Large families

[1littleladyplus3]

Clearly we are in the early planning stages but we have a bgi family -- four kids who will be 7, 6, 4, and 1 on our trip. I am thinking we are going to HAVE to have a suite - so which resort would you recommend? WE are wanting to stay AT wdw, TIA.

[badblackpug]

Family suites at AsmU

[bmoncher]

That depends on how much you want to spend.
You can get a 2 bedroom villa at OKW or SSR but it is quite pricey (unless you look into renting a reservation from a DVC member.. then it can be more reasonable) or you can get 2 connecting rooms (I think they have these) at a mod resort! You put one adult and 2 children in each room..

Beth

[ldo]

sometimes, 2 adj. are cheaper than family suite---but you don't get kitchenette. Also, I think you could a do Port Orleans-Riverside room that sleeps 5, b/c the 1 yr old does not count. But, this will be VERY cramped---
I would do ASMU family suite or 2 adj. rooms.

[susieq76]

We have 5- but have taken my niece and that was 2 adults & 4 kiddos. Personally- we like having two rooms at a value or mod. The ASMu suites do not allow you to apply any discounts, free dining, free pass add on etc.

Or- I've booked a 2 br villa at WL Villas for a customer and they loved it. Expensive but awesome.

Another option (but it is only 1 bathroom) is the cabin at Ft. Wilderness.

[TheDizMom]

My sister has 4 kids as well and they just stayed in one of the suites at the ASMu and she said it was great . They were a good fit for them and having a few kitchen amenities was a great bonus.

[PA Princess]

We also have 4 kids...ages 12, 11, 6, and 2. Keep in mind that you can also do a deluxe stay with a baby under 3...according to Disney that counts as 5 in a room so you can stay at most deluxe except WL and you could also still do POR.

We did the deluxe route for many years and enjoyed it. However, our preferred accomodations these days are two rooms at a mod. We have not tried the DVC resorts... a vacation with four kids entails considerable work anyway, so I really want housekeeping services:-) We looked at the family suites, but we like have two bathrooms and the sleeping accomodations in the suites looks uncomfortable to us. Add in no deals offered for the suites and they were a no for us.

Happy planning :)

[1Prince3Princesses]

Hi! You still have the option of staying @ POR. I know that they will allow 6 people in 1 room since you have 1 child under the age of 2 years old at the time of travel. I know this for a fact because I stayed there for my quadruplets 3rd Birthday. We had 2 adults and 4 children, of course all 4 children were 2 at the time of check-in. We were all on the room and took the Magical Express. We never had a problem and on the day of their Birthday, a CM arrived @ our room with Birthday Cards and balloons. This was just last May. It is not as spacious as having 2 adjoining rooms, but it is an option. I like it because the rooms have refridgerators and the boat to DTD is a wonderful bonus.

[DawnM]

We stay off-site at a condo. MUCH less $$ and allows us more flexibility.

Dawn

[java]

Deluxe - they will let you stay with 6 as long as the youngest is under 3

[1littleladyplus3]

Thanks for the help. I didnt realize that I could stay at a deluxe as the baby will still be so little. That helps alot.

[blessedby3]

Definately stay on property. You may find something cheaper off, but the travel to and from Disney with that many kids would be crazy. Staying on property gives you the option to split the family and one parent go back with younger ones for a nap while the rest stay at the parks. We will be a family of 6 during our next trip in Jan 2008. We loved staying at the CR in 2003- the monorail is GREAT, but our budget is less this trip so we booked 2 adjoining rooms at POP. This way we will have lots more room and 2 bathrooms. I dont like the look of the family suites because a lot of the beds are pull outs and normally they arent comfortable. Im not willing to book 10 nights there to try them out. We will go with 2 rooms and 4 real beds. I know I will miss the monorail convience especially with a 3 1/2 month old, but we will still be on property. We have DD17, DS12 and DD9 plus the baby.

My Sis is at Disney right now and they have rented a house for the first time. She says that was definately a mistake and from now on she will be back on property.

[bookmama]

ft wilderness cabins. we have a big family and i'll defintely tell you how it was for us in june

[DVCLiz]

We also have 4 kids...ages 12, 11, 6, and 2. Keep in mind that you can also do a deluxe stay with a baby under 3...according to Disney that counts as 5 in a room so you can stay at most deluxe except WL and you could also still do POR.

We did the deluxe route for many years and enjoyed it. However, our preferred accomodations these days are two rooms at a mod. We have not tried the DVC resorts... a vacation with four kids entails considerable work anyway, so I really want housekeeping services:-) We looked at the family suites, but we like have two bathrooms and the sleeping accomodations in the suites looks uncomfortable to us. Add in no deals offered for the suites and they were a no for us.

Happy planning :)

Just an FYI, PA - you can request daily mousekeeping at any DVC resort. You'll pay extra for it, but it's available!!! Hope you get to give DVC a try some day.

[beccalines]

We are going in October and staying at ADMu in the family suite.

We have 4 kids ages 7,5,4 and 1. Our TA said we would have more room then in POR and I liked the idea of at least the 3 older ones in another room. We'll see how it goes.

[PA Princess]

Just an FYI, PA - you can request daily mousekeeping at any DVC resort. You'll pay extra for it, but it's available!!! Hope you get to give DVC a try some day.

Thanks for the info, Liz! Good DIS board reader and researcher that I am, I actually did know this :goodvibes , and I have looked at renting points for DVC several times, but Disney keeps offering free dining and has drawn us in the last two years. I have no doubt we will one day give DVC a try.

[F4disneyfan]

Clearly we are in the early planning stages but we have a bgi family -- four kids who will be 7, 6, 4, and 1 on our trip. I am thinking we are going to HAVE to have a suite - so which resort would you recommend? WE are wanting to stay AT wdw, TIA.

Look at renting points from a DVC member for a 2 bedroom villa you will get a full kitchen and laundry facilities right in teh room plus a nice king bed for mom and dad we are in teh same situation now with 4 kids and 2 adults. That is why we are glad we purchased DVC it was a great way to plan our yearly trips and save money in teh long run.

[kltruck]

Stay on property! Next time we are booking a Disney Resort with monorail access- then we won't have to fold up the stroller (wake baby, juggle our bags, corral all the kids while doing the aforementioned activities).

[RangerPooh]

We stayed in a FW cabin in March, 4 adults and two kids and it worked out great! It has a full kitchen inc. full sized fridge. We really liked this over POR which is where we usually stay as you cna ahve 5 to a room in the AB section. The only downside was that there is only 1 bathroom. But we got over that and went to the comfort station nearby in a camping loop. And we only had to do this once. But check them out, you can get decent discounts and there is plenty to do at the fort.

[mommyseven]

I believe that your most affordable option would be to stay at the POR Alligator Bayou section. It sleeps 5 (baby can join in as well). It should be less expensive than the suite, FW cabins, and deluxes.

If money is not a concern, you could stay at the deluxes, which sleep 5 (baby joins too). WL and AKL only sleep more than 4 if you have a deluxe room and pay more. I would suggest saving money and staying at Poly, GF, or Contemp. Fort Wilderness cabins are pricey too. The value suite at the All Stars would most likely be less expensive.

Normally I would suggest two rooms but with your kiddies being younger in age that really isn't an option. We typically get two adjoining rooms (if not a deluxe we prefer POR).

[hddanis]

As long as you have one under the age of 3, you count as 5 people. We have 4 as well, 12, 9, 6, and 4 and now we're staying in 2 rooms at the Shades of Green. We were going to stay at the Ft. Wilderness Cabins. I'd also like to try 2 rooms at the Wilderness Lodge. Maybe on our next trip (I'm already planning a Dec 2008 trip)

[laceemouse]

We have 4 kids also and did the deluxe stay when our youngest was under 3. Just be certain that your youngest will sleep in the porta-crib. Ours refused to and it was awful, musical beds every night can get very exhausting! We have done DVC, but even when renting points it is pricey. We have done the cabins, they are fun but one bathroom was a problem with 2 teen girls. We also did the trundle bed room at POR when the youngest was under 3 and let me tell you those rooms are SMALL! Next trip we will have two rooms at Pop. I decided against the family suites because there is only 1 real bed, the rest are pull outs. I have heard they are comfortable, but I decided against trying them this time.

[1littleladyplus3]

Thanks for all the replies ladies, I think we are gonna try for a deluxe room, I am looking at Poly.

[littleteapot]

Clearly we are in the early planning stages but we have a bgi family -- four kids who will be 7, 6, 4, and 1 on our trip. I am thinking we are going to HAVE to have a suite - so which resort would you recommend? WE are wanting to stay AT wdw, TIA.

Our family of six loved the ASMu suites, so much room. They were really perfect for us. We brought a twin air mattress so our dd could sleep on the floor in the bedroom.

I couldn't believe how much storage the room had.

This was our first trip, so we've not had experience with other rooms or offsite.

[deejohn]

We are also a family of 6. We have been getting 2 adjoining rooms for the last 5 trips. Works well, and is much cheaper than a suite.

[homeschoolmomof4]

As long as you have one under the age of 3, you count as 5 people. We have 4 as well, 12, 9, 6, and 4 and now we're staying in 2 rooms at the Shades of Green. We were going to stay at the Ft. Wilderness Cabins. I'd also like to try 2 rooms at the Wilderness Lodge. Maybe on our next trip (I'm already planning a Dec 2008 trip)

Hi Heather! We stayed at WL in February with our kids who are 12, 9, 7, and 4 and it was fabulous!! We had connecting rooms with bunk beds. It was wonderful having 2 bathrooms and two fridges as well. I'm already working on doing the same thing in February 2008. We had stayed in connecting rooms at the CR back in 2005, but we were in one of South Garden wing and felt like we were so far away from everything. At WL, I felt comfortable sending the two oldest downstairs without adult supervision to Roaring Forks to refill their mugs because they didn't have to travel far and it was all contained in one building.

[java]

Thanks for all the replies ladies, I think we are gonna try for a deluxe room, I am looking at Poly.

Good choice! We stayed there last year with our 4 kids. This year we stayed at the GF. The bathroom at the Poly is HUGE- but you should know that the sinks are IN the bathroom. Not an issue for our family but I know some people are uncomfortable with that.(we are not that private I guess:confused3 ) We would have stayed at the Poly again if we could have gotten the AAA rate there but couldn't. Loved the GF too though. But those new rooms at the Poly are nice and for some reason I really felt like I was on vacation there?