first time to wdw

[poohangel]

My husband and I are planning a trip to wdw for our 5th anniversary (april 6-11 2002), neither of us has been before and would like a little help.

We have narrowed our choices of places to stay to Days Suites Eastgate or Best Western on Lake Cecile. Has anyone stayed at either of these hotels and what are you opions of them?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!!!

thanks

 

[waltdisneyworlddreamer]

Congratulations on your first trip to WDW! It will definitely be a trip to remember. I have never stayed at either of those hotels but I would recommend staying on property. There are many hotels to choose from and you can often find discounts to make the price affordable. Every WDW hotel is beautiful and the perks definitely make it worth it. After I tried a Disney hotel, I would never stay anywhere else.

 

[MJames41]

I would strongly suggest staying on site, even if only at one of the All Stars. This is a busy time (just a week after Easter, so many schools will be having spring break. At a Disney resort, (with a park hopper pass) you can participate in E-Ride nights which is 9 (or 10) rides kept open after hours for up to 5000 people only. You must be a Disney resort guest however. We found it well worth the extra $12 and did it twice. We were able to go on any ride we chose as many times as we chose - with no lines. Not virtually no lings like during a slow time, but with no lines. For the MK it's even better than Fastpass. (Unfortunately they only have this for MK, not at Epcot or MGM). Good luck.

 

[annemariec]

Check out: www.mousesavers.com! The site has some fantastic discounts listed for just about everything Disney! You'll love it. It may be the difference between staying off-site and on-site.

The first year DH and I went we stayed at the Polynesian (on-site) and loved every minute ('99). The second year (last year) we stayed at Celebration Hotel. They had a series of minor problems. In addition to that, we missed the convenience of being right at the park and the theming the resorts in the park have. Supposedly we were only about 4 miles away--- but with traffice, construction and the like, it took forever to get back and forth. We decided from that point on we want to stay on-site. Of course we didn't have transportation and that was one of the problems we experienced with Celebration Hotel.

This year we are staying at the Grand Floridian! We got a wonderful discount. And we are soooo excited. It's nice to be on the monorail. We are driving down this year --- but we're just going to park the van and take advantage of the transportation on-site.


I think the mousesavers site has discounts for off-site properties too. Well, whatever you choose, good luck to you!

2 weeks till we leave and counting!!

Annemarie

 

[BigCujo]

I would consider staying on site. Disney Resort guests get many special perks that others don't get. The Disney transportation is great. I really makes getting around easy. We can't afford to come to WDW very often, maybe once every 7 years. You might as well pay a little extra and do it right. Thats what we do.

 

[jaguar9748]

Also remember that Disney resort guests are guaranteed admission to all the parks. This is important if you go during a busy time. Definitely stay in the world - we will never stay outside the world again!

 

[WedWay72]

We too think you should stay on-site.....and for $109 that time of year, you can stay at the All-Stars and you'll really feel that your part of WDW. Staying off-site tends to take away some of the magic by exiting the property, heading down, say, International Blvd. and then going to your non-Disney hotel.

Unless you want to save a little extra money, we say "Stay On-Site".......and you'd have a great time at the All Stars.

 

[normr]

Since this is your first ever WDW trip, don't waste it offsite, even if it's a little more than what you were thinking of paying, to deprive yourself of staying onsite would be the worst thing you can do, it is ALWAYS magical staying onsite, it even feels different, like you're part of the family

Don't stay offsite!

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad says........... Stay on site! Unless you have family and it's free, or you can get the OMNI for $39.00 ( saw it last year but couldn't go). Early entry, great transportation, good looking properties, WDW has it all. Have stayed offsite and it seemed so ordinary, not the feeling you want when you are looking for Disney magic!!

 

[jjsmom]

I am not aware of either of the hotels, but in all likelihood, they are located in the surrounding area which includes I-4, 192 (the maingate), or International Drive. Let me tell you from experience, these highways can be a nightmare, morning and night. With the June crowds (we have been there that same week, and the week before), you will be wasting valuable park time sitting in traffic. Even if your off-site hotel offers a shuttle to WDW, you have no way of knowing (1)How many vehicles they have (2) operating schedules and intervals (3) How long it will take to get to the parks.

I strongly recommend staying on site (All Stars is just fine). It is worth the extra $$$ even if you have to cut the budget in other areas (food, souveniers, etc.).

Let your families know that you are planning this spectacular trip. At gift giving time, maybe they could help you monetarily, or with Disney Dollars.

 

[TinkerChelle]

I absolutely agree with all the above posts! There is no comparion between an off site hotel and a disney resort. My first trip we stayed at the Polynesian and had a wonderful trip. My second trip we opted to stay off site because the price was right (or so I thought at the time)! But never again! The transportation was late or non-existant. One evening no bus ever showed up and we had to take a cab. The traffic was horrible and this was off season. Now I know that we can always stay on site no matter whate our budget is. The All Stars might not be deluxe, but they have to be better than a budget hotel off site! We are trying a moderate and a value as well as a deluxe on our honeymoon, so we can get a feel for them! Three different resorts in 12 days! Yes, we are definitely certified disney freaks now!!!

 

[Planogirl]

If you still decide to stay offsite after all of these posts, you might want to check the Orlando board on this website. You could do a search for these hotels or get great recommendations for others.

Welcome to the boards by the way!

 

[Boots]

I don't know anything about either place. Just wanted to say <marquee>HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME</marquee>

 

[webray]

Best Western Lake Cecile...nice rooms, clean...they was a lot of construction in that area, which I don't believe is finished yet. Check out mousesavers.com for some great disney room rate options!

 

[poohangel]

Thank you for all your help concerning where i should stay for our first trip to wdw in april.

God bless you and the families that have been affected by this terrible tragedy.

Pray for our country, our service people, and each other.

I have a brother in service and would appreciate your prayers as well.

Love,

poohangel

 

[Musky]

Poohangel, we are leaving for WDW in 19 days (unless we decide to postpone because of the national tragedy) and it will also be our first trip. As luck would have it, we are planning on staying at both the Days Suites and the Best Western Lake Cecile, as well as the All-Star Music. I will be sure and post when we get back and let you know what I thought of all three, and hopefully I will find out just what is so unbelievably wonderful about staying onsite - I admit I have trouble understanding this one.

Musky

 

[poohangel]

Musky, I would definately appreciate any help you could give me.

I hope that you have a great time despite the terrible things that have happened in the past week.

God bless,

poohangel

 

[RamseyTrio]

HI - Just wanted to put in a vote for staying off-site ...I know I'm the minority with most of the others who have posted but I LOVE staying off-site when we go.

I haven't stayed at the hotels you are looking at (we usually do the LBV Residence Inn) but definitely check out the websites that others have suggested. I haven't tried them yet but I've been contemplating using www.hotelkingdom.com for our next trip - some of their prices are really good & if you're a AAA member they have good deals as well.

Now, here are the reasons that I like to stay offsite...you get more for your money as far as the rooms go. We always rent a car whether we we're on or offsite and we always drive to the parks instead of using WDW transportation so we can come and go as we please and not deal with crowded transportation. It's more quiet and relaxing offsite than onsite so you can unwind after a busy day at the parks. If you plan to visit Universal's parks, Sea World, Kennedy Space Center or other attractions it's nice to be in an area that's a bit more central.

Having said all of that...people do have a good point about it being very crowded at WDW during that time and it would be nice to have the benefits associated with staying onsite.

Whatever you decide you're sure to have a WONDERFUL, MAGICAL time!!! ENJOY!

 

[poohangel]

Ramsey Trio,

Thanks for the input and we have decided to stay off-site this time around. We got our ressies from hotelkingdom.com and got a really great rate for Lake Cecile. We have a full kitchen suite.

Hope that you have a great trip!!

 

[Planogirl]

poohangel, would you mind posting your impressions of Lake Cecile after you get back? We sometimes stay offsite and this is one that might work well for us.

Thanks! And have fun.