Family of 5 (3 kids, aged 7,8,9 -- all boys) -- where to stay in WDW?

[popeboy]

If you are prioritizing getting back in the evenings... you can't beat the Contemporary. Walking back from the Magic Kingdom at the end of the night while everyone else is in giant lines for the bus/ferry/monorail is a huge plus!
Yes, you will have to take other transportation from the other parks to get back, but being forced through the Ticket and Transportation center to get to (and back from) the Magic Kingdom if you aren't on the monorail line is a huge inconvenience.

 

[cinnaminny]

If you are prioritizing getting back in the evenings... you can't beat the Contemporary. Walking back from the Magic Kingdom at the end of the night while everyone else is in giant lines for the bus/ferry/monorail is a huge plus!
Yes, you will have to take other transportation from the other parks to get back, but being forced through the Ticket and Transportation center to get to (and back from) the Magic Kingdom if you aren't on the monorail line is a huge inconvenience.

This is so true. I don't know about the rest of the transportation but being able to walk to/from MK or take the Monorail was amazing. We used a car for the rest of our trips and parking was a breeze there, especially near the garden rooms where we stayed.

 

[Shellyred8]

Poly Villas - Sleeps 5 and has two bathing areas (but only one toilet). Fun pools. Just a monorail ride away from the other MK resorts if you want more restaurant options. Close to the TTC, so you can walk over there and catch the monorail to EPCOT.

Bay Lake Tower 1BR Villa - Sleeps 5 and has 2 full bathrooms and a full kitchen. Walking distance to MK. The Contempo Cafe is one of my favorite QS restaurants. You can boat over to Wilderness Lodge or Ft. Wilderness and explore their restaurants.

Boardwalk Inn - Sleeps 5. Pool has a pretty decent waterslide. Walking distance to HS and EP (and easy to get back to the resort after you are done at those parks). Lots of restaurants (don't forget those at the Swan/Dolphin). If you stay in the Boardwalk area, you might want to plan to get Hopper tickets if you aren't already. EP has lots of restaurant options, so you could head there in the evening after spending the day in a different park. Walking distance to Fantasia Mini golf.

Beach Club Resort (not the villas) - sleeps 5. Stormalong Bay is one of the best pools on property. Most of the same benefits as Boardwalk Inn.

In your situation, I would really look at one of the resorts in the Boardwalk area. BW, YC and BC are all great resorts, you just want to get the one that feels right for your family.

Happy planning!

 

[popeboy]

This is so true. I don't know about the rest of the transportation but being able to walk to/from MK or take the Monorail was amazing. We used a car for the rest of our trips and parking was a breeze there, especially near the garden rooms where we stayed.

Definitely agree. We always rent a car, but I know not everyone does... and the only park that your rental doesn't help you with is MK. Plus, although the Contemporary room theme isn't extremely "Disney", it definitely makes up for it for kids with the monorail running through the lobby. Love that.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

This is super helpful -- I think the properties that I want to use are probably going to be the ones that are the easiest to get *back* to in the evenings. We will be spending the majority of our time at the parks during the day so I want to make sure that we save time on the commuting to-from each park. Any thoughts?

What we do for every trip is think about which parks we will be spending the majority of our time and then pick a resort from there. For instance, we have a July trip coming up and I had booked Copper Creek, but after planning out our days, I realized Beach Club would make our commutes, particularly at night, a little easier, so, fortunately there was availability and I switched.

I would think about what your park plans are and what your evening park plans are and go from there. If you will spend the majority of your time at MK and EP, Poly is very convenient as you'll have the monorail at your disposal and can walk from the EP/TTC monorail back to the resort. If DHS/EP will be your focus, I would look at Boardwalk, Beach Club, Beach Club Villas and Boardwalk Villas. Copper Creek isn't super convenient unless you will be at Magic Kingdom a lot, however, if you can get a good deal at any of these resorts, you may want to budget a few lyft/ubers/Minnie Vans into your plans to make commuting to parks that aren't easily accessible by Disney transportation easier. When we stay at Copper Creek, we use a lot of Minnie Vans!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I would stay at Wilderness Lodge. With a family of 5 you would need to:
A) Get 2 rooms
B) Get a "Deluxe room" (has Club level privileges)
C) Stay in one of the DVC units, various set ups/costs

I know the OP has already settled on a Deluxe level resort, but for anyone reading this thread in the future: options are not limited to these three. A family of five can also fit in

• Fort Wilderness Cabins*
• Port Orleans Riverside (some rooms)
• Caribbean Beach (some rooms)
• All Star Movies Family Suites*
• Art of Animation Family Suites*

*actually holds six

I'm trying to book for late July or early August, that might be pushing my luck

Oh, wait. Do you mean summer 2019? Not impossible, but unlimely there would be any DVC points available this close.

The Art of Animation hotel has ADORABLE Cars themed suites and a whole Cars area of the resort, but there is no table service on site, which would be a drawback for you on the Deluxe dining plan.

Depending which summer this trip is plamned, the Skyliner clulx be up and running.

but being forced through the Ticket and Transportation center to get to (and back from) the Magic Kingdom if you aren't on the monorail line is a huge inconvenience.

Ironically, onsite guests would only encounter the TTC going to and from Epcot.

 

[dansdad]

This is great -- a lot of options I can review with my wife. Also, is there an acronym dictionary for these you are all listing? I have a hard time not being a regular

Here you go.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-list-of-common-abbreviations.1660743/

 

[VAfamily1998]

I know the OP has already settled on a Deluxe level resort, but for anyone reading this thread in the future: options are not limited to these three. A family of five can also fit in

• Fort Wilderness Cabins*
• Port Orleans Riverside (some rooms)
• Caribbean Beach (some rooms)
• All Star Movies Family Suites*
• Art of Animation Family Suites*

.

I was specifically referring to the 3 options at Wilderness lodge, not Disney resorts in general. Thank you.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I was specifically referring to the 3 options at Wilderness lodge, not Disney resorts in general. Thank you.

Thanks, I didn't make the connection. Givem that your recommendations could apply to almost any Deluxe, I think the alternative options are olay to keep here

 

[Firepath]

If on a smaller budget, I would choose a Riverside room with the single drop down bed. For Deluxe, I'd rent DVC points and stay in a 1 BR at Animal Kingdom Kidani Savannah View. That has beds for all of you, two bathrooms, laundry for washing all those smelly summer clothes, and an awesome savannah view, and a full kitchen with full-size refrigerator to store all the left-overs you'll have on the Deluxe Dining Plan, and cold drinks. I'd put the kids to bed and then sit out on the balcony and enjoy the peace after a long day. If you're looking for this year, all the DVC rooms are probably already booked though.

 

[sbd78]

I was planning on renting the points -- it seems that some rental store online is pretty popular and might be the easiest way to go. I am sure I can use the boards to find somebody to do it slightly cheaper but since I'm trying to book for late July or early August, that might be pushing my luck

Renting points can save a lot of money, just be aware that you have to book far in advance and you usually can't cancel. (I think you can get trip insurance, not sure what warrants cancellation there.) I've never done it because I like more flexibility. Just things to be aware of.

 

[HopperFan]

Well ... deluxe, water options, access to lots of dining for Deluxe Dining ....

Yacht/Beach Club

 

[10CJ]

Is this for this summer?

DVC could be hard to get so late. If you want to rent points you may not have many options.

I would definitely hesitate to get the deluxe dining plan at this point. I would start booking dining reservations now to see what you can get. You may not find the deluxe plan worth it.

 

[Monykalyn]

Our kids loved the Beach club pool! And can't beat convenience and number of dining options within walking distance.
However-don't discount the cabins at Fort Wilderness. Forgo the deluxe plan, and use that money to rent watercraft, boat or fishing. If you have active boys, then having separate bed/sleeping area with a kitchen could be a much more relaxing vacation-splurge on the golf cart too. The boat from MK back to Fort at end of night was so convenient and way less waiting than the monorail line.

But if you are planning this summer-options may be limited on renting points...

 

[tjmw2727]

There are so many options - you may want to narrow down your priorities a bit! With 3 kids do you want some space, maybe an extra bathroom, a separate sleeping space for the adults? Is location important enough to book a deluxe room with 2 Q and a murphy bunk? How important is the pool area and or activities at the resort itself and location vs space?

Just a few thoughts....

 

[fairygagamother]

I don’t know how long you’ll be staying, but I am a huge fan of split stays. Choose a MK resort (we prefer Polynesian with kids) for half of your trip & an Epcot for the other part. All of the Epcot resorts are kid friendly & most people would prefer the pools at Beach & Yacht. But it may be hard to keep up with 3 kids(especially boys!) at Stormalong.
I also wouldn’t recommend getting the deluxe dining plan because you would be spending too much time doing sit down meals. We’ve discovered that one table service meal a day is plenty & that the regular dining plan is sufficient.
Wherever you stay & whatever you eat, I’m sure your trip will be so much fun & memorable !

 

[kaytieeldr]

don’t know how long you’ll be staying, but I am a huge fan of split stays.

At this point, the OP is planning on adding the DxDDP, so a split stay would probably be awkward.

 

[Hatwriter456]

Last year my family of 5 stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and we loved that resort! Its not a deluxe but its a beautiful resort.

 

[alex9179]

With young kids, you need to keep an eye on them at the pool. For this reason I wouldn't necessarily recommend BC/YC because Stormalong Bay is really large and you can't always see everyone at once while allowing a little freedom. I think it's great for older kids, though. I'd probably end up using the quiet pools so that I wasn't constantly looking for a missing head.

When mine were young, we stayed at Poly and had a great time. Large rooms, fun pool but not huge, and access to the monorail restaurants as well as those in EPCOT. Bus, boat, monorail transportation. We also stayed at The Contemporary, which is all our favorite so far, but didn't try out the pool because it was Jan. I think their pool is considered adequate and has good sight lines. Great TS, good CS, easy to get to MK by foot or monorail, large rooms, very compact and everything indoors. GF is on our list and we think it's beautiful. Again, large rooms. Several restaurant option and on the monorail for more.

First, set the budget. Then, figure out which would work best for you within that budget. You'll have a top 3 and it'll be easier to pick once you have an itinerary outline. I'm betting MK will be the most visited park for you all, which may mean the monorail resorts win out over the Epcot area.

With young, small ones I can recommend POR, as well. We stayed there on our last trip with our then 13,12, 9 y/o children and did fine. Okay, the youngest couldn't believe how much smaller it was than the rooms during our other stays. We took the boat to DS a couple of times for dinner, I've eaten at Boatwright's and enjoyed it, the food court is fine (I don't generally like food courts). The buses ran well. The kids enjoyed the quiet pool and the main pool. You're able to visit POFQ and use their facilities. I DID like POFQ food court and it seemed less busy as a smaller resort.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think 3 boys would love Fort Wilderness cabins. There’s a pretty wide variety of dining options although no traditional food court.

I would still consider this option. My friend took her family and the three boys were about the ages of the OP's children.
I will say the kids were pretty energetic, an they really needed the space that the campground offered to run and get rid of all the extra energy that seemed to build up during the day.

I was planning on renting the points -- it seems that some rental store online is pretty popular and might be the easiest way to go. I am sure I can use the boards to find somebody to do it slightly cheaper but since I'm trying to book for late July or early August, that might be pushing my luck

I think if you are plannign for this summer you may find it slim pickings. DVC books up early I have been told.

I love the Poly for kids. That resort offers a lot of open space for them, it has the monorail, food and plenty to be busy with. I would not suggest the BC/YC as my first choice with children. I love the resort but hat pool is huge and the slide is on the opposite side of the "street", so if you need to watch teh kids, one of you is inside the pool area and the other across the walkway. We found it a stressful situation.

There are some summer discounts offered now, and I wonder if just booking a nice deluxe resort might be in your favor over trying to secure points to rent. I know folks have suggested skipping the DxDDP, however at this late date for booking you may do pretty well with it. Tehre are some nice signature meals on property, and they are all kid friendly, and may be easier to book at your regular dining time than some of the 1 credit meals.

I like character meals for kids, so i woudl also suggest looking at what the options are, making a plan and then book the ones yu think you want. I woudl do that for all your meals actually, becuase then you will see what plan, if any will fit the meals you have chosen.

I also think using the website for plannign the stay can help with establishing a reasonable budget. WDW has gotten very expensive of late, and even my DH, who will only stay deluxe when he joins us (He insists if it is not monorail he is NOT in Disney) was pretty shocked at the costs last trip.

If you feel you wan tto compromise on a resort I think Carribean Beach or Port Orleans Riverside would be a lot of fun for the boys. They are also expansive resorts which may be a deficit for folks who do not want to walk from point A to B, however I have found kids like the trek.