Where did you stay and a brief review

[katrinabennett]

Aug 11, 2016 8:45:09 GMT -5 was5 said:

Aug 11, 2016 8:34:42 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

If we go POR we will get the princess room. It's all about the princesses.
With our luck, we will finally make a choice and then the room will be booked and we will end up at some random resort that has rooms leftover. Lol.
I blame my husband.

Ha. H's always get in the way   If he's concerned about the cost, I would do a side by side comparison of a POR princess room and an AoA suite. Maybe the lower price will convince him to go with POR. There is also a whole fan website devoted to POR Riverside. Not sure if you found it while you were researching www.portorleans.org/riverside-info.php

[
Went to that website. Sold. POR. Booking

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2016 8:41:10 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

Okay @savestheday - one more question.
What does 'budget ' mean? What am I missing out on? My husband doesn't like the wording of budget. He also doesn't understand how. Budget costs so much. Lol.
Are all the beds smaller? Harder?
Less pools but still a good pool. Do I need 4-5 pools with skides? We only have 1 off day and it's the end of February.
Two big things about A of A that appeal to me besides how cute it is. Dedicated bus. And suite.
Huge appeal of Port Orleans -seems to be cozier. Cheaper and moderate.
I apologize for my 2 page thread about choosing a resort.

Okay so I copied and pasted straight from wdwprepschool.com because she really really has the best break downs ( she is so detailed) 

port orleans riverside

Pros:



Beautiful grounds

Great theming

Can take a boat to Disney Springs

Both a food court and restaurant on site

Some rooms accommodate up to 5 people

YeHaa Bob performs in the lounge area

Bayou Pirate Cruise for kids 4-12 departs from marina

Carriage rides available

Catch and release fishing can be done at the resort or on a fishing excursion

Royal Guest Rooms are an option

Cons:



Spread out

Buses are often inconvenient

Standard bed size: Queen



Tip: Paying for a Preferred room will get you a room in a building close to the main areas, saving a lot of walking



Ideal for: Families of up to 5 people who appreciate the beautiful grounds and theming (having a car doesn't hurt)

Art of Animation Resort



art of animation

Pros:



Newest resort

Great theming

Dedicated buses

Most rooms are suites

Bigger, better food court than other Values

Cons:



Spread out

Spotty cell phone service and wifi

Most expensive of the Value resorts

Standard bed size: Full/Double in standard rooms, Queen in suites



Tip: You can't pay for a Preferred Room here but you can book a Finding Nemo suite which is slightly more expensive, but located closest to the main building. The closest buildings for the other suites are 1 & 3 (Cars buildings), and 6 & 10 (Lion King buildings).



Ideal for: Families who prefer a suite and enjoy the theming in the various sections

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2016 8:52:03 GMT -5 was5 said:

I'm going to throw one more thought out there about getting a suite when you have one child. Will your 5 year old feel comfortable/safe sleeping in a separate room alone in a strange, new place or will she/he be nervous and want to sleep in the same room with you anyway? Something to consider depending on the temperament of your child.

Yeah. My kid LOVES to sleep IN MY BED on vacation. Like he thinks sharing a bed with me is PART of vacation. We only get a suite when my Mom is coming along. Because then he will share a bed with HER muhahahahahaaa

[katrinabennett]

Aug 11, 2016 9:46:54 GMT -5 @savestheday said:

Aug 11, 2016 8:52:03 GMT -5 was5 said:

I'm going to throw one more thought out there about getting a suite when you have one child. Will your 5 year old feel comfortable/safe sleeping in a separate room alone in a strange, new place or will she/he be nervous and want to sleep in the same room with you anyway? Something to consider depending on the temperament of your child.

Yeah. My kid LOVES to sleep IN MY BED on vacation. Like he thinks sharing a bed with me is PART of vacation. We only get a suite when my Mom is coming along. Because then he will share a bed with HER muhahahahahaaa

She is usually pretty good about it. She actually shoos my husband out of the room when he pretends to fall asleep in her bed.
However when we went camping, she was afraid in the tent.

Either way, she is a good sleeper. I don't think we would have to all pretend to fall asleep at 8pm so she will sleep.

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2016 10:48:55 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

Aug 11, 2016 9:46:54 GMT -5 @savestheday said:

Yeah. My kid LOVES to sleep IN MY BED on vacation. Like he thinks sharing a bed with me is PART of vacation. We only get a suite when my Mom is coming along. Because then he will share a bed with HER muhahahahahaaa

She is usually pretty good about it. She actually shoos my husband out of the room when he pretends to fall asleep in her bed.
However when we went camping, she was afraid in the tent.

Either way, she is a good sleeper. I don't think we would have to all pretend to fall asleep at 8pm so she will sleep.

Are you planning to stay out for Fireworks 1 or 2 nights? 

We are all so exhausted when we get back to the room even on early nights we pass right out. 

[katrinabennett]

Aug 11, 2016 10:51:50 GMT -5 @savestheday said:

Aug 11, 2016 10:48:55 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

She is usually pretty good about it. She actually shoos my husband out of the room when he pretends to fall asleep in her bed.
However when we went camping, she was afraid in the tent.

Either way, she is a good sleeper. I don't think we would have to all pretend to fall asleep at 8pm so she will sleep.

Are you planning to stay out for Fireworks 1 or 2 nights? 

We are all so exhausted when we get back to the room even on early nights we pass right out. 

We are going to try to fireworks, but she is way too big for a stroller and when we took her to Canada day fireworks, she laid down for the hour leading up to it.

[ilikedonuts]

Aug 11, 2016 10:56:39 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

Aug 11, 2016 10:51:50 GMT -5 @savestheday said:

Are you planning to stay out for Fireworks 1 or 2 nights? 

We are all so exhausted when we get back to the room even on early nights we pass right out. 

We are going to try to fireworks, but she is way too big for a stroller and when we took her to Canada day fireworks, she laid down for the hour leading up to it.

Rent a city mini gt from one of the outside companies. People put 8 and 9 year olds in them. 

[ribollita]

Aug 11, 2016 10:56:39 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

Aug 11, 2016 10:51:50 GMT -5 @savestheday said:

Are you planning to stay out for Fireworks 1 or 2 nights? 

We are all so exhausted when we get back to the room even on early nights we pass right out. 

We are going to try to fireworks, but she is way too big for a stroller and when we took her to Canada day fireworks, she laid down for the hour leading up to it.

She's not too big for a stroller at Disney. You'll need one.

[katrinabennett]

Aug 11, 2016 11:03:37 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Aug 11, 2016 10:56:39 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

We are going to try to fireworks, but she is way too big for a stroller and when we took her to Canada day fireworks, she laid down for the hour leading up to it.

She's not too big for a stroller at Disney. You'll need one.

We take her to the amusement park here and she goes from 930-530 without a problem. Lots of walking. Our plan is to take a mid day break. I hate strollers. Getting around and parking and all that. Maybe we would consider it for Epcot because it's a long tour around all the countries etc.

[was5]

Aug 11, 2016 11:01:39 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Aug 11, 2016 10:56:39 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

We are going to try to fireworks, but she is way too big for a stroller and when we took her to Canada day fireworks, she laid down for the hour leading up to it.

Rent a city mini gt from one of the outside companies. People put 8 and 9 year olds in them. 

I do not get this. I can see a 5 year old, but that would be my limit. DD was not quite 7 when we went and there is no way I would push that girl around in a stroller.

[ilikedonuts]

Aug 11, 2016 11:31:52 GMT -5 was5 said:

Aug 11, 2016 11:01:39 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Rent a city mini gt from one of the outside companies. People put 8 and 9 year olds in them. 

I do not get this. I can see a 5 year old, but that would be my limit. DD was not quite 7 when we went and there is no way I would push that girl around in a stroller.

Yeah I think some kids are definitely too old. But an almost 5 year old, I'm sure isn't on par with a 7-9 year old stamina wise even if she's super tall like and older kid.

My niece went stroller free at 4 but it was her with 4 adults so she got carried a lot when we had super long nights in the park.

[was5]

Aug 11, 2016 11:48:27 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Aug 11, 2016 11:31:52 GMT -5 was5 said:

I do not get this. I can see a 5 year old, but that would be my limit. DD was not quite 7 when we went and there is no way I would push that girl around in a stroller.

Yeah I think some kids are definitely too old. But an almost 5 year old, I'm sure isn't on par with a 7-9 year old stamina wise even if she's super tall like and older kid.

My niece went stroller free at 4 but it was her with 4 adults so she got carried a lot when we had super long nights in the park.

I can totally see using a stroller for a 5 yo at WDW. I could even see using it for a 6 yo if you had a younger child and a double stroller. I guess my personal cut off is 7 (or nearly 7 any way). My DD had the unfortunate luck of being blessed (cursed) with younger twin brothers when she was 5. Her stroller days were over at that point.

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2016 11:06:33 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

Aug 11, 2016 11:03:37 GMT -5 ribollita said:

She's not too big for a stroller at Disney. You'll need one.

We take her to the amusement park here and she goes from 930-530 without a problem. Lots of walking. Our plan is to take a mid day break. I hate strollers. Getting around and parking and all that. Maybe we would consider it for Epcot because it's a long tour around all the countries etc.

So you can walk like 20,000 steps in a Disney day EASY. EPCOT stands for EVERY PARENT CARRIES ONE TODDLER. It' s a LOT of walking especially at a resort like Riverside with multiple internal bus stops you can still be pretty far from your room at your stop ( or be the idiot like me who got lost at 1am coming home from fireworks and wandered around until some maintenance guy in a golf cart took pity and helped me find my way and gave me a ride LOLOLOL!)  


Anyways I like the City Mini GT. I love working with Kingdom Strollers. It's very very easy AND can order water with your stroller. Plus it gives you somewhere to put your bags and crap you buy too.

You can always just park it in a central location and then walk around to all the rides and then pick it up when you need to leave the park or are walking to the other side. That's what I do. Just make sure to put something on yours ( like a bright scarf on the handle ) because cast members will move them to make room for more " stroller parking" 


 

[ilikedonuts]

Aug 11, 2016 11:06:33 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

Aug 11, 2016 11:03:37 GMT -5 ribollita said:

She's not too big for a stroller at Disney. You'll need one.

We take her to the amusement park here and she goes from 930-530 without a problem. Lots of walking. Our plan is to take a mid day break. I hate strollers. Getting around and parking and all that. Maybe we would consider it for Epcot because it's a long tour around all the countries etc.

My kid can go all day as well, but honestly if its taking a stroller vs not doing nighttime stuff, you need to get a stroller.

You can always park it somewhere in the park and just grab it when you need it. We do that all the time.

[lala]

I wouldn't even entertain doing Disney without a stroller and a 5 year old. Maybe the morning but guaranteed you'll use a stroller. Last time my 6 year old even passed out in a non reclining maclaren stroller at night. Regular tired doesn't compare to Disney tired. This year as a new 8 year old we're not taking one for her but it's also Disneyland.

[beantrees]

I am debating about renting a double for our Jan. trip for my then 3.75 and 7.5 year old. We went this past Jan. and it was fine, but we could have stayed out so much later if we had a place for my oldest to sleep. The younger one can go all night, but the oldest needs his sleep!

I also love the idea of them napping (bc they get worn out at Disney!) and being able to take a stroll around the World Showcase.