Another where to stay

[dancingirl21]

DH and I had planned a trip to Arizona for the two of us for February. Due to various reasons we can no longer go and now have a decent airline credit that we need to use pretty quickly. So, we are considering a 3 night quick trip to WDW with the kids at the end of April. Kids are 3 and 6.

We were just at WDW for a week in October and did MK twice, AK, and Epcot. This trip will probably be 1 full day at MK and possibly a day at HS. Kids love to also spend time at the pool.

We have never stayed on property. We are fortunate to use FIL’s timeshare when we go for a week at a time and have stayed at the Marriott Harbour Lake and Grande Vista.

For purposes of this trip, we’d like to stay either on site or at one of the properties that offers the Disney benefits (Hilton Bonnett Creek, Swan/Dolphin, etc.)

We are not really considering the high end Deluxe properties - Polynesian, Grand Floridian, etc. As much as we’d love to do that, it’s not in the budget for such a short trip.

Knowing all this, where would you stay? Is fully on-property that much more magical than staying at a nice “other” hotel with Disney benefits?

[nicolewi]

I have very limited experience, but we stayed at AoA and my kids LOVED the theming. I think it's so fun. AT your kids' ages, I feel like it's perfect. My kids had just turned 4, 6, 8 and 10 when we were there. They talk about it all the time and want to go back ASAP, LOL. It's so colorful, and the themes are so much fun. It's a great place to just walk around and take pics. The zero-depth entry Big Blue Pool is great, as well as the splash pad and playground area. My kids also loved the Cars Pool. It's adorable, but not zero depth entry, FYI. We didn't have a chance to try the Little Mermaid pool. Our Family Suite was a little worn (I hear they are refurbishing) but the kids LOVED stayed in a theme room and didn't notice anything. While it was a little worn on furniture/rugs, the bathrooms were spotless and I felt the room was well-planned to have lots of storage and everything we needed. 

I also know that our friends absolutely LOVE Wyndham Bonnet Creek. They recommend it to everyone.

[minniemouse]

We have only stayed on property, so I can’t comment on swan or dolphin. My favorite moderate is port orleans French quarter, then Coronado springs. I’m not a fan of Carribean beach. For a value resort I’d love to try AOA. I’ve also heard good things about pop century. The only value I’ve actually stayed at is all star sports - and it was perfectly fine. Just a basic hotel. The rooms were kind of small but for 3 nights that’s probably fine.

[dancingirl21]

I think we are probably interested in Moderate and up only. So in shifting some dates, I'm seeing different prices. Is the Grand Floridian significantly more amazing than Port Orleans French Quarter and the like?

ETA: Also AK Lodge pricing is decent too. But if we aren't planning on going to AK, is that pointless?

[countthestars]

How are is the pricing for the studios at Old Key West? It's not a secret that I love OKW (we've been staying there since 1992!). I wouldn't stay at AKL - it's far from everything, esp if you aren't going to AK. Port Orleans FQ is always my first choice for moderate.

Edit: How is the pricing for the studios at OKW

[mccallister84]

Jan 13, 2020 12:02:58 GMT -5 dancingirl21 said:

I think we are probably interested in Moderate and up only. So in shifting some dates, I'm seeing different prices. Is the Grand Floridian significantly more amazing than Port Orleans French Quarter and the like?

ETA: Also AK Lodge pricing is decent too. But if we aren't planning on going to AK, is that pointless?

To me being on the monorail line was so worth the money. Comparatively, the buses were such a hassle and we didn’t even run in to many of the issues people complain about here.

[dancingirl21]

Jan 13, 2020 12:14:55 GMT -5 countthestars said:

How are is the pricing for the studios at Old Key West? It's not a secret that I love OKW (we've been staying there since 1992!). I wouldn't stay at AKL - it's far from everything, esp if you aren't going to AK. Port Orleans FQ is always my first choice for moderate.

Edit: How is the pricing for the studios at OKW

It’s looking like if we go the first weekend in May, OKW is similarly priced to some moderates in mid-April, when we were thinking of going. So I’ll look into that further. Thanks for the recommendation!

[stephm0188]

I really like the location of the Epcot resorts. We've stayed at Swan/Dolphin several times and I've never been disappointed. Another upside to the Epcot area resorts is that you can easily walk to HS before opening if you plan to rope drop Star Wars attractions.

Beach Club/Yacht Club are $$$ but the pool is amazing. It was a splurge for us but totally worth it.

I wasn't a fan of Coronado pre-renovation, but loved it afterward and would stay there again.

I have mixed feelings about Port Orleans Riverside. Love the theme of the royal rooms and the overall grounds. Not as much of a fan of the standard rooms.

Pop is a value and the rooms are on the small side, but it's my go-to for race weekends and quick trips. I ended up in a LM room at AOA and was waaaaay disappointed with the space, especially for the cost. Super worn/outdated.

Wilderness Lodge is another favorite. It's a MK resort but not on the monorail, so it's a little more affordable. It just had a more low key, intimate feel than some other larger resorts.

We typically save the deluxe resorts for longer trips because we naturally build in more pool/down time. For the short trips, we'll go with Pop or a moderate if we can catch a good sale because we know our time will be spent in the parks.

[dancingirl21]

Jan 13, 2020 18:30:50 GMT -5 stephm0188 said:

I really like the location of the Epcot resorts. We've stayed at Swan/Dolphin several times and I've never been disappointed. Another upside to the Epcot area resorts is that you can easily walk to HS before opening if you plan to rope drop Star Wars attractions.

Beach Club/Yacht Club are $$$ but the pool is amazing. It was a splurge for us but totally worth it.

I wasn't a fan of Coronado pre-renovation, but loved it afterward and would stay there again.

I have mixed feelings about Port Orleans Riverside. Love the theme of the royal rooms and the overall grounds. Not as much of a fan of the standard rooms.

Pop is a value and the rooms are on the small side, but it's my go-to for race weekends and quick trips. I ended up in a LM room at AOA and was waaaaay disappointed with the space, especially for the cost. Super worn/outdated.

Wilderness Lodge is another favorite. It's a MK resort but not on the monorail, so it's a little more affordable. It just had a more low key, intimate feel than some other larger resorts.

We typically save the deluxe resorts for longer trips because we naturally build in more pool/down time. For the short trips, we'll go with Pop or a moderate if we can catch a good sale because we know our time will be spent in the parks.

Thanks! This is super helpful. We will get there around check-in time on Saturday, have a full pool day on Sunday, do MK on Monday, and fly out late afternoon Tuesday. Knowing this, would you consider Beach Club? It's about $700 more than Port Orleans French Quarter. 

Also, for those in the know, I think check out is around 11am, right? Our flight may not be until 5pm. Can we utilize the pool area later than check out and change in a bathroom/locker room before our flight? 

ETA: we can also do Swan for about $200 more than POFQ, once you add in airport transfers and resort daily fee. 

[stephm0188]

Jan 13, 2020 18:40:36 GMT -5 dancingirl21 said:

Jan 13, 2020 18:30:50 GMT -5 stephm0188 said:

I really like the location of the Epcot resorts. We've stayed at Swan/Dolphin several times and I've never been disappointed. Another upside to the Epcot area resorts is that you can easily walk to HS before opening if you plan to rope drop Star Wars attractions.

Beach Club/Yacht Club are $$$ but the pool is amazing. It was a splurge for us but totally worth it.

I wasn't a fan of Coronado pre-renovation, but loved it afterward and would stay there again.

I have mixed feelings about Port Orleans Riverside. Love the theme of the royal rooms and the overall grounds. Not as much of a fan of the standard rooms.

Pop is a value and the rooms are on the small side, but it's my go-to for race weekends and quick trips. I ended up in a LM room at AOA and was waaaaay disappointed with the space, especially for the cost. Super worn/outdated.

Wilderness Lodge is another favorite. It's a MK resort but not on the monorail, so it's a little more affordable. It just had a more low key, intimate feel than some other larger resorts.

We typically save the deluxe resorts for longer trips because we naturally build in more pool/down time. For the short trips, we'll go with Pop or a moderate if we can catch a good sale because we know our time will be spent in the parks.

Thanks! This is super helpful. We will get there around check-in time on Saturday, have a full pool day on Sunday, do MK on Monday, and fly out late afternoon Tuesday. Knowing this, would you consider Beach Club? It's about $700 more than Port Orleans French Quarter. 

Also, for those in the know, I think check out is around 11am, right? Our flight may not be until 5pm. Can we utilize the pool area later than check out and change in a bathroom/locker room before our flight? 

ETA: we can also do Swan for about $200 more than POFQ, once you add in airport transfers and resort daily fee. 

You can use the pool until midnight the day you checkout. Pack a small bag with stuff to change into and then have bell services hold your bags (or do curbside check-in if your airline supports it).

I personally would do Swan over POFQ, but ropedropping HS for Star Wars is a huge priority for us.  Not having to rely on a bus to get us there is a plus. The pool there is also fun, and there's mini-golf right out front.

We rearranged our plans to spend more time at the pool at Beach Club. My son still talks about it, and that trip was 4 years ago. As far as he's concerned, that was the peak WDW experience. The only thing I didn't like about it was having to leave the gated area to access the slide. You have younger kids, so that may be a consideration.

[lauren170]

Beach club!! So worth it for the pool.

[broadsheet]

I think the Skyliner is awesome so I would do one of those resorts (Pop, AOA, Riviera, Caribbean Beach)

[nextbigthing]

Jan 13, 2020 12:45:53 GMT -5 mccallister84 said:

Jan 13, 2020 12:02:58 GMT -5 dancingirl21 said:

I think we are probably interested in Moderate and up only. So in shifting some dates, I'm seeing different prices. Is the Grand Floridian significantly more amazing than Port Orleans French Quarter and the like?

ETA: Also AK Lodge pricing is decent too. But if we aren't planning on going to AK, is that pointless?

To me being on the monorail line was so worth the money. Comparatively, the buses were such a hassle and we didn’t even run in to many of the issues people complain about here.

Word.

We are here now, stayed one night at Coronado's Springs then transferred to Bay Lake tower for 5 nights. The busses are awful. We waited and waited and waited and waited and it's not even a busy time. Like 45 minutes for EPCOT bus even after the half marathon was done. I will never stay in a non monorail hotel again.

ETA: the skyline did look very cool too. Definitely a viable option

[Covergirl82]

You could try to rent DVC points at one of the monorail resorts. We did that for our stay at Poly in December 2018, and spent about the price of one of the moderate resorts. We only had to take the buses to HS or AK. For Epcot, we could walk to the Travel & Ticket Center for a more direct monorail ride there, and use the monorail for MK.

[penelope81]

Jan 13, 2020 12:14:55 GMT -5 countthestars said:

How are is the pricing for the studios at Old Key West? It's not a secret that I love OKW (we've been staying there since 1992!). I wouldn't stay at AKL - it's far from everything, esp if you aren't going to AK. Port Orleans FQ is always my first choice for moderate.

Edit: How is the pricing for the studios at OKW

countthestars, Can you give me all your pros and cons and any tips for staying at OKW? We're looking at renting points in November to stay there and I would love to hear your views on it.  

Thanks!

[countthestars]

Jan 14, 2020 12:49:09 GMT -5 penelope81 said:

Jan 13, 2020 12:14:55 GMT -5 countthestars said:

How are is the pricing for the studios at Old Key West? It's not a secret that I love OKW (we've been staying there since 1992!). I wouldn't stay at AKL - it's far from everything, esp if you aren't going to AK. Port Orleans FQ is always my first choice for moderate.

Edit: How is the pricing for the studios at OKW

countthestars , Can you give me all your pros and cons and any tips for staying at OKW? We're looking at renting points in November to stay there and I would love to hear your views on it.  

Thanks!

Sure!

Pros: big rooms, laid back/vacation feel, all rooms updated last year, Olivia's breakfast is great, multiple pools, love the close to Hospitality and Turtle Pond areas, boat to Disney Springs

Cons: resort is spread out so it can be a long walk to food and hospitality house (lobby), not a ton of food options on site.

I won't lie - we have been staying elsewhere recently (Bay Lake, trying out Boardwalk next trip) because I've literally stayed at OKW over 20 times and being close to a park has it's perks for sure. But, OKW feels very vacation and like you are "home" and less like a hotel. Happy to answer any questions you have!

[penelope81]

Jan 14, 2020 13:14:36 GMT -5 countthestars said:

Jan 14, 2020 12:49:09 GMT -5 penelope81 said:

countthestars , Can you give me all your pros and cons and any tips for staying at OKW? We're looking at renting points in November to stay there and I would love to hear your views on it.  

Thanks!

Sure!

Pros: big rooms, laid back/vacation feel, all rooms updated last year, Olivia's breakfast is great, multiple pools, love the close to Hospitality and Turtle Pond areas, boat to Disney Springs

Cons: resort is spread out so it can be a long walk to food and hospitality house (lobby), not a ton of food options on site.

I won't lie - we have been staying elsewhere recently (Bay Lake, trying out Boardwalk next trip) because I've literally stayed at OKW over 20 times and being close to a park has it's perks for sure. But, OKW feels very vacation and like you are "home" and less like a hotel. Happy to answer any questions you have!

Thank you! I may take you up on that closer to our trip!

[dancingirl21]

Jan 14, 2020 12:30:38 GMT -5 Covergirl82 said:

You could try to rent DVC points at one of the monorail resorts. We did that for our stay at Poly in December 2018, and spent about the price of one of the moderate resorts. We only had to take the buses to HS or AK. For Epcot, we could walk to the Travel & Ticket Center for a more direct monorail ride there, and use the monorail for MK.

Maybe? I’ve never done this and don’t totally understand how it works. Like how do I know if there’s availability?

We have about an $800 credit for Southwest Airlines. I’m looking at booking a package (air and hotel) with them and the total price for Beach Club is about $2700. If I’m only booking flights, it’s about $1200. So I would need the cost of DVC to be around $1500 to make it a wash. And if I could get 4 nights at $1500, I would definitely do that. Poly seems great. How do I know if I would actually get it, though?

Thanks for any help

[phdmomma]

We just got back from staying at the Caribbean. With the new skyliner it was great. We had to take some buses, but they weren't bad at all. We rope dropped for star wars using the buses, and it wasn't too bad.

[sent]

Swan has queen beds whereas Dolphin has full beds. We stayed at Swan in 2017 and are returning on Friday. I stay there because I have points and it’s hard to pass up a cheap hotel stay. It’s definitely walkable to Epcot, you just walk through the Boardwalk. The pool is nice and there is also a playground if your kids are into that. We enjoyed our stay but we are doing a split stay to try out a Disney property on this trip as well.

[irishbride2]

Also don’t be afraid to Uber to the parks if you want to avoid the buses. It’s not expensive.

We were just “eh” on the Swann. My issues were minor but it cramped our normal Disney style. We tend to hit the pools later and their slides and such all closed at 5! The quick service place in the lobby also closed at 7 which surprised me. There also weren’t any kids activities like pool parties or night movies. .

The rooms were nice though and the location was great. (We love being near Epcot and HS).

[curbsideprophet]

If you go the DVC rental route I would go through a broker. You can see how much a DVC rental is on their site.

We have used DVC Rental Store in the past and been happy with them.


dvcrentalstore.com/points-calculator/


The other site I have heard recommended is David’s.


dvcrequest.com/dvc-guests/cost-calculator

I think their prices are the same but have not checked recently so I suppose there could be a slight difference.

These calculators do not take availability into account. You would need to contact them and see if there is availability and an owner to match you up with.