Has anyone stayed at these Disney properties?

[besroma]

I really appreciateall of the Disney advice on the threads!

 

**We have decided to stay at an on-site property at Disney and get the free the dining plan.**

 

We will be getting two rooms. Grandparents will be along, and children from age 1 to 10.

 

What is important to us: Clean, good bus transportation (I have read some locations are better than others for this), fun pool, and would like it to be close to Epcot, as that is likely where we will spend most of our time....probably 1-2 days in MK.

 

We will probably spend most of our time in the parks, so having a large room to relax in is not important....just comfortable, clean, and adequate room size (versus spacious).

 

We are trying to decide between:

 

Port Orleans Riverside

 

Port Orleans French Quarter

 

Coronado Springs

 

Caribbean Beach

 

POP

Edited June 28, 2012 by besroma

[catz]

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside last fall. I was not impressed. It was a LONG walk to anything from where we were. Our room smelled musty and was small and dark. There was no wireless (this may be true at all Disney resorts), and the land line hook up did not work in our room. I wasn't a huge fan of the food service there either. The whole thing felt like herding cattle to me. We were on a 2+ week road trip, and honestly it was the worst room we stayed in.

 

When we were there, they were remodeling so if you do stay there ask if you can have one of the remodeled rooms and maybe you'll avoid some of the issues we had there. If you're driving in, you may want to ask for a room closer to the parking lot too. Every time we wanted to walk to our car from our room it was a good 10 minutes with the kids.

 

Sorry to be a downer! Maybe someone else will have a better review on Riverside than me. :001_smile:

 

ETA - on the upside, the pools were nice and there were many to chose from! There was also a playground available.

Edited June 28, 2012 by kck

[itsheresomewhere]

It might be cheaper to rent a DVC from someone than to pay for 2 rooms. You would also get a kitchen and washer and dryer. PM if you want details. Port Orleans is very nice.

[Samiam]

I agree, rent a house....check out VRBO.com.......so much cheaper you can afford to rent a car...and eat off-property or cook, have a private pool, etc.

 

POP is simple a hotel room, albeit a Disney one. That would be my very last option for a group that size. All going to be split up in different rooms, no cooking/kitchen facilitities....food expense eating out 3 meals a day...ginormouse :D!

[yobella]

I've stayed at Coronado Springs and enjoyed it much more than the Pop one we stayed at. Room was bigger at Coronado and it had a fridge. It had 2 pools one of which had a water slide. There was a bit of a hike to the main lobby and restaurants.

 

Pop All-Star Movies was okay. The room was smaller but the pool is nice and close the the restaurant. I think they also showed a movie at night by the pool.

[besroma]

I agree, rent a house....check out VRBO.com.......so much cheaper you can afford to rent a car...and eat off-property or cook, have a private pool, etc.

 

POP is simple a hotel room, albeit a Disney one. That would be my very last option for a group that size. All going to be split up in different rooms, no cooking/kitchen facilitities....food expense eating out 3 meals a day...ginormouse :D!

 

 

Thanks for posting. We have done this (the condo) many times, and want to stay at Disney this time. We have a PIN for free dining. :D

[itsheresomewhere]

Thanks for posting. We have done this (the condo) many times, and want to stay at Disney this time. We have a PIN for free dining. :D

 

DVC is disney property . You would stay in a villa at Old Key West, Animal Kindgom Villas, Beach Club Villas, Wilderness Lodge Villas, Boardwalk Villas or the Bay Lake villas. It can be cheaper doing this way then free dining.

[sagira]

We stayed at the Caribbean Beach a long time ago (when I was 16, hehe), and we enjoyed it very much. My absolute favorite place to stay in Disney, though, is Animal Kingdom Lodge. My dh wants to take a break from driving (we drive to Disney) so he enjoys staying at a Disney resort, with the shuttles and all. At Animal Kingdom Lodge you can see the animals right at your balcony and sample scrumptious African food at the Boma restaurant downstairs.. Aaahhh.. Good times. We'll go there again in a year or two probably.

 

The French Quarter has amazing beignets - yum!

[kokotg]

One thing to think about w/ pop is that the free dining that comes with values is the quick service plan. If you don't want fast food for every meal, you have to pay to upgrade, which really cuts into the price difference between a value and a moderate

[jenn-]

It might be cheaper to rent a DVC from someone than to pay for 2 rooms. You would also get a kitchen and washer and dryer. PM if you want details. Port Orleans is very nice.

 

Just a warning, if you stay on DVC points, you cannot get free dining.

[itsheresomewhere]

Just a warning, if you stay on DVC points, you cannot get free dining.

 

Paying for the dining plan and renting DVC is cheaper than free dining in most cases.

[trinchick]

We stayed at POP last year during free dining and had a great time. We decided to stay at the value resort and upgrade the dining plan to Deluxe Dining, so that we got three meals a day plus two snacks. We love character meals, and DH is never one to settle for a muffin for breakfast, so this was the best plan for us. It worked out really well. Some thoughts about POP:

 

The Good

Buses are not shared, so we were able to go directly to each park without picking up passengers at other resorts. That said, I think if I had it to do over, I'd rent a car, because the buses are long, crowded, and inconvenient, even though direct.

 

Huge pools that the kids really enjoyed.

 

Spotlessly clean.

 

The Bad

Our room was very small. We had DH, myself, and two small kids (at the time 6 and under 1), and it was TIGHT. There is no real closet to speak of and hardly any drawer space.

 

The food court was pure chaos in the morning. By being there during free dining, everyone was on the plan, so the place was packed and CRAZY. Hard to find a table, extremely noisy, not relaxing at all. And the food was just so-so. We usually ended up taking our breakfast outside to eat by the pool. And only one cup of coffee since I wasn't willing to brave the crowds for a refill.

 

The resort is so huge, so if you forgot something in the room it was a 15-minute round-trip trek to go get it.

 

Overall, I think I'd only ever stay on the property again during free dining. We really do looove the character meals, and they make it worthwhile. Otherwise, I'd go the condo route, as it sounds like you've done in the past.

 

One thing to keep in mind is how very dependent you are on the bus system. For instance, we hated the food court for breakfast, but our only other options were to eat at the park (and miss out on the good, low-crowd times) or to take two buses or monorail to another resort (to a park and then back out to a resort), which would have been completely impractical. I highly recommend renting a car. By staying on the property, you get free parking at all of the parks, which is a nice bonus.

[besroma]

DVC is disney property . You would stay in a villa at Old Key West, Animal Kindgom Villas, Beach Club Villas, Wilderness Lodge Villas, Boardwalk Villas or the Bay Lake villas. It can be cheaper doing this way then free dining.

 

Yes, thanks. I was referring to the non-DVC condo recommendation.

 

I will definitely look at this!

[HSmomNY]

We have stayed at both POP and POFQ.

We love POFQ it is our favorite resort, small quiet good buses, great pool. Cons- the food is not good.

 

POP - pros - cheap,

Cons- long bus rides, very, very loud cafeteria, long walks to and from buses

 

Have you thought about renting DVC point and staying at a villa? Or the family suits are AOA.

[edithcrawley]

Port Orleans French Quarter--my favorite of the ones you've listed. It is a smaller resort, still plenty of room, but a short walk to the bus stop. The food court is quite nice.

 

Coronado Springs--too much walking to get to the hotel room and back to the bus stop. Not as a fun of a hotel, the pool is nice but this hotel is really set up for conventions and that kind of thing. Also the food court here is a bit odd.

 

Caribbean Beach--Liked the beaches quite a bit, moderate amount of walking to the room (it depends on which island you're assigned).

[Jennifer in MI]

We stayed at POR and have LOVED IT!!!! They just totally renovated all the rooms and the lobby. (They had a musty smell before they did the renovations.) We loved the outdoors. It was gorgeous! The pools are amazing - especially on the island.

 

We found the bus system to be fine.

 

I can send you pictures if you'd like!

[Dmmetler]

I love Port Orleans, both riverside and french quarter. Port Orleans French Quarter has one of my favorite quick service options for food (New Orleans Cuisine), and they have a great pool. Since you get access to both parts if you stay in either, both work well. My DD is a princess Tiana nut, and last time we stayed there was right after Princess and the Frog opened and the whole Port Orleans resort was fully Tiana-ized. I'm not sure if it still is, but it was a highlight of the trip for her.

[oldskool]

We stayed at Coronado Springs last summer over the 4th. I loved it! After being at Disney all day it was really nice to come back to a hotel that was subtly decorated and soothing. It is an absolutely beautiful resort and makes you feel like you are in a luxury setting. The pools are great and the food options are pretty good. I know that many people don't like that it is very large and spread out, but if you can stay in a Cabana next to the main pool you will be close to the main building. Also, they have shuttle stations at many points around the resort area, so you really don't have to walk if you don't want to. I highly recommend it!

[GoodGrief]

We have stayed at POR. ( We are regular Disney visitors, with 6 trips in the last 5 years.) It has the best quick service food court on property, and that includes the deluxe properties (which tend to have very limited quick serve options.) Fantastic pasta and salads. I actually went there this past trip just to eat at their food court, though we were staying elsewhere.

 

The room was smallish, but all Disney rooms are smallish, including those in the Deluxe resorts. I still consider it a great value for the lOcation, access to EXtra Magic Hours, and transportation.

 

We have military benefits, so my fave place to stay is Shades of Green. If money were no object, I'd go Beach Club. I liked Animal Kingdom Lodge a lot, but would return to Port Orleans before doing AKL again, because of the food court! I would consider Pop, but would pay extra for a fridge in the room.

 

They do have free wireless at POR now.

 

Check out http://www.disboards.com. That is the place to go to have all your Disney questions answered :-)

[Tmhearn]

First, let me address your financial considerations: Since you didn't include many details, I made a few assumptions - 4 adults, 1 child 10 and over, 2 children ages 3-9, and 1 infant under 3 for 5 nights during the Value season. I just wanted to give you a comparison since so many people were suggesting the DVC option.

 

Renting 2 value rooms and upgrading the meal plan to the regular dining will cost you $1124.

 

Renting 2 moderate rooms (assuming a standard room) with the free meal plan will cost you $1845.

 

Renting a DVC from an owner typically costs about $10/point.

You will then take the responsibility for any background checks, etc. that you need to do to ensure your transaction is legit.

 

Renting a DVC from a broker (like Dave's) will cost about $13/point. The broker takes on the responsibility of background checks, etc. for you.

 

Points for renting a 2 bedroom at a few of the resorts for 5 nights during the value season are as follows:

 

Animal Kingdom Villas: 150

Old Key West: 185

Boardwalk Villas: 190

Bay Lake Villas: 215

 

You can add the dining plan at $51.54 per adult per night or $15.02 per child (ages 3-9) per night.

 

As you can see, that is about $1400 just for the meals. The hotel would be another $1500-$2150 renting from an owner or $1950 - $2800 renting from a broker.

 

Lest you think I am a crazy person for figuring all this out... We have been to Disney about 7 times in the past 6 years. So, I have done this math A LOT. (You can check out www.mousesavers.com for any of the numbers I used if you want to recalculate for yourself.)

 

Now to the hotels...

 

I have not stayed at Pop Century - no help there. I have stayed at All Stars Movies and Sports. The All Stars do fit the bill for what you described, except the bus service can be a little slow. The bigger issue we have had when staying at the Values is that there are often large youth groups there, which can get crowded and noisy at the pools and food courts.

 

I have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, Caribbean Beach, and Coronado Springs (but not French Quarter). One consideration is that you can take a boat from PO to Downtown Disney on the river (or to PO French Quarter). DD has shopping and restaurants, so it is something fun to do in the evening. (For example, on a day that you visit AK, because the park closes early.) Really the resorts are comparable, other than that. The rooms are similar. The food court is setup a bit different at Coronado, as someone else mentioned. Caribbean and Coronado have lakes with beaches. No swimming at the beaches, but the kids can play in the sand and adults can relax on hammocks.

 

Hope this helps!

[DianeW88]

Ok, here you go:

 

We have stayed at Pop and love it. You could probably get both rooms for less than $400 per night. They will charge you rack rate if you have free dining, so that is going to make your room costs higher. Quite frankly, I never do free dining, because I can get a better room discount and save more money on my vacation when free dining is not the offered discount. Last vacation we stayed at POP for $82 per night per room. You will be paying anywhere from $134-$149 per room per night for a standard room on a weekday, and from $159-$174 per room per night for a preferred view. I do NOT recommend a standard room at Pop. They are far away from the main hall and transportation and the noise level can be loud...especially at night when you're trying to sleep. We always get a preferred room, sixties building, NON-POOL view. The pools are open 24/7 at Disney and you don't want to try and sleep through the 2 AM teen pool party.

 

Having said that...we love Pop! Easy transportation, great food court, fun theming, nice pools. Going during free dining will guarantee that all the food places will be crowded...just part of the deal. Buses are always standing room only...again, just the way it goes.

 

Port Orleans is also a wonderful resort. They've just remodeled and it's all brand spanking new. It's lots of people's favorite resort, and for good reason. Their pool is fabulous! Food court, I thought, was ok. I loved the beignets! Buses were ok, but there were a couple of stops, if I remember correctly. If you bring your own car, you can avoid that, but I don't like the whole parking lot/tram thing, so we just use the WDW transportation and make the best of it. Again, rack room rates for POR will be from $190-$215 per room, per night for weekdays, and $205-$230 per room, per night for weekends. FWIW, I prefer French Quarter to Riverside at POR.

 

Coronado Springs is a convention resort, and so you will have lots of business folk staying there. I have felt a little less of a "family vibe" there than at the other resorts, but some folks don't mind that. Pool is fun with the Mayan ruins theme, but the food situation was just ok to me. Pepper Market is their main "quick service", and I wasn't all that wowed by it. Rates are $190-$1130 per room, per night for weekdays and from $210-$1190 per room, per night for weekends. Coronado Springs does offer suites (which is why the upper end of the room prices is so high). Bus service was pretty good there, but it is a bit of a sprawling resort, so it takes some time to cover it all. There were lots of stops within the resort.

 

Carribean Beach is a great resort for families! You can book a pirate themed room there now. Those are in the furthest building from the main hall, so do that only if you don't mind the walk. The pool is lots of fun there, the food court is meh. I did like the sandy beach aspect of the resort...that was fun. Rates are from $190-$245 per room, per night on weekdays, and from $205-$260 per room, per night for weekends. Buses took FOREVER there.

 

Remember that a Disney weekend rate is for Friday and Saturday nights, not Saturday and Sunday night. These rates are summer season rates, so if you're vacation is after Labor Day, the rates will be different.

 

You can rent DVC points and stay at a fabulous resort, but there's no free dining. Like I said, I don't think free dining is that much of a bargain, when compared to the room discounts you can get. You might want to price it out and see which option actually saves you the most money. The restaurants will be PACKED during free dining, which is another reason we don't use it. I honestly think the food quality and the service suffers some as well. Just my opinion, obviously, loads of people love free dining and use it all the time.

 

Also, the free dining is different depending on whether you're staying at a value or moderate resort. I don't like the Quick Service only dining plan, so if I were staying at a value resort during free dining, I would pay to upgrade to the regular dining plan. I love my table service meals there!

Edited June 28, 2012 by DianeW88

[Hedgehogs4]

We stayed in the cabins and that was fantastic. Good bus service to the parks and a pool close by, as well as the Hoop de Doo Review, which is a must-do while you are there.

[besroma]

Thanks for all of the suggestions!!

 

It is so helpful! :001_smile:

[5kidsforME]

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside last fall. I was not impressed. It was a LONG walk to anything from where we were. Our room smelled musty and was small and dark. There was no wireless (this may be true at all Disney resorts), and the land line hook up did not work in our room. I wasn't a huge fan of the food service there either. The whole thing felt like herding cattle to me. We were on a 2+ week road trip, and honestly it was the worst room we stayed in.

 

When we were there, they were remodeling so if you do stay there ask if you can have one of the remodeled rooms and maybe you'll avoid some of the issues we had there. If you're driving in, you may want to ask for a room closer to the parking lot too. Every time we wanted to walk to our car from our room it was a good 10 minutes with the kids.

 

Sorry to be a downer! Maybe someone else will have a better review on Riverside than me. :001_smile:

 

ETA - on the upside, the pools were nice and there were many to chose from! There was also a playground available.

 

 

We loved POR. We stayed in building 14 which is right next to the main building/food court. None of the Disney properties had wireless until ery recently. We loved the food service too. It is known to be one of the best food courts on Disney property.

[besroma]

We stayed at POR and have LOVED IT!!!! They just totally renovated all the rooms and the lobby. (They had a musty smell before they did the renovations.) We loved the outdoors. It was gorgeous! The pools are amazing - especially on the island.

 

We found the bus system to be fine.

 

I can send you pictures if you'd like!

 

 

Did you stay in the royal rooms?

[besroma]

We have stayed at POR. ( We are regular Disney visitors, with 6 trips in the last 5 years.) It has the best quick service food court on property, and that includes the deluxe properties (which tend to have very limited quick serve options.) Fantastic pasta and salads. I actually went there this past trip just to eat at their food court, though we were staying elsewhere.

 

The room was smallish, but all Disney rooms are smallish, including those in the Deluxe resorts. I still consider it a great value for the lOcation, access to EXtra Magic Hours, and transportation.

 

We have military benefits, so my fave place to stay is Shades of Green. If money were no object, I'd go Beach Club. I liked Animal Kingdom Lodge a lot, but would return to Port Orleans before doing AKL again, because of the food court! I would consider Pop, but would pay extra for a fridge in the room.

 

They do have free wireless at POR now.

 

Check out www.disboards.com. That is the place to go to have all your Disney questions answered :-)

 

I was a bit confused by the red thumbs down sign....I thought you were going to say that you did not like POR, but it seems that you do?

 

I'm asking because some people rave about POR and some don't want to go back there. I am hoping the people who didn't like it are speaking of the resort pre-renovation.

[besroma]

First, let me address your financial considerations: Since you didn't include many details, I made a few assumptions - 4 adults, 1 child 10 and over, 2 children ages 3-9, and 1 infant under 3 for 5 nights during the Value season. I just wanted to give you a comparison since so many people were suggesting the DVC option.

 

Lest you think I am a crazy person for figuring all this out... We have been to Disney about 7 times in the past 6 years. So, I have done this math A LOT. (You can check out www.mousesavers.com for any of the numbers I used if you want to recalculate for yourself.)

 

Hope this helps!

 

Wow, you were really close on the number and ages in our group! ;)

 

I don't think you are crazy....I am doing the same thing, but my head is getting dizzy from all of the numbers, so I really appreciate the help.

[Jennifer in MI]

 

Renting 2 moderate rooms (assuming a standard room) with the free meal plan will cost you $1845.

 

Renting a DVC from an owner typically costs about $10/point.

You w!

 

I don't know if it matters, but you can stay in POR with five people in one room. AND, it is in the rooms closest to the bus stops and the lobby!!!!

 

Did you stay in the royal rooms?

 

I WISH!!! Those rooms only sleep 4! I'd book those in a heartbeat though! My dd would just love it!!!!

 

ETA: OP - how old are your kids? How many are there?

[besroma]

Ok, here you go:

 

We have stayed at Pop and love it. You could probably get both rooms for less than $400 per night. They will charge you rack rate if you have free dining, so that is going to make your room costs higher. Quite frankly, I never do free dining, because I can get a better room discount and save more money on my vacation when free dining is not the offered discount.

 

Having said that...we love Pop! Easy transportation, great food court, fun theming, nice pools. Going during free dining will guarantee that all the food places will be crowded...just part of the deal. Buses are always standing room only.

 

You can rent DVC points and stay at a fabulous resort, but there's no free dining. Like I said, I don't think free dining is that much of a bargain, when compared to the room discounts you can get. You might want to price it out and see which option actually saves you the most money. The restaurants will be PACKED during free dining, which is another reason we don't use it. I honestly think the food quality and the service suffers some as well. Just my opinion, obviously, loads of people love free dining and use it all the time.

 

Also, the free dining is different depending on whether you're staying at a value or moderate resort. I don't like the Quick Service only dining plan, so if I were staying at a value resort during free dining, I would pay to upgrade to the regular dining plan. I love my table service meals there!

 

We are planning our trip in October. I am similar to you in that I do not want to cook on this trip. I did that last time and it is a lot of work and not much of a vacation by the time we get back from the park, cook dinner, clean up and put the kids in bed.

 

I think the only block during October that is not free dining is the 5th through the 10th, though people could arrive on the 4th and stay through that week and use the free dining.

 

We don't like to go when it is busy or hot, which is one reason we chose October.

 

Our other PIN is for 20% off value resorts and 25% off moderate (I think), which we could use the last week of Sept. , but it seemed like the free dining was the better deal. :confused:

 

When do you find is the best time to go to get a good deal on the rooms but avoid the crowds?

 

If we do not do the dining plan, we could rent the DVC points and buy YES tickets.

[besroma]

I don't know if it matters, but you can stay in POR with five people in one room. AND, it is in the rooms closest to the bus stops and the lobby!!!!

 

 

 

I WISH!!! Those rooms only sleep 4! I'd book those in a heartbeat though! My dd would just love it!!!!

 

ETA: OP - how old are your kids? How many are there?

 

We have five, ranging ages 10 to 1. DD1 sleeps in the bed with us, but I am guessing they would count her as #5 and not let us rent a room with a max. of 5.

 

Do you make your reservations online, or on the phone?

[besroma]

We stayed in the cabins and that was fantastic. Good bus service to the parks and a pool close by, as well as the Hoop de Doo Review, which is a must-do while you are there.

 

The cabins do look really nice. We definitely want to do the Hoop de Doo Review!

[Jennifer in MI]

We have five, ranging ages 10 to 1. DD1 sleeps in the bed with us, but I am guessing they would count her as #5 and not let us rent a room with a max. of 5.

 

Do you make your reservations online, or on the phone?

 

We always call. I like the human on the other end of the line confirming my reservation!

[Jennifer in MI]

We have five, ranging ages 10 to 1. DD1 sleeps in the bed with us, but I am guessing they would count her as #5 and not let us rent a room with a max. of 5.

 

Do you make your reservations online, or on the phone?

 

I THINK they don't count the infant in the room count. Call and ask though. I remember one of our trips we specifically went with that in mind and we slept 6 in our room that officially slept 5.

[besroma]

I THINK they don't count the infant in the room count. Call and ask though. I remember one of our trips we specifically went with that in mind and we slept 6 in our room that officially slept 5.

 

 

You're right. I checked that.

 

I think the Little Mermaid rooms will be open then at AoA, so I think those are a possibility. Any thoughts on those?

[katilac]

We love POP Century. It has a great food court and shopping area, nice pools, fun rooms. It has its own bus. We've been 5 times with free dining, at various times of the year, and the only time the bus was consistently very crowded was late summer. Otherwise, we only had a few times of standing, generally upon park closing (and you could wait 10 minutes for the next bus if you preferred). I know that some people complain about the long walk to the bus from the room (depending on where you are), but that has never bothered us. Maybe it depends on if you are used to walking or not? We walk all day at the parks anyway! POP is closest to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.

 

Even with older kids now, we prefer a 'fun' themed resort!

 

We have never paid rack rate in order to get free dining, never.

 

I don't consider the quick service plan to be "only fast food." At some places, the only reason it's not table service is b/c you walk up to order and grab your tray, as opposed to them taking your order and delivering it. You can get stuff like rotisserie chicken, salads, ribs, and so on. Particularly at EPCOT, there is a good variety of quick service. You can see which restaurants are included and google their menus for an idea.

 

Edited to add that we have done both table service and quick service dining, and enjoyed both. It looks like you have fairly young kids, so I would consider upgrading to table service, because the character meals are tons of fun! And they have lots of other good restaurants as well, non-character, that appeal to kids and adults alike. It does take more time to eat, but the meal is part of the Disney experience. On our next visit, we are going to go ahead and pay for table service again; we haven't had it for a few years.

Edited June 29, 2012 by katilac

[katilac]

Yet another thought: if you don't have it, consider getting the Disney rewards card. You can earn Disney points to spend at Disney (and there is usually a $50 or so premium for signing up), cardholders get special offers like free dining before they are published, and you get some little bonuses like free

5x7 photos with certain characters, etc.

[tarahillmom]

It depends on what your priorities are...if you aren't going to be spending time at the resort and you don't mind lots of kids running eveywhere the value resorts will work for you. They are clean and very kid friendly. The rooms are a bit smaller, but it is not that big of difference.

 

The moderate resorts are fantastic if you plan on spending time there. The pools are better, they are much prettier. That being said Coronado Springs and Carribean are sprawling resorts. Bus stops are close to rooms, but dining options may be more than 10 minute walk. So if you want to be close to dining you need to make sure that is part of your reservation. These tend to be quieter resorts, but still have lots of school groups and kids. Coronado does have a conference center on property and tends to be a little quieter. This is my favorite pool area (including the deluxe resorts). POR is smaller and just as pretty.

 

I have found that Disney transportation is the fastest. Although it may feel like forever, if you actually clock it usually you end up at the park the quickest. One of my tricks is be flexible. My kids favorite game was park roulette, whatever bus showed up first was were we went for the morning.

 

Have a great time, no matter where you end up you will love it!!!

[DianeW88]

You're right. I checked that.

 

I think the Little Mermaid rooms will be open then at AoA, so I think those are a possibility. Any thoughts on those?

 

Little Mermaid would be great! Disney does not count infants in the room, so you'd be fine. And honestly, two value rooms are plenty big...plus, you're not going to be in them that much. You may have trouble making a reservation at Little Mermaid (very popular), but if you hurry, you may get lucky.

 

I did hear that free dining was not available if you were staying at Art of Animation for part of the free dining window, so check on that before you book. Also, the Little Mermaid rooms are the furthest away from the main hall, so expect about a ten minute walk from the bus stop to your room.

 

October is a great month to visit, but don't expect low crowds. The marathon is the first weekend, I think, and then there's the Food and Wine Festival, which draws huge crowds (to Epcot mostly, but you'll see the residual effects in other parks) and the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party begins in early October and goes through to the end (held in Magic Kingdom). It's really fun, but it does draw crowds to the parks. Also, the 30th anniversary of Epcot is this October, so expect extra celebrations (and crowds) at WDW in general. Sadly, October is no longer the sleeper month it used to be.

 

Here's a link to an October 2012 crowd calendar (with park recommendations each day). The guy who runs this site is hysterical and I really love how thorough he is. Take his advice...it's great! http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/10-october-2012-crowd-calendar/

[besroma]

Little Mermaid would be great! Disney does not count infants in the room, so you'd be fine. And honestly, two value rooms are plenty big...plus, you're not going to be in them that much. You may have trouble making a reservation at Little Mermaid (very popular), but if you hurry, you may get lucky.

 

I did hear that free dining was not available if you were staying at Art of Animation for part of the free dining window, so check on that before you book. Also, the Little Mermaid rooms are the furthest away from the main hall, so expect about a ten minute walk from the bus stop to your room.

 

October is a great month to visit, but don't expect low crowds. The marathon is the first weekend, I think, and then there's the Food and Wine Festival, which draws huge crowds (to Epcot mostly, but you'll see the residual effects in other parks) and the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party begins in early October and goes through to the end (held in Magic Kingdom). It's really fun, but it does draw crowds to the parks. Also, the 30th anniversary of Epcot is this October, so expect extra celebrations (and crowds) at WDW in general. Sadly, October is no longer the sleeper month it used to be.

 

Here's a link to an October 2012 crowd calendar (with park recommendations each day). The guy who runs this site is hysterical and I really love how thorough he is. Take his advice...it's great! http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/10-october-2012-crowd-calendar/

 

Thanks so much!

 

Ok, now I am excited. I was able to book two Little Mermaid rooms during the free dining plan. It is during the last week of October....that's all I could get. I know it will be busier, but we will just try to avoid the celebrations by going to the other parks.

 

I'm also going to keep calling back to see if we can move it to the week before, which is our preferred week.

 

Now, any recommendations regarding base ticket vs. Park Hopper vs. Premium? We usually just buy the base ticket and stay in the same park all day.

[DawnM]

Here is an article about "free" dining.

 

http://www.disneytouristblog.com/free-dining-plan-2011-2012-cost-reviews-disney-world/

[DianeW88]

Thanks so much!

 

Ok, now I am excited. I was able to book two Little Mermaid rooms during the free dining plan. It is during the last week of October....that's all I could get. I know it will be busier, but we will just try to avoid the celebrations by going to the other parks.

 

I'm also going to keep calling back to see if we can move it to the week before, which is our preferred week.

 

Now, any recommendations regarding base ticket vs. Park Hopper vs. Premium? We usually just buy the base ticket and stay in the same park all day.

 

You can always add the park hopper option when you get there if you find you need it. We don't add it when we book our trip, but if we find we want it when we're there, we just add it then.

 

You might want to look into attending Mickey's Halloween party. It's lots of fun and your kiddos can Trick or Treat in the Magic Kingdom. Can't beat that!

 

Here is an article about "free" dining.

 

http://www.disneytouristblog.com/free-dining-plan-2011-2012-cost-reviews-disney-world/

 

It's definitely not the best discount available. I found I always save more money with room and/or package deals that don't include free dining. In fact, I refuse to go during free dining at all. But I know other people who love it and won't go unless they DO get free dining. A million ways to do Disney...as always. :D

[Jennifer in MI]

I don't know what we do differently to make Free Dining work best for us, but it always does. Maybe it's the size of our family. We have to pay for 5 adult dining plans when we go, if it's not free dining.

 

Our trip for this September is a short one - four nights, two park tickets, free dining costs us only $1800. I just did a quick breakdown of what each thing cost and took 20% off the room rate (isn't that the typical reduction when they offer a pin on a moderate?) and that trip without free dining would cost us $2571.

 

We will also have to pay for the tip on our sit down dinners, so add another $200 or so to that. It still saves us money, I think. If I can do it cheaper, please let me know!!!

 

Those are the numbers minus my 6 year old. She is officially staying in another relative's room.

Edited June 29, 2012 by Jennifer in MI

[GoodGrief]

I was a bit confused by the red thumbs down sign....I thought you were going to say that you did not like POR, but it seems that you do?.

 

I must have unintentionally hit an emoticon. Sorry! :-). I'm not raving about POR (honestly, there's no Disney property I LOVE. Disney lodging is definitely about location/convenience), but I do think it's pretty good. I love the food court!

[GoodGrief]

I don't know what we do differently to make Free Dining work best for us, but it always does. Maybe it's the size of our family. We have to pay for 5 adult dining plans when we go, if it's not free dining

 

I think free dining works if you have a relatively large party of adult diners and you are staying budget or moderate. Also, if you would eat all the large restaurant meals anyway, paying out of pocket.

 

For us, it doesn't make financial sense. We don't really like taking the time for the somewhat drawn out restaurant experience, with the huge meals. Don't care for the hassle of having to plan all the reservations ahead of time either (which is a must-do generally. Very difficult to get a walk-up table). And the tips are pretty significant on those meals (buffet for a family of four can easily run $40 for tip!)

 

I prefer to get a discounted room (we generally qualify for military discount) and pay out of pocket for food, usually at quick serve spots. It suits our park style.