Hiya, Kimberly! Welcome to planDisney!
Having visited Walt Disney World with my three kiddos at all different ages, I definitely have opinions on all the Walt Disney World Resort hotels, including those near the Magic Kingdom. Let’s take a look at your options and see what each hotel has to offer.
All Walt Disney World hotels are organized into five areas: the Magic Kingdom area, EPCOT area, Animal Kingdom area, Hollywood Studios area, and Disney Springs area.
The Magic Kingdom area includes the following hotels.
- Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
- Polynesian Village Resort
- Contemporary Resort
- Wilderness Lodge
- Fort Wilderness Cabins and Campsites
The first thing I consider is transportation options when traveling with kids. All of these hotels are close to the Magic Kingdom and have multiple complimentary transportation options to the Walt Disney World theme parks. The Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary Resorts are on the Monorail line, which goes directly to the Magic Kingdom, and all of them have bus and water taxi service, including Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge.
The Polynesian has a slight transportation advantage over the others due to the fact that it’s within walking distance from the Transportation and Ticket Center, which has a separate Monorail line connecting to EPCOT.
I don’t know about your kids, but mine mostly care about swimming options when we’re planning our next Walt Disney World vacation. All of these resorts have large pools with waterslides and kids’ water play areas, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the Polynesian Village Resort once again. Not only is the main Lava Pool a ton of fun with its 142-foot-long slide, but the Moana’s Voyage Splash Zone next to the Cove Pool features a life-sized sculpture of Moana and her canoe.
If you’re interested in activities outside of the theme parks, then you may want to consider Fort Wilderness. All of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels offer kid-friendly activities, but
Fort Wilderness takes it to another level with horseback riding at the Tri-Circle-D Ranch, pony rides, archery, Chip ’N’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long, canoe rentals, and more. Plenty of ways to have fun without even leaving your resort!
These are just a few of the things I consider when picking a hotel for my family, and if I had to pick, I’d go with the Polynesian Village Resort. You know your kiddos and priorities best, though, so I’d suggest browsing each of their recreation options, dining locations, and comparing prices to see what works best for your crew.
I hope this info helps with your vacation planning, Kimberly. Don’t hesitate to come back if you have more questions. You're as welcome as can be at planDisney!
Magical travels!
Matt