Never stayed onsite before. Where to start!?

[Magical2017]

We enjoyed AKL with the kids programs. Our boys made giraffe feeders and loved looking at the animals. If your wife likes club level, you can book that or just a standard room. We have also stayed at Pop, POFQ, and Contemporary, as well as off site hotels. All were great choices for what we needed at the time.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Yes, a split stay can be a good approach when you're undecided between two (or even three) hotels.

 

[FigaroandFifi]

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?!!?

When we took our kids the first time, we stayed at Pop. It is their favorite to this day! Personally I prefer the value resorts and have stayed at Pop my first choice but also have stayed in the suites at Art of Animation and really like it there as well. If your DS is a cars fan (like my 13yo is), then maybe he would love staying there. We are staying there for our next trip (it is our second time staying there) and I like the little bit of extra room and the extra bathroom it offers. Regardless though your DS will love his stay.

 

[Nancyg56]

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.

My DGD loved POFQ as well. We booked the BC one trip and she asked if we could visit POFQ, so we went there for lunch.

I think that the moderates are a nice way to stay onsite. You get some nice amenities, but at a lesser cost than a Deluxe. Personally, when we can justify th ecost of Deluxe we choose that level becuase we use the resort as part of our vacation, but I will never turn my nose up at any level.

I suggest looking at the amenities your family likes to use and start there. You want a hot tub by the pool? Skip the values. You want a great food court? Now we are back to values!

You want TS restaurants, or convenient locations to a specific park or parks? Look at Deluxe. I think you really shoudl be honest in what your family expects from teh resort.

My DH always tells me he is happy with a Motel 6 kind of place, so go cheap. WHat he means is he wants a Monorail resort. If I booked a value in line with what he said he would go bat crazy becuase what he wants on the few vacations he joins us is a great pool, monorail access to the MK, restaurants, and a hot breakfast. So before you book ask how the resort will be used. Is it a place you all just sleep? Book the value that will appeal to your son. If you will be relaxing by the pool, want a balcony, and like to be close to a park, you are looking at a DEluxe, and if you want to compromise check out the moderates.

 

[Miffy]

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?

The value properties look adorable, but, having stayed in one once, I'm going to suggest that, since you can afford it, stick with a deluxe. Because, despite their cute themes and bright colors, etc., the values all have paper-thin walls. If you get especially unlucky and have slightly noisy neighbors, you could be in for an uncomfortable, to say the least, stay. This happened to me once, and the resort couldn't move us because it was booked solid. At the time, I didn't think to just move to another resort altogether, but, had I thought of it, I would have. Sleepless nights at WDW are not a good thing. BTW, I'm not the only person who ever stayed in a value to mention this problem. And since your wife is used to staying in deluxe accommodations, I would seriously advise against a value resort. The mods have much better noise insulation, and the deluxes even better. Yes, you can get obnoxious neighbors anywhere, but I've never once had a noise problem in a deluxe.

Also, your son is 5. I'm thinking you're going to be spending a lot of time at the Magic Kingdom. For that, you can't beat the monorail resorts, especially the Contemporary, since you can walk to MK from there. Even WL is a good choice, since there's a fun boat ride from WL to MK. And, also, if your DS is into animals at all, consider Animal Kingdom Lodge. Yes, it's not as close to any of the parks, except Animal Kingdom, as other resorts are, but there is so much to do there and watching the animals is a treat in itself.

I know that lots of people love the values, and that's great. But, without being snobby about it--just thinking what your wife enjoys and has come to expect and that you can afford--you might want to focus on the deluxe resorts. You don't have to stay club level to get the most out of them, and keep in mind that there are discounts for nearly every resort most of the time. You just have to keep an eye out for them and pounce when they're released.

 

[FSU Girl]

If you can afford deluxe, stay deluxe. I am not a fan of the values at all. Sure, the themeing is cute, but I hate the outdoor walkways to the rooms, makes it feel like a motel to me. The moderates are okay, but for the price I'd rather stay off site somewhere nicer. If you have a car they are more doable, because those resorts are really large to get around. My last couple years I've only stayed deluxe and if I have to save money I stay off site over staying moderate or value.

I love the hotels with easy transportation. Contemporary you can walk to Magic Kingdom. If you get a theme park view room you can watch the fireworks every night from your balcony, which is awesome. The Epcot resorts are really nice since you can walk to two parks. Swan and Dolphin are priced like a moderate, but have that great location. I love Animal Kingdom Lodge for the uniqueness and the animals, but it's far from most parks so we try and only stay there if we aren't focused on going to the parks.

 

[Hi Pluto]

I disagree with the poster that said your son was too young to appreciate the beach club pool. They have a great sandy area for the younger ones, plus you can get a kids meal from Hurricane Hanna's that comes in a bucket with a shovel. The kids club there is also amazing! I vote beach club/yacht club.

 

[hdrolfe]

Our first stay, when my son was 5, was at Art of Animation. Kiddo loved it, he said it was the best place in the world! We walked over to POP while there and he wanted to stay there next time. So we did. And it was a lot of fun. He even ran into a friend at breakfast (like from school, what are the odds of that?). Any way! We then stayed at Yacht Club for a week and he loved that, the boats, the pool, the water slide. He didn't really like the sand on the bottom of the pool. We then stayed back at POP for a couple nights post cruise, and he still liked it. He likes the food court at the values, he didn't like the food offered at Yacht Club so we ate in the parks most often, and he wasn't happy it wasn't easy to get a breakfast with bacon quickly. We could have walked to Beach Club I guess but were often just wanting to get to the parks. Any way! We are going back this summer and were going to stay Yacht Club again but I decided to save the money and we are going back to POP. I considered the moderates, and had changed to them but finally decided after more reading that they just seemed too big. So, while we love having a water slide, we added waterparks to the tickets, and are staying at POP. The rooms are nice now that they are updated and have coffee in the room, without that I probably would have chose a Moderate Kiddo is hard to get started in the morning, and I like to have coffee while waiting for him to get going.

 

[Micca]

If you can swing CR and there's desire to stay there, that's where you want to go. Is there anything cooler than riding the monorail to and through your resort? I day no Plus the ability to walk to/from MK is a huge plus(it's faster than the monorail, and if you're inbound to MK you'll go through security on the walkway which is much faster than the main security line at the MK entrance.) Also super easy to board the monorail to check out Poly & GF

 

[rdaky]

I agree with others who have said that if you can afford to not stay value, then don't stay value. My kids adore the values. We have stayed in them. And if that's all someone can afford, they are a decent place to sleep. And if it were up to my kids, we'd stay in them again. My kids were BEGGING for us to stay at All Stars Music on our next visit because they like the gigantic characters and they think the pool looks neat. But this is the adults' vacation, too. The rooms are smaller in values. We travel a lot so we stay at everything from Hilton to Hampton and the values feel like a gigantic step down from anywhere we would stay outside of Disney. The walls are paper thin, the Resort is often closed with large groups of teenagers. (whether that's sports groups, groups of screaming girls from South America, or church youth groups who sing loudly on every bus ride) The food courts, while often bigger than what you'll get at a value, are loud and chaotic. And the exterior doors don't seem to be a huge deal... until you realize that you need to do laundry in the middle of a thunderstorm. I mean, it's not the end of the world, but that does stink.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

POFQ is lovely and I would suggest it to anyone. In your case I would maybe try a split stay, and visit a 3rd resort for a character meal! Disney has lots of character meals for you to make a touring plan of the resorts many times over, just to eat at all the restaurants!

 

[toonaspie]

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?

A split stay in your case might be a much better option considering how spread out the parks are. Assuming that you're going to Disney after the Skyliner opens later this year you can stay at POP for your Epcot and DHS days and do a Magic Kingdom resort for your MK days. Animal Kingdom can only be accessed by bus only so where you stay wouldn't matter there. (AKL is just a short bus ride there though.)

 

[nyy]

Check out www.**************.net. Dave ranks the resorts in order of kid appeal. He also has in-depth reviews of every resort with layouts and pictures. It’s definitely not just a resource for first timers.

We have stayed in all levels of resorts with our kids. They loved them all. If your wife is used to Club Level, I would definitely NOT do a value resort.

We stayed Club Level at Wilderness Lodge and it was our favorite trip ever. (Kids were 10 and 13 then.)
Our second favorite was POFQ. (Kids were 3 and 6 then.)
Boardwalk Inn was awesome last year with our now teens.

 

[tvsdisney]

I’d stay deluxe if you can afford it. Over Christmas we stayed at BC and the moved to POR for a few days because friends came into town and thats what they could afford. I didn’t mind it but it definitely wasn’t my favorite, I hated the long walk to get anywhere, the million bus stops that were always full, the chaotic loud qs building and the lobby always had huge lines to check in and at concierge. If I had to do a mod I’d probably go to PORFQ and be fine because it’s a lot smaller. I think overall I’m a deluxe person.

 

[Nancyg56]

I’d stay deluxe if you can afford it. Over Christmas we stayed at BC and the moved to POR for a few days because friends came into town and thats what they could afford. I didn’t mind it but it definitely wasn’t my favorite, I hated the long walk to get anywhere, the million bus stops that were always full, the chaotic loud qs building and the lobby always had huge lines to check in and at concierge. If I had to do a mod I’d probably go to PORFQ and be fine because it’s a lot smaller. I think overall I’m a deluxe person.

I agree that if I was choosing a moderate over Christmas I would choose POFQ. It is not a destination for visitors so you can escape the Holiday madness, it compact and lovely, and offers a relaxed vibe.

I would also be careful which Deluxe I chose for a Christmas visit. The monorail resorts are really busy, so when choosing I would want to know I had a means to remove myself from the business. The Poly and the Grand are perfect for that IMO. The lobbies are hectic, but the outer building are restful and feel secluded.

The BC is lovely, but the overall atmosphere is bustling. I never found a real escape there. Not in the pool, not in the lobby, and not strolling the grounds.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

I would stay at the Poly every trip if I could afford it. Being on the monorail line is so valuable. They also have a GREAT splash area for younger kids and a fun slide at the main pool. Not to mention, their food choices are excellent and watching fireworks on the beach at night is a nice perk. My family loves the Poly! (However, we are saving some money this next trip and staying in the tower at CSR in July. Looking forward to those new rooms!)

 

[DisneyArkie]

If you have never stayed on site before stay value or Mod first. We made the mistake of staying Deluxe first and have become deluxe “snobs”. We tried to downgrade once and stayed at POR, that that won’t happen again. So unless you are prepared to stay deluxe everytime don’t do it, lol.

 

[agame2323]

If you have never stayed on site before stay value or Mod first. We made the mistake of staying Deluxe first and have become deluxe “snobs”. We tried to downgrade once and stayed at POR, that that won’t happen again. So unless you are prepared to stay deluxe everytime don’t do it, lol.

I know we'll become deluxe "snobs." This is exactly what happened at US. Our first stay was at the Portofino and now, every time we visit, we MUST stay there.

 

[sdk1231]

If your wife loves Portofino, take her to the Grand Floridian. It's my personal fave, with and without Club. For comparison, I've been to the Contemporary, the Polynesian, Wilderness, Beach Club, Animal Kingdom. Full disclosure - my teen daughters declared Wilderness Lodge their favorite (I liked it much better than I thought I would.) In terms of your 5 year old son - I recently visited the GF 3 adult women, a 3 year old boy, a 6 year old girl, 2 teen girls. To my surprise, the 3 year old boy LOVED the Grand. He thought it was totally awesome because they have a cool old car out front, big yachts and other boats parked at the marina in plain view, and the monorail, of course. Both of the younger kids LOVED the pool, which has a great play area for kids. They liked seeing Cinderella and the Prince come down the stairs and dance in the lobby at 3PM. The adults loved the GF because the layout is very conducive to keeping track of the young ones. Sight lines are clear and open in both the lobby and on the grounds. The choice of monorail or boat to/from the Magic Kingdom is awesome for the little ones. We alternated, based on the vote of the transportation obsessed little boy in our group. Restaurants/bars are all good, including the quick service. The Club food is awesome. So - my vote is the GF.

Contemporary I don't consider very attractive (I don't see your wife liking it if she loves Portofino) and it's not exactly fun for kids to run around there. Poly is super kid friendly, but a little more foliage-filled and hectic (because so many kids love it). The Wilderness will "wow" any kid and was "okay" for me. Outside is great, rooms "meh". The Wilderness main pool area is well laid out and has a super fun family friendly vibe. Beach Club/Yacht Club... those are great, but down by Epcot, and I wouldn't bother even setting foot in Epcot with a 5 year old. For the littles, MK is what it's all about. You'll note I am not mentioning Animal Kingdom Lodge, which I recently stayed at, Club Level. I hated Animal Kingdom, and so did my husband and kids. We do have multiple zoos where I live, so giraffes and zebras don't rock my world, and the hotel is dark (everything's brown) and has zero "curb appeal". The highly-vaunted lobby was cool, but the lobbies at Wilderness and GF are better, in my opinion. The Club food was bad. I'll never return to AKL.

 

[SwanVT2]

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?!!?

I would rent a studio villa at boardwalk. The room has a pull down bed with dumbo on it our DD loved. Her favorite park was epcot ! She is unique that way... But you are in walking distance to 2 parks. The pool has a really fun kids smaller pool/splash area and playground. We liked the quiet pool too. Then you also get a balcony and kitchenette. We had groceries delivered and had breakfast in our room. It was Great!