Help me choose a 2 bedroom!

blue888

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 19, 2013
We are new to WDW and planning a trip with our kids age (10, 8, 6 and 4). We know we want a 2 bedroom for a week. We are planning for July in a couple years. I'm guessing we will spend a lot of time MK. My kids love pools and we like to spend our afternoons in the hotel relaxing/swimming, etc. I'm a fan of proximity to the parks. We love character dining and usually eat out for almost all our meals. What resorts would you recommend I research? Deluxe? Moderate? and why?
 
Moderate resorts do not offer 2BR units. To get a 2BR unit, you really have 3 choices:
  • A DVC villa, which will be associated with a DVC resort, which will have a kitchen, and either 2 or 3 "real beds," with pull outs to make up the balance of sleep surfaces. Fairly pricey when booked for cash.
  • A 2BR Club Level suite, which will be at a Disney deluxe resort. No kitchen, real beds, access to club Level lounges. $$$$$
  • An off-site rental, which will lack proximity but may make up for that in cost.
Or, you can book 2 rooms at a Moderate or Value resort, and request connecting. This is a request, and would require you to book one adult in each unit.

I would look at your budget first to start thinking that through.
 
Moderate resorts do not offer 2BR units. To get a 2BR unit, you really have 3 choices:
  • A DVC villa, which will be associated with a DVC resort, which will have a kitchen, and either 2 or 3 "real beds," with pull outs to make up the balance of sleep surfaces. Fairly pricey when booked for cash.
  • A 2BR Club Level suite, which will be at a Disney deluxe resort. No kitchen, real beds, access to club Level lounges. $$$$$
  • An off-site rental, which will lack proximity but may make up for that in cost.
Or, you can book 2 rooms at a Moderate or Value resort, and request connecting. This is a request, and would require you to book one adult in each unit.

I would look at your budget first to start thinking that through.

Thanks
Yes, we would either be renting a 2 bedroom villa or get a 2BR club level suite. On our last trip to DL, we stayed onsite at DLH in a 3 bedroom (with extra family) and got club level, which we were very happy with. We usually budget to pay $1000-1500 a night when we vacation with our large family. I like to plan ahead so I can know how much to budget for our accomodations.

Which 2BR Villa's or club suite would you recommend? I'm not a fan of requesting connecting, as I really don't like the uncertainty of waiting for that request to be granted.
 
For proximity, it really depends on which park you want to be close to. There is no resort that is close to every park.

Bay Lake Tower walks to Magic Kingdom, but has boring pools. Boardwalk Villas and Beach Club Villas both walk to DHS and Epcot. Boardwalk Inn and Beach Club both have Club Level suites as well.

The 2BRs at Animal Kingdom Villas and Bay Lake Tower have an advantage in having an extra bathroom.
 


Thanks
Yes, we would either be renting a 2 bedroom villa or get a 2BR club level suite. On our last trip to DL, we stayed onsite at DLH in a 3 bedroom (with extra family) and got club level, which we were very happy with. We usually budget to pay $1000-1500 a night when we vacation with our large family. I like to plan ahead so I can know how much to budget for our accomodations.

Which 2BR Villa's or club suite would you recommend? I'm not a fan of requesting connecting, as I really don't like the uncertainty of waiting for that request to be granted.

Your budget might be too low for a 2 bedroom club level suite...I just did a random search on the Disney site and with the "Sun and Fun" room offer for the end of February, a 2 bedroom club level suite at AKL would be $1597/night (rack rate would be $1774/night.) Other resorts such as Boardwalk, Poly, etc. would probably run even higher.

*Edited to add, I just searched February at random. I should have read your post more carefully to see you planned to go in July. Still, rates will probably be even higher in July.
 
Your budget might be too low for a 2 bedroom club level suite...I just did a random search on the Disney site and with the "Sun and Fun" room offer for the end of February, a 2 bedroom club level suite at AKL would be $1597/night (rack rate would be $1774/night.) Other resorts such as Boardwalk, Poly, etc. would probably run even higher.

*Edited to add, I just searched February at random. I should have read your post more carefully to see you planned to go in July. Still, rates will probably be even higher in July.
Thanks! So a more realistic budget is probably $1500-2000? Unless we rent points.
 
Thanks! So a more realistic budget is probably $1500-2000? Unless we rent points.
Well, for a 2 bedroom club level suite, they are in just the "regular" resort, not DVC, so you wouldn't rent points. Yes, I think that is a more realistic budget, but still might fall short, depending on which resort you want and if you are able to get any kind of promotional deal. For example, a 2 bedroom at the Contemporary at the end of July this year is going for $2292/night rack rate. But a 2 bedroom club level at the beach club for the same dates is $1696/night rack rate.
 


Well, for a 2 bedroom club level suite, they are in just the "regular" resort, not DVC, so you wouldn't rent points. Yes, I think that is a more realistic budget, but still might fall short, depending on which resort you want and if you are able to get any kind of promotional deal. For example, a 2 bedroom at the Contemporary at the end of July this year is going for $2292/night rack rate. But a 2 bedroom club level at the beach club for the same dates is $1696/night rack rate.

By rent, I meant the other option of renting a villa by renting dvc points.

That is good to know. I think either of those would be doable for budget. We don’t vacation often so we tend to spend more when we do.


What resorts would you recommend I consider for location, pools etc. Would you recommend a split stay (one hotel close to MK and one close to Epcot, for example) Any other considerations? What about Animal Kingdom? I can see my kids enjoying that.
 
Animal Kingdom is a beautiful resort (you can see animal from most of the rooms, and many viewing locations around the resorts), and has great pools and restaurants. BUT it is only close (and by bus) to Animal Kingdom park.
 
Animal Kingdom is a beautiful resort (you can see animal from most of the rooms, and many viewing locations around the resorts), and has great pools and restaurants. BUT it is only close (and by bus) to Animal Kingdom park.
Hmmm. So if we did a few nights there and then changed hotels? I love the idea of a Savannah view for a night or two.
 
I think it would be easier to help if you narrowed it down to DVC condo style properties that have a kitchen and washer dryer or a 2 br suite in a hotel style resort or if you would consider getting two rooms and requesting connecting.

I would choose a Magic Kingdom area resort, The Grand Floridian has great pools and themed splash area for smaller kids. Easy transportation to MK on the monorail to and take the boat back to the resort. If transportation is a big deal use Minnie Van they are fabulous for getting to the parks. Through Lyft, sign up through the resort $20 each trip wherever you want to go ON DISNEY property.

If you want to do DVC I would still stick with a MK DVC. It really comes down to whether you want a condo or resort experience first and then go from there. If budget is a factor, two CL rooms will always be less expensive than the suite and in some cases the suites only have 1 or 1 1/2 baths.
 
We're staying at the Boulder Ridge villas at the Wilderness Lodge this June for 6 nights in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath villa - we have 3 "adults" and 1 child which breaks down to 2 adults an 18 year old and a 16 year old. We have 7-day park hopper tickets and the deluxe dinning plan and we added the Memory Maker...and we're sitting at right at $12,500 for our trip with NO discount right now..

fingers crossed for a discount but the current "fun and sun" discount isn't available for a 2-br villa at WL right now...

I'm hoping for a discount....that's a pricey trip we've booked!!

but I'm SUPER excited!! :yay::yay::yay:
 
We have 4 kids in our family, and we have stayed in a 2 bedroom club level suite once--it was at the Boardwalk Inn and at the time, our kids were 12, 10, 8, and 6--so same age as some of your kids :)
We really enjoyed the Boardwalk and my kids loved the pool. I know the pool at the Beach Club/Yacht club is considered "the best", but I've also read on this board that some parents of young kids find it harder to keep an eye on their kids at that pool.
I've stayed club level at 3 different resorts (BWI, WL, and YC) and have to say that Boardwalk Inn was the best of the ones I've experienced!

That being said, I think there is a LOT of value in having the kitchen and laundry room of a villa. Sure, going to the lounge for a snack or breakfast is great, but it's hard to find seating for 6 altogether in any lounge, and they might not serve the food you like at the times you want, etc.
 
We're staying at the Boulder Ridge villas at the Wilderness Lodge this June for 6 nights in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath villa - we have 3 "adults" and 1 child which breaks down to 2 adults an 18 year old and a 16 year old. We have 7-day park hopper tickets and the deluxe dinning plan and we added the Memory Maker...and we're sitting at right at $12,500 for our trip with NO discount right now..

fingers crossed for a discount but the current "fun and sun" discount isn't available for a 2-br villa at WL right now...

I'm hoping for a discount....that's a pricey trip we've booked!!

but I'm SUPER excited!! :yay::yay::yay:

Have you checked to see if those villas are available as points rentals? It's 350 points if it's anywhere between June 11-Aug 15 and that's for a week. Assuming availability and $15/point, that's only $5250 for the room. Not sure how much DDP would be....
 
We're staying at the Boulder Ridge villas at the Wilderness Lodge this June for 6 nights in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath villa - we have 3 "adults" and 1 child which breaks down to 2 adults an 18 year old and a 16 year old. We have 7-day park hopper tickets and the deluxe dinning plan and we added the Memory Maker...and we're sitting at right at $12,500 for our trip with NO discount right now..

fingers crossed for a discount but the current "fun and sun" discount isn't available for a 2-br villa at WL right now...

I'm hoping for a discount....that's a pricey trip we've booked!!

but I'm SUPER excited!! :yay::yay::yay:

That sounds lovely! I feel like with all those additions, your vacation will be almost "all inclusive".

We have 4 kids in our family, and we have stayed in a 2 bedroom club level suite once--it was at the Boardwalk Inn and at the time, our kids were 12, 10, 8, and 6--so same age as some of your kids :)
We really enjoyed the Boardwalk and my kids loved the pool. I know the pool at the Beach Club/Yacht club is considered "the best", but I've also read on this board that some parents of young kids find it harder to keep an eye on their kids at that pool.
I've stayed club level at 3 different resorts (BWI, WL, and YC) and have to say that Boardwalk Inn was the best of the ones I've experienced!

That being said, I think there is a LOT of value in having the kitchen and laundry room of a villa. Sure, going to the lounge for a snack or breakfast is great, but it's hard to find seating for 6 altogether in any lounge, and they might not serve the food you like at the times you want, etc.

That is great information. Thanks. I'm going to research this further. We loved club level at DL, it was just so convenient to have food/snacks available. My kids loved the breakfast and we often popped in for snacks/drinks during the day, plus desserts in the evening were great. I'll have to research their club lounge. Luckily my kids are not picky. Plus I hate cooking on holidays, so even with a kitchen, I'm not sure I would be up to cooking anyways... lol.

I think it would be easier to help if you narrowed it down to DVC condo style properties that have a kitchen and washer dryer or a 2 br suite in a hotel style resort or if you would consider getting two rooms and requesting connecting.

I would choose a Magic Kingdom area resort, The Grand Floridian has great pools and themed splash area for smaller kids. Easy transportation to MK on the monorail to and take the boat back to the resort. If transportation is a big deal use Minnie Van they are fabulous for getting to the parks. Through Lyft, sign up through the resort $20 each trip wherever you want to go ON DISNEY property.

If you want to do DVC I would still stick with a MK DVC. It really comes down to whether you want a condo or resort experience first and then go from there. If budget is a factor, two CL rooms will always be less expensive than the suite and in some cases the suites only have 1 or 1 1/2 baths.

Thanks for the advice. I will look into the Grand Floridian as well.
 
If you must have Magical Express or plan to purchase a Disney Dining Plan, this recommendation won’t work, but if you don’t care about either, the Swan and Dolphin are fantastic.

You can get a 2-bedroom Executive Suite within walking and/boating of Epcot and the Studios for less than you might expect.
 
That sounds lovely! I feel like with all those additions, your vacation will be almost "all inclusive".



That is great information. Thanks. I'm going to research this further. We loved club level at DL, it was just so convenient to have food/snacks available. My kids loved the breakfast and we often popped in for snacks/drinks during the day, plus desserts in the evening were great. I'll have to research their club lounge. Luckily my kids are not picky. Plus I hate cooking on holidays, so even with a kitchen, I'm not sure I would be up to cooking anyways... lol.



Thanks for the advice. I will look into the Grand Floridian as well.

We love CL at GF. They have very nice selections for children that are in addition to the selections for adults. Several mornings they make fresh Mickey waffles and they have a selection of fruit/crackers/sweets throughout the day. They also have nice evening selections such as PBJ, chicken nuggets, corn dog nuggets etc. Obviously, kids are free to eat the adult selections if they have a more adult palate. Resort is small and easy to get around. We have had very good luck with the Minnie Van service and they install car seats.
 
Have you checked to see if those villas are available as points rentals? It's 350 points if it's anywhere between June 11-Aug 15 and that's for a week. Assuming availability and $15/point, that's only $5250 for the room. Not sure how much DDP would be....

to start off with we'd had to do our set dates due to other commitments in June..

and I'd like to fully disclose here that my DH is "high maintenance" when it comes to vacations...:rolleyes1

that being said I've brought up the subject with him before about renting points from a DVC member or even from a company and he said it makes him feel "uneasy" - he is comfortable knowing that Disney has our whole package booked under 1 confirmation number and he likes the idea of the dining plan pre-paid for.

I know I could have gift cards stashed for food and basically buy whatever we wanted at each meal and make our own "meal plan" but if he's willing to pay a little more to have a Disney package, then that's what I do! o_O

It might be in the future when we visit WDW without kids that I could convince him to break out a package but for now, I pay more...BUT I'm hoping a EUC/Pin or discount will come out and bring down our price..I did look at a break out package price and if we can do the villa with points at $5,250 and then 7 day hopper tickets through UT would be $1,890 and then I'd have to have $3k in gift cards for food - I know that's a lot, but we have 4 signatures booked and TS for breakfast and even a few for lunches (DH likes the a/c breaks in June for lunch even if we don't eat a full, heavy meal) so that's right at $10,100 - so about $2,500 less than what I have now...

I get it - I do..I could book cheaper now (I think) but DH's happiness at Disney and his peace of mind is so worth the extra $2,500!!

But THANKS!! :worship:
 
So my husband and I were looking at resorts last night.

For Villa's
We really liked Grand Floridian's 2 bedroom suite, then our second choice would be the 2 bedroom suite at the Bay lake Tower. We also discussed connecting rooms at the Polynesian village (thoughts?), I usually steer away from requests that may not be granted, but it might be ok). We love the idea of being close to MK. Probably 7 nights. A back up would be Wilderness Lodge Villas.

Then we discussed doing a split stay, so 2 nights at the end at AK with a Savannah view. Sort of a relaxing end to the busy vacation. The pools and restaurants look great there!

We decided instead of club level, we would just get the deluxe dining plan. We love specialty dining and character dining, so this would allow us to us some restaurants that use 2 credits easily. Plus my kids eat a ton, lol.

I think we are leaning more toward a villa for the increased space (either directly through Disney or as a dvc rental, depending on what we can get at the time). I need to do more research on rentals. Any advice? Thoughts on the tentative plan?

We will be buying our tickets using our rewards program airmiles, so packages aren't really a concern. Same with flights.
 
So my husband and I were looking at resorts last night.

For Villa's
We really liked Grand Floridian's 2 bedroom suite, then our second choice would be the 2 bedroom suite at the Bay lake Tower. We also discussed connecting rooms at the Polynesian village (thoughts?), I usually steer away from requests that may not be granted, but it might be ok). We love the idea of being close to MK. Probably 7 nights. A back up would be Wilderness Lodge Villas.

Then we discussed doing a split stay, so 2 nights at the end at AK with a Savannah view. Sort of a relaxing end to the busy vacation. The pools and restaurants look great there!

We decided instead of club level, we would just get the deluxe dining plan. We love specialty dining and character dining, so this would allow us to us some restaurants that use 2 credits easily. Plus my kids eat a ton, lol.

I think we are leaning more toward a villa for the increased space (either directly through Disney or as a dvc rental, depending on what we can get at the time). I need to do more research on rentals. Any advice? Thoughts on the tentative plan?

We will be buying our tickets using our rewards program airmiles, so packages aren't really a concern. Same with flights.

Grand Floridian and BLT both have very nice two bedrooms. I would be very happy at either of those! BLT is nice because you can walk to MK and with monorails having issues often, this is nice! BLT also has a 3rd bathroom. You could rent from David’s DVC very easily. We have and it was great.
 

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