Never stayed onsite before. Where to start!?

[agame2323]

Its been over 10yrs since we've visited the WDW. Honestly...Universal has been really, REALLY good to us. But Disney is where it all started and I feel like it's time to make a return. The big question is where do we stay? We can afford Deluxe but all of the hotels (moderate and value) look really nice. I simply can't decide where to stay. I've heard people talk about how nice POP is. I've checked out POFQ based off reviews and that's lovely too. I personally have always wanted to stay at the Contemporary, but I don't know if DS would enjoy it.

We plan to get APs and also DS (5yrs) will be making his FIRST EVER trip to Disney. This BIG moment! What to DO?!!?

 

[DisDreaming4116]

POP is great and your DS5 will probably love the over-sized characters. He would probably also enjoy seeing the monorail go right through your resort at the Contemporary. There are so many great Youtube resort reviews/walk throughs which show off the rooms, layout, restaurants, transportation options, etc. I'd suggest starting there.

 

[Disneypro1]

POP or POFQand you won’t be disappointed at all. There a reason so many but those 2 I believe are the best... considering value and what you get for your money.

 

[SG131]

So the thing to keep in mind with deluxes is that you get better transportation options and the room sq ft is bigger. While I really like the theming pop and All Star Movies, with the new queen beds the rooms are a bit tight. A deluxe would give you more room to store stuff and move around.

Skip moderates entirely! The resorts are HUGE so unless you get a preferred room it’s a lot of walking just to get breakfast in the am or catch the bus. There are a few bus stops around the resort but that also makes the bus ride take longer depending where you are. POFQ is the only one that is a manageable size but it is closer to Disney springs and further from the theme parks.

If I could afford a deluxe every time I would. So if it’s in the budget go for it. I’d say something on the monorail resort to be close to MK. He’s too young to fully appreciate the yacht and beach club pool. If you want to reduce costs a bit I’d pick pop century for values because all of the rooms are remodeled and will soon have the gondola transportation. I prefer the theming in all star movies but as of now they only renovated about half of the rooms and stopped with no indication as to when they will begin again. The old rooms are two full size beds and very outdated.

 

[StageTek]

You're getting AP's. So you don't need to make a once-in-a-lifetime decision. Start with POP. Next trip stay at POFQ. During your trip visit Contemporary and let DS look around.

I got an AP in Sept; stayed at FQ for the third time. I just did my first stay at POP, leave for a week stay at FW Cabins and have another September trip planned. I've stayed at two of the All Stars and CBR. Never been disappointed. You won't be either. So my advice is to start your journey with POP and then each trip with your new AP's try a new resort.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

If I can afford a deluxe I would do a deluxe. The locations can't be beat.

We prefer the Epcot area resorts. I just love the vibe of that area and walking to two parks can't be beat. But the MK area is wonderful for small kids.

You can look at the threads pertaining to each resort right here on the DIS. They are a wealth of information.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would like to add last trip we did POFQ for two nights and then moved to BWV. My DD preferred POFQ and stated she wants to stay there every trip. It's small, quaint, everyone was friendly, the colors are beautiful and the food is good.

 

[chippydale33]

Yes, the moderates are exponentially larger than the deluxes, but when DH and I have children I will definitely want Quick Service options available to me anytime we go back to the room, or even for breakfast or dinner.

Anytime we've stayed at value resorts, I thought the food courts were absolute chaos, which was and is enough for us not to stay at values anymore. Moderates still have busy food courts, but IMO they are much more tame and manageable. Other DISers may have experienced different but for my family it was always a noticeable difference. We also enjoy the walks to the food court, especially POR, POFQ, or CBR.

Deluxe stays are ALWAYS a wonderful choice, as I feel they have an extra splash of magic (and cost..) but be mindful if you plan to eat quick service frequently, you'll need to do most of that at the parks themselves.

Just take note of what food you and your family are going to want to eat, and when. That's how my family always decided on resorts. The one year we did deluxe dining plan (WOWZA a lot of food), we didn't care about a food court because we did table service every meal so we stayed at deluxe. The years we did regular dining plan (1 quick service credit, 1 table service, 2 snack) we always made sure to stay at the moderates to get that quick service for breakfast or lunch at a hotel break. Regardless of if you have the dining plan or not, the same thought process can apply.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

There are great options in any category of resort. Pop and AoA are really nice and within walking distance of each other. We loved POR, especially with a preferred room which allows you to avoid some of the issues of a bigger resort (and yes the food court is great). POFQ is smaller and nice too, and both Port Orleans resorts offer boats to Disney Springs which can be really nice. Our favorite resort is Wilderness Lodge, which is one of the most economical Deluxe options. You'll find that pricing can vary a lot between different resorts in the same category, and even for view options within a given resort. Our choice is to get a lower cost view at a nicer resort, but if a specific view or location is more important yo you you can pay to guarantee it. Upgrading to a Deluxe resort gets you interior hallways and closer proximity to the parks, which we really enjoy, but the difference is probably less than 10 minutes extra on a bus, but being able to see the park from your room is pretty cool.

 

[marchingstar]

what i really love about staying on universal property is the walkability—we’ve stayed at RPH and HRH, and just strolling up to the parks is something we get used to really fast. it’s also not something you’ll get at disney. very few resorts are walkable, and because you love universal it seems worth mentioning.

if you want to replicate proximity as well as possible, you should decide which park(s) you’ll spend most of your time visiting and pick a hotel as close as possible. that means monorail loop for MK, boardwalk area for epcot/HS, and AKL for AK. you’ll still have some travel time to get anywhere else, but you’ll be as close as possible to one park.

if you’re okay with longer travel time, value and moderate resorts are more of an option. i haven’t stayed at POP, but I can see wanting to when my kid is a bit older. i think the rooms look really nice. my
big concern is how crowded the amenities have seemed every time i’ve visited (especially the buses and the lines for the buses). the contemporary is where i stayed my first visit. i think for a kid it has some highlights (chef mickeys and the monorail are *in your hotel*!). the rooms are less heavily themed than other resorts, but it’s the only resort that’s walkable from MK. that’s a huge deal to me.

 

[Shellyred8]

Wilderness Lodge might be a good deluxe option for you. Close to MK, good pools, kid-friendly dining options. It's a little "cozier" feeling than the Contemporary, if that's more appealing to DS.

Have a great trip!

 

[disneyseniors]

Since your son will be 5 (a perfect age to go to Disney, IMO), I would suggest the values such as Pop or AOA. If you can afford deluxe, then AOA seems like a winner to me. It is called a value resort, but when I priced it out, it was higher cost than POR or POFQ!
I think a 5 y/o would get more out of the large Disney icons and fun stuff at values than the vibe from deluxes.
Also, if it's got a pool, he will love anywhere he stays
Our 5 y/o always wanted to just go back to the pool when we'd been in the parks for a while. Honestly, that's all she remembered from our first trip

 

[rdaky]

Just to throw another resort into the mix, my kids absolutely loved staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge and being able see animals from our balcony.

 

[tjmw2727]

I decide our resort based on the amenities we need at the time, a dawn to dusk park trip vs a relaxing trip with resort and pool time. Honestly your 4yo will love any room on property

How important is …
Quick serve restaurant
Sit down restaurant
Convenient transportation
Pool, recreation
Children's activities
Room size / amenities (coffeemaker/microwave/etc)

The values will have only quick serve, good pool (no pool slide) outdoor corridors.
The moderates will have both quick serve and a sit down restaurant (except POFQ but you can walk to POR), pool with a slide and outdoor corridors.
both moderate and value will have only bus service (until skyliner opens)
Deluxe will have various restaurants and bars but some have limited or no quick serve, inside corridors, larger rooms with more amenities and various types of transportation.

I would pick a couple resorts in each category that appeal to you and read the first couple pages of resort information pages on the posts here to see how each resort fits with your travel style.

 

[agame2323]

WOW! You guys have me thinking now! I appreciate all the great feedback!

I'm starting to think that a value might be the way to go. Start with something like POP or AOA and work our way up. I think its important for DS5 to see things that are "cool" and seeing BIG signs and characters would really blow his mind! The tough thing I've spoiled the wife with multiple stays at the Portofino Bay. She's used to Club Level and and all the perks that come with staying in a Deluxe. I don't mean to make her sound like a snob or something. She just like to vacation a certain. Should I consider a split stay if this doesn't fly? 5 days in the Value. 5 in a Deluxe?

 

[The13thLetter]

So the thing to keep in mind with deluxes is that you get better transportation options and the room sq ft is bigger. While I really like the theming pop and All Star Movies, with the new queen beds the rooms are a bit tight. A deluxe would give you more room to store stuff and move around.

Skip moderates entirely! The resorts are HUGE so unless you get a preferred room it’s a lot of walking just to get breakfast in the am or catch the bus. There are a few bus stops around the resort but that also makes the bus ride take longer depending where you are. POFQ is the only one that is a manageable size but it is closer to Disney springs and further from the theme parks.

If I could afford a deluxe every time I would. So if it’s in the budget go for it. I’d say something on the monorail resort to be close to MK. He’s too young to fully appreciate the yacht and beach club pool. If you want to reduce costs a bit I’d pick pop century for values because all of the rooms are remodeled and will soon have the gondola transportation. I prefer the theming in all star movies but as of now they only renovated about half of the rooms and stopped with no indication as to when they will begin again. The old rooms are two full size beds and very outdated.

I know opinions may differ but I would have to disagree with skipping moderates all together because POFQ is awesome. The longest bus ride the park last trip was 12 minutes, it seems to be pretty centrally located. The resort is super small and takes 5 minutes tops to go from one end to the other. Plus the boats to disney springs are awesome. I was completely impressed with it.

 

[disneyseniors]

That's true, and they have an absolutely awesome play area/pool area only for little kids. The have a separate play area with climbing, slides, etc for the little ones on a nice grassy area. There is plenty of shade and benches for the parents to rest.

 

[MainMom]

WOW! You guys have me thinking now! I appreciate all the great feedback!

I'm starting to think that a value might be the way to go. Start with something like POP or AOA and work our way up. I think its important for DS5 to see things that are "cool" and seeing BIG signs and characters would really blow his mind! The tough thing I've spoiled the wife with multiple stays at the Portofino Bay. She's used to Club Level and and all the perks that come with staying in a Deluxe. I don't mean to make her sound like a snob or something. She just like to vacation a certain. Should I consider a split stay if this doesn't fly? 5 days in the Value. 5 in a Deluxe?

If this is what your wife is used to I would make sure she watches a walk through video of Pop/AOA as well as looks at a map to see distance for transportation. She might be ok with it, but I wouldn’t want to surprise her with it.

We used to stay value (pop) when my kids were younger. I have come to really like deluxes with the amenities, locations and balconies.

 

[tjmw2727]

If this is what your wife is used to I would make sure she watches a walk through video of Pop/AOA as well as looks at a map to see distance for transportation. She might be ok with it, but I wouldn’t want to surprise her with it.

We used to stay value (pop) when my kids were younger. I have come to really like deluxes with the amenities, locations and balconies.

Agree with this - its like cabana bay vs portifino bay (and we enjoy both!) and if she likes club level its going to be very different walking to the POP food court for coffee/breakfast vs the cub lounge!

Each category has its benefits but if your family is used to a deluxe resort, walking or boating to parks and city walk then I think a Value and exclusively WDW Buses are going to be a change. We do stay at a value or moderate depending on the trip and who we are traveling with and the buses are fine but there is nothing that beats the Epcot Deluxe resorts for me.

If your used to portifino I would suggest a look at the Epcot resorts, Boardwalk is fun and BC/YC has the best pool on property including a sandy bottom section for younger kids and a cool kiddie slide. Walk or boat to 2 parks and lots of entertainment and restaurants in walking distance.

 

[portocall]

For a first trip I would definitely do Pop. I think your son would love it like mine did when they were little.

Honestly, I am a mod girl. POR specifically. Yes it is big but I never minded the walk because it is beautiful. We went had the furthest building once. The bus stop was close. The main building was a five minute walk. Not a big deal. POFQ is much smaller.

We stayed values when our kids were little and their reactions were magical. PO had not been built yet so it was music. As they got older they loved the slides at the mods and the more subtle theme.

I am staying Deluxe for the first time this summer. I'm sure I will love those too.