[Madchen]

Wow, I won a sweepstakes and got $5,000!

So what do I want to do with the money? I'm going to Disney World!

Anyhow, my home park is DL and I was there in September. This will be my first trip to WDW and also my first time staying on Disney property.

I have a seven year old daughter and I'm a single mom, so it will be just the two of us.

I've been looking around online. I loved the look of POR-FQ, but she likes CBR. NOW, I've just found out that I've got a few extra hundred bucks from something else, so I'm thinking of using it to stay at AKL or (forgive me, I'm not remembering all these names that are new to me) Wilderness Lodge?

Where do you think we'd be treated the nicest? The staff makes all the difference in the world to me. I'd stay value if it meant that the staff was nice.

I really love the idea of my daughter being able to do activities like a kids' safari, or whatever they have for the kids. What DO they have, anyhow? Which do you think is the most fun from your experiences?

My daughter is a little timid, and I'm thinking it would be great (we want to go for six days) to put her in Simba's Club for a few hours because I've never ridden Splash Mt or Indiana Jones and would love to try them. Do you have to be staying at a deluxe resort to use those kids' clubs? I realize it's $10/hr, no prob.

One more question for now, I promise . How is the boat transportation from the resorts? The idea of waiting for a bus doesn't appeal to me at all. And I have no clue how far apart the parks are, but would it be easy for me to get from Magic Kingdom to Epcot (walking, monorail?)

PS--not getting a savannah room, my dad would have a stroke if he saw I was spending all of my winnings on WDW. Hee hee. I hope I can still enjoy the animals if I stay at AKL.

[tiggerfan74]

Madchen,First, I want to say congratulations ! How wonderful for you and you daughter!! I can answer a few of your questions, hopefully. Yes, you can use the kid clubs even if you are not staying at that particular resort.The value resorts have bus transport only. I'm pretty sure the only moderate that has a boat transport is PO and it only goes to Downtown Disney.Wildernress has boat transport to MK and I think MGM. I have stayed only at 2 of the 4 resorts you mentioned so I can only comment on them. CBR is wonderful! We really love it there. The Wilderness Lodge is beautiful too and is a MK resort. There is no walking between the parks, way too far apart. WDW has a ticket and transportation center and you can take the monorail there from MK and then get on another one to Epcot or I think you can take a bus from MK to Epcot .AS far as the staff goes, they are usually great everywhere.( Unless you get that rare un disney like person who shouldn't be working there)Have you visited the site Allearsnet.com? It is full of info right down to menus of restaurants. Hope I've been helpful. Have Fun !!!

[disneyguy]

WOW... There is a lot to be said here. It sounds like you need to run out and pruchase The Unofficial Guide to WDW, and get a little caught up.

Personally I would recomend Wilerness Lodge. I have never heard about a bad expirience there. Go for it if you can afford it. If not go for POFQ, it is the smallest resort in all of WDW, and has recently been revamped. You will unfortunatly run into a couple rude staff wherever you go.

About transporation, there are 3 modes of transporation in WDW: Monorail, Boat/Launch, and Bus. Bus is the way that you get to/and from most places in WDW. If you don't like the idea of a bus, then I hate to put this so bluntly, but GET OVER IT. You WILL get on a bus at WDW simply because it is 53 square miles. Most resorts only have bus transportation to the the rest of WDW. POFQ has boat service to DTD, but to get to the parks you have to get on a bus. WL has a boat to MK, but other than that you have to get on a bus. BTW: The only way to get to the Animal Kingdom is by bus. Busses at WDW are very nice, so there really isn't anything to worry about.

The next form of transporation is Monorail. There are three Monorail loops, the MK Express, MK Resort, and Epcot loops. They all originate from the TTC(the MK parking lot). The Epcot loops runs directly from the TTC over to Epcot. The MK Express is intended to shuttle guests between the parking lot at the TTC over to the MK, it only makes stops at MK and the TTC. The MK Resort loop connects the TTC, The Polynesian, The Contemporary, the MK, and The GF.

The last and least efficient form of transporation in WDW is the Launches, Ferries, and Boats. Launches is the term that WDW uses for boats. Launches run all over the Seven Seas Lagoon over to the MK. Launches run from every resort on The Seven Seas Lagoon, including Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. Launches also run between POFQ, POR and DTD, and there is also a DTD to Old Key West Resort route. The one ferry inside WDW shuttles guests across the Seven Seas Lagoon from the TTC over to MK. Launches also run between all the Epcot resorts, so Swan and Dolphin, Yacht, Boardwalk, and Disney's MGM Studios.

[Cavey]

WDW is 44 square miles. That's bigger than the city of Boston. You don't walk anywhere.

Dinsey transportation is outstanding. It's not like riding a city bus.

With a 7yo, I'd do a value resort. All Star Movies has an entire area laid out like a giant-sized Andy's Room (Toy Story), with a 60' Buzz Lightyear.

The other resorts have fancier amenities, but spend less on the room and more on the play.

[sydmacsmom]

If this is really important to you, to stay somewhere where the people are the nicest, go for a deluxe. While all Disney staff are nice, you get all those little extras at a deluxe. The room service folks will make little characters out of the towels for you and leave little scenes for you to come home to. At the All-Stars, you will have clean towels. Both are very friendly and "nice". Remember, you get what you pay for. And this is definately true at the Disney Deluxe Resorts. You just won a contest, splurge a little, go for the WL or one of the resorts on the monorail.

Have a great time. Oh, depending on when you are going, you should consider the "My Disney Girl's Perfectly Princess Tea Party" at the Grand Floridian.

[leslieh]

For something different and fun for your daughter, there is a Pirate Cruise at the Grand Floridian (GF). I have heard great things about it, although my own kids aren't doing it until February. I will post my DS's trip report about the pirate cruise when we return.

[Soundgod]

Originally Posted by tiggerfan74

Wildernress has boat transport to MK and I think MGM.

Disney-MGM is only reachable by the Epcot resort Friendships (the largest of all Disney boats). These go from the Friendship Landings just outside Epcot and MGM and stop at the 3 Epcot resort docks, Dolphin/Swan, Boardwalk, and Yacht/Beach. Seven Seas Lagoon/Bay Lake boats only serve the 3 monorail resorts outside the Magic Kingdom as well as the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness and connect to the Magic Kingdom (Port of Bay Lake). There is no connecting waterway between the Epcot lagoons and Seven Seas Lagoon/Bay Lake. Don't worry yourself over the Disney bus system. The buses are clean, free, handi accessable, and kid friendly. The only people on the buses are Disney guests on vacation, not commuters from Orlando. One of your biggest choices in resorts is how close you want to stay to which park.

[leslieh]

The Disney bus is the only place my 4 year old will sleep when we are at WDW... I'd bring one home if I could, just to get some sleep myself.

[Madchen]

Thanks for the quick answers, everyone!

I think what worried me about the bus was that I read quite a few trip reports where people were staying at the All Star resorts and the buses were standing room only... and then I also read that when you leave your room you should plan 45 minutes-1 hour to get to the park. I'm just so used to DL I guess... the front gates of DL and DCA are facing each other, and the last time I went I stayed off site and it took me only five minutes to get back to my hotel room (walking.)

Not that that's necessarily good; I'm really looking forward to going to a much bigger park! I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it! All my daughter could say was, "Don't they have hurricanes there?" She's not nearly as excited as me.

I think I read about the pirate trip... GF is a bit pricey to me, though. Although I wish I could stay there, seems swank!

This is really going to be a tough choice. I love the theming at the values, but from what I read on tripadvisor.com, I'm afraid to stay at those (just said that they were cramped, loud and dirty.) I wish the other parks had more of a Disney theme.

[karliebug]

Be sure to look into doing some special character meals whilde there. Your daughter would love breakfast with the princesses at CRT or lunch with pooh and friends at Crystal Palace or with MIckey at Chef Mickey's. Disney transportation is great, no worries there. If money is not an issure, than I would pick either AKL because of the animals there or a resort on the monorail (direct access to MK ). You will have a great time and the people here at DC can give you all kinds of tips and advice to make the most of your trip. Congrats on your winnings!

[jo-jo]

Not that I've done this, but......If I had the money to spend, I think I would spend maybe three days at a value resort. I would think you would spend so much time at the parks, the room doesn't matter. I'd go to mgm and AK first, where you need to take a bus anyway. Then transfer to the poly for the last three or four days. I think having stayed at values, the buses do got tiresome after the first few days. (however, If I had the choice of three days at poly or 10 days at value, value wins.) So just when you wish you had a better choice of transportation, the poly has it. Also you tend to slow down a bit and spend more time in your room.

[jk8]

Originally Posted by Madchen

This is really going to be a tough choice. I love the theming at the values, but from what I read on tripadvisor.com, I'm afraid to stay at those (just said that they were cramped, loud and dirty.) I wish the other parks had more of a Disney theme.

I would take the reviews you read with a grain of salt. We stayed at Pop Century and had a wonderful time. It was clean and nice and it was a very happy place. There was noise at times from kids playing at the pool but that is normal. There are always people who will complain about little thing. As for the busses at Pop if they get full you can choose not to get in if it is standing room only. Out of the many many bus rides there wer only a few times we had to stand. Once you get there you will think this is a small detail in respect to the magical time you will have.

I think the idea of staying at 2 places sounds nice. Start out at Pop Century for a few days and then move over to WL or something else that has a fun pool for your daughter. Or, really just pick the one with the coolest pool to begin with Your daughter will love it. Look at all the pictures on allears and just see what you like. I had always wanted to stay at AKL but we were staying at Pop and went over to AKL for dinner (Boma - yummy!!!!) and I felt it was too dark for my liking. Oh, and we used Simba's Clubhouse even though we stayed at Pop. My son (5) still talks about that placed and wants to go back and have some fun. If you want to use childcare you should narrow your seach to those resorts (I know a few childcares have closed recently) as it seems it would be most convienient for you to drop her of for some time out at the parks. That's sounds like a fun idea.

I was just thinking that if I won some money I would use it the same way!
Have fun.

Julie

[Willbegone]

If you are worried about the transportation why not try the Polynesian. It has monorail access to MK and Epcot. You have to take a bus to MGM and AK. But you will probably spend most of your time at the MK anyway and it would only be a monorail ride away. It is beautiful, I've never stayed there but we have eaten at O'Hanas and love the Poly.

We have stayed at CBR and POR and we LOVE CBR. We didn't care too much for POR. The bus service the week we were there was horrible. But I think it was just a fluke. CBR is beautiful, if you stay there pick Jamaica or Aruba for the best bus service.

[Madchen]

Thanks for the great advice!

Which hotels can get to MK or Epcot via the monorail? I know the Poly can, but that may be out of our price range (we like to have lots of spending money, heh.) I think it may be a tug-of-war between daughter and I, she'll want to spend most of the days in MK (and I've been to the DL park around 30 times) and I'll want to try Epcot, because it may be my only chance to ever go!

I will HAVE to try a Princess meal! We had breakfast with Minnie at DL and it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, my daughter got the flu the day we left, and that was on the second day, so she really didn't have fun. I'm more into the characters than she is. I think they picked up on that as Pluto was having a lot of fun playing "Peak-a-boo" with me while I ate. But my daughter looooves the Princesses, especially Belle. She'd have a lot of fun. I wonder if they have the Princess Storytelling in Fantasyland like at DL?

I have never looked much at WDW because I never, ever thought I'd be able to go, and have so much catching up to do (learning what's at what rides are at both the US Disney parks, etc.) I'm having tons of fun doing all this research!

[disneyguy]

The Poly, Contemporary, and Grand Floridian are all on the monorail. Those are all in the same price range. If you feel like they are out of your price range then try the WL. It is the cheapest of the Deluxes, and has easy access to MK via a launch then you can pick up the Monorail, and take it around to Epcot.

If you have the ability to take a trip some time within the next few months, Disney has some really great deals out right now on rooms. They also just came out with all new packages, some of which can include your meals. The package that includes your meal is a really good deal.

About the busses, YES, during peak time like the morning the busses generally are packed, and people are standing in the aisles. This is less likely to happen at a Deluxe, but it can easily happen. Transportation times vary greatly depending on to where your going, and the time of day. It took me probably 35 minutes to get from MGM to Epcot mid-day.

I HIGHLY suggest you pick up The Unofficial Guide to WDW, it will tell you very realisticly what you can expect at WDW. This guide tells you about what Disney really is like, and it doesn't have a Disney spin on it.