We stayed at AK kingdom lodge last jan and found it to be very dark, long hallways and transportation took forever. Since the lodge is so far from the parks. Would never stay again honestly, I had a hard time applying makeup in the dim lighting lol. Dark carpets, dark furniture, dark bedding and dark bathroom. We stayed in a savannah view room and NOT worth it.

Check out davids vacation rental and see if you can get some points to rent out. It's much cheaper overall to rent points and you get the disney vacation club rooms with the mini kitchen.

Off site and rent a car. We just went. Vhotel run down and food gave us the runs.

OP here. Budget- preferably <$300. We will not have a car. Thanks to PPs for responses!

We stayed at the Boardwalk and loved it. Shuttles to MK and AK, boat to HS and walk right into Epcot. I've heard that the AK resort is nice. Ditto with Contemporary.

What's your budget? Will you have a car?

To me the obvious answer if you can afford it is the Contemporary. Walk to MK. We usually stay offsite at the WBC because as much as I love my kids, anymore then 1 night in a single hotel room will make me run screaming.

We are planning a January trip to Disney World. We've stayed at the Polynesian before but are trying to avoid it this year because it's undergoing extensive renovations. We plan to split our time between Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. Where should we stay? TIA!