Which is the best Disney hotel for families?

Question

We are 2 families with 4 kids age 8 - 14 and want to spend 1 week in Disneyworld, Orlando. We definitely want to stay in one of the Disneyworld hotels. Can you tell me which one is the best for families - I have heard some are already really old and should not be used anymore?

Answer 1

It depends on what you want out of your resort. First of all you made a great decision to stay on property, there is not a resort or hotel anywhere around the Disney area that can hold a candle to what the Disney resorts themselves offer in terms of service and perks. Disney takes great care of their resort guests, whether you are in the value or the deluxe.

The decor of all of the resorts is outstanding, so it just depends on what you are looking for. Each of the families is going to need 2 rooms in most of the resorts, since they will only accomodate 4 people per room. The home away from home resorts/Disney Vacation Club resorts all have suites that accomodate from 4 to up to 12 people, so that could be an option. I also believe that the All-Star value resorts are adding family suites that can accomodate 6. Lets start with the values.

There are 4 different categories of Disney resort, value, moderate, deluxe, and Vacation Club. First, the value resorts are just that. They are expertly decorated, have huge pools, a good food court, but on the downside they are inexpensive so the rooms are on the smaller side and there is not a sit down table service restaurant. However, these are excellent choices for families. My favorite in this category is the All-Star Movies resort, with Pop Century a close second.

The moderates are a bit bigger than the values. The rooms are a little bigger, and they offer a sit down table service restaurant along with the food court. There is a large themed pool, but there is also smaller pools in each section as well. There are plenty of things to do in each of these resorts besides the Disney parks as well. Keep in mind that these resorts will probably only be able to accomodate 4 per room, so you will need 2. My favorite in this category is the Caribbean Beach resort. The resort itself is very large, but we loved our stay there.

The deluxe resort are the top of the resorts in price and amenities. These are the resorts that are located around the Seven Seas Lagoon in front of the Magic Kingdom, and are all connected by the monorail system (except for the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is near the Animal Kingdom). These have so much to do, have multiple restaurants, and even have character meals (don't miss the character breakfast at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary, regardless of where you stay! It is a favorite of ours.) My favorite in this category and my favorite overall is the Polynessian.

The Disney Vacation club resorts are the home away from home resorts. They have everything from a studio, one bedroom condo, two bedroom condo, to a grand villa (basically a townhouse that sleeps 12.) These come with a kitchenette (in the studio accomodations) or a full kitchen complete with utensils and everything you need to cook a meal. My favorite in this category is Saratoga Springs (and a close, close second to the Polynessian.)

There are a few websites you can go to and get tons more info. First, I would recommend going to the Disney website and using their resort comparison tool. You can compare the resorts in each category and decide what is going to work for you. You can even get a quote as to what your particular package will cost. Also, check out the disboards. The disboards is a message board website that is all about going to WDW. You can ask questions, get trip reports, itineraries from others guests, dining reviews, resort reviews, and tips from people who go to Disney often and know what they are talking about. Also, go to the bookstore and pick up the Birnbaum's guide to WDW. There are a ton of guide books out there, but that is the one that worked best for us.

I would also suggest that when you get your passes to the parks to at the very least add the Park Hopper option. It will add a small amount to the price of the passes, however it is worth the cost. The base ticket allows you to enter one park per day. With the park hopper you basically can come and go as you please. For example, if you were to go to the Animal Kingdom for the day, then decide you want to go back to MGM to ride Tower of Terror and catch the Fantasmic night time show (both must sees!) you would only be able to do that with the Park hopper option. It just gives you the ultimate in flexibility, which is what you want going to Disney.

Hope this helps, have a great trip!!

Answer 2

My family and I prefer the All-Star Movies Resort. It is a Disney Value resort located in the vacinity of Aminal Kingdom and the Sports Complex. It is great for families at a reasonable price. I love that my children are safe, it is clean, the food is great and reasonably priced, and the pool is out of this world! Since the resort opened we have stayed there, we did try the Pop century resort but it was not what we expected. We also stayed at the carribean resort however, the price was more but the rooms were basically the same size as the Value resort so we are satisfied with staying at All Satr Movies. The kids are going to LOVE the themed hotel sections and the photo-op's I am sure you will also be amazed at the scope of the hotel. Check it out on-line. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RESORT. No matter what Disney Resort you decide to stay at I am sure you will be satisfied. :)

Answer 3

For families with kids, a great choice is the Vacation Club Resorts, like the BoardWalk Villas, Beach Club Villas, Wilderness Lodge Villas, etc. You can get plenty of room, plus kitchen facilities that can help you save money, especially if you are staying for a week, as you have indicated. Trust me, it gets tiring and very expensive to eat out for every meal. Another great choice is the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. They have a great home away from home atmosphere, full kitchens, plus the campground has lots of activities.

Answer 4

I would suggest one of the All Star Value resorts. For one you will save money because they are the cheapest rooms on property but also because they are more kid oriented.

I also like the moderate hotels like Port Orleans Riverside. I find this hotel to be more quiet which is a nice change from the parks.

The kids will enjoy the All Star resorts the best though.

Answer 5

First Thing you have to decide is How much time are you going to be spending in your hotel. If you and the other families are going to be spending each whole day in the park from open-close then I would go with a value resort. You won't be ion your hotel very often, so you shouldn't spend tons of money, if this is how you plan to spend your days. The All-star ones are really directed at kids, plus they are the most inexpensive! But as they are the value resorts they aren't as nice as the rest. Being that it is Disney though, all hotels are nice. If you plan to go to the park, but also go to the pool in your hotel and rest in your hotel and spend more time in your hotel, it is probably worth it to go for the moderate or nicer resorts because the pools and hotels are nicer. Use the resort Comparison to help you plan

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortBenefitComparison?id=BOSOPResortCategoryComparisonPage

Also check out allears.net They are super helpful
http://www.allears.net/acc/faq_hot.htm

I planned our entire trip for September,s o i have great tips on saving money and such, e-mail me if you have any other questions. [e-mail]

Answer 6

The Contemporary is the oldest and it is still completely lovely.

My preference for a family is Pop Century. It is one of the value resorts and it is a lot of fun. We have stayed there twice and enjoyed both stays.

There are many advantages to staying on property. You can take the Magical Express from the airport to the resort. (Saves money on car rental!) You then use the Disney Transportation system to get around to the parks. (this includes busses, boats, and monorail!) From Pop Century you would take busses, but you can get on a monorail at Magic Kingdom or Epcot and ride it (just for fun).

I have been to Disney World 6 times and I have stayed ON and OFF property. My recommendation is if you are only planning to visit Disney-stay ON-SITE. We have stayed off-site if we are visiting attractions other than Disney, such as Universal.

Answer 7

depends on your budget,, but stay at the Disney Park Hotels, they have a wide variety of services,, ie: smoking or non smoking rooms (Carribean Beach) they all are connected to the bus services which take you to the attractions and back ...i would speak to a travel agent if this is your first time,, some hotels will offer discounts on your admission passes or include it in the price of your stay.. try and get the Hopper Pass as this allows you to enter any of the parks at any time,,

Answer 8

Go to one of the All Star Value Resorts. They are very valuable for a low price.

Also, if you are on the Disney Dining Plan, they have restaurants with very high quality food.

The only downside is that they are a good distance away from most of the attractions, especially Magic Kingdom.

Answer 9

I just attended an annual meeting for my company in March which was held in Orlando. We stayed at the Contemporary resort and it was great!
There's lots to do in and around the hotel for the entire family, plus the tram runs right inside the hotel to take you into the park.
I highly recommend it.

Have a great time!!!

Answer 10

Each of the different hotels have a different theme, or flavor, if you will. Usually we stay in a motorhome at Fort Wilderness, but when we just take a car, we love The Lodge. It gives you the "feel" of being in a great mountain lodge in the middle of the Rockies!

Pick out the one that gives you the "feel" you like...or, pick out one that's completely different from anything you've ever tried before.