Advice for 2 young girls

[Bode316]

Hello,

I am planning a trip for May 2013 with my wife and 2 girls. They are 3 and 4.

We plan to stay a full week.

Can anyone recommend the best place to stay for them? I was thinking animal kingdom lodge? They love belle and Cinderella.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

Originally Posted by Bode316

Hello,

I am planning a trip for May 2013 with my wife and 2 girls. They are 3 and 4.

We plan to stay a full week.

Can anyone recommend the best place to stay for them? I was thinking animal kingdom lodge? They love belle and Cinderella.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have 2 daughters as well and when they were that age we stayed either at the AllStar resorts (they loved the larger than life characters) Or the Cabins in Ft Wilderness. It was like a whole seperate vacation there beyond the parks. The Cabins did become our favorite with the golf cart rentals-quiet pools-horses-bike riding-canoe rental-Chip&Dale campfire and marshmallow roast......AHH I gotta stay there again soon !Did I mention while they napped DW and I sat out on the deck with adult beverage in hand!
Seriously at that age they'll probably love any hotel that fits your family and budget.
Careful mine are still Disneyaholics 20 years later

[Bode316]

Thank you so much for the reply.

What do you recommend as far as meals? Should we just buy a package? This stuff is a little confusing and overwhelming!

Any other advice?

[jcieutat]

I guess it really depends on how much money you are wanting to spend. We have two girls (9 & 4). We started taking my oldest when she was 2 and have gone each year since then. We like POFQ because it is a small resort. There is only one bus stop (we fly so no car). We will probably never go again without the dining plan. We like to eat and the character meals get very expensive. The only issue is getting dining reservations. You must book them asap and then you will have to visit the dining reservations page frequently because you will probably never get everything you want. Good luck and have a great trip.

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

Originally Posted by Bode316

Thank you so much for the reply.

What do you recommend as far as meals? Should we just buy a package? This stuff is a little confusing and overwhelming!

Any other advice?

I would not get the dining plan. Never found it worth it for my kids but you know how you eat. Think you have to eat a lot to make it worth it. Especially if it's overwhelming currently the dining plan just will make it more confusing.Character meal resv should be made asap for prime times.However I think you still have plenty to choose from for May unless you're going Memorial wknd. Meals are another reason we loved the Cabins when my girls were young. Full kitchen for most breakfast's and some dinners.
My family also going in May It's gonna be great ! Have fun with the planning . Any more questions feel free to ask. Lots of help on here for ya!

[disprincess4ever]

You should try the new Art of Animation resort. Its brand new and is a value hotel. There is a little mermaid section which usually runs around or under $150 per night. There are larger than life figures from the little mermaid. The hotel also has nemo, lion king, and cars sections all with huge characters and pools! If I was still a little girl I would LOVE that hotel.
For the dining plan, it's only really worth it if you eat a lot or are planning a lot of sit down restaurants that require reservations. And when I say eat a lot I mean drink, entree, and desert twice a day plus a snack. But overall, you could Defidently do without it.

[Metro West]

Welcome!

[princessesintraining]

We went last February when my girls were 4 & 7 and stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. My girls loved it and it was only a boat ride away from the magic kingdom, which is where they wanted to spend most of there time. We had a great time at Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner one night, which was perfect for my youngest who loves Jessie. Cinderella's Royal table was a nice way to finish our day after going to BBB. My youngest loved CRT, so much that the next night we went back to MK and ate at Peco Bill's and she threw a fit that she was a princess and she should be eating at the castle.

[StephMS]

I have 2 granddaughters (3 & 5). Last year they stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge and loved it! They are currently planning a trip for next year and the girls have chosen Caribbean Beach.

Previously we have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and the Boardwalk and they enjoyed those as well.

As for the dining plan, we tend to use it when our entire family is traveling just to simplify things and with the girls we attend more character dinners. Our next trip is just me and hubby and we chose not to get the dining plan because we want to just enjoy our trip without being tied to reservations and having to be in a certain place at a certain time every day. With the kids, I'm a lot more concerned about eating decent meals on schedule.

[meredith1]

I have three kids. On our next trip they will be ages 5, 3 and 3). I prefer to stay close to Magic Kingdom only because that's where we spend the majority of our time with such young kids. There are three resorts on the monorail that service the Magic Kingdom and they are Contemporary, Grand Floridian and Polynesian with the Contemporary being within a ten minute walk to MK.

We like to stay at Contemporary or Bay Lake Tower, which is connected to the Contemporary, simply because if we need to get back to the room quickly with one of our kids-it's easy to do so staying there.

I've never stayed at Animal Kingdom just because it is so far away and isolated from the other parks-maybe when the kids get older, we'll take the plunge. It does look nice though.

[Bode316]

Originally Posted by disprincess4ever

You should try the new Art of Animation resort. Its brand new and is a value hotel. There is a little mermaid section which usually runs around or under $150 per night. There are larger than life figures from the little mermaid. The hotel also has nemo, lion king, and cars sections all with huge characters and pools! If I was still a little girl I would LOVE that hotel.
For the dining plan, it's only really worth it if you eat a lot or are planning a lot of sit down restaurants that require reservations. And when I say eat a lot I mean drink, entree, and desert twice a day plus a snack. But overall, you could Defidently do without it.

I saw this! The little mermaid looks like a very great place to stay!

Any other help anyone would like to give me would be greatly appreciated. We are planning on going May 8th through the 14th.

We are going with another couple that has a 3 year old girl also.

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

Originally Posted by Bode316

I saw this! The little mermaid looks like a very great place to stay!

Any other help anyone would like to give me would be greatly appreciated. We are planning on going May 8th through the 14th.

We are going with another couple that has a 3 year old girl also.

Don't know for sure what kind of money you want to spend but if you want to go in with the other couple and get a villa at one of Disney Vacation Clubs. You could easily share a 2 br at any of these resorts. Then , just like the Cabins at Ft Wilderness you could do some meals there.

[Bode316]

Well, I have come across DVC rentals. They look like you could save quite a bit of money. I am going to price them out. I am 4-5 months early, so I may be able to get lucky. Any advice would be great.

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

Originally Posted by Bode316

Well, I have come across DVC rentals. They look like you could save quite a bit of money. I am going to price them out. I am 4-5 months early, so I may be able to get lucky. Any advice would be great.

Contact David's Vaction Club rentals I believe they are a sponsor here and have them give you a quote. I've never used them but see lots of good things about them on these boards.

[Bode316]

I just contacted david for a quote.

I am really leaning towards the little mermaid room or even the carribean beach resort. If anyone can give advice about either or another suggestion that would be great!