Hi,

We are planning a trip in May to Disney World. We have two 2 yr old boys and one 5 yr old boy plus myself and my husband. We really want two seperate rooms so we can put the kids to bed at night and stay up ourselves without disturbing them.

Can anyone tell me about the Double Tree Suites in Downtown Disney & the Staybridge in the Lake Buena Vista area?

I'm leaning towards Double Tree because of the kiddie pool & location to downtown disney. Is it really walking distance?

Does anyone know if their are restaurants within walking distance of the Staybridge?

We also considered the Hilton in Downtown Disney but the junior suites do not have room dividers. Darn I really wanted those extra magic hours:)

Thanks for any help!

While I have not been to either one of those resorts, (Although I have been at the Hilton you mentioned) have you considered one of the Family Suites at the All Stars Music resort? I dont know what you are looking at price-wise at the DTD hotels, but I bet this would be comparable* and would suit the bill for the separate sleeping areas.

Here is a recent thread (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=88940) regarding what the family suites are like.

* = I could be wrong on the price comparison, but it may be something to consider especially if you EMH. Not to mention that you will be on site and all...

Another option is 2 connecting rooms at ANY Disney value resort. That can't be much more than a room at Doubletree Suites, and you'll have all the Disney perks. Parking at the parks is $11/day now, but not if you're staying at a Disney resort. The Doubletree is the furthest one of the hotels from Downtown Disney, so it'd be a hike to get there & back. Transportation from those hotels (if you're not driving a car) is much, much, much less convenient than Disney transportation, too. I wouldn't consider either one unless absolutely nothing I could afford was available in the Disney resorts....especially with little kids.

While I have not been to either one of those resorts, (Although I have been at the Hilton you mentioned) have you considered one of the Family Suites at the All Stars Music resort? I dont know what you are looking at price-wise at the DTD hotels, but I bet this would be comparable* and would suit the bill for the separate sleeping areas.

Here is a recent thread (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=88940) regarding what the family suites are like.

* = I could be wrong on the price comparison, but it may be something to consider especially if you EMH. Not to mention that you will be on site and all...

Thank you very much for the info. I didn't know they had family suites at All Stars Music. I checked into it and it is $500 more for the week, but it may be worth it for the extra hours and Disney transportaion. Do you know if they have a kiddie pool?

Another option is 2 connecting rooms at ANY Disney value resort. That can't be much more than a room at Doubletree Suites, and you'll have all the Disney perks. Parking at the parks is $11/day now, but not if you're staying at a Disney resort. The Doubletree is the furthest one of the hotels from Downtown Disney, so it'd be a hike to get there & back. Transportation from those hotels (if you're not driving a car) is much, much, much less convenient than Disney transportation, too. I wouldn't consider either one unless absolutely nothing I could afford was available in the Disney resorts....especially with little kids.

Thanks, this is a good idea too. I'm not sure if they will garantee connecting rooms though. I'll have to give them a call. I really appreciate the ideas. It sounds like it is pretty important to be able to use the Disney transportaion system:)

I checked into it and it is $500 more for the week, but it may be worth it for the extra hours and Disney transportaion.
Agreed... Personally, I think it is worth any extra costs to stay on site. You dont have to rent a car, you get free transportation to/from MCO, free package delivery back to your resort, EMH, etc... All those items, at least to me, add extra value for my vacation dollar.

As for a kiddie pool... Im not sure but I am sure someone who has direct experience can elaborate.

We've stayed at the Doubletree and liked it. It is more like a small apartment. I liked having a "kitchen table." It was a comfortable way to have breakfast everyday. Also it was nice to have a bedroom and living room so you can put the kids to bed. For some reason I guess because of the exterior door I'm nervous to put my kids by themselves in adjoining rooms. I'm very over protective though. I like the idea of one exterior door and a bedroom. We liked the location it was convenient to DTD which was nice. We've also stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and Port Orleans. All are fine. When my kids were 2 we liked having a car rather than Disney transit because the two year olds lose it by the end of the day. Now that they are older we like staying on property. I think you'll be happy with either choice. Have fun!