Where to Stay?

This is probably the hardest to talk about because everybody you talk to has their favorite Disney resorts to stay at. For myself and my family we are limited because of the size of our traveling party is one over the limit for a lot of the rooms. We have five people and we need our room. I have personally stayed at the Contemporary, the Cabins at Fort Wilderness, Port Orleans Riverside, and most recently at the Polynesian. This coming April we are planning on staying at the Art of Animation.

What are your requirements at WDW in a resort? Is it cost? Maybe you want easy access to the parks? Dining opportunities might be your cup of tea, or recreational opportunities (swimming etc...)? There are many options that fit into those criteria plus many more.

One thing I will tell you is that the further you are away from the parks the less expensive your room will be. The Value Resorts (which we are staying at our next trip) are further from the Magic Kingdom than say the Polynesian or Contemporary. However, the Value Resorts (Art of Animation, Pop Century, All Star Music, etc.) are aimed at the kids with the motif very colorful and in the case of Art of Animation they have suites based on some of the beloved movies of PIXAR (we are staying in a CARS suite). One way around the bus travel is to drive yourself around. We began doing this when we stayed at Riverside and are planning on doing it exclusively at Art of Animation. This might sound bad but we do have another advantage when we drive because we usually get a good parking spot because we have a handicapped license because of my youngest son who has to get around Disney in his wheelchair. Getting around Disney is easier than you might think because of all of the signs pointing you in the right direction.

I have never slept on an uncomfortable bed at a WDW resort. Rooms are always clean and they go that extra mile to please their guests.

Food? One thing my wife and I always do is make sure we get a Disney Dining Plan (usually the Deluxe) this is a pre-paid plan that costs a lot, I am not going to fool you, however, if you are going to Disney then you are going to pay a lot for your food anyway and it is better to pay before hand and enjoy your time in the park without having to worry about paying for a meal. There are multiple plans ranging from a Quick Service Plan where you pay for counter service and a snack for each night you stay  to the Deluxe where you get three meals and snacks per person for each night you stay. This might seem like a lot of food, and it is, but we usually have enough left over that last day when we check out that we can still eat at one of the parks we visit without having to pay out of pocket. Another awesome aspect of the Dining Plan is this, one meal is one meal, it doesn't matter where you use it on the property. One really good restaurant at Downtown Disney (I'll spend a post on just Downtown Disney later) is Fulton's Crab House, it is a docked riverboat and serves delicious seafood. The family ate there and the Dining Plan took care of everything, including dessert, except tip. I had lobster and my wife crab legs plus what my kid's ate would have cost me over $200 and I just paid the tip, which was a lot but less than what I would have paid. The Dining Plan allows you to eat at places you wouldn't attempt without it because of the cost. There are some experiences in which it costs two meal plan points like eating at Cinderella's Castle but they are few just check ahead.

One other thing I must tell you is the 180 day reservation. You may make a reservation 180 days before you go to WDW for restaurants and trust me if there is a MUST dining experience that you cannot live without make your reservations right on the 180 day mark if you have already booked a vacation. If you want to eat at "Be Our Guest" at the Magic Kingdom book it early. Also if at first you don't succeed try, try, again. Some people cancel reservations and they do periodically open up. With the 180 day advice understand you have people who have done this so many times before that they can tell you what date is 180 days away anytime of the year and they have some of these restaurants on speed dial. So, good luck, and be persistent.

I know this began by being a post about where to stay but it became more about food so I will end it with this advice. Research the resorts. This might be funny but You Tube has videos on some of the resorts, I just typed in Art of Animation and a few videos appeared. One other thing is if you go to WDW and plan on returning visit some of the other resorts on a day you have some time. We were hesitant about staying at the Art of Animation, or any of the other Value Resorts until we went and visited it this past summer.

Wouldn't have eaten there without the Disney Dining Plan!

Port Orleans Riverside...