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View Full Version : favorite on property (WDW) hotel?



fivi2
06-26-2008, 09:23 AM
Which hotel is your favorite - kiddos are 2.5 year old twins and 8 and 10 yo boys. Not sure what the budget is (grandparents are paying), but assume anything but the most expensive is okay. The twins don't really know any characters (can recognize Mickey and Winnie but that is about it!).

TIA!

Oh - going in November or early December.

eta:
I now assume that any of the hotels are fair game - not just the moderate (I thought the most expensive ones would be much higher than they are, if that makes sense).

egoldber
06-26-2008, 09:40 AM
My favorite resort area is the Epcot area, so the Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht club hotels. Also the Swan and Dolphin hotels are considered part of this area. Although they are not WDW owned, they are like sister hotels and offer WDW transportation. They are generally cheaper than the WDW hotels and there are often great deals to be had (they are Starwood hotels). I like the easy walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, as well as the proximity to tons of restaurants in the hotels, on the Boardwalk, and in the two theme parks.

My favorite moderate WDW hotel is Port Orleans French Quarter. But I like it because its a small, compact resort compared to the other moderates which makes it easier (IMO) to navigate with kids.

fivi2
06-26-2008, 01:47 PM
Thanks! I looked around a little more... It seems that some have villas that sleep up to 8. Has anyone tried any of the villas at any of the resorts?

Thanks again!

egoldber
06-26-2008, 01:53 PM
We are actually DVC (Disney Vacation Club....their timeshare) owners and have stayed in the Boardwalk Villas many times. :) We have stayed in 1BR, 2BR and Grand Villas. For an extended family its probably cheaper to rent two 2BR villas than one Grand Villa (and the grands are VERY difficult to get).

Neatfreak
06-26-2008, 08:22 PM
We also stayed at the Boardwalk Villas. We had a one bedroom, and we loved having the separate sleeping area, ensuite laundry, and a regular fridge. It was perfect for traveling with a toddler, just more money than we planned to spend LOL!

QTMichele
06-30-2008, 12:27 AM
My favorite place to stay is the Beach Club - they have the BEST pool (by far!) on Disney property. Also, as Beth said, it's within walking distance to Epcot. I love the activity throughout the day all around the boardwalk - lots of free entertainment (cowgirls, musicians, magicians, etc.), restaurants, etc. LOVE IT!!!

The only moderate I've stayed in was the Caribbean Beach Resort. It was fine, but it is HUGE (lots of walking if you're not in a preferred location). I'm a big fan of walking, but after being in the parks all day, it was hard to get my kids to get the energy to walk to the main pool (and we were only a few buildings away).

OH... the villas are wonderful as well; however, you will not get daily mousekeeping (if that matters to you). They are much roomier than the hotel rooms and have all the bells and whistles of home.

BeachBum
06-30-2008, 08:22 AM
IMO staying at a monorail resort with little kids can't be beat. We like the Polynesian. We can easily come back to the room to take a nap, and we can catch the MK fireworks from the beach and get to bed eariler when DS is too tired to do all the evening activities.

fivi2
06-30-2008, 09:12 AM
Thanks for all of the suggestions! I think I am going to hope for a monorail resort (esp the Polynesian). It looks like the Wilderness Lodge is the next most convenient after the three monorail resorts (and has the villas). If they won't go for any of those... I'll have to look for a moderate with good transportation! I think they will probably go for one of the more convenient ones since that is why they want us to stay on property - so the toddlers can go back to the room! I am not worried about the pool since it will be winter and we won't have much pool time!

The Epcot resorts look great, but I don't think we'll make it to Epcot this trip - mainly the MK. I will keep those in mind for next time ;)

Thanks for the help!

QTMichele
06-30-2008, 10:34 AM
Just a note about the pools - Disney keeps them heated, even in the winter. An hour or two at the pool can be a nice break from the parks, if you need it. I found that we hardly used the pool on our last trip (September 2007), but we used it a ton a few years ago (Beach Club) because it was so much fun! Have a great time planning!!!

OH... would love to try the Poly - I've heard it's a great resort!

egoldber
06-30-2008, 10:44 AM
Just note that Wilderness Lodge requires a boat ride from the MK and the boats can be VERY crowded after parades, park closing, etc.

I think you will find that the 8 and 10 year old will want to do Epcot and HS because that's where a lot of the thrill rides are (Test Track, Soarin', Tower of Terror, RockNRoller Coaster).

And the pools are a matter of personal preference. We stayed at Yacht Club once (shares the Beach Club pool) and we did not care for their pool at all.

Melbel
06-30-2008, 10:48 AM
We have stayed at the Contemporary a couple of times when DD1 and DS were younger. While the rooms are small (which may not work for your size family), it was extremely convenient to MK and Chef Mickey's for character dining. It also has a pool with a slide, which you may be able to use in the winter, depending on the weather. Our favorite thing about the Contemporary, along with the convenience, was that you can watch the fireworks from your balcony, assuming you are on the correct side of the hotel. We could have our little ones bathed and in their PJs in time for the big show and missed the post show crowds.

Momof3Labs
06-30-2008, 10:54 AM
I love being close to Epcot at the Beach Club, Swan, Dolphin, Boardwalk or Yacht Club (I've never stayed at the last two, they're just in the same area). DH and I both love being able to walk to Epcot after naptime and grab dinner - so many dinner choices, and it's nice not having to deal with Disney transportation at the end of the day. Epcot was both of my kids' (2yo and 5yo) favorite park on our last trip, so don't discount it! We were able to watch the Epcot fireworks nightly from our Beach Club balcony and then put DS to bed - and didn't even pay for a premium view to do so.

We used the monorails several times on our last trip and didn't find them to be particularly efficient as a mode of transportation - lots of sitting and waiting for the train to go or to be able to enter a station, waiting for the next train, etc.

And in December, it could be 80s and it could be 50s and windy. You may end up using the pool after all. But the hours of the Beach Club pool are pretty limited; it's definitely not open for a late evening swim (much to our disappointment).

The comment that Contemporary rooms surprises me since they have some of the largest rooms on Disney property (except for DVC).

caheinz
06-30-2008, 01:14 PM
We were just at the Poly and loved it. It's a good compromise between MK and Epcot -- the longhouses at one end of the resort (not sure of directions there!) are very close to the Ticket and Transportation Center. Where we were (towards that side), we were equidistant from the resort monorail stop (which stopped only at the Grand Floridian on its way to the MK) and the TTC, which would put us on a monorail straight to Epcot. (You could also stay on the MK monorail and stop again at the Contemporary and finally the TTC -- takes a lot longer!) There was also a small boat (not the TTC ferry) that you could ride to MK, shared only with the Grand Floridian.

Some of the rooms at the Poly are actually the largest in the deluxe category. I think ours was one of those (I think I saw this in the Unofficial Guide -- it gave actual room numbers that you could request!).

DS absolutely loved the main pool at the Poly. It had a "volcano" with a waterfall, and he refused to go to the little pool closer to our room -- but requested to swim in the volcano pool daily.

Also, DS loved seeing the fireworks over the castle at night from across the lagoon. His favorite part was that they weren't as loud as they were in the parks!

fivi2
06-30-2008, 01:46 PM
So many choices! I have been to Epcot before and it is probably my favorite park, I just don't think we'll have enough time to do it justice this trip! We are really just going for a quick trip. We are visiting gps in the area - I thought we'd just do a day trip to one park, but they offered to put us up at one of the hotels for a couple nights to make life easier with the toddlers (very nice!)

So I think we are just doing the MK (full day) and then a shorter day either at HS or AK. (I think the older kids will prefer HS, but maybe more for the little ones at AK...?) I think it'd be easier to be near MK since that is our full day park - come back for a mid day break. I haven't been to the parks in about 15 years and I have never stayed on site. But I really don't know how spread out it all is and how long the buses to the other resorts take during the slower season... Are they as convenient to the MK as the monorail resorts are?

The Epcot ones do sound great (all of them do!) I wish we had more time there, but we will be going back again I am sure!

So now I just have to hope they will put us where we want to be!

Thanks for all the advice - you guys are a lot of help :)

mabun3
07-02-2008, 06:01 PM
It was awesome. My kids are 3 and 7. DS(7) loved the pool. It has a big slide and waterfall. They have a beach with great sand. DS loved looking for muscles/calms in the lagoon. The transportation can't be beat. You have a great view of the fireworks.

Have a great time!
Michele