Best Moderate for Baby?

[jaredkari]

My wife and I are expecting our first child this June. So it means a WDW is out for this Summer. So we are thinking about trying to do a trip maybe in October. Our plan is to bring my Mom along (she is not a park person) and she is going to stay at the resort with our infant while my wife and I go to the parks. My Mom will have a great time just looking around the resorts. So which moderate resort would be best?? My Mom has a little bit of a hard time getting around so we are thinking a smaller resort or trying to locate near to the lobby? What do you think, what resort is best and has anybody done something like this before? How did it go? :mickey:

[brownie]

Congratulations on the new addition! I would look into Port Orleans French Quarter. It's a smaller resort. You can walk or take a boat to Port Orleans Riverside. French Quarter doesn't have a table service restaurant, so you'd have to shoot over to Riverside or Downtown Disney if you want a table service meal.

[cajundisneyfreak]

I highly reccomend the Port Orleans French Quarter.We stayed there for the 1st time in June 2011.We absolutely loved it !!! The first day there we didn't go to a park.We spent the day at the hotel exploring & enjoying.:mickey:

[SBETigg]

I suggest looking into the Swan/Dolphin. For about the same price as the moderates, you have a great location and lots of resorts close for your mom to explore. She would have the Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht Clubs right there as well as the Swan/Dolphin. The Dolphin has a 24 hour quick service place, which is also very helpful. It's an easy boatride or walk to DHS and to Epcot, and your mom could also take a stroller right onto a boat for exploring the other nearby resorts.

[Pirate Granny]

No ME to Swan or Dolphin...and a charge to park a vehicle.I'm a big fan of FQ...and mom can take the boat to DTD and stroll baby around there

[Madame Leona]

French Quarter is the best moderate to stay at. Everything is close by, there are lots of shaded benches and it is just beautiful.

[KatrinaJ91]

Definitely Port Orleans! The boat to DD would be great for her to take the baby plus the grounds themselves are gorgeous with the path connecting Riverside to French Quarter...it's a beautiful walk.

[AmandaChan]

Well, I only have experience with CBR and POFQ. I know CBR gets great reviews sometimes and I know you said you wanted a smaller resort so I guess CBR would probably be out of the question unless you were guaranteed a closer room or something (or tried for one). I will say though that walking across that bridge with a 1 year old in a stroller was a pain in the butt a lot of the time. I did enjoy the resort and walking around it, it's nice, but not with a small baby or small kid. A pro, however was that our room was close to a bus stop whereas at POFQ you have only one bus stop (I think??) and we were SO lucky to be SO close to the main lobby (but this was without baby)... I know that's not always guaranteed though. If you have these concerns you should definitely pay for a preferred room. I did like the bus service a lot more at CBR but I know that it can fluctuate everywhere you go and can depend on the time of year, etc.


Also it's a good idea staying in a moderate with a baby rather than a value... having the room in the bathroom to put the pack and play, and being able to close the curtain was a MUST for us...also you get your refrigerator to keep milk in or whatever you need. I can't imagine staying in a value with our son and not being able to shut that curtain when he went to sleep. We also took out one of the lightbulbs over the beds at night and it dimmed things down a little, even put a a little washrag over the lamp. Just a bit of advice!

[BrerGnat]

I'd recommend trying to step it up to the Wilderness Lodge, if you can swing it. If you can get a discount, the price comes very close to the moderates, and it offers a lot more. Perhaps even look into a studio villa at any of the other DVC resorts, where you'd get a microwave, fridge, and sink in the kitchenette. This will be very handy with an infant who needs bottle feedings. You'd want somewhere to wash feeding stuff that's separate from the bathroom, for sanitation purposes. If your baby is formula feeding, having a microwave to warm the formula will be nice. Otherwise, you'll have to pack a bottle warmer. On the other hand, if your wife is nursing, you won't really be able to leave the baby in the room while you hit the parks, as a 4 month old needs to nurse every few hours, at least.

My main concern with staying in a moderate with an infant that young is that October is hot and humid. If it's really uncomfortable out, your mom will not want to be out there walking the baby around (and it wouldn't be safe for the baby either since you can't put sunscreen on a 4 month old and they overheat easily). At a deluxe, particularly one like WL or AKL, there is a HUGE building that can be explored INDOORS. WL has a lot of interesting things to look at in the hallways; it's like a museum. When the weather is not great, your mom would have more to explore indoors. Plus, it would be quicker for you to get back to the resort in a hurry if needed.

I think you should wait on making any plans until you actually have the baby, though. It's hard to imagine what it will be like, but you both might decide to wait just a little bit longer. We traveled up to a wedding when our youngest son was 6 months old. We left our older son home with my sister, but I was nursing, so had to take the baby with me. Honestly, it was very stressful to travel with a baby that age. I did not enjoy one second of it. We did it because it was a wedding we had to attend, but I would never recommend traveling to WDW with a 4 month old. It's just too much work and you need a lot of energy to be at WDW. Food for thought...

Also, most 4 month old babies wake up and cry every 3 or 4 hours in the middle of the night. Would your mom be okay with being woken up that often (or do you plan on getting 2 rooms)?

Maybe try for December or January instead. Your baby will be a little more predictable, might be sleeping through the night, and the weather will be much more mild, which would benefit everyone.

[kakn7294]

Congrats on the upcoming birth of you baby! I recommend POFQ - it's small and easy to navigate. I see someone made a recommendation for a studio at a DVC resort but have you considered a family suite at ASMu or the new Art of Animation resort? That way you'd still have that kitchenette (mini fridge, microwave, and coffeemaker) and more room to spread out as well as some separation from your mom at night.

[MrPeetrie]

Our DD loved the boat ride from Port Orleans to Downtown Disney. It was one of her favorite things.

This past October, we took our DS 19 months on his first trip. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach and were on the second floor. NO ELEVATOR TO SECOND FLOOR IN S. TRINIDAD. Trust me. This is something to look into. If you are bringing back a sleeping child in a stroller and you cannot get up to your room without removing your child it is inconvenient. If you are not on the first floor, make sure you have elevator service!

[disneynarula]

Congrats! Going to WDW with your kids brings a whole new kind of "magic" to the trip.

Is your MIL going to be staying in the same room with you? Or will she have your own room? I think POR would be nice due to the boat ride to DTD but you might find it a little crowded with three adults and an infant.

Have you thought about using a suite at the Art of Animation? I think the decor seems a little "busy" but we are thinking about staying there because they have a living room that is separate from the bedroom. You might have a little more privacy that way. You would also be able to put the baby to bed in a crib in the bedroom and spend some adult time in the living room. Our DS would not sleep unless it was dark and quiet. I hope you have better luck than us.

I would wait until after you have the baby before you book. See if the baby will be a good at traveling. Both our DSs were. Our DD screamed like a banshee whenever she was in a car seat.

I was in your boat about ten years ago. I wanted to go so bad but decided that traveling with a small baby was not for us. We waited until our DS was about ten months old. He really enjoyed looking around at everything and riding the dark rides.

[disneynarula]

Another thought...if you want to stay at a villa but pay moderate prices you can always rent points from a DVC member. We stayed in a one bedroom villa with our 2 children and MIL and we had plenty of room.

The dishwasher might come in handy.

[minnie-mouse]

I say CBR would be a good choice. The grounds are nice to walk around there.