Which Resort is best for kids 6 & 2

21stamps

Well-Known Member
So we're going to suggest one of the most expensive rooms in the most expensive of resorts to start? I guess my bar was just set a little more... Reasonably. And honestly, I don't think kids are going to enjoy GF nearly as much as say, a half dozen other resorts.

- AoA (theming and huge pool)
- Pops (theming in general)
- POR and POFQ (specialty rooms)
- AKL (hello, animals everywhere)

Out of curiosity, why do you think kids would enjoy GF less than the others? The kids I know have all loved it.
I have a 10 and 13 year old and we usually stay at All Star Movies. It’s not luxurious like the Grand Floridian or Polynesian, but the food court options at All Star Movies allows us to each eat something different, because my kids can eat chicken nuggets every day, lol. Any Disney hotel will be magical and with the Magical Express service and Disney transportation to the parks, you will have a great time!

This is spot on. The kids will love it no matter where you stay! It’s their first time, they don’t have a comparison, can’t go wrong with any choice :)

They can get a bunk bed room. I think the 9 year old would love sleeping in a bunk bed.

That’s what we had.. I don’t know why it felt dark and small. I would have probably felt differently if we needed the bunk bed.

OP- bonus with WL- Hidden Mickey Hunt. It’s a fantastic resort.
 

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
Out of curiosity, why do you think kids would enjoy GF less than the others? The kids I know have all loved it.

The Grand Floridian will be wasted on a 6 and 2 year old.

Of all the choices available, AoA is probably the best. Wonderful theming for kids, suites with plenty of room. Just a fun resort all around.
 

21stamps

Well-Known Member
I think kids would enjoy staying anywhere; but the somewhat stuffy (if not incredibly nice) GF wouldn't be my first choice. It's just not geared towards kids as most of the other (moderate and value) resorts are.
The Grand Floridian will be wasted on a 6 and 2 year old.

Of all the choices available, AoA is probably the best. Wonderful theming for kids, suites with plenty of room. Just a fun resort all around.
My 6 year old at the time absolutely loved it, especially during the holidays when the OP is going. Friends of mine with children in the 2-10 range love it as well. I know a lot of people say it’s stuffy, but I never understood that charge.. it’s laid back imo, as are all Disney resorts that I’ve been to.

I do agree that kids will love anywhere.. but travel time to parks, dining options, and resort activities can have a big impact on enjoyment.

Good thing that Disney provides so many options. :)
 

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
6 year old Cap would have hated it. It has a very feminine vibe and certain personalities of boys wouldn't be into the lace-and-elegance aesthetic.
Doliies-0-1-1-200x200.JPG
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
That ‘lagoon view’ decision was actually solely based on price. I’ve never stayed at a monorail resort and not had a theme park view.. I knew that’s what I wanted when it was time for my child’s first trip, so that’s what I booked at Poly. I booked the same with GF for the next stay, the trip was starting to get out of hand. Kiddo chose WDW over DCL and I lost our entire deposit when I cancelled.. that, combined with only 5 out of 9 nights at a discounted room rate, and I decided to downgrade a few weeks before departure. I AGONIZED over that decision.. waking up to a view of the castle is something that we both love. Luckily, extremely luckily, we still had a perfect view of MK! I’ll forever be grateful for that. But yeah, I made that decision based on my budget.

I highly recommend either Poly or GF for that time of year.. WL is gorgeous, only downside is the room felt small with 2, Not sure how comfortable it would be with 4, but the location and ambiance may be worth it.
If those are out of the question, then I’d go for POFQ. Pretty grounds, perfect sized resort.

Right...I'm pigeonholing you and i apologize personally...

But you see my point on budget? Spending that much money on a room is not universal, that's all. That's a hard assumption to make.
 

durangojim

Well-Known Member
For convenience to MK - Poly or GF
For convenience to EPCOT/DHS - any of the EPCOT area resorts
For bang for the buck - POFQ
For Park Commandos - Pop
 

21stamps

Well-Known Member
6 year old Cap would have hated it. It has a very feminine vibe and certain personalities of boys wouldn't be into the lace-and-elegance aesthetic.
I actually like the room decor and don’t find it too ‘girly’.. but, You know what’s not-so-funny? My kid loves Christmas.. so I thought he would be over the moon, we check in, he sees Poly and says “can we please go stay there instead? I want to go on the Volcano slide.” I was crushed.. but, within an hour he was singing a different toon.. GF’s slide is great too, but mostly- the foosball, ping pong and chess made him fall in love. The Christmas tree and lobby helped too.
I think that time of year GF and WL beat out Poly in the MK resort category.. and that’s a lot coming from me.lol
 
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jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
Any WDW resort is a good one for kids, and adults. I would base my hotel decision on your budget and what area you want to stay. The kids will love any resort that you pick. Over the last 16 years that we have traveled with our kids, they have stayed at 9 different WDW resorts and enjoyed them all.
 

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
I think kids would enjoy staying anywhere; but the somewhat stuffy (if not incredibly nice) GF wouldn't be my first choice. It's just not geared towards kids as most of the other (moderate and value) resorts are.

My youngest has wanted to stay there since she was probably 6 years old and we walked through it. I would not discount any hotel. IMO they are all great for kids.
 

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
There is no one single resort that's best for all kids, especially when it comes to really little kids like a 2 year old that, in all likelihood, never really remember a thing about the hotel or the trip. Case in point, when my youngest was 2 we had a trip where we stayed at Bay Lake Tower. By the standards of a lot of forum members, Contemporary and BLT are great on location, meh on theming, even though it's a very nice hotel. She absolutely loved it, but that was in part because of the excitement of the trip in general, the fun things we did on the trip versus in the room or even in the resort (but of course anyone can visit any resort). The one big thrill? The pool (it was an August trip, not a planned December trip like the OP). For months afterward, as she went from 2 to 3 and her vocabulary got better, she would ask "Daddy? Maybe this weekend...we can go to Disney? And we can go to the hotel? And we can swim in the pool? And I can go down the slide and you can catch me?"

It. Was. Adorable.

She is now 6. She does not remember hardly any of it. And a lot of the memories she has are "implants," meaning she recalls more based on our telling of OUR stories rather than her own. She does not remember asking to go down the slide (and we're talking the baby slide, not the "big kid" slide), she remembers me remembering. She does not remember meeting certain characters, but she loves the photos and hearing our stories and her big sister's stories about the trip.

Similarly, our prior trip, my youngest was an infant, her big sister was almost 4. Big sister might have been never funnier than that trip, some of the things she'd say, in front of other people, were so cute, some guests only-half-jokingly asked if we were "Disney plants," coached to be so adorbs in order to give other people warm fuzzy memories of Disney. And SHE doesn't remember any of those moments, beyond our retlling of those moments.

None of this is to say "don't factor your kids' interests into your decisions" or "why bother going if they'll barely remember it, or not remember it at all?"

But stay where YOU want to stay. Part of what will make good memories is how good a time YOU had, too. They're going to pick up on your vibes. Factor where you plan to stay most of your time, what sort of amenities would be convenient, a must, or completely unimportant. Factor transportation if you won't have your own car, especially if you think you might need to head back to the resort in the early afternoon for nap time. Factor your comfort (my wife and I are not petite people and sleeping in the double beds in Value rooms is a miserable experience for us. If they have no prior stays to compare this one to, it's not like if you stay at AoA they'll go, "meh, not as good as the time we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. Try harder next time."

If indeed money is no object, I'd suggest a monorail resort so a: you're closest to the Magic Kingdom; b: the monorail is in itself a "ride" for kids, and many adults and you'll also be able to use the monorail to get to Epcot; c: it will afford many more options for meals that are easy to get to; d: the rooms are bigger, beds are more comfortable; e: if you're going in December, this makes it easier to "resort hop" so you can see how the resorts gussy up for thr holidays.

Grand Floridian and Poly probably have "cooler" water playground options than Contemporary/BLT, but it will be December so no guarantees the weather will be suitable for swimming. Staying at the Contemporary not only gives you monorail access to Poly & GF and MK and Epcot, it also gives you boat access to Fort Wilderness & Wilderness Lodge.
 

TiggerDad

Well-Known Member
Not sure if the OP is still here, or if we are just talking amongst ourselves. But that's fun too, so one more thought...the thing about riding the monorail to the park at that age is you don't have to fold up your stroller. On the bus, they make you fold up the stroller. Two year olds have a lot of stuff they travel with, so folding the stroller is a pain.
 

Dutch Inn '76

Well-Known Member
Deluxe? The Contemporary original tower. The monorail is soooooo coooooool. Wilderness Lodge #2. Poly & GF would mean nothing to them.
Moderate? Port Orleans Riverside. It's a beautiful resort with lots of amenities.
Value? Art of Animation is good, but it's actually priced as more of a moderate...
 

jeff2231

New Member
My vote is the Beach club, because of location mainly it sits between Epcot and HS. both within walking distance and you can always catch the fireworks at Epcot and just walk back to your resort. the pool is the best, but again in December it might not be an option. plus you also have the boardwalk area close by.
 

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