Which Resort? Overwhelmed First Timer

[ktbug103]

Hello everyone. We're planning our first trip to WDW, and overwhelmed with the resort choices (okay overwhelmed with all the choices!). I think we have decided on going from May 5th to the 10th. It will be myself, my 50-year-old parents, and my five year old daughter .
We are leaning toward a moderate resort, but we are willing to pay more. Probably the most important thing to us is that the resort has nice pools. We actually aren't even really considering the Value resorts for this very reason, the pools just do not look as nice. The other thing of somewhat importance is that we can find a good meal at the resort, if we don't feel like venturing out that praticular evening, want to have breakfast before we leave the resort for the morning, ect. We're pretty flexible on everything else. The view doesn't really matter much at all, as we don't plan on spending much time in our room.
Thanks in advance! You all have already been so much help, and this is only my second post!

Jenny

 

[SassyLassy]

I would say moderates would be great for you and your family. POR and CSR both have great food and pools. They have main pools and nice quiet pools. If you stay at POR request building 18 with a water view. It tends to be a little more quiet and is closest to the quiet pool plus its not far from the main hall and buses.

If you go deluxe Poly has GREAT breakfast and dinners.. (Kona for Breakfast and O'hana for dinner) but I think the pools lack a bit.

Oh and PS- at POR Boatwrights is a sit down dinner and also breakfast and they serve some nice southern foods there.

Plus from POR you and your family would probably really enjoy the calming scenery at POR and the peacefulness in the morning. And there is a boat ride from POR from the resort to DTD if you go to eat dinner down there.

I think you can tell I POR but I like to be at a peaceful resort after the craziness of the parks during the day.

Have fun no matter where you stay!

 

[skipperkim]

Keeping in mind that all moderates have double or full size beds not queen, I'd have to say POFQ. It's small so returning in the evening means the shortest walk to your room. Also it has it's own bus stop at MK in the evening. I'd also rent a stroller for DD at the parks. It's a lot of walking for a little one. If you get a double stroller it can hold lots of things you don't want to carry.

 

[Gr8dan2]

If you have a little more to spend, your 5 yr old will LOVE AKL and the pool is nice with slide too. My kiddos LOVED our stay there, so did grandma who was with us. Definitely worth a bit more if you have it to spend.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

Please consider the Polynesian. Food is soooo good with one quick service and two table service. It is very kid friendly and being on the monorail is a super plus. Beds are queens and rooms are large. The volcano pool is fabulous. My kids loved it. Your daughter can play on the sand while you watch the Wishes fireworks from your lounge chair - priceless.

 

[simonkodousek]

If you are willing to spend more money to stay at a deluxe, I highly recommend the WL. The pool is excellent, and the resort has a nice feel to it. If you want to spend even more (~$375/night) go for the Polynesian. The rooms are very large, and it is in the best location IMHO. Even better, it is on the monorail line and it is a VERY short walk to the TTC to catch a direct monorail to Epcot!

 

[wilde_oscar]

hm, with a 5 year old... probably a lot of time at MK... any monorail resort or Wilderness Lodge.

 

[of the seas]

I would say the Beach Club for a deluxe. Our family loved the pool-especially the slide and sand bottom. It has a logoon like feel. The Beach Club has many choices for food, with even more choices at all the resorts nearby-the Boardwalk, Yaucht club, Swan & Dolphin.

For a moderate, I would say Coronado Springs. Nice dining options. Also a nice pool.

 

[TJA]

Considering everything you said in your post, I'd look in to WL in your shoes. WL and AKL are the least expensive deluxes and they are both beautiful resorts with nice pools. At WL, you are very close to MK and you can take a boat back and forth. There is a fast-food place to eat, along with a casual sit-down restaurant, and also a fine-dining restaurant. It is one buiding, so not spread-out like the moderates. When you start pricing out your trip, you should really check the standard rooms at both WL and AKL to see if they are close to the moderates in pricing.

 

[karemore]

Reading through the replies you are probably just as confused.

I would stay at POFQ. It's small and that is a huge plus with a young child. She'll love the pool, she'll have a small playground, right near the pool and food court/lobby.

You have the boat to DTD for extra meal choices at dinner. The walk over to POR is nice.

The horse and carriage going through the resort at night is really fun for little ones, they can hear the clip clopping and get all excited. (mine did anyway)

You can't go wrong with POFQ with a young child.

We stayed at GF before staying at POFQ and I can't see us ever paying for a deluxe again, it's just not necessary.

 

[shellybaxter]

I would choose a deluxe resort if your parents are used to sleeping in anything bigger than a double. Double beds when you are not used to them are a pain in the neck (sometimes literally). Also, most of the Deluxe resorts have a signature restaurant on or near by the property. That might be nice for your parents. I think with a young one and yourself and a 50 something couple I'd probably go with Wilderness Lodge. Its got a little something for everyone in your party

 

[FairyDust2008]

I have yet to stay at any of the WDW resorts. This summer 2008 is me, hubby and our 2 kids first WDW trip and staying at a Disney Resort but.................I've have done a ton of research and still doing it, LOL and have asked a TON of questions on this board and here is what I've found out from my research and peoples replies to my posts.

POLY- Everything there is a bit more spread out. Volcano pool just doesn't look big enough for the sizing of the resort in my opinion. I'm sure it is gorgeous there and the food is great and you are on the monorail but really, who cares if you ride the monorail to the parks. You still have to wait all over Disney at the parks to ride stuff so what does it really matter to have a 15 min or so bus ride to get there. After your monorail ride is over, you can't get fast access all the time at Disney for food and rides, ya know?

AKL- We really like this theming and the pool does look really nice but honestly, we will probably only spend 1 day just at our resort but we still might be considering it

Beach/Yacht Club- Seems very pretty and close to MGM, EPCOT and Boardwalk area. The pool sounds very cool and looks big and lovely, however I have heard that it closes at 8pm. Don't quote me on this. But, that isn't convenient at all because most of the time, you aren't returning from the parks until late so that doesn't work out. It would be nice for them to stay open until 10 or 11 pm.

We personally are strongly considering either the POR/POFQ or the CSR moderates. Like with the POR and POFQ, they appear to be laid back and relaxing and the buses there seem to do well from what people say. CSR gets rave reviews. Check out Buzz2001 posts on here. He has a ton of info.


Wilderness Lodge- Although the theming seemed nice, the pool there as with the Poly doesn't look big enough for the resort size.


Goodluck in deciding. Whatever resort you pick, you'll have fun. Enjoy your planning

 

[auntie]

Hmm..let me see. I'm 50...and I love the WL! We've also been going since it's opening..and I was way younger then! Haha! Seriously we've been to Disney since my youngest who is now 16 was only 6 weeks old! As far as a moderate, we liked Caribbean Beach..the rooms are slightly larger than some of the other moderates, and we love the food court. We also liked that when the kids were younger they could rent bikes, and it has such a lush tropical feel to it.
As far as Deluxe..we've stayed in Beach Club, Poly, and WL. Of course the WL has become our favorite. We find it offers something for everyone in the family. The rooms are more spacious than the moderates, and they also offer a bunk option if that interests you...along with Queen size beds. Also, they have a balcony...which to me is very important. I rather enjoy having my morning coffee out on the balcony while waiting for the others to get ready in the morning. We enjoy having a drink or just relaxing outside in the evening. If you are traveling in the same room with your parents..this is something to consider. Especially for grandpa..who could likely use a few minutes to relax outside while you girls are getting it together. There is a biking/walking path that also leads over to FW if you are so inclined to ride bikes. We enjoy touring the campground. If you plan to see the Dinner Show..The Hoop Dee Doo..there is a water launch that will take you to FW ....no bus..or parking and then taking a bus. We found we especially liked the WL because of the dining options. The Roaring Forks is a counter service...the selections are VERY good. Salads, sandwhiches, burgers, that sort of thing. We found we liked this option when the kids were young because they just didn't want to always sit for a meal. Heck..we still like it! They offer seating both inside and outside. Often we would take our morning breakfast outside.The Whispering Canyon is located in the WL lobby and is great fun for dinner, the waitstaff makes a fuss over various things ..(try asking for ketchup!). WL also offers a signature restaurant Artist Point. We went once..but weren't overly impressed. The water launch is a very pleasant way to reach the MK...In fact, even when we stayed at the Poly, we still chose the water launch to reach the MK, rather than the monorail..we just enjoy it. Monorail, to us, just isn't a priority. There is bus transportation, as you will find at the other resorts to the other parks. In all our stays, we've never had any issues with the transporation. As far as pool....it's the best. What I especially like about the WL pool is that you can see the kids on the slide from where you are sitting. We found at the Beach Club..Storm-along-Bay- was great..but I was reluctant to let the kids go over to the slide alone as it was out of sight..so we would have to accompany them, or send big brother. It was a pain. The WL pool offers a wonderfully rockscaped slide. There is a stream than meanders out of the lobby and eventually leads to the pool and the replica of the Old Faithful Geyser with Bay Lake as it's back drop. The lodge also offers a hot tub(poly didn't) and a childrens pool, and of course the quiet pool at the Villas. We spent a good deal of time there last year. So you have several options available to you. The Electric Water Pagent is on Bay Lake each evening..and your daughter will also enjoy the playground located near the marina area at the beach. If you choose to go to a Deluxe resort, In my opinion WL would be a great choice, and well suited to your situation.
Hopes this helps...enjoy your trip!

 

[FairyDust2008]

Also, with your 5 yr. old daughter and your 50 yr. old parents, I think the POR/POFQ pools would appeal more to you and your family. Your parents would love the relaxing feel that is said to be at POR/POFQ. The serpent slide at POFQ looks really cute and kind of tame from the pics which would be good for the younger crowd and still a good slide for the bit older kids. It would be a less fast paced environment I think and you would all enjoy it at the end of the day. GOODLUCK

 

[FairyDust2008]

Oh, I agree with the one poster too about the boat to the MK. That would be a nice way to the MK without being on a bus. Would be neat. The WL is still in our decisions of a resort too. THE AKL AND WL are. I just had major concerns with the pool area but after reading the one poster about their slide, I might inquire more info, perhaps some pictures more about the pool. The lobby looks lovely and the grounds too and the food there looks good. As I've said before, I've never stayed at any Disney Resort. This summer 2008 is our family's 1st WDW trip so I've been trying to narrow down our choices based upon posts, pics, reviews, etc and really what our family wants in the end. BEST OF LUCK-HAVE FUN

 

[slug]

hm, with a 5 year old... probably a lot of time at MK... any monorail resort or Wilderness Lodge.

This poster hit the nail right on the head. 5yo will want to be at MK most of the time - my dd was the same way. So it'll be very convienient to be on monorail or WL. If I'm not mistaken (I may be), WL might give you the best prices out of that group of resorts.