Need help figuring what will work for us.

[phdmommy]

Hi, I am hoping to get thoughts from experienced DW visitors.

I have a room reserved for my family of 4. I am renting points with no insurance so i cant change room. It's a studio in AK. My kids are 6 and 2.

My mom had thought of coming and joining us, so I had her in our reservation from the start. Then recently my dad also decided to join, i cant add him to our room because we would exceed room capacity. So I am now looking for a room for my parents. They dont care too much for Disney, so they are okay being offsite. But i am dragging them into the Parks- i want them to experience the magic!

Problem is, deciding which hotel? it'll be something cheap because they wont spend much time there-mainly for sleeping. We will have a car, so i want it to be close enough that we can go back and forth and not get stuck in traffic. Any onsite or offsite you can suggest?

I am seriously considering one of the All-Star. Is the distant realistic for me to drive back and forth for them? If I opt for the All-Star, can i have my kids on their reservation as well, so that kids can go back and forth and stay either way? Will that be a problem?

 

[rwdavis2]

All Stars is closer than about any off site hotel. Go to google maps, zoom into AKL and then a search for nearby hotels. If you go All Star for your parents I don't think the computer system will "know" if the kids are on 2 reservations. It's just to complicated to program for.

 

[FSU Girl]

The Disney Springs hotels would be cheaper and nearby.

 

[holden]

Are you picking them up and dropping them off every day? Honestly it would be so much easier to have everyone in the same resort.

 

[Sue M]

If they can afford to get a room at AKL I’d encourage them to do so. All Star resorts would be a good choice for price point.
The great thing about WDW resorts esp with groups is that it’s easy to come and go with park busses. If mom and dad want to sleep in or leave park early they can just hop on their resort bus and come and go as they please.
We have a friend who usually stays at Pop, so she just meets us at a pre arranged spot by park entry. It’s so easy to meet up with cell phones. For this reason I’d recommend an on site resort as it gives everyone the freedom to come and go when they want.

 

[Haley R]

If they want to save money I would go with one of the All Stars. Maybe they could pick which theme they like best and go from there.

If they don't mind being a little further away, the rooms at Pop are newly refurbished and they may have fun seeing the different decades.

 

[coast2coastmickey]

Keep in mind that there are no resort-to-resort buses. Only resort-to-park buses. So, if grandparents/kids want to go back and forth without you, they'll have to go to Animal Kingdom, then catch another bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge or vice versa.

Since you're committed to AKL, I'd look to see if renting points for AKL would bring the price down enough to make it so they could stay at the same resort.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

The Disney Springs hotels would be cheaper and nearby.

DS hotels aren't really close by AKL but I guess a car changes everything.

 

[phdmommy]

Thanks for your thoughts. Yeah, they dont have anymore rooms through point rent in AK. But I'm keep an eye on that.

I guess at this point, one of the All Star seems highly likely. I know it's like 7 minutes away by car as per google map. Is that pretty accurate? With traffic?

How about to disney springs? At the worst of traffic imaginable, how long could it possibly take to drive from AK to Disney Springs?

I am concernd about traffic. i cant imagine how bad it may get

 

[FSU Girl]

Thanks for your thoughts. Yeah, they dont have anymore rooms through point rent in AK. But I'm keep an eye on that.

I guess at this point, one of the All Star seems highly likely. I know it's like 7 minutes away by car as per google map. Is that pretty accurate? With traffic?

How about to disney springs? At the worst of traffic imaginable, how long could it possibly take to drive from AK to Disney Springs?

I am concernd about traffic. i cant imagine how bad it may get

It seems All Stars is probably the closest option. I just plugged into Maps and it’s 4 minutes at the moment from All Stars to Animal Kingdom and 15 minutes to Disney Springs

 

[Fangorn]

Traffic is generally not a thing at WDW except around Disney Springs. And even there it's not horrible (mostly). But if you're worried about traffic, then you don't want to have your parents staying in that area. All Stars is closest to AK. DS is furthest.

Steve

 

[happymommy]

I would have them book a regular room at AKL. Otherwise, you're going to do so much driving that it defeats the point of staying on site.

Otherwise, you could opt to meet up daily at a park I guess.

If they stay at AKL, they can relax, enjoy the amenities there, the pool, food, etc... if they need a break from the parks.

 

[tommygunn]

I’d recommend getting a room at akl for them too if that is something they can afford. Lots of reasons why. To me, some of my best memories of Disney trips are the times I spend in the hotels with my family. Playing a game in the room, bringing back a snack and having conversation, just generally being together. Also your kids are little and will need some downtime. So maybe your parents can watch the kids a bit and you and your partner get some “alone time” in at the resort - enjoy the lounges or restaurants. Akl is really cool.

But I realize akl is not cheap so getting a room at another resort is an option, just realize it does make it logistically more hectic.

 

[tjmw2727]

I agree with the idea of getting them a room at AKL, either a studio villa on points or a traditional room whichever is more affordable. We often travel with family either in a 2bdr villa or in a few rooms/villas depending on the circumstances. Since its too late for the upgrade to a larger villa a room in akl is the next best thing.

Other than having to drive back and forth to get them like a pp said the best moments are the unplanned ones, not always the ones in the theme parks! It could be a Casual breakfast, morning swim, catching the movie by the pool and the akl has many cool activities onsite that all ages can enjoy together.

My dd mentioned recently how much she enjoyed just having breakfast and coffee with "nana" on the balcony in the mornings and having a chance to really talk and catch up during our April trip.

 

[scrapquitler]

Hi, I am hoping to get thoughts from experienced DW visitors.

I have a room reserved for my family of 4. I am renting points with no insurance so i cant change room. It's a studio in AK. My kids are 6 and 2.

My mom had thought of coming and joining us, so I had her in our reservation from the start. Then recently my dad also decided to join, i cant add him to our room because we would exceed room capacity. So I am now looking for a room for my parents. They dont care too much for Disney, so they are okay being offsite. But i am dragging them into the Parks- i want them to experience the magic!

Problem is, deciding which hotel? it'll be something cheap because they wont spend much time there-mainly for sleeping. We will have a car, so i want it to be close enough that we can go back and forth and not get stuck in traffic. Any onsite or offsite you can suggest?

I am seriously considering one of the All-Star. Is the distant realistic for me to drive back and forth for them? If I opt for the All-Star, can i have my kids on their reservation as well, so that kids can go back and forth and stay either way? Will that be a problem?

If they stay at All Stars, you don't have to pick them up and drop them off every day. They (and you) can use Disney transportation.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If they stay at All Stars, you don't have to pick them up and drop them off every day. They (and you) can use Disney transportation.

But the two families will not be able to swim together at each other's resorts. Just at their own.

 

[happymommy]

I would just ask if they want to book AKL. Since that is where OP booked.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Wow- that seems very presumptuous of you. You have no idea of their financial situation.

OP states they have a car or they could take busses and meet up at the parks. They could make it work

 

[phdmommy]

Thank you for your thoughts and opinions

I dont disagree that another room in AKL would be ideal. But I also want to explore other options that might be possible. And we'll just have to decide, how much money saved is worth the hassle.

Thanks again to everyone for sharing!