We got an amazeballs deal at Liki Tiki Village when we went, a 2 bedroom full townhouse with a screen porch and the volcano themed zero entry pool with 5 smaller sized waterslides was perfect for my kids. Less $ than a hotel room. It's 15 minutes from the Magic Kingdom, there is a grocery store practically next door, and a lot of restaurants along Route 192.
We are all about having a full kitchen & W/D, clean nice interior, nicely landscaped pools with waterslides and we do not like to get up early on vacation, so Magic Hours-schmagic hours.
I would also look at the Contemporary (looming conveniently over Magic Kingdom) Hilton Bonnet Creek, the Wyndham Grand Orlando resort or the Wyndham Bonnet Creek, the Dolphin and Swan resorts also have a nice pool complex, The Orlando World Center (a bit too much like a convention center but Google map those pools!) and of course the Disney Yacht Club/Beach Club hotels.
Orlando makes other destination resorts' pools look stingy, I wish there were a few places like that near here (not just the one Hilton with the activity pool that costs $500 a night in summer)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely don't do the Cabins. That's not Wilderness Lodge.

Also, on the swimming -- Florida weather is hit or miss during February. We've had trips where we swam in January, but other trips where it was too cold. The outdoor pools are heated, fwiw.

Make sure you check which parks have extra magic hours in the morning (not night) on which days before you book your fast passes so you make sure you're in the right park on the right day.

No love for the Cabins? We stayed there and loved it, especially the full kitchen. Other pros: boat to Magic Kingdom, good food, HDDR, Chip and Dale, lot's of nature, golf carts. Cons: spread out and you have to take the internal bus system, it's a campground.

We also rented DVC points and stayed at AKL. Loved it! But I think a car is necessary.

I'm a poster that said previously in the thread that I will be going to Disney next month for the marathon. I LOVE the cabins! I'm not staying there this time, but I've stayed there for previous races, when I wasn't planning on going to the parks.
I loved that it had a kitchen. Also, you have a dedicated spot right in front of your cabin to park in--at a lot of the other resorts the parking lot is a far walk from your room. There's a lot of great activities at the fort--if you're staying in the cabins definitely plan to have some "downtime" when you're not going to the parks to enjoy all the fun stuff there. And they have their own beach front where you can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks and the electrical water pageant!

The downside of the cabins is that it is a HUGE place with it's own internal bus system. Some people aren't up for that much walking and rent golf carts to get around in.
Also, I found there wasn't a lot of storage--like dresser drawers to keep your clothes in.

I'm the one that originally said don't do the cabins. We went to the campgrounds one night for the Chip and Dale sing along. It was super fun, but I had not realized how large the campgrounds are, and how inefficient the bus system is. It took a looooong time there and back from the boat launch. Maybe if you had older kids that were up for a long walk.

I also looked into the cabins when considering taking my parents along with us, but was surprised to find that they don't really sleep that many more people and they are pretty expensive. I'm not sure why Disney prices them so high, given the drawbacks.