Moderate or Deluxe Resort with 4 y/o

[mrsm010910]

Hello! We are looking to take our daughter for the first time in October 2017 - Which Moderate or Deluxe Resort would you recommend for a 4 1/2 year old that is decently themed and nice for 2 adults.
Thanks in advance - I have only stayed at All Star as young teen so any help or comments is much appreciated!

 

[Matt_Black]

Well, my brother and sister-in-law are planning a trip in April for their boys (4 & 2, respectively) and are looking at staying at AKL.

 

[Tuvalu]

Royal room at Port Orleans Riverside for a moderate
Animal Kingdom Lodge for a deluxe

 

[wannabeBelle]

Totally agree with Tuvalu for the Mods, For Deluxes would you care about transportation to and from the parks? If not I would go with Beach Club. It is bus transport for the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, Boat for the Studios or EPCOT. If you want to be closer to the Magic Kingdom, one of the Monorail resorts is best for transportation options, so Polynesian, Contemporary, or Grand Floridian are right there. I also like the Wilderness Lodge which is a boat ride away from the MK but bus to all of the others. Marie

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

Royal Guest Room at POR or something with a savanna view at AKL. FWIW...don't count out a Little Mermaid Room at AoA. We took our 2 year old daughter there back in March and she absolutely loved it and the Nemo pool.

 

[TXDisney]

I always say do deluxe if it's within budget. You can't beat the convenience. We're fans of the BC/YC and the bay lake resorts.

 

[deeevo]

Royal room at Riverside for a moderate. But don't not over pay for this room. Only if you get a deal. These can sometimes run the same as AKL.
Beach Club for a deluxe or Poly. Beach club for the pool and Poly.... well... it's Poly. You ask my 4 1/2 year old twins girls their favorite resort of all time resort and it's Poly.

 

[slappy magoo]

Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge. Both are the least expensive Deluxe resorts, midway between the prices of mods and the more expensive deluxe resorts. Wilderness gives you boat access to Magic Kingdom (which, I'd figure with a 4 year old) you might spend a plurality of your time). Also gives you boat access to Contemporary, and boat/walkway access to Fort Wilderness with all the amenities they have.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is more remote, but it's an amazing resort, it's the closest resort to the Animal Kingdom (which I'd assume with a 4 year old might be the SECOND-most visited park), and what kid wouldn't love looking out the window and seeing giraffes and zebras?
Maybe your kid. I don't know. I'm not all up in your business. But if not, those are the two I'd consider.

Both of them have food courts, casual restaurants (2 at Animal Kingdom Lodge) and a Signature restaurant, with nice lounges for grownups, even if you have to do it in shifts. Great pools (I think AKLs are better), workout rooms if necessary, excellent themes, great views.

 

[Hockey89]

If you can afford Deluxe, I would stay at one. All depends what you are looking for after that. I love BC/YC bc of the location and being able to walk to two parks and a monorail to another.... AK is my favorite but not as convenient IMO. Can't go wrong with monorail hotels either.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Guessing that 4 1/2 year-old will want to spend most time at the Magic Kingdom, the Monorail Resorts are a good option. Which one is best depends on what theming appeals the most to you.

But they are VERY expensive.

If your child likes animals, then the Animal Kingdom Lodge can't be beat. However, it's the farthest from the Magic Kingdom.

The Wilderness Lodge has similar theming, is closer to the Magic Kingdom, but has no animals.

The Beach Club has the best swimming pool and is close to Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios, but its bus service to the Magic Kingdom is just ok.

For Moderate Resorts, I agree with others and would go with Port Orleans Riverside. It's well themed, has a nice swimming pool, and is reasonably close to 3 of the 4 theme parks.

Highest-to-lowest by price, for the least expensive category of room:
- Monorail Resort
- Beach Club
- Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Wilderness Lodge
- Port Orleans Riverside

 

[jlsHouston]

My pick for a themed mod is a royal room at POR, even though I have yet to stay at that resort. Personally I like CSR as do the adults in my travel party who want a gym onsite at the resort. Not sure if I would define CSR as themed where a 4 year old would be mesmerized. My sister in law did a mermaid room at AoA last October with her 8 year old who loved it but she did say it was a bit of a walk from the room to the bus and food court.
I think if you are going to do Deluxe that a 4 year old would enjoy the theme then go with POLY on the monorail line or AKL.

 

[s&k'smom]

If you are going to focus on MK and can do it go with Contemporary. The walk to the MK is awesome, no crowds to fight and my kids loved the pool area. GF is a great choice too as it has almost a princess feel to it and again great pool area.

 

[durangojim]

Ironically, when my kids were younger we stayed at the deluxes primarily for the convenience of transportation. As they're older it's not that big of a deal, but it stinks lugging a large stroller and some bags with you on a crowded bus compared to walking back to your resort or wheeling a stroller on to a monorail.

 

[jlsHouston]

Ironically, when my kids were younger we stayed at the deluxes primarily for the convenience of transportation. As they're older it's not that big of a deal, but it stinks lugging a large stroller and some bags with you on a crowded bus compared to walking back to your resort or wheeling a stroller on to a monorail.

I totally agree. I've never been a fan of the buses anyways but last summer we brought the new addition who was 8 months and we stayed at SSR. I hated breaking that stroller down every stinking time on and off. Mostly I drove everywhere because then I didn't feel rushed getting him in and out holding others up. I loved the monorail rides because he could stay in his stroller.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

I'd say you can't go wrong with any deluxe-it all depends on your budget and your/your child's likes and needs.

If you guys love MK and plan to spend more of your time there and want quick access, check out GF, Poly, or Contemporary.
If you plan to spend a lot of time at Epcot or DHS, check out Boardwalk, Beach Club, or Yacht Club.

If you want to save a bit of money an don't mind bus rides, check out a moderate. We love Coronado.
I'd check out the Swan and Dolphin if I were you. Great value, beautiful location, nice rooms and more.

Good luck!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

If you can do deluxe, do it. We stayed at AKL with our 15 mo old in 2015 and loved it. Everything was pretty close together and you didn't have to leave to the outside for shopping and the restaurants/bar/front desk. I believe you did have to go out to get to the Mara (quick service) but there was a covered pathway. I didn't know how much that meant until we stayed at CBR this April and had to take a stroller any time we left our room because everything was so far away!

AKL is the farthest from MK, but it never bothered us. We just hopped on the bus happily.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

We've been going to disney since 1972 and now for most of my trips it's me and my granddaughter. We've been going once or more a year since her 3rd birthday, she's now 12. We've stayed at 7 deluxe or dvc resorts, all the moderates except the cabins, and all the values including AoA in a suite and a mermaid room, oh and I don't camp so never at the campgrounds either. What I've experienced is she's happy no matter where we stay because we're at disney. I say this because at 4 1/2 you can pick which ever works best in terms of your budget and look at where you plan to spend the majority of your time and she'll be happy. When we go during food and wine in the fall we choose a resort closer to that area. If we know it's going to be a MK heavy trip we'll stay at the monorail loop resorts or at POR/POFQ. If you really want their input narrow down your choices and show your child pics of the resort online and pick the place to stay based on their reaction.

 

[Bairstow]

At 4, your kid is probably going to be way more impressed with the folded towel animals they leave on the bed than any of the amenities at the deluxe resorts.

I'd recommend French Quarter, which with its relatively quick bus service, compact size, and central location, is going to be the fastest and easiest resort to get a small, cranky, tired kid back to the room for a midday nap from any of the 4 theme parks.

Besides that, it's a great resort with a lot of charm, especially in the evenings. Ride the boat to the springs at least once if you stay there.

 

[mrsm010910]

Thank you to everyone for all your input!

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Good luck making a decision.