Never stayed onsite before. Where to start!?

[goofy kc]

Another vote for deluxe! The proximity to parks makes it easy to take a break for nap, snack, pool, or whatever. Polynesian is great for pools and food. They have a decent quick service and a few table service, including a character breakfast at Ohana. The monorail to MK is great and clearing security before you even get to the MK is great. Short walk to the Epcot monorail.

BW and BC are great too, but not much choice for counter service food. We usually just take the boat to Epcot when if we are hungry. I am sure the new skyliner will gum up the works though. Ugh!

As mentioned before moderates and values have outdoor walkways which means if the curtain is open the world is walking past your window.

 

[MomOTwins]

I would not stay at the values for the benefit of the theming. None of the character art at a resort is going to compare to what you child will see at the parks--you will have plenty of characters at the park and plenty to wow your 5 year old. Stay at a deluxe if it is in budget. The convenience of accessibility to the parks will be great, and the rooms at the deluxes feel very luxurious (comfier bedding, bigger, nicer bathrooms, better toiletries).

 

[deedubb]

For the first visit for a young child, I would consider Pop or AoA. However, for convenience, I would also consider Boardwalk or Beach Club for convenience for Epcot/Hollywood Studios, or Contemporary so you can walk to MK (or rent DVC points for Bay Lake). I'm sure your child would love the value resorts the most though.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Only because it has not been mentioned, check out http://allears.net/. It's a great place to start with lots of great reviews and info about all of the resorts.

 

[chainkid]

My grandson will be 5 when we go in Nov-Dec and we are staying at Boardwalk. This will be his 3rd trip always staying there. We found he gets gas lighted by too much immersion in the parks and loud stimulation . After a couple days of his schedule being thrown off we took a day off and let him go down the clown pool slide over and over and over again. Then he played quietly in the community hall. What a difference the break took. I stayed once at all star for one night and it was too much for me. Food court and pool areas were over run by loud screaming kids. I had a major headache and the walls in the rooms were paper thin. He wasn't into food at all so having the kitchen to make snacks and light breakfast were perfect for us. While he loved the characters he wasn't into most of the rides so being near one park over another was really unimportant. Some 5 years old are more daring and will want to ride a lot of the rides but not all are. Walking on the boardwalk, getting ice cream at Ample hills and simple character interactions were his cup of tea. I love the boardwalk as it can be as restful or as jam packed as you want it. Now with Toy Story land I can see this to be perfect interest for him as he is a major fan . If your wife is used to deluxes do not assume she would be fine with a value or moderate. I could never afford the deluxes in my early years but once I could I wouldn't go back .