Welcome to planDisney, Heather! I'm so happy you found us and asked your question!
Celebrations at the Walt Disney World Resort are, in my opinion, the best kind of celebration. Just being immersed in the magic of the resort is enough to put anybody in a celebratory mood. And, of course, there are ways to enhance your celebration, whether it's adding a cake to an advanced dining reservation, booking an experience from the
Enchanting Extras Collection, or simply allowing the birthday boy to be in charge for the day and pick where he wants to go and the experiences he wants to enjoy. The possibilities really are endless.
My very first recommendation would be to pick a
Disney Resorts Collection Hotel that has convenient transportation options to theme parks. This makes certain parks easily accessible. If the boys are most interested in
Disney's Hollywood Studios and
EPCOT, I would recommend a hotel on Disney's BoardWalk like Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Disney's Beach Club Resort, or my favorite,
Disney's BoardWalk Inn. Just keep in mind that the
Disney Skyliner will be closed from January 16, 2024, to January 27, 2024, so if their vacation overlaps with those dates, they won't be able to rely on that particular mode of transportation. But even still, they can usually walk or take Walt Disney World Resort Water Transportation to those two parks. And if they're considering walking to Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's BoardWalk Inn is the closest of the three. If their vacation won't overlap with the refurbishment dates, they might also want to consider some of the value or moderate resorts that are on the Disney Skyliner route like
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.
If the boys are more interested in Magic Kingdom Park, I'd recommend one of the hotels on the Walt Disney World Resort Monorail line like Disney's Contemporary Resort (where you can actually walk to the park), Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, or Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. Because these resorts are on the monorail line, they'll also be able to easily access EPCOT by taking the monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center and then switching over to the EPCOT line.
As far as restaurants go, if they're staying on the Disney BoardWalk, they've got access to Trattoria al Forno and Flying Fish by Disney's BoardWalk Inn, Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney's Yacht Club Resort, and Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Disney's Beach Club Resort! Plus, they'll have easy access to all of the offerings at EPCOT, including SPACE 220 Restaurant. Please note that these options will also be relatively easy to access if they are staying at any of the Disney Skyliner resorts outside of the refurbishment period.
If they decide to stay at a monorail resort, I'd highly recommend Steakhouse 71 at Disney's Contemporary Resort, O'hana at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, and the often underrated yet satisfying Grand Floridian Café at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. So many great options!
Heather, I wish your friend and her family the best time and a wonderful birthday celebration. If you or your friend ever have any other questions,
please feel free to reach out directly to me and I'll get you all the answers and recommendations!
Forget about your worries and your strife,
Matt