Family of 6

[bartleby1]

How old a child is irrelevant. That child is no longer a baby. And if they didn't wish to pay for the extra 3yo. They could have gone when the 3yo was 2 years, 11 months, 29 days.

Noone placed the OP in handcuffs and said..NOPE--you must wait until AFTER your child is 3yo.

We don't want to pay extra for our 3yo...we take her when she is 2. Problem solved.

OP's daughter's sleeping arrangements is NOT Disney or any other hotels problem for that matter.

I don't blame the hotel industry when I can't get a room with a king bed and have to get 2 queens when I know my kids will both end up in our bed. It is NOT their problem. It would be mine. I pay extra for the King--I find a hotel with a King availabe...if I am unwilling to pay or can't find a hotel with a King available..tough cookies for me and we have to cram into one queen sized bed.

Since when does how we rear our children and our sleeping habits become the problems of the hotel industry?

Of course, no one is handcuffing me or anyone else and forcing us to go to disney. Yes, we could stay home and hibernate once our youngest turns 3. I was merely wishing outloud that disney had some more affordable options for us. Is that so wrong? They addressed the affordable options for families of 4 by building the value resorts. These are simple hotels without all the perks of the mods and deluxes for families that still want to be onsite but can't afford all the bells and whistles. Families of five are still forced to pay for the perks of a moderate (POR), or pay for two rooms at a value. We actually like the values but can't stay there with five unless we pay double.
I am all for paying for my FAIR share for an extra child. I just don't think that $100 a night for that extra child is really a fair share. I grew up in a family of 5 and when we travelled my parents were always able to get a roll-away cot for my brother (the youngest) for an extra $5 a night and we could stay in one room. Of course, with inflation, this would be more than $5 today, but to me that was fair way to handle an extra person. I know that many blame it on fire codes, but how does a baby not count toward the fire code, but a 3 yr old or older does?

I was excited to find out that they were building the family suites at the values, until finding out that they would cost more than renting two rooms. I don't see how the suites have helped anyone?

While we would love to stay at a deluxe, it just isn't in the budget, and quite frankly, we don't spend enough time in our room to make it worth spending $250 and up each night just for a room. We also aren't going to break the disney rules by sneaking 5 in a 4 person room, so once our youngest turns 3, we will have to stay off site where many hotels do allow 5 in a room for a slight surcharge. I just wish that disney had an option for us that wasn't ridiculously priced. They have affordable options for families of 4 so I don't see why it is so crazy that families of 5 would want something affordable as well. I'm not saying that we shouldn't pay something for our fifth, I just can't see buying her her own separate room.

 

[CherCrazy]

I hear your pain Bartleby1. We have 4 kids too and for years we stayed at the Embassy Suite LBV. Once we had connecting rooms at POR, which was great for us to be onsite!! I was working in travel at the time and would always BEG the Disney sales reps to ask for moderately priced family accomodations...like an Embassy Suite to be built on site. I guess their answer was DVC.

DVC has turned out to be wonderful for our family. No longer do we have to fight over the beds....someone always was mad and slept on the floor because they wouldn't share .... and we are staying in fabulous resorts and being part of the "magic". We are so happy that we could finally afford to do this. I just wish we could have done it earlier.

You may want to check out the financing options with DVC. Even with a moderate down payment, your monthly payment may end up being cheaper than renting two rooms. Just a thought.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Of course, no one is handcuffing me or anyone else and forcing us to go to disney. Yes, we could stay home and hibernate once our youngest turns 3. I was merely wishing outloud that disney had some more affordable options for us. Is that so wrong?.

It's one thing to hope for something cheaper...it is another to cry foul for the large families which is what of posters have done here.

As someone else posted....should a business traveler get comped b/c they are only 1 person and not 4?

Deluxe was out of my price range even before I had kids. There are families of all sizes for whom it is unaffordable. I don't get (nor will really ever get) why people choose an expensive resort destination and then get upset b/c they want the fancier options to be more affordable.

Do those same parents cry foul b/c they would love a romantic dinner at Victoria & Albert's but can't afford the $90-$100 pp price tag?

It is just silly when one expects a "luxury" to bow down and meet your budget when it has always been and always should really be the other way around--you save and when you are satisfied with what you have saved....time to spend as you see fit within the constraints of your budget.

What next--tackling the airlines that we should all get to ride in first class at coach prices?

 

[va32h]

We are a family of 5 and we are camping. Plenty of room for everyone.

But I expect that if you think the values aren't good enough for you, camping would just be unthinkable.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Huh, (not to anyone in particular , just the general tone of this thread) wasn't the OP talking about really young kids? Some people here make it sound like she was talking about sneaking in a family reunion with her 17 year old twins, their dates, a few grandparents and some aunts and uncles. Even if she did want to sneak in a family reunion I don't get why everyone here is so harsh. No-one is talking about sneaking a crew into your own personal residences...I don't get why you even care and I certainly don't get the nastiness. Whatever happens is between the OP and WDW. Disney is a great big multi-million dollar company and I am very certain they can take care of business themselves.

I have 2 kids and we can fit just about anywhere so the situation doesn't apply to me what-so-ever, I'm just a stunned on-looker. Sometimes I go deluxe and sometimes I go moderate and I don't mind paying the thousands it costs me to go. That being said I CAN see why being asked to pay for an entire room for a 3 yr old would upset any normal rational human being.

I just don't get it

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

Thank You LUVORLANDO. You got my large family point exactly! I wish that everyone had your common sense!
Nicole
Proud Mama to 4 children ages 7, 5, 4, and 2

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Thank You LUVORLANDO. You got my large family point exactly! I wish that everyone had your common sense!
Nicole
Proud Mama to 4 children ages 7, 5, 4, and 2

No need to slam other posters--there seems to be plenty of dialogue going on about large families in general.


It doesn't take common sense to figure out that not everyone regardless of family size can afford deluxe.

OP sounds like they can. So it isn't cost effective. But at some point they do charge us for the little darlings regardless of how and where they sleep. They charge at the buffets as well. Even if that little darling is sleeping. So for us--instead of lying. We just didn't go to the buffet when the only ADR was after her bedtime. Not rocket science.

Other options were given where OP wouldn't have to give up that precious double booking of a deluxe. But those were beneath the OP. Then it turned into how the deluxe should be made more affordable for larger families.

Yet there are plenty of people who scrimp and save to at best stay in a value or a mod and will never see but the lobby of a deluxe. Some don't care--some are single, some are couples, and some have at most 2 children and still can't afford a single room at a deluxe.

Doesn't take a whole lot of common sense to separate the entitlement mentality from the legitimate complaints.

Yes things are expensive--could they be less expensive. Probably. But they will always be too expensive for somebody. That is just the way the cookie crumbles. Again--those us who lack the common sense to understand the plight of those with munchkins b/c we obviously don't have small children ourselves--have the common sense to figure out what should have been tought to us by our own parents.

Not everyone buys a Porsche. Not everone has a _______ Purse. Not everyone can afford _____________ house. Not everyone can afford __________vacation. Not everyone an afford to stay Deluxe at Disney World.

They are a business and not a charity.

How you raise your children has no weight on occupancy limits and the fact that pre-school age child is no longer an infant or a toddler.

 

[tigger2on]

I too was wondering why this threads tone is so aggressive. I think Tinksmom5 has probably given up here looking for advice. I would. I feel like she has been torched.
For those of you who have small or large familes.... I really don't think it matters anymore. It seems everyone is angry and slightly emotional over a question. I thought these boards were for people to get advice and feel welcome. I didn't even start this thread.... and I sure don't feel welcome.
I am sure that Tinksmom5 never meant to offend anyone and was entitled to her opinion as you all are.
This thread needs some "happy thoughts"!

 

[erddig]

We have 5 children ( 10, 8, 5, and 3 year old twins), and are planning on the Dolphin with a special teacher's rate of $169 in May. We'll get 2 rooms - I've found that it's really nice to have the extra room and extra bathroom with all of us, especially trying to get out in the morning. I'd rather do 2 value rooms than squeeze into a Poly room.

Sorry off topic...can you direct me to info on a teachers rate?

 

[maxiesmom]

I understand that it seems ridiculous to pay for an extra room just to fit in 1 child. But Disney has to draw the line somewhere. Unless they go to a per person rate. And I would guess that that would not make many people happy. And then there is that pesky fire code to contend with. Then they would have look at the max occupancy of each hotel, and sit and figure out by day how many people are in each room. That would be a mess!

I'm not sure at this point why this thread is still open. People have wished that there were more options, besides the many pointed out. Now it has turned into a place to insult and mock those who do not see things the way you see them. Not cool people!

 

[hsmamato2]

Wow, I haven't even read the whole thread yet, but from what i could see, some folks are getting WAY too personal!
I thought it was a valid question in OP, and if she thinks the values look puked on, so what? They're not my favorite either, but if someone dislikes the resorts i love, i don't care! I don't own them...
and...yes anyone could bring a ton of people into a room,and no one would be wiser. the real question is ,do you want to go that route?
Yes, there are options at Disney, but some are pretty limited,and anyone who goes to disney knows...it's no bargain anyway!I mean, face it, we'll pay more for their somtimes 2nd rate rooms and food, b/c we're disneyphiles, and that company knows it! That's why we're charged insane prices most of the time for everything...including rooms!
The best way to save money is stay offsite! And many of their rules are in place simply to maximize their money intake, and that's how a successful business is run.A 10 year old isn't an adult,and a 3 year old isn't significantly larger than a 2.9 year old. that's just life, nothing personal!

 

[hsmamato2]

Oh yeah, that is a good question... maybe a true expert can answer it... fire codes?
All doors lead to one place, the outdoors. If there's a fire, can't a family of 6 go out the door just the same as family of four, or four plus a 2 year,11 month,29 day old"baby?" If the "baby" turns 3, will it mean no one can get out? Are there REALLY that many people manning the front desk at 2 a.m., to personally go and escort ALL the guests in danger to the outside? in my experience, 1/2 the time there isn't enough personnel to answer the phone!
I guess i sound a little cynical, and can understand high rises, stairs, etc. I'm not advocating anything in particular, but a lot of Dis rules are different from an average hotel,and those of us who stay with them have to just suck it up and take it, b/c it IS awfully fun at Disney!

 

[tb3175]

As someone else posted....should a business traveler get comped b/c they are only 1 person and not 4? QUOTE]

They do get "comped". A business traveler only pays a standard room rate. A couple may pay extra for a king sized bed. And that family of 4 will pay just a little more for the two double beds. The rooms are essentially the same, just different sleeping arrangements. So yes the business traveler is "comped"! So they pay less for the same sized room.

Of course not a disney.

 

[Schmeck]

As someone else posted....should a business traveler get comped b/c they are only 1 person and not 4? QUOTE]

They do get "comped". A business traveler only pays a standard room rate. A couple may pay extra for a king sized bed. And that family of 4 will pay just a little more for the two double beds. The rooms are essentially the same, just different sleeping arrangements. So yes the business traveler is "comped"! So they pay less for the same sized room.

Of course not a disney.

My husband never got charged less because he was a single traveller - and he travelled quite a bit for work. And I know what he was charged, because it went on our personal credit card, then was reimbursed by his office.


~~~~~

About fire codes - hotels have to set a limit somewhere - if they say it's OK for a bunch of little ones, but not if they are older, where would you set the mark? It has to be set somewhere, unless you want hotels that look like those apartment buildings where 20 refugee families are huddled into 3 apartments... WDW has set its limit age to 3 yrs old, probably thinking that most 3 yr olds sleep in a regular bed, not a crib.

 

[mjkacmom]

Sorry off topic...can you direct me to info on a teachers rate?

I got it from this site, actually - it's a sticky regarding Dolphin rates up above.
HTH's!

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

: : : I am sending lots of happy thoughts out to everyone because I am tired of getting emails with rude comments. Please people, if you didn't have an answer or weren't in OP's shoes don't berate her. For pete's sake she may never DIS again! And, for real, that would be a travesty! Life without the DIS!!!! YIKES!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Fire codes have nothing to do with the amount of square footage in a sleeping room. They regulate the square footage of the exit corridors and the number of exits. So if there are more sets of feet trying to escape to the fire stairs, someone is going to get trapped or not make it out safely.

A ten year old is not counted as an adult. They are counted as a Guest ages 10+ for ticketing and dining. When you get to 18, you are counted as an adult for lodging.

Just like the airlines have decided that children 2 and older can no longer fly for free, Disney has decided that 3 yrs old is the point where children get counted for tickets, for dining and for lodging.

They own the place, they make the rules. If we want to stay at their place, we have to abide by the rules.

 

[Tinksmom5]

Disney is my favorite place on earth and I will continue going there no matter what.I love the value resorts and if they are all I can afford then thats where I will continue to stay.However I would love it if we could all stay in one room that isn't 300 a night..Maybe someday that will be an option.
Now that I know I don't have to stay in a delux or moderate resort to use there little extra's then I have no issues anymore.
I just wanted to thank everyone who was helpful{you know who you are}and tell the others who refuse to see where I was coming from that although we don't see eye to eye on some issues ,in the Disney spirit I wish you all a great vacation and safe trip.

 

[Tinker53]

Nicely said Tinksmom5, and same to you!

pixie dust to all

 

[disjest8]

As a parent of 8 and one who reads many and submits few posts, I no longer feel welcome on these boards. I'm sure my DH will be thrilled, but it makes me very sad

Up until tonight, I have trusted the advice provided on these boards and even felt as though I had a "support group" of sorts. After reading every post on this thread, I'm ashamed that I could have been so gullible.

To those of you who have large families, whether or not you can afford to stay in a deluxe, PM or email me. I have done some fairly extensive research and have suggestions that don't break the bank or any Disney rules. We have been to WDW 5 times in the last 2 years and we are by no means wealthy. Well, at least not anymore

To those of you who totally misinterpreted the OP's question and even expressed surprise when someone who had posted only a few times submitted a "good post"...unless your job is to create controversy on these boards, you might want to take a step back and try to view things from a different perspective now and then.

As I said, my DH will be delighted because now I will be doing something more physically active in my very limited free time instead of reading the DIS.