winterparkbaby
New Member
pop, movie, riverside?? any advice welcomed.
Thank you in advance.
Thank you in advance.
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What is the best hotel value/mod level to stay with a active 2 year old
- Thread starter winterparkbaby
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jojoyner55
New Member
I'd suggest that the color and atmosphere of Pop Century would appeal to a toddler. Good kiddie pools too! Okay, my son is 17, so I can't really attest to that one... :lol:
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KUNZEWORLD
New Member
I would suggest Port Orleans French Quarter. I have been there twice. Its not too big so walking won't be a problem. Also its the first stop before other resorts coming back from the parks so you won't be on the bus too long at the end of the day. I hear that riverside is nice but i hear its huge with lots of walking and several stops for the bus.
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Ringo8n24 said:
I know what to request, but a REQUEST is just a request. You could find yourself in 34, 35, 36, the farthest buildings away from the food court.
Even if you are in building 1 or 7 at FQ, you will still be closer to the food court than you will be in building 34-36.
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pax_65
Well-Known Member
I think the answer to this question depends on your child and what they are into. My kids are 7 and 3 now, both of them were in Disneyworld at age 2. We're DVC members so we spent most of our time at Old Key West, but we did spend some time at resorts. Almost all the resorts are kid-friendly, but each offers different things that will appeal to different kids.
Like others have said, Port Orleans is a really nice resort and very kid-friendly. We stayed in the "Alligator Bayou" section of Riverside because they have pull-out trundle beds (on floor under bed) which work well for young kids. The food court is great and the pools are nice (although the main pool is pretty busy). We have been pretty far away from the food court, not necessarily a bad thing for an active kid who likes to walk (or ride in a stroller). The only problem we ran into was skinned knees - some of the paths have slight hills, and my daughter liked to run full steam... and then she'd lose it and fall. She left Riverside with band-aids on both knees!
Riverside has a great playground too, although you'll have to watch a 2-year-old carefully as parts of it are fairly challenging. We've spent the ends of some days at that playground, letting our kids blow off some steam.
French Quarter is also nice... young kids like the cool themes and bright colors. The slide is awesome if your kid is adventurous in the water. It's a small, gentle slide. 2 is pretty young, though... my son is 3 now and I think he is just now ready for that slide.
Caribbean Beach is also an option... while it's not my favorite resort by any stretch, the cool pirate theming appeals to some kids. It's also a bright, cheerful resort and very kid-friendly. (Too kid friendly for my tastes - there are usually a lot of kids there, and it can get a little loud.) You can get stuck in Siberia in that resort too, so be sure to make a request to be near the front.
Any of the Value Resorts would work, but I'd recommend All-Star Movies if you can get in. They have a Toy Story section that is just awesome - a GIANT Buzz Lightyear, etc. My kids were just totally BLOWN AWAY by it. On our next trip (October) we plan to go visit that section just for something fun for the kids to do! I've never been to Pop Century, but I'd imagine the theming would go over the heads of younger kids - maybe others can offer their thoughts on this...
I'd steer away from Coronado - in my opinion, it's not quite as kid friendly because of the business theme, and the food court is much more expensive.
Last thought... if you want to cough up a few extra $$$, consider the Wilderness Lodge. Depending on discounts, you might be able to get a woods view for roughly the cost of a moderate. It's VERY kid friendly, with bedtime story telling at night, arcade, walking paths, GREAT restaurant where they let the kids run amok with play "horses" during dinner, good playground and a beach. But here's the best part... you can catch a BOAT to Magic Kingdom! With a 2-year-old, you'll be spending a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom. This way, you can take the boat and avoid dealing with all the buses. The boat ride is really enjoyable for kids and adults alike. You can also ride the boat to the Contemporary (which has a great arcade, Chef Mickey's (good character breakfast!) and access to the monorail) or to Fort Wilderness (which has an AWESOME petting zoo your 2-year-old would love, as well as a good buffet dinner that is very kid-friendly. FW also has Hoop-de-doo review, but that was a little loud for my 2-year-old: "Hoop-de-doo, Hoop-de-doo, my little kid hated Hoop-de-doo!")
Feel free to e-mail me with any questions - pax_65@yahoo.com. We've definitely done the Disney experience with 2-year-olds!
Good luck!
Jon
Like others have said, Port Orleans is a really nice resort and very kid-friendly. We stayed in the "Alligator Bayou" section of Riverside because they have pull-out trundle beds (on floor under bed) which work well for young kids. The food court is great and the pools are nice (although the main pool is pretty busy). We have been pretty far away from the food court, not necessarily a bad thing for an active kid who likes to walk (or ride in a stroller). The only problem we ran into was skinned knees - some of the paths have slight hills, and my daughter liked to run full steam... and then she'd lose it and fall. She left Riverside with band-aids on both knees!
Riverside has a great playground too, although you'll have to watch a 2-year-old carefully as parts of it are fairly challenging. We've spent the ends of some days at that playground, letting our kids blow off some steam.
French Quarter is also nice... young kids like the cool themes and bright colors. The slide is awesome if your kid is adventurous in the water. It's a small, gentle slide. 2 is pretty young, though... my son is 3 now and I think he is just now ready for that slide.
Caribbean Beach is also an option... while it's not my favorite resort by any stretch, the cool pirate theming appeals to some kids. It's also a bright, cheerful resort and very kid-friendly. (Too kid friendly for my tastes - there are usually a lot of kids there, and it can get a little loud.) You can get stuck in Siberia in that resort too, so be sure to make a request to be near the front.
Any of the Value Resorts would work, but I'd recommend All-Star Movies if you can get in. They have a Toy Story section that is just awesome - a GIANT Buzz Lightyear, etc. My kids were just totally BLOWN AWAY by it. On our next trip (October) we plan to go visit that section just for something fun for the kids to do! I've never been to Pop Century, but I'd imagine the theming would go over the heads of younger kids - maybe others can offer their thoughts on this...
I'd steer away from Coronado - in my opinion, it's not quite as kid friendly because of the business theme, and the food court is much more expensive.
Last thought... if you want to cough up a few extra $$$, consider the Wilderness Lodge. Depending on discounts, you might be able to get a woods view for roughly the cost of a moderate. It's VERY kid friendly, with bedtime story telling at night, arcade, walking paths, GREAT restaurant where they let the kids run amok with play "horses" during dinner, good playground and a beach. But here's the best part... you can catch a BOAT to Magic Kingdom! With a 2-year-old, you'll be spending a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom. This way, you can take the boat and avoid dealing with all the buses. The boat ride is really enjoyable for kids and adults alike. You can also ride the boat to the Contemporary (which has a great arcade, Chef Mickey's (good character breakfast!) and access to the monorail) or to Fort Wilderness (which has an AWESOME petting zoo your 2-year-old would love, as well as a good buffet dinner that is very kid-friendly. FW also has Hoop-de-doo review, but that was a little loud for my 2-year-old: "Hoop-de-doo, Hoop-de-doo, my little kid hated Hoop-de-doo!")
Feel free to e-mail me with any questions - pax_65@yahoo.com. We've definitely done the Disney experience with 2-year-olds!
Good luck!
Jon
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thank you so much for all the advice. she made her first trip in april but we stayed offsite at grande lakes (ritz, jw) which if anyone ever needs to stay offiste is a beautiful property. this time we thought we would stay on site. i grew up in orlando, hence my name winterpark baby. when we would stay at the world even though we lived a half hour away i would think it was so neat so i thought this time we would give it a try.
i am looking at wilderness lodge for our trip in october. i have been to that property before and was very pleased. she is full swing into disney and stimulation. so that was why i was thinking all star movie or pop. thought she would get a bigger kick out of the loudness of it all.
in december i was thinking of doing a home away from home at saratoga, key west or again wilderness lodge. anyone ever stayed at any of those villas??
thanks again for all the advice. taking notes of everything.
i am looking at wilderness lodge for our trip in october. i have been to that property before and was very pleased. she is full swing into disney and stimulation. so that was why i was thinking all star movie or pop. thought she would get a bigger kick out of the loudness of it all.
in december i was thinking of doing a home away from home at saratoga, key west or again wilderness lodge. anyone ever stayed at any of those villas??
thanks again for all the advice. taking notes of everything.
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pax_65
Well-Known Member
Old Key West is our home resort and our all-time favorite, because it's nice and quiet -- really a "home" feel to it and a nice place to relax after a day (or partial day) in the parks. But they are doing work on the pool right now (putting in a slide!) so now might not be the best time to visit. I'm not sure when it's supposed to be done - I know the pool will be closed when we go in October.
As I said, Wilderness is a great resort in general for kids, and the Vacation Club side has a really nice quiet pool. I've heard Saratoga Springs is awesome but I've never been there... I plan to check it out when we go in October.
If you can swing the $$$ or if you're a DVC member, the "Home Away From Home" resorts are really the way to do it with young kids, because 1) you can put them on the pull-out couch and the parents can have a private bedroom for themselves 2) you have the full kitchen which is great for breakfasts and lunches (you'll save a lot of money and the kids will probably be happier anyway), re-heating left-overs that the kids didn't eat (if I pay $10 for a kid's dinner and he doesn't eat it, I'd like to take it home!) and the "home" feel of a living room where the family can hang out, relax, watch TV, etc. (I'm talking about the 1,2,and 3 BR units, not the studios).
You definitely can't go wrong with one of these resorts, they are all really nice - Old Key West, Boardwalk, Wilderness, Beach Club, and Saratoga. The only problem is, you'll get spoiled and won't want to do a hotel room again...
Jon
As I said, Wilderness is a great resort in general for kids, and the Vacation Club side has a really nice quiet pool. I've heard Saratoga Springs is awesome but I've never been there... I plan to check it out when we go in October.
If you can swing the $$$ or if you're a DVC member, the "Home Away From Home" resorts are really the way to do it with young kids, because 1) you can put them on the pull-out couch and the parents can have a private bedroom for themselves 2) you have the full kitchen which is great for breakfasts and lunches (you'll save a lot of money and the kids will probably be happier anyway), re-heating left-overs that the kids didn't eat (if I pay $10 for a kid's dinner and he doesn't eat it, I'd like to take it home!) and the "home" feel of a living room where the family can hang out, relax, watch TV, etc. (I'm talking about the 1,2,and 3 BR units, not the studios).
You definitely can't go wrong with one of these resorts, they are all really nice - Old Key West, Boardwalk, Wilderness, Beach Club, and Saratoga. The only problem is, you'll get spoiled and won't want to do a hotel room again...
Jon
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