which resort????

[cristen]

I was just told that some friends of ours wanted to plan a trip to WDW. This will be the first time for all of us, since we all lived in Cali. It will be me, my DH & our 3 girls (6, 3, & 2) & then our friends, & their 8 year old daughter. So 4 adults & 4 children. My question is where would the best place to stay be? She wants to stay at The AKL for the animals. I think we should stay at a Home away from home resort. & get a 2 bedroom villa. What is your advice? Should we stay at a regular resort or a DVC resort? Oh, also if I do decide to stay at a DVC resort, would it be cheaper to try & rent the points out, or just book through Disney? One more question, sorry, out of all the hotels, which is the best? Regular resort & the best DVC resort? Thanks for all your help.

 

[Selket]

I think I've read that you cannot have more than 4 people in a room at AKL except in the deluxe rooms there. Perhaps someone who really knows could clarify that. I think that your family is much larger than theirs and would probably be more comfortable in HAFH resort, however I can understand wanting to stay at AKL because that is where I want to stay and I really wouldn't be as happy staying elsewhere. If both of your families truly want to be together as much as possible then a 2-3 bedroom resort with a kitchen is your best bet. Do you know and like them well enough to share a vacation with them? Would you pay more because you have more people or would you go by the # of bedrooms? Just things to think about. Maybe they would prefer to not share the space and want the theming of the AKL. With the codes out now, I'm guessing that the AKL (for 2 standard rooms for example) would be cheaper per night than one of the HAFH resorts but you'd have to eat out more often. Do they want to eat out most meals where you'd prefer to cook?

Seems that with the difference in the size of your families and the ages of your children you could have some different priorities!

Good luck!
Carol

 

[kdibattista]

AKL is GREAT!!! I don't think it's a good idea if you get a Home Away from Home and share. Just my opinion but even the closest friendships can get ruined by circumstances such as these. We went with my DH's cousin & her DH last year, stayed at different hotels and it still was not enough space. We love them dearly but just needed our space. We are still close as ever because we "went along with their plans" and in return, DH & I did not have the most enjoyable time. Most times families have different ideas of what they want to do, how & when they want to do them. If you are certain you want to stay together, please, please, please sit down and have everyone give their expectations so their are no surprises. We have definitely learned our lesson. We are going this December with my entire family..... DH, sister, her DH, sister, brother, mom & dad. All of us are staying at AKL but we are going to sit down over the summer to go over our itineraries. We will probably do a few meals together, an Illuminations cruise and maybe one or two days at the park - other than that, DH & I will be on our own.

Sorry, slightly off topic but I just wanted to put my $.02 in.

 

[kdibattista]

Back on topic....

I am not really familiar with the DVC point system but I do know that if you book through Disney, you can only book 6 mos. in advance because they need to have it available to members first. Not sure if that affects you at all.

 

[Hayley]

What a loaded question!

You might as well post this on the debate board if you're asking about the best resort, but I think if you tell us what kind of experience you want, we'll be able to help more.

How important is proximity to the parks - and which park will you spend the most time at? Will you have your own car or rely on the WDW transpo? (we never rent a car, but some people wouldn't dream of using the bus system!)

How important is the theming - are you disney nuts (like us) or just want luxury?

Do you want to be in the middle of the action or some peace and quiet?

Do you want restaurants or will a food court do at your resort?

How many people are you putting in one room?

Do you plan to eat all your meals out?

Can anyone think of any more questions?

 

[ducklite]

So many questions!

One thing I want to point out with the home away from homes is taht a 2BR villa could possibly cause a problem in the inequity with the BR's. You would have the masterBR with king bed and jacuzzi tub, plus a walk in closet. Then in the LR is a queen sleeper sofa. In the second BR is a queen bed and a double sleeper sofa, anda MUCH smaller bathroom. Divying that space up fairly would be tough.

You almost always will get a better deal renting points rom a DVC member over booking directly with WDW.

Because your youngest is two (although if he/she is 3 before you go that's another set of problems) you can still put four in a non-deluxe room at AKL. The cribs are only pack-n-plays though, pretty tight for a 2YO. Also, the rooms at the AKL are small. Even the deluxe rooms are really tight for a family of four, let alone five, especially as you'll be spending time there for animal viewing and naps and such.

Perhaps you could work out a compromise. Split your trip--the first half get a 2BR villa through DVC, and one couple gets the master BR, the second half rent a 2BR suite at the AKL and the other couple gets the master BR. Otherwise, I'd just plan on getting seperate rooms.

Keep in mind that with DVC points rentals, you don't get daily hosuekeeping. It doesn't bother me, but some people get really uptight about it. If you do go that route, I would make sure that your freinds are very aware of that.

I don't think anyone can name the "best" resort. It's simply too subjective. As far as best DVC, I think most would agree that BWV is best to be in the middle of it all, and OKW is best if you want something more laid back.

As far as the other resorts, you'll hear everything from All Stars to the GF (neither is close to best in my mind, but that's my opinion.) It just depends on what you want from your vacation. If you want MY opinion on best, it would be as follows:

Best moderate: POFQ
Best Home Away From Home: BWV
Best deluxe: AKL (the Polynesian is a close second, and keep in mind that I've only stayed in concierge rooms in these resorts, which definitely adds to the experience.)

Anne

 

[MKFan-PR]

The 'best' resort... wow, that's so subjective. People would start debating about this and never end. Everybody has different tastes, and different needs. Because of that, Disney has many choices. Due to the size of your group, I think you'll be most comfortable at a Deluxe Resort (which you are considering).

Kdibattista gave some wonderful advice. Every family has different priorities, and you should make sure you are all on the same page. Make sure to include some time for each family to 'do their own thing', by themselves. Although a Home Away From Home could be a good idea, in terms of everyone staying together (and maybe cooking some meals), I think you'll be better off if each family has separate rooms. There will be times when each family will need some space and privacy, and that's a bit hard when staying all at the same villa. At least, IMHO.

AKL is a great resort. The max occupancy in a room there is 4, but since you have a 2 YO, you could use a crib and that way you could accomodate all 5 of you in a room, but keep in mind that the cribs are the 'pack-and-play' kind. Beyond that your best bet would be a 'Deluxe Room', which has a Double Bed, a Bunk Bed and a Day Bed. You could also try another Deluxe Resort. With the exception of WL, the max occupancy at the other Deluxe Resorts is 5. My vote would be for the Poly, because of the ages of the kids. You'll probably like the proximity to MK, and the monorail is very convenient to that. The kids will enjoy it a lot.

I don't know about renting DVC points, but the 'most convenient' Home Away From Home would be BWV. It's basically close to everything.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[ducklite]

Keep in mind that NOT all deluxe rooms a tthe AKL have the bunk beds.

Anne

 

[cristen]

Wow, that is really an open ended question! Sorry. I was just thinking that with so many people it would be better if we had something bigger & with a kitchen, so that we didn't have to eat out for every meal. & I also get the feeling that the girls, they are all girls, will want to sleep together. But now that you guys are saying space, I think I am agreeing with that also. Maybe we can get adjoining rooms, or something. As far as the resorts, geez, it's so hard with so many. The AKL sounds & looks beautiful from the pictures. But I live in Colorado & am wondering if the lodge feeling is too much like home, if you know what I mean. We will be spending most of our time at the MK, which was making me think of the Poly, I definately would like to have the monorail system, so much easier. But I also lived in Hawaii for a while. So I am thinking that it is something I have already done. Themeing is HUGE for me. I am a complete Disney FREAK, so I was thinking GF, because I heard their rooms are nice. As for the DVC resorts, I wanted to stay at OKW, but that from what I hear if pretty far out there. With three kids I am wondering if it would be a hassle rounding them all up & getting to the parks. BWV sounds really nice also because it is in the middle of everything. If I could have my way, I would be staying in the Castle! That is how far away I want to be!!

 

[ducklite]

AKL is NOTHING like any part of CO I've ever been in. I certainly wouldn't worry about that

Anne