Thank you - Help me decide :)

Thank you for all of your help! I'm going to take my daughter down by ourselves in November. I'm very excited and nervous at the same time! Could you help me decide between the Grand Floridian, Poly, Bay Lake Towers, or the Beach Club? I'd like to stay on the monorail since it will just be myself and her and most of our time will be spent at the Magic Kingdom.

How old is your daughter? What do you expect from the resort? What do you want to do besides MK?

I went with my DD when she was 5. I was nervous about it and we had a blast staying at AS Sports. She liked being able to go back in the afternoon and play with kids. There is only so much time that she could be with just daddy. Kids need that time to be around other kids.

She will be 4 when we go. I took her this last October and it was a blast - we stayed at the Caribbean Resort. However, the bus system was great - but getting the stroller on and off was a pain. Thankfully my mother came with us, so she held DD (who often fell asleep regardless of the time while on the bus) while I dealt with the stroller. I figured that it would be best if I stayed on a monorail resort for it to be easier with her and the bags and the stroller, and whatever else we bought while we were there :)

Based on her age I would imagine that you will spend alot of time at MK. I would vote for Bay Lake Tower for the fact that it is a very short walk to MK. This is a really nice option if you plan on going or leave during busy times on the monorail.

We stayed at BLT in November and had a view of the castle and sat on our balcony and watched the fireworks. It was awesome and the kids loved it.

The good thing is that you really can't go wrong with any of the resorts that you listed. Have a great time.:mickey:

I would agree with BLT for the walk to MK. You have control of your own destiny, no need to worry about monorail breakdowns or long lines.

Normally Beach Club is the top of my list but if you want to mainly be at MK and not take a bus, I would take it off your list.

I have never stayed at the Grand Floridian.

Unless walking to MK is very important to you, I would pick the Poly over BLT. You still have the monorail option plus the boat.

I think the Poly is a prettier resort with a lot more atmosphere than BLT. It has great views of the fireworks from the beach. It has Captain Cook's as the quick serve which give you Dole Whips :) and 24 hour service. It also gives you Ohana and the Kona Cafe as good dining choices.

BLT is very nice but to me reminds me of a high rise condo. It is modern and nice. With the except of the community center ,all of the food options and amenities are in the main building at the Contemporary.

I do think you will be happy at any of the resort. Have fun planning!

I really wanted to vote for BC, because frankly with a 4 year old, that pool can't be beat. I expect that, weather permitting, you will be spending a lot of time in the pool too. I know you don't want to be on a bus, but honestly, if I was taking my nearly 4 year old niece, that is where we would be.

Having said that, I picked the Poly. It's such a beautiful resort...

IMHO The only choice with theming that a 4 year old will appreciate is the poly.

Based on your needs and wants and daughters age, I agree with AgentC on resort. Even though I haven't stayed at either Poly or BLT, we have visited many times and with the info AgentC provided, I personally think that is the way to go, I even agree my normal vote would have been Beach Club, but when reading through your additional post about MK and Monorail, Poly, definitely. BLT is very modern and "cold feeling" in design, for an adult it's nice, for a child, she may find it "boring" for lack of a better term, in my opinion.

Thanks everyone! We will have a park hopper - so I don't mind going through Epcot in the mornings to use the monorail. Have a nice morning pastry in France and then head probably to Nemo :) and back to the Magic Kingdom. I appreciate everyone's input. It is a tough choice, I know she wants to stay at AoA (3 years old and already knows enough to choose a resort!) and I will bring her there some day, but I think that with just her and I (at least for the first time) I just feel more comfortable with the monorail. :)

I think the Grand Floridian is a perfect choice in almost any circumstance, but also very good for a 4 year old girl. She will feel like a princess. Transportation is easy, quick to MK by monorail, quick return by boat. The courtyard pool is quiet and lovely, but there's also the beach pool and a new Alice and Wonderland water play area.

I picked the Grand Floridian too because honestly if I were 4 years old it's where I would want to stay! Never been an actual guest there but I had tea one afternoon and explored the public areas of the resort a little and it's beautiful. I'd say it's classy but not stuffy. There's usually a wedding there almost any day of the week and it's so nice if you can catch a glimpse of the Cinderella coach out front or the bridal party. It's a totally gender-normative thing but the little girls freaked out when they saw a bride pass by the afternoon I was there. Plus the Magic Kingdom is a boat ride or one monorail stop away, how can it get better!

I picked the GF as well. Have you seen those princess dresses in the gift shop there?

I'd pick the GF or Poly!

I picked the Poly for a few reasons. I love the theming and with someone that age I think the volcano pool would be a hit and being able to get something at the QS restaurant 24 hours a day could come in handy. There are also hula dancing lessons she would probably enjoy and the lighting ceremony. There is still the beach and you can see the castle across the water. We enjoy walking over to the GF along the water to eat at the character meals or one of the other restaurants.

The main reason I LOVE this resort is that you can grab the monorail to the MK (or a boat which I've never done) but you can also walk to the TTC and get the ferry to MK or the monorail to EC. So with planning you can avoid the bus except when going to the AK. I usually travel with 2 wheelchairs so I understand the convenience of the monorail you are talking about and trying to avoid buses. That being able to walk to the TTC for the EC monorail is a huge advantage for us. :thumbsup:

I voted for the GF. It is truely a "princess" resort. I loved seeing the little girls in their dresses waiting for 1900 Park Faire when we were there on our last trip. They were all dancing to the orchestra music in the lobby.

A VERY close 2nd for me would be the Poly. My 4 year old loves Epcot almost as much as the MK, and the Poly has great access to both. Third for me would be the BC because of the pool.

If the stroller is the problem, then you have the wrong stroller in my opinion. We went through this on our first trip. We had one of those huge travel system things. The stroller didn't fly back with us. We purchased a Cadillac of the umbrella styles at the time: MacLaren Techno XLR. It folds down like an umbrella stroller, easily managed, and only a little bigger. We purchased it online while we were at WDW and it was at our house when we got back.

You are not going to avoid the bus situation. I am not sure how much of Epcot you will do, but that can be done without a bus. However, DHS and AK cannot. AK is almost as much fun as MK for kids. DHS is also fun as well. You will not be avoiding the problem about buses.

Personally, I would not stay on a monorail resort to walk to the MK. If I were on the monorail line, I would be riding it every chance I could get.

I understand that I will not be able to avoid the bus system. And that is okay, but we spend most of our time at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I rent a stroller from a place near Disney, therefore I do not have my own with me - it's just easier that way, and they do fold up easily, but it is still going to be hard to carry a sleeping child and the bags and the stroller by myself. (She falls asleep easily on the monorail, bus, boat :D) That's the only reason why I'm thinking for the first time going down with her by myself, I just want to be overly cautious - if I find that it really wasn't as bad as I thought, I'll stay somewhere else next time. I just want to have an enjoyable trip with my DD :mickey: I appreciate all of your help!

I would say the Poly....it is much more kid friendly than the others. We've stayed there many times and loved it.

I'd also pick the Grand Floridain. Stayed there twice. Once with my granddaughters. Was wonderful. Was at the world in Jan. with DH we did't stay at GF but did go over there to eat. They have redone the pool it is so cute for little ones.

Although I've never stayed there, I picked the Poly for you as it is my dream resort. Much prettier than BLT and with the construction for the new villas at GF, I think that it would be quieter (although I'm not sure how long that will be going on for).

Have a great time with your daughter! :tink:

As you will see by my signature we tried the Poly and keep going back. My DS now 10 loves it. I like the small buildings as opposed to a large hotel. We never intended to stay Club Level our first time there. We wanted to stay @ Poly for location since DS was younger for same reason as you and ended up in Club Level due to availability. We found the lounge & offerings extremely convenient & DS enjoyed watching tv while eating & seeing fireworks from his own bed. Zero entry pool is awesome for little ones. My boy says the GF is nice, a good place to visit but he recommends the Poly!

I'd go with the Poly. We went when my niece was just slightly older than your daughter, and she loved the atmosphere, tiki torches, pool, and the view of the MK from across the lake.

When my mom and I stayed at the GF, there was a convention going on and neither of us enjoyed it. It had a definite "conference" feel. There were people doing business on their cell phones by the pool and in the lobby - just didn't feel very Disney to us.

And, as mentioned above, the Poly is a great choice for transportation. You're on the monorail line for MK and it's just a short walk to the TTC to catch the monorail to Epcot. You only need a bus for two parks instead of three. :thumbsup: