The_Daddy

Dear All,

i am planning a two weeks journey between Florida/Caribbean in April 2017 over Easter (14th April / 01 May).

we are:
a family of 5 with 3 children aged (at time of travel) 9/7/3

we have the following itinerary in mind:
- arrival in Miami and staying at St. Regis Bal Harbour for 4/5 days (two connecting room): is this the best choice or there are better option for the kids?
- DisneyWorld for a few days (4/5?) to see 3/4 parks trying not to rush too much and without compromising on luxury/confort possibly (here I am really lost...any hotel that offer "taiored" services for disney parks? Also, because we will be most of the day out and about I am not sure it will be worthy to spend 2k per night on accomodation)
- Caribbean for 6/7 days in a resort hopefully with a beach house with private pool (it must be with an easy reach from Orlando....Bahamas seems a good option): directly on a beach with calm, clear water will be a plus

any advice about what above will be highly appreciated keeping in mind that we do not want to stay in more then 3 properties


thanks

daddy

Ericka

°O°

I can comment on the Disney World part of your trip. We will be going in October.

We decided to stay at the Grand Floridian over the Four Seasons for the following reasons: 1) Family tradition 2) On the Disney transport system including the monorail which the kids love 3) Disney owned property which is important for advance booking of fast passes 4) Recently refurbished 5) All day concierge level cocktail and food service which is great with kids

We will be staying in a one bedroom suite in the main building and booked it over a year out due to high demand.

Advance planning is critical since Disney World is really popular. Restaurant reservations open up 6 months prior to arrival. Cinderella's Royal Table and Be Our Guest fill up at that time. More importantly, the Fast Pass window opens up at 60 days for Disney resort guests and these are your "front of the line" reservations for the major rides.

We are also doing a one day Private VIP Tour. This will be just our group, driven to the back doors of a few parks in an SUV with a Disney guide who takes us to the front of the lines....and hopefully shares a few Disney factoids along the way.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. It's a whole new world, to be sure. Don't get me started on the magic bands!

Pausanias

A few years ago we stayed at the Ocean Club in Nassau and liked it a lot. It's a rather sophisticated resort with lots of space, a great beach, serious food and a great pool. For kids it's also a short walk to Atlantis.

erik123

I concur that with small kids best to stay at the Grand Floridian so you can return to the hotel for lunch/swim/nap.

Also pay for the private tour at the Magic Kingdom. This will ensure you do most of the rides and you can spend most of the rest of the time doing the other parks where standing in line is not as pronounced/necessary.

It's a good idea to buy a WDW guide and check some of the message boards as it requires advance planning to get the most out of it and not go crazy. WDW is very hard work.

HKTraveler

If you are going to get a guide for Disney World, then stay at the Four Seasons since it is a nicer hotel. If you are not, then stay inside Disney since you can reserve for fast pass earlier than others.

Ericka

We stayed here with a larger family group and liked it. I have an old trip report on this forum somewhere. IIRC, service at the time wasn't the best, but the proximity to Atlantis for the kids was awesome. The Bahamas are very close to FL so I'm guessing it would be easy to get there from Disney.

kamel123

Have a look at my trip report here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...gis-setai.html

The St. Regis is perfect for children. Nice pool, many other children around.

Can also recommend Parrot Cay. I don't think there is a direct flight from Orlando, but it is easy to reach from Miami. The beach houses/beach villas have private plunge pools or private pools (depending on category) and are located directly at the beach.

sig05

For Disney World, it depends on how close you want to be to the parks. Grand Floridian is, of course, the easiest ride via monorail. However, I don't consider it to be an exceptional value. While about 20 minutes away, I enjoy staying at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes utilizing my club level upgrades. The Four Seasons, as other have already mentioned, is a very nice property. I haven't personally stayed in one, but the Polynesian bungalows are very nice. I would avoid the Contemporary as it is very dated and the character breakfast in the morning can be heard from nearly every room.

Travel K

Erika said it really well and the only thing I would add is the memory maker for photos is really worth the money and ease. It will link to your magic bands. She is right on the dining, especially for Cinderella's castle. You really do need to make the reservation the day it opens. Same with certain rides and the fast passes. I haven't been in a long time, but I have been hired to handle the overwhelming world of Disney, so I am familiar with it (and am a mom of a 2 and 4 year old, so I get the whole kid situation). The only other piece left out is the dining plan and that is up for (great) debate if it is worth it or not. It certainly makes things easy though.

As far as Grand vs FS - there are pluses and minuses to both. You can watch the fireworks easily from the FS and they have their own in house bippity boppity boutique. But, the Grand is closer/quicker.

I really like the Acqualina and think it is highly underrated for its kids clubs. They do a really phenomenal job catering to families.

I would have to do some digging on a beach house option, but I have clients going to Half Moon in Jamaica because of their family offerings. They even have a petting zoo.

The_Daddy

Thank you Ericka: very helpful
Indeed, it is all (or a lot) about preparation to make the most out of wdw
Following your indication I am going to make a bit of homework and will lately maybe pm you once I am clear about our priorities.

Concerning hotels, GF looks great, I am just wondering if it is the right pick even if you want to visit other parks...I have the impression it is the best option for visiting Magic Kingdom but maybe less centric for other destination...the monorail get everywhere from there?

btw the one bedroom suite in the main building is not available already for my desired dates....you are right, things move fast here

thanks again

The_Daddy

thanks! it is for sure a great option, I am looking into it even if, I must admit O&O might be a bit too glamour for what I want given our previous experience with them in Mexico/Dubai/Maldives...something more wild/spontaneous can fit us better for a total relaxation....
That said it looks great for kids and is in an easy reach from anywhere (including Orlando)...it ticks many boxes and we could easily end-up happily there

Thanks

The_Daddy

Thanks! I have just read your report and get very useful indication.
I am about to confirm St. Regis BH even if I just want to give a better look to Acqualina as indicated by another poster above.

Parrot Cay looks excellent and it has been actually on my list since a while, together with Amanyara. I just feel PC will do better for the whole family and their accomodation seems to fit better my needs. There is just the issue with (not existing) directly flight from Orlando: in case we will need to drive back to FL or Miami and have a longer flight compared, as example, to Bahamas.

O&O Bahamas seems easier...but inside I feel I will prefer Parrot Cay at T&K....

The_Daddy

thank you for all of your info and avice

just checked Half Moon in Jamaica, they have an estate (a 7 bedroom villa among others) that is cheaper then one of the two rooms I am about to book at the St. Regis in Miami....and it comes with private pool and staffed with cook, housekeeper, butler
is this place as consistent as O&O or Parrot Cay?

erik123

GF is well located for MK but takes a bit of time for the other parks - but no big deal. Though the kids will like being on the monorail. You can also take a boat to the MK. Staying there will make your trip quite a bit less stressful. At that age your kids will like MK the best anyway.

If you book a private tour you can ask them to make dining reservations for you. Though officially they only have access to what is available to all, they might be able to get you in.

Kagehitokiri

can fly from MCO, returning rental car anywhere

AA has Five Star service at MIA if flying J/F on any flight leg, possibly oneworld too

top suite at Disney Animal Kingdom actually has large terrace overlooking 'zoo' areas
edit - ouch, thanks Ericka re transportation and logistics, definitely valuable details
may consider 1 night at FS orlando for private water park, kids club, disney breakfast
(or frankly, even paying the lowest room rate at FS but not moving/staying there)

at one point acqualina was well regarded by a handful of regulars here
acqualina and st regis both have 2BR suites/condos (similar to 2 rooms?)

definitely consider MCO - MIA - caribbean - depart from MIA / caribbean
MIA infinitely better for flights to caribbean, some caribbean have EU flights

MCO - amanera or bahamas on jetblue basically only option
on jetblue can book extra seat(s), could take full row(s)

One & Only Ocean Club has no option for private pool below the villas
if they upgrade to villa, could book category below and hope for upgrade
there are residences not in hotel inventory, like hualalai, could explore