We are traveling to DW in Oct. for 10 days and currently are staying at POR. We are strongly considering upgrading to a Deluxe hotel. What are the best and most cost effective deluxe hotels for families with small children?
We are traveling to DW in Oct. for 10 days and currently are staying at POR. We are strongly considering upgrading to a Deluxe hotel. What are the best and most cost effective deluxe hotels for families with small children?
It depends a lot on the ages and such of the children.
Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge rooms tend to be small, but it is possible to get rooms with one queen bed and a set of bunk beds.
Contemporary and Polynesian have the largest rooms, with two queen beds and a daybed.
Grand Floridian is the most elegant.
Yacht and Beach Clubs and Boardwalk are kind of in between.
The absolute best pool is the one for Yacht and Beach. However, the pools at Boardwalk, Polynesian and Grand Floridian are also wonderful but not quite as good.
Animal Kingdom Lodge tends to be the least expensivew, although it is sort of isolated but you do have the animals and outside of the Smithsonian Institution there is the largest collection of African Art and Artifiacts in the US.
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When our daughter was 4, we stayed at the Poly. We loved it! Originally, we wanted to stay at GF but since it was booked, the CM suggested the Poly. She told us that she thought we'd be happy there, that many of the Poly guests come back again and again. We were really surprised at how relaxing and peaceful it was to return there at the end of the day. The quiet pool was great since my daughter was just learning to swim. It was convenient to come back to the hotel for afternoon rest time and then head back out later. We did a character breakfast with Mickey and Minnie at the Poly. And there's nothing like being on the monorail -- for us, that's part of the Disney magic.Originally Posted by princessjv
We've also stayed at the WL (twice) when my daugher was 7 and again at 9. She loved it there (we all did). We had a room with bunk beds and at the time we went, there was an animal exhibit held every night at 8 in the lobby. It's a great place--great theming as you've probably read. We often took the boat to MK. We considered going back there on our next trip (this November) but decided to go back to the Poly. I really wanted to be on the monorail again! And I love that relaxing atmosphere at the end of a busy day.
Have also stayed at the Contemporary and GF (just my husband and I). GF is lovely. Contemporary is OK. Can be noisy.
You don't say how old your children are, but if you plan to spend most of your time at MK, then I'd suggest an MK resort. As far as cost, the WL is the better value.
I'd say go for it! Good luck.
Both the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge are considered "moderate deluxe" hotels (per my AAA travel agent), and a review of the room rates shows that these two hotels fall between moderate and deluxe hotels. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge earlier this month, and just loved it. In fact, we are considering a shorter trip in early 2006, and the WL is our fist choice. The atmosphere is wonderful, and I like it much better than the Contemporary (with the exception of the monorail access and proximity to the MK). The pool area is wonderful. There was "cute" wildlife around-a lot of ducks around the pool, which delighted my 3 year old, and a number of bunnies hopping around (everytime we walked along a path or sat on the balcony, a bunny would hop by-I wondered if there wasn't a CM in charge of strategic bunny release). The travel agent priced a package at the AKL for us, but advised that, if we stay there, we get a rental car, because the transportation is not as accessable. With young children, I prefer having easy access to/from the hotel. The bus service to/from the WL was fine, and we also used the boats, which provided entertainment in and of itself. I really felt that the WL was a good value.
Thanks for the advice! Our children are 4 and and infant. I just called and checked availability~ YC is a $1600 upgrade, Wilderness is $1200 and Poly is booked. Are the YC and Wilderness worth it?
IMO, no. 1200 upgrade for 10 days? No way. POR is a great resort and you definitely won't regret it. Some might say "if you spend a lot of time at the resort..." but even then POR is a great place too.
WL is really nice with a beautiful theme but when it's all told, the Disney magic is everywhere and you aren't getting that much more.
there is something to be said for a room at a resort on the monorail line. we have done this a few times and loved it. the poly is very kid friendly, and the only reason we don't stay there now is because we own a dvc. but if I were to choose a resort to stay at with kids in tow it would definatly be this one.
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how bad is the transpotation from akl
I was thinking the cost of the upgrade was a high. Yes we will for sure be at our hotel during the day to nap/swim. But from what we saw LY (we stayed at POFQ), POR had nice pools and seemed like a good value. I did 'request' Mangolia Bend, garden view. I really hope we get it.
The buses were on time when we went in '03...that was our main transportation. But, then again we went in September, a quiet time of the year. We loved AKL!!!
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Been to AKL twice, both summer. Busses were always prompt. The farthest point is MK, I clocked our ride at 12-13 minutes, so other parks will be a shorter ride. Most busses are direct non stop service, during slower times of the day or waaaay after closing time (for the last few park stragglers) they may stop at the CSR and/or All Stars too, but I only had that happen once.
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I just booked us for four nights at WL in February. We considered AKL, but decided to stay at the WL again. We had a really good experience at the WL, and know it will work out well for us. I also priced POFQ, but the WL was only about $300 more. I will probably book us for a dinner at the AKL, and we can check out the resort then.
When our children were young, we stayed at the Poly. The location could not be beat. We also stayed in the old trailers in Fort Wilderness. We have also stayed in POR and the Beach Club. The best location depends on your use of the resort. We have found that renting a car has made all of the difference when we were not as close to the monorail.my husband is a pro at tooling around the back roads of Disney.
Have you considered splitting your stay between POR and a deluxe? Get a taste of both, without paying the whole $1200 for the upgrade. For our 10 yr. anniversary, we did 1/2 at WL and 1/2 at the Poly. The luggage transfer service is a nice feature. The Poly is awesome. As others have said, there is magic when you can eat some Tonga Toast for breakfast, then stroll 20 yards, pick up the monorail and head to MK.
Some advice that I am sure others would give as well. If you split, stay at the nicest one last.
BTW, we have also stayed at POR and it is a very nice, quiet moderate resort, with a convienient boat ride to DTD...
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