UPDATE: Just tell me where we should stay in WDW

[sste]

So, I ended up with a garden view room at the Polynesian for $230 plus tax (contemporary was booked using special codes and too expensive for us without codes). Separate rooms turned out to be way too expensive anywhere - but I think DS may sleep better than normal since he will be exhausted. I think that is an OK rate (???) for the polynesian and since we really need to get back and forth mid-day for naps . . .

Thanks everyone for your help! You all were right that there would need to be a tradeoff between cost and convenience. Hopefully, when our kids are older and can tolerate longer days we can do some of the more budget-oriented lodgings . . .
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And I will do it! Our priorities are:

1. fast walt disney world transport to Magic Kingdom (we don't want to rent a car - - this is our vacation from the car!)

2. inexpensive or moderate price - - so hopefully not over $160 or so and we would go during value season, ideally use discount codes, etc. For us this is just a place to sleep.

3. not as important as 1 & 2 but ideally something with a separate room or area for the kids to sleep. Our son is an absolutely terrible sleeper unless he is in his own room.

Would you all suggest adjoining rooms at pop century if we can get them? A fort wilderness cabin (not clear if ferry service is fast/reliable?)? Something else?

[TwinFoxes]

Hmm...#s 1&2 may be hard to combine. You might look into the Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It's not a Disney property, but it is in the World, and is closer to the parks than the Pops. It's a timeshare, someone on the board stayed there. The property is gorgeous.

I thought the ferry to MK from FW was fairly quick considering it's a boat. You won't be going 50 MPH, ya know? We took it twice when we went to shows at FW. From what I understand the real pain can be if your cabin isn't near the boat landing.

You might try renting DVC points and staying at Bay Lake Towers. But I think $160/nt is doubtful, but others may have a better idea.

I'll be interested in seeing what others suggest. I'll think on it too. :) I like these sorts of questions, it helps my Disney jones!

[sste]

Thank you!

We can go up to $200 or so if initial estimate is too low. But, given our kids ages we are just not going to "enjoy" a nicer property so I would rather keep it value-ish in price range. Plus, that way I can save for future trips. :)

[TwinFoxes]

Oh, and adjoining rooms at the Pop aren't guaranteed. As you can imagine, everyone wants them. They do offer family suites. I've never stayed in them. The only time I stayed at a Value was not only Pre-kids, but Pre-DH, and we've been together 12 years! I hated them, but I was a single girl traveling with a buddy. I stayed at All-Star Music.

Btw, Bonnet Creek and Bay Lake Towers both are suite properties.

[cheri]

We stayed at Bonnet Creek a few weeks ago, and it was wonderful. We had a 2BR/2BA unit with full kitchen and washer/dryer, and paid $100/night (no extra taxes or fees). The resort was extremely nice, felt very new, and had a several great pool areas for the kids. It was so great to have a separate room for the kids, too, which made the vacation better for us.

The only concern I'd have in your case would be the car issue. There is transport to and from the parks via a shuttle bus, but the returns are pretty limited until after 3 pm (I think there is one return at noon from MK, and then the next bus back is at 3 pm or so). With little ones, this wasn't flexible enough for us (we were there at RD pretty much daily, and heading back to the room between 12:30 and 2:30). I don't know what your plans are for the days, but take that into consideration if you're thinking about BC.

We just rented a car and drove to the parks. By cooking most of our meals in the kitchen, we saved a ton of money---and avoided the tired kid in restaurant issue :).

I'll be happy to answer any other questions about Bonnet Creek. FWIW, I think we're going back next year (work meeting), and planning to stay there again. It was really, really nice.

[sste]

Cheri, thanks! Just a few questions about bonnet creek:

1. How long did it take you to drive in, clear whatever entrance gate set-up, park the car, and walk into the magic kingdom? So, total time . . .

2. Was there any disney "feel" to the Bonnet? When I went to WDW in the past pre-kids I always stayed inside the world and liked the general vibe and excitement of staying inside the park. That said, it may be well worth it to have the suite/no disney vibe as my DS has become a bad sleeper of epic proportions recently!

Thanks again everyone.

[DietCokeLover]

We own a timeshare at Bonnet Creek. It's a beautiful property, but the shuttle is the big negative for us. We used our car after the first two days. It took us less time in the car than it did on the shuttle. Our kids were 2 and 3 at the time so scheduling was crucial for us.

As far as the Disney feel, I'm not sure. The only other time we stayed on property was at Shades of Green, so I may not have a good comparison.

We love staying at Bonnet Creek.

[sste]

Dietcokelover, what was your total driving time from getting in your car to walking into magic kingdom from Bonnet?

This sounds like it might be ideal but I really need to make sure the drive time is not too much because we will probably be returning mid-day for naps. Also, in order to talk dh into renting a car and driving . . .

Thanks!

[DietCokeLover]

Dietcokelover, what was your total driving time from getting in your car to walking into magic kingdom from Bonnet?

This sounds like it might be ideal but I really need to make sure the drive time is not too much because we will probably be returning mid-day for naps. Also, in order to talk dh into renting a car and driving . . .

Thanks!

I am honestly not 100% sure. We were there in early December 2009. It only took maybe 5 minutes to get into the parking lot at MK from BC from what I remember. And then, however long to go from the lot to the tram, etc. I'm going to say less than 30 mins, more than 15.

DS screamed the entire time on the shuttle bus so that felt like hours! The trip in the car was a breeze after that.

[cheri]

Cheri, thanks! Just a few questions about bonnet creek:

1. How long did it take you to drive in, clear whatever entrance gate set-up, park the car, and walk into the magic kingdom? So, total time . . .

2. Was there any disney "feel" to the Bonnet? When I went to WDW in the past pre-kids I always stayed inside the world and liked the general vibe and excitement of staying inside the park. That said, it may be well worth it to have the suite/no disney vibe as my DS has become a bad sleeper of epic proportions recently!

Thanks again everyone.

1. Drive time to MK was probably about 5-10 minutes--probably closer to 5. Since Bonnet Creek is within the Disney property, the drives are really easy and fast. We were there during a pretty quiet time, so paying for parking just took a second. MK took longer to get into the park, however, since there was the boat or monorail from the TTC to the actual park to deal with. Maybe 20-30 minutes from the time we left Bonnet Creek? (The other parks were much faster since we didn't have to deal with the TTC.)

2. There's no real Disney feel at Bonnet Creek. We stayed in the main building (the one where you check in), and they had a concierge desk there with some Disney stuff, and a balloon sculpture (I think it was a witch for Halloween). It basically felt like a nice resort anywhere. Our unit however, was definitely Disney-fied by all the junk my kids had lying around :).

I've never stayed onsite, so I can't compare the two, but we really did like staying at BC.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I don't have a ton of experience, but with 3 little ones in strollers, we decided (after trying it) that the bus system was a PITB. We will continue to have shorter visits and stay on the monorail system while we have several stroller riders.

[TwinFoxes]

I think you might be idealizing the Disney transportation system. I hate waiting for the buses. They can take forever, plus they usually stop at more than one resort. I can't imagine having to unstrap the girls, fold the stroller, and then load them into the stroller again. We stayed on property in October, and we used our car to get to the parks we couldn't walk to, using the buses wasn't even a consideration.

Getting into the parks with a car is pretty simple. I recommend booking through AAA, because you get special "diamond parking" which is right next to the disabled parking. You are close enough that you don't have to take a tram from the parking lot. If you're staying on property, parking at the parks is free.

I hope we're not all making this too confusing!

[sste]

My draw to Pop Century is that we will spend almost every day at MK and the unofficial guide reported an 8 minute bus commute time from Pop Century to MK. But, maybe in practice it is longer/less convenient than that??

Twinfoxes, is the AA diamond parking an under 10 minute walk into MK? And have you had issues with it filling up?

Sorry to be asking so many questions but I want to make sure that DH finds this as convenient and unstressful as possible as (little does he know) but I am planning on many repeat trips . . .

[babyready]

Huh. We stayed at Pop and did not mind the bus at all. I thought it was super convenient. We had to wait sometimes but never more than 15 minutes and usually about 2-5 minutes. Magic Kingdom was not as close as other parks but it did not bother me that much. And we came back most afternoons. Also, Pop does not share a bus with other resorts, so no additional stops. I dunno, maybe I am just not picky. It was also not a very busy time, we went in February.

If you can get joint rooms or a suite at Pop, I could see that being an option. Again, we had no problems with Pop Century, the rooms are small but was just a place for us to sleep (and we did do some swimming, which the kids loved since we live in Minnesota and by February it had been a long time since we had done any swimming!) The price is right but again, not the closest to Magic Kingdom.

Good luck!

[TwinFoxes]

Huh. We stayed at Pop and did not mind the bus at all. I thought it was super convenient. We had to wait sometimes but never more than 15 minutes and usually about 2-5 minutes. Magic Kingdom was not as close as other parks but it did not bother me that much. And we came back most afternoons. Also, Pop does not share a bus with other resorts, so no additional stops. I dunno, maybe I am just not picky. It was also not a very busy time, we went in February.


I guess I'm picky. :) or I have feisty twins.

Like I said, the only value I stayed at was All Star Music, not Pop Century. But really, with two 2 year olds, riding the bus was not my idea of fun. I need baby containment devices, and on the bus you have to take DCs out of the stroller, and then wrangle the double stroller. We had our own car, we didn't have to pay to rent one, so it just made sense to drive to the park.

OP, with the AAA parking we only had issues with it filling up once, at AK, but we got there kind of late. We saw where it was, it was very close to the entrance. We could walk to DHS and Epcot from our resort, so I don't know where the parking was. At MK we could walk to the transportation center easily in 10 minutes from AAA parking. You take a monorail, bus, or ferry to the park from the transportation center.

I hate to send you back to Disboards, but you can get really good info about bus wait times etc. there.

[klwa]

We used the Disney buses the last trip we went on & plan to this time. So long as you are willing to go with the flow, it really wasn't too bad. The worst was trying to get back in the evenings. If you're able to get into Pop, it has a dedicated bus line. Don't have to share with other resorts. The AllStars, you do have to share. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside last time,so sometimes we had to share with POFQ. Staying at AS Music this time to take advantage of the value suites. So, I know the bus situation will be different than before, but really, if you go into it calm, the buses aren't too bad.

[egoldber]

I agree that 1 and 2 are mutually exclusive. I think the buses are fine, but yuo do need to have the right attitude about them as the PP said. They are not for the impatient. ;) My DH struggles with them.

We have stayed at Pop several times, all the moderates and a few deluxes. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages.

I like the Epcot area resorts because you can walk to two parks (Epcot and Hollywood Studios) and the bus service to the MK is good, and even preferable to driving IMO.

Driving at WDW is very easy though. Car rentals are inexpensive in Orlando. Almost everything is well marked and if you are used to driving in a major metro area, it's a breeze by comparison LOL!

[Momof3Labs]

To get to the MK via car, you must park at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and take either a boat or the monorail and then walk to the entrance of MK. If you take a bus, boat or monorail directly from the resort, you just walk to the entrance of MK. It's a healthy walk either way - it's not like you get dropped off yards from the entrance.

Pop might be an 8 minute bus ride (not sure, I haven't stayed there) but you may wait 10-20 minutes for a bus to come, so realistically, it is probably 45 minutes from when you leave your hotel room until when you set sight on Main Street in MK.

If you want to be super close to MK, the Contemporary is really your best choice, with the other monorail resorts close behind. But they aren't budget choices, especially if you want separate sleeping spaces.

[sste]

Update in Post 1. Thanks everyone!

[fivi2]

Have a great trip - Be sure and report back on the Poly!

[WatchingThemGrow]

We just went there a few weeks ago. Garden view worked out perfectly for us. There was a grassy area right outside our room and we could stroller to everything.

Be sure to do the hula lessons offered around 3:45 in the lobby. It was a total hit with our family. You can watch the fireworks and the electric water parade if you walk out to the beach area - or just to the right of it. We got pj's on, the strollered and ran out there.

We paid $255 (taxes included) and had a great time.

ETA: we were able to get into Ohana for breakfast which was fun and tasty.

[hillview]

Great option! We love the Poly and will be there in Jan! ENJOY!
/hillary

[R2sweetboys]

You will LOVE the Poly!! I have fond memories of staying there with my family as a child and hope to stay there again with DH and the boys someday. Being on the monorail is so nice. You will not regret paying the extra $ for it. Have a wonderful trip!

[TwinFoxes]

People love the Poly, I think you'll be happy. :) And your rate sounds like a good one. Have fun!