So torn... need help deciding About This Page:

[Chikabowa]

I'm so incredibly torn... I just don't know which way to go so I thought I'd ask my trusty passporters for advice! A little backstory.... DH and I took our last trip to WDW in 2004 and stayed the entire 10-days at AKL in a savanna room. We loved it!

So fast forward... 2008... we're taking out 2 yo dd for the first time. We are DL devotees and have been multiple times (dd took her first trip to DL last December). We are not opposed to staying off-site... but I can't make up my mind. This decision is 100% up to me.... DH lets me just plan away and then take in the fun when we get there.

We currently have 2 (yes... 2!!!) reservations.
1) First one is for a split stay - 5 nights at AKL and then 5 nights at the Yacht Club. We also signed up for the basic dining plan.
Pros... everything is included; we get to stay at cool Disney hotels with theming (and awesome pools!!); dining and tickets are both included; DME is included.
Cons....We booked through AAA so got a fairly decent price.... but still really expensive!

2) Yesterday, I got am 8-day reservation at the Swan.
Pros... managed to get the government/military rate (dh is fed. government) which is a substantial discount; awesome location the entire time; a little 'break' from Disney (which honestly both DH and I need when gone for that long); sweet sleeper bed (I'm a total sucker for the soft beds!!!); I get starwood points, which is nice since I can redeem them for another trip elsewhere; Starbucks inside the Dolphin (seriously... this is a HUGE deal to us... we don't function without our STRONG coffee in the morning!).
Cons... even though we got a good rate, not everything is included and I'm worried that little things will start to add up to more than we budgeted; no balcony in our room (which I think would be really important at night when putting DD to bed); the ressie isn't for the entire period we are there, so we would still have to do room-only ressies at a Disney resort, which might make the entire vacation MORE expensive than doing just Disney resorts.

Any advice?

[Colexis Mom]

I think you'd be find at the Swan, especially if you're trying to save money Have you sat down and really figured out if the dining plan is worth it for you?? You might be surprised that it may come out a wash, money wise My parents were die hard YC/BC people, but have now moved to the Swan/Dolphin (they get the nurses discount) and haven't had any complaints about it

[disney777]

I would sit down and roughly map out costs,including the extra nights you need to book if you stay at the Swan. You can use allearsnet.com menus as a guide for food costs. With a 2 yr old, I would think it might be easier to do casual dining instead of table service. Swan is an awesome location. After spending all that time in the EPCOT area, I would book the last 2 nights at AKL. (But it would be easier to transfer to Yacht or Beach, since you are right there.)

If the savings are significant, do the Swan.
I would save AKL for later, when your DD is older and can appreciate it more.
Since DD is 2, you wouldn't want to stay at WL since it's a boat ride away from MK, and it has somewhat easy access to the monorail.

[chezp]

I'm with the others - I'd work out the savings as well and if they're significant, then I'd go for the Swan. Otherwise, I'd stick with plan A.

[Docrwm]

The Pros for the Swan appear to significantly outweigh the Cons. Also, you are sayign that you'll have to move for a couple of days at the Swan - but you have a split reservation for option #1 too so that's not big difference. I'd go with the Swan under the conditions that you outlined. Also, you didn't say how far away your trip is but if its more than a couple of days you may well be able to get the balance of your days at the Swan if you keep checking.

[tdandboys]

I think since your child is only two, save the money and go back when she is 5 and she'll remember it all. Save right now.

[skateycat]

the swan/dolphin do have some "hidden" costs i am wondering if they mentioned. like the (i believe it is 10.00 per night) resort fee, and the daily parking fee (course if you aren't driving there, no biggie then.). unlike most everyone else here, i think you should stay on property at YC/AK with the dining plan. that being said, i am staying at the dolphin myself for one night the end of the week, then at the YC in another 2 weeks from now. i'll let you know how it goes.....

[Principessa_di_Fata]

I took DD for her 2nd birthday in Feb. I know all two year olds are different, but here are my thoughts based on my own kid (and these are factoring heavily in on our next trip for her 3rd bday)...

We absolutely positively require a room with a balcony or patio. DD is the sort that's afraid she's going to miss something. So no matter how tired she is, if the lights are on and / or the tv is on, or someone is talking, she's going to stay awake because she doesn't want to miss a thing. Once she's asleep, the tv on low, or a dim light, won't wake her. So we need a place to retreat to for the time that it takes for DD to settle down.

If you have your heart set on it, I think staying at AKL would be fun for a 2 year old. I know DD is a huge animal freak. We go to our local zoo all of the time and she never tires of seeing the animals. So to stay there would have been so much fun for her.

With that said, I personally would choose WL over AKL with a 2 year old. Simply because it's merely a boat ride to MK or the TTC. I took DD over to the WL a few times on our trip, during mid-day breaks from the MK, and it was so simple to get to and from. DD loved the boat ride, too.

I think the savings with the Swan / Dolphin is great, and I'd stay there in a heartbeat. I'm a Starwood member and I LOVE heavenly beds more than almost anything in the world. LOL! But the lack of a balcony, plus all of the 'extras' (parking, resort fee, etc) might deter me from staying there with a two year old. I think you need to add up the extras and see how it all weighs against the YC / AKL costs.

Regarding the DDP - if you find it cost-effective, I say go for it. I require one sit down meal per day at Disney. I need the time to unwind and just be served. DD2 was always good during her table service meals. I think she was just too tired from all of the excitement of the day to cause a ruckus, lol!

Good luck deciding. Either way you're not going to go wrong, I suspect.

[skateycat]

yeah, what principessa said....

[lukeandbrookesmom]

I wouldn't want to have to switch resorts for two nights - especially with a two year old. My vote is for #1. Good luck with your decision!

[Melissa1214]

We had this same dillema a couple of years ago between my grandparents timeshare and a Disney hotel. The clincher was finding out that it was during free dining. I made a spreadsheet of the costs. I figured it out staying in the timeshare and paying for meals vs. staying onsite and having the free dining. It worked out to be just a bit cheaper to stay onsite (at AKL even), so we opted to do that. It was well worth it. We love staying onsite because you're surrounded by Disney magic 24/7.

[Teresa]

Have you looked into the moderates? You can still get the DDP, and save a few$$.

[ilovedisney0_0]

Oh man, I vote for option one. That sounds heavenly!!

[Chikabowa]

Thank's everyone for all the advice! After sitting down and roughly looking at all the costs of staying at the Swan, I think, money wise, everything will end up being a wash. It really is coming down to location and preference. For now, I'm just going to keep both ressies, but I think we are leaning more towards option #1. DH and I are serious foodies (in addition to going for my birthday, we made sure to hit the F&WF), so sitting down at restaurants is really important to us; and trying something new on a daily basis is also important. Which is why it's difficult to decide on the Swan because I really can't calculate our food costs very well.

I'm going to stew about this a little longer and perhaps attempt the daunting job of doing some REAL calculations on food costs to see which would work best for us.

Why does Disney have so many awesome resorts?!?! It makes my life VERY difficult! LOL!!

[Nick and Ryans Mom]

We used to bring the baby monitor with us to WDW. We could sit on the balcony or outside and still hear DS falling to sleep. Picture yourself enjoying an adult beverage or reading a book on the balcony while your 2 yr old sleeps (you can always bring your own coffee from home)....