What does your teenager or child remember most about Disney World or Universal Studios? Do they remember the hotel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious if the hotel was the one thing they remembered most (ex: a great pool or room) or one particular part of the theme park stands out.

How important is a “fun” hotel with the pool and characters? Or is the visit to the parks the place where majority of the memories are made?

I went when I was 9 and 15 and thought Disney World was terrible for people between the ages of 8 and about 30.

It had long lines and very boring rides. I probably stayed at nice hotels away from the park but can’t remember them. I came away thinking Disney parks are for people who are too young or too frail for good rides.

Six Flags parks have much livelier rides.

I think most people ages 9 to 30 would have a lot more fun staying around Cocoa Beach and swimming, surfing and visiting Kennedy Space Center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious if the hotel was the one thing they remembered most (ex: a great pool or room) or one particular part of the theme park stands out.

How important is a “fun” hotel with the pool and characters? Or is the visit to the parks the place where majority of the memories are made?

I went when I was 9 and 15 and thought Disney World was terrible for people between the ages of 8 and about 30.

It had long lines and very boring rides. I probably stayed at nice hotels away from the park but can’t remember them. I came away thinking Disney parks are for people who are too young or too frail for good rides.

Six Flags parks have much livelier rides.

I think most people ages 9 to 30 would have a lot more fun staying around Cocoa Beach and swimming, surfing and visiting Kennedy Space Center.

CEO of Six Flags says what? 🤣

[Anonymous]

Mine remember the hotel. We stayed in a cheap hotel outside the park (didn’t have much money so we made it work on a shoestring and had a great trip). The hotel had two pools that were open until like 10 or 11 at night. After we tired of the park, I’d order a pizza and we’d spend the entire evening at the pool.

We had a great time at Disney but the only thing anyone still talks about was the hotel pool.

[Anonymous]

My kids remember the Grand Floridian and the Wilderness Lodge for sure. The pool at the Wilderness Lodge was a hit, as was the boat ride to the MK. At the GF we were on a concierge floor in a huge room with access to the lounge for snacks, etc. Plus there was a character breakfast in the hotel. Also nice to be able to come back in the middle of the day for a break or swim, which was easy to do when you are on site.

[Anonymous]

My kids tend to notice hotels and want to discuss them and compare them. At Universal, my kids prefer Hard Rock, then Aventura, then Portofino. They take a dim view of Cabana Bay, Dockside, Surfside, and Royal Pacific. We have Helios booked and they are thrilled.

You'll notice that the "prefer" list includes a non-premium hotel as their second favorite hotel. So you can absolutely have a great time at the cheaper hotels. We will eventually stay at Stella and Luna as well.

[Anonymous]

She remembers the little chocolate muffins she had for breakfast every day when we stayed club level at Portofino Bay (Universal).

[Anonymous]

We stayed at the budget friendly Disney Sports hotel (under $150/ night at the time) and my then 9 year old liked it so much that he opted to spend a full day at the hotel (game room, fun sporty pools, outdoor games, hosted activities, and big football fields to run on) instead of another day at a park! I had rented a mobility device due to my foot injury and I let him drive it around the hotel grounds for several hours.

He’s been begging to return there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’ve been to Disney with our kids a few times and we just spent 4 nights in a Disney resort over spring break and never went to any of the parks.

The Disney resorts are fun given the theming/vibe, pools, and access to other Disney properties (and parks).

I can’t imagine staying offsite and navigating transportation unless you plan to spend all day at a park. Being able to go back and forth makes it more fun/relaxing imho.

Fwiw, I don’t think you need to spring for a luxury property. We’ve enjoyed Art of Animation just as much as the Boardwalk. We’ve visited/eaten at all the fancy resorts and most other Disney properties—each has a fun vibe and different pros/cons.

We did this one time and it was one of our best Disney trips. My kids were young though so I think they thought the resort was Disney. They know better now.

Other than that trip, we’ve always stayed off property, mostly at condos or houses, and I much prefer it. It’s really not a big deal to drive in each day. But we tend to stay at the parks all day and not go in and out.