WL for 2 and 4 year old?

[MarcyMouse]

Has anyone stayed at WL with very young kids? Is it fun for them? I'm specifically thinking about the pools. I know the WL pool isn't zero entry, but how deep does it start? My kids love swimming! And is the slide too big for a 4 year old?

Thank you!

 

[iteachlit]

I have seen other posts about the WL slide and kids, but the search feature on the DIS is, well, not very good.

If I remember correctly, most will tell you that the slides at Disney resorts are not frightening at all. The WL slide is not very fast or steep, that's for sure.

As far as depth, I believe that the shallow end is about 3 feet. The pool gradually slopes to 5 feet, I believe. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong. It's been 10 years since we've been there.

OK, we were there last year, but just to eat. We didn't dine in the pool...

 

[spiceycat]

if you want your kids happy - might pick either a moderate or value.

however I love WL it is an absolutely beautiful lodge.

here are some pictures of all the resorts
http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/504

look at POP, value or moderate, POFQ - for the ones I think kids will love

more information on WL
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=658804

pop
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=698727

pofq
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=530340

 

[ekball]

Hi there,

We stayed at the WL last Sept. with our 1 year old and almost 3 year old - and they had a GREAT time! They were perfectly happy there, and so were we!

I'd say that the shallow end of the big pool is probably 4 feet deep - a guess, but probably a good one. The slide.....now I disagree with the other poster on this. DH and I went on the slide (had to...kids at heart) and we were both surprised at how fast it was!! DH wore his sunglasses down the slide and lost them as he plunged into the pool - had to dive around to retrieve them. I thought I could slide down and gracefully plunge into the pool without looking like a fool, but boy was I wrong! I was a mess, but it was fun! I guess it would depend on how your 4 year old is...timid of the unknown? Strong swimmer? Give it a try yourself when you get there (it's allowed, and it's fun!) and see what you think.

We spent most of our time in the kiddie pool and it was great! Large enough that the kids were not on top of eachother, but small enough that everyone was safe and easy to reach if necessary (we would just sit on the edge of the kiddie pool or walking around in it with DS). They LOOOOOOOVED it!!!

We wanted to try something different this year so we will be at the Poly, but I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to go back to the WL. Have fun!

Also - the 'beach' was fun for the kiddos too. They had lots of fun digging around in the sand and playing on the playscape in the morning.

 

[Maukey]

I'll be at the Lodge in January with my then 17 month old. I think it'll be perfect for the kids. After much research, I've found that if you're gonna do a deluxe with young kids, most people say:

#1 Do a MK Resort

and

#2 The Poly is the best choice due to the monorail and theming, followed closely by the WL due to the Theming and the money you'll save staying there!

Anyway, I say GO FOR IT!

 

[raven69david]

I have seen other posts about the WL slide and kids, but the search feature on the DIS sux.

Fixed

Anyhow, for kids that young, it may be a little boring for them. Sure there are activities for them to do, albeit not too many, but IMO i think AKL would be better as just about all kids are fascinated with animals. Plus they are basically the same type of lodge with different themeing. This is the reason we're taking our DD2 and nephew 3 back to AKL this December.

 

[LeahA]

We stayed with our kids when they were 1/4/7 and we had a very nice time. My 1/4 year old spent most of their time in the baby pool with occasional trips into the big pool with Mom and Dad. My 7 year old went into the big pool and also went down the small slide they have.

The WL has a park by the beach, bike rentals, boat rentals.

The WL has cartoons down in the lobby which worked out nice when one was still sleeping in the morning and one was awake.

It is a very nice resort.

 

[MarcyMouse]

Thanks for all the responses! I had totally forgotten about the kiddie pool. I guess there's a little something for everyone!

 

[iteachlit]

Fixed

Anyhow, for kids that young, it may be a little boring for them. Sure there are activities for them to do, albeit not too many, but IMO i think AKL would be better as just about all kids are fascinated with animals. Plus they are basically the same type of lodge with different themeing. This is the reason we're taking our DD2 and nephew 3 back to AKL this December.

If you're going to quote someone, don't change the quote. The search engine, although "fixed" still leaves much to be desired, IMHO.

 

[ekball]

Thanks for all the responses! I had totally forgotten about the kiddie pool. I guess there's a little something for everyone!

As a parent of 2 little ones that stayed at the WL I can assure you that there IS indeed "something for everyone" and that they won't be bored! My kids adored just wandering around, splashing in the kiddie pool, watching the ducks/bunnies/birds, playing on the beach, walking over to Ft. Wilderness to see the animals, riding the boats, watching the stream/falls that run into the pool, etc. It's a great resort for both children and adults! Have a wonderful trip.

Oh and BTW - mom and dad enjoyed sitting on the balcony at night while we watched the EWP and the higher fireworks at MK! We were in an inner courtyard room on the 5th floor and were able to see them every night while the kiddos slept.

 

[Nicole786]

Now that I'm older, i absolutely can't go to Disney and not stay inside the resort, I feel like somethings missing. But when i was younger, and we stayed off-site, i didn't understand the difference. When I went with my aunt and grandparents when I was 8, we stayed at POFQ, and while i remember absolutely LOVING the dragon slide...again, at the time I probably didn't appreciate it as I do now.

In short, I say go for the resort YOU want to stay at, your kids will have a blast no matter where they stay!

 

[jenb1023]

Our DD was 3.5 when we stayed there in April and she loved it. She wants to go back there for our next trip. The main pool is pretty deep (maybe three feet at its shallowest???) but the kiddie pool is great. As for the water slide, it depends on how daring your 4 yr old is. I think they have to go down it alone which does not interest DD. However, if he is daring you could wait for him at the bottom.

The wildlife around outside, the boat trip to MK, and the overall theme make it a great place for little ones!

 

[MontyMontyMOnty]

We love the wl, and our girls (ages 2 and 4 at the time we went, loved it too. I am on the "no-slide" side of the pool, though. For my non swimmers, the water just churns too much at the bottom. I pulled a boy out of the mess at the bottom of the slide on our last trip, he was about 6 and couldnt get his footing...I swam over and held him up, and turned around and the lifeguard had jumped in and was right next to me--she helped him out of the poolhe was older and bigger than my girls, and was in trouble (enough for hte LG to respond as well)
so, th eslide freaks me out for little ones BUT the rest of the pool is very nice, and my girls crack up when ducks land in the water (which happened every day we were there last sept

 

[LilGMom]

Our first stay at WL with our kids was when our oldest was around 3 and we had a great time. I think his highlights were riding the boat from the WL to the MK and WCC (which turned out to be a highlight for all of us). Our oldest also loves the little beachy playground and we all loved being able to rent Mouse Boats right there. Whenever we have stayed anywhere else our oldest (now 6) always asks us why we aren't staying at the log place and as soon as we walk in for WCC (a must stop during all of our trips) he loudly announces that "this is where he wants to stay".

 

[Fionasmommy]

We just returned, so I can say with confidence that the shallowest part of the main pool is 3 feet. My DD isn't a strong swimmer, but I just put her little water wings on and off she went. There were lots of 3 and 4 year old in there playing, and I saw plenty of kids that small going down the slide (with parents waiting at the bottom).

We loved WL! There are also lots of kids activities each day, which is something I never saw at the mods. You get a weekly calendar at check-in, so you can plan ahead. We ended up spending the day of the 4th at WL just hanging out and letting DD enjoy all the special things they had planned for kids. It was a lot of fun for her!