Take the Monorail

In my experience, the bus services to and from the...

2010-07-01T22:36:07.826-04:00

In my experience, the bus services to and from the deluxe resorts are nowhere near as consistent as those at the value resorts. This makes sense because the number of guests is smaller, but it's something to think about if you don't like to wait a long time for a park bus.

What a great blog!

2010-03-26T07:43:21.482-04:00

What a great blog!

I love POR. I have stayed at many resorts but I a...

2010-02-23T21:02:02.933-05:00

I love POR. I have stayed at many resorts but I always come back to POR. I love the sprawling scenery and walking around the resort. I love the boat ride to DTD. The food court has something for everyone and Boatwright sit down restaurant has great food.

I deduced that there could be a potential for savi...

2010-02-20T18:47:28.683-05:00

I deduced that there could be a potential for savings if you're in a deluxe resort within walking distance or on the monorail loop just by shear timing. If you're not waiting on a bus, how much time might you save that you get to experience in the park? I might actually consider the luxury enough to knock off a day that i might spend at a value or moderate resort and see some savings there. After some fume-filled bus-waiting in my last trip (at Caribbean Beach), I am anxious to look at luxury and convenience the next go around!

Same with my last stay at Saratoga Springs. An upp...

2009-11-07T17:04:30.578-05:00

Same with my last stay at Saratoga Springs. An upper level room was outside access too.

But I have just discovered this blog thanks to StudioCentral.com's recommendation, and I really like it!

I love the Wilderness Lodge (one of my favorites) ...

2009-11-02T09:50:10.319-05:00

I love the Wilderness Lodge (one of my favorites)

Bu you said the "Interior Entrances - The Deluxe Resorts are the only level of resort that has a main entrance with interior access to all rooms. This is, in my opinion, the safest way to go. Although the main doors are by no means completely secure, they are visible to staff at all times and there are no dark corners for potential criminals to lurk in."

If you are on the first floor of the lodge you do have access to walk right out of your room to the pool, ect. So you do have more access there than just the main entry.

Jessica

I know many don't care much about the room or prop...

2009-10-30T15:36:16.566-04:00

I know many don't care much about the room or property while at WDW, be we've found we use the hotel as much as the parks so we really enjoy the ammenities of the deluxe resorts.

Don't get me wrong.....I'll take a trip to Disney and pretty much be happy with ANY property. But we pretty much exclusively stay at the deluxe properties--our favorite being the Grand Floridian. Our kids are teens now, but they've been staying at the deluxe resorts since they were infants and we've never felt they couldn't enjoy and be themselves. In addition, we've made great friends at many of the properties.

The Yacht & Beach clubs have a great pool, the Grand Floridian and Poly share a great beach with water sports and now movies on the GF beach, they all have great restaurants and other things we've enjoyed during each stay. We stayed at the Boardwalk for the first time this past June and LOVED that location as well.

While I've enjoyed Pop Century, All Star Sports & Music and some of the moderate resorts, there is nothing like a deluxe resort for pampering and grown up activities! After all, it's my vacation, too!!

Love the WDW deluxe properties!!

As my mother would always say, "This is when havin...

2009-10-16T17:30:58.437-04:00

As my mother would always say, "This is when having a good personal relationship with your child(ren)'s teachers pays off".

Until we go into high school, my mom had a relationship with my teachers that many kids would probably classify as unhealthy. She had all their phone numbers and they had hers. She often met with my teachers and in many cases because good friends with them.

She never had problems pulling us out of school.

Love, love, love this idea! I'm absolutely doing ...

2009-10-12T22:49:52.887-04:00

Love, love, love this idea! I'm absolutely doing this! Right now I just have my pins on a regular 'ole BORING bulletin board. This is now on my crafting "To Do" list.....of course, it's already a mile long!!! Oh well, I'll never be bored!!!

Thanks for sharing this! Love this blog!

I know I hated going to "nice" restaurants as a ki...

2009-10-08T14:00:10.117-04:00

I know I hated going to "nice" restaurants as a kid, but now like to eat at those places. I'm sure I'm going to get a taste of my own medicine when it's time to take our kids to a nice, linen tablecloth restaurant at WDW

We generally did't leave a backpack/diaper bag in ...

2009-10-05T18:39:39.233-04:00

We generally did't leave a backpack/diaper bag in the stroller since it is more likely to be rifled through. Instead dh and I both carried a medium to light bag with the important stuff (small amount of snacks, camera, phone, park info, a few small toys/amusements, dollar store ponchos, etc).. then in the bottom of the stroller I placed two plastic bags (generic supermarket.. WDW ones may be considered full of recently purchased items!). One bag held diapers, travel wipes, and the changing pad from our diaper bag (which we didn't bring in the park) and the other held a change of clothes for the little one as well as sweatshirts for everyone else. Having the diaper changing gear under the stroller allowed dh and I to be more flexible when it came time for diaper duty.
I would also highly recommend disposable sippy cups. They are easy to reuse when you would like to but if left behind in a restaurant or dropped, there are no worries. We generally carried 2 or 3 with us (two stashed away, nestled inside each other).

We have to go back for a nap or our daughter is to...

2009-10-05T11:02:53.602-04:00

We have to go back for a nap or our daughter is totally unreasonable plus she really does not sleep in her stroller. We typically stay offsite so we go back to the house around 11 or 1130 have a nice lunch at home and then lay our daughter down for 2-3 hours and in the quiet she will sleep longer. Then my husband and I will take turns exploring our resort or if we have other family members we will both go out; otherwise, we take a nap along with her so we are not burnt out either (dragging a toddler around WDW can be extremely mentally and physically tyring!).

Great idea to bring 2 bags, I never thought of tha...

2009-10-05T10:58:35.544-04:00

Great idea to bring 2 bags, I never thought of that! We also check the weather before we leave and if we see rain in the forecast we buy a cheap plastic table cloth and clothes pins from the dollar store to cover our stroller when we are in the attractions.

We also put 1 or 2 diapers, wipes and a changing table cover in a ziploc bag and place this in our bag so that is all we have to grab when we run in for a bathroom break.

Don't forget a park map!! Speaking from experience...

2009-10-05T09:50:47.912-04:00

Don't forget a park map!! Speaking from experience as a younger park guest not that many years ago I can certainly remember being dragged to the closest "You are here" kiosk. They are ALWAYS across from something that the young one MUST DO NOW. Meltdowns are quick to follow when trying to drag Dad to the next ride while he tries to read the community map while other families are taking family pictures in front of said map... Its much easier to read your private map from the comfort of a nearby bench.

On our last visit (I'm no longer in the MUST DO NOW age category) we were standing outside a shop reviewing our map. A cast member snuck up right between us and asked "may I help you get lost?" She offered us fast passes and answered all of our questions that we'd generated since getting there that morning. It definitely had the Disney spirit!

Scott

sadly, the living statues haven't been in Epcot fo...

2009-10-04T00:42:29.774-04:00

sadly, the living statues haven't been in Epcot for a couple of years now... :(

We have enjoyed both POFQ and Coronado Springs, th...

2009-09-12T00:24:27.512-04:00

We have enjoyed both POFQ and Coronado Springs, though we are, admittedly, more likely to stay at a deluxe (and now DVC). A minus for each:

At POFQ's food court there are VERY large "Mardi Gras" masks on the ceiling, which freaked my kids out. We had to get our food/drinks and take them elsewhere.

Coronado Springs is HUGE. We got there at night and had to rely on the kindness of strangers to find our building. And then struggled the next day in the light. But awesome pool.

My family loves the atmosphere of Port Orleans Fre...

2009-09-10T18:05:09.404-04:00

My family loves the atmosphere of Port Orleans French Quarter. However the busses are an issure for us at this resort. POFQ shares busses with PO Riverside, so it has a grand total of 4 stops. Other resorts share busses too, but the PO resorts are veeeerrrryyy spread out. We found the wait could be quite long. Also, it seemed that POFQ was always the last one to get dropped off.

I convinced my parents to stay at Coronado Springs at the end of this month and I can't wait to hear what they say. I will try Coronado on my next trip as well.

Definitely The Boneyard! :-)

2009-09-09T20:26:25.791-04:00

Definitely The Boneyard! :-)

My fave is Carribean Beach. I absolutely love the...

2009-09-09T14:06:20.841-04:00

My fave is Carribean Beach. I absolutely love the theming and the new pool! We request a preferred water view room near the food court/pool and it's very convenient.

That said, we stayed at Beach Club in April and the service/amenities/location were far superior there...of course you are paying for it. But, especially the service, was so noticably better, I think it may be worth it (for us)...at least for some trips. :-)

Good point on the height of strollers. It is possi...

2009-09-09T13:14:02.050-04:00

Good point on the height of strollers. It is possible to buy handle extenders and they do work well. Might still see a cost savings by doing that rather than investing in nicer strollers. We are also fairly tall and we switch off on our umbrella stroller.

Just a warning on umbrella strollers... Just be s...

2009-09-09T12:58:15.134-04:00

Just a warning on umbrella strollers...

Just be sure that both adults are comfortable pushing it while bending forward...

These strollers are so small that both of us swore not to use them again at the parks becuase you have to bend forward to reach the handles. Walking this way for a week is veeery tyring and uncomfortable... plus I'm sure it can't be good for your back.

This year we are taking an ebayed jooby ultralight caboose for our 7 and 4 yo's

Love, love, love Coronado Springs! Up until this ...

2009-09-09T12:05:54.041-04:00

Love, love, love Coronado Springs! Up until this year when we stayed at the Boardwalk Villas, Coronado was my favorite place to stay at WDW. Besides all the points you made above about the moderates, I have found that Coronado has always been quiet when I stayed there.

Port Orleans:French Quarter is our favorite "bang ...

2009-09-09T10:42:49.982-04:00

Port Orleans:French Quarter is our favorite "bang for the buck" resort in all of WDW.

We love the theming, the pool, and the intimate scale.

Although the dining options are limited, the fact that boat transportation is provided to Downtown Disney in the evenings makes up for it.

We like to take the boat to Downtown Disney, then grab a taxi back to the room at the end of the night.

My best strategy for resting at Disney World is to...

2009-09-08T15:47:35.343-04:00

My best strategy for resting at Disney World is to go with a friend who knows the benefits of doing so! Being a grownup, I never would have thought of it myself--but that smart lady's napping plan was my saving grace once or twice! ; )

When my son was younger, I used the stroller metho...

2009-09-08T11:02:20.563-04:00

When my son was younger, I used the stroller method. He's always been a good sleeper and can sleep just about anywhere. I would walk him around with a blankie over the stroller until he fell asleep and then I would find a shady spot and read my book. This allowed the others in our group to go on the more adult rides that my son was not tall enough to go on. It's also a nice time to eat a meal "alone." Most counter service locations allow you to wheel the stroller up to your table. I even managed to pull off watching the night time parade at the Magic Kingdom while my son slept in the stroller beside me.

Now that he is past the napping stage, I plan half days just to break it up a bit. Every other day we plan some pool time or non-park time for a half day which helps both of us not get too cranky.