usvi-on-line
Disney World
I reluctantly did Disney with my daughter (why I am not sure as she is SO not into princessses but I felt like I'd missed something as a kid by having not gone) and I think we struck a good compromise.
We stayed off property (through a time share exchange) at a Marriott about 10 minutes from disney. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/m ... nde-vista/
It was a great place and had very nice pools including one very kid friendly and one more adult one. We got the 3 day pass and did every other day at a park and the alternate days lounging by the pool or doing local things. It was SO nice to have a whole apartment to go back to and get away from disney for awhile. Plus a big money saver as we were able to cook meals if the desire struck.
We stayed off property (through a time share exchange) at a Marriott about 10 minutes from disney. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/m ... nde-vista/
It was a great place and had very nice pools including one very kid friendly and one more adult one. We got the 3 day pass and did every other day at a park and the alternate days lounging by the pool or doing local things. It was SO nice to have a whole apartment to go back to and get away from disney for awhile. Plus a big money saver as we were able to cook meals if the desire struck.
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greyhoundmom
- Posts: 978
- Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:06 pm
- Location: Columbia South Carolina
We enjoyed the Animal Kingdom Lodge our last three visits. It's not as noisy as the other resorts and seems to be more adult oriented. It's farther away from the parks than the other resorts but the bus service was great.
We loved having the animals right outside our balcony. It was really fun.
I love the feel of this resort. It doesn't feel too Disney. It feels like an adventure.
We saved a lot of $$$ by going in the super low season. The time after Thanksgiving but before Christmas is great. Super low crowds, no wait for rides and the temps are great IMHO.
Like Liamsaunt says, we got into their system and would get codes for discounts.
I've also stayed at the All-Star resorts. If you want to stay on Disney property these are about as inexpensive as you can get. They are fun but they tend to be noisier.
We loved having the animals right outside our balcony. It was really fun.
I love the feel of this resort. It doesn't feel too Disney. It feels like an adventure.
We saved a lot of $$$ by going in the super low season. The time after Thanksgiving but before Christmas is great. Super low crowds, no wait for rides and the temps are great IMHO.
Like Liamsaunt says, we got into their system and would get codes for discounts.
I've also stayed at the All-Star resorts. If you want to stay on Disney property these are about as inexpensive as you can get. They are fun but they tend to be noisier.
*Another fine scatterbrained production
I've stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge three times. It is a little quieter, but the 6 AM stampede still occurs there. And you can still very much hear through the walls. The animal watching from your room is great though, and I like the restaurants there (Jiko and Sanaa, not Boma).
Of all the places I have stayed on Disney property the quietest room was actually at the Polynesian...funny because it has one of the loudest lobbies and probably the most kids! I think the walls must be thicker since it is an older property.
Of all the places I have stayed on Disney property the quietest room was actually at the Polynesian...funny because it has one of the loudest lobbies and probably the most kids! I think the walls must be thicker since it is an older property.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
This is another great web site
http://allears.net/index.html
I also would vote to stay at hotel right outside Epcot at Yacht or Beach Club, we loved Beach club,
Slades of green for service men also great (alot less money)
http://allears.net/index.html
I also would vote to stay at hotel right outside Epcot at Yacht or Beach Club, we loved Beach club,
Slades of green for service men also great (alot less money)
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chicagoans
- Posts: 1586
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:51 pm
- Location: IL
Connie you are a very nice mom! (We brought our kids to Disney about 4 years ago and I think that was enough for all of us. It's just not our thang.) Maybe because we went between Christmas and New Years, but it was crowded and full of people yelling at their kids. It helps to be patient and figure out the Speed Pass thing.
Anyway, we stayed at an OK condo off property, so we could leave and hang out at the pool when the crowds got to us. It also gave us the option of making breakfast and a few dinners ourselves to save some money. Meals at the park are really pricey. Also to save money we got a Park Hoppers pass (or some such name) that we could use in any park for 4 days.
Hopefully the time of year and the economy will mean fewer crowds and better prices for you.
Anyway, we stayed at an OK condo off property, so we could leave and hang out at the pool when the crowds got to us. It also gave us the option of making breakfast and a few dinners ourselves to save some money. Meals at the park are really pricey. Also to save money we got a Park Hoppers pass (or some such name) that we could use in any park for 4 days.
Hopefully the time of year and the economy will mean fewer crowds and better prices for you.
Connie - I asked how many people in your group, because you can rent points from DVC (Disney Vacation Club) owners. You can save a substantial amount of money this way, especially as you get closer to your dates. Many people simply can't use their points in a given year, and thus are willing to "rent" them to you for your week.
An example:
You rent from a DVC owner 220 points @ $8.00/per point...Which works out to $1760 for the week for a 1 bedroom suite at the Wilderness Lodge.
If you didn't want to spend the extra $$ on the suite, you can rent 105 points @ $8.00/per point...which works out to $840.00 for the week for a "studio" that sleeps 4 at the Wilderness Lodge.
CHEAP!
Here are a couple of links:
To rent DVC points: http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.p ... rune=&f=29
Link to the 2010 point chart for Wilderness Lodge (if you wish a different property, just go back a page and click the one you want): http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation- ... ints.shtml
For what it's worth, my favorite resorts that we have stayed in, ranked:
1. Wilderness Lodge (great theme, great pool, decent marina for boat rental, boat launch to MK and Fort Wilderness...Also, you can take the boat over to the Contemporary, head up to the 4th floor, take the escalator up to the monorail...Take that to the TTC (ticket transp center), and jump on another monorail to EPCOT if you wish)
2. Polynesian (classic...right on the monorail, so ease of transportation...can also walk to TTC for easy access to EPCOT monorail...all rooms recently rehabbed)...Here's a great site if you're interested in learning more about the Poly http://www.tikimanpages.com/tiki/
3. Port Orleans (Riverside & French Quarter)...HUGE resort, and if it was situated on the monorail, it would be a premium resort...If you're thinking about staying at say, Caribbean Beach Resort, do yourself a favor and stay here instead.
Of course, if you really want to give your daughter the "princess treatment", you can stay at the Grand Floridian.
Oh, and the other thing about renting the points that you should know is that you won't be able to do a "package" that includes park hopper passes...You will have to buy those separately...I also think you might be able to work that out with the people from whom you are renting the points.
Have fun!
An example:
You rent from a DVC owner 220 points @ $8.00/per point...Which works out to $1760 for the week for a 1 bedroom suite at the Wilderness Lodge.
If you didn't want to spend the extra $$ on the suite, you can rent 105 points @ $8.00/per point...which works out to $840.00 for the week for a "studio" that sleeps 4 at the Wilderness Lodge.
CHEAP!
Here are a couple of links:
To rent DVC points: http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.p ... rune=&f=29
Link to the 2010 point chart for Wilderness Lodge (if you wish a different property, just go back a page and click the one you want): http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation- ... ints.shtml
For what it's worth, my favorite resorts that we have stayed in, ranked:
1. Wilderness Lodge (great theme, great pool, decent marina for boat rental, boat launch to MK and Fort Wilderness...Also, you can take the boat over to the Contemporary, head up to the 4th floor, take the escalator up to the monorail...Take that to the TTC (ticket transp center), and jump on another monorail to EPCOT if you wish)
2. Polynesian (classic...right on the monorail, so ease of transportation...can also walk to TTC for easy access to EPCOT monorail...all rooms recently rehabbed)...Here's a great site if you're interested in learning more about the Poly http://www.tikimanpages.com/tiki/
3. Port Orleans (Riverside & French Quarter)...HUGE resort, and if it was situated on the monorail, it would be a premium resort...If you're thinking about staying at say, Caribbean Beach Resort, do yourself a favor and stay here instead.
Of course, if you really want to give your daughter the "princess treatment", you can stay at the Grand Floridian.
Oh, and the other thing about renting the points that you should know is that you won't be able to do a "package" that includes park hopper passes...You will have to buy those separately...I also think you might be able to work that out with the people from whom you are renting the points.
Have fun!
July 2003 - Honeymoon at The Westin
July 2004 - Glenmar, Gifft Hill
July 2005 - Arco Iris, Fish Bay
December 2007 - Dreamcatcher, GCB
July 2008 - Ellison Villa, VGE
July 2004 - Glenmar, Gifft Hill
July 2005 - Arco Iris, Fish Bay
December 2007 - Dreamcatcher, GCB
July 2008 - Ellison Villa, VGE
Kissimee is a good location to stay in for inexpensive hotels. It's close and I actually advise renting a car. Drive to one of the main parking areas in Disney and with a hopper pass you should be able to use the shuttle for free. I personally think that "on site" resorts are trickey. Many have become dated and some are no better than a Motel 8. You are really better off staying off site. Food on site is overrated and pricey. Enjoy what you are going there for...the technology of the rides and displays...or for your daughter's sake...The Magic.
We have been 3 times (once after it had just opened...that dates me!) and were very glad that we had a car as that made us mobile to get to grocery stores, off sites restaurants (which are cheaper) and other things to see around the area. The one on site we did stay at 10 years ago was the Caribbean Beach Resort. Spread out and not so noisy, great pools and fun shopping & restaurants. Less expensive also.
Just a thought. Have a blast!
We have been 3 times (once after it had just opened...that dates me!) and were very glad that we had a car as that made us mobile to get to grocery stores, off sites restaurants (which are cheaper) and other things to see around the area. The one on site we did stay at 10 years ago was the Caribbean Beach Resort. Spread out and not so noisy, great pools and fun shopping & restaurants. Less expensive also.
Just a thought. Have a blast!
Last edited by Terry on Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
... stayed at the Swan a few years ago. These two hotels, located beside each other, are part of Disney World and there is complimentary Disney transportation.SJfromNJ wrote:Has anyone stayed at the Swan or Dolphin? Since they are not "Disney" hotels, I wonder if they are better/same/worse. Starwood quality is usually decent. Can you use the Disney busses to get to the parks and back?
... no longer a stranger to paradise
Thanks everybody for all your great suggestions! I'm going to print out and check out all your ideas.
I really wish she would just rather go back to the Islands. She's a beach person too, but she really has this in her head.
It's really about making her happy for a short while, since she has been through so much and hasn't made much progress. She's my only daughter and we just try to do what she wants to do...when she wants to do it. Hopefully, she'll get through this tough time in her life and move on. That's all I want for her...to be happy.
Thank you!
I really wish she would just rather go back to the Islands. She's a beach person too, but she really has this in her head.
It's really about making her happy for a short while, since she has been through so much and hasn't made much progress. She's my only daughter and we just try to do what she wants to do...when she wants to do it. Hopefully, she'll get through this tough time in her life and move on. That's all I want for her...to be happy.
Thank you!
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
SJfromNJ re Swan/Dolphin...
Have been to Disney several times, and recently stayed at the Dolphin for a conference...
Yes, it is more of a hotel feel with the elevators and lobbies, not the disney resort feel...
They have a nice outdoor pool area, not huge compared to the hotel size, but with many people there for conferences it wasn't that busy.
Yes, you have the transportation convenience. Buses to the parks, downtown disney, etc. There is also boat transportation that rotates between Epcot, Yacht/Beach club, Boardwalk, Swan/dolphin, and the studio park (hollywood?, used to be MGM but I haven't been in that park in ages). We walked to Boardwalk and Epcot, and I understand you can to the studios but it's a little farther. The fairways mini golf is walkable, too. Could step out on the balcony and watch Illuminations, which was nice - depends on your room location, though! I do recall that you can't use your room key to charge at disney stores and parks.
It is less expensive than the deluxe resorts it is near, and they run specials at times with so many rooms to fill, including a teacher special which might come in handy for some.
Overall, while we enjoyed the Poly and the Y/B Club better, we felt it was a good bang for the buck and would consider it for a future stay when we are paying. It would depend on the circumstances, time of year, who we had with us, how flush we're feeling, etc.
If you want a Magic Kingdom accessible park, it's not as good as the monorail resorts, but they still get you there pretty quick, and the bus drops you off at the ticket entrance, not the TTC where you have to take the boat or the ferry.
That's pretty much a core dump, I'll try to answer any other questions if you have them, but you can probably find better details on a site like allears.
Have been to Disney several times, and recently stayed at the Dolphin for a conference...
Yes, it is more of a hotel feel with the elevators and lobbies, not the disney resort feel...
They have a nice outdoor pool area, not huge compared to the hotel size, but with many people there for conferences it wasn't that busy.
Yes, you have the transportation convenience. Buses to the parks, downtown disney, etc. There is also boat transportation that rotates between Epcot, Yacht/Beach club, Boardwalk, Swan/dolphin, and the studio park (hollywood?, used to be MGM but I haven't been in that park in ages). We walked to Boardwalk and Epcot, and I understand you can to the studios but it's a little farther. The fairways mini golf is walkable, too. Could step out on the balcony and watch Illuminations, which was nice - depends on your room location, though! I do recall that you can't use your room key to charge at disney stores and parks.
It is less expensive than the deluxe resorts it is near, and they run specials at times with so many rooms to fill, including a teacher special which might come in handy for some.
Overall, while we enjoyed the Poly and the Y/B Club better, we felt it was a good bang for the buck and would consider it for a future stay when we are paying. It would depend on the circumstances, time of year, who we had with us, how flush we're feeling, etc.
If you want a Magic Kingdom accessible park, it's not as good as the monorail resorts, but they still get you there pretty quick, and the bus drops you off at the ticket entrance, not the TTC where you have to take the boat or the ferry.
That's pretty much a core dump, I'll try to answer any other questions if you have them, but you can probably find better details on a site like allears.