Which is the best Disney World Resort for kids? Walt Disney World is an amazing place for a family vacation and you want to make the best choice of resort so that the kids are happy.
There are so many excellent hotels and resorts to choose from it can get confusing. Here is my guide to the resorts which I consider give the very best value and fun for the younger members of the family. Each resort chosen is one that I think that kids 9 and under are going to love.
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Best Disney World Deluxe Resort for Kids
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This is perhaps the most difficult category to choose because there are so many great choices. So this one comes down to location, good sized rooms, and a great themed swimming pool. The best choice? Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
When anyone thinks of Disney World they think of Magic Kingdom. And of course Cinderella’s Castle. So what if you could wake up in the morning, hop on the monorail and be in Disney’s Magic Kingdom within minutes? Disney’s Polynesian Resort is an ideal choice for families with young children.
Location is really important when traveling with kids and choosing the Polynesian Hotel and resort means that you can get to and from the Magic Kingdom (and Epcot) really easily. Travel time is particularly important if you have younger children who may still need a nap in the day time. You can easily go out early in the morning and return back to the hotel in the afternoon, let the children rest or have some time in the pool, and then go back out to one of the parks in the evening.
The theme of the Polynesian is the South Seas. It is a relaxing and tranquil place for the adults, but a lot of fun for the kids too. Another advantage of this resort for families with young kids is that the rooms are amongst the largest of any of the standard rooms on Disney property. Standard rooms are around 410 square feet, with he 476 square feet rooms are located in the Tokelau, Rapa Nui and Tahita longhouse buildings. There is a lot of room for up to 5 family members to comfortably sleep.
There are 2 swimming pools at the Polynesian. The kids are sure to love the Nanea Volcano Pool. It is one of the best themed Disney World pools and has a water slide. There is also a good sized sandy beach where the kids can play and the adults can sit and relax.
Best Disney Moderate Resort For Kids
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Of all of the choices of Moderate Resort Disney’s Caribbean Beach Hotel offers the most for young children. The brightly colored buildings, decent sized rooms, fun themed pool and the option of a pirate themed room makes this a great choice for the 10 and under crowd.
The Pirate themed pool at the resort is a lot of fun for the kids and has a wading pool and a whirlpool. The children’s water play area includes squirt hoses, a large bucket that pours water from above and 3 waters slides. There is plenty to do here including renting water craft and bikes.
Kids love themed rooms and the Caribbean Beach was one of the first hotels to offer this (now the idea is being expanded throughout the Disney resorts as the Pirate Rooms have been such a big success here). The hotel has motel style rooms which sleep up to 4 guests.
As a moderate Disney resort it offers great value for families and of course has all of the advantages including free transport between all of the DIsney parks.
Best Disney Value Resort for Kids
The Disney Art of Animation Resort is a brand new hotel resort which opens in May 2012. This makes it the newest and the very best of the Disney Value Resorts. The Value Resorts have always been about good quality motel style accommodation for families who want all of the advantages of staying with Disney.
The Art of Animation Resort has four themes all based on very popular Disney movies – The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo or Disney Pixar Cars themed areas.
The concept art shows that the rooms are going to be beautifully themed.
When the resort is complete at the end of 2012 there will be 3 themed swimming pools. The Big Blue is the main swimming pool and has a Finding Nemo theme. The main pool is named The Big Blue and has a Finding Nemo theme. The Cozy Cones swimming pool is in the Cars themed section and the Flippin Fins Pool is in The Little Mermaid section. Kids are going to love the over the top theme where they can really feel as though they are part of the Disney World.
The Disney Art of Animation Resort also has a very big attraction for families – The Family Suite. These suites are going to be in The Nemo, Cars and Lion King areas of the resort and each will sleep up to 6 guests and have 520 square feet of space. These suites will be particularly popular with families who are looking for more space than most Disney hotel rooms provide, but which is also still at a reasonable price.
Which do you think is the best Disney World resort for kids? Leave me a comment below to let me know what you think.
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Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando. In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.