Theoretical question...

[lrsellars]

I'd stay at the Contemporary - dinner is just a few hours and the hotel is for the length of the stay.

I'd second this and especially if you can get a tower room with a Magic Kingdom view. It is fantastic. We did this for my daughters third birthday and had a great time. We did it mainly for ourselves but it was nice to "blame" it on her. LOL!!!!!

[linanglab]

I would stay at my dream resort. Mine is not the Contemporary (however, having the monorail go through there has become more and more of a drawl for me). My dream would be the Poly. But dinner is only part of one day. The resort is for the entire length of stay!

[LuvMyBoys]

I would be able to ask for my birthday off until early December, so I'm not ok with renting DVC pints as I'm unsure if I can commit. I'm leaning with either a)Pop and V&A's, b)a moderate with the DxDP. I think I'm making the V&A reservation this weekend either way.

I would totally vote for option b. When my sister and I went for our girls weekend this spring we did the first night at Pop and paid out of pocket for meals and then the rest of the weekend at SSR with the deluxe dining plan.

We absolutely loved the extra space in the room, the decor and feel of SSR, the beautiful grounds (we like to walk though and we like to be near water), and the great meals we had on the deluxe plan.

Our dinner at Narcoose's was one of the top restaurant meals of my life, seriously. It wasn't just the food, it was the atmosphere, the relaxed pace, our great server, the french press pot of coffee and homemade coconut macaroons ending the meal, etc. Just a truly wonderful experience.

If you haven't tried out a lot of the signature restaurants, I would really suggest doing that instead of doing just V&As.

Just my opinion though!

[luvdisney00]

I would choose a stay at my dream resort over dinner. I love the feel of the deluxe resorts, although I've never stayed at CR, it looks really nice and it's on my list to try. This is just me, but V & A doesn't hold that much appeal for me personally. I like Disney theme type restaurants, because I can do fancy fine dining type places at home. For a special birthday dinner, I think I'd go fot California Grill at Wishes time.

BUT.....
you should think about what you want and pamper yourself with an indulgent b-day trip including whatever will make you the happiest.

[Hedy]

So: there has been an ADR made at V&A's for 1 one my untimely ripped day.
However, looking at WDW's site, I could get a room at Pop with deluxe dining and a park hopper for under $700...not too bad.

I think I'm going to hold off on seeing what kind of deal they have when I'm there, plus if I do this I'd probably cancel my Disney cruise in May....

[Anna]

I would always vote for Contemporary or a longer stay over any restaurant....just my thoughts...

[disneyforever]

I would vote for the hotel - however, I would choose the Poly over the Contemporary. Go to Boma's or Jiko's for dinner - they both have amazing food too.

[crystal2485]

I'm another one of the oddballs, I personally would stay at a cheaper hotel but I also would rather stay longer at the parks then spend a lot on a restaurant(i cannot figure out how that is spelled lol)The way I see it is if I plan on spending a lot of time in the hotel, then i will pay more for it, but if im just sleeping and showering i go for the most affordable. But I say do whatever makes you the happiest, if you can manage to save a lot before the trip, do both Did i mention i am not the most decisive person, so i probably shouldnt respond to posts asking for advice between 2 things

[kerry34]

If it were me, I would stay at my dream resort for sure. I would also go with a MK view as well. We stayed at the Polynesian for Christmas 05 and that was my dream since I was a kid. It was truly my dream trip!!!!

Dinner at V & A would be nice I am sure, but it only lasts for a little while.

[Hedy]

Opinion: So, there was no bounceback. So I'm leaning towards Pop. I have two days on a parkhopper, and I'm hoping for a PPP. I'm trying to decide if I should:
A)Book through AAA for the deluxe DDP and AAA rates.
B) Book AAA room only rate through a Dsney specialist TA
C) Book DDP+room through a Disney specialist TA.

I've never used a specialist TA before, but I want to this trip as I a)think codes may come out, b)I'm not able to make ADR's until October.

Thoughts?