Which resort would you pick?

[Ceryssa]

If proximity to MK on somewhat of a budget is what you're looking for, WL is your best option. Bus or boat to MK, and there is a boat to CR where you'll have monorail access. With a 2 year old you'll have a stroller, and while it would be doable I wouldn't want to fold and stow the stroller twice (or more if you go back for naps) a day, especially if the little one is sleeping. It would absolutely be worth the money to me to stay closer for easier transportation.

 

[spiceycat]

the CR rooms are BIG - so your family would be fine there - just look at the south wing and not the tower.

 

[spiceycat]

ok - how about Pop Century or All Star Movie/Sports?

Pop Century is nice but small. not sure about 3 kids but if your youngest will only be 2. then might go with it - knowing that you will be crowded. remember the food courts at Pop (my favorite of the values) will be crowded from 7:15 to 9am so either go before (only the pastry and cold stuff is available) or go to the parks then eat breakfast.

 

[tabistar]

Pop is ok, but definitely more crowded in both the room and the resort as a whole. We enjoyed our stay at AoA in a Little Mermaid room, mostly because of the theme, but again, the room was small- fine for a family of 4 with 2 small kids, but I wouldn't do 3 kids in it. We are doing a moderate this time for a little extra space.

 

[disneygals10]

Pop is ok, but definitely more crowded in both the room and the resort as a whole. We enjoyed our stay at AoA in a Little Mermaid room, mostly because of the theme, but again, the room was small- fine for a family of 4 with 2 small kids, but I wouldn't do 3 kids in it. We are doing a moderate this time for a little extra space.

which moderate will you be doing this time? Thanks!

 

[tabistar]

We are doing Caribbean Beach; I've heard great things about it!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

With having such young kids I would definitely recommend staying at a monorail resort. Its so easy to just hop the monorail back if the youngest needs a break. The Contemporary is probably our fav monorail resort. We haven't stayed at the Poly yet. My hubby isn't into the whole Island Theme thing, but I am trying to convince him that we should try it out, lol. We stayed at The Grand Floridian last time and its an extremely nice resort but its the most expensive on Disney property. Only reason we stayed there was bc we got an AWESOME deal, lol. Anyways I love the Contemporary Resort bc the Theme Park view cannot be beat! You feel like the fireworks are right outside your window and there is just something magical about that. I also love that everything is under 1 roof so not a lot of walking to get back to your room after a day at the park. Also its the only resort that you can actually walk to MK from the hotel if you want. Its not a bad walk either. So at the end of the day if transportation is super busy you can just walk back. The Poly is a nice resort too. We've never stayed there but we've eaten there on several occasions. Kona Cafe has the BEST breakfast on Disney Property as far as I am concerned and Ohana is a really cute breakfast as well. My kids love the characters there. The grounds at The Poly are beautiful. We walked around the grounds last time and they are super nice. Also you can walk to the TTC from the Poly so if you were going to do Epcot you could walk there which is nice! I've never stayed at WL but we ate at Whispering Canyon for dinner and had a fabulous time. WL just isn't for my family though I felt like I was in the mountains or something with the theming there, lol. Anything you choose will be nice though bc all the Deluxe hotels are super awesome!

 

[Babsy]

My suggestion would be the WL. It's a great deluxe resort that is quite a bit cheaper than the monorail resorts, but is convenient to MK via boat or bus (bus is direct with no stops). You can also take the boat to the CR where you can hop on the monorail and visit the Poly and GF. You would need to take a bus to DHS, but we have always found the buses at the WL to be great. Another choice would be the CR in the garden wing. The rooms are large and spacious (larger than rooms at the WL), but they are cheaper than the GF, Poly, and CR tower rooms.

I agree 100%!

Either the WL (preferably courtyard view) or the CR garden wing garden view would work well for you. The budget and your theme preference would probably be the deciding factors here.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

If value for dollar is important to you, I really think that in most circumstances, you get the most bang for your buck at the moderate resorts. They have beautiful grounds, decent bus transportation, fine rooms with Disney details, queen beds (values have doubles), and amazing pools.

If you are looking for the quintessential Disney experience and convenience is important to you, then the Wilderness Lodge or one of the monorail resorts do have the convenience factor that is so important to many. You do pay a hefty price for that convenience, though.

Personally, value is really important to me, and we go at least once a year, so I don't feel that I have to have that once-in-a-lifetime Disney trip that is important to a lot of people. I tend to wait until discounts come out to see what is available with the discounts and what will be the best value. Typically, that turns out to be a moderate. This summer, however, a standard room at Animal Kingdom Lodge was actually cheaper than any of the available moderates, so we went with AKL. It is an amazing resort, and although it is far from MK, the bus ride is not bad. We stayed at AKL when my daughter was 2 1/2, and it worked out great for us. We think the value we get for price makes up for any lack of convenience. But again, we have the chance to go frequently and I might feel differently if I were only going to go once or twice with my children.

 

[worleygirl26]

I definitely recommend renting points. It was well worth it for us. We just stayed at AKL Kidani for half of rack rate. We stayed at WL 3 years ago and it was great too.

 

[sndral]

To get a feel for cost price out your vacation on line, ideally for the same time of year, in several different resorts that appeal to you, then decide which is comfortable budget wise for you. Remember tickets cost a fortune, food isn't cheap, it's an expensive vacation. Become familiar with discounts and whether Disney typically offers any during the time of year you plan to go. There are very few times when there aren't some kinds of discounts offered. WDW is huge. There is no way to be conveniently close to all parks.
Least costly: the AllStars resorts - but with 5 in the family only the pricier suites or 2 rooms are an option.
Mid range: 2 of these offer rooms for families of 5 CBR and POR. Both lovely, well themed resorts. POR has a boat to DTD.
Deluxes:
Cheapest - WL and AKL, but I don't think either sleep 5
Moderate- BC, YC, BWI. Easy access to 2 parks -Epcot & DHS. BC & YC have the awesome storm along bay swimming area, both sleep 5, I'm not sure about BW occupancy levels.
Expensive - Contemporary, Poly and GF, in that order. On the monorail, Contemporary you can walk to the MK.
Regarding renting points:
1) There is risk, whether you go through an owner or a broker, you risk having your reservation canceled by the owner intentionally (eg just because or they decide to sell their points) or negligently (eg the owner doesn't pay their dues or their loan causing DVC to cancel any reservations they've made.)
2) you must plan early - like 11 months early for popular times/resorts.
3) you must pay all of your room cost up front when you reserve (note, some private renters are more flexible about this.)
4) limited housekeeping (4th day on 8 day stays.)
5) no flexibility - no changes, need to arrive a day later - can't usually do that. Have an emergency, Disney will refund all or most of your money or let you reschedule, a DVC rental won't allow that.
6) 4 pm check in, and due to high DVC occupancy early check in is much less common than with a Disney reservation.
People assume these risks because DVC renting can save money. But sometimes the Disney discounts are almost as good of a deal, so you have to run the numbers if you are interested in renting DVC points to see whether the savings are worth the risks.

 

[thumpie's mom]

We have stayed at both the All Star Movie and the AoA. Since we don't spend any time in the room except to shower and sleep, the value resorts work for us. We enjoyed the All Star Movie, but it is older than AoA, but has terrific Disney themes, food court is decent. The AoA was really fun, the food court the best we have had and it has a great pool. Can easily recommend either one, but for the value, would stay at the All star again. Transportation is easy from either resort using the Disney bus. Have a great time!

 

[ajwolfe]

I would recommend POR for your family -the murphy bed makes for a nice place for a 5th person to sleep and still folds up nicely. The theming is gorgeous and it's just a short drive/bus ride over to MK. Plus the price doesn't completely break the bank since you won't be spending that much time in the room anyways.