which resort?

[zmaus]

I am a long time viewer and first time poster.

I just convinced my husband to take a trip to Disney.

The problem is there will be 2 adults and 4 kids. Most resorts from what I see are for only 4-5 people.

We are thinking of a 2 bedroom villa or a cabin at Fort Wilderness.

Does anyone have any advise for a newbie of the best resort? The last time we were at WDW was before the kids and we stayed at Port Orleans (almost 10 years ago)!

 

[cloudboy]

You can always request two adjoining rooms. Just be a little careful if you are planning for a peak time as they can't always find two rooms together.

The Fort Wilderness campers are a good bet, although they lack a little of the romance of some of the other resorts (just in my opinion). But two rooms at All Star are probably cheaper than that. The only benefit to a villa or cabin (and this is can be a huge one if you have a car) is that you can save money by cooking and eating in the room if you go out and buy some groceries.

 

[Nansafan]

Adjoining rooms and connecting rooms are two different things. Adjoining means near each other and connecting means they have a door which can be opened to connect the rooms. We found out the hard way about this. While staying at POFQ in December of 2002, we requested adjoining rooms (which we had done every previous trip that we needed 2 rooms) and there was no connecting door between the rooms. We asked at the Front Desk and were told the above that we had adjoining rooms (they were next to each other). We said that we thought that adjoining meant having a connecting door and we were told that we should have asked for connecting rooms. We decided it wasn't that big a deal for just a short trip. Had we been staying 6-7 nights, we would have requested another room assignment if possible.

 

[zmaus]

I didn't realize connecting rooms were possible.It would be to stay at a less expensive resort (so we could afford to be there more days).

Do all resorts have connecting rooms.

Adjoining rooms would be okay, also. I just would not want to be on the other side of the resort.

Of course this could totally change all of our plans! Looks like all spend part of the day looking at the other resort options

 

[tigsmom]

Not sure what type of Resort you are looking at (deluxe, moderate or value), but you can get connecting rooms at the Wilderness Lodge. It has a great atmosphere and is very kid friendly. There is a trail (or boat ride) that connects to Fort Wilderness, which is a great place for kids to hang out. The bus transportation is fine & you can take a boat to the MK or a launch to the contemporary & hit the monorail.
I Love planning trips, almost as much fun as taking them. :lol:

 

[ZHoyt]

I second the recommendation of the wilderness lodge. I think it's possibly the best resort on property for family. Others are fun, but I know if I was a kid the Wilderness would be my favorite by far. There you can get adjoining rooms or a 2 bedroom villa. I'm not sure which is cheaper. If the adjoining rooms aren't much cheaper, I would recommend the villas, they are very nice. Nothing beats relaxing in the huge jet tub after a long day at the parks, and they are so spacious, lots of room to play. And if you get one at the Wilderness Lodge, you stay right above their wonderful lounge/gaming areas which are perfect for relaxing and playing games in on a rainy day. not to mention all of the great activities around the lodge.

but of course, if you want the best price, you can always get connecting rooms at one of the value resorts. to me though, it's always worth it to stay somewhere I really love. If your hotel is such an attraction, it's like the magic never stops for a second.

 

[suevee]

If you stay at Fort Wilderness campground be prepared for long hikes to get around to everything. My friend just got back and she hired a golf cart to travel in. It cost her about $300 for about 10 days.

If you really want the onsite experience and money is an issue, you may want to look at adjoining rooms at one of the Value Resorts or at a moderate resort like French Quarter Port Orleans. Depending on the time you go, you may be able to find room discounts by using AAA, or buying an AP.

Getting a villa offsite may be more cost effective especially if you are going to visit other Orlando attractions, but you want to be very careful to make sure you get a nice place. You may want to look into the Holiday Inn Family Suites or the Doubletree resort. I have heard good things about both and I think they are close to WDW. (I have never stayed at either.)

The way to do a trip to WDW, IMHO, is to prepare, prepare, prepare, then sit back and relax.