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CurlyQ
Member since 6/07 2024 total posts
Name:
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Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
We are planning a trip to Disney with our 2 year old in August. We are debating between The Beach Club, The Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodge.... what would be our best choice for her and why? Or do you suggest somewhere else. We have been debating for 2 weeks about this and I just want to book already!!
TIA!!
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Posted 5/5/10 4:58 PM  |
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Jenn627
Laaaaaaaambert!
Member since 5/08 9818 total posts
Name:
Jenn
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Crashing - DH and I just stayed at the Port Orleans resort - Riverside. They had a GREAT kiddie pool. With a twisty slide and water spouts. Kids were having a BLAST.
Just throwing that one out there too....
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| Posted 5/5/10 5:10 PM |
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leighla
Support Cancer Research
Member since 5/05 16353 total posts
Name:
Lauren
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Animal Kingdom lodge is definitely the best, but mucho bucks.
They are the newest, so the place is really nice and up to date, lots of cool stuff to do and obviously really close to one of the parks.
We didn wilderness lodge last year and it was okay, not great.
Beach club is probably 2nd best of those three - cool pools, etc.
But really, you don't spend a WHOLE lot of time in your room, so it's up to your preference, spending range and length of stay.
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| Posted 5/5/10 5:10 PM |
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laurabora
LIF Adult
Member since 4/07 2712 total posts
Name:
Laura
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
I am very spoiled by the resorts on the monorail so I'd suggest one of those. Our favorite is the Polynesian. It's just so much easier if your little one falls asleep in the stroller to wheel right on and off the monorail.
ETA: I just saw a commercial for free dining, hopefully you can book at a time that takes advantage of that!
Message edited 5/5/2010 5:11:53 PM.
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| Posted 5/5/10 5:10 PM |
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Calla
My girls
Member since 7/05 4303 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
I'd suggest renting a house with your own private pool. House + rental car will still be cheaper than on property, you can have multiple bedrooms for better sleep and privacy for "romance" plus a kitchen to cover breakfast and snacks. Going from the parks to a crowded resort pool is a lot of stimulation for someone that age. We did this a year ago with a 1 and 3 year old, it worked out great.
Check out: http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com
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| Posted 5/5/10 6:20 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
I would go with either Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness lodge. I personally love the AKL b.c it is really nice to have the animals all over - really nice if you spring for the savannah room and you can sit out on the balcony with the animals - I would hear the kids shouting giraffe or zebra. I would definitely have gone there on this trip but we wanted to be on the monorail. If you plan to spend a lot of time at the MK you might want to go to the WL - b.c it is one of the MK resorts. The only thing I wasn't so crazy about was that the transportation to the MK was by boat.
What about a monorail resort - the garden wing at the Contemporary or the poly? You can walk to the MK from the Contemporary and get to EPCOT on the monorail. With the poly you can take a boat or the monorail to the MK or the monorail to EPCOT or you can walk to the TTC and get the monorail to EPCOT instead of changing trains.
Check out mousesavers - I think they are doing the up to 40% off this summer and free dining in mid Aug/Sept etc. If it is 40% off you can get 40% off the Poly (you will pay full price for tickets and dining but 40% off the hotel is a big chunk off).
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| Posted 5/5/10 6:31 PM |
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laurenM
LIF Adult
Member since 6/05 1440 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
We love the beach club with the sand bottom pool and shallow kids area, we spend HOURS just enjoying the pool!
at the same time consider how close you would be at the wilderness lodge to the magic kingdom with all of the kiddie rides!!!
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| Posted 5/5/10 6:36 PM |
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twobabies
Praying
Member since 7/05 9662 total posts
Name:
Mrs. Honeybee
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
We LOVE the Wildreness lodge. We went there 2 years ago. Last year we did the Polynesian, and this year we decided to go back to the Wilderness lodge. Its a nice compact resort. They have a nice kiddie pool. and the larger pool has a nice slide. We stayed in the villas so the room was huge. I also thought the food court had delicious food. Theres also two popular restaurant right in the hotel. Artist Point and Whispering Canon Cafe. Whispering Canon is fun for the kids. You can also take a boat to the MK or the contemporary right across the bay, which came in handy with our Chef Mickey reservations. All in all, we love it there, and wont be surprised if we stay there again next year.
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| Posted 5/5/10 7:06 PM |
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smdl
I love Gary too..on a plate!
Member since 5/06 32461 total posts
Name:
me
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
We just came back from Disney Sunday night. DS will be 3 at the end of June.
We knew we would mostly be at Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
I was going to go to either Port Orleans or Caribbeans Beach.
I ended at the Polynesian and could not have made a better decision.
1/ it's on the monorail. No waiting for buses and no need to fold your stroller and put under the bus everytime you want to go to a park.
2/ it was very close to the parks I would be visiting.
I went for convenience. The hotel is really really nice.
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| Posted 5/5/10 7:49 PM |
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GottaHaveFaith
LIF Adult
Member since 10/09 1443 total posts
Name:
Kelly
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Ok, being a Disney Vacation Club Member with ownership at Animal Kingdom, I would be really honest and say to stay at Beach Club or Wilderness Lodge if you can. Animal Kingdom is GREAT, please don't get me wrong, but I'm sure the majority of your time with a 2 year old is going to be spent at the Magic Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is VERY far from there, and the buses are a longer wait! That was our experience. We didn't mind since we didn't have kids at the time, but seriously, it's much further away from everyone but Animal Kingdom Park. So, that being said, I would HIGHLY suggest another closer hotel. Did you try going on the DisBoards and maybe renting at Bay Lake Tower, it's a new Disney property built next to the Contemporary! It's on the monorail system. I would check out that board because people rent points and you might score a great deal in a great resort!!! FM me if you need more info. Also, Disney just came out with Free Dining which is a HUGE plus! Definitely take advantage of this!!!
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| Posted 5/5/10 11:27 PM |
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Bops
My 3 wishes
Member since 12/07 13625 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
We stayed ( through our vacation club) at teh Sheraton Vistana Resort....We LOVED it there ! They had 7 pools (I believe) one which was a zero entry, they also had a pool with a sprinkler park buit in, pool-side activities, a kids club with a rec room....Literally less than a 5 minute drive from Disney 
http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/sheraton_vistana_resort/welcome.jsp
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| Posted 5/5/10 11:35 PM |
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sydniesmom
LIF Adolescent
Member since 2/08 700 total posts
Name:
susan
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
We always stay at the Grand Floridian resort, we absolutely love it there. We think its such a beautiful place stay and love that its on the monorail. Rooms are so comfortable and clean, great restaurants on the grounds, love the pools and it also has a beach area.
I would recommend this place to anyone and feel confident that they would love it!! GL!!
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| Posted 5/6/10 12:09 AM |
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my3bugs
Mom of 2 Boys
Member since 5/05 4381 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
I stayed at both Animal Kngdom (2 yrs ago) and Wilderness Lodge (last fall). My sons were 14mos/3.5yrs and just over 2/4.5yrs. We really loved both resorts. I think as far as restaurants, services, pools, they are all kind of similar and you can't go wrong. But when we stayed at Animal Kingdom we had an upgraded room with the Animal View - and my boys really loved the animals. Every morning the first thing they asked for were the animals and DH would get breakfast and bring it to the room and they'd sit on the patio eating watching the animals. Even as we walked thru the halls you can view animals out the windows and it was just really neat - if you like that kind of stuff. As far transportation, it was very simple on the buses and I had no complaints and would go back to either again and didn't feel like I missed anything by not being on a monorail - I visited some of those resorts when dining and loved the feel and looks of Animal and Wilderness so much better. Wilderness has the boat which is really nice and relaxing and we used it to get to MK and to get to the monorail to Chef Mickey - at night though we often used the bus instead since it seemed faster and less crowded. Happy Planning!
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| Posted 5/6/10 6:40 AM |
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SeptMommy09
LIF Infant
Member since 3/09 271 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Posted by Niecey
I stayed at both Animal Kngdom (2 yrs ago) and Wilderness Lodge (last fall). My sons were 14mos/3.5yrs and just over 2/4.5yrs. We really loved both resorts. I think as far as restaurants, services, pools, they are all kind of similar and you can't go wrong. But when we stayed at Animal Kingdom we had an upgraded room with the Animal View - and my boys really loved the animals. Every morning the first thing they asked for were the animals and DH would get breakfast and bring it to the room and they'd sit on the patio eating watching the animals. Even as we walked thru the halls you can view animals out the windows and it was just really neat - if you like that kind of stuff. As far transportation, it was very simple on the buses and I had no complaints and would go back to either again and didn't feel like I missed anything by not being on a monorail - I visited some of those resorts when dining and loved the feel and looks of Animal and Wilderness so much better. Wilderness has the boat which is really nice and relaxing and we used it to get to MK and to get to the monorail to Chef Mickey - at night though we often used the bus instead since it seemed faster and less crowded. Happy Planning!
We are staying at the Animal Kingdom, we are leaving May 17th. I have a 7 1/2 month old. How did you get the upgraded room? Right now we have the pool view room. I would love to upgrade the room with the animal view. Overall we are so excited to go and just relax with DS!
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| Posted 5/6/10 6:49 AM |
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Kboogie
LIF Toddler
Member since 5/08 393 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
We stayed at the Coranado Springs last year when dd was only 2 1/2. I loved it b/c it wasn't packed with children running all around. They have the huge conference room there and when we went last year the place was full with some kind of College basketball kids. They are in meetings pretty much all day, and at night they were allowed to go out. We only seen them once when we stayed out really late. The pools were not crowded, and there seemed to be mostly small children there. It was a beautiful resort with a wonderful kid friendly pool, arcade room, and a lake where you can rent a (2 seater) boat.
My concern was that with a small child I didn't want to stay in a resort packed with older aged children. (like the Carribean resort).
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| Posted 5/6/10 7:01 AM |
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mooshyboo
So Blessed!
Member since 11/07 6297 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Posted by Bops
We stayed ( through our vacation club) at teh Sheraton Vistana Resort....We LOVED it there ! They had 7 pools (I believe) one which was a zero entry, they also had a pool with a sprinkler park buit in, pool-side activities, a kids club with a rec room....Literally less than a 5 minute drive from Disney
http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/sheraton_vistana_resort/welcome.jsp
We Love this place too ~ My hubby and I went a couple of years ago and we stayed here & now we are going to Disney this November with DS (who will be 2 in Aug) & staying here again! My in-laws have stayed at Vistana several times also ~ It is a great place and it is 5 min from Disney! Good Luck ~ there are so many different places to choose from! Have fun planning!
Message edited 5/6/2010 7:15:11 AM.
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| Posted 5/6/10 7:13 AM |
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Michelle
My Little Yankee Fans
Member since 1/06 4018 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Anywhere with a monorail. Although I have to warn you,. once you stay where the monorail is, you won't want to stay anywhere else. I hated taking the kid's out of the stroller when we had to take the bus but we had 2 so it was too much for us to do each time. The monorail we just wheeled them on and never had to fold the stroller and hold them. WEe hated going anywehere by bus and tried to spend most of our time at epcot or magic kingdom.
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| Posted 5/6/10 7:29 AM |
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my3bugs
Mom of 2 Boys
Member since 5/05 4381 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Posted by SeptMommy09
Posted by Niecey
I stayed at both Animal Kngdom (2 yrs ago) and Wilderness Lodge (last fall). My sons were 14mos/3.5yrs and just over 2/4.5yrs. We really loved both resorts. I think as far as restaurants, services, pools, they are all kind of similar and you can't go wrong. But when we stayed at Animal Kingdom we had an upgraded room with the Animal View - and my boys really loved the animals. Every morning the first thing they asked for were the animals and DH would get breakfast and bring it to the room and they'd sit on the patio eating watching the animals. Even as we walked thru the halls you can view animals out the windows and it was just really neat - if you like that kind of stuff. As far transportation, it was very simple on the buses and I had no complaints and would go back to either again and didn't feel like I missed anything by not being on a monorail - I visited some of those resorts when dining and loved the feel and looks of Animal and Wilderness so much better. Wilderness has the boat which is really nice and relaxing and we used it to get to MK and to get to the monorail to Chef Mickey - at night though we often used the bus instead since it seemed faster and less crowded. Happy Planning!
We are staying at the Animal Kingdom, we are leaving May 17th. I have a 7 1/2 month old. How did you get the upgraded room? Right now we have the pool view room. I would love to upgrade the room with the animal view. Overall we are so excited to go and just relax with DS!
Enjoy - it is great there!! Unfortunately - I don't have a good answer - we purchased conceirge service/upgraded room when we booked our trip. But it never hurts to ask at check in if there are any free upgrades available!
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| Posted 5/6/10 7:31 AM |
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SeptMommy09
LIF Infant
Member since 3/09 271 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Posted by Niecey
Posted by SeptMommy09
Posted by Niecey
I stayed at both Animal Kngdom (2 yrs ago) and Wilderness Lodge (last fall). My sons were 14mos/3.5yrs and just over 2/4.5yrs. We really loved both resorts. I think as far as restaurants, services, pools, they are all kind of similar and you can't go wrong. But when we stayed at Animal Kingdom we had an upgraded room with the Animal View - and my boys really loved the animals. Every morning the first thing they asked for were the animals and DH would get breakfast and bring it to the room and they'd sit on the patio eating watching the animals. Even as we walked thru the halls you can view animals out the windows and it was just really neat - if you like that kind of stuff. As far transportation, it was very simple on the buses and I had no complaints and would go back to either again and didn't feel like I missed anything by not being on a monorail - I visited some of those resorts when dining and loved the feel and looks of Animal and Wilderness so much better. Wilderness has the boat which is really nice and relaxing and we used it to get to MK and to get to the monorail to Chef Mickey - at night though we often used the bus instead since it seemed faster and less crowded. Happy Planning!
We are staying at the Animal Kingdom, we are leaving May 17th. I have a 7 1/2 month old. How did you get the upgraded room? Right now we have the pool view room. I would love to upgrade the room with the animal view. Overall we are so excited to go and just relax with DS!
Enjoy - it is great there!! Unfortunately - I don't have a good answer - we purchased conceirge service/upgraded room when we booked our trip. But it never hurts to ask at check in if there are any free upgrades available!
Oh ok. I definitely will ask! Thank you so much.
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| Posted 5/6/10 8:08 AM |
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CaidensMommy
My 3 Miracles!
Member since 5/05 5777 total posts
Name:
Melissa
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge last year and it's nice and everything, but the walk to your room was horrendous w/sleeping kids in your arms. The buses are farther from the main doors too. I also got a tick on me from there?  It was ok, but I wouldn't ever stay there again.
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| Posted 5/6/10 8:50 AM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Posted by SeptMommy09
We are staying at the Animal Kingdom, we are leaving May 17th. I have a 7 1/2 month old. How did you get the upgraded room? Right now we have the pool view room. I would love to upgrade the room with the animal view. Overall we are so excited to go and just relax with DS!
You don't...when it is quiet they will sometimes give upgrades but I hear it is really hit or miss. You can always ask - but they say be prepared for them to say no or pay for the upgrade.
The last two times we stayed there we stayed savannah view and it was fabulous! Can you possible look into switching...if not - check out disboards.com they are great over there - if you go to the resorts section - there is an AKL thread and ask there I would think if there is any magic to it then they can tell you! You will LOVE it there it is a great hotel and one of our favorite. If I didn't have the 2 girls with the stroller, diapers and all we would have stayed there - but DH wanted the monorail so we didn't have to fold and unfold the stroller all the time (you can just wheel onto the monorail).
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| Posted 5/6/10 9:09 AM |
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Selden78
I lvoe the fall :)
Member since 6/06 3543 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Posted by leighla
Animal Kingdom lodge is definitely the best, but mucho bucks.
They are the newest, so the place is really nice and up to date, lots of cool stuff to do and obviously really close to one of the parks.
But really, you don't spend a WHOLE lot of time in your room, so it's up to your preference, spending range and length of stay.
I agree animal kingdom
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| Posted 5/6/10 9:13 AM |
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nrthshgrl
It goes fast. Pay attention.
Member since 7/05 57538 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Posted by leighla
Animal Kingdom lodge is definitely the best, but mucho bucks.
They are the newest, so the place is really nice and up to date, lots of cool stuff to do and obviously really close to one of the parks.
We didn wilderness lodge last year and it was okay, not great.
Beach club is probably 2nd best of those three - cool pools, etc.
But really, you don't spend a WHOLE lot of time in your room, so it's up to your preference, spending range and length of stay.
I agree with this.
We stayed at Wilderness. I love that it's a boat ride to the Magic Kingdom but we weren't in the room for that long.
If my kids were younger, I'd opt for the Beach Club because there will be naps.
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| Posted 5/6/10 10:07 AM |
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CurlyQ
Member since 6/07 2024 total posts
Name:
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Thank you all for your suggestions!!! They were very helpful! We decided to go with the Wilderness!! Now on to try and decide about dining reservations.
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| Posted 5/6/10 7:42 PM |
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christy
Mommy of 2
Member since 5/05 6787 total posts
Name:
Christy
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Re: Best Disney Resort with a 2 1/2 year old...
Beach club- best location...best pool for kids...can walk into two parks easily, as well as boardwalk area. Also, beaches and cream is super yummy and at that resort!
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| Posted 5/6/10 8:30 PM |
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