Which resort would you choose w/8-month-old & stroller?

[Meredith'sMom]

Just a quick poll--

DH and I may be attempting an April visit with our infant daughter (and my mom), but are undecided on resort at the moment. Which would you recommend for us? We will be using our own stroller, and will likely frequent the Magic Kingdom the most (more for us than DD, at this point!). For fun, let's say price is no object, though we will not be able to stay at the GF as we did on our honeymoon.

We're wondering if a monorail resort is imperative for quick returns for naptime, or if that might not be as big of an issue as we think (DD loves to sleep in her stroller and can almost always be soothed by the motion of a car or, I assume, a bus).

Thanks for any and all tips. I have also been combing the Disney for Families archives, but thought some new input would be terrific as well.

 

[Yacht Club Guy]

Money No Option=CR (monorail)
Money is a Option=Pop Century (perferred Room 'cause of Stroller)

That's Just The way Life Is... *lol*
-Kyle
P.S-Welcome To The DIS!

 

[dennisnlisab96]

We stayed at WL when our DD was 9 months old and Pop when our DS was also 9 months old both were fine.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

Hi Joyce, My DD has been to Disney twice, once at 4 months and second time at 9 mos. Yeah I know, we are crazy..but The first time we stayed at the Dolphin to be near Epcot, 2nd Contemporary for the monorail and MK. We walked mostly everywhere and took the Monorail.. Manuvering the stroller into the monorail does take two to lift it up and in. The buses I guess were a bit of a hassle to fold up your stroller and try to carry it, your baby and your bags onto the bus...but manageable.

She napped in her stroller no problem, you may want to make sure you have a blanket or something to hang over the hood of the stroller to keep the sun out to allow for better naps. Every restaurant allowed us to bring her stroller in so she could sleep..Even the California Grill in the Contemporary!

We had an great relaxing trip.

HTH!

Have fun

 

[Waggy182]

CR for walking and monorail benefit, or Poly for monorail benefit.

 

[rcraw45425]

We did it when DD9 was 33 months and DD7 was 11 months. Stayed at the Swan, used a double stroller (our own). Don't recall any major hassles, took boat to MGM, walked to EPCOT, took bus to MK. No problems with the stroller on the boat or monorail but then it was the type where they sat one in front of the other.

 

[Lesley]

You can get by almost anywhere....but if you'll be primarily at the MK I'd go for the Contemporary, where you can choose to walk or ride the monorail. We just had our 9mo at the Wilderness Lodge and that was not a problem either....it's our 4yo that makes things challenging.

But in her 9 1/2 months of life Alethia has stayed at the BWV, POFQ, OKW, VWL and the Swan....none were any problem at all as far as she was concerned. Depending on your stroller you may want to avoid resorts where you'll have to spend a lot of time on busses...the folding and unfolding, hauling it all on and off, can be tiresome. The best we stayed at as far as MK access was definitely WL. We did stay at the Polynesian when my middle child was 6mo....and it was wonderfully convenient.

Stay on the monorail if you can...if you can't WL is a close second...and I'd follow that suggestion with any of the Epcot resorts (BW, YC, BC, S/D) since at least there's somewhere you can walk to!

Have fun! WDW is a great place to vacation with a baby!

 

[eeyore0062]

Most definitely a monorail resort. Depending on your budget, I would suggest the Contemporary (slightly less than the Polynesian) or the Polynesian. Both have nice large rooms, great transportation and are family friendly.

 

[Meredith'sMom]

Thanks so much, everyone! It is great to hear that a vacation at Disney with a baby, if different, is definitely doable! I know my in-laws will think we're nuts, but from everything I read taking kids gets harder before it gets easier (ie wanting out of stroller more, being afraid of rides). At least our DD will just be amused by the pretty lights and colors.

We had been leaning toward the WL, but wondered if the boat would be practical (we rode it to dinner at Artist Point while on honeymoon). It sounds like, from all the advice, the CR or Poly would be ideal, but if we need to save a little money the WL will be fine.

Thanks again for the practical tips--I especially loved hearing that strollers were allowed in some restaurant. I'd really wondered about that. I'd like to thank you all individually, but my DD is whining already. Her motto is "keep moving and nobody gets hurt," so while she's annoyed with her Gymnini in 5 minutes, she should be able to withstand Disney-in-motion for much longer.

 

[swilphil]

My first choice would be an Epcot area resort. I've stayed there twice with babies/toddlers. It's so nice to be able to walk to two parks, and at that age she will not care which park she is in. Bus service to MK from the Epcot area resorts is also much improved.

The Contemporary is not only a monorail resort, but you can also walk to MK in 10-15 minutes. WL would be my last choice among the deluxes. We found that the boat took much longer than expected, and the waits for the boat were much longer than waits for buses.

 

[Muffy]

I would go with the CR with a stroller. It is so convienent with the monorail right there. Plus there is a walkway to MK. If you like the Epcot area you can't go wrong with either the Swan or Dolphin. You can roll the stroller right on the firiendship boats and quickly get to MGM and Epcot. Plus you are right there at the Boardwalk. Plenty of good restuarants at this location too.

 

[Brina]

Without a doubt or hesitation, the Contemporary. you can walk back to your room from the MK. Also, the rooms are relatively big, so finding a place to put the crib is pretty easy.


Brina

 

[Disfreek]

Definitely stay at the Contemporary. We were there with a double stroller & it was so nice to walk back and put the kids into bed w/o waking them up.

They would wake up the next morning & not realize that they had left the MK!

 

[Deborah_Mary]

I definitely say CR. This is our family's Disney resort of choice and last year in July we took both our dds: 5 1/2 and 6 months at the time there (making that trip #3 for older dd). We had a great time and also used our own stroller while we were there. It wasn't an umbrella one, nor the travel system one, but one that was lightweight and that one of us could deal with if the other decided to stay in the park with our older dd while the other took back the baby to the room. For us getting on and off the monorail was easy with our stroller and getting to the monorail station was easy too via elevator at the CR. We walked to the MK a couple times and it is so close. We also had a tower room view of the castle, can NOT be beat! It was great being in the tower for ease of getting down to the Food and Fun Center, the monorail, the concourse or to the bus stops.

I would suggest if money is not a BIG issue to stay here or the Poly if your budget permits. I know we had not a tough time but not an easy time either folding up the stoller and taking it on the bus rides to and from MGM and AKL. I could not had gone back to the hotel without dh's help since I needed the extra hands. But it was no problem from MK and Epcot due to the monorail. We also took the boat from from CR to WL and then FW to check them out. WL looked GREAT and we would really like to stay there someday, just not sure when we'll get there. We took the little boat between those 3 stops and for that you must fold up your stroller as it can not be wheeled on. On the larger boat that goes to MK from WL you can indeed roll the stroller on which is nice.

Hope this helps you out!!

Have a great trip!!

Deb*

 

[Meredith'sMom]

Wow! It seems like there are more and more votes for the CR. I'll have to discuss that with DH. He really hates the decor at the CR (I confess I'm not in love with it myself), but my argument is, once you're there, what will matter the most--the decor or the convenience? I'm thinking with the little one the convenience of WALKING to the MK can't be beat.

We have two strollers, but will definitely be bringing the lighter weight but full-featured one. It has almost a full canopy for blocking the sun, and fairly easy one-hand/one-foot fold. Our other stroller that we use every day here is a smooth ride but comes apart in two pieces and has a so-so canopy. Definitely not Disney-friendly!


Thanks again, everybody! You don't know how helpful this is. It's also helpful that no one has come on here and said "What!!!??? You're taking an infant to Disney?" LOL

 

[DISNEYFOS]

I have the same problem with the CR, but if you are going to be spending lots of time at MK, like you said walking to it is the best bet. We spend most of our time at Epcot and MGM, which is why the dolphin (and now the Beach Club in Feb '05).

Oh a couple other helpful hints (even though you asked about resorts)...map out the baby centers, Very cool to get out of the crowds, nice clean changing tables, ability to warm up formula or quiet rooms to breastfeed.

We just had the resorts provide her crib and refrigerator.

Be careful of some of the rides, even though you'd think they might be okay, some have scary sections that might not work out well. Great Movie Ride is one I can think of, Pirates of the Carribean (loud noises)...I think for the most part they all have some sort of warning if their might be a problem.

Oh and last but not least, if you are flying, try to make sure she has her own suitcase rather than trying to pack her stuff in yours. With the airline restrictions on weight, we ended up getting charged for an over weight bag with all her diapers and formula/food.

You are definitely not crazy for bringing an infant...Of course she won't remember it but its more for you and DH to relax and be in a very baby friendly environment! Thats the way I look at it anyways!

 

[lovethattink]

If money is not a factor, stay on the monorail loop! This way, if baby falls asleep in the stroller you don't have to worry about taking baby out of stroller to fold it up. On buses and trams, the stroller must be folded.

 

[Meredith'sMom]

DisneyFOS --Thanks for the additional tips! I could use them. I have heard of the Baby Centers. I never noticed them in my countless trips, but that's what it's like before you have a baby, right? It seems like there are plenty out-of-the-way nursing spots too, since I'm sure my DD will be hungry when I'm leagues away from the Center. Fortunately, I've been practicing my "discreet nursing" on benches at the mall; I used to be so scared to do that, but a hungry baby makes you brave!

As for sleeping, whether we get a crib from the resort depends on whether DD will sleep in a crib yet or not. Now she sleeps in an Amby Baby hammock (hard to explain, you can see them at www.ambybaby.com ) b/c she refused cribs and bassinets. She will also sleep in bed with us, but ONLY if she falls asleep in the Amby first. She absolutely will not fall asleep "still" but I keep trying. But who knows how she'll be in April? Fortunately the Amby breaks down pretty small and comes with a travel bag.

I totally thought of the same thing with Pirates! Mostly the battleship part. When DH and honeymooned they put us in our own boat and "announced us" as we launched. That was so fun!

And the luggage--what a great tip! I wouldn't have thought of that.

Thanks so much! I just love these boards.

 

[Meredith'sMom]

Good point, lovethattink. Plus DH and I love to walk (good thing!) so it'd be much easier to just stroll over with the baby settled in already.

 

[Missus Toad]

The Poly was great for us with our then 15 month old. Can't beat monorail service, especially after a long day in the park-- I couldn't walk another step, or imagine trying to get all of us on a bus! Having a room facing the volcano pool on the first floor was perfection-- easy access for quick changes, naps and whatnot in between swimming.

Definitely take advantage of the baby centers-- they are a tripsaver, no matter how well prepared you think you are when you leave the room in the morning.

BTW, I'm going to be using an Amby with my next baby (due next month)-- seems awesome for travel purposes!

Have a great time wherever you stay!