disney hotels

which is the best hotel on the monorail

and which is the best value hotel

Re: disney hotels

We have stayed at Pop Century and liked it. It is really good for the price.
We will be staying at the Grand Floridian on our next stay and have only heard of good things about it.

Re: disney hotels

It depends on what you mean by the "best."

The most expensive hotel on the monorail and in all of Disneyworld is the Grand Floridian. It's a beautiful hotel and I recommend it highly. It's modeled after the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. The service is impeccable and it its a very upscale property.

However, I actually prefer the Polynesian (just because I have a lot of fun growing up memories) and a love affair with all things that remind me of the south Pacific!

My new favorite is Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary. It's a DVC property. It's just a great property with great views of the MK at night.

Re: disney hotels

I'm looking for a hotel that will be kid friendly and close to the Magic Kingdom...I was thinking one on the monorail but I don't want to spend a fortune.

Re: disney hotels

Check the Wilderness Lodge. It's not on the monorail but they have a boat to the MK. It's still considered a deluxe resort but it's at a lower price point then any of the monorail resorts which are pretty pricey.
It's a gorgeous resort, it has 2 restaurants plus a food court, a kids club, arcade, main pool with small slide and a regular pool, bike rentals, etc.

Re: disney hotels

well - the "best" is the grand floridian on the monorail. But it is kind of subjective. I personally prefer the Polynesian over the GF (not that the GF isn't a fabulous hotel). Others love the contemporary b.c you can WALK to the MK. I like the poly b.c you can hop the monorail to the MK, walk next door to the TTC (ticket and transportation center) and get on the ferry to the MK (or when the fireworks end and it is a mad scene at the monorail line - the ferry is often empty and you can just walk on/push your stroller on and get off at the TTC and walk to your room. You can also walk to the TTC and get on the EPCOT monorail. If you stay at the GF or the Contemporary - you have to take the monorail to the TTC then change to go to EPCOT (you can also do that from the poly but you have the option of walking to the TTC). So it really depends on your likes, wants etc.

As far as the "best" value. Some people love POP Century - and hate the All Stars. Others feel the other way around. The All stars are pretty much the same except for theme. Now the all stars have family suites if that is something you might be interested in. So I would go and look at all four of them and see which theme appeals to you most. I believe the all stars all share one bus route - where as POP has it's own bus - but I haven't stayed there so I could be incorrect - but that is what I recollect reading.

Re: disney hotels

Re: disney hotels

As someone posted above, a good compromise between geography and cost might be Wilderness Lodge. The resort is very "family-friendly", and one of my personal favorites.

The Magic Kingdom is accessible via bus or boat, and while maybe not as convenient as the monorail, is easy transportation.

Regarding the value resorts, the 2 most popular are probably Pop Century and All-Star Movies. Movies is appealing because of the theme and decor, while Pop has its own dedicated buses (the 3 All-Stars share buses). If you don't plan on vacationing during peak crowd levels, the shared buses are very doable.

Your accommodations options are somewhat dictated by your family size, so be sure to check each resort you are interested in for maximum capacity per room.

HTH

Bob
Mouse Tales Travel

Re: disney hotels

I've stayed at the Contemporary and the Yacht and Beach Club. Both were pretty nice and you can get to the parks easily.