r/DisneyWorldResorts

We are planning ahead for next September to take our (37/38 parents) 2 year old and 8 year old, along with our two moms (late 60s) to Orlando.

We just did the whole nonstop Disney trip this past January, so looking for a more relaxing trip this time around with maybe 1 or 2? park days mixed in.

We really want to find a resort with a 3 bedroom suite that has enough for the kids to do, but is relaxing enough for the grandmas on days we want to just hang at the resort.

So far we looked at:

the grove (scared by the bad reviews recently and the resort + parking fee)

Floridays (doesn’t look like a ton to do)

Wyndham bonnet creek

holiday inn with a waterpark?

and animal kingdom but they wanted 4 months of my salary so that’s out.

Any recommendations? Ty in advance!

I can only do one and would love feedback on, which would be better? Not much of a drinker and I love trying new and delicious foods. 😋 I went to the Food and Wine Fest at Disney, California Adventure and that was fun, but the lines and the crowds were a Lot in that heat to access the prepaid tasting menu option — prefer not a ton of crowds (will be using DAS & a scooter since I hear that Epcot is a much bigger park) so if there’s a better day or time to go, that would be really helpful.

This is for the week of November 15 (Food & Wine) or the week of November 29 (Holidays Fest).

Thanks so much for any tips and advice you have! 😇

So I’m planning a Disney World trip for the beginning of May 2028 for my mom’s 50th birthday. It’s gonna be six of us total, my family of four plus me and my partner.
Right now the main plan is to stay at the Polynesian because that’s the resort my mom really wants for her 50th, and honestly if we’re gonna do a big birthday trip like this we kinda wanna do it right.
The thing is, this is gonna be a pretty big trip with multiple rooms, park tickets, probably park hoppers, dining, watching for discounts, all that good stuff, and I’m starting to wonder if using a Disney travel agent would just make everything way easier instead of us trying to keep track of everything ourselves.
For people who have used one, was it actually worth it and more convenient? Did they help with stuff like keeping multiple rooms together, room requests, watching for discounts after you already booked, changing the reservation if a better deal came out, etc.?
And if you do recommend using one, who would you go with?
I’ve heard Small World Vacations is really good, so that’s one I’ve been looking at, but I’m open to other agencies or even specific agents if y’all have somebody you swear by.
Basically I’m trying to figure out if a travel agent would actually make this trip less stressful or if I’m better off just booking everything through Disney myself?

I’ve been to Topolinos Terrace, which had a decent wine list, especially for Disney. Are there any other restaurants that offer a similar wine experience?

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We booked our stay at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and are really looking into renting a pool cabana for a relaxing park rest day. Does anyone have any experience or input on their pool cabanas?

Also, we would love any general tips for this property, getting to the parks from here, or just general first-timer advice for Disney in late August.

Thanks so much in advance!

– Carl

For our honeymoon we plan on having the tail end of the trip be animal kingdom Savannah, can anyone recommend a moderate one for the beginner part of our trip? Thank you!!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for opinions for our first family trip. My husband and I have been before children and stayed offsite. We will be bring a 9 year old and a 4 year old and will be booking onsite.

Budget is there for deluxe but if we'd be better off spending the money elsewhere I'm happy too!

Easy access to parks, food options and restful down time a priority.

Thank you!

Added an additional day for myself after realizing I would have to get up at 6 am to make my flight home. Will be at Pop Century that day until checkout and will check in to an airport hotel that evening.

What are some things I can do that day besides going to a park that won’t be strenuous?

Can I still ride the Skyliner that day once I’ve checked out? Can I leave my bags there and come back and get them. What are some fun indoor activities to do….Boardwalk??

Thanks.

Alright, we are planning our Disney World trip for the last week of January 2027. We originally wanted to stay on property, but only Pop Century / All Stars would fit our budget goals. We discovered that the skyliner will be down and that takes away a huge perk. We are now considering staying off property at a good neighbor hotel. What are your recommendations?

I see the Drury mentioned quite a bit, but for our dates the prices is $1,500...which would be the same as staying on property if not more.

We would LOVE free breakfast, and free shuttle service. We would LIKE early access entry, and free parking.

We are also debating getting a rental car. Our original plan was to just uber from the airport and use shuttle service during our stay at the parks or ubering.

We are not very familiar, but from our research - shuttles are either continuous or scheduled (especially at off property hotels). They go to each park directly except for Magic Kingdom, where they drop you off at the transportation station where you take the Ferry or monorail. Now...huge con is waiting to go in the morning and leave at night, as lines can be a huge wait. So, is a rental car and paying for parking better? Are ubers/lyfts a cheap option (doubt it)?

We APPRECIATE your insights and Disney wisdom 💙✨

This is our first time bringing our little kids to Orlando, and we’re staying at one of the resorts here.

I was actually really happy to find out that there are free laundry machines available, especially with kids going to the pool every day. But I was surprised that I couldn’t find any laundry detergent, powder, pods, or anything else to actually wash the clothes with.

We ended up just rinsing the kids’ used swimsuits with water for now.

Is this pretty common at Orlando/Disney-area resorts? Do you usually bring your own detergent when you travel, or is there somewhere at the resorts where you can get it that I’m missing?

Curious if other parents have run into the same thing.

I apologize if this is not allowed. I know this is going to be a long shot in the dark but I am searching for a family we had met while on vacation at Port Orleans French quarter in May of 2026. We stayed the week of May 10th through the 16th. There was a family from Scotland with two children. The oldest was a girl around 10-12(believe her name was "Romana\Rowanda/Rowana" or something similar) and they also had a younger son. Their daughter played with my daughter all week long and actually ended up helping her learn how to swim. We meant to get their contact information, but it slipped our mind. We we're hoping to possibly setup a pen-pal situation because my daughter talks about her often.

Prefacing my saying that I am not participating in RunDisney. Is staying a the Boardwalk Villas with a garden/pool view a bad idea during RunDisney? Will there be early morning noise from runners or spectators?

What did you eat while at BLT? How many advanced dinning reservations did you make? I’ve never stayed on property on my own dime. I did when I was a nanny but I just used the family’s CC and I was 18 years old (lol). Its very different being 40 and it’s my CC 🤪🤣🤣

My family usually stays off property and we eat in the parks when in the parks and usually just a lot of chick fil a, while out of the park.

Boardwalk or beach club. Won’t be doing the pool cuz it will be cold. But beach club is cheaper