1st-timer Planning Help! Resorts!

[MHofeners]

This will be our first trip to Disney and I have been researching A LOT but also need a lot of guidance. You all seem to be the experts, so hoping you can help!

I've never been to WDW; DL 1x as a teen years ago and my DH has not been to WDW for many many years, so we are pretty much clueless other than the research we have done to date. We have 3 boys who will be ages 7, 4 & almost 3 when we travel. They are fairly well traveled little sports. Our trip is the beginning of August - while we realize this isn't ideal timing, we will already be in Ft. Lauderdale for a business trip(DH)/beach (me&boys) for 3-4 days, then will arrive in Orlando on a Wednesday afternoon. We only plan to do MK this trip - thinking MK Thurs & Sat with a down day on Fri. (We'll for sure be back for a longer trip to experience more!) We plan to stay on-site but haven't quite picked a resort just yet... That is my first question so that I can get something booked & purchase park tix and start the whole MDE thing rolling.

Current options - Thinking we might want a suite or villa bc I hate that feeling of having to be in complete silence and go to bed early bc the kids need to get to sleep... But still want to be on-site, I think.

Cars room family suite at Art of Animation - I think the kids would love the theme-ing (not stoked that it's in the value category though and concerned about the quality of the room/food on site...

Old Key West 1bedroom villa

Saratoga Springs 1bedroom villa (like that SS is close to DTD bc I think we may spend some time there on our down day or Wed when we get in and really want to take the boys to TRex for dinner or lunch)

A Boardwalk villa or Beach club villa is also an option but the OKW & SS pricing is better...

Caribbean Beach Resort pirate themed water view room

Cabin at Ft. Wilderness w or /out bunk beds

fancy looking rooms at Port Orleans (but leaning more towards CBR pirate room or Ft. Wilderness if we do a regular room)

There is also the option of MK view room (or even a regular room) at the Contemporary or a villa at Bay Lake Towers (which looks the most "our"/mine & hubs style, but trying to keep the kids the priority) and not sure the price is worth any benefits here???

I was considering 2 different 1 bedroom villas at AK, but i don't think I can stomach the price, Savannah room with bunk beds was a consideration as well but am thinking with our timeline that I should forego AK altogether based on $ and distance to MK/DTD (if I am understanding proximity correctly) and concern over the kiddos not liking the food on-site there...

And I realize I have listed just about every option there is lol! And it is probably annoying to you veterans but I REALLY appreciate your feedback on these accommodations! And our plan to just do 2 days at MK this trip with a day of rest/regroup in between (given the ages of our kiddos).

Is it worth the cost & convenience of the suite/villa? Of the on-site villa??? or should this not even be a concern & will we all just be out late & then collapse? My current thought is that we will be there at RD, head back to the room to rest around 1 or 2p maybe (but then we would miss the Festival of Fantasy parade at 3p) thru dinner, then back to park thru firework/parade time? Reasonable or not so much with this age? And if not reasonable to be out so late (which we typically would not do - my boys are 7:30-8:30 bedtimers but are also super flexible), is there the possibility of easily seeing fireworks from any of these resorts??

Oh! Also, wondering if we should return our rental car (which is our current plan) when we get to the resort? We were thinking WDW transport would be sufficient...

Looking forward to your feedback! Thanks SO SO much!

 

[Feberin]

I've only been once and we stayed in a value resort (All Star Sports), which worked well for us pricewise and I didn't think it was a bad experience at all. For us the only night it was difficult being in a single room was the first night. After that the kids were so exhausted they fell asleep pretty much as soon as we arrived back if not on the bus ride back to the hotel. All Star Sports also had a curtained off area with a sink that we sat in while they were falling asleep. Usually when we vacation we try to get a suite so we can have a separate area once the kids are in bed but we found it unnecessary in Disney.

I was personally very pleased with the food at the food court of our value resort. It was delicious and there were plenty of options. Also the nights we got food there we wouldn't have wanted to have a sit down meal anyways so it worked out well that we just had a food court.


We stayed in the parks all day then crashed at night. We tried one day coming back and it didn't work well for our family since my daughter napped for four hours and my son refused to nap at all so he spent the time on the ipad. Of course my kids are younger than yours so you may have a different experience but my daughter would nap in her stroller and my son did fine without any nap at all.

 

[mommyrulesx3]

We just got back from a visit to Disney World. We stayed at the art of animation in A finding Nemo family suite. It was me, my mom, my three girls ages 3, 8 and 11. We love the suite. It was perfect for us. Don't spend the extra money, art of animation doesn't feel cheap at all...and the kids loved the Disney feel of it. The food court was horrible food, and overpriced. But honestly me and my mom thought Disney food everywhere was horrible and overpriced.

 

[Lincolnshire]

If it were me I would get a 1-bed suite at the Contemporary: it's walking distance to MK and has monorail if you're tired. With only two days that would be most important to me. I wouldn't worry about lack of kid theming there for a two day trip where you won't spend that much time at the hotel.

You can see Wishes fireworks from the beach at the Poly (which would be a nice after dinner activity if you eat there) or from the California Grill restaurant at the Contemporary (quite expensive but one of our favorite restaurants). I would not try to take very young kids into MK for fireworks if you are trying to make rope drop the next day, personally, but perhaps your kiddos are more flexible than mine! Our 2 year old kept his regular 7-7:30 bedtime at Disney because anything else would have been a whiney disaster, so he doesn't even know there are fireworks there!

 

[DopeyDame]

I've never stayed at the AoA family suites, so I can't comment on that.

No point in doing the beach club suites if you aren't going to Epcot or Hollywood Studios - the major benefit there is location, and they don't buy you anything in your situation.

My best suggestion for you guys would be the Villas at Wilderness Lodge. Close to MK, and you get the villa feel you want. (Only you can judge if the villa is worth the extra price compared to a room.)

The cabins at Fort Wilderness might be a great option too. I will say, though, that I had mentioned going there to my mom, because I have good memories of staying there as a kid. She said that was her least favorite WDW trip (and we've had many!) because she spent the whole time worried we would be run over by a bus or a car or a golf cart. As a kid that never crossed my mind, clearly, but it's something to consider, I guess. Hopefully someone with more recent Fort Wilderness experience can chime in there.

 

[MHofeners]

You all are great! Still undecided lol but really appreciate your input!

 

[pooh4evr]

For such a short stay I would just do a room at one of the monorail resorts. Especially when only going to MK. The down day will be torture though , since you can see MK.

 

[MandiC]

I agree, since you are staying such a short time and the only park you are doing is MK, I personally would stick with the MK monorail resorts. Grand Floridian, Poly, or my personal pick would be the Contemporary. Walking distance to MK would be a HUGE bonus. Look into renting DVC points.

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and it is a beautiful resort! Lots to do for the kids, plenty to do an 'off' day and nighttime entertainment for grown-ups as well if you want to get an in room sitter. Beautiful boat ride to DTD. If we could fit in the rooms I'd stay there again without a doubt.
We are planning on doing the cabins at Fort Wilderness next time. Another one where you aren't right on top of everyone and TONS to do around the resort. Plus with this one you get a boat ride to MK!

 

[MSSANDRA]

I agree that for that short of a trip, and doing just the MK, I would go with a monorail resort or at least WL or the cabins at FW. WL and FW will put you a boat ride away and the others a monorail ride away. Within those choices, I would chose what you can afford. My first choice would be a 1 bedroom at BLT if that fits the budget. EASY walk or mono rail to MK and tons of easy to get to stuff for you off days.

 

[SweetMissy]

You can see in my siggy where we've stayed. Just because resorts are value resorts...doesn't mean they're horrible motel like resorts. They're fun, the theming is awesome and the food IS good. We stayed at AKL last year and we actually missed Movie/Pop. The QS dining at AKL was severely lacking, maybe because there's TS there, I don't know, but it was a disappointment. It's a beautiful resort but boring as far as Disney theming at the values have...which we prefer. I guess it just depends on what's important to you. For us...the lush details of a mod/deluxe is nice but the theming is what we like for the kids, and the kids like better too. Good luck deciding!

 

[Mainemama]

I just want to address your idea that you want a separate space for you and kids to sleep. Disney is the only place where DH and I happily share a bedroom with our 3 kids. It is part of the fun. Kids will be so tired after parks... They will sleep through anything! Deluxes with a balcony or patio give a nice option for adult time while kids sleep. Deluxe rooms are a good size for getting ready in morning, too. The bathroom area and hall in the room gives some separate space. I actually look forward to being in the same room. We spend our money to get close to MK, but don't mine the single room. Just another option for you!

 

[lizard1]

For such a short stay I would just do a room at one of the monorail resorts. Especially when only going to MK. The down day will be torture though , since you can see MK.

I agree with this. For such a short stay, I would do Contemporary or BLT. One advantage would be that if you get a MK view, you could watch the MK fireworks from your room each night instead of fighting the crowds in the park....while it isn't just the same (since it is a different view), the view of the fireworks is teriffic (we had a MK view BLT room this past summer, and we absolutely loved it). Another advantage is that it is only about a 10 minute walk from the Contemporary to MK, so there is no need to wait for a bus or drive, which can be a VERY good thing depending on how tired your kids are.

You may also want to consider what you are going to be doing on your down day to determine where you want to stay. If you are planning a pool day, the values do not have slides at the pools, which make them more fun for my kids.

All that being said, I would also look at what you plan to do at the resort or how much time you plan to spend in your room....why spend a small fortune if you plan to spend most of your time in the park and are just using the room to sleep?

 

[monorailsilver]

I would do a monorail resort or WL/FW just because you are only going to the MK.

As far as separate rooms, we have never needed them. I have had the TV on post park and my kids were passed out. We go early, take a mid day break and we all nap, adults too, and then we go back til 10, yes even when my kids were 15 mo, 22 mo and 2 1/2. They never cried for being tired because they had a good nap as did we.p

I also love going in August. We live in ct and it is hot and humid too. So that's why we go to the park early, take a hotel break/nap and go back at dinner time. We also take a few rest/no park days.

 

[Lupeix]

I am in the same camp with having a separate space for kids to go to bed early. I also think that many people on a regular room will be very tight, so if you want to stay onsite I will do either a family suite at AoA or look into renting DVC points and get a 1 bedroom villa

The best villa for MK will be BLT, can't beat walking. Usually the cheaper ones to get when renting DVC points are the AK villas at Kidani or SS.

We honestly feel that the amenities at AoA are not on par with what we want and a DVC villa is more than what we are willing to pay, so we are staying on property at Wyndham Bonnet Creek.

If having a separate space is high on your priority list I will take a look at WBC, the presidential suites cannot be beat, and you are closer to MK than staying at AoA. You will likely have to keep your rental car though, they have a shuttle but it is not that great.

 

[Bamagirl43]

I would definitely do a monorail resort since you are only going to MK. Also a reminder that the heat in August will be extreme. Stay close to the park so you can easily get back to cool off and rest in case of meltdowns.

 

[Svhadden]

Just wanted to pop in and say ROLL TIDE!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

I would book your 3 nights with Davids Vacation Rentals. http://www.dvcrequest.com/ You can rent points from DVC members and get a 1 bedroom suite at a significantly reduced cost compared to the price on the Disney website.

With that said I would choose BLT, Villas Wilderness Lodge or Saratoga Springs Resort as your resort. BLT and Wilderness Lodge are both really close to the Magic Kingdom. SSR would be good for your down day because it has great pools,is close to downtown disney, and is also cheaper!