Which place would be best for both adults and kids?

[alysha]

Hi all. This is my first time posting on this board. I hope to be visiting here quite a bit in the next few months.

We are planning a trip to WDW (hope I get all the abbreviations correct!) for March 2002. We are now trying to decide where to stay. Budget is a big consideration. We will be traveling with 2 other adults and a total of 4 kids - ages 2, 4, 5, and 7.

We are trying to decide between two hotels that looked promising. One would be the ASM - this looked like a great one for the kids and at $109/night, very reasonable. The other would be Doubletree Guest Suites in DD. The reason we are considering suites is so that the adults would have a place to retreat after the kiddos are in bed.

I just can't decide - having a suite would be great and I've heard that the All-Star rooms are a bit small. But I like the idea of staying onsite and staying at a place that looks like so much fun for the kids.

Are there any big disadvantages in staying offsite? How is the transportation from the DD hotels? I've heard that it's actually better to go to DD and take Disney transportation rather than using the hotel transportation.

Any insights? Anything help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[lfwebb]

Welcome! We stayed off site (Embassy Suites) the first time we went and on property (POFQ, Port Orleans French Quarter) the second. We stayed at Embassy Suites for the same reason you are considering - the extra room. Having done both, I would never stay off property again. In a Disney resort, we got to enjoy early entry (so much for that benefit) and got a much shorter bus ride to the parks - didn't have to stop at every Downtown Disney hotel along the way. Also, the on-site bus takes you right to the front, rather than dropping you off at the Transportation Center. That makes for a much shorter walk, especially at the end of a long day. We found that on-site, the kids were so tired that they fell asleep deeply and quickly. We were able to stay up later without any problem. Also, having one room did force us to go to sleep earlier than we would have, which made us perkier for those early mornings. All in all, my vote is to forego the benefit of the suite to stay on-site. Either way, though, you'll have a great time!

 

[catwho]

You can get ASMu for $59 ($49 Fla residents) through the 13th of February. (Is that you $109?) The biggest thing to ask yourself is what do you want from your room? We use our room for 2 things. Showering and sleeping. By the time we get back to our room we are all beat! We close the parks down (and since AK closes early we can claim to close 6 parks in 5 days ) Have you been to WDW before? Do you realize what all there is to do outside your hotel? We just don't go back to the hotel. We go to the parks. WE are there all day and we come home shower and sleep. Get up the next morning and off we go again. Sounds "whirlwindish" but it isn't really. We take our time leisurely in the park, but like to get as much time as we can in the parks.

I would choose ASMu before I would choose a non-Disney suite. But if you are one that wants to spend time at your room relaxing then maybe a suite would work for your family better.

 

[alysha]

Thank you both for your input.

Originally posted by catwho
Have you been to WDW before? Do you realize what all there is to do outside your hotel? I would choose ASMu before I would choose a non-Disney suite. But if you are one that wants to spend time at your room relaxing then maybe a suite would work for your family better.

I have not been to WDW with the kids - only been there myself once back when it was only MK and Epcot!

We don't need the room for relaxing really, but we will have some little ones who tend to go to bed around 8:00 or 9:00 or so. That's too early for me. With suites we were really looking for a space for the parents to stay up and chat for a couple of hours while the kids sleep - chat, maybe drink some wine....unwind.

However, I expect that the kids will be either be so wound up that they will be up a bit late anyway, or they will be so tired that they totally crash.

I guess it will just be a matter of weighing the advantages and disadvantages.

Oh, and we are looking at ASMovies - two big Toy Story fans in our family (actually, make that all four of us! ). I saw those great rates, but I'm bound by the spring break dates with my son since I hate to pull him out of school.

Thanks for the info! I'd welcome more opinions on offsite versus onsite!

 

[catwho]

LOL! we usually stay in the parks until they close and get back to our room around 10-ish. After a full day in the park we are all so tuckered that we just fall down and go boom. No need to "unwind" LOL!!!

Hope you have a great time. BTW, I've pulled my kids out of school to go to WDW every year and can give you my experience with the matter if you like

:eargirl:

 

[Planogirl]

The nice thing to me is that this is a win-win situation IMO. It is super to have the extra room of a suite but the Allstars are cute. If you get two connecting rooms at the Allstars, you would still be able to put the kids to bed and relax for a while. But the other room amenities at the Doubletree are nice too of course. The amenities of the Allstars are all outside of the room. The room itself is just a standard room with a lot of Disney channels (a plus too IMO!).

By the way, the Downtown Disney hotels have most of the same perks as the Disney hotels, that is, once those perks come back. Transportation would be better from a Disney hotel however.

 

[lovethemouse]

Another consideration would be meals. I've never stayed at a DD hotel, always stay on-site, so I don't know what they offer. But the food court at the all stars are very convenient and prices are good as far as Dis prices go! With all of the great rates we've been seeing, I've been temped to book off-site, but we love the convenience of the on-site resorts.

 

[Robin]

Ummm.. Have you considered a Jr. suite at the Sman or Dolphin (which while not Disney owned it is on property)... it you stay at ASM it's 109 X 2 =218 a night for a value resort. The Jr suite is like having two rooms at a deluxe for about the same cost. If you have a disney club card or enteratinment card you get 1/2 off the rach rate. I think it equals out to be about $250a night,,, check Glo's FAQ more more details.

 

[alysha]

Originally posted by Robin
check Glo's FAQ more more details.

Where can I find the FAQ you mention? I checked around this site, but I'm not quite sure what you're referring to. Thanks!

 

[Barb D]

You won't all be able to stay in one room at the All Stars. Fire code regulations say that you can only have 4 to a room there unless one of the kids is 3yo or under and can sleep in a crib. We've always stayed at the All Stars in the past, and might squeeze in one more trip before our now-2yo turns 4. After that we'll be looking into offsite alternatives or staying at Port Orleans, which sleeps 5 to a room. That still doesn't do you any good, though. Your best bet probably would be two rooms at the All Stars (with 2 bathrooms!) or a suite offsite.

Be sure to ask for CONNECTING rooms at the All Stars if you do the two-room alternative. They are different from ADJOINING rooms, which are next to each other but don't have a door between.

 

[u4ik]

Hi Alysha - My family of 4 has stayed at disney twice. Once at CBR and once at BuenaVistaSuites. It was me, my wife, DD age 7, and DS age 2.

My initial take is that is all depends on you and your groups needs. Some people love the theming of the resort and that is primary. Others enjoy the extra space and the ability to do more stuff in the room.

For us, we have little kids. We will not go back to a plain hotel room again like at CBR until the kids are older. For us, when we put the kids down, wifey and I want to stay up and watch tv or whatever. We love the suite and that door between the areas. When you have little kids, staying more than 1 night in tight conditions is tough for us. Not to mention if someone gets sick, we will not go there.

Also and just as important, the suite has a nice little kitchen area. Ok it is not really a kitchen, but at least it is a nice preparation area with frig, microwave, sink. We go to the SuperWalmart and load up on a weeks worth of fruit and snacks which is a lifesaver, both at the park and when you return from the park. Again, we would be very limited in the plain hotel rooms at CBR.

Also, the BVS had free breakfast. Not just continental either, a full breakfast buffett. We will always stay somewhere with that. For our family of 4 that alone is worth $25. We love having a solid breakfast before heading out early for the parks.

For us right now, it will be a suite for us until the kids are older and we might rethink the above. One final thought - Some people hate to drive. They would rather take the Disney busses rather than drive. Honestly, I think that driving yourself is easier and faster and I would not hesitate to drive yourself to all parks from offsite.

Of course, ask any question here on the boards and you will get both sides to the issue...

Have Fun!!!