Yes, the hotel with larger than life cartoons! The Art of Animation. The Giant Ursula. The Lion king cave. The Cars town! So memorable.

We stayed at Hard Rock and it was memorable for my kids.

We stayed 2 nights at Nickelodeon hotel (which is a dump btw), but my friends told us to just do 2 nights for the experience and my kids remember and enjoyed it.

But I don’t think the Hotel makes or breaks it.

Beach Club pool was their favorite and what they remember.

My daughter fondly remembers the Beach Club from when we went several years ago. She loved the pool, gift shop, and proximity to the boardwalk.

Now 47 , but I went when I was in 3rd and 5th grade. When I went in 3rd I definitely remember the pool. We didn't even stay at a fancy Disney property. I think it was just a holiday inn but the pool had a waterfall. Younger kids are easier to impress.

Kids were in K and 2nd, and no, they didn't remember the hotel or the pool. K remembers meeting all the princesses plus Mary Poppins, 2 remembers all the roller coasters and other cool rides

We go often bc we are in Florida. My kids do remember a really great pool. Gaylord Palms has an awesome pool and is a great hotel generally, Ritz has a lazy river. These very nice hotels are often a lot cheaper than Disney ones. The main advantage of the on-site hotels is transportation and ease of access.

We stayed at Animal Kingdom, so that was pretty memorable.

My kids definitely remember the pools, but we didn't go out of our way to book "the best" pool or a resort with characters. We stayed at Port Orleans and loved it.

I would say the pools are way up there in their memories, plus their favorite rides -- Expedition Everest and Space Mountain are way up there.

It really depends what you are looking to do/for - we like the hotels because we like good pool scenes and took off some time out of the parks to hang at the hotel - but if you aren't doing that, don't bother with a nice hotel situation.

We travel to Orlando theme parks often (every year or two) and usually stay off site. My kids love the parks and look forward to each trip - they don’t care where we stay.

That being said, on our first Universal trip we stayed at Hard Rock because it was a great price (mid 2021, still during the Covid pricing) and we all have great memories of that hotel, the short walk to the parks and the included express passes.

We went when boys were 5 and 7 and they remember nothing of the trip. We stated at the Caribbean resort. Even I can't remember it....and everything I do remember I wish I would forget. Such a waste of money. Like anytime we are in a very stressful scenario or waiting in huge lines or just disgusted with customer service, we say to each other "making memories!" Gag!

We stayed at the Grand Floridian and my sons only remember the pool. It's a fantastic property.

We went when she was in 5th grade, and I made a photo album of the trip after. She remembers the beach ball in the hotel room and the sign that said how much we’d be charged if we took it. She remembers watching the fireworks from the balcony, playing arcade games in the lobby, going down the water slide and playing in the pool in the “backyard “ of the hotel, and how Mickey patterns were everywhere. In the patterns of the carpet, the wallpaper, etc.

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?