Disney World Peeps--Coronado Springs or Contemporary Resort?

I've stayed at both and love both for different reasons. Coronado Springs has a much better pool. The buses only service that hotel, and they come pretty frequently. For the price difference, you could probably add several days to your trip. The negative is that it is big. I felt like my room was in a maze, but it was under construction at the time and they kept blocking different paths in and out, so that added to the maze-ness. I would request a preferred water view to get closer to the main building on a water side to increase the chances of a better location.

There is little better in life than standing on the balcony of a Contemporary tower theme park view watching the castle at night. I don't think I would want a balcony with little bitty kids though. Between the monorail and walking to MK, the transportation is great.

I'm no help....I would recommend setting a budget and desired trip length then seeing which option fits better.

Being able to walk to the Magic Kingdom and watch fireworks from your balcony at the Contemporary is great, especially if you have young ones who might not be up for night park time. You do ride the monorail around the long way and stop a few times before MK, but kids usually love the ride anyway. It's great to be one quick stop away when you are done! The Contemporary pool is not much, and some say a room closer to Chef Mickey's is too noisy, but you can request to be away from there. The price is steep though. Honestly with kids that age I would consider Art of Animation, a bit more room if you get a suite, and the theming and pools are amazing.

Contemporary can't be beat for MK access. You can even walk if you don't want to wait on the monorail. It's just a little bit farther than the bus stops. With kids, the monorail is the first "ride" if the day, so it's worth waiting.

Coronado springs is huge. I was there for a convention and it felt a lot less Disney than the other resorts. I'm not a pool person, so I can't speak to that.

My favorite moderate resort is Port Orleans. I like Caribbean Beach as well, but I haven't stayed there in almost 15 years, so can't speak to it's current state.

I would stay at the Contemporary

The Contemporary, hands down. Much easier access to the MK.

As far as moderate resorts, Caribbean Beach or Port Orleans -French Quarter would be my choices.

At your kids' ages, I think the Contemporary is worth it for the monorail location. You can come back to your room more easily for things like naps. But, I will say that the pool at Coronado Springs is fantastic -- it's one of the best on property -- and your kids would love it. That said, be aware that CS is also Disney's "convention" resort, so it's typically filled mostly with adults.

They do not let you ride up with the driver anymore.