Resort Choice Input

[CableKC]

I would rank the Moderate Resorts accordingly:

1 ) PO - R ( if you don't care about the SkyLiner ) or CBR ( if you care about riding the SkyLiner )
2 ) PO - FQ

If you can afford it, I'd stay at the Moderate Resorts over AoA or Pop Century. I enjoyed the amenities at the Moderate resorts, which will come in handy if you are staying there for 8 days. You can rent those big 4 person bikes ( which kids always love going on ). There are also better restaurants and bars that you can enjoy. One benefit of staying at either Riverside or French Quarter is that you have the option to walk over to both to enjoy the different themed restaurants there.

I guess with CBR, you can take the SkyLiner to the Coronado Resort to check that place out as well.

 

[Disneylover99]

I guess with CBR, you can take the SkyLiner to the Coronado Resort to check that place out as well.

There is no skyliner at Coronado. Maybe you’re thinking about the Riviera.

 

[Lilylogan]

Pop Century:
- refurbished rooms
- skyliner
- not as much walking vs. AoA little mermaid rooms
- doesn't share bus with other resorts (I know you'll have a car, but I would do a direct bus to MK if I had the option)

 

[mmh711]

Art of Animation I would take off your list. We stayed there when our kids were the same age. It was August and the highlight for us was the pool. The room itself (not a suite for us either) was tight and felt sort of like a motel room. Not a spot I would pick for 8 nights.

Swan/Dolphin is my favorite on-property resort. The rooms are definitely spacious and comfortable and the location is very convenient.

Off-property my favorite hotel is Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Hilton Bonnet Creek is my 2nd favorite.

 

[SWDisfan]

Hi there!

My family and I are planning a trip to WDW for the end of January/beginning of February and are having trouble choosing a resort. The ones we are considering are:

CBR
PO-FQ
PO-R
AOA
Pop Century

We are definitely budget conscious but want to be comfortable since we will be staying for 8 nights. We can only afford a standard room so an AOA suite isn't in the budget unfortunately. We will have a rental car, so I'm not sure if we should be super concerned with transportation methods at the different resorts because I'm not sure if we are better to drive and park or take resort transportation. I know pools are often a big consideration, but we aren't planning any pool time as the weather can be unpredictable when we will be there, so having a cool pool doesn't matter to us at all. What of the above resorts would you recommend if you were a family of 4 with a 7 and 4 year old/had a rental car/pool didn't matter?

Thank you so much for your help! We are very new to this!

If you live nearby and are driving, I understand having a car. Otherwise, why? Cost of rentals tripled and parking on site is crazy expensive. Just Uber/Lyft from airport to hotel and back. We Love Dolphin resort, as well as any hotel across the street from Downtown Disney. Our favorite being the holiday inn because they have rooms with balconies. If staying on site my vote is Dolphin! Best pool and location to walk boardwalk and 2 parks!

 

[Sue M]

We are staying at CBR for Skyliner. For CBR you would only “need” car for AK. Because going to MK IMO is always easier to take WDW transport. I really think you could save a hunk of cash by not getting car rental if you stay at CBR. Have you checked car rental prices? They’re horrendous this year.

My second & third pick would be POR & POFQ. They’re beautiful resorts
I think for 8 days you’d be pretty cramped at PoP. The rooms are tiny.

I would pack pack the bathing suits! I’ve gone lots in January and mid day has been warm enough for pool, like in high 70s - low 80s. You never know. And the mods have hot tubs, so nice after a day in the parks.

 

[disneydad1]

For what it's worth, my family of 5 has stayed at Pop Century and PO-R.

We much prefer PO-R. Can't compare it to the other options as we have not stayed anywhere else, but we like the grounds, like the main pool (not a consideration for you), like the food court options, and like the boat to Disney Springs. It's not a terrible drive to the parks either.

 

[bookgirl]

Oh my gosh, I completely forgot to add off site as an option. Do you have any off site resorts that you recommend?

The Hilton Grand Vacation condos are really nice, plus if you're in the Hilton reward program you can use your points there. I actually have stayed at the one next to SeaWorld twice. It was great (I did a studio1X and a 1 bedroom 1X) it was very centrally located if you're going to do more than Disney.

I also stayed at West Gate Town Center. It was right off of a main corridor for food and shopping and about 10 minutes from ESPN area of Disney. I want to say that's in the AllStars/Animal Kingdom section but I'd have to look. It's been a while since I was there.

It was okay but I thought Grand Vacations was better.


Also, nix Art of Animation. Standard rooms are the same as POP and since Little Mermaid is on the far outer edge of AoA, you get a better choice of room location at POP.

 

[CableKC]

There is no skyliner at Coronado. Maybe you’re thinking about the Riviera.

Sorry, that's what I meant. I get those mixed up all the time.

 

[CableKC]

If you're going with young kids, I'd recommend staying onsite instead of offsite at a non-Disney Themed park. Although staying at one of the off-site resorts can be nice while having better accommodations than some of the value resorts, it just feels like you're staying at a hotel. The whole Disney themed resorts totally immerse kids in that "We're actually living in a Disney dream" feeling, which are the little things that kids remember.

 

[Carol_]

Stay on property.
I love AOA for the preschool-elementary school age kids.
Some of the offsite savings is lost when you get the pot-smoking neighbors at some of the truly inexpensive off-site choices. I pay to steer clear of that.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

What we did is took a package to start paying on it..
Then we followed the priceline/ hotwire thread.
With the help found on this thread we got pop rooms rooms for under 100 a night then called Disney about 30 days and canceled and they rebooked the tickets.

 

[Happy2BMommy0812]

Carribean - close to the skyliner. The downside is I don’t like the bus service at the moderate as much as at the values. But since you have a car you could always drive, which may also negate the appeal of the skyliner.

Last time we stayed at Pop we felt the room was too small for us. I think I’d fee the same at Art of Animation, but if you have girls, that little mermaid room might be worth the small space.

Since you do have your own car, like others said, those family suites at All Star Music might be a nice compromise. Value resort, more room, cheaper parking, and no need to rely on busing (even though I like the bussing system at values better, it’s always nice to have a car option when not on the monorail or skyliner).

 

[kc51570]

Oh my gosh, I completely forgot to add off site as an option. Do you have any off site resorts that you recommend?

We stayed offsite multiple times at Reunion resort. A couple of times I rented through Vrbo. We stayed in the main tower once in a HUGE 2br. We also rented houses within the resort. Some have private pools and also have access to multiple resort pools along with their mini water park. One time we rented a 2 br condo and the property manager moved us to a 6-7 br house with private pool because the cable was out. I don‘t think we ever managed to spend even 200 night for any of those places, granted that was a few years ago but I’m guessing you can still get a large 2-3BR for less than a Disney moderate.

We did eventually buy DVC for the perks, but there are no perks right now.

 

[Cheburashka]

Hi there!

My family and I are planning a trip to WDW for the end of January/beginning of February and are having trouble choosing a resort. The ones we are considering are:

CBR
PO-FQ
PO-R
AOA
Pop Century

We are definitely budget conscious but want to be comfortable since we will be staying for 8 nights. We can only afford a standard room so an AOA suite isn't in the budget unfortunately. We will have a rental car, so I'm not sure if we should be super concerned with transportation methods at the different resorts because I'm not sure if we are better to drive and park or take resort transportation. I know pools are often a big consideration, but we aren't planning any pool time as the weather can be unpredictable when we will be there, so having a cool pool doesn't matter to us at all. What of the above resorts would you recommend if you were a family of 4 with a 7 and 4 year old/had a rental car/pool didn't matter?

Thank you so much for your help! We are very new to this!

I would recommend a "5th sleeper" room at Port Orleans Riverside, so that each of your kids can have their own bed, which is a significant consideration for an 8 night trip. I'm sure your 4 year-old would love the decorative pull-down bed. Riverside also has a table service restaurant and a good food court. I know swimming isn't a priority for you, but I recommend packing the bathing suits just in case you happen upon an unusually warm day, and the pools look appealing.

With budget being a significant consideration, I would opt to save by using a shuttle service between the airport and WDW each way, rather than renting a car for 8 days, which is pretty expensive- 8 nights of resort parking fees alone would likely rival the cost of a shuttle from the airport. And rental costs have been high lately & don't seem likely to decrease when Magical Express goes away.

 

[CheshKAT]

We have stayed at Pop Century 3 times. Soon to be 4. On our last visit, we took our nephew and his family (his kids were the same age as yours). They went crazy over the fun, colourful and larger than life icons. Rooms are all refurbished and will be just fine for your family. Being so close to AOA will double your options for meals. If you decide to head back to the resort early, you may even see fireworks from Epcot (depending on your building). Ask for a lake view. Now your transportation options are bus, gondola and your rental car. I hope your enjoy your family trip regardless of your choice.

 

[klsurfer76]

I would stay at PoP. The kids will love the "Disney" of it and it has the skyliner. It's fun to ride and quick to EP or HS so you can enjoy Disney transportation sometimes and your car other times. I would def stay on property vs. off property because it will be convenient and magical to stay in the bubble. Rooms are standard but nice and a decent price for Disney to save a little money where you can.

 

[Fusslebottom]

We stayed at Pop several times before buying DVC and really enjoyed it. The building icons are less appealing than some of the other resorts, but look better in person than on the web. The rooms are adequate size for a family, but don’t offer a lot of hanging out space. We preferred the 90’s section. It’s probably the least attractive of the building themes, but was quiet and is really close to the bus area.

 

[Fusslebottom]

You should also look into renting DVC points. That is a lower cost option to stay in some pretty nice locations. And, with a DVC rental, you don’t have to pay for parking, so that cuts $20-$25/night off the cost.

 

[JessicaVitalo]

Oh my gosh, I completely forgot to add off site as an option. Do you have any off site resorts that you recommend?

Bonnet Creek is absolutely the best place to stay!!!!!!