Hellobee Boards

I voted Polynesian! I love Disney. We don't normally spend out on rooms but the pros far out way the cost for me. We are planning a trip next fall and are planning on upgrading our room just so we can have the easy of park to park. We will have 4,3, and almost 1.

OK So I haven't stayed at either but I voted Polynesian. We stay at Shades of Green when we go as we are Military. BUT we walk from SOG to the monorail at poly and cut through it. Our last trip was to Disneyland and we stayed at a closer resort and spent the extra money. With little ones alone I think that is so worth the extra money to get something close. At the end of the day and EVERYONE is so exhausting the walk back and longer commute to hotel is brutal. Every night when we got to the Polynesian I had SOOOOO wished we were staying there so we could be done and THERE.

We just took a trip and stayed at the Polynesian with our 2.5 year old and had a great time. We spent most days at Magic Kingdom and ate dinner twice at the Contemporary, so the monorail/boat access was great. My DD still needs real naps every afternoon, so we liked being so close so that we could easily get back to the resort for her to take a nap. We also spent one afternoon just playing around the pools and beach, and they are really nice.

However (and this is where it probably gets tricky for you), I really wish we had a suite. I think our vacation would have been much more enjoyable that way. If your kids can do stroller naps, or if you don't think you will go back every single afternoon, it might be worth it to get the suite and also save some money. It's a hard call.

FYI, we saved a bunch of money by booking via Orbitz when they had a 20% off code. Disney was having a 30% off room rate sale at the time which we were able to combine with the Orbitz code. Not sure if that's relevant to when you will be going, but we got the Polynesian for approx. 40% off. I will be honest, I loved it but I don't think it is worth the full price rate.

Here is a site that shows you how to get the Orbitz deals (need to scroll down). You need to take a couple extra steps but it was so worth it for us.
http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-disney-world-vacation-discounts-and-deals/disney-world-resort-hotel-discounts-codes/

There's pros and cons to both and depends on your plans.

When we go, we spend almost no time at the hotel, so I would choose Art of Animation, but driving to the park. Though the bus is convenient in the fact that you don't have to drive, when you have the stroller + everything you bring to the parks for little ones, it is much more of a hassle than driving. I also prefer a separate area for little ones at a hotel, especially with so much activity I want them to have uninterrupted sleep!

One thing to consider with the buses is that you will have to collapse your stroller before boarding where you can just roll it right on the monorail or boat.

Also the value resort busses are a distance from the entry gates to the parks, so you have a long walk. I think Art of Animation has their own bus, but double check in that. We stayed at the Music resort and the bus did a huge loop to 4 hotels and it added a ton of travel time.

If you can swing it go Polynesian.

I'm not going to vote because I don't have actual experience there with an LO. But we are also starting to research a trip for December.
I saw that the Villas at Wilderness Lodge have a 1 bedroom villa option that is reasonable (compared to Disney prices). Its only bus and boat, which is a downside (especially since our LO isn't a stroller napper), but I really like that we can have a living area and a bedroom so that once LO is napping or in bed we can still watch tv and hang out. We don't do very well with sharing a single room with our son (he is a light sleeper, he needs total darkness and a sound machine, and my husband snores).

I would love to stay at the Contemporary but for any type of a suite it is INSANITY, and we are not stingy with hotels! So in the end I think that good sleep for LO (suite) trumps nicer accommodations/convenience.

We're staying at the Polynesian in the fall when we go. The convenience of being on the monorail line sealed the deal for us. I stayed there as a kid and it was magical, I can't wait to be there as an adult with my own child!!

@BabyBoecksMom: Ah, yes, if you go that route, it is room only. We didn't bother with the dining plan and there was no free dining discounts or anything when we went, so it was fine for us. And then we just bought our tickets separately. If you wanted to get the dining plan, I don't think you can do it if you go through Orbitz. Hope that helps!

We just got back from two days at Art of Animation w a 3 yo and 10 month old. The hotel staff gave horrible advice and told us the total transit time would be the same if we drove to MK rather than take the bus. Since strollers have to be completely folded (a pain when we had our second seat in the city select), we opted to drive and park at Magic Kingdom. Big mistake. Don't do it. Wait for a bus instead.
In the future I think we will stay in a hotel on the monorail and just pay for two adjoining rooms. The AoA suite was clutch though@BabyBoecksMom:

If anyone wants to ask Disney World questions feel free to wall me. I went two years in a row and absolutely loved it, especially the research and planning. My family is ready to move on (since we did it all) so I won't be back for at least five years and I'll have to live vicariously through everyone else's trips.