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Trakar
12-19-2007, 06:35 PM
I have not been to Disney in 15 yrs. I have a 5yr old and 7 yr old who have never been. I want this to be magical and memorable. If price is not an issue, where is the best place to stay for the kids? We will be there for one week in the fall '08. I've been reading the forum and have not read anything that sways me in any direction...WL? Pop Century? I would like a King bed for dh and I, or two doubles/queens so we could each sleep with one of the kids. We will not be going again for a while, so I plan on doing it up this trip. We took Disney Cruise in '06 and was blown away!! I want to be blown away again, if possible. Thank you for all your help and insight. I'm looking forward to planning my trip on this board!! :mickey:

BronxTigger
12-19-2007, 08:31 PM
If price is not an issue, I would probably pick the Poly. While I have never stayed there, I have visited many times. It's on the monorail, the beach (and many rooms) have a view of the castle, the theming is amazing, and there is a kid's club on-site if you choose to have a parent's night out.

If you want to spend a little less, I would go with a moderate. I would say Caribbean Beach, but their pool will be down until about September 2008 for a massive refurb, so unless your trip falls after that I'd steer clear if your kids like swimming. The Port Orleans Resorts are nice. Again, I haven't stayed at either of those but I've visited both and like them.

Honestly I think kids that age are about the perfect age for Disney and I think you can't go wrong with any of the resorts or parks.

Pirate Granny
12-19-2007, 08:51 PM
If money is no problem, I would consider either Wilderness Lodge...you can get a king size bed with bunk beds for the kids, I know it's not on the monorail, but the boat is a bonus and I think a bit more kid friendly...the Yatch Club and Beach Club can't be beat for their pool, which if the kids like the water would be my first choice...We've stayed at the French Quarter and I highly recommend that and the Caribbean Beach as a moderate resort...French Quarter is smaller and first on and off the bus system...

You will have a wonderful time regardless where you stay...we've been staying at the Pop Century and some of the All Star Resorts as we spend about 6 hours in the hotel room...to sleep...of course, we don't have children with us...once grandchildren, but even then we didn't spend much time in the room...

:pirate:

Kairi_7378
12-19-2007, 09:31 PM
Your kids are going to have a ball, no matter where you go! You can get bunk bed rooms in the WL and the AKL. The WL is beautiful and the ferry ride to the MK can be fun. AKL may be fun for the kids because of the animals. If you decide to go with a moderate, POR and FQ are very nice. They are pretty centrally located so the bus rides aren't bad to the parks, and there is a boat ride to DTD. If I were going value, I'd go with POP. If you think you're going to be going back to the room a lot to rest, I would suggest the Poly, the WL, or Beach Club. Good luck with your decision!

Trakar
12-20-2007, 09:29 AM
Once there, how much more can we expect to spend? I definitely want my daughter to have a Cinderella breakfast. I don't know enough to know what other specials we shouldn't miss, but I'd like to start planning and saving. In my head, I am thinking $5000 for everything for a week...am I close?
Thank you so much!!

btharvey
12-20-2007, 10:00 AM
Once there, how much more can we expect to spend? I definitely want my daughter to have a Cinderella breakfast. I don't know enough to know what other specials we shouldn't miss, but I'd like to start planning and saving. In my head, I am thinking $5000 for everything for a week...am I close?
Thank you so much!!We were last there a year ago, and character dining tended to average about $20-30/person ... most sit-down dining did that. Counter service was $10-20/person. I think Casey's hot dogs are around $4, but I could be wrong. ;)

mudpuppysmom
12-20-2007, 10:04 AM
I would highly suggest working with Magical Journeys.....they ARE the BEST without a doubt in finding you the best fit for what you want to spend.

As for spending......you can stay at a value and spend $ or stay at a deluxe and spend $$$$, it just depends on exactly where you want to stay. Saying 5K might cover it all again depends on where you want to stay and what else you want to spend on.....there are LOTS of things to spend extra money on.....I think everyone here can attest to that one!

For us, staying deluxe is nice, but we really don't spend THAT much time at the resort, unless DH comes with DS and I, then we do spend more resort time. DS really enjoyed the AKL when we stayed there and wants to stay at the Poly; and DH wants to stay at the WL, so sooner or later we'll stay deluxe again.

We have also stayed at POFQ which was nice and relaxing. I enjoyed walking to the food court each morning to grab something for everyone to eat in the room before heading out for the day.

A quick look and some searching on the WDW website showed me that if you want to stay at the Poly you could stay in a std room with 7 day hopper tickets for around $3800 -- add dining and its $4350 (about --no tax was added, so I'm sort guessing on the tax). The WL would cost you for bunk beds $3220 and with dining $3790 (for a std room $2900 and with dining $3500); Now, looking at POFQ you would spend $2200 and then with dining $2750. If you would want to go value, you could save a bundle vs a deluxe: Pop was $1720 for a room and tickets, add dining and you get $2300.

I think adding dining might be an option for you even though the dining plan has changed, but it still a value when you look at what you could spend on food for the week. Granted there are some things removed from the 2008 DP, but I think if you work the numbers you might find it is still a value for you -- MIGHT, not positive -- that depneds on where else you want to eat in addition to CRT --which when I plug in two adults and two kids is around $110 not including tip!

Just do a little research before you book and again, I HIGHLY recommend working with MJ, if there are any specials out there for you (like AAA or an AP or Visa discount) they will find it for you!

Have fun planning!!

Trakar
12-20-2007, 11:51 AM
Wow!! Thank you! I will definitely work with MJ..they sound fabulous! I definitely need guidance!! I really want to stay on the monorail line for our first trip. The biggest memory I have as a kid at Disney is riding the monorail. Of course, back then there was no character meals or moderate/value hotels to choose from!

This is going to be so much fun to plan!!! I hope the kids enjoy it as much as I will...

MizMissy
12-20-2007, 12:19 PM
I would suggest that you spend time on this site (the resorts info tab) and the disney site and look at pictures of the resorts to see which one fits your family's idea of a fun vacation.
For our trip in September, we stayed at the AKL - room with queen bed and bunk beds. The kids absolutely loved the resort. There were alot of kids activities around the pool and around the resort and my DD8 (turned 8 on the trip) loved all of the activities. I would have rather stayed at the WL (they have bunk beds also), but the kids and DH picked the AKL for the theme. We loved the resort, but next time will probably pick another resort because there's so much to choose from at Disney, why repeat? And, because AKL is so far away from the parks (except for AK), the transportation

One thing to remember - the "deluxe" resorts have queen beds, the moderates and values have double beds. DH and I sleep in a queen bed. And, while I don't mind sleeping with the kids, DH always complains that they kick. It was worth the extra money for our family to sleep comfortably for a week and the bunk beds solved the problem with the kids. Our only problem with the bunk beds was that we had to have the kids rotate who slept in the top bunk to avoid the arguments.;)

Tygger7
12-20-2007, 12:35 PM
WL is my all time favorite, even though it's not on the monorail line. I love taking the boat to MK, and we usually park hop from there.

I'd seriously consider the Beach Club because they have an AMAZING pool, and it's walking distance to Epcot and DHS.

I would also plan on doing the dining plan, for convenience if nothing else (although it will save you some $$). If you want to do CRT, be sure to get on the phone and book at the 180 day mark....this one fills up FAST.

The only hotel I wouldn't recommend would be the Contemporary. Now before I get hate mail, let me explain. The pool is nothing to get excited over, in fact, it's down right plain. And the set up of the rooms makes it very difficult for families to get ready in the morning. There are no counters in the bathrooms, only pedestal sinks. There is no room to put any toiletries, unless you use one sink as a counter. The monorail is great, but the other issues should be considered first before booking there.

As others have posted, look at pictures of the resorts here on Intercot, and on the WDW website. I also went through MJ for our trip next year, and I HIGHLY recommend using them as well.

No matter what, you and your family will have a wonderful time...I mean hey, it's DISNEY!!

:mickey:

#1donaldfan
12-20-2007, 12:43 PM
Welcome to Intercot........and IMHO.....I love POR AB....it's a moderate with a deluxe type of feel. We've stayed there for so many years, it's like a home away from home.....it's so laid back and quiet. There are 5 quiet pools and one signature pool...the food is great, the busses are very timely....you can take a boat to DtD for shopping.....you can go fishing, boating......there is just so much to do there....have a great time choosing....:mickey: