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My friends stay have two kids of similar ages and just stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and they loved it. Last year they stayed at the the Animal Kingdom one and enjoyed that one as well.....

if your kids like animals I strongly recommend taking a day and going to sea world! It is soooo entertaining and educational!

I've stayed at Coronado Springs Resort and it was LOVELY......
it's big and sprawling, but we really enjoyed it. Great pool, nice waterpark for the kids.....

Here's a board that will give you more information that you would ever think possible.....think the Disney version of BN....it was very, very informative when we did our disney cruise!

DISboard

I'd stay at one of the resorts with monorail access. It just makes it so much easier, plus my kiddos really got a kick out of the monorail.

As far as cost goes. If you want to stay in the Disney theme park area you won't need to rent a car at all. Disney has shuttles to and from the airport. Once in the resort then there are shuttles, monorail etc.

October is a perfect time of the year to go.

Actually, you should rent a car and not rely on Disney Transportation. Waiting around for the bus/monorail/slow boat to wherever all week will drive you crazy. If you have a car and are staying at the Disney Resort, parking is free at all the parks. You can run back and forth easily and it will make your life much easier for the afternoon swim breaks you are going to need. You will get more value out of your park tickets if you can actually spend more time in the parks.

All of the Disney resorts will have decent pools. There is a big McDonalds right on Property near the AK/All-Star Resorts area.

We stayed at the All-Star Music in Jan. That is considered the 'Value Resort' level- and it was a very good deal. Still had cute Disney soaps and stuff, but more of a motel style- outside entry etc. Call the WDW main phone line and ask which hotels are running specials, and which has a AAA special (assuming you have AAA, of course). There are also the usual discounts for veterans and some other groups also.

Many travel tips to be found on Trip Advisor in the Forums under Orlando. Many helpful folks and good tips.

Check out the Disney Dining Plan, you can pre-pay for your meals and it is a pretty decent deal.

Take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours (you can find out which parks & which days on WDW website). Get your bracelet for EMH as soon as you see a person handing them out in the afternoon- don't wait! The night EMH are great- the park clears out, and you can run around on the major rides with no lines/no waiting.

Use the Fast Pass system when possible.

If you & kids like scavenger hunts, get the inexpensive 'Hidden Mickeys' book- less than $10, I think. Very small, and it is like a game you can follow in the parks to find some of the hidden Mickey Mouse sillouttes. Good distraction to keep the kids occupied in lines too.

Yay, Disney! Have a great trip, don't plan to stay at the park aaaaalllllll day with your kids, but break it up into a morning & afternoon or evening. Get some downtime to prevent the crankies (and I don't just mean in the kids!)

OttoCal

Check out the Caribbean Beach Resort. I stayed there as a kid with my family and it was really nice, moderately priced, and has a tropical theme, which is always nice. My sister, who worked at Disney for a summer, also recommended it. She also suggested the Polynesian but the Disney website has that as one of the more expensive ones, but you could check it out if you want. Hope you have a great time...I haven't been to Disney in a few years and would love to go back sometime.

BTW, I remember Epcot as being a little bit on the boring side. Just something to consider if you're taking the kids. Disney, MGM, Animal Kingdom are all great, and a lot of fun, though.

I highly recommend Port Orleans French Quarter. It's a beautiful small resort. It's considered a moderate but feels much nicer. The pool is great and you can board either a boat or a bus. Check out Mousesavers.com for specials going on.
Another plus, we stayed there in a room right near the pool and were able to put the kids in bed and sneak out to the hot tub for a cocktail at the end of the day. This would depend on the age and maturity of the kids.

surfpirate wrote:
Any tips and hints greatly appreciated. Thanks!

be sure to pack - aspirin, sunscreen, lots of parental patience, a healthy dose of alcohol and a whopping fistful of cash.

I have done disney on a budget.. We have done bagels and cereal in our room, filled small bag with drinks, crackers, snack bars and frozen juice boxes for snacks. I've even brought in sandwiches. One of the reasons for this besides money is that stopping and then waiting in line to eat with kids just takes a big chunk of time.
Another thing we'd do is have a bagel, hit an in park breakfast buffet (character ones are great) near the end of the meal and this would be brunch. Then we'd grab a mid afternoon snack and do dinner out of the park, pizza or something.
Disney offers free dining with a basic package during the fall but I think it's too late to book that.

My advice is to definitely use fast pass where you can and hit the big rides early when you have more patience to stand in lines. Don't save anything for a big finale when you might be ready to go only to find out its an hour wait and the fastpass isn't for another hour. Just to let you know, in order to get to the Magic Kingdom, you have to take the monorail or boat regardless if you drive and park or use Disney transportation.

Also, maybe check into a condo rental or a hotel just outside of Disney? If you're in a condo, then you can make your own meals, and a lot of times, staying outside of Disney can be less expensive.

We stayed at the Boardwalk, it was wonderful. Moderately priced, rooms can sleep 5 which is what we needed at the time. We did not rent a car, the Disney transportation system got us everywhere fairly quick. We did call a cab to take us to Margaritaville one night for dinner, costly but worth it. The hotel is a 10 min walk to Epcot, which your older one will enjoy. The little one will love the Magic Kingdom, you and the Mrs. will like MGM and all of you will enjoy Animal Kingdom. Since they love the water, be sure to go to Typhoon Lagoon. The shark tank snorkel was a high point with my then 16yr old. Next time we want to stay at the Polynesian Resort, gorgeous. Make sure you request a refrigerator, not all rooms have them, have some small meals in your room, pack snacks, water and sandwiches. Use the food plan option. If you have any "real" medical needs, make sure you have more than enough supplies with you, Disney does not have a real Pharmacy. My Diabetic son (age 14) neglected to pack enough blood test strips, we did not rent a car, nearest CVS- approx.15 miles away. Test strips - $27 RT cab fare $60 YIKES! Most of all relax and enjoy yourselves

We just got back from a week long stay at the Boardwalk Villas. A little pricey, but the 2 bedroom villa was great for our family (me and mrs. wagon, 2 - 20 year olds and 1 - 14 year old). The kitchenette was perfect for breakfasts. A couple of pools to choose from where our room was located. The location was great ... we took the Disney buses to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney ... and the boat to EPCOT and Disney-MGM. My feeling is that you don't need a car. The transportation system is really good; our longest wait was 15 minutes, but usually less than 5. And take advantage of Disney's Magical Express ... they'll pick you up at the airport and take you back at the end of your stay (if you're flying). Being on the Boardwalk was pretty cool, especially in the evening. Make sure you get the Park Hopper passes if you want to do more than 1 park in a day, but with only 4 days you'll probably spend a full day in each one.

We went to Typhoon Lagoon one day and had a great time even though it was packed. Might not have been enough "big" slides for the older guys, but the wave pool and the "water coasters" are awesome. By the way, they were playing some pretty cool surf music and even mixed in a handful of Jimmy's songs too!!

Magic Kingdom - what to say? All the classics are there. So much to see and do.

EPCOT - make sure to check out Future World for all the rides. Soarin', Mission: SPACE and Test Track are the big 3 rides. We didn't get around to see the World Showcase.

Disney-MGM - mostly shows and some rides. Aerosmith's Rock n Roller Coaster and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror are the best there. Stick around to see Fantasmic! You have to get in line at least 1/2 an hour before showtime, but the wait is worth it ... or go to the Brown Derby for dinner and get the special seating package.

Animal Kingdom - really busy and crowded when we were there, but lots to see and do. Plan this one out because the hours are shorter than the other parks! Some good rides in DinoLand, but Expedition Everest is by far the wildest!

The FastPass is a great system, but even though we were there at the end of August, our longest line-up (without a FastPass) was 25 to 30 minutes. Most were 15 to 20 minutes tops.

Hope you have a great time. Just be ready to do lots of walking and reading maps.

PS Got room for a 14 year old junior PH? He can't wait to go back!!

All of the Disney hotels have pools--great pool at the Yacht/Beach Club. Personally, my fave is the Polynesian (on the Magic Kingdom monorail line, directly across from the Magic Kingdom, 2 pools). Don't skip Epcot...it rules! You'll be there during the food and wine festival, which is awesome. If you're going to hit a water park, I'd do Blizzard Beach. We'll be there in October too!! Are you going to hit Margaritaville Orlando????

Yeah, IMHO Blizzard Beach was much better than Typhoon Lagoon. But then again, I don't personally care for Wave Pools and such because I have a real beach with real waves so close to me.

jonesbeach10 wrote:Yeah, IMHO Blizzard Beach was much better than Typhoon Lagoon. But then again, I don't personally care for Wave Pools and such because I have a real beach with real waves so close to me.

We only had 1 day left and weren't sure so flipped a coin. We have to go a long way to find any waves around here ... I'd love to be so lucky!

I think any disney resort will be wonderful if it fits your budget and tastes. The Disney meal play is a bonanza. If you are at the park every day you will save a bundle on food. I'm not a big fan of the Magic Kingdom but love Epcot and MGM. Also - I can't believe no one mentioned it, sedate the kids and lock them in a closet one night and head over to Pleasure Island. (Well don't sedate them, I am sure there is a baby sitting service available, PI is a blast.)