What's Your Favorite Resort Hotel in Disney World?

[winklermom]

We haven't been to Disney World since our honeymoon almost 23 years ago! Our children have never been. We are considering this as an option for our family vacation this year and I'm looking to do an all-inclusive package. What's your favorite resort within Disney and what are some things that we must see or do while in Orlando/Kissimmee?

 

[Becca_in_MD]

I like the book PassPorter's Disney World. It gives a sketched layout of a regular room in each resort, tells you the bed types (just doubles in the value resorts), amenities, layout of the resort, etc. There is a lot to think about in terms of where you want to stay. How much is your budget? Are you going Value, Moderate, Deluxe? Which park do you think you'll spend the most time at? Then get a resort that's closer to that park. PassPorter tells you transit times to each park from each resort. How important will the resort's pool experience be? Figure out how much your kids eat to determine if it's worth getting the dining included. My youngest is picky and doesn't eat much so dining isn't worth it for him.

Some great websites are allears.net, mousesavers.com, disboards.com (just like talking to folks on here but it's all Disney), touringplans.com (if for nothing else than to see the crowd prediction calendar for when you'll be there; it's free but you have to look at it a month out).

I spent a lot of time researching our first trip, just planning which rides and experiences we'd do to try to get as much in as possible and not waste time in lines or doing mediocre activities. Three trips later, I'm still tweaking what we'd do next time.

We stayed off property the first time (time share condo for free through my in-laws), at Coronado Springs with PC, then Grand Floridian most recently. I wanted a resort on the monorail. My kids still want to stay at the Contemporary so if there was a good deal there, I would stay there, but otherwise we'll go back to Coronado Springs or one of the other moderates. We were not at GF long enough to take advantage of the spa, etc., just wasn't really our kind of thing. It was nice jumping on the monorail and being in the Magic Kingdom in about 5 min., but not nice enough to stay there again.

Have fun!!!! October was a great time of year to be there.

 

[gaddischef]

I loved the Contemporary when we went with PC -- close to Magic Kingdom, can hop on the monorail - Chef Mickey's on site - by the lake - just a fabulous resort! But, I do believe it is pricey, so definitely keep budget in mind.

 

[winklermom]

Have fun!!!! October was a great time of year to be there.

Thanks for the info! I'll be sure to check out some of the sites you mentioned. It all sounds very helpful.

I would love to go in October but since our daughter graduated last week and will be in college during that time, we won't be able to do that this year. That's one of the big things that I will miss with home schooling. We could plan our vacation during the off-season.

 

[sherri lynn]

I stayed at the Polynesian Resort a couple of years ago and loved it, just hop on the monorail to get to the Magic Kingdom, it was great!

 

[pchockeymom]

Our family has been to disney many times over the years and my hubby and I also did Disney for our honeymoon!

Here is something we did that we made up but was an absolute blast for the whole family. Since Epcot (that's our favorite place of all) has all the wonderful countries with all their great food, we did an "around the world" dinner. We went to a restaurant at each country, ordered ONE entry, appetizer, or dessert (whatever we all decided on) and then everyone got a taste! Italy has (or had) a dessert sampler plate with 5 or 6 bite sized desserts on it which we loved. It was so fun and we got a little taste of everything. Then we watched the nighttime show with the lights. We still talk about how much fun it was 8 years later.

 

[lcucinella]

I LOVE Disney & I am kinda a freak about it. I am actually going in Oct, taking my 3 year old for the first time. We save the money on the resort and stay at the All-Star Music resort. There are no bells and whistles...just a standard hotel room. You can pay 10 extra dollars a night and get a preferred room. We also get the dining plan. I love knowing that the majority of my food is paid in advance. Let me know if you have any questions! Have fun!

Lisa

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

Quick question as we're planning on a November trip to Disney. How much in terms of cost for a family of 4 for about 6 days? I plan on looking into the hotel options you mentioned...I'm assuming about $1000 in airfare...

 

[winklermom]

Quick question as we're planning on a November trip to Disney. How much in terms of cost for a family of 4 for about 6 days? I plan on looking into the hotel options you mentioned...I'm assuming about $1000 in airfare...

I checked into airfare for the four of us from Jackson, MS to Orlando and it was going to be about $1,700 roundtrip! A little too steep for me. Still looking and trying to decide what we're going to do this year. Thanks to everyone for your input!

 

[Becca_in_MD]

Look at Southwest for flights. For a family of 4, figure $1200. If Jet Blue or AirTran fly from your city, try them as well.

Laurie - you say November. Don't go Thanksgiving!!! If you go that week, leave the World on Thanksgiving Day or the day before. I heard it gets super crowded.

 

[gaddischef]

you can sign up for the mousesavers.com newsletter -- great tips, schedulues, deals, etc.

 

[esavvymom]

I LOVE http://www.tourguidemike.com for planning advice and information - it costs about $18 to join, but if you are the type who plans in advance, it is SOOOOO Worth it!! I've sent many friends to that site and they went at very busy times of the year and at slower times...all of them have come home saying how his advice and plans saved them SO much time in the parks and made it a very enjoyable experience. I also love that you have access to a Forum of Disney-travelers who do this all the time, so any question gets answered quickly (much lke THIS forum). You can also look up user reviews on rides, restaurants, and lodging! Other's opinions can be very helpful. As far as resorts- we've stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge (very nice, but a long way from the resorts, so shuttle rides are longer)- but the resort is gorgeous. It is LARGE though, so alot of walking it seemed (but which aren't?). It was nice though because alot of things to do at the resort, plus the animals were right outside of our windows (we had savannah views).last trip we stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort. it was ok. The resort buildings are separate, so to get to the dining area, we had to walk quite a ways (outdoors) or take the resort shuttle. They had a great main pool, and then a decent private pool for our little area of buildings. They have a beach area, but you can't swim in the water (what's the point?). I don't think I'd stay there again because of the distance between the food areas and such and being totally separate. At least at the AKL, it was withIN the building. Have fun! I would highly recommend doing some advance planning, and the Dining Plan! (be sure to make reservations to any restaurants or experiences you MUST have (ie- eating with a character). It's easier now though- you can do them online. But calling the Reps isn't tough either).

 

[lcucinella]

Well there are 9 of us going....However we did separate reservation. My brother. wife & 2 kids with dining plan, park hopper & all star music for 4 nights 5 days was about 2200

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I was hoping Thanksgiving break so the kiddos wouldn't have to miss school. May need to rethink and figure out if I should allow them to miss school. Thanks Lisa for the ballpark figure...looks like I better start a bigger stash plan! lol Michelle and Bobbi...will look at the sites and start planning...I tend to last minute everything sadly, but I want this to be super amazing for the kids. They are so excited and I want to make sure the magic and wonder is more than they expect.

 

[gaddischef]

Definitely make any reservations at least 90 days in advance for character dining, Cinderella make-overs/dining, etc. They fill up very fast! Another website is allears.net (I believe - it may be .com). The PassPorter's Guide is an awesome resource as well!! Have fun planning!

 

[scottcooks]

We did All Star music and dining package for my wife's 50th. Very fun, but we were foolish to travel in late August the week after "high season" b/c they still had high volume crowds but cut down on buses - the first night we waited almost 2 hours in 95 degree heat, 110% humidity to get home from MKingdom. Character dinners were AWESOME - though, head's up - Cinderella's Castle is about the same as Ashokan - I was disappointed that the experience was nearly a duplicate, though the meal was great, our kids were done with the princesses they had already witnessed elsewhere. We did Disney Dining Deluxe Plan - which was truly awesome. We called one night and made reservations at a 5* dining place, it was like being a guest on Top Chef! So cool; really great food, and no one could finish their meal--servings were generous. It was a memorable 50th for my bride. We did Fodor's guide to DisneyWorld and it definitely helped us accomplish more rides. My wife laminated some of the pages in it which specify the order in which to do rides, to minimize wait time. (Literally, go to x, if there is no line, go in - if the wait is more than 10 minutes, get a Fast Pass; go to Y, etc. etc.)
Finally, it was too hot - one of the smartest things we did was buy these squirt-bottle fans locally that we took on the plane; used them often at the parks! Epcot was so obnoxiously hot - we couldn't enjoy it. There was no shade. Animal Kingdom was the best for shade. Magic Kingdom was OK but they were redoing It's A Small World and the construction was not pretty. All in all our trip was a 95% success; great fun, fantastic food, too hot.

 

[melindagilbert]

My husband and I stayed at the Animal Kingdom lodge for our honeymoon in 08 and we LOVED it!!!

 

[Melissa78]

We did All Star music and dining package for my wife's 50th. Very fun, but we were foolish to travel in late August the week after "high season" b/c they still had high volume crowds but cut down on buses - the first night we waited almost 2 hours in 95 degree heat, 110% humidity to get home from MKingdom.Finally, it was too hot - one of the smartest things we did was buy these squirt-bottle fans locally that we took on the plane; used them often at the parks! Epcot was so obnoxiously hot - we couldn't enjoy it. There was no shade. Animal Kingdom was the best for shade. Magic Kingdom was OK but they were redoing It's A Small World and the construction was not pretty. All in all our trip was a 95% success; great fun, fantastic food, too hot.

Florida in late August...that would be enough for me to say NO WAY JOSE!
I didn't even want to go on TPC Trip last year had I earned it as it was in June. My pale Irish skin and lack of heat tolerance would not do well then.

Laurie a lot of my friends have gone at Thanksgiving and said it was WAY packed. Its considered educational - be a fun mom and let the kids have some time out of school and save yourself the aggravation. Although watching the Thanksgiving Parade would be cool! :angel:

 

[esavvymom]

If you are going during a holiday I REALLY recommend tourguidemike.com then. Our neighbors went during Christmas, THE busiest time of the year and with his advice from the site they were able to do just about everything they wanted with very little waiting and sometimes multiple times. Their family who was traveling with them did NOT follow their lead they only got a few rides and experiences in. The key was the sample itinerary and being at the parks when they open. He gives bestVday plans on which parks to hit based on crowds etcAnyway planning when going during busy times is key to a getting the most bang for your buck/time with minimal stress when you are actually there. have fun.