You are a mom alone with your 3 year old son. Which resort?

[Tinks]

Which resort?

Trip is just me and my 3 year old son. He loves the monorail, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey and Buzz. He loves to swim and needs to nap every day.

3 night trip in August. Poll on the way!

 

[zagafi]

After the twins were born last year, dh sent me and then 5 y.o. ds for a special (last minute) trip. We stayed at Pop Century and had a ball. He loved it!

 

[kpm76]

I didn't vote because I would say either Poly or Cont for the access to MK. Cont has no appeal for me but the convenience is great. We LOVE the Poly though AKL too "out of the way" I think for just you and DS. I am assuming most of your time will be spent at MK? I would go with the Poly....lagoon view is awesome but I would not pay a ton more for it....it's a gorgeous resort and even garden views are beautiful. HTH

 

[Leota]

I went for Poly Lagoon view. I figure you wouldn't have listed it if it weren't a feasible option for you.

The monorail access to MK, the view of Wishes, the zero entry at the Volcano pool, the easy access to character dining all makes the Poly the optimal resort for your circumstances IMHO.

 

[isyt]

If you are going with a stoller I would say the Contemporary-Tower room. With a stoller its the easiest. I also like the BW or BC for the ease of getting into Epcot and MGM with a stroller. I have 3 kids and will be doing 3 weeks in Disney in June/July. The first week will be by myself and we are off property while my DH is at a convention than POR while he is with me ( to carry the stroller) so for one mom to another may the pixie dust be with us.

 

[Luv2trav]

The POLY!! definately! We took our then 2 year old and 6 month old there last May and we absolutely LOVED it...

Couple of reason I loved the Poly with a preschooler.
-Monorail access
-Zero Entry pool
-Sand
-You can watch the fireworks on the beach. My son is affraid of the fireworks in the parks because they are so loud.
-beautiful resort

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

The Poly!

 

[dreamer423]

Which resort?

Trip is just me and my 3 year old son. He loves the monorail, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey and Buzz. He loves to swim and needs to nap every day.

3 night trip in August. Poll on the way!

I just did it in April and am doing a repeat in two weeks. Why we chose WL (not in any order of importance)...

1. Monorail access to MK. We drive from So. Fla. and I prefer not to get lost and/or the park and walk issue with the stroller (fold/ unfold/fold).

2. Pool-Although my DS3 can swim, he much prefers playing in the shallow water, where he can touch the ground. I grew up swimming in Fl and did not use waterwings or anything else and neither does he. The Contemp. does not have a kiddie pool per se. They do have two pools and will liberaly hand out life vest/ water wing things for kids to use, and some love it. Wouldn't work for us. The kiddie pool at WL is basically a small circle. It can get crowded, But DS can play while I lounge right next to pool.

3. The best pool IMO is Stormalong Bay at BC. There is a portion that is shallow and sand covered. He can play in water and I can be with him or shaded lounge.When DS was 18 mos. we stayed there and loved it. Roomd are $$ compared to WL, which is a consideration. But BC has BW, boat and walking access to Epcot and Boat to MGM.

4. Cost. WL best deluxe value, although rooms are smaller. But we saw wishes from our woods view room balcony every night.

5. Theming. WL has great theming and v. relaxing feel. CR doesn't give me that feeling despite convenience ( and also pool doesn't work for me).

6. FW. WL also has easy access to FW and petting zoo, boat rental, singalong and marshmallow roasts.

7. Haven't stayed at Poly since I was little but imo seems so large to me and the cost is a factor.

So for me-is combo convenience and cost.

 

[Traveliz]

Ok I was alone with my 4 and 6 year old niece and nephew last summer and did Polynesian Lagoon Concierge - cause I love love love that view and the convenience of the lounge with the little ones could not be beat....so if cost is a concern I would go with Poly garden concierge as that would be the same price as a regular Poly lagoon view room.

Good luck with your decision.

Liz

 

[LibertyLover]

I'm leaving the day after tomorrow for a quick "mom and daughter (will be 3 in June)" trip. I had reservations at AKL, but at the last minute changed them to the Contemporary. The reason is that CR is on the monorail and since I'll be on my own with her for the 3 night stay and primarily going to MK and EPCOT, staying on the monorail seemed to be the better idea. I may regret giving up the giraffes in the morning (we stayed at AKL with her in January and she loved watching the animals) but all in all the convenience of the monorail for me made the decision easier. Plus, the CR was the first hotel I stayed in many years ago on my first trip to WDW and I have fond memories of it.

 

[CalGal]

I didn't vote but I would lean toward the CR with a 3-year old.

I've never stayed at the Poly, but I would think the lagoon view would be wonderful and this would be your best overall choice for atmosphere and convenience.

However, I did stay in a tower room at the CR as a single mom when my DS was around 5. If was really great for convenience. My DS LOVED it! We were steps away from the elevator which took us steps away from the Monorail. My DS thought it was so cool that the monorail went through the hotel, yet the room was quiet. We could watch the water parade at night from our room, and the fireworks from the hotel. The character meal there is also fun. The same trip, we also had a lovely water view room from the Yacht Club (3 mights at each). My DS didn't remember the YC at all, but he sure remembered the "monorail" hotel.

I stayed one night at the AKL, and it was fun, but I felt one night was enough. It would definitely would be at the bottom of my list. Being on the monorail with a 3 year old is a huge advantage. You are likely to spend much more time at MK than the other parks.

 

[Yensid_MD]

I would definitely not do AKL if you are planning to have to nap every day. It is a great resort, but man it feels like it is in another county. I would stay on the Monorail if you could.

 

[Tinks]

Thank you, thank you for all the responses---except you're not making it easy for me to decide!

Still mulling it all over....anyone else want to add 2 cents?

 

[oogieboogie]

If those are the only choices, I'd go with Poly garden. The pool and beach make it perfect for a 3yr old.

If there was another choice and monorail wasn't an issue, I would go with Beach Club because Stormalong Bay has a great sandy beach and shallow pool plus there's a small slide that he can do.

 

[disneyworld!]

ok, I picked the CR due to themeing for your son...there are more colors there...if he was older maybe the Poly....but CR seems to fit a son better....to me! and chef mickeys is right there

 

[StrwLady]

Assuming you will have a stroller at the hotel I picked the Poly. I do love the Contemproary Tower room but at the Poly you have a short walk to the TTC. That way you can get to Epoct without the hassle of transfering Monorails with a stroller. And then you have the Monorail to MK. Making 2 of the 4 parks a tad easier to get to with a stroller wins my vote.

Epcot resort area is a good one too We just stayed at the Beach Club and I think it might be my current favoriate

Take Care
Jamie

 

[sixcats]

The poly has direct monorail access to MK and Epcot (using walkway to TTC). It also has a zero entry pool which is convenient with toddlers. Cont. has the benefit of being able to walk "home" with a stroller at park closing when lines for monorail are long. It is also the first stop when leaving the MK.

My biggest problem when travelling with the kids without DH was how to handle the stroller and a sleeping child on a bus. If you plan on spending a lot of time at MK and staying for late parades or fireworks several times I'd choose Cont. If you plan on watching fireworks from the resort more often and want a cool pool, choose the Poly.

 

[rhiansmom]

CR... can't beat the walk from the Magic Kingdom... did it last year with a four year old and wish I would have done it again this year!

It was so convienent for naps/etc!