Looking for advice on where to stay

[j2k]

I'm hoping you all can help.

I am beginning to plan our trip next year. DD will be 9 and DS will be 2.

I was looking at resorts that have a separate bedroom or sleeping area. I'm thinking DS will want to nap or will fall asleep earlier than the rest of us. Plus we may still be taking showers, etc. after he falls asleep. Having a separate bedroom would reduce the possibility of us waking him.

I looked at the cabins at Fort Wilderness. I couldn't figure our where the bathroom entrance is from the pictures I saw. I'm also unsure if the "camping" feeling is what I want to experience.

We stayed at CSR on our last trip and absolutely loved it. It is a beautiful resort. I'd consider upgrading to a Deluxe, depending on the overall cost.

Any advice on where to consider staying?

[mechanic]

Art of Animation family suites are very nice. The food court there is also a step above the other values.

[faline]

It's been a while but, if things are still the same in the cabins, there is a hallway that stretches from the living/kitchen area to he bedroom in the back. The entrance to the bathroom is off that hallway before reaching the bedroom in the back. The bedroom in the back,when I stayed there, had either one bed (as a master bedroom) or a bed and a bunk bed. It was away from all the action so putting a 2 year old down to rest/sleep in this area might work quite well.

[j2k]

Art of Animation family suites are very nice. The food court there is also a step above the other values.

I looked at the AoA and it did look pretty cool. Also, having 2 bathroom would be nice. My concern with AoA, and all values, is the size of the resorts and the bus stop is at the main building.

That's why we liked CSR so much. It is a large resort; however, there are 4 bus stops and although we didn't have a preferred room we requested a room near a bus stop and it worked out well for us.

[j2k]

It's been a while but, if things are still the same in the cabins, there is a hallway that stretches from the living/kitchen area to he bedroom in the back. The entrance to the bathroom is off that hallway before reaching the bedroom in the back. The bedroom in the back,when I stayed there, had either one bed (as a master bedroom) or a bed and a bunk bed. It was away from all the action so putting a 2 year old down to rest/sleep in this area might work quite well.

Thanks Linda. The pictures I saw of the cabins have a bunk bed and a queen bed in the bedroom in the back and a sofa sleeper in the living room area. This may well work out nicely for us. I'll keep looking at other options. I have plenty of time. But, it's never too early to plan.

[faline]

I looked at the AoA and it did look pretty cool. Also, having 2 bathroom would be nice. My concern with AoA, and all values, is the size of the resorts and the bus stop is at the main building.

Keep in mind that there will also be some transportation obstacles if you stay in a cabin at Fort Wilderness. If you have a car with you and want to drive to the parks, you will have a private parking spot right in front of your cabin so that works well.

If, however, you are relying on Disney Transportation, you will need to take two forms of transportation to get to any Disney park. First, you will need to take an internal bus from your cabin loop to a more central area within Fort Wilderness and then you will need to transfer to another bus or boat to get to your destination. Some bus routes are shared with other resorts as well. Some folks rent golf carts for travel within Fort Wilderness but this is also an extra expense.

[HiHoKermitTheFrogHere]

A good option, cost permitting, would be to rent DVC points and stay in a DVC villa. Our close friends just did this for the reasons you mentioned -- they have a younger child who naps / falls asleep earlier. They rented points and stay at Bay Lake Tower. It didn't cost them any more than what they would have paid to stay at a deluxe resort and the room worked out great for them. This would work for you at any DVC resort.

[Speedy1998]

Have you considered staying off Property? If you are getting a rental car (or driving your own car) there are some great options in the Windsor Hills Community.

We usually stay in a 3 bed 2 bath condo there for less than the cost of the family suite at AOA. As it is a condo with a full kitchen you can cook your own meals, and the car is right outside, no long walk to the bus stop or parking lot.

[#1donaldfan]

We did the AoA this NYE and had a suite .... it was great for a value and the food court was very good !! That's the route I'd go .... have fun planning !!

[j2k]

Keep in mind that there will also be some transportation obstacles if you stay in a cabin at Fort Wilderness................. you will need to take two forms of transportation to get to any Disney park. First, you will need to take an internal bus from your cabin loop to a more central area within Fort Wilderness and then you will need to transfer to another bus or boat to get to your destination. Some bus routes are shared with other resorts as well. Some folks rent golf carts for travel within Fort Wilderness but this is also an extra expense.

I didn't realize this. Thanks for letting me know because now I have marked that one off my list.

[j2k]

A good option, cost permitting, would be to rent DVC points and stay in a DVC villa. Our close friends just did this for the reasons you mentioned -- they have a younger child who naps / falls asleep earlier. They rented points and stay at Bay Lake Tower. It didn't cost them any more than what they would have paid to stay at a deluxe resort and the room worked out great for them. This would work for you at any DVC resort.

Thanks for the suggestion! I will look at this possibility. Bay Lake Tower would be great!

[j2k]

Have you considered staying off Property? If you are getting a rental car (or driving your own car) there are some great options in the Windsor Hills Community.

Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't considered offsite. We like the fact that we can stay onsite and don't have to drive anywhere for the time we are there. Plus, we really like the theming put into the resorts. It adds a whole dimension to the trip.