Firsttimers looking for suggestions!!

[brown1442]

We are planning our first trip as a family to Disney sometime in Nov of '07 or Feb of '08. this will be my husband and my first trip back since we went as young teenagers with our parents!! I am SOOOOOOOO excited!! :mickey:

Our children will be about 5 and 2.5 at that time. I believe my parents are planning on making the trip with us as well. So we will have 4 adults and 2 small children.

I am looking for suggestions for where to stay. We know we want to stay on site but the question is where?? I have been totally overwhelmed looking at all the different resorts... they all look beautiful!! At this point convenience is our #1 priority with kids this age. Which resorts are the most convenient and accessable. Which ones are the most child friendly?? Which have the most to do at the resort itself for young children in our range??

Also, we are fine with 2 seperate rooms if that is needed for our family and my parents.

What do you recommend??

[BrerGnat]

I am tentatively planning our first family vacation as well. I'm not sure when we will go, but it will be sometime either early 08 or late 08.

Our kids will be around 4 and 2.

At this point, I think we'll at least bring MIL, possibly my mother as well, so we are in a very similar planning situation.

I consider myself "full of WDW knowledge" and have had a lot of experience staying at different levels of WDW resorts (see my signature line).

Anyway, right now, I am stuck between the Polynesian and either the Beach Club or Yacht Club.

You are right that with very young children, timely and efficient transportation to/from the parks is a HUGE issue. The Polynesian probably wins in this category, as it has a myriad of transportation options available. You can monorail to MK and the TTC, where you can catch a monorail to Epcot. In addition, you can WALK to the TTC from the Polynesian, where you can catch a ferry to MK or the Epcot Monorail. Also, there is a smaller boat that goes from the dock at the Poly to the MK. There are buses to MGM, Animal Kingdom, and Downtown Disney, as well as the water parks.

The Epcot resort area is also very convenient. You can walk to Epcot and MGM, or there is also a boat to both of those locations. Buses go to MK, AK, DtD, and the water parks. The Epcot resort area has the benefit of the Boardwalk, which hosts nightly entertainment. In addition, there are many good restaurants located within the Epcot resort loop as well as having the World Showcase and it's fine restaurants basically "down the street". The Yacht/Beach Club share the BEST pool on property. It's more like a mini water park, with a sand bottom and a sandy play area for kids.

I would really consider where you think you will spend the most amount of time. If you think you'll mostly be at the MK, pick one of those hotels on the monorail line (Contemporary, Polynesian, or Grand Floridian). If you might want a night out without the kids, being in the Epcot resort area will open you up to more options for fun, while still being within walking distance of your hotel.

If money is an issue, the moderate hotels are also great for families. However, you do trade a lot of convenience for the lower price of the moderates. In my personal opinion, those hotels are better for when your kids are older and you are not really relying on a stroller anymore. The properties are very large and spread out and sometimes just the walk to the main building (where all the services are) can be brutal. Plus, you have to rely on buses to go everywhere, and that can get old (folding and unfolding the stroller, packing up your bags so you can fold the stroller in the first place, etc. can get to be pretty annoying after a few times).

FYI, if you stay on the monorail line, you can wheel the stroller on and leave the kids inside it. This can only be done on the monorail. On most boats and all buses, the strollers must be folded before boarding.

[SBETigg]

Natalie said it all, and very well. I recommend the Polynesian Resort if it fits with your budget because it has something for everyone, great transportation options, lush grounds, and a relaxing atmosphere. In the more moderate price range, Port Orleans or Port Orleans French Quarter would be a nice choice.

You really can't go wrong, but there is something completely magical about being on the monorail line, with easy access to the Magic Kingdom and the lagoon right there. Consider your budget, look over all the resort options, and ask questions. You've come to the right place. Welcome!

[disney323]

We highly recommend the Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach Club. The location is the best place in the park. You are able to take an 8 minute or less walk to Epcot and a 20 min walk or short boat ride to MGM. You have the boardwalk at your fingertips. Games, Food, Magicians, Fun, it's all there and amazing! We also love walking over to the Swan Hotel to enjoy their buffet breakfast. Have a wonderful time!

[KAT1811]

First off :welcome: to Intercot :welcome: I'm sure you're going to love it here. Ask, ask, and ask again. These people are the greatest resource you can find when it comes to planning a trip. No matter the question someone out there has the answer.

I guess I would also say that if money isn't an issue the Poly would be the best choice if convienience is a major priority. This leaves two major parks right at your finger tips and as a mother with 3 DDs the ease of pushing the stroller right onto the monerail is great (on the busses they make you fold it up).

I personally don't care to spend the extra $$ on the hotel. Money isn't an issue but since we are never in the room why spend the money on four walls? We stayed at the Beach Club one year and I didn't feel that it was that much better than Coronado Springs (our favorite) to justify the extra expense. I can spend the extra $1500 elsewhere, a great bottle of wine maybe champagne, face painting, pins, princess costumes, pictures, photo albums, snow globes, you get the point.

Many people will disagree with me but that is just my view. We leave the hotel at 8:00am and don't return until at least 9:00pm and then we just sleep and shower and then we're off again. My children nap wonderfully in the stroller and we only do hotel naps on pool or water park days.

Wherever you stay I'm sure you will have a great time. One thing is for sure we all love Disney but we all do it our own individual way.

[Mom2princesses]

I agree with the others. I have been to WDW with a 2 year old, 5 year old and this year my youngest one is going to be 3 years old. The Poly is where we stayed and it is where we will be staying. The transportation was important to me because we could be at the MK (which is where we spent most of our time due to the young ages) and we could easily head back for a nap or break. It is more expensive but we tend to save up a few years and then go to WDW. I have stayed at moderate resorts with my neices and nephew when they were little and we all survived! If you have the money though I would say the Poly without a doubt.

Have a great time!

[momof3+twins]

Okay, I personally don't care for the All Stars but my kids LOVE the Movies Resort. We have stayed there several time. And the Caribbean Beach is beautiful. The Poly is the easiest with the monorail. But, you won't go wrong with grandparents there. My biggest advice is not to be in the parks late without an extra adult. The kids tend to fall asleep at the bus stop ( and you have two kids and two strollers to lug on the busy bus). And go eat at the Boardwalk then walk over to Epcot for the fireworks. When you come back, it is much easier to put the kids in the car than on a bus ( and the Boardwalk won't have a busy Epcot end of the day parking lot). It will work. We have taken our three oldest boys as babies. And we are going back with our twins in tow this year! Oh yeah, naps for Moms!!

[Mickey91]

If money is not a deciding factor, I would say the Polynesian. It is perfect for the adults, it has a zero entry pool, and a slide for the kids, you have a monorail station and a boat dock to get to MK. You are a short walk to TTC for Epcot monorail. Ask at the front desk for special activities for the kids each day. Ohana character breakfast is awesome!! Good luck! Have a wonderful time!:mickey:

[FireMickey]

Our favorite resort by far is the Beach Club. Our kids LOVED the pool! It is lined with sand and has a special play area for the younger kids. Plus it was so easy for us to walk to Epcot and be able to take the kids (or us) back home for a nap if the needed one. :mickey: As for a value resort, we have stayed a few days extra on a couple of trips at POP. Nothing special with the rooms (smaller), but it is nice. Another option if you are traveling with your extended family is to stay at a DVC resort. Here you can get a 1 or 2 BR rooms with a full kitchen. It feels a little more like a family trip when you can all meet together in the family room, but still have your private space as well. I'm sure what ever you choose, your family will have a magical time!

[mrsgaribaldi]

Poly or Contemporary. We stayed at the Contemporary in Nov and the Poly in Jan. The CR was a little more convenient, we stayed in the Tower. But hands down the Poly was much more relaxing, the CMs were so friendly, we love the Poly now:thumbsup:

[crazypoohbear]

Welcome to Intercot!!!
To help answer your questions properly we would need a bit more information.
1) Is money a deciding factor, ie. do you want/need a Value, Moderate or Deluxe hotel.

2) will you be using Disney Transportation or do you have a car?

3) How portable are you kids? Some kids sleep any where, others need to be in a bed, can you tranfer them from stroller to arms without waking them?

4) what time of year are you going?