Planning a trip to Disney around Nov 6th w/our daughter her husband and our 5 yr old grandson . We have narrowed the hotels choices to the Wildnerss Lodge and the Beach Club. Have not been to Disney since 1984 and at that time stayed at the Contemporary, didn't like it then so I'm sure we won't like it now. Any info would be appreciated. such as restaurants and character breakfasts. This trip is all going to be scheduled around my grandson and things that a 5yr old likes to do.although we Would like to plan some nice dinners while we are there.Thanks in advance

I would select the Wilderness Lodge (we have stayed there twice-I have boys ages 6 and 8). It is a great hotel for boys. It looks like it is made from lincoln logs. There is a big geyser that shoots up like Old Faithful. The pool is nice. There is a restaurant there with lincoln logs in the waiting area for kids to play with, and stick ponies to ride to the table. WL is closer to Magic Kingdom, and a 5 year old will want to spend most of his time there. My boys think of the boat ride from WL to MK as their first and last ride of the day.

The Beach Club is very nice, closer to Epcot and MGM Studios, with a fantastic pool. If your trip was scheduled around the adults, I would suggest staying at BC. If grandson is the focus, go with WL.

As for meals, he will love any of the character meals. All restaurants except Victoria and Alberts are kid friendly. Visit www.disboards.com for more Disney info than you can ever imagine. Have a great trip.

thanks for your info I agree w/you although I would like to go to the beach club resort I think for my grandson he will like the wilderness lodge more. Can you tell mw what view you had? I don't want to be staring at a parking lot.

On one trip, we overlooked the pool and on the other trip, we looked at the woods. Because of the layout, there aren't many rooms with parking lot views.

Have you considered Animal Kingdom Lodge? The rooms have balconies and you're fairly assured of seeing some of the on-site wildlife in this mini-veldt. There are presentations by the Lodge's wildlife experts, and plenty of up-close-and-personal interactions with the animals there. They have a great pool as well. Nice restaurants on the grounds.

I went there for a recent wedding anniversary. Loved it. The price keeps many families away but the kids that were there seemed to be enjoying it incredibly.

For info on all you ever want to know about Disney go to www.allears.com and www.mousesavers.com and www.wdwinfo.com

WITH A 5 YEAR OLD IT MIGHT BE MORE CONVEINENT TO STAY AT A MONORAIL RESORT.
The resorts on the rail system give you easy access to Magic Kingdom and Epcot, but you are not limited to just the rails, you have the choice of using the boats or buses also.
Probably the best character breakfast would be at Chief Mickeys(Contemporary).

2 other great boards to check out would be www.tikiman.com and www.disboard.com.

OK, I think convenience is everything. I stayed at the Beach club, and loved it. Their Cape May Cafe has a seafood buffet which had Alaskan King Crab legs, steamed clams and a wide variety of all sorts of seafood as well as everything else. Not badly priced, either. The Yacht Club and Beach Club share a sandy bottom pool, which is really a mini water park called Storm Along Bay. Kids and adults both love it. Each hotel also has an adults only quiet pool as well. The Beach Club is only a 5 minute walk to Epcot, and then maybe another 10 minutes to the monorail. And it's also on the boat and bus system, so you have lots of choices on how to get around.

Another 5 minute walk to the Boardwalk Inn, and there's the best restaurant I've been to in DW: the Flying Fish Cafe.

The Wilderness Lodge is on the bus system, and while beautiful, definitely not convenient. Even less convenient is the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I agree that the ability to look at animals from the terrace of some of the rooms is intriguing...but the rooms tend to be dark (need brighter bulbs) and the wait for the bus can be frustrating.

I could be wrong, but I don't think a 5 year old is going to remember the hotel as much as he's going to remember the parks. How much time is he going to spend in the hotel? He'll either be sleeping or at the parks. So make the transportation part of your trip as convenient for yourselves as possible, and he'll enjoy wherever he's staying. And trust me, he'll love the pool at the Beach Club.