Need hotel advice - 2 kids plus preggo

[AmyZ]

We are toying with the idea of a visit to Disney in late October.

I have a 4.5 year old, and 18 month old, and I'll be almost 30 weeks pregnant. We will probably only want to go to Magic Kingdom. What is the best place to stay - that is the closest and easiest to get to the park? I think it will be easier to stay on the property, do you agree?

Also, I looked on the disboard site to find the codes... do I go by the month and do I need a Disney visa for the codes to work?

Help? Thank you! :bowdown:

[fivi2]

Hi - I haven't been yet, so probably not the best person to answer, but after hanging out here and disboards in planning my own trip with two toddlers, I would suggest staying on the monorail. That means the Contemporary, Polynesian, or Grand Flor. These are also the most expensive hotels, but being able to hop on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom sounds great for your situation. Wilderness Lodge has a direct boat to the MK, but I have heard mixed reviews about it. It is a deluxe but slightly cheaper than the others I mentioned.

If those aren't doable for whatever reason then I don't know what to suggest next! :) Hopefully some of the experienced moms will chime in soon!

[Momof3Labs]

What is your budget per night for the hotel? The monorail hotels are VERY pricey but may be worth it for you. The Contemporary is actually walking distance to MK.

Are you sure that you will only do the MK? My kids absolutely love Epcot (it's DS1's favorite park) - and it tends to be less crowded than MK, particularly later in the day.

For the codes, it may be easier to find them on www.mousesavers.com - look on the right hand side of the homepage for a link to the discount. It is for anyone, not just Disney Visa holders. Note that people are finding limited availability at deluxe resorts with the code, but it is worth a call, particularly if your dates are flexible. You can also see the discounted room availability on disneyworld.com - click on Tickets and Reservations at the top of the screen, and then click on Specials on the left hand side.

[egoldber]

I agree with Lori that if you will be there more than a couple nights, you will want to do more than the MK. If it is just for a couple nights, I might splurge for a monorail hotel. If not then I probably wouldn't be able to make myself spend that much money LOL!

I think you can be perfectly happy with any of the WDW hotels. My preference for a deluxe is any of the Epcot area resorts (BW, BC, YC), and my mod preference would be POFQ.

ETA: We are going to be there late October / early November.

[AmyZ]

Ladies - Thanks so much. Just spoke with my SIL and they are going first weekend in Oct., so I think we will do the same. I can get a room at the Contemporary, and we can do Mickeys Halloween that weekend.

So, the codes seem to only work if you do a meal plan and park ticket. We already have tickets, but I can buy a one day ticket and that will suffice.

Meal plans - what do you recommend? The Basic Dining should be fine? I don't want to be boxed in to too many meals.

Yes, we went to Epcot when DD1 was almost 2. It was a disaster... she was scared of everything. I almost stepped off a ride in the middle she was crying so hard. Now that she is older, I bet she will appreciate it more... however she just loves to ride the basic rides, and ride, and ride, and ride ;) .

[Momof3Labs]

You don't need to get the meal plan to get a room discount (we didn't), just buy a 1 day ticket for everyone, which will probably cancel out any discount. I'm guessing that discounts on the weekend at a monorail resort will be pretty much nonexistent.

We're going mid-October; it's the first time we've been to Disney in October!

[egoldber]

October is very popular now with the Food&Wine Festival and the MNSSHPs. I think Lori is probably right about discounts being scarce.

I have never gotten the dining plan. I don't like having to eat that many sit down meals.

[caheinz]

We splurged and stayed at the Polynesian in June. DS (now 4.5) LOVED the volcano pool at this resort. I was only 20wks pg, but with twins. It was great being on the monorail. (For part of the resort, you're equidistant from the MK monorail and the Ticket and Transportation Center, which has the Epcot monorail.) You can also see the castle across the lagoon at night -- it was nice to be able to see the fireworks without having to be out that late. (I took DS out to see them our last night -- he was in pajamas and we were already reading bedtime stories -- it was a great treat!)

And DS loved some of the rides in Epcot. I think Test Track (which I couldn't go on) was one of his overall faves!

[AmyZ]

You don't need to get the meal plan to get a room discount (we didn't), just buy a 1 day ticket for everyone, which will probably cancel out any discount. I'm guessing that discounts on the weekend at a monorail resort will be pretty much nonexistent.

!

Lori, you are correct. I was reading too quickly. We are going to crunch the numbers tonight, but it does seem like buying a one day park ticket (at the current rate) does cancel out any discount. Adding the dining, only takes off a little, and that would not be worth it for us. I would rather have the freedom and not be locked in.

Thanks ladies for taking the time to answer -- probably more questions on the way! :)

[Momof3Labs]

I'd suggest that you don't even bother crunching the numbers until you know where you can get a discount for your date - like I said, availability at deluxe resorts is soooo limited.

[JTsMom]

AAA discounts are definitely worth looking at too, so don't forget those. Also limited, so call asap. Even if you have to buy a membership, you will save far more than it costs, plus you get other perks like storytime with one of the characters, special parking, etc.