3 days with 10/13 year old boys

[lilac05]

We’re looking to make a quick trip to Disney World in December to see a family member in a parade. We’re looking at doing a 3 day park hopper and staying on property. Budget isn’t a huge concern, but bang for buck would be great. The boys will be 10 and 13 (with a birthday while we are there).

The last time we went, we stayed in a beautiful house off-property, and that was great…but this time that isn’t our preference for several reasons.

We will go through a Disney agent, but looking to get other opinions. We will try to be as unscheduled as possible while still getting to a few favorites. A tight agenda is definitely not our thing, even though we know that means we will see/do less. We’re OK with that.

Ease of getting to parks is a priority.

Where would you stay?

[goldengirlz]

I only have experience with one property, but it was great so I’ll share it.

We were at the Swan Reserve, which was half the price of the monorail hotels. Getting to the parks was super easy. There was a shuttle to MK and AK, and a boat to HS. But the best part was we could walk to and from Epcot — which was where we had dinner most nights. It was so nice not to battle the crowds and just head home on foot. We could also walk to the boardwalk.

MK was probably most annoying to get to, because the shuttle only lets you off at the monorail station, not the park, but the other parks were fine. It was Spring Break and MK was crowded AF so that probably added to the annoyance.

We used the pool and the other amenities at the (much larger) Dolphin, and all that worked out well. But I actually liked that the Swan Reserve was a bit quieter than the other two properties, even though it had the least Disney theming. It felt very serene after battling mobs of people ha.

Our room had a view of Epcot so we had three viewing options for the fireworks: Epcot itself, the boardwalk or our room.

[mrsslocombe]

For bang for your buck I'd stick to the Epcot area hotels-Boardwalk, Beach/Yacht Club, or the Swan/Dolphin. You can walk to Epcot or HS (the HS walk is about 15 minutes, Epcot much shorter). Plus you have a lot of restaurant options within a short walk, mini golf at Swan/Dolphin, etc.

For a lower cost option, Caribbean Beach is the hub for the Skyliner so it is very quick to get to Epcot and HS.

Poly would be my choice for a monorail hotel but in December it might be hard to get a reservation, plus you are looking at $800+ per night.

[lilac05]

I hadn’t looked into most of those, so thank you for the ideas.

The planner I was talking thought that Pop Century might be our best option. I stayed there in grad school when it was BRAND new…but how is it now? I see it’s been renovated.

A friend recommended some Disney affiliated hotels that are nearby and have busing options, but was unsure post-Covid which hotels still had which perks. Any experience with those?

[mrsslocombe]

May 5, 2023 20:25:46 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

I hadn’t looked into most of those, so thank you for the ideas.

The planner I was talking thought that Pop Century might be our best option. I stayed there in grad school when it was BRAND new…but how is it now? I see it’s been renovated.

A friend recommended some Disney affiliated hotels that are nearby and have busing options, but was unsure post-Covid which hotels still had which perks. Any experience with those?

Pop Century is fine, though the rooms will definitely be a bit tight with 4 people. Most of the rooms have a murphy bed for the second bed, so when it's pulled up it makes sharing the space easier. If you only need a place to sleep, I think it's fine.

The food court is horrendous. The Skyliner access definitely makes it the best Value-level resort. 

There's also the option of Art of Animation in one of the family suites (which are more expensive than a Value resort, but less than the Epcot resorts). You get a separate bedroom with a queen-sized bed, two full bathrooms, and then the living room has a sleeper sofa and a murphy bed, so your kids could have their own beds. Having two bathrooms is also really nice. 

Art of Animation and Pop Century share a Skyliner stop.

[mccallister84]

If budget isn’t a concern, I’d stay on the boardwalk with kids that age. If it is, we have friends who swear by the skyliner so I’d pick a resort with a skyliner stop.

We are still in the stroller phase so monorail hotels are clutch for us.

[lilac05]

May 5, 2023 20:36:20 GMT -5 mccallister84 said:

If budget isn’t a concern, I’d stay on the boardwalk with kids that age. If it is, we have friends who swear by the skyliner so I’d pick a resort with a skyliner stop.

We are still in the stroller phase so monorail hotels are clutch for us.

Is the skyliner doable with strollers? We may be going with someone who will have a double stroller (with two toddlers).

[mccallister84]

May 5, 2023 21:36:00 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

May 5, 2023 20:36:20 GMT -5 mccallister84 said:

If budget isn’t a concern, I’d stay on the boardwalk with kids that age. If it is, we have friends who swear by the skyliner so I’d pick a resort with a skyliner stop.

We are still in the stroller phase so monorail hotels are clutch for us.

Is the skyliner doable with strollers? We may be going with someone who will have a double stroller (with two toddlers).

I’ve never done it so I’m not the best person to ask. I believe you need to fold up a side by side double stroller (which is what we have). Again, I would research this more but it was so much nicer to just roll the stroller on to the monorail than to have to take both kids and all the crap out to fold it up for the bus.

[mrsslocombe]

May 5, 2023 21:36:00 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

May 5, 2023 20:36:20 GMT -5 mccallister84 said:

If budget isn’t a concern, I’d stay on the boardwalk with kids that age. If it is, we have friends who swear by the skyliner so I’d pick a resort with a skyliner stop.

We are still in the stroller phase so monorail hotels are clutch for us.

Is the skyliner doable with strollers? We may be going with someone who will have a double stroller (with two toddlers).

Side by side double strollers have to be folded, kids can stay in front to back.

[Patsy Baloney]

We’ve stayed at pop century and had a great time. It was Dec. 2022. The remodel is the bomb. The Skyliner is a game changer as far as getting to the parks quickly.

Food court is fine - horrendous is a strong word 🤣 the pizza and tie dye cheesecake were my favorite nighttime indulgence.

We stayed at Art of Animation in a Cars suite in 2018. Also a nice place to stay. It’s a haul to the Skyliner from the suites, though.

We stayed at port Orleans riverside on our last trip in Feb. 2023 and were in a 5th sleeper room. It was very roomy, I felt. The resort was beautiful. We ended up in a building right by the first bus stop, and that was awesome. A lot of complaints get levied against the bus system there, but it was fast as all get out.

Also, every time we’ve gone to a monorail resort for a meal or to see decor or whatever I expect the monorail to be efficient and fabulous. I will be the voice of dissent - I’ve never had a good experience on the monorail. It always gets held up on the tracks. It’s always jam packed. The buses have always been faster for us. The Skyliner to me is far better because you always have a place to sit - you’re not allowed to stand in the cars. It’s in constant motion. It’s so great.

[maudefindlay]

We are get up and go, go, go people, so resorts are just for sleeping for us. We did a 5th person sleeper at Carribean Beach and definitely recommend like pp said the Skyliner is amazing, often our family of 5 had our own car. That thing moves at a good rate and the views were nice. Took us to Epcot and HS. We ride busses to MK and AK and had no issues.

We stayed in another 5th person sleeper at Port Orleans Riverside and that was nice too, but we missed the Skyliner.

Eta At your kids ages they may be too tall to use the 5th person sleeper. My 10 and 11 yr old can, but not my oldest.

[abs]

We like staying on the monorail if at all possible. It is the best for strollers and getting to/from Magic Kingdom. The Poly is my favorite but The Contemporary is probably the best value. Then you can walk to MK. My least favorite thing is having to take a bus back at the end of a long park day.

If you don't think you'll spend much time at MK then Beach Club/Yacht Club are great. Best pool on property and being able to walk to two parks is great.

Can y'all tell I don't like crowds?! Yet I love Disney. I do not love Disney transportation.

[devonpow]

We love the Poly and it’s where we usually stay. The monorail is super easy, the food is pretty good, and there’s Dole Whip If you aren’t worried about budget get a club level room. Having breakfast included and right there, plus free cold drinks and snacks all day is a great perk, plus there are concierges right there to help with any random genie plus questions/reservations etc.