Best resorts?

[janine]

Following up to my newbie post earlier, what are the best resorts? We wanted to be close to the Magic Kingdom, but Grand Floridian seems all booked as we are booking on short notice. Are there other suggestions for ages 3 & 6 that are close to MK? We plan on visiting that park and Animal Kingdon.

[123LuckyMom]

In my opinion, the very best place to stay at Disney World is Tahiti house at the Polynesian. It's not that the rooms are so great, though ours was right on the lagoon beach and was perfectly nice, but you're within steps of the Ticketing and Transportation Center, the hub of all transportation at WDW. You can get anywhere quickly without transfers. The Contemporary is walking distance to The Magic Kingdom, though, so lots of people prefer it. For theming only and not transportation, my favorite resort is Animal Kingdom Lodge, but it's awful for transportation.

[keh602]

The Contemporary is a lot of fun. Being within walking distance of MK is a huge plus, IMO. We love love love Animal Kingdom Lodge, but you'd be relying on buses to take you everywhere. Not necessarily a big deal, but it can be a challenge at the end of the night if, like us, you have multiple sleeping children and a stroller.

[acmom]

My kids are 4 and 6 and we have been several times in the last few years. We loved Polynesian when we stayed there - great resort and great location. Having the beach area was fun and we watched the fireworks from there one night which was great for our kids ages/bedtimes. I would check the construction schedule though bc I think it currently has a lot of construction going on. Not sure when you are planning to go. Wilderness Lodge would also be worth checking out - we stayed there and really liked that too. It was beautiful resort and the boat ride to MK was easy and quick - not quite as convenient as the monorail, but faster and more fun that the bus! Wilderness is also usually one of the cheapest deluxes. And if you want a moderate, we had a great experience as Port Orleans Riverside too - enjoyed the resort, lots of great quick service food options, fun boat ride to Downtown Disney, but the transportation wasn't as convenient. We had no big issues with the buses, but in general it took longer to get to/from the parks as compared to Poly and WL.

ETA: We are trying Beach Club on our next trip which we hear great things about! It is walking distance to Epcot and a longer walk to HS, but sounds like it wouldn't be a great option for you this trip since you are only planning to go to AK and MK.

[erosenst]

See if anything is available at Bay Lake Towers - more space, and on the monorail. If you were looking at Grand Floridian shouldn't be too much of a price difference.

[cookiemonster80]

The most convenient and easy for that age is the Contemporary or Bay Lake Towers. I wish it was more themed but the ability to actually walk and control your own transportation time to the MK is worth just about anything to me with young kids . I hope to stay at some other resorts when they are bigger but it will be hard to give up the ease.

[egoldber]

For convenience to the MK, I agree that Contemporary and BLT are your best choices. You can watch the fireworks from many locations there.

The theming isn't terrific, but my kids really enjoyed BLT when we stayed there in January. IMO, the theming isn't that important. And frankly, my kids like the theming at the Values the best of all! It's the grown-ups who don't like the Values LOL!!!! The Values also have by FAR the best food courts with the most options.

[keh602]

For convenience to the MK, I agree that Contemporary and BLT are your best choices. You can watch the fireworks from many locations there.

The theming isn't terrific, but my kids really enjoyed BLT when we stayed there in January. IMO, the theming isn't that important. And frankly, my kids like the theming at the Values the best of all! It's the grown-ups who don't like the Values LOL!!!! The Values also have by FAR the best food courts with the most options.

Ha! I would love to tour the different value resorts, but I am perfectly content to stay at comparatively "boring" Contemporary (actually, BLT) for it's easy park access. :) Actually, I mostly want to see the giant dalmatians at All Star Movies, but whatever.

[anonomom]

The Contemporary is my favorite resort on property, from a convenience perspective (especially if you can get a room in the main tower). The YC runs a very close second -- its theming and pool are amazing, it's a gorgeous resort and walking distance to Epcot.

It's not nearly as convenient, but I was surprised at how amazing AKL was. I just feel like they work so hard there to make it a great experience -- crayon rubbings in the lobby, a drum circle every evening, wonderful food (both table and quick service) and of course, the animals. The rooms are small and overcrowded with heavy furniture, but the resort itself is spectacular (and I went in fully expecting to dislike it).