Help us to make the right decision !!!!!!

[nancel.5]

We have 2 reservations and we need to decide what to do.
We are a family of 5, dd's 8 and 4 and ds 7. This is our first trip to Disney and I have gotten lots of good info from these boards but this is the big decision.

We are driving from NJ and staying 6/22-6/30.
We have reservations at the Holiday Inn Family Suites and the Port Orleans Riverside.
The price is actually better at POR,but it is a room and not a suite.
DH and I can't decide what to do. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Super Mom]

I would definitely vote for POR. I stayed onsite for the first time in 1997 and now I am addicted. I love the ease of being onsite, especially with 3 kids. I have 3 DS's myself and I would never stay off-site again.

Though to be fair, I have heard wonderful things about HIFS and would consider staying there for a visit to US/IOA and Sea World.

 

[Kermit]

I haven't stayed at the Holiday Inn, but with your kids being so young, I'd take POR. I love staying on-site anyway, and you really won't be as cramped since your kids are young. You'll love the convenience of being able to return to your room and recharge in the middle of the day, even if it's just so you can change your shoes and head to another park. The transportation is wonderful too. You'd have to hang onto your kids in the parking lot and then climb into a hot car every evening if you drove. Since you can take the buses, you'll be able to wait for the buses in a shaded area with fans and then climb into an airconditioned bus.

 

[hellokitty]

I would go for POR for one it has the buses and they are great
staying on site is great!!! you get more of the disney feel.

good luck

 

[karenloo]

Hi. I thought I'd put in my vote for HIFS. We stayed there with our three sons (then ages 10, 7 and 3) when we visited in December 2000. It's a nice place with a fun pool, and the suites are great, with a living area with pullout sofa and two separate bedrooms. There's also a free hot breakfast buffet every morning, which we found worked perfectly with our kids' ages...they really can't wait too long to eat after they get up. What worked great for us was filling up on the breakfast buffet, then doing a few character lunches/dinners. By the time you're hungry again, it's time for your character meal, and you've saved the cost of breakfast every day (not a bad thing with five people eating, and it might make up for the cost difference between your two reservations). We didn't find the car ride to the parks bad at all...in fact, some nights when we left the parks at closing, and saw hundreds of people lined up waiting for buses, we were thrilled to have a short walk or tram ride to our car then zip right to the hotel. It's 5-10 minutes to most parks from HIFS. Also, traveling with three young children, we liked the flexiblity of putting our two younger kids to bed, then spending some time with our oldest son in the living room before we went to sleep. You said you have a four-year-old... if you're anything like me, you really won't be wanting to go to bed at the same time as your little one, but staying in only one room, you're basically stuck, unless you're willing to either have the kids up very late, or yourself in bed early (unless your kids are the type to just fall into bed and be fast asleep immediately, even with the lights and TV on, etc., which mine definitely DON'T do). I know we all push our kids' bedtimes for a vacation like this, but we found our kids could only take so much, and we loved having a separate room to send them to when they absolutely needed to get to sleep and we were not even close to being ready for lights out. Personally, I can't imagine staying in one room with my husband and three kids - but maybe that's just me? I know many will agree with me, but many probably won't, and I just wanted to offer you a different perspective. I know staying on-site you get an extra dose of Disney magic, but to be honest, you're probably not going to be hanging out much at your resort, especially since this is your first trip and I'm sure you'll want to spend as much time as possible in the parks. Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to explain why I'd recommend HIFS for your family. Hope this helps or gives you something to consider. Either way, have a wonderful vacation!!

 

[DaisyDebbie]

Here's my .02 see if HIFS has shuttle service to the parks then you can drive if you want ot take the shuttle. The breakfast is a big plus. Having the extra room is also nice. I stayed at the Buena Vista Suites, a sponsor of this site. check them out. Nice, clean rooms and a full buffet breakfast included also. They have shuttle service to the parks. Staying onsite is great, I have DVC so I get a one bedroom and don't have a problem.

You will have fun no matter what you decide.

 

[ahutton]

I recommend being on site with small kids. Our daughter is two. It is very time consuming to leave a park and go back to an offsite hotel to take a break. If you are on site it is easy to take a break and still get back to a park or do something else in the evening hours.

 

[Herbie]

I would vote for Riverside. Staying on property is much better, and the kids will love it!

 

[Rpsemont]

OH, I don't envy your decision. Have never stayed at HIFS but have heard great things about it. We did stay at "Dixie Landing" on our first trip when DD was 4. There's alot of walking to and from busses and we spent many times carrying DD. We never go to WDW without a car. There's definitely something to be said for the on site ambiance. plus, if there's an e-ride night, it's worth it to be on site for that. I'd hold off on making a decision for now. wait and see it e-rides come out. I guess I would think an ideal might be if there's an e-ride the first 3-4 days, and I'd stay on site for 4 days and HIFS for the other 4. The change of scenery night really rejuvenate the kids. Depending on cost differential, I think you'd save enough money of food off site as HIFS is more expensive. Be sure to take an umbrella stoller for DD if you stay at POR.

 

[momm2four]

I was facing the same decision about our first trip ever in October. I booked two connecting rooms at the ASM, but then read about the HIFS. I booked rooms at both places and waffled back and forth several times, but I have put my mind at rest and decided that we are going to the HIFS. The reasons I chose this place are: 1)Free breakfast buffet, 2)Kids eat free for all other meals with a paying adult) 3)$99 a night rate (due to my mom being over 50) saved us $80 per night and enabled us to stay an extra night, 4) I have read several places that with the exception of the MK, it is quicker to drive your car somewhere rather than taking Disney transp. (or at least is equal to), and HIFS has a shuttle service too, if that's needed, 5)great reviews by almost everyone who has stayed there, 6)pool area/playground looks great, 7)N64 will be great for my two oldest boys, 8)I like the idea of seperate rooms, since there will be three adults and four children, also 3 TV's is a plus, as is a microwave, coffee maker and fridge included in the cost of the room

There may be more reasons that I haven't thought of, but those are the ones I could think of right now. Anyway, whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a blast. I can hardly wait until October!

Lori P.

 

[momm2four]

I was facing the same decision about our first trip ever in October. I booked two connecting rooms at the ASM, but then read about the HIFS. I booked rooms at both places and waffled back and forth several times, but I have put my mind at rest and decided that we are going to the HIFS. The reasons I chose this place are: 1)Free breakfast buffet, 2)Kids eat free for all other meals with a paying adult) 3)$99 a night rate (due to my mom being over 50) saved us $80 per night and enabled us to stay an extra night, 4) I have read several places that with the exception of the MK, it is quicker to drive your car somewhere rather than taking Disney transp. (or at least is equal to), and HIFS has a shuttle service too, if that's needed, 5)great reviews by almost everyone who has stayed there, 6)pool area/playground looks great, 7)N64 will be great for my two oldest boys, 8)I like the idea of seperate rooms, since there will be three adults and four children, also 3 TV's is a plus, as is a microwave, coffee maker and fridge included in the cost of the room

There may be more reasons that I haven't thought of, but those are the ones I could think of right now. Anyway, whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a blast. I can hardly wait until October!

Lori P.

 

[LKS]

If it were between HIFS and POR, I would probably save the money (on breakfast, at least) and stay at HIFS. It is great to have the separate kid's room. Be warned though, that those suites are much smaller than they look in the pictures. They must have some wonderful camera artists! I was very surprised. But, the rooms were perfectly servicable, breakfast was fine and my kids loved the pool. I am not that into the Disney "atmosphere" so didn't miss that. All that being said, we are staying at the contemporary for the convenience of the monorail and proximity to MK. We plan to spend more time hanging around the resort and we really do like coming back each noon for a swim and that is much easier at a monorail resort. I haven't used POR transportation, so I can't compare that, but we did take the HIFS shuttle to EPCOT once. It worked fine, but I was a little nervous about missing the last bus back so didn't go to Illuminations. The timing that day was just too tight to get a little child all the way back to the parking lot. Since you will have your own car, that shouldn't be a problem. Remember that unless you have an AP you will pay for parking, so factor that into your decision as well.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Our first trip to WDW, we stayed at POR-Riverside. Nice room, but I didn't like the fact that we had to get in the car and drive to get to the lot where the buses picked up...bummer. All Star resorts were a better choice for us the second time around. Walked from our room to the bus!

 

[disneefamily]

Disney Dad Says................................................ I would pick Dixie Landings, we have stayed there twice. Whoever said they had to get in the car to catch the bus is clearly uninformed. Maybe they only knew about the main stop at the lobby, but there are four or five other stops, by the various parking lots, never more than a 3 to 5 minute walk. Both times ours was less than 2 minutes. It can be a long way to the lobby/ food court. I guess you are staying in the bayou section with a trundle bed. We always stayed at the mansion side. The main reason I pick Dixie Landings, is because this is your first trip. You will want to capture every bit of magic that you can. In November, we will stay off site for the entire trip!, for the first time! It is our fourth trip from California, and finally dollars saved are more important than magic! But according to your post you save by staying at Dixie!! That makes it a no brainer!!

 

[loribell]

My first two trips to DW I stayed offsite. This summer I finally got to stay onsite at Coronado Springs. It was by far the most relaxing trip I have ever had. Not having to worry about driving is a big plus. The Disney transportation is great. We just got to sit back and relax. Staying offsite it would take to much out of the day to go back to the hotel to rest and swim and being able to do this made our trip a lot more relaxing. Just to make sure I never have to stay offsite again I bought a DVC membership after my first trip this summer. Now I know I will be staying onsite every time I go. Good luck with your decision.

Lori

 

[eller]

Since you have never stayed on site, you will have your own car and Dinsey took away EE, stay at HIKS.

We stayed there after our stay at the Poly. DH loved it and pool is soooo cool! If you had stayed on site before or would not have a car, I'd say stay on site.

Here are some things to think about: Transportation at Disney is one of the greatest benefits to staying on site. You don't have to drive or (in my case) think about where you are going once on the bus/monorail/boat. Shuttles can be time consuming from off site resorts. Driving from HIKS *is* quick. It's just right there. Unless you have annual passes, you will have to pay for parking when visiting the parks.

Good luck. And just so you know, now that I have stayed on site, I will never stay off site again!

Lori

5/1997 Off site, 2/2000 Off site, 2/2001 Poly, 10/2001 POFQ, AKL & Magic, 1/2002 ASMo & AKL

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi We had the luxury of 2 full weeks and the first week we stayed at HIFS.. We all loved it there but we had a few problems with the door lock ( key wouldn't work twice ) the FREE breakfast saved me a bundle ( have 2 kids ages 8 and 5 ) the train ride around the resort was cute. The pool was so warm and had the zero entry and some water toys.. the laundry was clean as were the rooms and it was nice to have seperate rooms for everyone.. the Fridge and Microwave were lifesavers and kids ate free from 11-5 ( i think ) and we used the bus system but had to plan as there were only a few a day and sometimes only one time per park.
the second week we stayed at CBR and we loved that too but for seperate reasons.. the housekeepers are great and we found a different surprise each day, the buses were so plentiful-we could go whenever we wanted..spent alot more for food but it was good and filling and love the re-fillable mugs.. the pool was quite cooler than HIFS even if they say its heated.. but they have a SLIDE.. the laundry was clean the rooms well kept being in the "magic " 24/7 was great..
this isn't much help is it? sorry we loved both of them so much it really is a hard choice but maybe you can split your stay??
good luck and let us know what you decide.. Just for the record i am thinking of Jan 2003 and will be splitting my stay between all-star Movies, POR, and the Poly... ( i am a single mom so there for the only driver and its easier for me to be on-site even if its a bit more. but love HIFS)
Michelle