The family and I (wife, 7yr old and 18mo old) are heading to Orlando this October - the last week. We have been tossing around where to stay this trip. We usually stay off-site, but becuase of our infant we thought that staying on-site might be better. We are only doing 3 days (plus the MNSSHP) so are thinking that we might stay there during our time at Disney and elsewhere when we are going to do other things. We're looking at Pop Century and Port Orleans. Unless there are other suggestions. Money is an issue so all Deluxe resorts are out for us this time. Also - is the meal plan worth it? I've heard yes, but am just curious...

THANKS

I would absolutely stay on property, you will get Extra Magic Hours which will add a lot to your short stay. I haven't stayed at either Port Orleans hotel, but everyone seems to love them both. I would pick French Quarter personally - it is smaller and I think it's prettier (just my taste). We stayed at Pop on our first trip. We barely spent any time at the resort because we only had 8 days and since it was our first trip we were up at the crack of dawn to hit the parks every morning and back after midnight every night. The only downside was the bus system. It took us two hours to get back from MK at closing time because the lines were sooooooo horribly long. That was NOT at all fun with a toddler with absolutely no patience.

As far as the dining plan - we used it on all of our previous trips and I thought it was amazing... so very worth it. But this year it isn't worth it for me. That won't be true for everyone, but I can eat a lot better and eat just what I want to eat for about the same price as the dining plan (if I were using the dining plan this year with my current list of meals I would be using 13 TS credits and I only have 9 available) so you can see that I am going to be able to get much more for my buck striking out on my own for food than I would with the plan this time. Taking away the appetizer and tips really is a deal breaker for me. I'm not big on dessert so it's not something I would normally order anyway.

I highly recommend Port Orleans and I recommend the French Quarter over Riverside. As I just wrote in another post, I think POFQ is the best value resort at WDW.

Although appetizers and tip are no longer included in the Dining Plan, I still think it's a good value and would also recommend it.

There are many good reasons to stay on property. Personally, I don't think EMH is one of them. In two separate, 7-night stays I took advantage of morning EMH on one then completely avoided EMH on another. In my experienced, without exception, the parks are much more crowded on EMH days. Thus, I think you're better off avoiding any park on an EMH day. As Disney keeps building more and more resorts, there are just too many people using EMH these days.

Any of the moderates (Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans, Port Orleans Riverside) will do you well - it just depends on the theme you like. My personal favorite is the Coronado Springs, but I've stayed in all of them and had a great time. If money is limited, the Pop Century is definitely the best of the values. It's newer, the grounds are better landscaped, and the rooms are nicer. But when you check in, ask for a room closer to the front. I asked for a quiet room, and was put way in the back of the 60's building. It was about a 5 minute walk to and from my car each day, which kinda adds up over a few days!

I'm not a big fan of this version of the dining plan. You really have to do your homework and book carefully to get the most out of it. And you'll have to shell out more money if you want an appetizer or an adult beverage. Just too much hassle for me.

As for Extra Magic Hours, for me the morning works really well for the Magic Kingdom. I tend to park hop a lot, so I don't stay around long enough for the park to get too busy. And I'm way too tired at the end of the day to stay up for the extra 3 hours in any park. I usually book around most of the EMH events, and it's worked very well for me.

We're dyed in the wool POFQ fans. Pop is a good second if you need something less expensive. If money is no object, go for Beach Club (if you can get in there)