Hotels which are easy to come and go

[mrpbjnance]

Ok first let me say I have only been to WDW 1 time and that was in '93.
I now have a family and small kids. When I stayed there before I was at the contemporary.. I liked it because it was easy to come and go. But It looks like there has been an explosion of hotels since I was there. What I am looking for is a hotel that would easy to be able to come and go from. For example I could take the little ones back for a nap and my wife and oldest could stay and get back to the hotel later.
I now know which hotels are on the monorail but what other hotels have easy access to a point where we can catch transportation without driving.
I know some or all may have shuttles but I am looking for the easier ones.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[mgraef]

Grand Floridian!!

Peace,

 

[RiversideBunny]

All the Disney hotels have bus service to and from the parks.

 

[jvenegas]

Hi!! It all depends on your budget. The easiest ones to come and go are obviously the ones on the monorail loop: GF, Poly and Contemporary but all of these are on the deluxe hotel category.

Aside from those, all of the other Disney hotels provide very reliable transportation to and from the theme parks either by bus or boats so again, you should take into consideration your budget for the trip and the distance to the parks. The greatest concentration of hotels is closer to Epcot, MGM and AK with MK in the monorail loop.

Whatever you decide to do, just have fun and enjoy your vacation.:wave:

 

[mgraef]

Truth be told, POFQ is very convenient especially to MK and EPCOT. It is the smallest of the resorts (aside from the delux) and is the first pickup on the bus route so you can get a seat with the little ones and the first drop off on the way back so when you are all really tired you will get off at the first stop.

If this helps we stayed there Sept 2005 and Nov 2006 with a 6 mo baby and a 3 yo the first time, second time 1 1/2 yo and 4 yo (same kids). We never had any issue with the buses, ran quickly and often. I think in Sept we might have had a wait of about 30 minutes because the dispatch had a snafu (but I had ridden Mission Space earlier so it could have been 5 minutes that felt like 30):hurl:.
Peace

 

[tikiman]

Ok first let me say I have only been to WDW 1 time and that was in '93.
I now have a family and small kids. When I stayed there before I was at the contemporary.. I liked it because it was easy to come and go. But It looks like there has been an explosion of hotels since I was there. What I am looking for is a hotel that would easy to be able to come and go from. For example I could take the little ones back for a nap and my wife and oldest could stay and get back to the hotel later.
I now know which hotels are on the monorail but what other hotels have easy access to a point where we can catch transportation without driving.
I know some or all may have shuttles but I am looking for the easier ones.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

For time and ease the Polynesian is a great choice.

The Polynesian is unique being right next to the Transportaion and Ticket Center (walking distance) which no other monorail resorts are. Why is this such a big bonus? Well from the Polynesian you can monorail over to the MK or boat like the GF. The Contemporary has an edge because you can walk to the MK. With the Polynesian being next to the TTC you can walk over (5 minutes or less) and get on the ferry to the MK and where this is important is if you are on a wheel chair or a large stroller that cannot go on the boat or you don’t want to cram on a monorail. Also you can walk to the TTC to get right on the monorail to Epcot If you are at the GF you have to wait for the resort monorail, stop at the MK, stop at the Contemporary and stop at the TTC than get off and get onto the monorail to Epcot. This can take a HUGE amount of time compared to the 5 minute walk from the Polynesian. The Contemporary you also have to get on the resort monorail over to the TTC than get off to get on the Epcot monorail.

The monorail ride is 8 minutes so you can be from the TTC to the entrance of Epcot in less time that it takes to walk from the Yacht Club. This is why I find that even if your favorite park is Epcot that staying at the Polynesian is very friendly to getting into Epcot if not more because you are not walking in the sun or rain but riding the monorail. Also with the resorts over near Epcot they share busses with the Boardwalk, Swan, Dolphin, Yacht Club and Beach Club so bussing can take a long time. Than the argument might be that they are near MGM also. Well you try taking the boat from the Boardwalk that goes very slow. First you wait for a while for it to come, than you stop over at the YC and wait for people to get on and off. Than you stop at the Swan and Dolphin and wait. It takes a very long time and taking the bus from the Polynesian to AK or MGM takes less than 30 minutes. One of the main reasons we love the Polynesian is because we like to be able to get back to the resort quickly and easily. We don’t carry huge amounts of stuff around the parks and if we need something we are not that far (time wise) from our room.

I hope this helps.

Aloha

Steve

 

[smk]

I like FW and the Poly the best! Easy to take a boat to the MK from either one and from the Poly the monorail is right there, can't beat that! Great views of MK fireworks from the beaches of both places also!

 

[DisneyJoe]

You ask which hotel is "easiest to come and go", part of that equation is the location to the parks that you are most interested in. There are 4 parks, and they are spread around property.

If you think you will be spending the most time at MK, and can afford it, I would go with a monorail resort. If Epcot or MGM, there are a few hotels within easy walking distance or boat ride from both parks. The Animal Kingdom park has the Animal Kingdom Lodge 5 minutes away.

All parks and resorts are connected by either bus, monorail or boat, I have never found it difficult to get around WDW. Just set your expectations properly, and allow enough time. WDW is big, and depending on when in April you are going, it may or may not be crowded.

-Joe

 

[Cinderella1976]

I would have to say any of the resorts on the monorail (my fave is the Grand Floridian). They are a great choice if you plan to spend alot of time at the MK. Plus you can get off the monorail at the ticket and transportation center and take the monorail to Epcot and from there you can take a boat over to MGM. Also the resorts in the Epcot/MGM area are good choices too if you plan to spend more time in those parks. I don't think you can go wrong. Disney makes it easy to get around just be sure to allow enough travel time no matter where you choose to stay if you have dining reservations. Have fun!!

 

[coltow]

It really all depends on 2 things...budget and which park you think you'll spend the most time at. Figure out which is moe important for most people it's budget. If budget is no question then pick a resort that is closest to the park you think you'll be at the most.

 

[mrpbjnance]

Thanks TikiMan your post was excellent!
And thanks to all others who replied. We live in So Cal and have season passes to Disneyland/CA Adventure so we would probably spend the least amount of time at the Kingdom. Although I remember there were some interesting differences than Disneyland.

 

[tikiman]

Thanks TikiMan your post was excellent!
And thanks to all others who replied. We live in So Cal and have season passes to Disneyland/CA Adventure so we would probably spend the least amount of time at the Kingdom. Although I remember there were some interesting differences than Disneyland.

I live in California also and I would say there are a few things in MK that you will want to see and do including some of the things that Disneyland has. Splash Mtn. is better and longer in WDW and so is the Jungle cruise. You will not want to miss Mickey’s Philharmagic and the Tiki room is different that DL. I am sure you will find that there are many things you will enjoy at the MK. We spend most of our time in Epcot.

Enjoy your trip.

Aloha

Steve

 

[Zummi Gummi]

If ease of coming and going is important, the only resort I would not recommend is Pop Century. I say this not because I don't like the resort (I do, in fact I almost always stay there), but because it's pretty distant from everything. Plan on at least a 20 minute bus ride to and from each park, and it only gets longer.

 

[The Mak]

If ease of coming and going is important, the only resort I would not recommend is Pop Century. I say this not because I don't like the resort (I do, in fact I almost always stay there), but because it's pretty distant from everything. Plan on at least a 20 minute bus ride to and from each park, and it only gets longer.

Actually, Pop is very close to MGM. Once the bus leaves Pop's grounds it's 5 minutes on the road until you reach MGM's lot. About 8 minutes to epcot, too. AK will take 12+ and MK will take 16+.

 

[crazydaveh]

I would try either the Boardwalk or Beach and Yacht club. You can walk to the back entrance of EPCOT or take a quick bus trip to MGM.

Buses can carry you to either of the other parks or you can walk though EPCOT and catch the monorail (it is a bit of a walk).

Just my two cents. The pool at Yacht and Beach Club is the best I've ever experienced at a resort. If you have young ones, they'll love it! Sand bottom pool with a lazy river and places to build sand castles. The water slide is top notch as well.

Have fun.

 

[disney1077]

I agree with everyone, it really depends on which park you will spend the most time in or how much you are willing to spend. But I prefer the Beach Club, Yacht Club or Boardwalk because they are both walking distance to Epcot and MGM. And if you dont feel like walking they have the boats you can take.