Hi Andrea,
Thank you for stopping by planDisney with your question! I have also been looking at the
available Disney Resort hotels during phased re-opening and planning my family's next year vacation too. Although things may look a little differently, with careful consideration and planning we should be able to make some Magical Memories!
You mention most of the moderate Disney Resort hotels either not being available for booking during your upcoming stay or are too large/spread out for your taste. So my first suggestion is that if you are mostly concerned with being placed in a room far away from the main building, you should consider booking a preferred room. Booking a preferred room is a great way to enjoy the benefits of all the things a larger Resort has along with the benefit of being close to your main areas.
Just last fall when
Disney's Pop Century Resort hotel didn't have availability for my planned vacation, I chose to stay at the newly refurbished
Disney's All-Star Movies Resort in a preferred room. From that experience I can tell you I will be booking a preferred room for most of my future vacations! Being close to the central building made it incredibly easy to pop over for a snack, and it was also a perk to be so close to transportation. Even though this Resort hotel is large with many rooms available, I never felt overwhelmed or that anything was too far away from my hotel room. So my advice is to pick a Resort category which fits your budget and then book a preferred room within it.
Additionally, you mentioned one of your preferred Disney Resort hotels is
Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort. Although this Resort hotel isn't available for your vacation dates you consider booking a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) studio or villa at
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge or at
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Both of these offerings are a part of Disney Vacation Club, but may also be rented by other Guests without membership.
I hope this helps with your planning Andrea. If you have any other questions or are looking for some vacation tips, please be sure to stop by and see us again.
Brenda