Where to Stay--First Time Visitor

[Christine]

I've been to Disney numerous times so I cannot put myself in the place of a newbie anymore! A friend of my moms is taking her son/DIL and two kids (her grandkids) to Disney. None of them have ever been. Kids are 9 and 4. They are going over the February winter break for their school system, which I'm guessing will be crowded--not sure of the exact days yet. They don't care about pools but probably care most about easy transportation and getting around as it will all be overwhelming.

I won't say they don't have a budget but it's not overly restrictive. Generally when they travel together they always book two hotel rooms: grandma and kids in one, parents get their own room (nice grandma, right!).

I have my own preferences on hotels but my needs are very different.

I'd love to hear your suggestions on what you would do. Also, not nixing the GF--I've stayed there before but I didn't think it was all that personally, kinda disappointed, but the DVC rentals might be a different story. I don't think they'd be opposed to a 2 BDRM DVC rental. I thought that the Poly always seems the most popular but this family travels to Hawaii regularly so I don't know if the theming would be more of that or underwhelming.

Thanks!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Everything you describe points me to a monorail resort, I'd pick Poly, GF, CR in that order. I get your Hawaii comment, but Poly has so many quintessential WDW elements to it, for me that would be the first choice for newbies at that age with a flexible budget. Monorail transportation, park views, fireworks views, Electrical Water Pageant, easiest monorail resort to Epcot, could go on and on.

The new Poly Island Tower will be open then that has larger room types, and there's pretty good cash availability right now since only a limited number of units have been declared to DVC.

Is this for this February? If so that's rather late in the planning cycle, availability may dictate the plan more than anything.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Agreeing with the above poster on many points.
Another possibility is WL’s DVC resort.

 

[Christine]

Everything you describe points me to a monorail resort, I'd pick Poly, GF, CR in that order. I get your Hawaii comment, but Poly has so many quintessential WDW elements to it, for me that would be the first choice for newbies at that age with a flexible budget. Monorail transportation, park views, fireworks views, Electrical Water Pageant, easiest monorail resort to Epcot, could go on and on.

The new Poly Island Tower will be open then that has larger room types, and there's pretty good cash availability right now since only a limited number of units have been declared to DVC.

Is this for this February? If so that's rather late in the planning cycle, availability may dictate the plan more than anything.

Thanks for the input!

Yes, it's for this February and I've already looked on the reservations system for them and it's limited depending on their days.

You know how newbies are--they don't know how far in advance they really need to be. The good news is that I don't think they have their heart set on anything and will probably be fine with most things. I don't want them to hate it so I'm pushing for "ease" on the first trip.

 

[Christine]

Agreeing with the above poster on many points.
Another possibility is WL’s DVC resort.

I know if I was going, I'd choose WL at this point and I love the feel at that resort. I was just a tad bit concerned at the limitations of bus and boat.

 

[NicoleLarson]

For a first timer not really on a budget, BC or BWI would be my choice. Being able to walk to 2 parks is fantastic or boat if someone gets tired. BWI has always been my kids favorite resort, even when they were little, followed by AKL but i would never recommend that for a first timer. At BC/BWI you are arguably in the middle of WDW so anywhere you go by bus is a short ride away.

 

[Sheryl2059]

As we all know, the bus can be inconvenient if you are trying to use it at park opening or closing and everyone else has the same schedule as you. However Im sure its much better than transportation at most popular vacation spots.

 

[sponica]

I would look at what's available and go from there. There's no such thing as a bad resort, some resorts just meet our needs/wants/desires better than other.

From a theming standpoint, I love Poly.

From a price and theming standpoint, I love Pop.

From a small footprint standpoint, I love French Quarter.

 

[BlueGreen5]

They don't care about pools but probably care most about easy transportation and getting around as it will all be overwhelming.

I read this as a point against a monorail resort. When you "have" to choose between monorail or boat or walking, it becomes overwhelming. People who are familiar with WDW, and know when you'd want to boat vs walk vs take the monorail like having all of those options and access to all of the different resorts in the area. Those are the people who know which rides to rope drop at MK, who know that the MPLL is not a great value at EPCOT, and who know that "60 days prior" means something different if you are staying on site. On the other hand, I can imagine feeling overwhelmed if I had never been there before and someone told me "well, to get to EPCOT, you have to take the monorail to the TTC and transfer to the EPCOT monorail and oh, by the way, some of the monorails only stop at the TTC and MK, so when you're coming back, you need to make sure you transfer to the resort monorail, which is the one that goes clockwise." Honestly, as much as it pains us veterans to hear this, often times the resorts that have just one transportation option are the best for beginners.

Here would be my suggestions, in order:

• Animal Kingdom Lodge. They just need to know where to get on the bus for any of the parks or DS. The kids should love the animals and theming. And, to top it off, there are many veterans who seem to prefer this resort (not me, despite owning there lol).
  
  
• Wilderness Lodge. They just need to know it's all busses unless the weather is ok, in which case, for MK, you take a boat that launches on the other side of the resort from the bus. Not much that would interest a 5 and 9 year old outside of the pool, though.
  
  
• Pop Century, AoA, or Caribbean Beach. The Skyliner, with the transfer station, can be confusing for two of the parks, but it's not overly confusing once you've done it once or twice. With these resorts, you are either getting on/off at the end of the line (Pop and AoA) in which case you know you need to transfer every time, or you are getting on/offat the transfer station (Caribbean Beach) and don't ever need to transfer. The kids might also love AoA's theming. The price is right.
  
  
• Boardwalk Inn. Now you're getting into walking versus boating for two parks and busses for the other two parks and DS. But, once you understand the walking path, the ability to walk can't be beat. Again, not much here that would interest a 5 and 9 year old outside of the pool, though.
  
  
• Any of the All-Stars. Look, I get it, there's a time and place for them. Two rooms can get pricey. If Animal Kingdom is out of reach, I'd consider them because they trade efficiency for simplicity. I think some of them may be more updated than others, though. I honestly haven't been to any of these resorts in 25+ years so I can't tell you much more about them.

Hope they have a wonderful trip!

 

[Babsy]

First, if convenience is King and money doesn't matter, then I would look at the CR tower The walk to the MK is short and so the convenience to the MK is great. With the age of the children, the convenience to the MK is probably the most important. There is. a transfer on the monorail. to get to Epcot, however, and the theming at CR isn't great. (OTOH, coming out of your room and looking down at the monorail gliding through your hotel is pretty cool for young boys.) They can also walk to the MK bus stop and ride a bus to any other resort, if desired. Or they can monorail to the Poly and GF or ride a boat to WL or FW. (Dining at any of the resorts is available without having a car.)

If the price is too high or the 'theming' doesn't appeal, then the Wilderness Lodge would be a good choice. It has a boat to the MK or CR and buses everywhere else. But it is an incredibly well themed resort and the lowest priced MK area resort.

The Poly will likely have some construction at the front (may affect bus routes?) and as you suggest that the theme may not be the best choice. The GF is great, but its theme is Victorian and might not appeal to small boys. Also, there may be construction/renovation going on at the GF in Feb.

If DHS rides appeal to the boys then a stay at the Boardwalk or Swan/ Dolphin might be good. Walking to both Epcot or DHS from here is great and there is always the boat option or skyline as well. I wouldn't choose the YC/BC at this time as the main pool will be closed. I know that the pool isn't a big deal, but it is a major part of these two resorts, so I would choose the BW at this time.

I realize that you said cost isn't a big factor, but the sticker shock of prices at deluxe resorts may still trigger a "No way!" reaction. In the event that $400+ USD per night seems rediculous, then I would suggest Pop Century or Art of Animation. These. are on the Skyliner, offer a variety of prices, and have great theming.

If they want a deluxe that is super themed and exotic at the most affordable price, plus they don't mind bus rides everywhere, you can't beat the Animal Kingdom Lodge. In some ways, just getting the bus everywhere is simple. But the bus to the MK is a long bus ride (>20 minutes).

So, in summary, I would recommend:

CR, WL, BW, Swan/Dolphin, AoA Cars suite, Pop Century, AKL

in that order.

 

[Mouse Tracker]

They don't care about pools but probably care most about easy transportation and getting around as it will all be overwhelming.

Pop or All Star

A friend of my moms is taking her son/DIL and two kids (her grandkids) to Disney. None of them have ever been. Kids are 9 and 4.

Pop or All Star

First timer doesn't need to overspend on a resort while they experiment with understanding Disney. The theming at both are classic Disney - a plus for first timers. Pop also has access to AoA courtyard theming.

The only thing that might confuse them would be the Skyliner, strictly to HS/Epcot - no bus unless weather affected. Bus only to AK/MK.

 

[Mle8308]

Definitely need to know budget when answering this question. Even though Grandma may be paying, she may balk at $700 a night per room for a monorail resort - and she may not. For deluxe I'd also say CR if no budget, in the tower. As kids, we thought it was the coolest thing that the monorail went through the hotel, and it's walking to the MK. GF can be too spread out and construction at the Poly, so I'd leave those out. For moderate, with kids, I'd do POFQ. Smaller footprint, one bus stop, boat to DS, and newly renovated rooms. For value, Pop - Skyliner access. As far as renting DVC points, it's probably too late at this point. However, possibly a confirmed reservation.

 

[fla4fun]

How long is their trip? If it is a full week, would they consider a split stay, half at a monorail resort and half at an Epcot resort? That would give them the ultimate in convenience for getting to parks.

If they want to stay in one resort for the entire trip, then with kids those ages I would lean towards a monorail resort for easy MK access and monorail service to Epcot.

In my opinion, they can’t really make a bad choice because they won’t know what they are missing no matter where they stay. Maybe write up a simplified list of amenities at each level of resort and then once they know which level of resort they want, then go over each individual property at that level and see what is available to book.

 

[bookbabe626]

There’s some good deals on BC in February because the main pool area is under refurb.

 

[Christine]

How long is their trip? If it is a full week, would they consider a split stay, half at a monorail resort and half at an Epcot resort? That would give them the ultimate in convenience for getting to parks.

If they want to stay in one resort for the entire trip, then with kids those ages I would lean towards a monorail resort for easy MK access and monorail service to Epcot.

In my opinion, they can’t really make a bad choice because they won’t know what they are missing no matter where they stay. Maybe write up a simplified list of amenities at each level of resort and then once they know which level of resort they want, then go over each individual property at that level and see what is available to book.

I think the trip might be about 5 days. I've taken everyone's recommendations here and passed them on as well as resort assessments from sites like Mousesavers which does a good breakdown. Apparently, one of the adults was on the phone with Disney yesterday so I'm anxious to hear what they end up with!

 

[Babsy]

I think the trip might be about 5 days. I've taken everyone's recommendations here and passed them on as well as resort assessments from sites like Mousesavers which does a good breakdown. Apparently, one of the adults was on the phone with Disney yesterday so I'm anxious to hear what they end up with!

I am curious, also. Please let us know how they decide