Whole family in one room

[mjkacmom]

My family of 7 stays in 1 room at the Great Wolf Lodge, and camping cabins (the only 2 places I've found where it is allowed). I can't imagine getting 2 rooms if there were only 4 of us! Granted, sometimes only having 1 bathroom is tough at the GWL, but camping, there are public facilities as well.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When I take a vacation, I like to vacation. I just had a business trip to New Orleans and it was during my son's spring break. So he and my husband came along (no extra cost since we drove). But the hotel was in the French Quarter and the room was small. I was lucky enough to get a king sized bed and we took the Aerobed for our son, but we were wall to wall. During the day, I attended my meeting and had lunch and dinner with my guys. And they slept in each morning to 10 or 11, so it wasn't too much of an impact. But it sure wasn't a vacation.

At WDW, we usually stay in a one bedroom DVC villa. Now that's vacationing.

 

[MEM]

We are a family of 4 including DS15 and DD13. We always stay in one room and its no big deal. By using our DVC points for a studio, we can stay longer and visit more often. The one bathroom is no problem either - DS and I are early birds and we are out of the bathroom by the time DH and DD wake up. We only have one bathroom at home so we are used to it. When the kids were little they shared a bed but now DD and I share one and DS and DH share the other. Not a problem.

Having said all of that, on our upcoming trip to HHI, we have a 2 bedroom villa booked for the four of us (another family cancelled their trip with us due to illness). I will feel quite spoiled.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Growing up the few times we did stay in a hotel and when we went to WDW, we ALWAYS shared a room. My brother would sleep with my Dad and I with my Mom. During our trip in December 2005 we decided to all share a room again (I was 23, my brother 26) at WL. Never again!! What a bunch of snorers!! My brother is a night owl so I'd wake up at 2 a.m. to him on his computer or watching TV, my Dad likes to wake up at 6 a.m. to sit on the balcony which means he wakes everyone up moving around the room and opening the curtain, it would take us 2-3 hours to get out of the room as one person would shower, take forever getting dried and dressed, then the next person would go in (which is awful too when you're trying to dry off and put clothes on in a tiny little steamy room), and God help us all if someone ate something that didn't agree with them . Ever since we all get separate rooms and it's so much more enjoyable.

But I agree when we're kids we didn't think twice about all being in the same room or sharing a bathroom (my brother and I shared everything growing up anyways [like any and all treats and most meals], we didn't know any different).

 

[shalom]

I have five kids, and when they were little we'd stay in one room and now they're older we stay in suites with one bath while traveling and it's not a problem. It's also not a vacation. We only started vacationing (as opposed to traveling to visit relatives) when we discovered condos. If we were going to be in the same hotel room for ten days, or even in two hotel rooms, we wouldn't go. Some of us need that living space. But my family has a lot of autistic traits; a family where everyone's more sociable and people-oriented and likes stimulation would probably do better.

 

[3boymthr]

We're a family of five and always stay in one room.

Personally, I've never understood the big deal about the second room for the second bathroom. Though it could be because we only have one bathroom at home

 

[Ava]

When I was growing up, if we were staying in a regular hotel we all shared one room. This was for my mom, dad, myself, & my sister. I don't remember staying in regular hotels very often though; if we went to the beach we stayed at a friend's home, and on both WDW trips after my sister was born we stayed in larger accommodations (once in a cabin at Ft Wilderness, once at a condo offsite). Staying in one room was not so much fun as I got older - I didn't mind sharing a bed with my sister, but my dad snores LOUD! You had to fall asleep before him or else you wouldn't get any sleep, lol.

I can see how sharing one room would be difficult if you have opposite gendered kids, once they get to the age where they're not comfortable sharing a bed any more. I also think if you have younger kids who go to bed early its nice to have seperate rooms, so the adults can stay up without disturbing the little ones. So while 1 room for a family of 4 is do-able, I think it's often more comfortable to have more space.

 

[monorailsilver]

Family of 5 here & we share a room too (we did when we were a family of 4 & a family of 3 as well).

I have had no issues but my kids are still under 8.

For Disney (or any vacation for that matter) we aren't in the room all day so it isn't bad. We also take advantage of the balcony/lanai & use that space as well.

 

[chobie]

We have a 15dd and 12ds. We share one room. I sleep with dd. No one snores (yet). We Are Floridians, so our trips are always quick 2-3 days 4 times a year or so.

 

[Juliet25]

Maybe it's because my kids are young, but I couldn't justify the expense of an extra room. We have DVC and usually get a 1 bedroom due to the kitchen and washing machines available in room, but we also stay in studios to save points. If we were paying cash for rooms, we'd still stay four (soon five) to a room. I'd much rather spend the money on one room at a deluxe than two rooms at Pop (but if one can afford two rooms at a deluxe, that would be awesome ).

 

[rdevine10]

We have done both before..... and while I love the extra space (espeically on a longer trip) we do just fine in a 1 room hotel.

Long ago DH and I discovered we sleep terribly together with the 2 of us on a double bed. So, since the kids have been around (and they are still under 8), we each always sleep with one of them in a double bed. Gettin ready isnt an issue (1 bath), as generally we all shower in the evening to get a quicker go in the morning on vacation.

that being said, when I have 2 teenage girls on my hands, I might be more inclined for a bit more space all of the time

 

[LilGMom]

Prior to DVC my family of four would always stay in a std. room while at WDW. When we travel somewhere other than WDW we stay in one std. room and as long as there are queen sized beds we are happy. DH & I are both tall so the beds in the WDW values would not be comfy for us but we find nothing wrong with staying in a standard room.

Of course, having said that if we are going to be there for 7+ days we tend to get a one bedroom for the space and amenities. But that is only if we are staying on points, if paying OOP we'll stay in one room. My tune might change once my boys are teens and then I'll be the one wanting my own room.

 

[jodifla]

When I was growing up, we RARELY stayed in hotel rooms. We stayed in the homes of family and friends on vacation. That was the norm for everybody in our crowd.

For the first 13 years of our marriage, it was just DH and I, so we normally had just one room. But during that time we bought into DVC, started staying in larger accommodations, and inviting family and friends.

So certainly we can stay in one room since there is just the 3 of us. But we PREFER the space and normally get a two bedroom, and bring friends and family along. THAT'S a vacation.

 

[disykat]

Sharing a room is just part of the fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree - not necessarily FUN, but definitely part of the bonding experience.

We sometimes take a blow up mattress and a sleeping bag when the boys don't want to sleep together, but generally they just deal.

If we go on a long vacation we try to get something with more than one room every once in a while, but normally it's just one room. We have rented larger places to spend a week at the beach etc. when we'll be hanging out at/around the cabin, but most vacations we just need a room for nighttime.

 

[denise5374]

We are a family of 4 and always shared one hotel room, whether for a weekend or a week. My kids are DD17 and DS13. Honestly, I never thought about them sleeping in the same bed....

The only time I considered getting two rooms is if we go on another cruise...those rooms are just too small with 4 normal sized people in them.

We share one bathroom at home so that isn't a big deal for us, plus with the privacy curtain, it isn't hard to get everyone showered and dressed.

 

[katt95]

We are doing a trip with myself, 15 daughter, sisterinlaw, and grandma. We do a girls trip every year and always stay in the same room. That's part of the experience. We were first going to POP but then went with POFQ purely for the extra sink. When I was a kid, there were 5 of us. Traded off on who slept on the air mattress....good memories!!!

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

We are doing a trip with myself, 15 daughter, sisterinlaw, and grandma. We do a girls trip every year and always stay in the same room. That's part of the experience. We were first going to POP but then went with POFQ purely for the extra sink. When I was a kid, there were 5 of us. Traded off on who slept on the air mattress....good memories!!!

Glad to hear you say good memories (though we don't do the air mattress, the kids don't mind sharing a bed.) For me growing up an only I never thought about it till reading this thread. Our kids have never complained, maybe because they know it's share or we don't go. We save for 2 years for our vacations and if we needed more beds/bathrooms they would be even less often. It was good to hear you say good memories. I hope our kids look back at our trips the same way. I believe they will.

 

[katt95]

Yes, they are good memories. Now at the time, we were probably fussing and fighting...but as adults, we remember and still laugh over it.

Now a question for you. My 15 year old daughter is an only (not by choice, I just kept having miscarriages) that we consider a miracle. She is fine as an only, very social, but i worry about her as an adult. You know, moms just worry!! What is your take on being an only?

 

[ekmom]

Maybe it's because I grew up with 4 siblings in a 900 square foot house with one bathroom, but I don't think sharing a room is a big deal. I feel lucky that I can afford to travel since we never went anywhere when I was growing up. We have always taken at least one trip a year with our kids and for at least the last 5 years we've taken a winter AND a summer trip. DD23 and DS20 have always shared a bed on vacation and we think nothing of it. In recent years we've been able to afford to stay at nicer places and we all feel that we'd rather stay at a nicer place in a good location than have 2 rooms at a place further away or not as nice. Of course we are the sort who just use the room to sleep, we like to be on the go when we travel.

I can never understand when people say something like "the kids refuse to share a bed any more so we have to get 2 rooms". Um, who's the parent and who's paying for the room? If my kids pulled that we'd be staying home!

 

[DaniB]

However, I've been noticing a trend and am wondering what others think, especially on the budget board. Growing up my family always traveled and we rarely got two rooms or had more than a general hotel room (think pop). I'm finding more and more after talking with people that this type of travel is too small of a room or unacceptable. Why can't a family of four make 1 bathroom work?What's everyone else's opinion? Is it bad for a family to share a week in a hotel room and "make it work?" Is it really that bad as parents?

Beats me

Our family of 4 (2 adults, 11 DD, 6 DS) are staying in one room. I don't see the need for the added expense of getting another room. We will only be in the room to sleep anyways.

After reading all the other posts I can see how this would only work for us while the kids are young. Once they are in their late teens, yes, we might need a 2 bedroom style room. But for now, we'll stick with one room!