Disney question.

ktshoff

I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times before...

If you have been to Disney, where did you stay?

Trying to decide between staying at moderate or value level resort.

We are going for 5 nights in February.

Any input/advice would be great! 

ktshoff

Thanks!  Did you have the park hopper passes and/or have a dining option?

 

LoveCarbs

uconnhuskie007:

we just went in april and stayed at The Wilderness Lodge and it was amazing.nbsp; The pool was great, rooms were great, but my favorite part was taking the boat everywhere instead ofnbsp;a hot bus.nbsp; Highly recommend.nbsp; I think it was a deluxe?

This is where we're planning on staying. The reviews are great and it's listed as one of the top hotels for kids.

ktshoff

Thanks for everyone's input!!

If we don't opt for the park hopper and only get a 3 day pass.  Can we say, go to the Magic Kingdom in the morning, go back for dinner and such and then go back for the fireworks?

I guess what I'm asking, if we leave can we go back as long as it's the same park? 

Disneygeek77

Yes you can leave and return to the same park in the same day.  That won't be a problem. 

I have only been once and we stayed offsite.  We stayed at a three bedroom villa with a full kitchen and laundry.  Since we shared the villa with my family, our portion was only $50 a night.  We also saved a whole lot of money by having the kitchen there to make breakfasts; pack our lunches, snacks and drinks, and then pay for our dinner at the parks or have a pizza back at the villa. 

However, if we were to stay at one of the Disney hotels,  I have heard really good things about the French Quarter resorts and the Pop Century resort. 

LaurelBee

I've stayed at the French quarter and Animal Kingdom Lodge. AKL was amazing! But so freaking far from MK by bus. Next time I want to stay at Wilderness bc it has the monorail. We did the meal plan both times, which is convenient. But also can get confusing! If you eat out at Epcot, you must eat at the Canada pavilion. You MUST. Best place to eat in all of Disney

ktshoff

She'sGotAWay:

My family does Disney about once a year, so these posts always make me happy. I have planned several trips for friends before. :If you are deciding between a value and a moderate resort, choose the moderate. It's usually only a tiny bit more expensive, and the atmosphere is much better. I have stayed at the AllStars Music Value and it's nice, but I much prefer my stays at Port Orleans French Quarter REALLY want to stay at Riverside they have Princess Rooms!, and Caribbean Beach now they have Pirate rooms!. My brother's family just stayed at Art of Animation, but most of those rooms are suites Nemo, Lion King, or Cars themed; the Little Mermaid rooms are the only regular rooms. I think they really enjoyed their stay there. The jump from moderate to deluxe is HUGE, though. I will say that the amenities are also quite a step up. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and it was breathtaking to open the window and see giraffes drinking from the water hole.nbsp;I would say that park hoppers aren't necessary. We typically get four or five day passes with no park hopper and just come and go as we please to a specific park each day. The more days you buy, the cheaper each day becomes, so we've bought six day passes when we really only get to spend five full days down there because it meant we payed a tiny amount to spend an evening in a park.I would also say that unless you are big eaters, the dining plan may not be the best way to spend your money. We "saved" money by having it, but of course, had we not had it, we wouldn't have ordered the most expensive entree, a drink, and a dessert at every meal. I assume that PP meant you should eat at Le Cellier in Canada, and it is, indeed, DELICIOUS and amazing, but it is also SUPER spendy. : I always tell people to make sure to get a Mickey Bar and a Dole Whip only sold at Aloha Isle in Magic Kingdom and the Polynesian Resort.nbsp;

Thanks for all this!

We are really leaning towards Port Orleans Riverside. Getting excited!

LaurelBee

uconnhuskie007:

LaurelBee:

I've stayed at the French quarter and Animal Kingdom Lodge. AKL was amazing! But so freaking far from MK by bus. Next time I want to stay at Wilderness bc it has the monorail. We did the meal plan both times, which is convenient. But also can get confusing! If you eat out at Epcot, you must eat at the Canada pavilion. You MUST. Best place to eat in all of Disney :

no monorail at wilderness. There's a boat

NOOOO, sad. 

p1nklemonade

port orleans french quarter. park hopper, dining plan (one snack, one quickserve meal, one sit down meal per day) if you are financially able, i would stay in a hotel that has monorail access. (contemporary, grand floridian). it will save you the hassle of a bus ride.

scoutkate

Bumping this thread to ask a stupid question.  We're thinking of staying at the AKL.

If you ride the bus, I assume you take a car seat along with you?  And if so, what in the world do you do with it while you're at the park?

littlestjerry

ktshoff said:

She'sGotAWay:

My family does Disney about once a year, so these posts always make me happy. I have planned several trips for friends before. :If you are deciding between a value and a moderate resort, choose the moderate. It's usually only a tiny bit more expensive, and the atmosphere is much better. I have stayed at the AllStars Music Value and it's nice, but I much prefer my stays at Port Orleans French Quarter REALLY want to stay at Riverside they have Princess Rooms!, and Caribbean Beach now they have Pirate rooms!. My brother's family just stayed at Art of Animation, but most of those rooms are suites Nemo, Lion King, or Cars themed; the Little Mermaid rooms are the only regular rooms. I think they really enjoyed their stay there. The jump from moderate to deluxe is HUGE, though. I will say that the amenities are also quite a step up. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and it was breathtaking to open the window and see giraffes drinking from the water hole.nbsp;I would say that park hoppers aren't necessary. We typically get four or five day passes with no park hopper and just come and go as we please to a specific park each day. The more days you buy, the cheaper each day becomes, so we've bought six day passes when we really only get to spend five full days down there because it meant we payed a tiny amount to spend an evening in a park.I would also say that unless you are big eaters, the dining plan may not be the best way to spend your money. We "saved" money by having it, but of course, had we not had it, we wouldn't have ordered the most expensive entree, a drink, and a dessert at every meal. I assume that PP meant you should eat at Le Cellier in Canada, and it is, indeed, DELICIOUS and amazing, but it is also SUPER spendy. : I always tell people to make sure to get a Mickey Bar and a Dole Whip only sold at Aloha Isle in Magic Kingdom and the Polynesian Resort.nbsp;

Thanks for all this!

We are really leaning towards Port Orleans Riverside. Getting excited!

I'm late to this, but we stayed at Riverside and loved it! I'm one to usually pick the cheapest option all the time, but I would choose a moderate over a value if we had the funds.

theseaword

I def recommend staying at the moderate if you can. Value resorts are still nice places, but they tend to be full of loud, annoying tour groups.

tumblefluff

scoutkate said:

Bumping this thread to ask a stupid question.  We're thinking of staying at the AKL.

If you ride the bus, I assume you take a car seat along with you?  And if so, what in the world do you do with it while you're at the park?

I can't believe I missed this whole post!

We go every 2 to 3 years.  We use to change it up with the hotel but we've found a few favorites and now tend to stick with them.  We've been to Wilderness Lodge, Caribbean, Beach Club, Riverside, Port Orleans, and Coronado.  My favorite is Beach Club because of the location and the pool.  But I also love Port Orleans and the Wilderness Lodge.  I'm not a fan of Caribbean or Riverside because they are bigger hotel resorts so they have multiple bus stop pick ups.  That takes away from your vacation time, you also might be far away from the food court depending on where your room is and the "main" pool might be a walk too but they are nice.

With Beach Club you can walk to Epcot!  I think that most of the better places to eat are in that park anyway so we spent a lot of time there for dinners.  If you can get a reservation at Le Cellier I'd highly recommend it.  Pricey but good.  I'd also recommend the dining plan.  You don't have to worry about extra expenses if you have a meal plan except tip.  As a PP said you probably wouldn't eat as much if you didn't have a meal plan but its a great deal and totally worth it in my opinion.  If there are places you must go for dinner I'd recommend making reservations ASAP!  Many places book up and fast for the busier times of the year.  If something you really wanted to try is booked check again with the concierge when you get there and on a daily basis at that.

To answer your question @scoutkateyou don't take the car seat on the bus.  The buses don't have seat belts. 

LuckyDad

Obviously you get up fairly early, drive up the freeway to Disneyland, spend the day there, and drive home! Or you stay with your friends who live in Orange County!