Agree with a lot of what crash says above. PC is very busy. Canyons I think has improved a lot (only been in the last 5 years so can't comment on how it was before) and is generally much less crowded. Its enormous and you can spend almost an entire day just going from one side of the mountain to the other. Vail built a gondola to connect the two so you can actually ski both together now but it does take some time to make it to that side of the mountain on Canyons. Not sure what level skier you are but if you are a beginner and not comfortable skiing blues, do not go to Canyons. There is literally one tiny green slope off the High Meadow lift and nothing else accessible unless you can get down a blue. That said, the blues are generally pretty easy around Saddleback.
For challenging blues - Lookout is a great, steep, pretty long run. Apex is a nice long run off of the Condor Express. Sidewinder and Cloud 9 have been blues in the past but appear to be marked as black now. When groomed, they are fantastic, steep blues. Lots of nice runs off of Dreamscape/Daybreak/Peak 5. I prefer skiing Canyons over PC.
Can't comment on the black runs, but there were definitely a lot of very challenging looking runs.
We've always rented by Owner at the Grand Summit Lodge. We've been there 4 times and I still can't easily find my way around. It's pretty massive, but a decent place to stay at the base. Decent amenities. The base area has a big open area in the middle where kids can play, sometimes they have musicians, etc. Great ski school - I can give you a name if you or your family are looking for private lessons.
Transportation into town is provided and is free (+tip).