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Goobster
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Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
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:)
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What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Still thinking ahead about where to stay in Disney with a toddler. What is your fav Disney hotel for a toddler and why?
Budget is not an issue.
Message edited 1/13/2012 2:34:40 PM.
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Posted 1/13/12 8:58 AM  |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
I have to say we LOVED the Wilderness Lodge bc it was sooo easy to get to MK. Just a boat ride away. It was such a nice hotel too. We did go though before kids so I guess there are much better people to answer this
But really, I have recommended it to others with kids and they all came back loving it.
They have a GREAT pool. Whispering Canon is in there and its awesome for kids! (we ate there a lot)
Its def cheaper than the Polynesian and The GF and but more than the moderates.
That would be my pick.
BUT if money NO object, Id pick the Polynesian!
Message edited 1/13/2012 9:39:09 AM.
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| Posted 1/13/12 9:37 AM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by Serendipity
I have to say we LOVED the Wilderness Lodge bc it was sooo easy to get to MK. Just a boat ride away. It was such a nice hotel too. We did go though before kids so I guess there are much better people to answer this
But really, I have recommended it to others with kids and they all came back loving it.
They have a GREAT pool. Whispering Canon is in there and its awesome for kids! (we ate there a lot)
Its def cheaper than the Polynesian and The GF and but more than the moderates.
That would be my pick.
BUT if money NO object, Id pick the Polynesian!
Dh and I did visit WL when we went on our honeymoon. We loved it. But DH isnt keen on having to take a boat to MK. So thats out. I am not a fan of that either. Leaning towards Poly over GF (those are my top two) but still want to hear more about which one people like and why.
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| Posted 1/13/12 9:50 AM |
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JenniferEver
The Disney Lady
Member since 5/05 18163 total posts
Name:
Jennifer
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
I would definitely try to stay on the monorail so you can get to MK and EPCOT without folding the stroller.
Out of GF and Poly I would definitely say Poly with kids.
Have you considered CR or BLT? You can WALK to MK.
They actually have a sample BLT room at Roosevelt field. I know you wanted to see the rooms. They do have a book with all of the DVC rooms there at RF. If you take the DVC tour you can see the rooms, and then you can always rent points or pay cash to stay there.
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| Posted 1/13/12 11:07 AM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
It is hard to make a suggestion without an idea of your budget.
My top 3 choices if you have the budget are:
1) Polynesian - it has a great zero entry pool and they have a water play area. You can see the castle from the beach. You can put your DC in their PJs and watch the fireworks in their stroller at night with the narration piped into rocks on the beach and not have to fight crowds to see the firework shows. Monorail, Monorail, Monorail! - You can take the monorail right over to the MK or walk next door to the TTC and hop their ferry (you don't have to fold up your stroller for either the ferry or the monorail). You can walk to the TTC and hop the EPCOT monorail or take the MK monorail and change at the TTC to the EPCOT one.
2) Wilderness lodge - close to the MK fun theme that appeals to children.
3) AKL - I love this resort - esp if you can afford a savannah view (although you don't need one). There are plenty of places to view the animals that are public areas. It is nice to sit on your balcony and watch the animals only a few feet away. The only down side is that it is a bit farther from the parks but we stayed there twice and it never bothered us - but it isn't as close obviously as the POLY or the WL. It is a unique hotel that you can't stay in anything like it anywhere else in the US.
Otherwise there are the Mods -
Port orleans is a nice hotel -if you have a girl they have new royal guest rooms that are opening in March (princess themed).
Caribbean Beach Resort - has pirate themed rooms if you have a boy into that.
If you are looking for more room but not a huge budget (they aren't as cheap as the regular values though) in May they are opening a new Value resort that will be mostly family suites. It is themed to Finding Nemo, Lion King, Cars, and there will be regular value rooms opening late 2012 Little Mermaid themed. You can have some privacy there and a small kitchenette. I think but are not positive but they have 2 bathrooms as well - so you could have some private space for some adult time if that is something that is important to you.
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| Posted 1/13/12 11:15 AM |
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twobabies
Praying
Member since 7/05 9662 total posts
Name:
Mrs. Honeybee
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Wilderness lodge for us. i feel like i should be the wilderess lodge spokesperson at this point. hahha. We have been going to disney for the last 5 years. and every year we contimplate trying out another resort. We tried the poly one year, and it was ok, but my heart keeps bringing us back to the wilderess. We love EVERYTHING about it. The restaurants, the rooms, the pool. the transportation. Even the bartenders remeber our names and my kids name when we come every year.
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| Posted 1/13/12 11:56 AM |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by twobabies
Wilderness lodge for us. i feel like i should be the wilderess lodge spokesperson at this point. hahha. We have been going to disney for the last 5 years. and every year we contimplate trying out another resort. We tried the poly one year, and it was ok, but my heart keeps bringing us back to the wilderess. We love EVERYTHING about it. The restaurants, the rooms, the pool. the transportation. Even the bartenders remeber our names and my kids name when we come every year.
We love it there too. We are staying at the Carribean this time around but we didnt book the trip so I am curious to try something new. But something about the WIlderness I think is great!
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| Posted 1/13/12 12:23 PM |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by Goobster
Posted by Serendipity
I have to say we LOVED the Wilderness Lodge bc it was sooo easy to get to MK. Just a boat ride away. It was such a nice hotel too. We did go though before kids so I guess there are much better people to answer this
But really, I have recommended it to others with kids and they all came back loving it.
They have a GREAT pool. Whispering Canon is in there and its awesome for kids! (we ate there a lot)
Its def cheaper than the Polynesian and The GF and but more than the moderates.
That would be my pick.
BUT if money NO object, Id pick the Polynesian!
Dh and I did visit WL when we went on our honeymoon. We loved it. But DH isnt keen on having to take a boat to MK. So thats out. I am not a fan of that either. Leaning towards Poly over GF (those are my top two) but still want to hear more about which one people like and why.
Oh ok got ya Yea then I would cross that off the list if you dont want the boat.
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| Posted 1/13/12 12:32 PM |
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twobabies
Praying
Member since 7/05 9662 total posts
Name:
Mrs. Honeybee
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by Serendipity
Posted by Goobster
Posted by Serendipity
I have to say we LOVED the Wilderness Lodge bc it was sooo easy to get to MK. Just a boat ride away. It was such a nice hotel too. We did go though before kids so I guess there are much better people to answer this
But really, I have recommended it to others with kids and they all came back loving it.
They have a GREAT pool. Whispering Canon is in there and its awesome for kids! (we ate there a lot)
Its def cheaper than the Polynesian and The GF and but more than the moderates.
That would be my pick.
BUT if money NO object, Id pick the Polynesian!
Dh and I did visit WL when we went on our honeymoon. We loved it. But DH isnt keen on having to take a boat to MK. So thats out. I am not a fan of that either. Leaning towards Poly over GF (those are my top two) but still want to hear more about which one people like and why.
Oh ok got ya Yea then I would cross that off the list if you dont want the boat.
you dont have to take the boat, they offer a bus to the MK also. 
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| Posted 1/13/12 12:50 PM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by JenniferEver
I would definitely try to stay on the monorail so you can get to MK and EPCOT without folding the stroller.
Out of GF and Poly I would definitely say Poly with kids.
Have you considered CR or BLT? You can WALK to MK.
They actually have a sample BLT room at Roosevelt field. I know you wanted to see the rooms. They do have a book with all of the DVC rooms there at RF. If you take the DVC tour you can see the rooms, and then you can always rent points or pay cash to stay there.
Do you mean Bay Lake Towers? What is the deal with those again, I dont know much about that.
And I am a bit confused what you can learn at the booth at RF, when you refer to take a tour...
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| Posted 1/13/12 2:35 PM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by Lillykat
It is hard to make a suggestion without an idea of your budget.
.
Budget is not an issue.
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| Posted 1/13/12 2:36 PM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by twobabies
Wilderness lodge for us. i feel like i should be the wilderess lodge spokesperson at this point. hahha. We have been going to disney for the last 5 years. and every year we contimplate trying out another resort. We tried the poly one year, and it was ok, but my heart keeps bringing us back to the wilderess. We love EVERYTHING about it. The restaurants, the rooms, the pool. the transportation. Even the bartenders remeber our names and my kids name when we come every year.
This was me with the Contemporary, before having DD. I always was drawn back to it.
I have visited WL and think it is awesome. I did love it. Just concerned about the traveling from there...how does it work again?
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| Posted 1/13/12 2:40 PM |
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15660 total posts
Name:
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
We stayed at The Yacht Club when my son was a toddler. AWESOME! Their sandy bottom pool complex is really fantastic. Loved the location, being close to Epcot and HS. I also loved that there are no exterior buildings. Everything is connected to the lobby.
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| Posted 1/13/12 4:08 PM |
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JenniferEver
The Disney Lady
Member since 5/05 18163 total posts
Name:
Jennifer
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by Goobster
Posted by JenniferEver
I would definitely try to stay on the monorail so you can get to MK and EPCOT without folding the stroller.
Out of GF and Poly I would definitely say Poly with kids.
Have you considered CR or BLT? You can WALK to MK.
They actually have a sample BLT room at Roosevelt field. I know you wanted to see the rooms. They do have a book with all of the DVC rooms there at RF. If you take the DVC tour you can see the rooms, and then you can always rent points or pay cash to stay there.
Do you mean Bay Lake Towers? What is the deal with those again, I dont know much about that.
And I am a bit confused what you can learn at the booth at RF, when you refer to take a tour...
Yes, Bay Lake Tower. It's a DVC resort, so the best way to get in would be to rent points.
There is much more than a booth at Roosevelt Field. There's actually a model of an entire 2 bedroom villa there.
We dropped in last weekend to see it.
You can take a tour there where they give you a sales spiel for Disney Vacation Club. It's actually a lot of fun even if you don't intend to buy and more than seeing pictures, you can literally lay on the bed, and they have booklets with photos of all DVC resorts.
if budget isn't an issue and you have a toddler, DVC is really great since with 1BR villas and above you get 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, and W/D in room. It's often cheaper, if renting points than a regular hotel room at a deluxe.
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| Posted 1/13/12 7:05 PM |
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
We stayed at Grand Floridan last year was DS was 2 1/2. Great to be on the monorail and the hotel was beautiful.
The grounds were great also. He had a ball in the kiddie pool. Loved that we were so close to everything.
There are t.v.'s with small chairs in the lobby with constant cartoons running. They also have a piano and they play songs and dance with the kids. They also have a great character breakfast that the kids loved. They also had a tea party with Alice In Wonderland, that is adorable but $$$.
We even saw Ginnifer Goodwin in the lobby with her then boyfriend.
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| Posted 1/15/12 12:20 AM |
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CurlyQ
Member since 6/07 2024 total posts
Name:
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
We just stayed at Saratoga Springs. It is a DVC resort, and all units have a kitchen/living room. We had a 2 bedroom unit and it was beautiful and very spacious. We loved it, and a kitchen was a must for us traveling with a 4 month old and a 3 year old. The pools were fantastic for kids with slides and areas where they can walk in. The restaurant was great for both quick serve and sit down. You could walk to Downtown Disney, and then a bus ride to everything else. 2 years ago we stayed at the Wilderness, and while it was nice because of the theme, I felt it to be rather dark and the 1 bedroom suite was tiny for the $. We were very happy and my DH already said that this is the place we will be coming back to.
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| Posted 1/15/12 10:15 AM |
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WNA01
my 2 boys
Member since 10/08 4240 total posts
Name:
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by JenniferEver
Posted by Goobster
Posted by JenniferEver
I would definitely try to stay on the monorail so you can get to MK and EPCOT without folding the stroller.
Out of GF and Poly I would definitely say Poly with kids.
Have you considered CR or BLT? You can WALK to MK.
They actually have a sample BLT room at Roosevelt field. I know you wanted to see the rooms. They do have a book with all of the DVC rooms there at RF. If you take the DVC tour you can see the rooms, and then you can always rent points or pay cash to stay there.
Do you mean Bay Lake Towers? What is the deal with those again, I dont know much about that.
And I am a bit confused what you can learn at the booth at RF, when you refer to take a tour...
Yes, Bay Lake Tower. It's a DVC resort, so the best way to get in would be to rent points.
There is much more than a booth at Roosevelt Field. There's actually a model of an entire 2 bedroom villa there.
We dropped in last weekend to see it.
You can take a tour there where they give you a sales spiel for Disney Vacation Club. It's actually a lot of fun even if you don't intend to buy and more than seeing pictures, you can literally lay on the bed, and they have booklets with photos of all DVC resorts.
if budget isn't an issue and you have a toddler, DVC is really great since with 1BR villas and above you get 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, and W/D in room. It's often cheaper, if renting points than a regular hotel room at a deluxe.
agree on all points - however the only dvc resorts that have 2 bathrooms in a 1 bedroom are bay lake towers and animal kingdom lodge.
with toddlers and strollers i would say either anything on the monorail line (poly, gf, contemporary, blt) - those are close to magic kingdom
or boardwalk villas - beautiful boardwalk with lots to do or beach club villas (pool is great there!!! beach club and boardwalk are a walk to epcot and a boat ride to hollywood)
we are going in march and will have a double stroller for my 1 and 2 yr old boys.. we are staying at akl for 2 days so the kids can really enjoy the animals and animal kingdom (we never really enjoy that park bc its so far from everything!) well devote those 2 days to animal kingdom, the resort and hit downtown disney..
the rest of the time we will be at beach club villas. easy access to the other parks
disney will move your belongings for you so you don't even have to worry about that
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| Posted 1/16/12 11:17 AM |
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JenniferEver
The Disney Lady
Member since 5/05 18163 total posts
Name:
Jennifer
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Re: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
Posted by WNA01
Posted by JenniferEver
Posted by Goobster
Posted by JenniferEver
I would definitely try to stay on the monorail so you can get to MK and EPCOT without folding the stroller.
Out of GF and Poly I would definitely say Poly with kids.
Have you considered CR or BLT? You can WALK to MK.
They actually have a sample BLT room at Roosevelt field. I know you wanted to see the rooms. They do have a book with all of the DVC rooms there at RF. If you take the DVC tour you can see the rooms, and then you can always rent points or pay cash to stay there.
Do you mean Bay Lake Towers? What is the deal with those again, I dont know much about that.
And I am a bit confused what you can learn at the booth at RF, when you refer to take a tour...
Yes, Bay Lake Tower. It's a DVC resort, so the best way to get in would be to rent points.
There is much more than a booth at Roosevelt Field. There's actually a model of an entire 2 bedroom villa there.
We dropped in last weekend to see it.
You can take a tour there where they give you a sales spiel for Disney Vacation Club. It's actually a lot of fun even if you don't intend to buy and more than seeing pictures, you can literally lay on the bed, and they have booklets with photos of all DVC resorts.
if budget isn't an issue and you have a toddler, DVC is really great since with 1BR villas and above you get 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, and W/D in room. It's often cheaper, if renting points than a regular hotel room at a deluxe.
agree on all points - however the only dvc resorts that have 2 bathrooms in a 1 bedroom are bay lake towers and animal kingdom lodge.
Ah! Thanks for clarifying. Those were the models we saw, so that's stuck in my head.
I definitely recommend going to DtD and checking out the model. They have activities for the kids while you tour.
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| Posted 1/17/12 5:44 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: What is your favorite Disney hotel for toddlers and why?
For us, monorail was a huge adventage.
MK was THE top park for us.
I loved the Polynesian. offered atmosphere for adults. Great pools. Great for kids.
I liked that we were a walk away from nonorail to Epcot. 2 stops from MK.
It was super convenient.
Message edited 1/19/2012 7:37:06 PM.
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| Posted 1/19/12 7:34 PM |
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