Hotel Help!

[mbs502]

Hello! I just started planning our first family trip for Dec. 2018. My husband and I have been in the past with out last visit when I was pregnant with my first in 2013. In the past we stayed at French Quarter and Coronado Springs. I enjoyed them both but preferred FQ just a bit especially with the boat to Disney Springs. We will be going the first week of Dec. with our two DS (4 and 2 at time of travel). I am having the hardest time deciding on a hotel. I am looking back at FQ or Riverside. I like the idea of the boat to Disney Springs. I am also considering Polynesian or Contemporary which would be a bit of a "splurge" but not outside the realm of affordability for us (I just am not sure if I would rather allocate the money elsewhere). The idea of walking distance to MK is super appealing and I stayed at Polynesian as a child and had fond memories of it and it's pool/theming. While I don't think I want to go with a value resort I also wonder if the kids would get a kick out of the themes of those - perhaps Art of Animation? It would save a lot of money that maybe we could put elsewhere. But I do think we will spend a fair amount of time at the resort - we plan to come back for naps/relaxing and swimming in the afternoons so I want to be comfortable. Considering all of this what are your thoughts? Which hotel would your select yourself? Any recommendations? TIA

 

[newhorizons1]

Considering all of this, and the ages of your children, I would choose Polynesian! I know this doesn't help much with cost, but I think the Poly would be a great place to spend some down time. The kids splash area look fantastic, especially for two young kids! Also, having the option of the monorail for traveling to two parks is nice! Depending on what building you are in you would only be a short walk to the TTC to grab the monorail for Epcot.

 

[jaklgreen]

Kids will like any resort you stay at. Over the years we have stayed at a majority of the hotels and the kids had a great time, every time. Kids, especially little ones, do not over think things like adults do. Plus they have no frame of reference. No matter what resort you stay in, everyone will have a great time and everything will work out great. So stay where you can afford and where YOU want to stay.

 

[mbs502]

Thank you! It’s such a tough call! I do think the idea of spending a decent amount of time at the hotel makes me lean more toward a deluxe option. I appreciate your feedback and opinion!

 

[kimberlymautz]

I don't think you could go wrong!
I was deciding between the Poly or Art of Animation for our upcoming trip (we're only staying on property for three days) and I let my daughter choose and she decided that she wanted to stay in the Little Mermaid room at AoA. I've visited both resorts and think that kiddos would love either of them.
If your kiddos love Cars, The Lion King, or Finding Nemo/Dory then I would personally choose AoA because not only is the theming adorable, but you also have the comfort of the larger room as well as the excitement of all of the artwork and the themed pools and what not. But if they don't really care too much then I wouldn't worry and would choose where you'd rather be.

 

[olinecoach61]

OK - we have stayed at both the Poly, Contemporary and FQ with children - do you plan on taking breaks during the day for naps? If so I would go with the Poly or Contemporary. Being on the monorail loop is invaluable when getting young ones in and out of the parks for naps. Most kids are all about the pools - I would rank them Poly, FQ, Cont. in that order. The water play area at the Poly is second to none, my kids will play on that for hours if I let them. We will be going back in Summer '19 and have already decided that we are doing the Poly again. So that would be my recommendation.

 

[debpeduz]

I’ve stayed at many of the resorts. A couple of things to perhaps think about- Magic Kingdom is in walking distance from Contemporary, not Poly. The monorail is amazing with kids so with either, you can’t go wrong. Also, the first week of December is unpredictable with the weather temperature. I was there this past first week of December and we were able to swim once. Temperatures can be warm but also pretty cold (for Florida). I would not perhaps base my resort stay in December on the swim area as you may not get to use it much.

 

[LIMA TIME]

OK - we have stayed at both the Poly, Contemporary and FQ with children - do you plan on taking breaks during the day for naps? If so I would go with the Poly or Contemporary. Being on the monorail loop is invaluable when getting young ones in and out of the parks for naps. Most kids are all about the pools - I would rank them Poly, FQ, Cont. in that order. The water play area at the Poly is second to none, my kids will play on that for hours if I let them. We will be going back in Summer '19 and have already decided that we are doing the Poly again. So that would be my recommendation.

I was going to say the same thing, having litte ones its way easier to be on the monorail loop. You dont have to get sleeping kids on and off the buses, trams, etc. The poly is worth every penny, plus the pools and themes are fantastic.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

OK - we have stayed at both the Poly, Contemporary and FQ with children - do you plan on taking breaks during the day for naps? If so I would go with the Poly or Contemporary. Being on the monorail loop is invaluable when getting young ones in and out of the parks for naps. Most kids are all about the pools - I would rank them Poly, FQ, Cont. in that order. The water play area at the Poly is second to none, my kids will play on that for hours if I let them. We will be going back in Summer '19 and have already decided that we are doing the Poly again. So that would be my recommendation.

I’ve stayed at many of the resorts. A couple of things to perhaps think about- Magic Kingdom is in walking distance from Contemporary, not Poly. The monorail is amazing with kids so with either, you can’t go wrong. Also, the first week of December is unpredictable with the weather temperature. I was there this past first week of December and we were able to swim once. Temperatures can be warm but also pretty cold (for Florida). I would not perhaps base my resort stay in December on the swim area as you may not get to use it much.

I was going to say the same thing, having litte ones its way easier to be on the monorail loop. You dont have to get sleeping kids on and off the buses, trams, etc. The poly is worth every penny, plus the pools and themes are fantastic.

This is ONLY true if you spend an inordinate amount of time at the Magic Kingdom. Yes, the monorail resorts are the most convenient to the Magic Kingdom but they're also the least convenient to literally everywhere else. You deal with the most traffic, they're the furthest from everything, they often share buses, and the transfer at the TTC makes getting to Epcot via monorail take longer than a bus from any other resort.

Polynesian to Magic Kingdom: 13 minutes
Polynesian to Epcot: 45 minutes
Polynesian to Hollywood Studios: 20 minutes
Polynesian to Animal Kingdom: 26 minutes
Polynesian to Disney Springs: 27 minutes

Contemporary to Magic Kingdom: 10 minutes
Contemporary to Epcot: 34 minutes
Contemporary to Hollywood Studios: 19 minutes
Contemporary to Animal Kingdom: 25 minutes
Contemporary to Disney Springs: 47 minutes

Animal Kingdom Lodge to Magic Kingdom: 21 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Epcot: 20 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Hollywood Studios: 19 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Animal Kingdom: 18 minutes
Animal Kingdom Lodge to Disney Springs: 26 minutes

Unless you spend more than half of your time at the Magic Kingdom (which, to me, sounds insane), you're not actually gaining anything by being on the monorail loop. Stay at the Poly if you like the Poly. Don't stay at the Poly because you think it's some grand oasis of convenience.

 

[Dutch Inn '76]

I agree that the the bus rides from the MK resorts are longer. ...but there's nothing like those three hotels, in my opinion.

Also agree that you shouldn't plan on swimming in December. The weather is usually pleasant, but not warm enough to enjoy swimming.

I'm biased, because the Contemporary is my favorite resort on property. I just love having the monorail outside my door. Also, being walking distance to the MK is awesome. The Polynesian is not walking distance to the MK.

 

[Tk0021]

On our first trip we splurged for the contemporary. My daughters were 5 and 3 and we were planning on 3 days at MK so being able to walk was a huge plus. We also justified the cost because we thought there was a chance we would never go back. Of course we were planning our next trip before we left and we are now planning our third trip which so happens to be the same week you are going.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

The Contemporary has become our family hotel of choice for our trips, and will likely be that way until our kids are of an age where they can stay out all day/night and not get tired. The ability to walk to the park to me trumps just about any other feature (assuming the price is in your budget of course.) We have visited the Poly a number of times, and the decore and pool are great. But to me, without being able to walk there, its close..but not close enough. You are still going to have to wait for monorails, deal with just missing one going by and waiting for the next one, deal with crowds and getting the 1 or two strollers on/off the monorail. Being within walking distance is a godsend. Especially for little ones that still need/want naps, 15min after MK meltdown..you are in your room. Also, when we went the first time, our little ones were young, and the youngest 2.5, didn't love loud noices. Being able to sit on our balcony and watch the fireworks is an experience we won't ever forget.

 

[Missing_Aria]

French Quarter is definitely better for kids than Riverside out of the two Port Orleans resorts due to it's pool theme. Unless you're staying in a Royal Room at Riverside. Staying at either gets you within fairly easy access of the other resorts amenities though so that's nice. The main issue with Port Orleans is that they share buses which can be a bit much for a little one's patience. You'd have to judge your kids' ability there though. The boats are definitely really cool and there's plenty to keep the kiddos entertained with on the ride.

 

[Missing_Aria]

Oh and definitely check out the Disney Tourist Blog. They break down and compare nearly every resort complete with pictures.

 

[jaklgreen]

French Quarter is definitely better for kids than Riverside out of the two Port Orleans resorts due to it's pool theme. Unless you're staying in a Royal Room at Riverside. Staying at either gets you within fairly easy access of the other resorts amenities though so that's nice. The main issue with Port Orleans is that they share buses which can be a bit much for a little one's patience. You'd have to judge your kids' ability there though. The boats are definitely really cool and there's plenty to keep the kiddos entertained with on the ride.

They usually only share busses during the middle of the day during slower times. We have stayed at POFQ many times and rarely had any issues with the bus. No different then any other resort. POFQ is our favorite moderate resort.

 

[Missing_Aria]

They usually only share busses during the middle of the day during slower times. We have stayed at POFQ many times and rarely had any issues with the bus. No different then any other resort. POFQ is our favorite moderate resort.

Depends on when you go I suppose. I went during late September and only very rarely did buses show up to POR without at least a few POFQ vacationers. It wasn't an issue for us but we were one of the last stops before the buses headed out to the parks so we weren't riding around. On the way back though we had to wait through every other stop, the first of which was always POFQ every time, even at what is considered one of the most peak times (after the fireworks). As I said it wasn't an issue for us, but kids have different patience levels.

 

[jaklgreen]

Depends on when you go I suppose. I went during late September and only very rarely did buses show up to POR without at least a few POFQ vacationers. It wasn't an issue for us but we were one of the last stops before the buses headed out to the parks so we weren't riding around. On the way back though we had to wait through every other stop, the first of which was always POFQ every time, even at what is considered one of the most peak times (after the fireworks). As I said it wasn't an issue for us, but kids have different patience levels.

They shared during peak times? I have not seen that. I go every fall at the end of Sept, beginning of Oct. Yes they do share during the slower times of day as I said, but peak morning and evening they do have separate buses. They pick up at POFQ first for everything except for Disney Springs, then it is POR first. The way I see it, all of the other moderate resorts all have at least 4 bus stops at their resort anyway. So sharing a bus during slower times is not really a big deal. You would have done the rounds at the other resorts if you would have stayed there(CBR, CSR).

 

[Missing_Aria]

They shared during peak times? I have not seen that. I go every fall at the end of Sept, beginning of Oct. Yes they do share during the slower times of day as I said, but peak morning and evening they do have separate buses. They pick up at POFQ first for everything except for Disney Springs, then it is POR first. The way I see it, all of the other moderate resorts all have at least 4 bus stops at their resort anyway. So sharing a bus during slower times is not really a big deal. You would have done the rounds at the other resorts if you would have stayed there(CBR, CSR).

Yeah it wasn't a big deal even sharing but we definitely did go by FQ when we left after Wishes when the lines to leave were insane. We'd go to the shared pick up and every bus just said "Port Orleans" without specifying which resort. But we didn't really mind sitting on the bus a while, gave us a chance to chill out before walking to our room.