another family of 5 resort question!

[renae3]

Hey everyone. I am having much difficulty finding a resort that will accomodate my families needs and was hoping maybe someone out there could help me! My family is myself, my husband, and 3 kids ages 6, 3, and 11 months. I really need the older 2 in a separate bedroom and the baby also in a separate room and then ofcourse a place for me and the hubby. I looked into 2 rooms but that only gives me 2 sleeping areas....I really need 3...we have done 1 and 2 rooms on other vacations and it never has worked. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks so much.

[mjkacmom]

You could rent DVC points for a 2 bedroom villa. We are a family of 7, and I remember when my oldest were younger thinking we'd need a few different rooms, but we're now we're able to stay in a one room cabin without any issues. I remember paying a fortune when we went to Beaches when my oldest were 2 and 4, to get a 2 bedroom suite - by the time my twins were here, we realized that we were fine together (but usually have to get 2 rooms - nice with 2 bathrooms).

WDW would allow you all in one room.

[williamson_ja]

I really think that renting DVC club points would be the thing to do here. There are several places that have 2-3 bedroom units that would work really well for you. Even the 2 bedroom unit really has 3 sleeping areas. There is a lot of information about renting point in the DVC area further down the main page.

[gr8nurs1271]

We're a family of 5 as well but our kids are 17, 17 and 6. We decided to go for the family suite at All Star Music.

The couch, chair and ottoman fold out into a double and two single beds and DH and I will share the queen in the bedroom. It also has a microwave and fridge included. AND two bathrooms, which you can imagine will really be handy with two teen girls!

I told DH that one room would be way to crowded with all five of us and two rooms was just a tiny bit more than I wanted to spend. The suite was just the right answer. AND the best part is at All Star Music, the suites are in the first two buildings which means we don't have to walk terribly far to get to the bus waiting area. And we'll be close to the food court for breakfast in the mornings!

Yay!


Colleen

[Madzac]

I think DVC is one of the few ways to do this onsite. If you were willing to go offsite, you could get a 3bd/3br townhouse with a pool for 110-130 a night in Windsor Hills. You would need to rent a car. It is minutes from disney. This is what we are looking at for our next trip with 3 kids. PM me if you want a link!

[natnelliesmom]

We only rent DVC points now when we go. It's just so much easier to have that separate bedroom, full kitchen and washer and dryer in room. We can't go back to a regular room now!
We have #3 on the way - so it really is our best option at this point.

Unless you mind staying off-site, where there are great deals and more options for a family of 5- renting DVC points is really your best option too.

I am hoping to actually be able to buy DVC in the near future. Keeping my fingers crossed!

-Sarah

[badblackpug]

I'll second the ASMu family suite, even though there are only 2 rooms. The big kids slept in the "living room" on the pull-outs and we put the baby in the curtained-off sink area of our bathroom (in the pack and play) and pulled the curtain.

[dizneechic]

I'm in a similar situation, although my kids are a little older (8, 6 & 4.5). We ended up booking a 4BR pool home off site that is Disney themed. It's not as ideal as staying on property, but I love the fact that no one will be running through the halls at 1AM slamming hotel room doors waking everyone up (this happened to us on our last 2 trips at WL). We lose the conveniences of staying on site but would have rented a car anyhow (not a fan of public transportation with all in tow), no DDP but have a full kitchen which is perfect for breakfast and if we need to even cooking a dinner at "home", and the magic of the resorts wont be there, but we make up with it with our private pool and game room so there is easy entertainment back at the house. Best part for us, 4 bedrooms (everyone has their own space)!

I can PM the link to the rental we're using if your interested. There are lots of great options if you want to look outside the parks.

[mouseketeer_mom]

Something I posted on another thread, thought it would be applicable...

I know the mere mention of camping scares many people, but I don't mean camping in the traditional "tents and lanterns" kind of camping. We are also a family a five and hotel rooms just aren't made for us at a price we are willing to pay. So, when we come to Disney, we bring two bedrooms, a full bath, a full kitchen, three TVs, and an outdoor patio. The kids bring thier bikes, Fort Wildreness has recently refurbished the pool to add a slide and splash park. The people there have a sense of community so it is an incredibly friendly place to be. The boat ride to MK is short, you can see wishes from the beach... the list goes on.

So, you might try going to a local RV dealer and checking out some of the really cool RVs. If your family seems interested, there are several places that will bring an RV to FW, set it up and you can rent it and the site for about or less than two rooms at a value.

It's something to consider. We love coming back to the site after 6 or so hours in the park and having someplace to unwind, sip and adult beverage while relaxing in the shade. The kids aren't confined to one small area, so those that are tired can take a nap and those who aren't can watch a movie or ride a bike or.... well, whatever they feel like doing.

Frankly, I can't imagine being cooped up in an hotel room with my kids for a vacation, especially when you come to bedtime for the younger ones but maybe not for the oldest or Mom and Dad. And DH loves an afternoon nap in a hammock in the shade.

[CLR4321]

Your best bet is a 2 bedroom villa if you will be staying onsite, or of course you could rent a condo offsite.

[drinkme]

Are you only considering Disney hotels? What about the Nick Hotel? We stayed in a 2 bedroom room. Room 1 has a queen sized bed, Room 2 has bunk beds, and then there is a pull out in the "living room". Check their website, I wonder if they have 3 bedroom rooms.

HTH

[Kat77]

What abt. a FW cabin? It sleeps 6 and has a kitchen.

[liznboys]

The Treehouse Villas have 3 separate rooms. One is the master with a queen bed, then there's another room with a queen bed, and then the 3rd room has bunk beds. We are DVC owners and stayed in a THV last month. It was very nice having all those rooms for our family of 6.

[dizneechic]

Originally Posted by liznboys

The Treehouse Villas have 3 separate rooms. One is the master with a queen bed, then there's another room with a queen bed, and then the 3rd room has bunk beds. We are DVC owners and stayed in a THV last month. It was very nice having all those rooms for our family of 6.

I too love the treehouse villas. We stayed there many times before it converted over to DVC.

[Skyw]

Originally Posted by Kat77

What abt. a FW cabin? It sleeps 6 and has a kitchen.

I second that one. We love staying there. And there is a large deck to hang out on too.