Planning a trip to Disney this summer. First timers , 2 adults & 2 children. Looking for the best place to stay , not concerned with cost. Staying atleast 8 days. Any suggestions would be helpful. Very confused over all the choices. Thanks

Planning a first trip to Disney can be overwhelming.
You practically have to learn a new language to understand all of the map locations ,hotel names,
ticket choices ,etc. However, its worth it!
We have stayed at Disney three times (also with 2 adults and 2 children). Our first trip was at the
Disney Inn which is no longer available( it was leased to the US Army a few years ago and is called Shades of Green). It was considered one of the upper priced hotels at the time and was very nice. The next two times we stayed at Dixie Landings. It is considered one of the mid-priced resorts and I recommend it highly. I can't imagine why anyone would want to spend the money they charge for the Polynesian or Contemporary class hotels. If you look further down this site you will find threads where several people mentioned how small their rooms were at the Polynesian. The rooms at Dixie Landings or
Port Orleans are very nice and had plenty of room for the four of us. Also,these two resorts have several fun pools, bike rental, and boat rental. The bus service is usually excellent so not being on a monorail line is no big deal. I highly recommend the Unofficial Guide to Disney World by Sehlinger.
It answers so many questions and we have found the advice and suggestions very accurate. Have a great time!

Caribbean Beach, Ft. Wilderness, Dixie Landings are all great with kids. We send lots of people to these hotels and have never had a complaint.

Good luck..

We have stayed at both the Polynesian and Contemporary, would recommend the Polynesian, rooms were a good size (have stayed in larger and smaller). Contemporary was noisy and congested most of the time.
Found it very helpful to be on the monrail line, especially with young children, you can get everywhere fast. The Magic Kingdom is very close and Epcot is only a mono rail trip away. Polynesian is right next to the transfer station, so it is a easy walk to get a bus or monorail to other places.

Fort Wilderness is great with kids. They have alot of activities and kitchens in the RV homes. Also, the Boardwalk Villas are very nice. Some of them have kitchen facilities and it is designed to be reminiscent of turn of the century Atlantic City.

I've stayed in the Conterporary Tower, Caribbean Beach and the Boardwalk Villas. All were nice, however, Boardwalk Villas wins. We stayed there in December 96 and May 97 and have already booked for December 98. They all have kitchenettes and the larger units have laundry facilities in the rooms. Epcot Center and Disney/MGM Studios are a boat ride away and the Magic Kingdom, Pleasure Island, Marketplace, etc are all reachable by the bus service. I highly recommend it.

Last year we stayed at the Grand Floridian and we have made reservations there again this summer. It is a beautiful hotel, the rooms were very spacious, and it's located on the monorail. Perhaps the pool is not as "fun looking" as other hotels but our kids enjoyed it and the beach, too. We rented the water sprites there, too. The atmosphere is so calm and luxurious--even my 13 yr old said she would only go to Disney if she could stay at the Grand Floridian again! The staff is super and really go beyond the call of duty (searched thru all the day's mail to find my postcard that I forgot to stamp also did phone shopping for me at a gift shop at MGM to avoid going back myself--WOW!. Get a Fodor's guide in addition to the Unofficial guide--it really gives good description of the hotels and facilities. Just stay on site and I would say stay on the monorail, too--it's just that the Polynesian looked run down to us and the Contemporary had no "personality". We like nice hotels but to some people they think it's a waste of money--but I enjoy a nice oasis after a day at Disney...have fun!

You've already made the right choice in staying on Disney property. As for which property...well it's really a matter of taste. If you really want to be pampered, stay at the Grand Floridian. If you want a party atmosphere, stay at the Contemporary. If you like things a little slower and laid-back, choose the Polynesian. We stayed at the Polynesian with 7- and 9-year old daughters our first time (1995), and were mesmerized. From our balcony you could see Cinderella castle across the Seven Seas lagoon, and also the ferry that carts tourists from the Ticket and Transportation Center to the Magic Kingdom. It is beautiful at night. Another nice touch at the Polynesian is the gas torches that are lit all along the walkways at night.

The following summer we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. We liked it, but all four of us have agreed to return to the Polynesian on our next trip.

Over the years, we have stayed at a variety of Disney hotels and although each is unique, we ever had a truly bad experience. The Polynesian had a tropical atmosphere, the only bad part was that the soundproofing wasn't too great, we had a first floor room and it was quite loud with lots of running feet back and forth down the hallway at night.
The Caribbean Beach was moderately priced and had clean, comfortable rooms and a wonderful swimming pool area for the kids. I was quite surprised at how nice for the $$, but then how could you expect anything less from Disney? The Swan/Dolphin was also great, more luxurious and a little further away from the other hotels, closer to MGM Sudios, but still easy to get to all the parks.
If money was no object, next time I would try the Grand Floridian, a beautiful Victorian-looking hotel. For convenience, I have always preferred a hotel on the monorail system. The Caribbean had a bus shuttle service to the parks, which were comfortable (air-conditioned) and had a regular schedule. The Swan utilized a ferry boat and tram and bus shuttle, fairly convenient, although there were long lines in waiting for the ferry boat at Epcot back to The Swan. Therefore, I really like the ones connected directly to the monorail. You'll have a blast, can't wait to go again!!!

Over the years, we have stayed at a variety of Disney hotels and although each is unique, we never had a truly bad experience. The Polynesian had a tropical atmosphere, the only bad part was that the soundproofing wasn't too great, we had a first floor room and it was quite loud with lots of running feet back and forth down the hallway at night.
The Caribbean Beach was moderately priced and had clean, comfortable rooms and a wonderful swimming pool area for the kids. I was quite surprised at how nice for the $$, but then how could you expect anything less from Disney? The Swan/Dolphin was also great, more luxurious and a little further away from the other hotels, closer to MGM Sudios, but still easy to get to all the parks.
If money was no object, next time I would try the Grand Floridian, a beautiful Victorian-looking hotel. For convenience, I have always preferred a hotel on the monorail system. The Caribbean had a bus shuttle service to the parks, which were comfortable (air-conditioned) and had a regular schedule. The Swan utilized a ferry boat and tram and bus shuttle, fairly convenient, although there were long lines in waiting for the ferry boat at Epcot back to The Swan. Therefore, I really like the ones connected directly to the monorail. You'll have a blast, can't wait to go again!!!