Consider Bay Lake Tower next to (and part of) the Contemporary. We had a suite there and had plenty of elbow room, which you might like if you all need to escape each other at the end of the day.

Anonymous wrote:No, most of the hotels are run down. Those with refurbishments are poorly done. The food is horrific. Parks and hotels are spread out so you have to drive to the parks or take a shuttle.

Horrific!!!

Very credible, drama queen.

I think it is worth the price and you are going once.

When I traveled alone with DC being in a Disney hotel was well worth it (even just the basic "Value" ones), because I didn't want to have to rent a car, deal with finding food, etc. When I traveled in a larger group and was staying longer, staying off-site made sense for the bigger space at lower price.
If you want a cool hotel but it doesn't have to be "Disney" cool, look at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Big condos with kitchens and laundry and lots of space, and lots of resort amenities (multiple themed pool areas, minigolf, etc), small price compared to Disney villas. But you'll need to drive and the food options on site are very limited.
The Disney hotels do allow you to book your FastPasses a month earlier. For a very small number of attractions that will make a difference, but May is not the busiest season.

Check out yourfirstvisit.net. They have a lot of guidance aimed at people trying to do a "one and done, see it all" type of trip, and I think ages 8 and 5 are right in their recommended range for when to go if you're only going once.

No, most of the hotels are run down. Those with refurbishments are poorly done. The food is horrific. Parks and hotels are spread out so you have to drive to the parks or take a shuttle.

We loved Wilderness Lodge. Easy access to MK and quick bus to other parks. Nice for kids, good restaurants at all price points.

Are you military or DOD ? Shades of green is on site and fantastic.

Anonymous wrote:We stayed at a mid-range DW resort (The Coronado) so we weren't blowing the budget on lodging, but still able to enjoy the DW experience. The rooms were clean, nicely decorated (we had a princess themed room), etc.
We go 2 joining room so we left the door open between them at all times to give us extra space. There was a small refrig so we could keep perishables. And a microwave too.
We actually used 1 day to just enjoy the resort - the water slides, the pool, the kids' activities, the lovely well kept grounds, the boat ride, etc.

There are perks to staying at a DW resort - the extended hours, shuttle, 90 (?) day out of FP reservation, etc. and, as mentioned, the hotel itself is awesome.

There are usually package deals with DW lodging so consider that if you're looking into multi day passes, park hopper, meal plans, etc.

There are no princess themed rooms at Coronado Springs. I think you mean Port Orleans Riverside?

I think was worth it just so someone else dealt with our luggage both ways

Check the Disney Swan and Dolphin. They are Sheraton and Westin hotels but count as being Disney hotels for the early fastpass reservations - to me that would be the most important part so you are not waiting in long lines everyday. If you have Starwood points to use, even better!

Yes- stay onsite.

I think it will depend on what your daily plans are.

We absolutely cannot make it at the parks from opening to closing. We always like to have a midday break (we are tired people!). For this reason we love staying on property. We also schedule a non park day to take advantage of the pool arcade and ice cream shop at the hotel (we always stay at the Beach Club). We tend to spend a lot of time at the hotel.

If you plan on going to the parks from 9am-8pm, staying on property probably won't be essential. I'd get a cheaper hotel and splurge elsewhere.

Good luck!

We stayed at a mid-range DW resort (The Coronado) so we weren't blowing the budget on lodging, but still able to enjoy the DW experience. The rooms were clean, nicely decorated (we had a princess themed room), etc.
We go 2 joining room so we left the door open between them at all times to give us extra space. There was a small refrig so we could keep perishables. And a microwave too.
We actually used 1 day to just enjoy the resort - the water slides, the pool, the kids' activities, the lovely well kept grounds, the boat ride, etc.

There are perks to staying at a DW resort - the extended hours, shuttle, 90 (?) day out of FP reservation, etc. and, as mentioned, the hotel itself is awesome.

There are usually package deals with DW lodging so consider that if you're looking into multi day passes, park hopper, meal plans, etc.

I wouldn't say it adds to the experience but it sure makes the experience easier on you.

We usually stay at one of the monorail hotels. With a park hopper we can easily come and go to the parks as wanted throughout the day. If you stay at the Contemporary you can walk to MK. That's really nice after the fireworks when the park is emptying out and the monorail is packed.

I am planning a trip to DW (first time) with my kids 8 and 5. This will likely be our only trip to Disney. We're going the third week of May (kids go to a school with a bit of an unusual calendar). My first thought was to get a condo (how we usually travel) just outside the park, mainly because we're just the kind of family that needs our individual space after a long day together (no flames please) but the Disney hotels do look really cool and if this is going to be our only trip, I'd like to kind of do it with a bang, if that makes sense. But I also don't want to spend the extra money if it really doesn't add to the whole experience.

TIA.