Trying to help plan 5 y.o. niece's FIRST TRIP! on her single mom's budget - help with hotel options!

[vacamom4]

I would do a Little Mermaid room at AoA. I would get two rooms and not share, just because too much togetherness can become tiresome. We have stayed in the Little Mermaid rooms. It's my (now 11 years old) daughter's favorite place to stay. The walk IMO is not bad. It's an awesome resort. I believe the family suites are too expensive.

Just saw you made your choice. We like Port Orleans too. Enjoy.

 

[JessicaW1234]

Great choice with POFQ! You will all love it!

 

[MainMom]

Thank you for all the advice, everyone! I really appreciate everyone's input and advice - it's hard considering places you haven't experienced yourself, so it was really helpful to hear what everyone else thought about the places I haven't stayed!

We looked at the LM rooms at AOA and while we are excited about Disney, my SIL and I thought the only one who would be really excited about them would be my 5 y.o.niece. The grown-ups might need a little less in-your-face theming. SIL wasn't really sold on Pop, either. I think my MIL is going to chip in a little bit - we booked POFQ in the end. DH and I know it well, it has a great pool, it's smaller in size so my niece doesn't have a meltdown when she realizes she still has to walk all the way back to the room at the end of the day. Hopefully we will get adjoining rooms, and the theming of POFQ is so fun without screaming DISNEY at you constantly.

Thanks again for all your help! Much appreciated!

Even though she’s 5, please consider bringing a stroller if you think it will make your lives easier. There is no shame in it and it’s especially great exiting the park after fireworks since they are strapped in the stroller in the crowd.

 

[happymommy]

Glad you made a decision you're happy with!

I've brought my kids at least once a year (often 2-3 times) since they were 2 and 4. You mention walking back to the room at the end of the day. One thing to consider for your SIL is that even though her child doesn't use a stroller at home, at Disney they can be a life saver (depending on the kid). I brought one for my kids to "share" until they were 6 and 8 at least. It was the best thing ever. Didn't need it all the time, but at the end of a day when one fell asleep in it, it was wonderful.