There are many great resorts to choose from at Walt Disney World. There is also a huge range in the price from value to deluxe. One of my favorite places to stay on the property, especially when having young children, is Wilderness Lodge.
Cost: Wilderness Lodge (WL) is the cheapest Deluxe hotel. It is priced between the moderate and deluxe hotels. You get a good mixture of cost and amenities. Every room has a mini fridge at no cost and a balcony. It is a decent size room and sleeps 4.
Location: Parks – Wilderness Lodge is closest to the Magic Kingdom and you can take a boat that doesn’t require you to take the kids out of their stroller. If you have little kids you might spend several days there and it is close enough to go back and forth if the kids need a mid-day break. It is also close to a few hotels that have great restaurants. You can take buses to the rest of the attractions
Restaurants – You can take a direct boat (a small one that requires folding up the stroller) to the Contemporary Resort (Chef Mickey’s) and Fort Wilderness (Trails End Restaurant, Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, and Mickey’s Backyard BBQ). You can also take the boat to the Magic Kingdom and then a monorail (no need to fold up strollers for the whole trip) to the Polynesian (‘Ohana and Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show) and the Grand Floridian (Cindereralla’s Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare and Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare)
Activities – Take the little boat to Fort Wilderness for pony rides ($5) or the campfire and movie under the stars program with Chip and Dale. You can view the electric water pageant from the hotel too.
Resort Size and Amenities: This is a smaller resort and all the rooms are in one main building. This means you can go down and get breakfast and bring it back to your family without going outside. You can also do laundry and shopping without going outside. Everything is close which makes it easier when you come back from the parks with tired kids or it is raining.
Pool – The pool has a water slide that both me and my 4 year old love. You can get free life preservers for your kids to wear in the big pool or down the slide if they are not swimmers. A kiddie pool and 2 hot tubs are also in the pool area.
Amenities – The resort has lots of deluxe amenities including health club, children’s program and activities, boating, playground, bike rentals, and video arcade.
Regardless of where you plan to stay keep in mind the distance and mode of transportation to the attractions you want to see.
What hotels did you find worked best for your family? Post a comment
