Family of 5 Decision

[HopperFan]

Thanks and great points. I did not notice if CBR was upgrading the dining plan so I will double check this morning. We will spend plenty of off time a pool which is another great consideration.

No I meant the values. They only include the QSDP so you would have to pay to upgrade to DDP which already comes with the moderate prices.

If this wasn't in your quote then your value quotes would be even higher.

 

[darrengs]

I would go with the moderate for the full dining plan, especially with a family of 5.

 

[rcraw45425]

Thanks and great points. I did not notice if CBR was upgrading the dining plan so I will double check this morning. We will spend plenty of off time a pool which is another great consideration.

Moderates get the regular DDP I believe so there should be no upgrade cost unless yo go to the Deluxe one

 

[rcraw45425]

Have you compared no free dining and paying out of pocket for food with a room only discount (if available)? We have found staying deluxe that we come out much better booking room only and paying for food. Depends on how your family eats though

 

[goofyintoronto]

I will assume your prices include you upgrading the QSDP to the DDP to compare apples to apples.

That said - how much time are you really planning in the room, especially with 5 days in the parks.

CBR rooms are brand new, much bigger with bigger bathroom space (and privacy doors). If you plan your off day at the pool, no comparison. I would go with a moderate!
ASMU rooms haven't been renovated in many years, I think 2006. No way I would pay more to stay there.

As always, great advice here from @HopperFan ... given a choice, i dont think i'd be too keen on staying in the ASMu suite, it looks like it needs a refurb badly. I stayed at CBR, the refurbished rooms is quite nice. Queen beds are comfy, and the murphy bed looks rather comfy too. There was 4 of us in the room (2 teens, 2 adults) and we were fine. We didnt find it overly cramped. CBR is cheaper and you get the DP (rather than the QSDP at values). I say its a no brainer! The theme at CBR is a lot nicer than ASMu. The main pool is great for kids, zero entry for clumsy folks like me! And I love their bike rentals. My DS15 and I had a lot of fun riding around the resort and exploring. Its fairly inexpensive to rent too.

 

[Babsy]

Ou to your choices, I would go with CBR. If AoA were in the running, I would chose a suite there.

 

[forsberg21]

I am now booked at CBR in one room. The room opened up this AM. Saves me $400 plus gives us upgraded dining! Thanks for the great advice on this thread!!!

 

[Nancyg56]

Thanks and great points. I did not notice if CBR was upgrading the dining plan so I will double check this morning. We will spend plenty of off time a pool which is another great consideration.

Honestly, I would go with CBR and deal with a little crwoding. THe free DDP with 5 in a room is a great deal, and unless you all plan on spending a lot of time together in the room, I would not spend on a value option that seems to be more money for less value.

CBR is a lovely resort with plenty of space on the property. My family tends to travel together, and will often share rooms while at WDW. We generally use the room for showering and sleeping, but the resort as part of our vacation. To us, there is a huge distinction between room and resort, KWIM? If your family is ussed to sharing space, and if you are booking TS meals, I would go with this option.

 

[Nancyg56]

I am now booked at CBR in one room. The room opened up this AM. Saves me $400 plus gives us upgraded dining! Thanks for the great advice on this thread!!!

YAY!

 

[Madame]

I am now booked at CBR in one room. The room opened up this AM. Saves me $400 plus gives us upgraded dining! Thanks for the great advice on this thread!!!

Awesome! We have stayed in POR in March & are staying at CBR over Christmas as a family of 5. We didn't have any issues with the space (& CBR rooms are bigger than POR). Just pack with limited space in mind (we did laundry 2x over a 7 night stay) & you'll be fine. Have a great trip!

 

[FunTimeMom]

We are a family of 5 and always chose a suite. We need the room and the kids need the ability to be in separate rooms sometimes. Heck, I need to be in a separate room from kids sometimes. I find that while the extra space is a luxury it makes our trip much easier.

 

[AmMeinOh]

I would go with the CBR room

 

[sharadoc]

You will get the quick service dining plan at ASMu, vs. the regular Dining plan at CBR, so for me, that makes CBR more attractive.

We were at ASMu in a Family Suite last year at the exact same time and it was fine, not crazy busy until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, it started to get very busy. Wednesday before T=day was freezing cold, so the parks cleared out early. We stayed at MK past midnight and practically had the place to ourselves. Also, we didn't do FP+ until we were onsite and got everything but 7DMT and BOG.

The suite is wonderful for space to spread out, so if the dining plan different doesn't bother you, then I would say go for the suite over all your options.

 

[HHMcG]

We are a family of 5 that have stayed at a family suite in ASMu & AOA and a mod (POR), When my kids were babies and toddlers we opted for the Family Suite because space to spread out and sleep was important. If the "baby" didn't sleep we were all miserable. Now that my kids are older (9,7&4) and can sleep thru anything we opted for the Mod. It worked out fine for our recent 6-night trip. Next trip I would like to stay at CBR since the rooms are slightly larger than POR.
It also depends on your family and touring style. My kids are still young enough that they don't take up a lot of space or preen in the bathroom. And we are a tight knit family that don't mind crowding into beds together. Also we spend little time back at the resort. If it was a long trip with resort days built in, I might want the family suite back.

Glad to see you got a room at CBR. With the regular dining plan free it is a great deal!

 

[Dis703]

Personally, I'd splurge on a deluxe before I'd go with a suite because they aren't usually that much more for a standard deluxe room. We are a family of 5 and just stayed at CBR with 2 adults, a 6 year old and twin 3 year olds (almost 4). The room was plenty big enough and it was never an issue that we were all in one room. Never had need of a kitchenette. We've also stayed in one standard deluxe room with 3 adults and 3 kids when the twins were 1 and 2 years old. Again, we never had an issue being in one room.

If I'm going to pay more I want more convenience to the parks though not just a bigger room or separate room. Even when my twins were 1 we stayed in one room. I will say the sliding doors at CBR were a nice touch with the kids though so I could close them and get ready in the morning while letting them sleep. Just less chance of disturbing them.

I know at CBR free dining is also the regular dining plan. I thought at the values that it wasn't? If that's the case you save even more by staying mod.

 

[jenrose66]

Having a tough time deciding between 3 free dining options. We have a family of 5 with the youngest being 5. We always sleep in 1 room when traveling so I struggle with the cost of staying at Disney with 5. The free dining options I am pondering (all with 5 days in parks):
7 nights (2 rooms) ASMu $3,900
7 nights (1 family suite) ASMu $4,400
7 nights (1 room) CBR $3,600

CBR is cheapest but is the comfort of more space worth it in either AS option? 7 nights is a long time so would it be better to fork over more for suite and kitchenette?

I wish another mod option was available since we last stayed at CBR and have never stayed at another mod.

Finally, we are going during Thanksgiving week so does that change anything when selecting a resort?

Thanks!

My family is similar to yours. I have 3 kids and my youngest is 4. In the past we stayed in an AoA family suite on free dining and the space was great but it was expensive. This past month we went to Universal and stayed all in one room at Royal Pacific for 6 nights and it was tight. I mean we survived, but we probably will choose a suite when we travel in the future. I will say that while the set up at POR and CBR are nice with the Murphy bed, it can feel cramped. I stayed at POR with my mom and daughter a little over a year ago and with the decreased storage due to the bed we actually found the room to be more cramped than a value room.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Two bathrooms versus one would be a significant consideration for us.

Tom

 

[RMColosimo]

Not that it was on your list, but there are also the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. I have heard good things about them, and my family of six is staying in one next month.

 

[maxiesmom]

I would go with an All Star Family Suite. Not only would you get 2 bathrooms, a separate bedroom for the adults, and a kitchenette, the Music only has 1 bus stop compared to the 7 at CBR. I found the bus service to be much much quicker at the Music than at CBR.

 

[mousefan73]

As others have said make sure you are comparing prices using the same DP... with Moderates the DP with one QS and one TS is automatic.. Values its only QS. but online you can change this option under dining to get a new quote to compare apples to apples.

We are also a family of 5.. 3 adults and 2 kids.. We need 2 baths as my mom needs her privacy. For us FD is the better discount as we love character meals.



Not sure how old your kids are.. but the only concern for ASMu suites is the type of sleeping available.. You only get one queen and the rest is a double pull out and single chair pull outs.. Not sure how comfortable they are... with 2 rooms, you get 4 double real beds....

If bathroom is not an issue, you guys can share one.then I'd go with the CBR assuming your quote was for only QS with the values.. you get 2 queens and the smallest iin the trundle..

Or I 'd check out AoA, nicer than AMSU.. still only one queen, but the murphy bed looks nice for kids.. like a double.