WDW in early February? Which resort?

[rkold]

I really don't feel the need to go DVC unless it's less expensive than a regular room. We spend so little time in the room that it's unnecessary for us. For us Disney is all about the parks and rides. We never even go in the resort pools. I'm reassured that, for us, February will work as a good time to go. Weather in FL can be variable. We were there in March last time, and it was in the 30's, so we know that can happen. Anything FL can dish out will be better than what we'll be coming from at home. What we can't abide is humid heat!

We like to have the resort be themed (so we walk in and immediately feel the Disney magic), have access to decent counter service food (though that's not absolutely necessary), and have easy access to the parks. It's really wonderful to hear good experiences from Animal Kingdom Lodge (which I think is truly beautiful and would love to stay in at a time of year when the animals might be more visible) and Wilderness Lodge. I'd be concerned about those hotels due to park access issues, but if a rental car will solve the problem, we might try Wilderness Lodge this trip. We can take the boat to MK and the car everywhere else. If that would work, I think we could save a lot of money and have a new experience. Right now I think my choice is between Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary. I'd like to see what the price difference would be, and I guess I still need reassurance that the rental car from WL will be faster and less of a nuisance than the monorail/busses from the Contemporary to EPCOT, DHS, and AK. Will the rental car really solve any potential transportation concerns?

Like egoldber, (wow, I am feeling like we have a lot in common now. ) I've come to like renting a car. Our first few trips we just relied on Disney Transport, but I find with naps/taking buses in the middle of the day and issues with the ME I am just happier with a rental car. We fly down to Orlando and usually stay 5-6 nights. I think Disney food is all right, but I also like having the option to eat other things. Their prices for healthy snacks like bananas are insane. Usually, I am against bottled water, but the water in Disney tastes awful. You can even taste it in coffee and tea. We always stop off and buy bottled water for using throughout our trip.

I think if you have a rental car, getting around from Wilderness Lodge to Epcot, Studios, and AK is just not going to be an issue. (Just make sure to find a way to remember where your car is parked, I really did spend 15+ minutes trying to find my car in the AK parking lot! I had no prob in Epcot and the Studios.) Depending on the resort, they share buses and for some it's not so bad (Yacht and Beach make sense, Jambo and Kidani, it's fine) but some are just really not all that close. I think the Contemporary sometimes shares buses with the Poly and the GF shares with the Wilderness Lodge, which considering how much you're paying for a deluxe is a tad annoying. The buses just also sometimes run on wonky schedules. I've waited 30-40 minutes for a bus from MK to Yacht/Beach and eventually given up and taken one to the Boardwalk. AKL had amazing buses except at park closing, where we waited 30-40 minutes to make a bus. And tourists aren't the only people who get confused on Disney roadways. Bus drivers get lost too, our bus to Yacht and Beach went to the Caribbean instead. I find certain drives are easier than others. I've not been to Downtown Disney, so that might be tricky, but from the Wilderness Lodge to Epcot, AK, and the Studios is pretty easy and straight forward. ESPN Wide World of Sports is hard to get to and confusing, but unless you're doing a race, you can just ignore it. You'll be surprised, the trip from WL by car to Epcot will take less time than walking from the Poly to the TTC and taking the monorail.

We tend to stay in DVC now because we own DVC, but if we didn't own DVC I'm not sure I would pay the premium for a unit. I would still pay to stay on property because I want that 60 day FP+ window.

I like the Contemporary, but it's not super themed. It feels like a lovely modern hotel to me. (I just like it because it's walking distance to MK and I love the California Grill.) If you want theme, Wilderness Lodge and AKL are two of the best IMHO.

[swissair81]

We stayed in Fort Wilderness with our RV this past February. I think they also have cabins there. There is a boat to several parks, including MK, and bus transportation to the rest of the Disney areas. We rented a golf cart to get around the area, because the grounds are pretty extensive. Also nice is that you can watch the MK Fireworks from the Fort Wilderness dock area. There are 7 of us, so it really didn't pay to try and price out hotel rooms. The park also has lots of outdoor activities that are included in the price, so you don't have to go to a park every day.


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[123LuckyMom]

Another reason I'm attracted to Wilderness Lodge is to have easy access to the campfire at Fort Wilderness, maybe for the early ending AK night and/or the night we arrive and don't have park tickets. We just took our 3 year old camping for the first time this year, and despite the fact that it was only 27 degrees (!!!!) overnight, and we were in a windy tent, she and DS had a BLAST, and she hasn't stopped talking about it since. I think she and DS would both get a big kick out of combining their love of camping with Disney. The campfire could be a nod to camping, but I'm not prepared to rough it at Disney. I need at least the comfort equivalent of a motel, especially in the unpredictable FL weather. I can't imagine not being able to come back to a queen size bed, a proper bathroom, and air conditioning, so I think a tent or cabin would be out for us. If we had an RV it might be a great option, though.

[niccig]

I think people either hate driving at WDW or think it's no big deal. We have rented a car almost every trip. DH hates the busses with a passion and I also like being able to run to the store and even having the option of non-WDW food. After about 3 days of WDW food, I'm sick of it.

The great thing about the busses is that it makes it easy to split up and even go to different parks if we want.

The MK is definitely the most challenging park to drive to, so the busses make the most sense there. The other parks are very driveable IMO.

We were just there and had a rental car. We use google maps to direct us to all the parks. Waze wasn't as great and got us lost going to Magic Kingdom. Google maps was much better and got us to each parking lot.