Hellobee Boards

I would go with the most expensive, monorail one. My budget doesn't allow me to research these things.

Polynesian...because it is on the Monorail.

Bay lake towers, it's technically part of contemporary. If you get a one bedroom you an out the kids to bed and still hang out. Can walk to magic kingdom and take the monorail to Epcot. Super convenient location.

My second choice would be boardwalk villas, same option with the one bedroom. Walkable to Epcot and Hollywood studios. Can hop on monorail in front of Epcot to magic kingdom.

Polynesian for sure. The convenience of the monorail would be great and the resort looks very nice!

The budget/price range of these is VASTLY different. Its like do you want to stay at the Ritz or at a Holiday Inn Express.

We stayed at the Polynesian in October and the convenience could not be beat. We couldn't afford a suite but it wasn't a big deal beacuse our son was SO beat at the end of each day that he slept through us talking and watching TV in the room. It was so nice to be able to hit the park in the morning and then ride the monorail back to the hotel for pool and rest time in the heat of the afternoon and then go back to the parks for dinner in the evening. Can't recommend it enough if you can swing it!

Polynesian is the best! We've also stayed at the contemporary, which was nice but further down the monorail route. We just love the classic feel of the Polynesian too and it's still fun for kids.

@Ajsmommy: When in doubt, go with the best, if money is no object!

We stayed in Bay Lake Tower (part of Contemporary) in a one bedroom suite and it was perfect for our first Disney trip! We loved walking over to Magic Kingdom! For future I'd love a suite at Polynesian or Grand Floridian for the unique theming.

@Ajsmommy: I think all the deluxe resorts are probably pretty similar in quality, although of that list I've personally only ever stayed at WL and Boardwalk so I can't truly compare. I think the Polynesian is so popular because it's on the monorail and near TTC (monorail to Epcot), it has a clear theme, and as one of the original resorts has a certain nostalgia factor. And in my case I find I always want to eat there But otherwise between the deluxes you probably can't go wrong, just start narrowing down by deciding which park you'd like to be closest to.

Another thing to note with the deluxe resorts is that all the standard rooms have balconies. This past trip we wanted to get a suite for the same reasons as you do (probably would've been AoA due to budget), but instead we stayed at WL and DH and I just hung out outside our room and watched the fireworks after our son went to bed. This allowed us to stay closer to MK and at a much nicer hotel than if we had stayed at AoA. WL isn't on the monorail, but you can take a stroller on the ferry too so it was still convenient.

@Ajsmommy: We stayed at the Polynesian for our last trip and even though I kind of wanted to try something new this year, we ended up booking the Polynesian again because the location just simply can't be beat, especially with young kids and if you plan on spending more time at Magic Kingdom than at other parks. Last trip, we were able to come back to the resort for LO's nap every afternoon, then we'd take the monorail or boat to MK almost every evening because it was so quick. We only used the buses twice in 5 days.

Honestly I probably wouldn't pay the rack rate (and I definitely wouldn't pay what they are asking for suites) but we've been lucky enough to get decent rates during promotions for both trips. The resort itself is really lovely and we got a patio last time so that we could lounge outside while LO napped. This year we will be going with a 4 year old and 9 month old so our schedule will be a bit different but I think the location will still work out best for us. Our kids go to bed early but I'm hoping one night to take DD to see the fireworks from the beach if she can stay awake that long.