Help me choose a resort

[ksnasr]

Hi everyone!

Im planning a trip for Nov 2022, we will be going with my 2 kids (11 month or and 3.5 yo) and my 71 yo mom. We would all stay in one room and would like the convenience of not taking too long to get to the parks, so we can go back and forth for naps if needed. I have narrowed it down to:
- Contemporary Garden tower
- Polynesian standard View
- Art of Animation - Family room (I know its a Value resort but maybe worth the extra space?)

Thank you!

K

 

[JohnD]

Hi everyone!

Im planning a trip for Nov 2022, we will be going with my 2 kids (11 month or and 3.5 yo) and my 71 yo mom. We would all stay in one room and would like the convenience of not taking too long to get to the parks, so we can go back and forth for naps if needed. I have narrowed it down to:
- Contemporary Garden tower
- Polynesian standard View
- Art of Animation - Family room (I know its a Value resort but maybe worth the extra space?)

Thank you!

K

Well, with Contemporary and Poly, you have the monorail to MK and Epcot, the boat from Poly to MK, a walking path from Contemporary to MK, and the bus for the other parks. With Art, you have the Skyliner for HS and Epcot and the bus to the other parks.

If cost isn't an object, then I would choose Poly. It's due to be fully open soon and completely renovated by the time you arrive. And you have the transportation options I just described for MK and Epcot which are more convenient than the bus, IMHO. Not sure how much of the Contemporary will be still be under renovation, although you did say that option is the Garden wing.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Fort Wilderness Cabin

 

[ladydi]

When my kids were little, we stayed at the Poly. We spent the majority of our time at MK and it was the ease of the boat and monorail that had us returning there.

 

[Muffinpants]

Bay lake would be a tad snug for your family. I vote AoA suite for the 2 bathrooms. Grandma would appreciate it I think.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

You do realize that you're not going to have easy access to EVERY park right?
If being able to get back and forth to the room easier is your main goal then I'd probably go with an EPCOT area resort as you're close to 2 of the 4 parks.
If you will be spending the majority of your time at MK then the MK area resorts are a great choice.
I loved Contemporary. I will be staying at Poly for the first time in a few weeks so can't speak to it yet.
But Contemporary is a very easy walk to MK so I'd recommend it.
BTW if you're looking for more room you may want to consider a cabin at Fort Wilderness.
As cool as AOA theming is its just hard for me to justify the price but if you think you'd benefit from 2 bathrooms more than being close to MK it could be a good option.

 

[ksnasr]

Fort Wilderness Cabin

Did you find it difficult / long to get to the parks? I read you have to rent a golf cart, then a shuttler and then the bus and can take about 40 - 75 min.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Did you find it difficult / long to get to the parks? I read you have to rent a golf cart, then a shuttler and then the bus and can take about 40 - 75 min.

For the cost, I'd skip the golf cart and rent a car. It's extremely convenient to be able to park right outside your front door and head off to the parks, which you only get at the Cabins, Old Key West, and the Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villas. I would definitely recommend getting either a golf cart OR a car, but you don't need both.

If you have a car:
- Internal shuttle to Magic Kingdom boat launch, then boat to Magic Kingdom
- Drive to Epcot
- Drive to Hollywood Studios
- Drive to Animal Kingdom

If you have a golf cart:
- Golf cart to Magic Kingdom boat launch, then boat to Magic Kingdom
- Golf cart to bus stop, then bus to Epcot
- Golf cart to bus stop, then bus to Hollywood Studios
- Golf cart to bus stop, then bus to Animal Kingdom

If you have a car and a golf cart:
- Golf cart to Magic Kingdom boat launch, then boat to Magic Kingdom
- Drive to Epcot
- Drive to Hollywood Studios
- Drive to Animal Kingdom

If you don't have a car or a golf cart:
- Internal shuttle to Magic Kingdom boat launch, then boat to Magic Kingdom
- Internal shuttle to bus stop, then bus to Epcot
- Internal shuttle to bus stop, then bus to Hollywood Studios
- Internal shuttle to bus stop, then bus to Animal Kingdom

 

[Hcalvert]

For the cost, I'd skip the golf cart and rent a car. It's extremely convenient to be able to park right outside your front door and head off to the parks, which you only get at the Cabins, Old Key West, and the Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villas. I would definitely recommend getting either a golf cart OR a car, but you don't need both.

If you have a car:
- Internal shuttle to Magic Kingdom boat launch, then boat to Magic Kingdom
- Drive to Epcot
- Drive to Hollywood Studios
- Drive to Animal Kingdom

If you have a golf cart:
- Golf cart to Magic Kingdom boat launch, then boat to Magic Kingdom
- Golf cart to bus stop, then bus to Epcot
- Golf cart to bus stop, then bus to Hollywood Studios
- Golf cart to bus stop, then bus to Animal Kingdom

If you have a car and a golf cart:
- Golf cart to Magic Kingdom boat launch, then boat to Magic Kingdom
- Drive to Epcot
- Drive to Hollywood Studios
- Drive to Animal Kingdom

If you don't have a car or a golf cart:
- Internal shuttle to Magic Kingdom boat launch, then boat to Magic Kingdom
- Internal shuttle to bus stop, then bus to Epcot
- Internal shuttle to bus stop, then bus to Hollywood Studios
- Internal shuttle to bus stop, then bus to Animal Kingdom

The OP will be charged parking-$20/night. We stayed at FW once in the cabin and it is roomy. My dad insisted that he rent a golf cart and we are glad that he did.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The OP will be charged parking-$20/night. We stayed at FW once in the cabin and it is roomy. My dad insisted that he rent a golf cart and we are glad that he did.

Rental car plus parking fee is still (much) cheaper than a golf cart, especially when you consider that you have a fully kitchen and could stop at Target for bottled water, eggs, bananas, etc.

 

[Hcalvert]

Rental car plus parking fee is still (much) cheaper than a golf cart, especially when you consider that you have a fully kitchen and could stop at Target for bottled water, eggs, bananas, etc.

Depends on their needs. Just sharing a fact that that they may need to factor in. You didn't mention that parking was an additional fee, so I thought I would point it out.

 

[ksnasr]

Rental car plus parking fee is still (much) cheaper than a golf cart, especially when you consider that you have a fully kitchen and could stop at Target for bottled water, eggs, bananas, etc.

I kind of didn't want to rent a car and have to drive to the parks find parking etc, if not i think i would stay off site. I would like a resort that have easy convenient transportation to the parks (mostly Mk since we would go there 2 days)

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I kind of didn't want to rent a car and have to drive to the parks find parking etc, if not i think i would stay off site. I would like a resort that have easy convenient transportation to the parks (mostly Mk since we would go there 2 days)

Driving and parking is *much* more convenient than the buses everywhere except for the Magic Kingdom.

 

[UNCgolf]

Driving and parking is *much* more convenient than the buses everywhere except for the Magic Kingdom.

Eh, it's relative. I find the buses more convenient, but I don't mind waiting a bit because I'm never really in a hurry to get anywhere at WDW. I drive and park if I'm going to AKL to eat or something like that, but otherwise I prefer using the bus system. I hate having to park in the parks lots and trek to/from the car, not to mention keeping up with my car keys etc.

Also, you can come pretty close to parking outside your front door at Port Orleans Riverside because those lots are never close to being full (at least when I've been there). I've never been more than about 2 minutes from my car.

 

[aliceismad]

I would rather never drive at WDW. Driving is more convenient in that you can go whenever you want wherever you want and probably quicker, but personally I prefer the WDW internal transportation system. Navigating the roads and traffic and parking lots is not my cup of tea. I'm sure it's fine for WDW regulars.

Of your choices, I would choose Poly. Better pool and splash pad than Contemp. Kids like the sandy beach area, and I believe there is also a small playground. You can watch MK fireworks and the water parade from the beach, and many of the Poly rooms have balconies. Monorail is convenient for MK or Epcot and it's stroller-friendly. (Two littles is a lot to manage!) Also lots of good dining choices among the monorail hotels.

I've not stayed at Art of Animation, so I can't comment on the frequency of busses, etc. I'm sure the kiddos love the decor and pools there.

If you're not too worried about changing dates, etc., you might consider renting points for a Disney Vacation Club room. Studios at Poly have two sinks, a bathtub, and a shower, so that can be useful if kiddos need baths. They also have a kitchenette.

(ETA: I really love this tool for finding room types, etc., and finding specific rooms to request. Might be helpful to you in your research. https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-polynesian-resort)

 

[Dave B]

Do not stay in the Garden View Rooms at Contemporary, they are nothing like the tower rooms and not worth it and they are old rooms, I would stay at the POLY for sure, with that age group, you will probably be at MK a lot, then you can monorail over to Epcot and even get to HS from their with the gondola, the only park you would HAVE top bus to would be AK, this would also allow you the easy trip back to the rooms to nap and they have a great pool and kids area you also can watch the fireworks and the water electrical parade from the beach which is amazing, have fun, second choice would be AoA family suite, each have easy access to EPCOT and HS and you could monorail to MK if you have park hoppers

 

[Hcalvert]

If an extra bathroom is something you definitely want, book a Poly DVC room. It accomodates five (2 queens--one a pull out couch and a pull-down murphy) and has 1.5 bathrooms (one is a shower/tub & toilet and the other is a walk-in shower). I love Poly because of the extra shower and pull-down bed as well as the proximity to MK, but recently stayed at the Boardwalk Villas and really liked it that one too (sleeps five, but no extra bathroom). Since 2020 after reopening, we have driven down each time and I refuse to pay for parking, so we book DVC usually at moderate prices or better. If you are intersted in booking DVC and depending on your dates (if Thanksgiving time), then you would want to book at the 11-month window, which would be this December.

*I want to note that I am not a DVC member and am not trying to peddle DVC points on here.

 

[SamandplanningUK]

If you don't want long travel times I would say the Epcot area resorts would be your best bet, you can Bus to MK and AK, walk to Epcot and Skyliner to Hollywood Studios.

If you stay at the Magic Kingdom resorts the only parks that your travel times will be short for are Epcot and MK, whereas Epcot is quite central so not too long on buses to each park.

You could even chose to stay at Riviera as the Skyliner is right there for you to use.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Do not stay in the Garden View Rooms at Contemporary, they are nothing like the tower rooms and not worth it and they are old rooms, I would stay at the POLY for sure, with that age group, you will probably be at MK a lot, then you can monorail over to Epcot and even get to HS from their with the gondola, the only park you would HAVE top bus to would be AK, this would also allow you the easy trip back to the rooms to nap and they have a great pool and kids area you also can watch the fireworks and the water electrical parade from the beach which is amazing, have fun, second choice would be AoA family suite, each have easy access to EPCOT and HS and you could monorail to MK if you have park hoppers

I'm curious...when did you last stay in both to compare? It's been a while since we've stayed in either at the Contemporary, but our last time in the Garden Wing was great and the rooms were identical to the tower...aside from location. It still might be a tight squeeze for OPs family, but this post doesn't match our experiences...so, I was just curious if Garden Wing updates have started lagging behind the tower.

 

[Dave B]

We just stayed in the Garden Wing June 23-June 30 and it was like going back in time to the 70;s, old carpet, loud air conditioning, old school light display/fireplace, I saw the Tower Rooms and they were night and Day, we stayed most recently at POLY 3 years ago and we loved it, it was our 3rd stay at the POLY