Best resort with an infant

[IloveJack]

Once our little girl makes her appearance :babyroll:, I'm going to make ressies for her first b-day. I'm hoping that my parents will go along, and possibly DH's parents, so we're looking at at least 2 rooms.
Which resorts have connecting rooms? Also, assuming we won't have the money for anything above a moderate (cause we never have before, and now will have an infant), what resort would you choose, if you were traveling with a baby? I'd love to do the monorail thing, but I just can't see us having the money to stay at a monorail resort.

[Madame Leona]

As far as staying at a moderate with a little one, I like POFQ the best. It's not huge so if you need something from the food court in a pinch, it's not very far or very crowded.

[NanaMouse]

Sometimes with AAA or another discount WL might be a possiblity - although not on the monorail, it is a Magic Kingdom Resort, has beautiful grounds and lobby - all rooms have balconies (except 1st fl which has a patio) and there is a water launch to MK - with such a little one perhaps more time will be spent at MK?

I would agree with FQ for a moderate due to it's size - nothing is too far and it's very pretty. Easy to walk around with a stroller.

Congratulations on the upcoming arrival of your princess! We have a 1st grandbaby arriving just a month before :cloud9:

[Taja]

POFQ is an excellent choice for a moderate.

Pop Century is great if you go value. We had a 14-week-old guy there last December and he was completely in love with the resort. His 9-year-old sister was right there with him! *LOL*

[florida girl]

POFQ is a great choice...however if I were in your situation I'd look at renting a DVC 1 bedroom or even a 2 bedroom if you all end up going. If you do a search on google you can find a site that rents them and make sure it is a reputable site before going ahead with it. You can typcially rent for around $10-12 a point...I think. During a weeknight at Saratoga a studio is around 11 points, 1 bedroom is 20 points and 2 bedroom is 27 points. You could all chip in and get the 2 bedroom pretty cheap. During the weekend(Fri and Sat night) the price of the room will go up. Just my 2 cents but I love the DVC 1 and 2 bedroom options. Then you get a full kitchen and washer/dryer also. With a young one that can come in handy!! Not to mention the thought of a jacuzzi tub:)

There is a big thread under the DVC page by DVCMike that lists some great info about renting points. Good Luck!

[grumpypima]

CSR has a very shallow pool area with a small fountain for small children. The grounds are beautiful at sunset and perfect for a walking with a stroller. The lounge area is great! If the grandparents tag along, you might have half a chance for a quick (and close) date with DH.

[OogieBoogieMan]

I am a bit biased since we own a vacation home that we also rent in Kissimmee, but certainly take a look at them. If you have potentially three couples plus a baby it can make things much saner with significantly more space. You lose some magic staying offsite I suppose, but we have found the convenience of the added space and our own pool balances things out fairly nicely!

[sisterdisco]

I agree w/ previous posts--try to rent a DVC villa or consider a Cabin in Fort Wilderness.
I know the price is more than what you want, but if your parent's are going, maybe you can all stay in one cabin and split the cost. The beauty is that you can shut the bedroom door so the baby can take a nap. (We stayed at a sheraton when our son was 15 months, and he wouldn't go to sleep in a standard room unless we did! It was tough). Plus, to have a full kitchen and a living room is a wonderful thing w/ a little one.
Just my 2 cents!

[GoldenDreams]

I love Carribean Beach Resort, but I would not pick it for a 1 year old for 2 reasons:

1) No elevators

2) SAND. Once they are past the age of eating sand and past the age of diapers, the CBR and the sand are great, but you may want to skip it at that age.

I agree with everyone who said POFQ -- if you're going to be carrying things, go for the small resort.

[VolMickey]

Can't address infants, but to add a bit of pre-planning to this thread, our 4 yo DD (and we) loved CR back in 2002. Close to MK for afternoon rest and after a long day -- hop the monorail and head to the room. She's also special needs so the transportation and proximity were extra nice.

[thumperbug]

I'd have to agree on trying to rent points or pay cash for a vacation club villa. You would have the convenience of a full kitchen, washer/dryer, room to move around and the benefit of being on Disney property which is key for getting from the parks back to your resort for an afternoon snooze that will be needed not just by the baby....but by all. I would also agree that the Villas at Wilderness Lodge would be ideal as it is just a quick boatride away from Magic Kingdom which I can assume is where you would be spending most of your time.

But overall just remember, lots of folks bring wee little ones to WDW so for all intents, all the resorts (well, except maybe the Grand Floridian) would be ok. Have fun!

[teambricker04]

When we traveled with our boys when they were small we liked the family suites at ASmu or FW. Something with seperate rooms so the adults can stay up a bit longer. Now that our youngest is over 1yo we can stay in a room easier. We did BC and POFQ and loved them both. The nice thing about BC was we could get back without getting on a bus when the little one fell asleep!

[jonahbear2006]

well, disney says they cannot guarantee adjoining rooms but I would try for it. we really love the idea of staying in a monorail hotel. Maybe you could get a Disney chase card. That way you have 6mths free financing to pay for your trip. We really like the contemporary hotel and the polynesian. The Grand floridian is nice as well but Contemporary is the cheapest monorail hotel. If you go in off season you will be more likely to get the adjoining rooms and if you tell them you insist upon it, they will do their best to make you happy. you can all stay in one room and watch tv for a bit till the little one falls asleep if you have trouble with that. Something that always helped us with that was to cover the sides of the crib with blankets and secure them with chip clips or something so the child couldn't see us through the crib rails. There are many options. WL isn't a bad price for what it is but book early for it. It isn't monorail but it is close enough that it doesn't matter. It is just a boat ride away.

[KAT1811]

CSR has a very shallow pool area with a small fountain for small children. The grounds are beautiful at sunset and perfect for a walking with a stroller. The lounge area is great! If the grandparents tag along, you might have half a chance for a quick (and close) date with DH.

:ditto:

:congrats: on your upcoming arrival. DH and I are also expecting (although we are expecting our fourth)! Best wishes to you and your family!

We have taken our girls at very young ages (one at 3 1/2 months & two at 10 months) We also love CSR. Some reasons we love CSR so much are:


The grounds are beautiful
The pool has an area for little tikes to splash around in
The main pool has steps that the kids love to sit on and splash aroungd
The resort has a quiet feel to it (many conventioneers stay here but they are never using the amenities so there is very little crowding at the pool, food court, and busses)
The resort has a golf cart shuttle to take you around if you do not want to walk.


On our last trip DD#3 was 10 months and we traveled with 3 other families who also stayed at CSR. We requested our rooms be close together and that two of them be connecting, both requests were granted. We typically travel with my parents and always request connecting rooms, so far we have always been granted the request.

Again best of luck to you and ask tons of questions here about traveling with a little one. There are so many great tricks and tips from all the people here.

We also used to trade off a night or two and everyone would go up to the lagoon side lounge and grab a sangria while someone stayed at the room. Many nights we would pull the chairs into the open hall and look out onto the lake while we chatted about the day and planned our next day. Sometime the guys would stay back, then the girls, then sometimes couples would go and one would stay back with the kids. CSR was great and we look forward to returning sometime soon. (We were the only ones with children so they was always an adult in the room).

Have a great trip!!!!

[diz_girl]

I agree w/ previous posts--try to rent a DVC villa or consider a Cabin in Fort Wilderness.
I know the price is more than what you want, but if your parent's are going, maybe you can all stay in one cabin and split the cost.

Another vote for a FW cabin. The cost of a cabin is less than two mods, so you could save $ there. You'll have two separate sleeping areas and a full kitchen. Plus, if you are going in September, they may offer free dining again, so you can save more on food. Just book through Magical Journeys and they'll keep an eye out for any deals for you.

You are a boat ride from the MK and also from WL and CR (and the monorail). Plus, I've heard that Trail's End Buffeteria at FW is the best meal value at WDW. I've got ressies there for December.