and from anywhere was great. We actually picked it because the Unofficial Guide said it was their 1st choice for going back to nap with small kids. We found an online discount and got a great price for the room otherwise it would have been out of our budget as well.

 

[ducklite]

I love the AKL. Howevre in your situation it might not be the best bet. My guess is that you'll spend the most time at the Magic Kingdom, so being closer to that might be a better bet.

The Polynesian has some buildings that don't have balconies on the second floor, although if you make the request for a ground floor room due to children when you book, they're good about granting that type of thing.

The lush grounds have plenty of foom for your older child to run off steam, a nice beach, and a great zero entry pool.

It's a quick monorail ride to the MK, and unless it's really crowded they won't make you fold the stroller.

The cast there are wonderful, and the resort offers a variety of amenities and some nice shops. I believe there are now mini-fridges in every room.

Regretfully none of the moderates have a balcony. They all have exterior entrances, so the "blacony" is the walkway outside your door. Not exactly a quiet place where you can leave the door open to hear while baby naps.

If the Polynesian is out of your budget, keep the reservation at the AKL, it's incredible--the resort envelopes you like a warm blanket and you won't want to leave. Be sure to book a savanah view room, watching the animals is very peaceful.

Anne

 

[vbarry]

Thanks for the advice. AP is $387.00- can I get any cheaper if I wait until the week before we arrive??

 

[STEPHILL]

We stayed at the Swan and Dolphin with my 2 yo a couple of years ago. It was very convenient. You do not have to fold the stroller to get on the boats. So you could just push the stroller on the boat to MGM and Epcot. Very Convenient. The bus takes you to AK and MK. I would suggest a Monorail Resort or a boat resort.

We went twice that year and the second time we stayed at ASMo. My DH and I both said how convenient the Swan and Dolphin were compared to the ASMo. It was well worth the extra money and sometimes, the S/D offer great rates, too.

 

[dmaz]

We just got back from WL with our dd 4 and our ds 16 mos. It was wonderful taking the boat to MK with our sit and stand stroller. You don't have to fold it. The pool was beautiful and they have balconies plus it's one of the cheaper deluxes.
We stayed at POFQ when my ds was 8 mos at it was quite troublesome getting around.
I don't know what the AP rates are for your dates but we paid $122 w/ tax per night for a standard room from 1/24-1/29.

 

[swilphil]

We have stayed at the Swan and Dolphin when our kids were 3 and 1. It was great being able to walk/boat to Epcot and MGM, and sometimes they have good discounts. On our March trip we are staying at the Contemporary garden view for $199/night on an AP rate. I think some people have gotten the standard room in the garden wing for $174. The garden wing rooms don't have balconies but the lower level rooms have patios. There are only 3 levels, so you have a 30 percent chance of getting a patio, maybe more if you request it. You can walk or monorail it to the MK and the rooms are very large.

 

[ducklite]

Thanks for the advice. AP is $387.00- can I get any cheaper if I wait until the week before we arrive??

Generally no. You could book a poolview room at the AKL and hope for an upgrade. Poolview might be a little noisier than savannah view though.

Anne