Disney World Lodging Help!

[ChefGirl]

DH is going to Disney World this May for a convention at the Coronado Spring resorts. We thought it will be a good time to take our, by then, almost 4 y.o DS and 2 y.o DD there.

Now, our dilemma has been lodging costs. DH is still in a sticker shock how expensive C.S. suites cost. Some of the Marriott properties are like half of the costs. But, they seem a bit out-dated. I just don't have any clude where to stay, on Disney proper or just drive.

We want convenience and comfort, without paying $500 a night for a suite. I would appreciate any adive from all of you experienced Disney savy mamas out there.

Thank you.

[Momof3Labs]

Disney suites are horribly expensive, even at the Value resorts. Can you just make do with one room (works just fine for us at Disney)? Or even with two adjoining rooms? For info on offsite lodging, check out www.mousesavers.com www.allearsnet.com and www.disboards.com

[jeminaal]

Our family was planning on staying at WDW this Spring prior to our Disney Cruise, so I was checking around for hotels on and off site. We decided to hold off going to WDW and just doing the cruise, but we were seriously considering this hotel had we decided to stay there:

http://www.royalplaza.com/

While the hotel is not operated by WDW, it's on the WDW complex near Downtown Disney, I think. The hotel rooms seemed nice and reasonably priced. They even had suites ($199/night) which we were eyeing. You can even get discounted rates through Mousesavers.com:

http://www.mousesavers.com/royalplaza.html

Be sure to sign up for Mousesaver's monthly newsletter if you haven't yet. I don't know how far this hotel is from Colorado Springs, though.

Good luck in your search.

Jeanette
(formerly known as jeanmick, member since Feb 2003)

DD Born Christmas Eve
DS Born Valentine's Day

[kimbe]

I would stay on Disney property. If you want convience it is the way to go. It is so much easier with kids because of their bus service that runs all day long.

Check out www.disboards.com. Disney always has deals going on. We've gotten Value Resorts for $50 +tax a night and moderates for $150+tax a night. (You might also want to check the Swan or Dolphin -- they are on the property, but aren't run by Disney -- I think Westin. Their deals might be rare, but it is worth checking!)

DH says just call Disney and see if they have any deals going on. Also check the Disney boards to see if there are any deals going or if there are any codes out. We've found our best deals in April/May (before the kids get out of school or the week after Easter) and in September/October.

I hope you find a great price and enjoy your time there! Good luck.

[MelissaTC]

We have stayed at the Embassy Suites in Lake Buena Vista when Matthew was young and loved it. I liked having a car and booking out when he was younger. The hotel is close by, reasonably priced and includes a cook to order breakfast every morning, complete with Mickey pancakes.

http://www.embassysuiteslbv.com/

The past two trips, we stayed on property at the Port Orleans Riverside and enjoyed that as well. We have gone at non-peak times so the buses were fine and other than park closing time, never had to wait.

[suzska]

We usually stay on-property when we go. (My brother has the Disney Vacation Club membership and we stay as his guests--otherwise we'd never get to go.) We drive down and stay off-property for the first night. The past two trips we have stayed at the Staybridge Suites--Lake Buena Vista. They have a free breakfast buffet everyday (and I think week night meals, but we're never there on a weeknight). There is also a grocery store within walking distance out the back entrance. The two-bedroom suites have a king size bed in one room and two doubles in the other. Each bedroom has a bathroom. There's also a sleeper sofa in the livingroom area and a full kitchen. They're not "Disney Quality," but we've been happy enough to go back. I think they have a shuttle to the parks, but we didn't stay there on days we were going into the parks. By booking online we've gotten rates around $140/night for the 2-bedroom.

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/sb/1/en/hotel/mcobv?&

Hope that helps!

[suzska]

We usually stay on-property when we go. (My brother has the Disney Vacation Club membership and we stay as his guests--otherwise we'd never get to go.) We drive down and stay off-property for the first night. The past two trips we have stayed at the Staybridge Suites--Lake Buena Vista. They have a free breakfast buffet everyday (and I think week night meals, but we're never there on a weeknight). There is also a grocery store within walking distance out the back entrance. The two-bedroom suites have a king size bed in one room and two doubles in the other. Each bedroom has a bathroom. There's also a sleeper sofa in the livingroom area and a full kitchen. They're not "Disney Quality," but we've been happy enough to go back. I think they have a shuttle to the parks, but we didn't stay there on days we were going into the parks. By booking online we've gotten rates around $140/night for the 2-bedroom.

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/sb/1/en/hotel/mcobv?&

Hope that helps!

[bchafin]

I will never stay in a non-Disney hotel again unless if I have a car. (Even then probably not.) My DH had a meeting in the Wyndam on Lake Buena Vista. It was located across the street from Downtown Disney. Using the hotel transportation, it took me over an hour to get to the Magic Kingdom! I could have walked faster! On the plus side, if you just want to go shopping, you only have to walk across the street. I would check out the prices for the All-Star rooms. They are small, but we never spend much time in our room. FWIW my favorite mid-price hotel is Port Orleans. Have a great trip, I am jealous.

Barb

[SASM]

We went to WDW in November for DH's conference and also stayed at Coronado Springs. Does DH's association get a group discount? I am pretty certain that we were able to get a discount b/c I cannot imagine DH paying $500/night! We didn't do a suite ~ a regular room worked great for us. We were in the Cabanas 9B. We are convinced that we had the BEST room on the property! We were on the first floor, facing the lagoon, and were closest to the main bus stop, conference center, and restaurants. Unless your DCs are difficult sleepers, just get a regular room and ask for Cabanas 9B. :) They are going to be so wiped out at the end of the day, they should pass right out. When we made the reservation, we had requested a bunch of rooms that were recommended in the book (to follow) and we did not get one. We were given a room in the Casitas that was sooo remote and up on the 3rd floor. We called the front desk as soon as we found the room and they immediately gave us another room, and it happened to be one of the ones that we originally requested!

If you cannot do CS, try to get somewhere on the property. I've heard that the moderately-priced properties are nice but I THINK that CS is also considered moderately priced. The transit systen was priceless, although it took forever to get from Downtown Disney to Animal Kingdom (a whole other story, although I will sy that I was in tears!). It was nice to take breaks from the parks and head back to the hotel for the pool or a nap for Bryn. I

Get the book "The Unofficial Guide to WDW 2007" (ISBN 0-471-79032-X). This was such a lifesaver...our vacation BIBLE! Although we did not use it for lodging, I would say that at least 1/3 of the book is devoted to that topic. I got the book from www.half.com brand new for a little over $9.

Good luck and have fun planning! Can I just suggest making reservations months in advance for restaurants? We thought that was ridiculous considering we were going on a "slow" week and couldn't imagine planning dinners months in advance, BUT we had a really difficult time getting reservations while we were there. Our kids were 3.5y and 21m and we did not want dinner at 8pm! Things worked out somehow and we were able to get into Chef Mickey's, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, and the Brown Derby but the times were a little scary for my taste. Make reservations early for early times! :) It was an AWESOME vacation for our little ones!! They LOVED ot and we cannot wait to go back! Hope you have a great experience, too!

[deenass]

We went to Disney with our almost 3 year old last FEb. We stayed at the Marriott Grande Vista which was about 15 mins from Disney. We stayed in a 1 bedroom suite with a full kitchen and washer/dryer. We also rented a car. I loved having the kitchen (made my family breakfast every morning instead of having to eat out) and having the washer dryer (only packed 3 days worth or clothes instead of having to pack for the 7 that we were there).

I also liked the convenience of having a car. With the bus service (which you will be using by staying at the Coronado) you are at the mercy of the bus. You will also have to fold up your stroller every time you get on it. Disney is overwhelming for EVERYONE, esp. little ones, getting on a crowded bus with 2 cranky kids (and at some point during your trip SOMEONE will be cranky!) could make it seem like less of a vacation!

Just my $.02

[egoldber]

We just got back from a week at WDW. :)

If you'll be traveling to parks with the kids without DH while he is in meetings definitely stay on property. You'll be able to go everywhere on the bus system.

Have you looked at non-suite rooms? I agree that most kids are wiped by the end of a Disney day and have little trouble sleeping. But I've never done a toddler/preschooler combination in a single room so I can't speak to that.

To get the most out of your experience I recommend making dining reservations now for your trip to have the best choice of times that will work best for your family.

Mu biggest tip is to get to the parks right as they open. It makes the experience MUCH nicer. Note that for the Magic Kingdom that means pulling into the parking lot of the MK about 30 minutes before the scheduled park opening time.

[hardysmom]

I know at the luxury resorts, 2 rooms cost less than 1 junior suite... we are going in April and staying at the Contemporary. We're just sqeezing our family of 5 into 1 room (2 just-turned-3 twins, a 5 yr old, DH, and I)

My hope is that the kids will crash and DH and I can sit on the balcony until they are soundly asleep... my kids are good sleepers, though... We really wanted a suite, they were just too expensive and I wanted to stay on the monorail. With toddler twins and a preschooler, the busses seem overwhelming.

I believe that Wilderness Lodge has rooms which might work. A lot of people on disboards recommended it to us.

Stephanie

[kransden]

The Marriot by Downtown Disney is outdated, but what are you going to do there besides sleep? If this is the only time you are ever going to go, sure blow the cash, but I bet you'll want to go when your children are old enough to appreciate the magic. I would go cheaper this time. Use the buses and skip the car. Do what Beth says about making dining reservations. BTW if you are an adventureous eater, book the princess lunch at Norway. I loved it and so did my dd.


Karin and Katie 10/24/02