Disney World Hotel Recommendation PLEASE?

[Chickpea]

Hi fellow Sowallers,
I need help as I am in novel territory here and am overwhelmed already just looking at sites - I am taking my daughters to Disney World In April (may be busy but this is only time we can go) with my cousin and her kids (we will be a total of 2 adults and 4 kids (ages 8, 7, 4 and 3.5) - I need your recommendations for hotels - which is the best, most convenient, funnest....

Any advice, tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated - most especially if they are first hand recommendations from your visits. Many thanks.

 

[jodiFL]

I have found that paying the bit extra to stay "on property" to be well worth it. The convenience of being able to park the car and not have to get back in it till you leave is fantastic. With kids that small it is also wonderful to be able to go back to the room in the middle of the day for a nap without spending a good part of the day traveling back and forth, looking for parking, etc. If you are a Florida resident you will get a discount if you book through the Disney site so be sure to look for that code. As far as which hotel there... there are several choices so find the one that best suits you.

 

[InletBchDweller]

I am sure Minnie will chime in here and give her wonderful advice as she has clearly been more than me.

Here are my thoughts. With that many kids and only 2 adults I would stay somewhere on property with an adjoining room??
The next hurdle is how much you wanna pay????

I have stayed in the economy hotels at Disney and then the top resort hotels as well. I for one am there for the parks, not the pools at the resorts. Because of this, I would rather only pay around $100 or less for a room b/c all I am doing is sleeping.

• The value resorts are theme decorated (music, sports, movies) and children love them. THere is a cafeteria that is on the property which is very resonably priced, a pool, gift shop and also a bar area where adults can unwind. ;-) The rooms are just that, rooms. No frills, they are decorated cute but that is about it. To get to the parks from these hotels you take a bus that is if you dont mind public transportation.
• The medium priced resorts are a little step up. You will have another restaraunt on site that is not cafetieria style. I think the prices at the cafeterias at these resorts are more than the economy resorts but I could be wrong. These resorts are much larger when it comes to the grounds. THey may have a lake or something that brings them a "step up" from the value resorts. THe rooms, to me, are just the same. Decorated with theme and that is it. You use a bus to get to and from the parks. Some may have a boat to get to Epcot. I am not positive on this one....
• The high priced resorts are really beautiful. They generally have a wonderful location and a view of the park from the hotel. Of course you have to pay for that view.;-) We splurged one time and stayed at the Contemporary with a park view. How nice to sit on your balcony and watch the fireworks. These resorts usually have a character themed meal of some sort, maybe one or two sit down restaraunts and a small cafeteria style with very limited items when compared to the other resorts. What is nice is that you can take the monorail to some of the parks (i think all but animal kingdom) so you dont have to do the bus thing. The rooms may be a little nicer but I dont think so. They dont compare to the Intercontinental, mariott, or the Hilton for the same price as far as bedding.

When you go the website make sure you click on the florida resident button. I have received some great deals on tickets and rooms by using this. I do believe that there are packages that contain meals but I have never used them. Maybe someone else will chime in and tell you (and me) if they are worth it.

I am no expert just been more than the average bear I guess. Little IBD is 6 and has been about 8 times so far. Such a shame that school has to get in the way of good mouse fun...

Let me know what you decide, and now you have given me the bug....now when is spring break??;-)

 

[beachmouse]

For current deals/Florida resident info, Mousesavers is good:

http://www.mousesavers.com/wdw.html

I agree with staying on park property for the convenience and the extra hours options. But beyond that, the kids are going to have a great time whether you're paying $79/room or $279/room. I'd probably go cheaper and put the extra money into character breakfasts and such instead. (speaking of which, you should probably make reservations now for those kinds of things since they sell out fast)

For some very detailed discussions on Le Mouse, try the boards at:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/

 

[Scooter]

Yes, we too stayed at the Contemporary with our boys when they were young. You can watch the fireworks from your balcony. The rooms are large because it's an older hotel. Sooooooo convenient to get on the monorail. Would not do it any other way! Then we took the three day Disney cruise with a balcony stateroom for us adults to unwind after 6 days at Disney. It was awesome!

 

[Minnie]

IBD pretty much covered it, truly you have to decide what your budget is and go from there. Also at the value resorts you have the new All Star Family Suites that will sleep six.

Connecting rooms are great but Disney will not guarantee them if there are more than 2 adults in the rooms. They will try but families have been split up.

April is a very busy time and staying on Disney property you need to call right now and see what is available.

 

[ellen]

I agree with Beach Mouse: I took my girls this fall and stayed at the All Star Sports resort because it was under $100 a night. The grounds are still "Disney" and the room was fine, especially since we stayed out all day and some nights. The value resorts are further away, but they still have all the perks (transportation, etc.) of being on site. I have stayed at the Yacht Club a couple of times which is certainly more posh, but it doesn't make that much of a difference to the kids.

The BEST tip of this thread is BOOK THE CHARACTER DINING now!! That is so much more of a thrill to the kids than a fancier hotel room, and it does book up well in advance.

Buying a Disney "unofficial" guide book is also a good investment (lots of helpful tips like which rides get slammed first and how to navigate fast pass system), and call ahead to find out park hours and special events (parades, etc.).

Have fun!!

 

[dunelover]

We were able to stay on property at the Grand Floridian when our kids were 3, 4, and 7. It was great to be able to just take a tram or a shuttle in and out all day. From the Grand Floridian you can even take a boat over--fun for the kids.

At that particular property the pool was amazing, there is a spa onsite, a deli/convenience area w/ games breakfast items to go, snacks, icecream etc. You could watch the disney fireworks from across the lake which was great.

What was really nice for us was that the rooms had two big beds (don't remember if they were king or queen) and a pull out daybed. Perfect for the little one, and didn't need two rooms since you are hardly in them.

You can have dinner/breakfast maybe even lunch w/ a character there. The buffet is awesome for the kids (kid friendly) and if you have girls they have the tea party w/ cinderella onsite.

We really enjoyed that trip and ironically our kids were looking at that album just tonight. Have funn!

 

[Ocean Lover]

Amazon.com: Fodor's Walt Disney World® with Kids 2008: with Universal Orlando and SeaWorld (Special-Interest Titles): Kim Wright Wiley: Books

The new version of My Disney Bible

 

[Minnie]

Yep Kim Wright Wiley's is the best for planning a trip with young kids.