kids beach table 2 in 1 image
wreindl
We are 2 families with 4 kids age 8 - 14 and want to spend 1 week in Disneyworld, Orlando. We definitely want to stay in one of the Disneyworld hotels. Can you tell me which one is the best for families - I have heard some are already really old and should not be used anymore?
Answer
It depends on what you want out of your resort. First of all you made a great decision to stay on property, there is not a resort or hotel anywhere around the Disney area that can hold a candle to what the Disney resorts themselves offer in terms of service and perks. Disney takes great care of their resort guests, whether you are in the value or the deluxe.
The decor of all of the resorts is outstanding, so it just depends on what you are looking for. Each of the families is going to need 2 rooms in most of the resorts, since they will only accomodate 4 people per room. The home away from home resorts/Disney Vacation Club resorts all have suites that accomodate from 4 to up to 12 people, so that could be an option. I also believe that the All-Star value resorts are adding family suites that can accomodate 6. Lets start with the values.
There are 4 different categories of Disney resort, value, moderate, deluxe, and Vacation Club. First, the value resorts are just that. They are expertly decorated, have huge pools, a good food court, but on the downside they are inexpensive so the rooms are on the smaller side and there is not a sit down table service restaurant. However, these are excellent choices for families. My favorite in this category is the All-Star Movies resort, with Pop Century a close second.
The moderates are a bit bigger than the values. The rooms are a little bigger, and they offer a sit down table service restaurant along with the food court. There is a large themed pool, but there is also smaller pools in each section as well. There are plenty of things to do in each of these resorts besides the Disney parks as well. Keep in mind that these resorts will probably only be able to accomodate 4 per room, so you will need 2. My favorite in this category is the Caribbean Beach resort. The resort itself is very large, but we loved our stay there.
The deluxe resort are the top of the resorts in price and amenities. These are the resorts that are located around the Seven Seas Lagoon in front of the Magic Kingdom, and are all connected by the monorail system (except for the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is near the Animal Kingdom). These have so much to do, have multiple restaurants, and even have character meals (don't miss the character breakfast at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary, regardless of where you stay! It is a favorite of ours.) My favorite in this category and my favorite overall is the Polynessian.
The Disney Vacation club resorts are the home away from home resorts. They have everything from a studio, one bedroom condo, two bedroom condo, to a grand villa (basically a townhouse that sleeps 12.) These come with a kitchenette (in the studio accomodations) or a full kitchen complete with utensils and everything you need to cook a meal. My favorite in this category is Saratoga Springs (and a close, close second to the Polynessian.)
There are a few websites you can go to and get tons more info. First, I would recommend going to the Disney website and using their resort comparison tool. You can compare the resorts in each category and decide what is going to work for you. You can even get a quote as to what your particular package will cost. Also, check out the disboards. The disboards is a message board website that is all about going to WDW. You can ask questions, get trip reports, itineraries from others guests, dining reviews, resort reviews, and tips from people who go to Disney often and know what they are talking about. Also, go to the bookstore and pick up the Birnbaum's guide to WDW. There are a ton of guide books out there, but that is the one that worked best for us.
I would also suggest that when you get your passes to the parks to at the very least add the Park Hopper option. It will add a small amount to the price of the passes, however it is worth the cost. The base ticket allows you to enter one park per day. With the park hopper you basically can come and go as you please. For example, if you were to go to the Animal Kingdom for the day, then decide you want to go back to MGM to ride Tower of Terror and catch the Fantasmic night time show (both must sees!) you would only be able to do that with the Park hopper option. It just gives you the ultimate in flexibility, which is what you want going to Disney.
Hope this helps, have a great trip!!
What do you expect in a cruise?
LetMEtell&
Boring? Fun?
How are the activities be organized? I am planning to go on cruise on spring break. What kind of activities my kids can have in cruise besides swimming pool, arcade? How will they be organized or arranged?
Answer
There are two factors to consider when planning a cruise (1) what activities are on ship, and (2) what port stops will be made that I will enjoy.
The activities on the cruise ship can be the most fun. You did not say what cruise line or ship you are considering going on but regardless just about every line and ship has established FREE programs for kids. The cruise lines have professionally trained staff who develop and run programs for kids by age groups. These staff people supervise the kids in activities on ship all day and sometimes into the early evenings. The kids are grouped by age. Some ships have special areas where the kids go to participate in the activities. ALL OF THIS IS FREE !!
Royal Caribbean Cruise line calls their kids programs "Adventure Ocean". Carnival, for example, calls its kids programs for 10 year olds "Camp Carnival". Norwegian calls its kids programs for 10 year olds "Navigators". Other cruise lines also have programs for kids as long as there are at least about 20 kids cruising.
In addition to the supervised programs, many ships have special areas just for kids including shallower pools, water slides and play areas. ALL OF THIS IS FREE. Royal Caribbean cruise line has some of the best on board activities for kids including on various ships, ice skating or roller blading, mini-golf, table tennis, rock climbing wall, basketball court and on the new Freedom class ships, Liberty, Freedom and Independence of the Seas the flowrider where kids can body surf right on ship. These ships also have a special water park area just for kids called the H2O Zone which has a mini lazy river, a small pool, water cannons and lots of fun stuff just for kids.
You can read about the kids programs on each cruise line's web site; just click on the "On Board Activities" tab or link and look for kids and family stuff. The best cruise lines to go on for kids activities would be Disney, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. My recommendation would be Royal Caribbean.
For adults there are always pools and hot tubs and many ship have a Solarium (a cover area) with a pool and hot tubs for adults only. This is in addition to the regular pool and hot tubs for everyone. Some ships have water slides.
Ships have great gymnasiums with a variety of equipment. The RC's Freedom and Liberty have THE best gyms I have ever seen on ships.
The cruise director will organize games and activities around the pool, especially on "at sea" days when there is no port stop. They may also have a midnight party on the pool deck with a buffet, music and dancing one night. Each night there will be a show and it is usually run twice so that no matter what time you go to dinner you can see the show. If you go on the Royal Caribbean ships with the ice skating rink they will have a free ice show that is fabulous.
If you are a gambler there will be a casino, except on Disney ships. Each day you will receive a "newsletter" type flier in your cabin that details the time and location of all of the activities on ship the next day. So you will know what is happening and where. Also, most ships will have a channel on the TV in the room that recaps activities for the current and next day. If there is a port stop the next day most ships will have a presentation in the show room or a lounge that talks about where to shop; then this is repeated on TV.
Most ships these day have 2,000 to 4,000 passengers so things on ship are very well organized and in most cases the ship does not even feel crowded.
When you select a cruise consider that those going to the Caribbean will feature a lot of beach time and water sports related activities like snorkel, jet ski, para-sailing, or just swimming and relaxing on a beach. If you go to Cozumel there is the opportunity to buy a tour to see Mayan ruins, if that's your interest. If you go to Jamaica the two main attractions are a river raft float trip (not rapids) and the Dunn's River Falls climb. If you want to do a lot of shopping then pick a cruise with St Thomas as one of the port stops. Most Caribbean cruises have a private island stop where the ship takes food ashore for an all day beach party with games and entertainment. Royal Caribbean has THE best private island I have ever been to at Labadee, Haiti. Its a huge place that has multiple beaches and many activities. RC's ships the Freedom and The Liberty which do both the Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries both have stops at Labadee.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
