best resort for a family of 6

[partyof6]

Hi I am planning a trip to Disney for Christmas 2008 but it is mind boggling. First can someone please recommend accomodations that house a party of six with two adults and 4 children ages 1,9,10, and 11. I would like a resort that is conveniently located to the theme parks and comfortable. I was looking at the Boardwalk Inn, GF, and Saratoga springs. Next I need a reputable travel agent. I called Liberty Travel was informed that they could not book any rooms at the present time. However, I called AAA and they gave me a price but could not accomodate me with a villa or suite at the time. Could someone please reccommend a travel agancy that would be able to assist me with my venture. Thank you in advance.

 

[disneydance]

Welcome to the Dis boards.I would reccomend dreams unlimited and for a good resort i would reccomend staying at DVC and getting a 2 room or Grand Villa (3 Room) Villa. zI would be thinking about Wilderness Lodge Vilas since its near MK so the location is great!!!!! Also Boardwalk Villas would be great with the size of you family!!!

 

[AJKMOM]

The Fort Wilderness cabins hold 6 and have a kitchen. There is a bedroom for 4 and a pull down Murphy bed in the living room where DH and I slept. It was nice because we could shut the door and watch TV when the kids slept.

Six fit in the Family Suites at the All-Star Music resort, too.

You could check out the DVC Forum here at the DIS to look into renting points. Or, you could plunge right in, like we did
and buy points at a DVC resort, sight unseen. We haven't regretted it for a minute.

 

[Aliceacc]

Since your youngest will be 1, you have a bunch of options-- basically any resort that sleeps 5, plus a pack and play.

So most of the the deluxes: the Contemporary or the Polynesian or the others, or POR Riverside.

Someone else will have to fill you in on what's roomiest... I'm guessing a Family Suite at All Star Music would probably be your best bet there.

 

[swim-mom]

Like you, we are a family of 6 - four children 10,8 and twins 4. We are DVC members and we stay at WL and get a 2bd villa, you will have plenty of room and it located next to everything. I would rather have a larger room then four children fightening because they are cramped too. PLUS a 2bd has two bathrooms, and that is really needed!!

Liberty Travel, are you in south NJ?

 

[partyof6]

Thanks for the much needed advice. Are the villas conveniently located to the theme parks? We are choosing the platinum dining package so we do not have to worry about food. Our main concern is accessibility to everything and a really comfortable living arrangement so that we are not on top of each other. Two bathrooms would be great!!!

 

[partyof6]

yes I am in South Jersey. Do you know a reputable travel agent? AAA quoted 7089.00 for Boardwalk inn and beach club and disney quoted 15,000.00 for the GF.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Welcome to the Dis boards.I would reccomend dreams unlimited and for a good resort i would reccomend staying at DVC and getting a 2 room or Grand Villa (3 Room) Villa. zI would be thinking about Wilderness Lodge Vilas since its near MK so the location is great!!!!! Also Boardwalk Villas would be great with the size of you family!!!

Why would you want a Grand Villa with only 6 and one an infant? They are hard to get unless you are a member. Also none at VWL. Only 5 or 6 at BWV. None at BCV.

A Contemporary Resort room would sleep 5 plus one under the age of three. Walking distance to the MK. Two queen beds and a day bed, plus the pack and play. Loads of room.

You can't book a DVC two bedroom villa until at 11 months out from your trip (that is the soonest a DVC member can reserve them and they get first dibs) and even that might be too far out. You might have to wait until about 6 months out if you pay cash directly to Disney for a villa.

 

[AJKMOM]

Thanks for the much needed advice. Are the villas conveniently located to the theme parks? We are choosing the platinum dining package so we do not have to worry about food. Our main concern is accessibility to everything and a really comfortable living arrangement so that we are not on top of each other. Two bathrooms would be great!!!

No one place is close to all the theme parks. Villas at Wilderness Lodge are a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom. The Boardwalk Villas and Beach Club Villas are within walking distance of Epcot and MGM. The others have bus service to the parks.

 

[disneyholic family]

disney resorts are VERY expensive, so you should figure out what your budget is.....

for space, we prefer staying in a 2 bedroom villa at the Old Key West Resort.
It's HUGE (1350 square feet of space). But it costs an arm and a leg (plus a few additional body parts)..

 

[swim-mom]

I am in SJ too, PM me and I will help you out!

Also when you have a large family, SPACE is what is needed sho spending extra $$ is worth it!

I would stay at either WL, BCV or BWV. OKW is off the beaten path a bit, but still fine as far as the parks go!! OKW is near DTD, and Disney Quest so at night you could easily shop or the kids could go to DQ.

Talk to you soon!

 

[AKLRULZ]

Very unusual that Liberty Travel said they couldn't book for you as Disney's been booking 2008 packages since early August.

For your budget purposes (in a non-DVC unit) your most expensive standard room option on Disney property is going to run something like this for the week of Christmas:

Check in 12/20/2008 for 7 nights
2 Adults, 3 Children, 1 Infant
Resort Name Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
Special Rate Type Annual Product
Room Type Standard Room - Club Level
Park Tickets: 8 Day Magic Your Way Ticket with Park Hopper(R) and Water Park Fun and More Options
Package Type Magic Your Way Platinum Package
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Payment Information
Total $14,308.36
Insurance $119.90
Grand Total $14,428.26

Suite options can run twice as much (a two room Outer Lodge Suite at the GF for this week would run $25,098.92, for instance), so if you're looking for space booking a DVC unit is the way to go. But you've got a platform to budget off of at least based on the above info.

Research that platimum package, too, as it might be some serious overkill for your family.

Good luck and enjoy planning your trip!

 

[homeschoolmomof4]

Hi there! We have 4 children as well. Here are two options that have worked for us. One year we did the Contemporary and brought our pack n play for our toddler. It was a little too close for comfort and having one bathroom with 4 kids and adults was not fun at all. Last year we booked two connecting rooms with bunkbeds at WL and it was awesome!! So much more space! In fact it was so nice we've booked it to do it again in January. And someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it is less expensive to get to connecting rooms as opposed to a villa. It might be worth checking out.

 

[Aliceacc]

I just found this on www.mousesavers.com and thought of you:

"Contemporary's Garden Wing rooms are also worth considering, if you want Deluxe amenities at a reasonable price. At 394 square feet, Contemporary rooms are second only to Grand Floridian in size, and standard Contemporary rooms can sleep up to 5 (plus one baby under age 3 in a crib).

The best thing is, this resort is on the monorail, which connects it to Magic Kingdom and (with a transfer) to Epcot. You can also take the monorail to the Polynesian Resort if you want to attend the Luau and a boat to Ft. Wilderness Campground if you want to do the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue.

In addition to its convenient location, the Contemporary Resort embodies what a lot of people think of when they imagine Walt Disney World. The monorail runs right through the tower and the decor screams Disney. It is also the home of Chef Mickey's, which offers probably the best character meals at Walt Disney World, as well as the upscale California Grill restaurant, with fabulous fireworks views."

 

[partyof6]

Hi, I looked into Boardwalk Villas but they are not taking reservations for at least another 11 months because they are timeshare properties. I would really like to book a room now so that I have one less thing to ponder over. I also emailed Dreams unlimited however they have not responded yet.