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[Pembo]

.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I"m going to start a fight I know. But I've booked four only hotels for the five of us. I didn't want a second room. All hotels don't offer adjoining rooms or can't guarantee them. One child would sleep on the sofa or we'd bring an air mattress.
At Disney though you can get a room at POriverside and request a trundle bed. The prices are good and your little one would be comfortable in the trundle bed/cot.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Often Holiday Inn Hotels allow 5 in a room. We also like Springhill Suites a lot. Yes, it's a suite, but it's reasonable in cost and I like that it has a little fridge and microwave and that a semi-decent breakfast is provided. We have 6 in our family and have an even harder time, so regular rooms are out, so that's why we go for the suites.

 

[buddy&wooz]

We always look for Embassy Suites and Springhill Suites. If we don't have any other options I'll book a regular room. Usually it's just online they say only 4 anyway, if you call chances are they'll provide a rollaway for a fifth person no problem (except at WDW of course...)

 

[Karel]

Most hotels allow kids 18 and under to stay in the room with their parents. No one ever specifys that it has to be only two kids. (Only Disney...)

We always book one room for the five of us. We ask for extra sheets, blankets and someone sleeps on the floor. Or you could pack a sleeping bag.

Usually we are on the road and it's only for one night. We have never (in 12 years of being a family of five) had a problem.

Edit to add: It's my experience that they mean no more than 4 adults.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Join AAA and you will get some great deals here in Orlando that will more than make up for the cost of the membership.
Country Inn and Suites is just acrossfrom Downtown Disney on SR 535 and you will pay approx $100 per night and get free breakfasts every day. Plus they have a refrigerator in the rooms. This place is ver clean as it has all beeen re done recently.

The Sheraton Vistana has 1 and 2 bedroom condo type rooms that have a washer and dryer as well as a full kitchen. Very clean, updated recently with new furniture, carpeting, etc. The Vistana has 7 pools and a lot of activities. They often run specials too for $99-169 per night.

The Hampton on Palm Parkway will sleep 5. close to DD and clean. Pool is cold though as it is shaded by trees and doesnt get a lot of afternoon sun.

 

[MinnieM3]

We always use Embassy Suites if possible. We've also used Homewood Suites I think.

 

[tar heel]

When it's a vacation, we go with the economy suites such as Amerisuites and Springhill Suites. When it's a quick one-night stop on the interstate, we just get a regular room. I started throwing a sleeping bag or two years ago and our kids always travel with pillow. Sometimes we get rollaways if they're available, but not if there's an extra fee.

 

[Razor Roman]

When I was a kid (I'm 27 now) we used to do Mom and Sis in one bed, and Dad and me or my brother in the other. Whichever boy wasn't in bed with dad got the two comforters and some extra pillows to play camping on the floor

 

[Bearvet]

It gets more difficult as they get bigger too! And 1 bathroom for 5 people all needing showers is tough to manage. We only do it for 1 night at a time now and the youngest usually gets stuck on the floor. We bought a timeshare in Fort Myers Beach and have traded around to stay in many wonderful places (Cape Cod, Williamsburg, VA, White Mountains in NH, Sedona, AZ, etc.). We're guaranteed 2 bedrooms, plus a sleep sofa in the living room, 2 bathrooms, full kitchen, dining area, etc. We've been so spoiled by the timeshares that it's hard for us to cram into a hotel room anymore.

We also look for the suite-style hotels - Amerisuites, Embassy Suites, etc. that give some extra room. I also try to find one that offers free breakfast which is a big time and money saver for a big family.

The world is made for families of four I thought about a cruise, but needing 2 cabins was outrageously expensive! Oh well, DS17 only has another year with us until college so then we'll travel as a family of four - which in itself is bittersweet...

 

[dcgrumpy]

I know what you mean. I was looking into going to an all-inclusive beach resort next year and most had a maximum of 2 children per room. I can't see spending the money on an extra room for a 2yo, 3yo and 6yo.

 

[llp479]

We look for the "suites" hotels or the Residence Inns. Now that the girls are getting older, 12, 12, and 9 a second bath is a must as well.

We purchased DVC to accomodate our love of WDW, and then ended up purchasing another timeshare as well. We've used that to stay in wonderful accomodations throughout the US. Headed to HI this June on a timshare trade - no way we could have afforded two rooms in HI.

 

[Snow Brite]

All 3 of my boys slept in the bottom bunk of the one bunk bed until the oldest was 5 and went to Kindergarten. The last two just quit sleeping in the bottom bunk together this last year. There were two bunk beds, four twin sized beds available, but they all slept together cause they wanted to. We still put them all together in a hotel room in one bed and it is fine. The oldest will usually sleep "opposite" with his head at the foot and the other two sleep regular. Plenty of room and they are 6,7 and 9.

 

[disneymom3]

We have almost always just been asked at check in how many adults there are. We always bring a kid sized blow up camping mattress and the middle one who is a kicker and a squirmer sleeps on that. Then DH and I share a bed with each of the other kids. Growing up, us girls always had to sleep together and it was an adventure but we survived!

We are actually trying to find out if at Disney's Vero Beach we can have 5 in a regular room and use this same method. It is a heck of a lot cheaper than a two room suite!!

 

[GoofieRuthie]

Family of 5 here, so I feel your pain. I have a Choice Hotels credit card, so I use it to book our hotels. I have found that most (not all) of their Suite chains accomodate 5 sometimes 6 people. I just booked a room for next weekend in Cincinnati at Comfort Suites with 2 double beds and a rollaway for $60.95. It's not the Ritz, but so far all of the ones we've stayed at have been nice. If you go to choicehotels.com you can find a listing of all of their hotels in the area. Once you click on one check rates, the click extra bed.

 

[Pembo]

.

 

[ZachnElli]

I really like Amerisuites, but that is for a longer stay. We discovered them when we went to Texas to adopt #3. They were perfect for that because we didn't know how long we'd be there until they approved us to leave the state. Loved having a dishwasher for the baby bottles!

 

[Becky2005]

I completely understand! I grew up in a family of 5 and it was never a question, you just got a rollaway. All places offered them (or at least all the ones we stopped at and my parents never made reservations - just found a place on the road, this was way before internet!).

Several years ago, I was researching hotels for a group gathering and one I went to said it only holds 4 - no other bedding allowed (no cribs, no rollaways, nothing)! That was the first time I had ever heard of such a thing but now it's really common. Maybe they switched from full-sized beds to Queen sized?? I don't know but I do know it's now where I want to make sure I don't wing it since we do have 6 (which is even *harder*).

I have found the Days Inn/Best Western, etc.. will have some rooms that accomodate extra bedding to be able to get a family of 5 in there.

I have just started going with Holiday Inn chain (Holiday Inn Express/Holiday Inn)...we have had good luck with them finding rooms that accomodate 6 in different areas - We usually end up with suites but they aren't too expensive. So I'm sure you could find rooms for 5.

 

[laura001]

Thanks for feeling my pain everyone!

As for Disney, we love POR. And when the kids get older we will probably just stay offsite in a condo or house as those moderate rooms are shrinking. lol

I'm just concerned on the drive down. I think I will get a blow up mattress to take just in case.

We are a family of 5 and have stayed in the cabins at Fort Wilderness (were great!) and also last year at POR. As you can see(below), our kids are older. I must say we had not one problem with cramming us into POR, and the kids (including 6'1") oson took turns on the trundle (yes it was short for him). NOT ONE COMPLAINT from any of them, after all, how much time do you spend in your room? As for showering and dressing, no big deal, the dressing area in quite big. We were just so happy to be there none of us cared.

I just made sure that when we arrived in the room, I unpacked and put everything in it's place and we kept it that way. It was awesome and I would do it again in a minute.

As for traveling elsewhere we always squeezed into one room (sometimes brought a blow up mattress, other times not).

You have to figure out what is good for you.

 

[Chris2597]

We faced this same thing with our fam o 5...We usually ended up in an Embassy Suites....The Courtyard and Fairfield Inn's also have suite type rooms available...that sometimes have 2 doubles in the bedroom and a pull out sofa in the living room...
vacation spots dont make it easy for families with more than 2 .