So you've decided you want to go to Disney, huh? So where are you going to stay? So your first decision is if you stay on property. For us, it's no question - the benefits of Disney transportation, Extra Magic Hours, Dining Plan - are worth it for us. It all depends on what is right for your family. We did stay off property twice before trying a Disney resort and haven't looked back. Now, deciding to stay on Disney property doesn't make your choice of where to stay any easier because there are a variety of resorts to choose from. They are categorized to fit every budget. They have Value Resorts, Moderate Resorts, Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas. So far we've only stayed at Value Resorts and have loved them. We did one trip at All Star Movies and the past two trips at Art of Animation. As much as we love Art of Animation the only section that has standard rooms is Little Mermaid and it is the farthest away from everything - pool, food court and the bus. After spending all day at the park, walking all the way back to the Little Mermaid room borders on torturous. We've already started saving for next year's trip so we decided we were going to go ahead and splurge on a Family suite room at Art of Animation (we've been dreaming of a Nemo suite since 2012). Well that led to us being curious and being curious for anything Disney always leads to some pretty cool stuff. Like discovering that you could actually budget for a Moderate or Deluxe resort. So we started looking at the Polynesian resort - it's just going through an upgrade, we LOVE Ohana's and Naomae's favorite Children's center is Lilo's Playhouse (newly renovated, formerly The Neverland Club). They have movies on the beach, where you can also watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks and the Water pageant. It is a Deluxe resort but with the Summer savings they seem to do every year, it would work with our budget. This is where doing research can be a curse and a blessing. As we were looking at online reviews and YouTube videos, we also discovered Port Orleans. Port Orleans is 2 resorts - they have Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter. So again, we did our research and decided to try Port Orleans French Quarter. I cannot stress doing your Disney research enough. Read LOTS of reviews (remember a review is an opinion so read lots to get the full picture) and watch LOTS of videos (YouTube is great for the visual learner in us all). We knew exactly what resort we're going to stay in 3 times now. In the end, it's a gut feeling, something you just know. I'm excited that we'll be expanding our Disney minds and trying something new. I have created a Resort Comparison worksheet to help you out. It has you fill in resort type, room type and rate, if it has a dedicated bus (a bus only for that resort and not shared) and resort activities - Polynesian has beach movies, Port Orleans has fishing, marshmallow roasts and carriage rides. Look at it's proximity to the parks. I found out that most attractions from Port Orleans French Quarter are only 10 minutes, plus you can take a boat to Downtown Disney. So get out there and research what is right for you. Whatever you decide - ALL Disney resorts come with their great service and magic. So be adventurous and try lots. We've decided we'd like to try different resorts each time because it changes the 'Disney factor' and makes that trip unique. We've been lots and we've got lots more trips to do but we always make them unique, each one is always different.
