Best resort for our family

[cheaney70]

My family and I would like to go to Disney in November. My husband and I have been married for two years and I have just adopted his kids (a girl and a boy) who will be 19 and 15 when we go. They have been a few times and two of the trips were with my husbands first wife (and the kid's bio mom) who passed away 5 years ago.

My issue is twofold. The kids are older and need space and I would like space too. Most rooms have only 2 beds leaving one parent and one kid per bed. I would rather not do this and I would also not prefer to stay at Pop Century where they went as a family previously. I am looking to make new memories as it is important for the kids to show me this magical place

Any input would be appreciated!

 

[Nemo14]

My family and I would like to go to Disney in November. My husband and I have been married for two years and I have just adopted his kids (a girl and a boy) who will be 19 and 15 when we go. They have been a few times and two of the trips were with my husbands first wife (and the kid's bio mom) who passed away 5 years ago.

My issue is twofold. The kids are older and need space and I would like space too. Most rooms have only 2 beds leaving one parent and one kid per bed. I would rather not do this and I would also not prefer to stay at Pop Century where they went as a family previously. I am looking to make new memories as it is important for the kids to show me this magical place

Any input would be appreciated!

Is it necessary to stay on-site?

 

[cheaney70]

Is it necessary to stay on-site?

Truthfully I would like to stay offsite but many have told me it's part of the experience to stay there. Have you stayed offsite before? If so, what were the pros and cons?

 

[Nemo14]

Truthfully I would like to stay offsite but many have told me it's part of the experience to stay there. Have you stayed offsite before? If so, what were the pros and cons?

We rent a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath condo 12 minutes away for under $800 per week. We've stayed on property too, but when our kids were teenagers, it was problematic to rent one room, and renting more than one was more than we chose to spend, so we looked into other options. We love having the space, the privacy, the ability to cook meals (a real savings) and do laundry, as well as not having to share a pool or hot tub with a bunch of screaming little kids.

 

[Disneyfamily4]

Staying on site has its perks, but if you want to save a lot of money and have a better place to stay, your better off staying off site. My family goes to Disney for two weeks every March/April. We will stay in a resort one week, then rent a private home for the 2nd week. Every year we get a 4BR, 3 Bath private pool home and pay about 1000.

The extra space the 2nd week helps a lot. The Kids get their own room, which all come with TVs and game systems. The Garage for the house is also a huge game room, with free arcade games, pool table, bubble hockey and things like that. Its always nice to come back to a home at the end of the day, rather than be cramped in a small resort room.

 

[pixiesteno]

Have you considered a cabin at FWC? They have a murphy bed in the living area and then a separate bedroom that has a full size bed and bunks, where the kids would have room and you and your spouse could take the murphy bed in the living area. There is a bath, kitchen, and a deck for each cabin. There are lots of great outdoor activities at the Fort, basketball, tennis, bike & boat rentals, archery, pools (of course) walking trails, beach, ect. if you did not want to spend all of your time at the parks. There is a grill at each site so you could cook out if you wanted. Each night there is a movie under the stars and a bonfire for roasting marshmallows or hot dogs. The Fort is a wonderful place

 

[JillC LI]

Adjoining rooms at another resort besides Pop? All-Star is similarly priced if you want a Value resort.

 

[Traver Freeman]

My Aunt and Uncle rented a cabin at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds as someone mentioned above. They had a situation where their daughter was bringing her boyfriend. Additionally, my uncle snores really loud, so they all didn't want to be in the same room.

The campground was their choice. I've never stayed there.

The only downside was they were frequently late in meeting us because the transportation system is terrible there. They had to take a bus to the central hub to get another bus to go anywhere. So if you are planning on using Disney transportation, be aware it may take a little longer depending on what cabin you're in.

 

[Philhar-Fanatic]

Other than the Campgrounds, seems your only other options would be a family suite at the Art of Animation or the All Stars. You'd have two bathrooms, kitchenette, a private bedroom, and two convertible beds for each child to sleep in, in the living room. Other than that seems you'd have to go DVC and rent a 1 or 2 bedroom. Hope this helps.

 

[HollyAD]

Sounds like an excellent trip for you guys. Have you thought about Art of Animation suites? It would be the perfect for your set up. You and your hubby would have a private bedroom (King bed). The teens could each have their own bed in the living room area. One bed is a sofa bed and one is a murphy bed. There are two bathrooms! (this is always a plus for us) The theme is pretty cool as well, even for older teens. You can choose from Nemo, Lion King, or Cars suites. The pool and food court area is pretty awesome and would be ideal for teens to kinda do their own thing for lunch and enjoy the pool. There is also a refrigerator and microwave in the room. This was great for water bottles and reheating left overs.

 

[BrerJon]

My family and I would like to go to Disney in November. My husband and I have been married for two years and I have just adopted his kids (a girl and a boy) who will be 19 and 15 when we go. They have been a few times and two of the trips were with my husbands first wife (and the kid's bio mom) who passed away 5 years ago.

My issue is twofold. The kids are older and need space and I would like space too. Most rooms have only 2 beds leaving one parent and one kid per bed. I would rather not do this and I would also not prefer to stay at Pop Century where they went as a family previously. I am looking to make new memories as it is important for the kids to show me this magical place

Any input would be appreciated!

Pop Century/All-Stars rooms are OK for families with little kids but 19 and 15 are adult size, so those rooms would be way too cramped. To be honest if I was you I'd seriously look at staying along Hotel Plaza Boulevard in the Downtown Disney area at a Disney partner hotel - do a Google search for 'downtown disney hotels'.

All those hotels, while not 'Disney' themed hotels, are on Disney property, have free bus transporation to the parks, just like on-site hotels, and even character breakfasts that don't cost a fortune. The rooms are much bigger, much nicer and much cheaper than Disney ones, and are just as close on average to the parks as any of the Disney hotels. Instead of a small room at the All-Stars, maybe go for a suite at one of the Downtown hotels.

The best part is they're also walking distance to Downtown Disney, which is great if teenagers just want to get away for a while, and from Downtown you can take any of the Disney buses, so everyone can have their independence even if they don't drive.

 

[Belle_MTL]

I also highly recommend a cabin at FW. We've stayed there many times and it's worth every penny because you absolutely feel like you're getting your much needed space. We've personally never had any issues with the transportation, however we always rent a golf cart (approx. 60$ a day) to get us around. The buses arrive often at the central hub, we've never waited more than 10 minutes to catch one. Plus you can take a boat to the MK which is nice.
No doubt it's a bit more expensive, but I feel like it's worth it. Keep your eye out for the room discount and take advantage of that!

 

[Kit83]

Lots of good ideas here but unless you go for more than one room on site I would recommend staying just off site at a rented house/villa. A weeks rental would be way less than two rooms at any Disney hotel (for one night) you get lots of bedrooms and your own pool . If driving is an issue taxi's are not too expensive, if you are as close as you can be to the Disney entrance, as you are saving a lot on accommodation.

 

[jaklgreen]

You did not mention a budget. I would get 2 rooms at (preferably) a moderate or a value. Those usually come out cheaper then any suite at WDW. I would also recommend staying on site. This way you do not need a car and everyone would have the freedom of going back to their room if wanted. With kids that age they may not want to spend every second with you guys and would like the freedom that staying on site would give you. From the busses to room charge to package delivery. Have fun!

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

The rates for AoA in November are usually much less than other times of the year. We've stayed there in November for 235.00 a night which is less than two rooms elsewhere. We are paying a lot more than that in May, but the two bathrooms and the private bedroom are well worth the cost. The bed in the bedroom is a queen not a king. They don't even list a king on the site. If there is one, it's not advertised. The sleep sofa is fairly comfortable as is the murphy bed.
If you want to stay at a Hotel Blvd. hotel, then I recommend Doubletree Suites. All the rooms are newly renovated. All rooms are suites. They are twice the size of a standard room at most Disney resorts. You could get two rooms for 244.00 right now. They were down to 122.00 a night per room. They change the price a lot. We've started with a ressie for 169.00 a night or more and ended-up only paying 89.00 a night for the second week of November. I would check the site every day, and every time the price went down, I would call and get the lower price. Those were AAA prices though. I would only stay there if you have a car. There bus service is slow, and you have to unload at the TTC when at MK, not where the Disney busses unload. You also have to pay for parking at the hotel and at the parks. Even with that, it's still less expensive than staying onsite. My friends stayed there in December and really enjoyed it there. Their teen daughter liked having DTD so close, and they liked having all the restaurants right down the road.
I would, however, stay at AoA if the cost isn't a problem.

 

[Nemo14]

The rates for AoA in November are usually much less than other times of the year. We've stayed there in November for 235.00 a night which is less than two rooms elsewhere.

The Disney site quotes a room at AoA in November for $287 while a room at op is $124 (so 2 rooms would be $248). I still would think that a teen boy and teen girl would prefer the privacy of staying off-site in a private home or condo where they could have their own bedrooms.

 

[JR864]

You should really look at the options at wyndham bonnet creek.... there are many great deals out there (ebay and travel sites) ... you can easily get a 2bedroom for under $1k for the week. The rooms are huge, the pools are really nice, and they are within the disney boundaries. The only downside is they charge for their bus, so u would definitely want to have a car.... and never ever succumb to any offer that requires a timeshare presentation. In 2010 we rented two separate 2 bedrooms the week after thanksgiving for around $800 total... we were on an upperfloor and could see the epcot fireworks from our balcony.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

You can always do two rooms at an allstar or moderate resort if you want to stay on site. There's the cabins at WL or AOA family suites. We stayed in the treehouses at ssr with 6 adults and 1 child and it was great. There's 3 separate bedrooms plus a double pullout and single pullout in the living room area...and the look and feel is certainly different than pop century. Oh and remember too depending on your budget places like AKL and WL have rooms that have a queen bed and a set of bunk beds. You're still in the same room but at least they have separate beds.