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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DH and I are considering a trip to Disney next summer with our girls, who will be 4.5 and 7.5. I think we'd be interested in Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I ventured over to Disboards and was overwhelmed by the detailed information. I have basic questions I need to answer before I can delve into details.

We'd like to stay on property, in the closest place, to allow us to visit the park, go back for a rest, return for a few more hours, etc. If we have to wait in line for transportation each time we come and go, I suspect we'll burn out and not return after a siesta. My initial searching shows there are multiple hotels on property, but some are on a bus system, some on monorail, etc. Before I dive into the nitty gritty of fast passes, special deals, Costco vs. AAA, etc, can someone advise me on where to find

1) crowd dates for the end of August 
2) which hotel properties allow me to come and go without waiting for transit
3) can we do MK in one day or do we need two? What about Animal Kingdom?

With these basics, I can then take the next planning steps. Thanks![/quote]

Hi OP.  I'm a decent expert on Disney and just came back from a trip with my almost 2 year old.

To answer your questions:
1.  Check out this website https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/August-2017/ Basically when you are going there will be a lot of people there.  That being said, if you plan ahead, make your dining reservations 180 days out and your fast passes on the day you can book them, you will be fine.  
2.  No matter where you stay on property you need to wait for a bus, boat, or monorail.  That being said, that time of year they come VERY frequently.  It isn't a big deal to wait 5 or 10 minutes for transportation.  The kids will view them as rides even.  That being said, there are some properties that you can walk to parks.  If you stay at the Contemporary you can walk to the Magic Kingdom.  If you stay at the Boardwalk, The Yacht or Beach Club you can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  It really all depends on your budget.  All of those are deluxe hotels and can get quite pricey.  
3.  How many days are you planing on going for?  You really shouldn't discount the other parks.  Animal Kingdom can be a good half day park, but you need to go in the morning when they have morning extra magic hours (when the parks open early for resort guests).  You could spend multiple days in the Magic Kingdom since there is so much to do outside of rides even.  There are stores and boat rides and character meals and meet and greets.

What are your kids in to?  Do they like Star Wars, Toy Story, Nemo and Friends?  All these things matter when deciding what parks you should go to.

Also, there is ZERO need to rent a car while  at Disney.  If you stay on property they bring you to and from the airport.  Once you are there the transportation system is top notch and if you want to you can event take an uber instead.  There are a lot around even with car seats.

Do your kids still nap?  Mine obviously does so we did come back after lunch to have him nap.  That being said, if he was your children's ages I think we would power through because there is so much to do and your kids won't want to leave.  I would just come home early at night to get a good night sleep so you can get up early when the parks open to avoid the crowds some. [/quote]

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