WL vs. CR

[Aj1129]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for help in deciding which resort would be better for my family for our visit next August. We have been to Disney many times mostly without our DS who will be 3 for our next visit. We stayed at the Poly last August and we found being on the monorail very convenient especially since we were taking afternoon breaks/naps. Next year we are between the WL (I love the decor and have always wanted to stay there) or the CR. They both have a lot of good/bad things about them. I guess my question is will it be a pain managing a boat or bus with a 3 year old and a stroller at the WL?

 

[wanderingdee]

We actually just made the same decision. Our daughter will be 4 in August when we go. We went with the Wilderness Lodge. It seemed like there was a lot more to do with a small child. For example, the pool has much better reviews at the Wilderness Lodge. Plus you can take a boat to the Contemporary or walk to Fort Wilderness, so it's centrally located to a lot of different locations that might be fun for a little kid.

We like to spend a decent amount of time at the resort, if we planned on being at the park all day, I'd go Contemporary because you can walk to and from the Magic Kingdom, but if you're looking for a more kid friendly hotel I think I'd go Wilderness Lodge.

 

[wanderingdee]

Re-reading your post I never answered your original question. When we stayed at the Grand Floridian we sometimes preferred the boat to the monorail. Even with a two year old and a stroller. It was a nice boat ride and our daughter enjoyed it. So it wasn't a huge incovniencene to travel with the stroller on a boat.

 

[GTApex]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for help in deciding which resort would be better for my family for our visit next August. We have been to Disney many times mostly without our DS who will be 3 for our next visit. We stayed at the Poly last August and we found being on the monorail very convenient especially since we were taking afternoon breaks/naps. Next year we are between the WL (I love the decor and have always wanted to stay there) or the CR. They both have a lot of good/bad things about them. I guess my question is will it be a pain managing a boat or bus with a 3 year old and a stroller at the WL?

With a good folding stroller, we found the boats and busses pretty easy with little kids.

I checked our stroller purchase history from amazon, and can recommend the top two in the image below for travel use (the Maclaren was a little nicer). Both are now discontinued, but there are newer models available.

 

[Shanti]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for help in deciding which resort would be better for my family for our visit next August. We have been to Disney many times mostly without our DS who will be 3 for our next visit. We stayed at the Poly last August and we found being on the monorail very convenient especially since we were taking afternoon breaks/naps. Next year we are between the WL (I love the decor and have always wanted to stay there) or the CR. They both have a lot of good/bad things about them. I guess my question is will it be a pain managing a boat or bus with a 3 year old and a stroller at the WL?

With a 3 year-old & stroller it is no contest. Stay at CR. That walk to & from MK can't be beat.

Have a meal at Whispering Canyon Cafe to get a chance to visit WL & soak its ambiance if you like.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've never stayed at the CR, but we love the WL! The CR is convenient for walking to/from MK, but the WL (IMO) has a better overall atmosphere. We choose our resort by theme/decor rather than transportation/convenience, so my choice would be the WL. Good luck!

 

[KrazeeK120]

We've stayed at both CR (pre-kids) and WL (with our son at 18 months). When we stayed at WL, we only used Disney transport to get to and from MK, but did not find it inconvenient to fold the stroller to get on the bus or boat. My son absolutely loved the boat ride!

IMO, WL is much better for kids. They have a great splash area for small kids at the pool. The CR pool is a dud. The theming is also exquisitely done. My son had a blast there and I'm so glad we chose that resort for our first family Disney vacation.

 

[PlainJane]

I would lean towards WL. I’ve stayed at both (Boulder Ridge and CR Garden Wing). I prefer the setting, lobby, and recreation options (basically everything except the transportation) at WL.

The one thing that MIGHT sway me is if you think you would be waking a grumpy child up to get on the boat to WL, and that depends on how good your child is at stroller napping (and if he’s that good at sleeping in the stroller you might just want to stay in the park).

I like the boat. There are more people waiting in line than the ones to GF and Poly, but they’re also bigger boats. I don’t really mind breaking my stroller down, but I don’t know if you have an unruly one.

 

[spiceycat]

depends at CR - would you get a garden wing or mk tower view - mk tower view for me beats anything at WL can offer. plus you can walk to and from the MK which can work great when the monorail is having problems.

of course generally stay at BLT - so my room is paid for (DVC member)

 

[Aj1129]

We've stayed at both CR (pre-kids) and WL (with our son at 18 months). When we stayed at WL, we only used Disney transport to get to and from MK, but did not find it inconvenient to fold the stroller to get on the bus or boat. My son absolutely loved the boat ride!

IMO, WL is much better for kids. They have a great splash area for small kids at the pool. The CR pool is a dud. The theming is also exquisitely done. My son had a blast there and I'm so glad we chose that resort for our first family Disney vacation.

Thank you for your response. DS loved the boat ride in August when we went for dinner at WL. He gets excited for all types of transportation! It's my DH that I'm worried about! The last thing I want is for him to be annoyed every time he has to break the stroller down. I think I'm going to go ahead and book WL!

 

[Aj1129]

I would lean towards WL. I’ve stayed at both (Boulder Ridge and CR Garden Wing). I prefer the setting, lobby, and recreation options (basically everything except the transportation) at WL.

The one thing that MIGHT sway me is if you think you would be waking a grumpy child up to get on the boat to WL, and that depends on how good your child is at stroller napping (and if he’s that good at sleeping in the stroller you might just want to stay in the park).

I like the boat. There are more people waiting in line than the ones to GF and Poly, but they’re also bigger boats. I don’t really mind breaking my stroller down, but I don’t know if you have an unruly one.

DS is terrible stroller napper. When we went last year I planned our days around his naps. I always made sure to be back at the resort before sleepy meltdowns started. It was a slower paced trip, but made for a happy family. I don't mind breaking the stroller down, but my DH is another story! I think WL has more appeal to my family and will probably end up booking there.

 

[Disneyhenry]

My vote is WL the splash zone and pool, as far as using a boat to the MK it works just fine we have a few strollers in our group when we stayed and no problems - have fun

 

[Figment91]

I've stayed at both and both have their good points. The Contemporary is great because it's centrally located. However Wilderness Lodge is more remote (in terms of traffic) and that can be appealing as well. I personally liked the theming of Wilderness Lodge a little better and enjoyed the atmosphere more, but it's really a matter of taste. Keep in mind that you can walk from the Magic Kingdom to the Contemporary, but it's a very long walk at the end of spending an entire day in the 7 lands. On the other hand, it's so cool to be able to get on the monorail inside your hotel. Both gets points for being able to eat good meals there. I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've stayed at both and, IMHO, in terms of convenience, CR only wins when walking to MK. The monorail is really not your friend if you have a stroller at CR. In order to get to the monorail, with a stroller unfolded, you have to share one tiny elevator with every other stroller and scooter user. And you have to use that same elevator when you get off the monorail and a line usually builds. So, IMHO, the monorail really doesn't offer much convenience for stroller and scooter users at CR.

As an overall resort, for the very reasons you list, WL wins hands-down. There is so much to do at the resort and you can even boat or walk over to Ft. W to visit the stables, play on the playground etc.

 

[PlainJane]

DS is terrible stroller napper. When we went last year I planned our days around his naps. I always made sure to be back at the resort before sleepy meltdowns started. It was a slower paced trip, but made for a happy family. I don't mind breaking the stroller down, but my DH is another story! I think WL has more appeal to my family and will probably end up booking there.

Well, the good thing is there are two of you. He can hold onto your son and you field the stroller. Definitely have everything out of the stroller way before boarding though. Having to get everything out of my stroller and then maneuvering it into my trunk are really the only tedious aspects for me (in day to day life).

Have fun wherever you choose. You can have an amazing vacation at either hotel.