Where to stay and play

adelyser · Post by **adelyser** » Jan Fri 20, 2012 9:25 am

We are planning our trip to Disney, its a family vacation. There are 8 of us going with the oldest being 55 and the youngest being 23. We are trying to decide which hotel to stay at. Should we get a two bedroom or just do two rooms at a cheaper resort. I am also trying to take into consideration that 6 of the 8 are in their 20's so spending time at the hotel is probably going to be minimal........any thoughts or suggestions?

Amy · Post by **Amy** » Jan Fri 20, 2012 9:40 am

I suppose you would have to take into account how you like to stay. If you like nicer accommodations you probably won't be all that happy with a value resort. Those rooms are small and definitely no frills. But, if you aren't going to spend much time at the resort, you probably don't want to spend a whole bunch on your room. You might want to consider a moderate as those rooms are a little bigger than the value resorts, but not so expensive as the deluxe resorts. You definitely will want to check and see if there are any specials being offered during when you are planning to go. If you can get free dining for your trip that helps a lot with expenses.

dstrawn9889 · Post by **dstrawn9889** » Jan Fri 20, 2012 10:19 am

concur with amy, although connecting roomsa are not out of the question... i believe (i am gonna have to go get the photos and see) that there was a connecting door in our room in the bayou of POR they sleep 4-5 to a room(trundle) the 5th being a smaller individual... of course calling the 1-407-w-disney will get a knowledgeable CM that can help with everything about the planning of your adventure, except to help you pay for it!

cy1229 · Post by **cy1229** » Jan Fri 20, 2012 10:26 am

In January, 2010, we took a large family vacation to Disney - 10 of us ranging in age from 4 to 68. My mom and step-dad, my sister, her husband, their 2 kids, my husband, my two girls, and me. Parents used DVC points to get a grand villa at Saratoga and we had MORE than enough space (seriously, it was bigger than my house). The upstairs was essentially two hotel rooms with 2 queen beds and a full bathroom each, plus laundry area. The main level was the "master" suite with king bed and HUGE bathroom, a dining room table to fit all of us, full kitchen, sitting room with DVD player, and another full bathroom off the kitchen. All of the 1-bedroom villas and larger have a full kitchen, so we had all our breakfasts in the condo before venturing out for the day. This upcoming October we're doing the same thing but are staying at Bay Lake Tower and are getting a 2-bedroom + studio. We'll still do breakfasts ourselves because economically it just makes sense.

If you can swing it financially, I suggest a 2-BR villa at any of the resorts that have them. I've heard good things about all of them. The only downsides I've heard is that Old Key West is really spread out, and that Bay Lake Tower isn't "Disney" enough. I really liked Saratoga but it was pretty formal, and it took awhile to get anywhere via Disney transportation. Depending on when you're going, you might also look into the family suites that are going to open up at Art of Animation. Decide what your budget is, then see what fits into that budget and gives you the most space.

Since you're traveling with family, it's fun to be able to spend time together in one area that's not in the parks - a good place to unwind and just be a family. Our trip in 2010 included a character breakfast at Tony's, which cost 2 meal credits, so we ate one dinner "in" and had frozen lasagna (well, we baked it before eating it), rolls, and salad. It was easy and a good time to be together as a family in the middle of the week.

One suggestion I saw from someone else on the Allears.net newsletter was using Google Docs to help plan - have each family unit use a different colored font to add their suggestions and comments, and you can come up with a good plan.

What fun! I hope you have a good time and remember to come back and post a trip report!

Oh one other thing... I'm not sure the fold-out beds in the sitting rooms of the villas will be comfortable for 2 adults to sleep on. My two girls are 13 and 17 and they fit ok but not great.

cy1229 · Post by **cy1229** » Jan Fri 20, 2012 10:30 am

Thought of something else - did you look into the cabins at Ft. Wilderness? See what it would be to get 2 of those next door to each other, or a Treehouse at Saratoga.

theBIGyowski · Post by **theBIGyowski** » Jan Fri 20, 2012 5:48 pm

I agree with cy1229...

You should look into renting points from a DVC owner and getting a villa. It will probably be cheaper per person. Plus, you get all of the perks of staying in a DVC resort without all of the extra cost. You may be able to rent the points at a lower cost as well if you find the right deal.

I have done this on a few of my WDW vacations and have loved it. It has also allowed me to stay at resorts I never would have otherwise.

kellybus · Post by **kellybus** » Jan Sat 21, 2012 1:51 am

Might think about the treehouses at Saratoga Springs. Pleanty of room for all.

adelyser · Post by **adelyser** » Jan Sat 21, 2012 11:17 am

The only thing about the tree house villa's is I heard that the transportation is not fantastic and it takes for ever.....bus to saratoga then busses to the parks. The last time we went to Disney we stayed at the poly. and the DH loved it.....This is the first trip for some of our travelers so i want it to be a great experience.

Soarin08 · Post by **Soarin08** » Jan Sat 21, 2012 11:27 am

Wouldn't recommend getting two FW cabins. That cost will run you even higher than a deluxe. I'd say rent some DVC if all possible, or look into a moderate. Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans are great choices for that.

cy1229 · Post by **cy1229** » Jan Sat 21, 2012 12:36 pm

adelyser wrote:The only thing about the tree house villa's is I heard that the transportation is not fantastic and it takes for ever.....bus to saratoga then busses to the parks. The last time we went to Disney we stayed at the poly. and the DH loved it.....This is the first trip for some of our travelers so i want it to be a great experience.

Then seriously look at Bay Lake Tower. Can't beat the location! Or Boardwalk.

theBIGyowski · Post by **theBIGyowski** » Jan Sat 21, 2012 7:10 pm

Yeah...Bay Lake Tower is amazing and it puts you just a few minutes away from MK.

If you plan on taking advantage of the dining at WDW, a villa at Boardwalk may be your best bet. It puts you in walking distance to the International Gateway at Epcot, plus you have the great dining at all of the Epcot resorts in walking distance. DW and I would love to stay at an Epcot resort sometime for that very reason.

MmeLeota · Post by **MmeLeota** » Jan Sun 22, 2012 12:05 pm

Soarin08 wrote:Wouldn't recommend getting two FW cabins. That cost will run you even higher than a deluxe. I'd say rent some DVC if all possible, or look into a moderate. Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans are great choices for that.

We just stayed at Caribbean Beach and loved it! We were amazed how peaceful and quiet it was...even knowing there were families everywhere. The only time it got a bit noisy was when we went to Old Port Royale...but we were expecting that since the food court/main pool/shops are all there. It might be a good choice for the age range. The younger folks can come and go as they please, and the ones who may not be as interested in the parks will have a great place to relax. There are smaller pools for each area and each time we passed by, there was hardly anyone there because the main pool is where the action is. I would figure the area where the pirate themed rooms are would be a bit noisy...but we were in Barbados and it was nice. Right by the beach too!
It is a very large resort and probably our biggest complaint was that the buses didn't seem to come as often for CBR as they did for other resorts and it resulted in packed buses.

Goofyfan · Post by **Goofyfan** » Jan Sun 22, 2012 3:00 pm

I agree with Amy. If you are not spending much time in the hotel, the Value resorts are very nice, clean, no frills. the busses are a little more crowded but if some don't mind standing then you will be all set.

Amy · Post by **Amy** » Jan Sun 22, 2012 3:44 pm

Goofyfan wrote:I agree with Amy. If you are not spending much time in the hotel, the Value resorts are very nice, clean, no frills. the busses are a little more crowded but if some don't mind standing then you will be all set.

I think they allocate more buses to the value resorts though ~ especially at park closing. I don't think we ever waited more than just a few minutes at the bus stop. And of course it didn't hurt that we were pretty much guaranteed a spot on the bus by being at the first stop at Sports!

disneylizzy · Post by **disneylizzy** » Jan Mon 23, 2012 10:39 am

Since you last stayed at the Polynesian, I wouldn't do a value resort b/c its just too different.

Maybe a better option for you would be a 2-bedroom villa at Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge. If you want to go cheaper, I would do connecting rooms at either of those deluxe hotels or do moderate at Coronado Springs, Port Orleans Riverside or Caribbean Beach.

Make sure wherever you stay that you take a look at the current special offers -

http://bookwdw.reservations.disney.go.c ... onemoreday

http://bookwdw.reservations.disney.go.c ... 12q2q3room

Also, if you have a military member in any of the rooms, you can get that discount: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/

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