Walt Disney World

[Brianfo]

My wife and I will be taking 2 small children to Walt Disney World in Florida in 2 weeks. I get to go as a bonus thru my work. We are staying at the Hilton. My question is what is the weather like down there in January? Any good ideas on what to see and do with twins that are 2 years old? I am kind of looking forward to it. A chance to get out of Iowa in January. Oh well, enought blabbing. Any responses are greatly appreciated.

[JD10367]

Went to Disney in October of 2011. It was like we'd rented the parks out for a private event or something.

When NOT to go to Disney World: Christmas week to New Years; Thanksgiving; Easter week; February school vacation; July and August.

When TO go: any time that isn't those times.

My favorite time is early December, because you can get the Christmasy feel without the crowds. I also like from mid-September to early November, as well as March and May.

[Ebolapox]

we're going from january 1-7... we went a bit before xmas a few years ago, it wasn't too bad. only issue is that it got a bit chilly in the evening, but it was great nonetheless.

[bevischief]

Did the midgets bad touch you?

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by JD10367

Went to Disney in October of 2011. It was like we'd rented the parks out for a private event or something.

When NOT to go to Disney World: Christmas week to New Years; Thanksgiving; Easter week; February school vacation; July and August.

When TO go: any time that isn't those times.

My favorite time is early December, because you can get the Christmasy feel without the crowds. I also like from mid-September to early November, as well as March and May.

Well yea of course. All great times to go if you have no kids. Or if you have kids and don't mind them missing any school.

[Silock]

I would never go, kids or not, between March and September. I would go at nearly any time in October-February, excluding holidays.

[ILChief]

Originally Posted by Silock

I would never go, kids or not, between March and September. I would go at nearly any time in October-February, excluding holidays.

we went in April last year. It wasn't too bad

[Deberg_1990]

thinking about taking another trip here this summer. Anyone ever stayed at the Contemporary resort there or other hotels? Still trying to decide between Florida or Cali.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

thinking about taking another trip here this summer. Anyone ever stayed at the Contemporary resort there or other hotels? Still trying to decide between Florida or Cali.

The upside to the Contemporary is that it is close to The Magic Kingdom, is was just recently renovated, is right off the Seven Seas Lagoon, and you can see the fireworks of the Magic Kingdom every night without having to go into the Park. One additional benefit that some like, some don't is that Chef Mickey's is there. Chef Mickey's is like taking your kids to Golden Corral only it is Disney-themed and the food is better prepared.

The down side is the structure of the place....with the high ceilings and how it is built, every sound in that place echoes and at night some people complain you hear every noise more than the other resorts.

I've stayed at every resort there, but the newest Animation Resort....what would you like to know about the rest?

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

I've stayed at every resort there, but the newest Animation Resort....what would you like to know about the rest?

yea, i would if you dont mind.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by JD10367

Went to Disney in October of 2011. It was like we'd rented the parks out for a private event or something.

When NOT to go to Disney World: Christmas week to New Years; Thanksgiving; Easter week; February school vacation; July and August.

When TO go: any time that isn't those times.

My favorite time is early December, because you can get the Christmasy feel without the crowds. I also like from mid-September to early November, as well as March and May.

Can I amend your point of view a little....mostly you are correct.

When TO go: If you go from the Saturday before Thanksgiving and stay till the day before Thanksgiving you can pretty much have your own personal Cast Member to show you around. Also if you go the week before most Fall Breaks in October you pretty much have the same benefit. Anytime the first 2 weeks of December is less crowded, but the closer you get to Christmas the crazier it gets. One last one, odd as it may sound.....anytime during the Hurricane Season people get antsy if they think it is going to be prime time for a hurricane so some reservations get cancelled. One time I took my family the 2nd week in October....it was between hurricanes and Disney had a lot of cancellations. We went because it was a convention I was attending and we staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and not the Contemporary where the convention was booked. Because of all the cancellations, I got moved from a regular room to a Savannah suite all at no extra charge.

When NOT to go: Anytime during the Star Wars Weekends in May-June and Spring Break weeks in March/April.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

yea, i would if you dont mind.

The Grand Floridian- overpriced and for those who feel like throwing good money away. You can get most of the same feel at any one of the other resorts without paying for what you have to at this place. Don't get me wrong...it is nice but not worth the money unless your last name is Gates, Buffett, Trump or Rockefeller.

The Polynesian- Nice but a little older, even with the renovation. It's great to visit, but not to stay. But the Luau (sp) is a great thing to to there...the food is good and the entertainment is worth it.

Contemporary-one last thing I didn't mention before. It is a convention hotel also, so you are going to share it with conventioneers.

Wilderness Lodge-Honestly the best that Disney offers in WDW if you are taking teens and older children. The location is perfect, the ambience is timeless, and rustic cabin mentality is just...well, cool. The Whispering Canyon Cafe serves up good food (a little pricey but worth it), the other restaurants are good, and even the 'fast food' diner in there is worth it. The pools are perfectly set, the beach is right off the Seven Seas Lagoon and you are just a short boat ride to either the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. As you can tell it is my favorite, but there is more to it than just that. Once you've been there you know it's the place you want to stay again.

Animal Kingdom Lodge- A close second to the Wilderness Lodge...with it's only drawback being that it really isn't close to any Park. You have to take a long (well long by standards) ride to get to anything. But the ambience is cool, the staff there is always courteous and overly helpful. All the restaurants are great, even the fast food portion, the Savannah view is a plus, and the campfire on the back patio replete with rocking chairs make it a late-night must. And honestly, it and the Wilderness Lodge are the most fun to do the Hidden Mickey's search you can do at most all resorts on WDW.

Boardwalk- Nice but again, not worth the money if you are taking a family. IMHO, the only thing that makes this a place to stay is the Boardwalk and the ESPN club. The rooms are nice, but nothing you can't get at any other mid-price resort.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

Can I amend your point of view a little....mostly you are correct.

When TO go: If you go from the Saturday before Thanksgiving and stay till the day before Thanksgiving you can pretty much have your own personal Cast Member to show you around. Also if you go the week before most Fall Breaks in October you pretty much have the same benefit. Anytime the first 2 weeks of December is less crowded, but the closer you get to Christmas the crazier it gets. One last one, odd as it may sound.....anytime during the Hurricane Season people get antsy if they think it is going to be prime time for a hurricane so some reservations get cancelled. One time I took my family the 2nd week in October....it was between hurricanes and Disney had a lot of cancellations. We went because it was a convention I was attending and we staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and not the Contemporary where the convention was booked. Because of all the cancellations, I got moved from a regular room to a Savannah suite all at no extra charge.

When NOT to go: Anytime during the Star Wars Weekends in May-June and Spring Break weeks in March/April.

Or during Disney's "Gay Days" unless that's your thing, NTTAWWT.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

The Grand Floridian- overpriced and for those who feel like throwing good money away. You can get most of the same feel at any one of the other resorts without paying for what you have to at this place. Don't get me wrong...it is nice but not worth the money unless your last name is Gates, Buffett, Trump or Rockefeller.

The Polynesian- Nice but a little older, even with the renovation. It's great to visit, but not to stay. But the Luau (sp) is a great thing to to there...the food is good and the entertainment is worth it.

Contemporary-one last thing I didn't mention before. It is a convention hotel also, so you are going to share it with conventioneers.

Wilderness Lodge-Honestly the best that Disney offers in WDW if you are taking teens and older children. The location is perfect, the ambience is timeless, and rustic cabin mentality is just...well, cool. The Whispering Canyon Cafe serves up good food (a little pricey but worth it), the other restaurants are good, and even the 'fast food' diner in there is worth it. The pools are perfectly set, the beach is right off the Seven Seas Lagoon and you are just a short boat ride to either the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. As you can tell it is my favorite, but there is more to it than just that. Once you've been there you know it's the place you want to stay again.

Animal Kingdom Lodge- A close second to the Wilderness Lodge...with it's only drawback being that it really isn't close to any Park. You have to take a long (well long by standards) ride to get to anything. But the ambience is cool, the staff there is always courteous and overly helpful. All the restaurants are great, even the fast food portion, the Savannah view is a plus, and the campfire on the back patio replete with rocking chairs make it a late-night must. And honestly, it and the Wilderness Lodge are the most fun to do the Hidden Mickey's search you can do at most all resorts on WDW.

Boardwalk- Nice but again, not worth the money if you are taking a family. IMHO, the only thing that makes this a place to stay is the Boardwalk and the ESPN club. The rooms are nice, but nothing you can't get at any other mid-price resort.

thanks.....i will have to look into the Wilderness Lodge too. Sounds like Great Wolf Lodge.

We stayed at Disneyland Hotel in Cali a few years ago and loved it. It was so nice to be close to things. I like the idea of being able to catch the Monorail from the Contemporary hotel.

[Mosbonian]

The Carribean Beach, Coronado Springs and Port Orleans- the first place on property I ever stayed was at the Carribean. All these are good mid-priced accomodations, but the best is The Coronado Spring Resort. It is newer and seems to have learned from the mistakes of the other resorts at this price range. The one problem that it didn't learn is that the food courts and Front Desk seem too far away to be useful for the average guest, which is a problem at these and the Value Resorts. If you don't care about room size and the proximity of the Food Court to the room, then these will work fine for you. All the pools are nice and present their own form of ambience.

The All-Star Resorts- These resorts are themed (Animation, Movies, Sports, Pop Century) and come with their own charm. What makes them attractive is the price....if you are only looking for an inexpensive way to stay at Disney and have 2 adult/2 small kids, these are primo. Nothing wrong with them, it's just not going to wow you with anything big. You have the same decent food courts, the pools jammed with kids and moms while dads play golf, and kids-themed mentality. But, being the largest of all resorts (number of rooms-wise) it is mostly crowded from the pools, to the food courts to the buses to the parks/Downtown Disney. If these things don't bother you and all you are looking for is Disney on the inexpensive stay at one of these.

[Mosbonian]

Let me know if you have any other questions....I'm not Birnbaum, but I know alot about Disney.