WDW hotels?

Caroline Boyle · 06-01-2003

Hi- This is my first post:) My family and i are planning a trip to the east coast in February. A week at WDW and a week on a cruise :D what I dont know is where to stay. We are going at peak season, so the price of the WDW resorts go up by quite alot. We wanted to stay at the New Orleans WDW resort, but dont know if we can afford to. We were told that the dolphin or swan were not bad Resorts( and I know that they are not a WDW resort) I am loking at a map of WDW and The swan is close to DTD I think?

Is there that much of a differance between a WDW resort and Lets say The Swan or Dolphin? Please any input would be usefull
As you may have guessed this is my first time at WDW

ilvminnie · 06-01-2003

First of all, welcome to DC Caroline. Hope you enjoy it here as much as I do.:D

The Swan & Dolphin are nice hotels, and I know a lot of folks here at DC have stayed there & thoroughly enjoyed it. Personally, I didn't feel quite the same "magic" there as I have at other places. But I know they can be pretty pricey, too. Of the deluxe hotels, the Wilderness Lodge tends to be the least expensive & is a wonderful place to stay. We stayed there in March of last year & loved it. But I also know there are a number of folks here at DC who have stayed at moderate & value resorts & have loved them, too. They're much less expensive, you still have that "magical" feeling, still have Disney transportation, the works! It seems that one of the favorite value ones is All-Star. I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions for resorts from this group. And Mousketrips knows all the right codes to use to get you the best rates, too. Check with them as well.

Good luck, & make sure you let us know what you decide. We're always here if you've got any more questions.

garada3 · 06-01-2003

Hi and welcome to DC. This is a great place to get all your questions answered!

The Port Orleans French Quarter has been closed for renovations. I think that it is going to be closed for awhile. The other Port Orleans resort - Port Orleans Riverside is still open. This was our resort of choice when we were going to be going over a peak rate period. The theming looked great, it had a sit down resteraunt and a food court, the pool sounded like fun and it had rooms that would sleep 5.

Check out http://wdwig.com for great information and resort pictures.

Happy Planning!

**mickey** · 06-01-2003

Welcome to DisneyCentral. One thing is that Port Orleans French Quarter, the New Orleans resort, is currently closed for rehab, so you most likely won't be able to stay there unless they are very quick and get it opened back up.

Port Orleans Riverside is a good option, as is Wilderness Lodge. As long as you don't arrive during the two weeks of Spring Break/Easter, you should be able to get a goo discount. Riverside has boat service to Downtown Disney, but the Swan/Dolphin are near the Boardwalk area.

trishb · 06-01-2003

Wow! Your vacation sounds wonderful! A week at Disney and a week on a cruise...Wow!

You didn't mention if you have ever been to Disney before. You seem familiar with the layout. What kinds of things would you like to do while you are there? Do you have kids? Answering these questions will help us help you!

Think about where you would like to go. For Dh and myself...we love Epcot and would choose a resort within walking distance (if we could afford it!). Sometimes we just want to do an Orlando area vacation, with lots of Disney added in..so we stay at a Downtown Disney Resort (within walking distance of DTD!). Now that we have a little boy, we will choose to stay near the Magic Kingdom, because we will be spending most of our time there.

Happy planning!

tinkerbell · 06-01-2003

Welcome to DC Caroline Boyle :)
if your worried about afording the Port orleans riverside or one of the other moderate resorts, I agree with ilvminnie about maybe the All Star Resorts.. I also agree that while the Swan and Dolphin are nice .. and as she said they are a bit pricey too. with the New Pop Century opening in Dec. you have three theme choices of the value resorts to chose from. we have stayed at All stars music and movies and really liked them.

**DisneyTeacher** · 06-01-2003

Welcome to DC, this is the place to get all of your Disney questions answered.

I think the moderates are a good choice, we have always stayed at one (CBR). If you are a teacher, nurse or government worker you can get the Swan for $129/night. If not they tend to be more money than the moderates. I have not stayed at the All Stars but many here have and keep going back.

Mickey is wonderful about keeping us posted about discount codes to help save money. Keep checking back here for current discounts as your trip nears.

Also, check out Deb's site, WDWIG.com , she has great information about all the resorts complete with lots of pictures.

DisneyAnne · 06-01-2003

Welcome to DC Caroline...

Although I have never stayed onsite, I think alot of people here would agree with me that you need to go ahead and book a resort if that is what you want. The last thing you want is to waste time thinking about which direction you want to go and then lose any available space because you were holding out. Any discount codes that come out can be applied with a simple call.

:)Good luck and let us know how things work out.:)

mickaholic4077 · 06-02-2003

Welcome to DC Caroline. I'm one of the many who have stayed at the All-Stars alot of times. I can't recommend them highly enough. After all,how much time do you really spend in your room?

tinkerbell · 06-02-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by mickaholic4077
. After all,how much time do you really spend in your room?

this is true .. I know when we stayed at the AKL our biggest regret was that we really didnt have as much time as we would have liked to enjoy the resorts. If your not a fanatic park goer then I can see paying alot more for the deluxe resorts.. but if your short on time (8 days is short on time for us)and your really more in to the parks then where you sleep ..thats the best price going. the year we stayed at the Poly was different we had 12 days and so we did have some time to really enjoy the Poly.

Caroline Boyle · 06-02-2003

Thank you for all the replies. You are all very welcoming.
I have been to DL many times and love it. I get teary leaving. This is our first trip to the east coast. We live in the Pacific Northwest. so Disneyland is not to far of a trip. 19 hours away by car. maybe 3 hours by plane.
We Are so looking forward to this trip. I have 2 children 9 and 6. My son is looking forward to doing the Buzz lightyear ride, and My daughters only concern is that they have all 6 princeses.

We had thought about staying at the all star movie resort. But it will not accomidate 5, my husband my mother myself and then the 2 children. We have never stayed at a DLResort. Disneyland does not offer moderate priced hotes. So this would have been a good opporitunity to try one. We had really heard good things about the NORiverside, the thing is that they are not even quoting prices for February. Write now the price is close to 200 a night. That is alot, I dont know how much time we will spend in the hotel room to justify paying that. any way enough wining. I will look into some of the suggestions that you wonderful disney fans have given. Thank you.

JOANN · 06-02-2003

Sometimes, it's worth the cost for one adult to purchase a Annual Pass. You can really get some great discounts.
Last Dec. we got a great deal on a room at the AKL. That is my favorite!!! (at least one of them) You just have to keep watching, for those great deals..:dazed What better place , then DC!! Good Luck!! JOANN:)

markypooh · 06-02-2003

You should check with www.mousesavers.com for codes and discounts as well as other money saving tips! Have a wonderful trip.

phayes93 · 06-03-2003

Welcome & good luck planning your trip. It sounds great!

My family has visited WDW several times and we have stayed at every "value level" resort. But frankly, if you're on site, it doesn't really matter! Last December, we stayed Christmas week at the Dolphin. (I am a teacher and got a HUGE discount (50 percent) off our rooms.) We had seven in our group and booked two rooms. The Swan and Dolphin location is fantastic, but I agree there's not quite the same "magic" as with a Disney- owned & operated resort - even tha All-Stars. But our all-time favorite resort is the Yacht Club, right next door to the Swan and Dolphin.

We're going back (actually just my teen-age daughter and me) in August for a week at All-Star Sports. We live in St. Louis and we're using a college-hunting trip as the excuse. ;) We couldn't pass up the nearly half-price Fairytale Package deal.) Even though we have stayed at the pricier resorts, we really enjoy the All-Star resorts.

Word of advice: Plan ahead! There is MUCH more to see and do at WDW than at DL. Buy a 2003 Birnbaum or Passporter guidebook -- and let the magic begin!!!

Good luck!

06-01-2003	#1 (permalink)
Caroline Boyle Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Washington State Posts: 164	WDW hotels? Hi- This is my first post:) My family and i are planning a trip to the east coast in February. A week at WDW and a week on a cruise :D what I dont know is where to stay. We are going at peak season, so the price of the WDW resorts go up by quite alot. We wanted to stay at the New Orleans WDW resort, but dont know if we can afford to. We were told that the dolphin or swan were not bad Resorts( and I know that they are not a WDW resort) I am loking at a map of WDW and The swan is close to DTD I think? Is there that much of a differance between a WDW resort and Lets say The Swan or Dolphin? Please any input would be usefull As you may have guessed this is my first time at WDW __________________ Luckyme Spending Thanksgiving at the Happiest place on earth DISNEYLAND

06-01-2003	#2 (permalink)
ilvminnie House of Mouse Hostess Join Date: May 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 2,445	First of all, welcome to DC Caroline. Hope you enjoy it here as much as I do.:D The Swan & Dolphin are nice hotels, and I know a lot of folks here at DC have stayed there & thoroughly enjoyed it. Personally, I didn't feel quite the same "magic" there as I have at other places. But I know they can be pretty pricey, too. Of the deluxe hotels, the Wilderness Lodge tends to be the least expensive & is a wonderful place to stay. We stayed there in March of last year & loved it. But I also know there are a number of folks here at DC who have stayed at moderate & value resorts & have loved them, too. They're much less expensive, you still have that "magical" feeling, still have Disney transportation, the works! It seems that one of the favorite value ones is All-Star. I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions for resorts from this group. And Mousketrips knows all the right codes to use to get you the best rates, too. Check with them as well. Good luck, & make sure you let us know what you decide. We're always here if you've got any more questions. __________________ I WISH I WAS IN DISNEYWORLD NOW!!!

06-01-2003	#4 (permalink)
mickey Administrator Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,226	Welcome to DisneyCentral. One thing is that Port Orleans French Quarter, the New Orleans resort, is currently closed for rehab, so you most likely won't be able to stay there unless they are very quick and get it opened back up. Port Orleans Riverside is a good option, as is Wilderness Lodge. As long as you don't arrive during the two weeks of Spring Break/Easter, you should be able to get a goo discount. Riverside has boat service to Downtown Disney, but the Swan/Dolphin are near the Boardwalk area. __________________ Frank Costanza: You can drop a grand in Disney World, like that. My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Disneyland, 2008 18 days 6 hours 51 minutes

06-01-2003	#5 (permalink)
trishb Mouse Meister Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Delaware Posts: 1,350	Wow! Your vacation sounds wonderful! A week at Disney and a week on a cruise...Wow! You didn't mention if you have ever been to Disney before. You seem familiar with the layout. What kinds of things would you like to do while you are there? Do you have kids? Answering these questions will help us help you! Think about where you would like to go. For Dh and myself...we love Epcot and would choose a resort within walking distance (if we could afford it!). Sometimes we just want to do an Orlando area vacation, with lots of Disney added in..so we stay at a Downtown Disney Resort (within walking distance of DTD!). Now that we have a little boy, we will choose to stay near the Magic Kingdom, because we will be spending most of our time there. Happy planning! __________________ Trish

06-01-2003	#6 (permalink)
tinkerbell Neverland Tour Guide ® Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: The Ark-La-Tex Posts: 7,599	Welcome to DC Caroline Boyle :) if your worried about afording the Port orleans riverside or one of the other moderate resorts, I agree with ilvminnie about maybe the All Star Resorts.. I also agree that while the Swan and Dolphin are nice .. and as she said they are a bit pricey too. with the New Pop Century opening in Dec. you have three theme choices of the value resorts to chose from. we have stayed at All stars music and movies and really liked them. __________________ Stinkerbell, so named by Darth Official Defender of Swiss Family Treehouse MB chitchatter. We don't need no stinkin' post counts Protect Texas!!! Arm A Dillo I need money for a trip to WDW!! I mooch do you?http://www.imooch.com/mooch/letter-to-my-granddaughters

		MouseBuzz.com > Walt Disney World > WDW Resorts
WDW hotels?

06-01-2003	#3 (permalink)
garada3 Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 424	Hi and welcome to DC. This is a great place to get all your questions answered! The Port Orleans French Quarter has been closed for renovations. I think that it is going to be closed for awhile. The other Port Orleans resort - Port Orleans Riverside is still open. This was our resort of choice when we were going to be going over a peak rate period. The theming looked great, it had a sit down resteraunt and a food court, the pool sounded like fun and it had rooms that would sleep 5. Check out http://wdwig.com for great information and resort pictures. Happy Planning!

06-01-2003	#7 (permalink)
DisneyTeacher Moderator/WL Tour Guide Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: WDW in my dreams Posts: 15,844	Welcome to DC, this is the place to get all of your Disney questions answered. I think the moderates are a good choice, we have always stayed at one (CBR). If you are a teacher, nurse or government worker you can get the Swan for $129/night. If not they tend to be more money than the moderates. I have not stayed at the All Stars but many here have and keep going back. Mickey is wonderful about keeping us posted about discount codes to help save money. Keep checking back here for current discounts as your trip nears. Also, check out Deb's site, WDWIG.com , she has great information about all the resorts complete with lots of pictures. __________________ ~Stephanie~ 1993 Caribbean Beach Resort ~ 1996 Caribbean Beach resort ~1997 Caribbean Beach Resort ~2003 Wilderness Lodge ~2004 Beach Club Resort/Shades of Green/Pop Century~ 2005 Wilderness Lodge Resort/Beach Club Villas ~ 2006 Saratoga Springs Resort~2007 Port Orleans French Quarter/Beach Club Villas/Boardwalk Villas ~ 2007 Port Orleans Riverside~ 2008 Wilderness Lodge/Beach Club Villas~2008 Beach Club Villas My Disney Countdown Counting down to: We don't know yet either BCV or HHI 276 days 12 hours 51 minutes

06-01-2003	#8 (permalink)
DisneyAnne Palmetto Pixie Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,148	Welcome to DC Caroline... Although I have never stayed onsite, I think alot of people here would agree with me that you need to go ahead and book a resort if that is what you want. The last thing you want is to waste time thinking about which direction you want to go and then lose any available space because you were holding out. Any discount codes that come out can be applied with a simple call. :)Good luck and let us know how things work out.:)

06-02-2003	#9 (permalink)
mickaholic4077 Currently in Timeout! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: 90 miles from The Mick!!!!! Posts: 6,193	Welcome to DC Caroline. I'm one of the many who have stayed at the All-Stars alot of times. I can't recommend them highly enough. After all,how much time do you really spend in your room?

06-02-2003	#11 (permalink)
Caroline Boyle Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Washington State Posts: 164	Thank you for all the replies. You are all very welcoming. I have been to DL many times and love it. I get teary leaving. This is our first trip to the east coast. We live in the Pacific Northwest. so Disneyland is not to far of a trip. 19 hours away by car. maybe 3 hours by plane. We Are so looking forward to this trip. I have 2 children 9 and 6. My son is looking forward to doing the Buzz lightyear ride, and My daughters only concern is that they have all 6 princeses. We had thought about staying at the all star movie resort. But it will not accomidate 5, my husband my mother myself and then the 2 children. We have never stayed at a DLResort. Disneyland does not offer moderate priced hotes. So this would have been a good opporitunity to try one. We had really heard good things about the NORiverside, the thing is that they are not even quoting prices for February. Write now the price is close to 200 a night. That is alot, I dont know how much time we will spend in the hotel room to justify paying that. any way enough wining. I will look into some of the suggestions that you wonderful disney fans have given. Thank you. __________________ Luckyme Spending Thanksgiving at the Happiest place on earth DISNEYLAND

06-02-2003	#12 (permalink)
JOANN Mouse Meister Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: CRETE, Illinois Posts: 1,041	Sometimes, it's worth the cost for one adult to purchase a Annual Pass. You can really get some great discounts. Last Dec. we got a great deal on a room at the AKL. That is my favorite!!! (at least one of them) You just have to keep watching, for those great deals..:dazed What better place , then DC!! Good Luck!! JOANN:) __________________ Been There, Done That, DID IT AGAIN!! Oct. 23-Nov. 6 2005! When You Wish Upon a Star! 1975 Contemporary, 1977 Royal Plaza, 1986-1991 CBR, 1993-1997 Dixie Landings, 1998 Wilderness Lodge, 1999(Twice)-2000(Twice) CSR, 2001(Twice)-2002(Twice)-2003(Twice) CSR & AKL, 2004 AKL & CSR 3 times, 2005(Twice) POFQ Going to Disneyland Sept. 9-12th!!!!!!

06-02-2003	#13 (permalink)
markypooh Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 215	You should check with www.mousesavers.com for codes and discounts as well as other money saving tips! Have a wonderful trip. __________________

06-03-2003	#14 (permalink)
phayes93 Mouse Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: Godfrey, Ill. near St. Louis Posts: 1,225	Welcome & good luck planning your trip. It sounds great! My family has visited WDW several times and we have stayed at every "value level" resort. But frankly, if you're on site, it doesn't really matter! Last December, we stayed Christmas week at the Dolphin. (I am a teacher and got a HUGE discount (50 percent) off our rooms.) We had seven in our group and booked two rooms. The Swan and Dolphin location is fantastic, but I agree there's not quite the same "magic" as with a Disney- owned & operated resort - even tha All-Stars. But our all-time favorite resort is the Yacht Club, right next door to the Swan and Dolphin. We're going back (actually just my teen-age daughter and me) in August for a week at All-Star Sports. We live in St. Louis and we're using a college-hunting trip as the excuse. ;) We couldn't pass up the nearly half-price Fairytale Package deal.) Even though we have stayed at the pricier resorts, we really enjoy the All-Star resorts. Word of advice: Plan ahead! There is MUCH more to see and do at WDW than at DL. Buy a 2003 Birnbaum or Passporter guidebook -- and let the magic begin!!! Good luck! __________________ Off-site 1972, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1997, 2000 Yacht Club 1991 Old Key West (Vacation Club) 1993 Caribe Royale 1995 All-Star Sports 1997 Disneyland Pacific Hotel 1999 All-Star Sports 2000 All-Star Movies 2001 All-Star Music 2002 Dolphin 2002-2003 (Xmas) Caribbean Beach Resort - 2003 Port Orleans Riverside & Poly - 2005 Pop Century - December 2005 COMING: DECEMBER, '07: Pop Century!

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