Best Resorts

[JHASdiz]

My DH and I have been talking about taking our little ones (ages 3 and 1) sometime soon and we want to explore all of our options. I'm sure all the resorts have their own benefits but I'm asking for your expert opinions as I've only stayed in a couple resorts. What is the best resort for a family of 4 in each category and why?

 

[RefillableMug]

Value: Art of Animation- The larger than life characters from some of Disney's best movies are fun for guests of every age! The pool is big and Landscape of Flavors, the food court, has some of the best quick service food. You also have the option of a standard room (Little Mermaid) or a family suite (Nemo, Cars, The Lion King).

Moderate: Port Orleans Riverside- This resort is very relaxing and has some great theming. There are some great activities like fishing and and surrey rentals. They also have the Royal Guest Rooms if you're family loves the princesses.

Deluxe: Animal Kingdom Lodge- You could never leave this resort and still have a great time. The animals are so fun to watch and are something you won't find at any of the other resorts. The restaurants are some of the best on property.

 

[DisneyJill]

value: art of animation. nice pool, great food court, fun things to look at. added bonus of suites.
mod: riverside (LOVELY!) or french quarter because it's slightly smaller and more manageable with little ones. they have a great pool and new splash pad area.
deluxe: i will forever and ever be partial to the beach club. stormalong bay, the pool complex there, simply cannot be beat. (sand in the bottom of the pool, whaaaaaat?) animal kingdom lodge is also fantastic for little ones, and i think the contemporary (tower room-i prefer bay lake facing, but it's great to have theme park view to watch fireworks in jammies) is great for littles. watching the monorail come into the building mesmerizes me every time.

 

[correcaminos]

with kids that age for deluxe I say Polynesian. I love many locations but I feel it had the best transportation to parks you would visit and best pool for location.

Moderate: port Orleans (either one) for the tranquil feeling

Value: honestly they are all the same to me

 

[Jahona]

This is always going to be a bit of a subjective question.

Value: Either Art of Animation or POP.

Art of Animation can be hard to get just a room instead of a family suite but It's like walking into one of the animated films with larger than life characters and decor.

POP is right across the lake and has some of the better rooms compared to the all-star resorts. You also have access to the Art of Animation amenities right across the lake.

Moderate: Coronado Springs Resort

This is a bit of a mixed category as the Port Orleans Resorts have a huge following. Personally I like CSR the most out of the moderate resorts. The grounds are beautiful and have a great theme to them. The resort has a lot of choices to eat, from a good food court to a very nice Mexican sit down. It also has one of the best pools on property.

Deluxe: This one I can't really say. I'm staying at my first Deluxe resort later this year. I've heard the Polynesian is great with kids though.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Value: Art of Animation because the theme's so cool.
Never stayed in a Moderate.
Deluxe: Animal Kingdom Lodge due to cool animals and themes in the rooms. Bay Lake Tower because it's very close to Magic Kingdom and you can walk to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[captainkidd]

Personal faves:

Value - All Star Movies
Moderate - Riverside
Deluxe - Polynesian

 

[21stamps]

For kids that age here's my opinion-

Moderate - POFQ. It's the only one I've stayed at, but cute pool,pretty grounds, perfect size.

Deluxe- Polynesian.
Wonderful pools/splash area.
Great size.
Beautiful grounds.
Arguably the best quick service/restaurants/room service menu.
View of Electrical Water Pageant and Fireworks while swimming.
Pretty jogging path to Grand Floridian and the TTC.
Monorail or launch to MK.
Hula lessons.
Nightly tiki torch lighting.
Great music.
Dole whips.

 

[disneydaughter96]

Value: Art of Animation (if available) or All star movies
Moderate: Port Orleans- either or
Deluxe: Polynesian because of the amazing atmosphere and proximity to the Magic Kingdom. Everything at the resort is laid back, and there are amazing areas to watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom from the beaches. Beach Club is another good one for the pool, it's very popular with kids around that age. They have a big younger age pool area, as well as the bigger pool. The boardwalk is very fun with acts and dining places.

 

[correcaminos]

Moderate: Coronado Springs Resort

This is a bit of a mixed category as the Port Orleans Resorts have a huge following. Personally I like CSR the most out of the moderate resorts. The grounds are beautiful and have a great theme to them. The resort has a lot of choices to eat, from a good food court to a very nice Mexican sit down. It also has one of the best pools on property.

I nearly said CSR as I love it there and it is one of my favorites. That said with the construction now I might avoid it for a while. It really is a great resort!

 

[durangojim]

Value: Pop - less expensive than AoA for a regular room, also the rooms are being refurbished. Still cool atmosphere, and you can walk over to AoA if you want. Also the bus service the times we've stayed there have been very good.

Moderate: POFQ - smaller and prettier than PORS, pool area is easier to keep an eye on the kids. The resort is much smaller so much less of a walk for little ones and the busses are better at FQ due to the smaller size.

Deluxe: YC or BC - can walk to EPCOT/DHS, fantastic pools, all around favorites, BTW did I say you can walk to the parks?!
GF - beautiful, good restaurants, monorail, large rooms, and great views of the MK

 

[s&k'smom]

When my kids were small we were able to spend a number of trips at the Grand Floridian (boy do I miss the airline discount they used to have LOL). And the convenience was awesome. Monorail or boat right over the Magic Kingdom. Our last trip was at the Contemporary two years ago and being able to walk over to MK is even better.

 

[JHASdiz]

These are all great! Thank you all for helping us to make an educated decision!!

 

[Roknrollrghostr]

For Value I would choose Art of Animation- the theming can't be beat, it has the best pool and so much to explore throughout the resort. Pop Century is a great second choice for convenience, it's a short walk from Art of Animation so you can still explore it, it has an great food court and very efficient bus service.

For Moderate I absolutely love Port Orleans Riverside- relaxing for adults, fun for kids, tons of activities and a wonderful pool. It's also stunningly beautiful.

For Deluxe, my personal favorite is Animal Kingdom for the sheer beauty, the unique activities, the incredible food, the animals and the overall experience of feeling like you are somewhere completely different from any other resort. However, if you are traveling with children that young, I would instead recommend the Polynesian. I truly love that resort as well and the convenience of being on the monorail loop is fantastic. There are so many fun things for adults and children to participate in and it has a very relaxed vibe. Great food, great pools and you can view the fireworks from the beach! You can also easily take the monorail over to the Contemporary and Grand Floridian to dine or participate in certain activities there.

 

[correcaminos]

These are all great! Thank you all for helping us to make an educated decision!!

Good luck deciding! I will say one thing I didn't like about Y&BC for kids is the main pool. Just something to think about. It is the largest and with little ones we felt not as happy there - a little too stressful. Much better when the kids are stronger swimmers. We used the quiet pools until then.

For any resorts with buses, it was harder until we got a small lightweight stroller. We tried to stay at Epcot or MK areas until after we were done with them.

 

[UpAllNight]

We've never stayed on property but often walk to resorts to catch Uber. We really want to stay on a resort next time, and Yacht and Beach club is front runner. We have various experiences of using Disney transport and I think the distance to Epcot and DHS , and Magic a monorail ride away makes this a winner....but jeeeesh the price is like 3 or 4 times what we paid for I-Drive. Maybe Colorado or Caribbean beach will become more attractive for destination reasons when Gondola opens.

 

[21stamps]

Good luck deciding! I will say one thing I didn't like about Y&BC for kids is the main pool. Just something to think about. It is the largest and with little ones we felt not as happy there - a little too stressful. Much better when the kids are stronger swimmers. We used the quiet pools until then.

For any resorts with buses, it was harder until we got a small lightweight stroller. We tried to stay at Epcot or MK areas until after we were done with them.

It's nice to see someone else say this.lol

I love YC/BC, but Not with a young child. I actually prefer Poly's volcano pool over Stormalong Bay.

 

[JHASdiz]

Good luck deciding! I will say one thing I didn't like about Y&BC for kids is the main pool. Just something to think about. It is the largest and with little ones we felt not as happy there - a little too stressful. Much better when the kids are stronger swimmers. We used the quiet pools until then.

For any resorts with buses, it was harder until we got a small lightweight stroller. We tried to stay at Epcot or MK areas until after we were done with them.

Thanks! I'm really glad you mentioned that bc I wouldn't have thought of that. Also we will most likely have small strollers with us so staying close to a park would probably be important.

 

[MaryJaneP]

We find all of the prior posts informative and have stayed at most of the places mentioned. Given the ages of the kids and the presumption that the visit will be focused on MK, it is our belief that serious consideration needs to be given to the Contemporary. The access to the monorail, walking to MK, the minimal theming, the modest pools, and Chef Mickey's may help set a reasonable excitement floor for a young family. We know it is very expensive. We also know it is less awe-inspiring than other resorts. We would rather ramp up our experiences than ramp down. We happen to like the CR ourselves.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Good luck deciding.