I go to Disney at least twice a year. I've tried every time of accommodation. Obviously each person likes different things, but my favorite is a luxury two/three bedroom condo rented through VRBO. I don't like the Disney buses (too much waiting) so we always rent a car. Even at the monorail resorts, you still have to ride the bus (or drive yourself) to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and even really EPCOT unless you want to wait for 2 separate monorails.

I usually spend $100-$130/night on a newly renovated, nicely decorated condo.

OP again. You guys are so great. Thanks so much for all the help. I just found a discount site through Mousesavers that produced a list of possibilities for under $300/night. My kids are crazy early risers so Extra Magic Hours are important to us, so I do want to stay at a Disney hotel. Here's the list:

Art of Animation $281
Port Orleans Riverside $179
Pop Century $107
Caribbean Beach Resort $149
Animal Kingdom Lodge $248
Coronado Springs $151
All-Star Movies $111
Yacht Club $300
The Cabins at Fort Wilderness $290
Saratoga Springs $235

The Villas that a PP suggested are all sold-out. Keeping in mind that we won't be using the pool in February, with the options I listed at the prices I listed for a four day stay where we intend to mostly be at the parks, which would you pick? I think I'm leaning toward Art of Animation or Port Orleans Riverside. Yacht Club is undergoing renovations, which is probably why it's discounted, so I'm reluctant to pick that one despite the great reviews above. Thanks for crowdsourcing my trip planning!

Anonymous wrote:We've stayed at Pop Century multiple times, with adjoining rooms when grandparents have joined us. It is fine. Not luxury but has all the Disney touches. We have never waited long for bus service. Art of Animation looks really cool, too. We could afford to stay in a moderate or expensive resort but have never felt the need to. I understand Pop Century will be getting some refurbishments soon, too.

Clear your browser cache and try again. Seriously.

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I checked out Wilderness Lodge, which was not too far out of what we are looking to spend, but it will be undergoing extensive construction at the time (which is probably why it was discounted from $450 to $350 a night!).

Can you swim in Orlando in February? I had not been factoring pools into the equation because I assumed it would be too cold.

I took twin five year old girls and an au pair to Disney at the end of January last year. We did not swim at all, and normally my kids love to swim. It was too cold and we were too busy. We stayed in two "preferred" rooms at Pop Century for around $100 a night for each room. The preferred rooms meant we were closer to the buses and food court.

What is your planned strategy for visiting? If you're just going to sleep and eat at the hotel - and for a four day visit that's likely - then don't spend a fortune for a Deluxe hotel. If you really enjoy spending time at your hotel and soaking up the ambiance, then look into the Moderate or Deluxe hotels. Your budget might stretch to a Moderate resort, but look into whether the hotel shares buses with another hotel. We chose Pop specifically because it is a value hotel (we were only going to sleep in the room) and it doesn't share buses.

None have indoor pools so you're likely to not be able to swim. I actually requested a room that DIDN'T look at a pool because I didn't want my kids to realize there was one, because I knew *I* wouldn't want to be in the pool in January.

We stayed on site for the Magical Express privileges (check your baggage here, and it magically shows up in your hotel room AND when departing luggage can be checked at your resort, just catch a bus from the airport to Disney and let them do the driving for you for the whole week). Getting any fast passes you can before the 30 day mark will also be advantageous, so I'd definitely try to get them if you're staying on site even if you're currently within 60 days. The "good" fastpasses go QUICK, but the extra magic hours should have shorter lines (unless you're visiting during President's Day Weekend, then all bets are off).

I think morning extra magic hours are totally worth it and we've done it with little kids. You can do 2-3 rides during that hour and do things that you don't have fastpasses for, then (hopefully) use your fastpasses in the morning or even do some other rides as the park fills, and by lunchtime you will feel like you've done what you wanted to do and can just take it as it comes the rest of the day. We usually spend the afternoons doing the non-ride stuff like the shows and parades (or use the app to see which rides have short lines and do those if we want), then go back at night when there are fewer people around and do more rides. It sucks to go and wait in long lines. Take advantage of the magic hours!

A few thoughts:
1) I don't know if extra magic hours is really worth it. It usually makes the park more crowded on that day. Also, if you have little kids, the evening magic hours might not work for you. Check the calendar for your trip and see if they even have morning magic hours for any days that you'll be there -- it never really seems to work for us (the morning hours are always at the wrong parks). Getting in the FastPass window before the 30 day mark might definitely be worth it. For me, it's all about the FastPass.
2) If your little one still naps, you may really want a place very close. When our little one napped, we stayed at Wilderness Lodge and it was great because we could go back for naptime and then return for the evening, when the crowds had thinned out.
3) Disney runs coupon codes all the time. They have one running now for winter -- if you google around, you may find it. It's usually 30% off the deluxe hotels, and something like 20% off the cheaper ones. I bet that's why the PPs are getting different rate quotes -- one probably has the discount code pre-loaded in her web cookies or something. Each hotel has a limited number of rooms available at the discount rate, so you may need to be flexible. Last time we ended up staying at club level at a deluxe hotel because they had discount rooms still available at club level, so the price was the same as the non-discounted rooms that were not club level. (Club level has a ton of free food, so that was great.)
4) Definitely price out villas as compared with getting two rooms. We've done both -- it seems kind of random but sometimes one is cheaper, and sometimes the other is cheaper.
5) The renovations might not be a problem. For our upcoming trip, we are staying at a resort undergoing renovations. We are informed that the construction occurs between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and will not affect the pool area, etc. We're not planning on being in the room between 9 and 5, so that's not an issue for us. If your little one is still napping, though, that might be a problem. I am hoping we get one of the rooms that's already been renovated!
6) If you're staying on property, you can consider taking the free Disney bus (Magical Express) from the airport. That can save a bunch of money on car rental. On one trip, I priced out renting a mini-van and staying off-property, versus staying on property, and it was cheaper to just stay on property. It's a little bit slower than renting, but they show Disney cartoons on the bus, so my kids love it.

Check Mousesavers to see if you can get a cheaper price

AoA would be a wonderful experience for little kids and well within your budget for two adjoining rooms.

Bay Lakes Towers are the DVC suites near Contemporary so you'd have the convenience of being close to MK and the monorail but the theming isn't nearly as magical.

We've stayed at Pop Century multiple times, with adjoining rooms when grandparents have joined us. It is fine. Not luxury but has all the Disney touches. We have never waited long for bus service. Art of Animation looks really cool, too. We could afford to stay in a moderate or expensive resort but have never felt the need to. I understand Pop Century will be getting some refurbishments soon, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Beach Club/Yacht Club hotels have an amazing joint pool. When we stayed there, we'd go out to the parks in the morning, have lunch somewhere, then come back and rest while they played in the pool and sand then we'd go back out again at dinner. Very enjoyable for all.

Beach Club is the hotel we always stay at, and we love it, too. But OP said her budget is under $300/night so neither Beach Club nor Yacht Club will work.

I'm not sure exactly which dates OP is going, so I checked out a Feb 3-6 stay, just as an example. The Yacht club is only $312/night that weekend---so just barely over OPs budget

Since OP says she has a budget up to $300/night per room, that is essentially $600/night total.
That same weekend you can get a 2 bedroom villa at Saratoga Springs for $483/night. That would give them 2 bedrooms (1 with a King and 1 with two Queen beds, plus a sleeper sofa in the living room) and two bathrooms, a full kitchen, laundry, etc. It is a quick boat ride (or in some locations, even a nice walk!) to Disney Springs, and has a really nice pool.

What site were you using? I just checked the yacht club for the same weekend and the cheapest room available was $398/night! This was on the Disney website, BTW.

I used the Disney website.
It says a garden view is $312/night. I just checked again. I'm not sure why it shows different results for you?

The results for my search show Garden view is $416! The $398 is for the standard view. That is weird!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Beach Club/Yacht Club hotels have an amazing joint pool. When we stayed there, we'd go out to the parks in the morning, have lunch somewhere, then come back and rest while they played in the pool and sand then we'd go back out again at dinner. Very enjoyable for all.

Beach Club is the hotel we always stay at, and we love it, too. But OP said her budget is under $300/night so neither Beach Club nor Yacht Club will work.

I'm not sure exactly which dates OP is going, so I checked out a Feb 3-6 stay, just as an example. The Yacht club is only $312/night that weekend---so just barely over OPs budget

Since OP says she has a budget up to $300/night per room, that is essentially $600/night total.
That same weekend you can get a 2 bedroom villa at Saratoga Springs for $483/night. That would give them 2 bedrooms (1 with a King and 1 with two Queen beds, plus a sleeper sofa in the living room) and two bathrooms, a full kitchen, laundry, etc. It is a quick boat ride (or in some locations, even a nice walk!) to Disney Springs, and has a really nice pool.

What site were you using? I just checked the yacht club for the same weekend and the cheapest room available was $398/night! This was on the Disney website, BTW.

I used the Disney website.
It says a garden view is $312/night. I just checked again. I'm not sure why it shows different results for you?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Beach Club/Yacht Club hotels have an amazing joint pool. When we stayed there, we'd go out to the parks in the morning, have lunch somewhere, then come back and rest while they played in the pool and sand then we'd go back out again at dinner. Very enjoyable for all.

Beach Club is the hotel we always stay at, and we love it, too. But OP said her budget is under $300/night so neither Beach Club nor Yacht Club will work.

I'm not sure exactly which dates OP is going, so I checked out a Feb 3-6 stay, just as an example. The Yacht club is only $312/night that weekend---so just barely over OPs budget

Since OP says she has a budget up to $300/night per room, that is essentially $600/night total.
That same weekend you can get a 2 bedroom villa at Saratoga Springs for $483/night. That would give them 2 bedrooms (1 with a King and 1 with two Queen beds, plus a sleeper sofa in the living room) and two bathrooms, a full kitchen, laundry, etc. It is a quick boat ride (or in some locations, even a nice walk!) to Disney Springs, and has a really nice pool.

What site were you using? I just checked the yacht club for the same weekend and the cheapest room available was $398/night! This was on the Disney website, BTW.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Beach Club/Yacht Club hotels have an amazing joint pool. When we stayed there, we'd go out to the parks in the morning, have lunch somewhere, then come back and rest while they played in the pool and sand then we'd go back out again at dinner. Very enjoyable for all.

Beach Club is the hotel we always stay at, and we love it, too. But OP said her budget is under $300/night so neither Beach Club nor Yacht Club will work.

I'm not sure exactly which dates OP is going, so I checked out a Feb 3-6 stay, just as an example. The Yacht club is only $312/night that weekend---so just barely over OPs budget

Since OP says she has a budget up to $300/night per room, that is essentially $600/night total.
That same weekend you can get a 2 bedroom villa at Saratoga Springs for $483/night. That would give them 2 bedrooms (1 with a King and 1 with two Queen beds, plus a sleeper sofa in the living room) and two bathrooms, a full kitchen, laundry, etc. It is a quick boat ride (or in some locations, even a nice walk!) to Disney Springs, and has a really nice pool.

Anonymous wrote:The Beach Club/Yacht Club hotels have an amazing joint pool. When we stayed there, we'd go out to the parks in the morning, have lunch somewhere, then come back and rest while they played in the pool and sand then we'd go back out again at dinner. Very enjoyable for all.

Beach Club is the hotel we always stay at, and we love it, too. But OP said her budget is under $300/night so neither Beach Club nor Yacht Club will work.

Anonymous wrote:OP again. We are going in early February and will have twin six-year-old boys and an almost four-year-old boy. We're planning on four days and nights. We can't go longer because of school. Ideally, we'd like to spend under $300/day per room. Convenience means easy transportation to the parks. We prefer a Disney resort because of the extra magic hours. I don't know if the 60-day out Fast Passes would be a benefit or not since we're already within the 60 day window for our trip. Do they get snapped up quickly as soon as the window opens? This is our first time at Disney so I dont know all the ins and outs.

I am going in early January (marathon weekend) and wasn't able to get my tickets until the 34 day mark, so I was in the later part of the 60 day window, but before the 30 day window. I was still able to get FP for all the "big" attractions I wanted (Toy Story Mania, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Frozen Ever After, Soarin) and with the exception of Frozen, they were even at the times I wanted. For Frozen, the only times available were later in the day (5 pm or later.)
I don't know which weekend you are going, but marathon weekend is pretty popular so I was surprised I was still able to get what I did!

In addition to your Fast passes, you will also want to make sure you make your dining reservations ASAP.