40th Birthday Trip

[DisneyWishesandDreams]

Hi everyone! I am in need of some help! January 2022 I turn 40 and I am planning a family trip. It will be me, the hubby is who not a huge Disney fan but goes along with us, my daughter who will be 8 and my son will be 6 and has autism. We have been to Disney several times as a family but never stayed at a Deluxe as a family. We have stayed at POFQ and some of the allstars. We will be staying Sunday to Sunday. We tend to spend a lot of time at the parks but we do enjoy a few afternoons in the pool. In general we are very easy going and just happy to be together in Disney.

I am really torn between where to stay and even through its a year away, if I want to rent points I have to decide now. I am considering seeing if I can rent points and stay in a garden view at Boardwalk. I wake up before everyone else and LOVE sitting on a balcony with a cup of coffee. I also love the idea of just walking over to Epcot or HS and have 2 days planned at each park. I have wandered through the Boardwalk and I love the feeling of the resort and love walking around the boardwalk area at night.

That being said, we tend to like the extras. If Early Morning Magic and dessert parties returns we likely add those. Considering its January, I am not sure we will get a ton of pool time (I find the cold follows us from NYC and anytime we go in the winter we are in the parks in winter coats) so the pool isn't super important this time. So I am not sure if we should save the money and do something like Pop or Caribbean Beach. As you can see we are interested in staying in Epcot area but we don't have an interest in AoA (my husband is not a fan of the Little Mermaid rooms and the suites are a bit more than I want to spend).

I am someone who LOVES over the top Disney themes. Allstar movies makes me really happy so I think Pop sounds fun for that.

And the last time I went to Disney with my sister, we split up a bit so I took the Skyliner to walk around CBR and I really loved it. I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat on the beach and it was so lovely.

We will plan a

For those of you have stayed at these resorts, does anyone have any suggestions? Anything I am missing?

Thanks so much for helping. I am just recovering from Covid but we are still home because the kids just got it so I have too much time on my hands to obsess about over a Disney trip.

 

[JIMINYCR]

For a 40 birthday ... if money wont be an issue then go Boardwalk. Its a very pleasant resort, convenient distance to the 2 parks, mini golf, with Boardwalk ambiance at night. If you find that you need to hold back on expenses I'd go CBR, since you had a good feel for the resort. Leave Pop as a last resort.
I'd look to plan a special evening to dine to celebrate the b-day and also arrange for your husband to watch the kids one day so you could do something special to treat yourself.

 

[Buck Wheelie]

If Boardwalk is in the budget then I would go for it. The resort and the location are great. Being able to walk to two parks is a wonderful perk. Only warning to you is we were like you and had never stayed in a Deluxe resort at WDW. The first time we did we knew there was no going back and we bought DVC right after that trip.

 

[monorail81]

I know you say a pool isn’t important because it’s January, BUT..........if there’s a chance that you’ll be swimming, I’d suggest looking into the Beach Club Villas. They have the best pool on property.

Happy (early) birthday! My 40th is this month and we’ve decided on a cabin at Ft. Wilderness.

 

[DisneyWishesandDreams]

I know you say a pool isn’t important because it’s January, BUT..........if there’s a chance that you’ll be swimming, I’d suggest looking into the Beach Club Villas. They have the best pool on property.

Happy (early) birthday! My 40th is this month and we’ve decided on a cabin at Ft. Wilderness.

Happy birthday to you! The cabins seem so great too! Have a wonderful time!

I think I want to save Beach Club for a summer trip when I know we will really use the pool more

 

[DisneyWishesandDreams]

If Boardwalk is in the budget then I would go for it. The resort and the location are great. Being able to walk to two parks is a wonderful perk. Only warning to you is we were like you and had never stayed in a Deluxe resort at WDW. The first time we did we knew there was no going back and we bought DVC right after that trip.

HAHAHA My since my husband is not crazy about Disney I keep hoping staying somewhere nicer will sell him on it. He say after POFQ he would rather not go back to an Allstar.

 

[DisneyWishesandDreams]

For a 40 birthday ... if money wont be an issue then go Boardwalk. Its a very pleasant resort, convenient distance to the 2 parks, mini golf, with Boardwalk ambiance at night. If you find that you need to hold back on expenses I'd go CBR, since you had a good feel for the resort. Leave Pop as a last resort.
I'd look to plan a special evening to dine to celebrate the b-day and also arrange for your husband to watch the kids one day so you could do something special to treat yourself.

Thank you! I didn't realize mini golf is walking distance as well! That is so fun!

Yes I am definitely trying to think of something special to do on the day itself. I keep going back and forth with a nicer meal or a fun atmosphere. Good thing I have year to decide

 

[Schweino]

FWIW - Pop doesn't really have Disney themes, so I am not sure you would enjoy it based on my assumptions from your original post. However, it is the cheapest option. It does have a small shop and food court and a pool, which is all we personally needed.

My wife and I are not stinkin rich and we had other trips in mind - for us, we went cheap and did Pop for our 8 night honeymoon. The Disney magic for us is really at the parks, not the resorts. If you spend all day at the parks, IMPO, spending the money on moderates/deluxes is not worth it and especially since you have kids, maybe taking that money saved and pushing it to food/souvenirs would be better and also maybe enhance the experience for the hubby (Star Wars/marvel merch maybe?!).

 

[aliceismad]

Personally I don't care for the Pop decor, and if your husband is not a fan of the All-Stars, I think he might be underwhelmed by Pop. Boardwalk would be fantastic, but if the choice is Boardwalk or CBR plus special add-ons and nicer meals, I would go CBR. I think it's a lovely resort (and feels like a resort), I like the pool area (in case there's a warm day), the skyliner is appealing, and although I know many disagree, I will pay for the extra hours and fireworks parties. We only go to Disney every few years, so it's worth it to us to pay a little more for those experiences. The Star Wars dessert party was so much fun. Plus my DH loves food, so the better quality dining is important to him.

ETA: I forgot to ask what you think would be easiest for your autistic kiddo. If walking to Epcot and HS would be best for him vs. crowded bus or Skyliner, that's an obvious plus. Boardwalk also has dining options and many things close by, while CBR is a bit more spread out.