Which option do you prefer family ste or 2rooms connecting?

[usmcwife1]

We were going to stay offsite but I think I'd rather be on site and not have to drive all week, i have had some recent health problems/hospitalizations and would rather have an easy vacation in the disney bubble with my hubby and boys we are pricing out options and trying to decide if we'd be better off in a family suite at a value or 2 connecting rooms (I know this is not a guarantee, and we have discussed the risk of requesting this ) at either a value or moderate resort? We are increasing our lodging expenses quite a bit by staying onsite but at this point convenience is worth it. We would like to use the military discount but I am not counting on it as we are only 2 mos out, I have priced the values and mods using the current discount online and we can do 1 family suite or 2 rooms at either comfortably, anything else is too far over budget.

It is DH, myself and our 4 boys (11, 8, 7 & 5) we are staying 6-7 nights but will only be in the parks for 4 days, the other days will be spent at the resort pool, water parks, disney quest etc. our oldest needs his own bed (he is autistic and doesn't sleep well with others), the younger 3 can sleep just about anywhere we are looking at the connecting rooms because of our oldest, we thought it might be good to have a separate room for him to relax away from his brothers when over stimulated.

We have only stayed at Wyndham bonnet creek in a 2br condo so I'm not sure which resort would be the best option, we know that we are losing a lot of space but don't want to be too squished either. I've looked at the different threads and am a little overwhelmed! I normally have everything planned and ready by this point but I've not felt up to it, I'm getting down to the wire now and starting to panic a little! Any advice for a family of 6 staying on site for the first time?

 

[twinboysmom]

If double beds are not an issue, I would stay at a value with connecting rooms requested. Since you are going to the water parks no need for the fancier pools at the moderates, especially since budget seems to be a concern. I would choose any value but music as since it had the family suites my understanding it had the least amount of possible connecting rooms. With all boys maybe sports?

 

[usmcwife1]

Thank you! double beds are not really a concern, DH and I can deal for a few nights. You make a great point about not needing the fancier pool since we are doing the water parks, we plan on adding the water park option to our 4 day military hopper so we will have 2-3 days at the water parks and another day or so to play at Disney quest..

 

[shan136]

We stayed in connecting rooms with my sister and her family at CBR, 7 people in all. There was enough room as the CBR rooms are a little larger than other moderates and we were very close to the quiet pool, laundry and bus stop but far from the food court and main pool.

Since your kids are older, a condo would give you more usable space since there is little "lounge space" and the beds are only full size. Renting a car would be easier than using the bus system IMO if you have mobility issues.

 

[shell8558]

Have you looked into shades of green? I have heard they have large rooms. If this is not an option , I say go with the value And save a few bucks . I stayed at all star sports last week and had an adjoining/ connecting room with my sister and it had plenty of space . And I actually really liked the resort . We stayed in the surfs up section and we were close to everything !

 

[jojosam]

Have you considered the Cabins at Fort Wilderness? The bedroom has a double as well as bunk beds. The living room has a double Murphy bed. Our son used the couch as his bed because he did not want to share a bed with his sister, and at 7 it was plenty big enough for him.

 

[usmcwife1]

We stayed in connecting rooms with my sister and her family at CBR, 7 people in all. There was enough room as the CBR rooms are a little larger than other moderates and we were very close to the quiet pool, laundry and bus stop but far from the food court and main pool.

Since your kids are older, a condo would give you more usable space since there is little "lounge space" and the beds are only full size. Renting a car would be easier than using the bus system IMO if you have mobility issues.

We are driving down from NC so we'll have our own car, we just don't want to drive it much on vacation.

I can get around fine, just have some ongoing kidney problems that required surgery/hospital stays in the last couple months that were unexpected and delayed vacation planning. I should be good by the time we travel though, well I am hoping!

I was looking at CBR, the pools look fun! My boys would probably be just as content in a tiny splash pool, but that would be much nicer!

We are also still considering staying offsite in a condo (DH loved the space to spread out and relax) but I'd love to stay onsite if possible, I'm not planning on cooking/cleaning this time around so I figured onsite would be fine.

 

[usmcwife1]

Have you looked into shades of green? I have heard they have large rooms. If this is not an option , I say go with the value And save a few bucks . I stayed at all star sports last week and had an adjoining/ connecting room with my sister and it had plenty of space . And I actually really liked the resort . We stayed in the surfs up section and we were close to everything !

I have tried shades of green and they've been booked for the size we require for some time. I keep calling back to check on cancellations, but no such luck. DH is also ranked high enough that we have to pay the higher rate so that is something to consider as well.

 

[usmcwife1]

Have you considered the Cabins at Fort Wilderness? The bedroom has a double as well as bunk beds. The living room has a double Murphy bed. Our son used the couch as his bed because he did not want to share a bed with his sister, and at 7 it was plenty big enough for him.

I suggested this to my DH as an alternative to a condo or villa offsite but he didn't seem too excited (lol).

I think the hardest selling point of any onsite resort is the cost, we were spoiled last vacation. We stayed @ Bonnet Creek for around $400 (through the Armed Forces Vacation Club) and while we can't get it for that price again (we could rent another 2BR villa at another resort for that price, they just don't have bonnet creek right now), we could probably stay there for $700/wk booked elsewhere and that would make him very happy. Me, I'd prefer to spend more and be in the Disney bubble all week. So far he's letting me choose but I don't want to kill the budget and have a cranky family that can't splurge on souvenirs lol

 

[shell8558]

That was a great price for bonnet creek ! We stayed there last summer and we loved the space and the pools ! But I did miss the disney bubble and that's why we booked on site for our last trip last week. ( free dining didn't hurt either ) just something about the disney magic staying onsite! Good luck !

 

[letsgoreds]

Isn't Bonnet Creek right across the street from CBR? For our last trip, we chose to drive to the parks each day (stayed at Kidani), and I truly preferred it over the buses. Does it feel that differently vs. staying onsite?

I would do 2 rooms (favorite mod. is CSR) vs. a suite. Have fun!

 

[usmcwife1]

Isn't Bonnet Creek right across the street from CBR? For our last trip, we chose to drive to the parks each day (stayed at Kidani), and I truly preferred it over the buses. Does it feel that differently vs. staying onsite?

I would do 2 rooms (favorite mod. is CSR) vs. a suite. Have fun!

I'm not sure if it is that different, we have only gone once and stayed at Bonnet Creek. I thought it would be worth it to have the onsite experience once. We will be moving back to the west coast in the next year (DH is a Marine) so we will likely go to Disneyland for future trips instead.

 

[NJRRK]

Have you looked into renting DVC points for your stay? A two BR DVC unit would solve your bedding problems and give you kitchen, and washer and dryer.

 

[shell8558]

If you have never stayed onsite , then I think you should definitely try it at least once ! My vote for moderate is POR . I have stayed at both CBR and POR , and prefer POR . The grounds are beautiful , the boat to dd is awesome , the food court is great - love the pasta bar, love the carriage rides and the pool is fabulous !! Good luck !

 

[daisymomof4]

I have been rolling the pros and cons of two connecting rooms vs. a suite over in my own head. I still can't decide so I don't know if I have a lot to offer here, lol.

One thought though - will the beds and small table/chairs in the connecting rooms be enough, and will it be the right kind of furniture for downtime? Do you need couches and chairs to sit on if you're in one room and your oldest is having some downtime?

Sounds like a good, relaxing trip you are planning. I totally appreciate wanting to be in the Disney bubble, that's what I want from my next trip too. No cleaning, no cooking, no driving. Just a nice escape.

 

[usmcwife1]

I have been rolling the pros and cons of two connecting rooms vs. a suite over in my own head. I still can't decide so I don't know if I have a lot to offer here, lol.

One thought though - will the beds and small table/chairs in the connecting rooms be enough, and will it be the right kind of furniture for downtime? Do you need couches and chairs to sit on if you're in one room and your oldest is having some downtime?

Sounds like a good, relaxing trip you are planning. I totally appreciate wanting to be in the Disney bubble, that's what I want from my next trip too. No cleaning, no cooking, no driving. Just a nice escape.

That is a good point about the furniture configurations. I will need to sit down and estimate our plans and how much down time we'll need.. if I find we will need more time in the room having a couch, table etc would probably be more beneficial than beds..

Relaxing in the Disney bubble is exactly what I am aiming for, it is funny how a few mos can change your idea of a vacation, when we started planning I was much feeling better (and quite ambitious!), I wanted to stay offsite and plan each day- running around sightseeing, cook some meals, etc. Now I just want to relax and not have to do much besides see mickey and swim in the resort pools. LOL