6 adults, 4 children ... accommodation suggestions?

If wanting to stay on Disney property....I would definitely choose the Ft Wilderness Cabins! Get 2 of them. They have a bedroom for a set of adults and bunk beds in the same room. (sleeps 4) and then Murphy bed for 2 in the living room. (so 6 people total to a cabin)
You have a combination of 10 and it sleeps 12 (if you get 2 cabins).

I would also say Family suites at AoA because if you got 2 rooms it would =4 bathrooms!

I love my Deluxes at WL and Boardwalk but that can get really expensive for your large party.
I would not stay off site just because it is just soooooooo convenient to be on property ...using their transportation and if anyone gets tired the party can split up to return to the resort for a few hours etc.
 
The easy answer is 3 hotel rooms in any of the onsite hotels. You could request adjoining or connecting rooms, but of course that's not a guarantee.

Yes, yes, yes. Each family books their own room. That allows a little bit of privacy and some space from each other.
 
Yes, yes, yes. Each family books their own room. That allows a little bit of privacy and some space from each other.

Yes but if the grandparents really really really like their adults kids and grandchildren they may not want that much separation.
I guess the OP needs to tell us. :listen:
 
Yes but if the grandparents really really really like their adults kids and grandchildren they may not want that much separation.
I guess the OP needs to tell us. :listen:
Be aware that though grandparents might really really like their adult kids and not want separation...the adult kids may very well have the opposite feeling about togetherness! My mother and father would gladly share rooms with me and all my siblings. But experience (hard, hard experience) has led us to book my parents a separate room when at all possible during any vacation and especially at WDW.

I travel with extended family during all my WDW trips. Out of six recent trips, two have been with myself, kids and one sister and her family. The rest have been with my parents and other siblings and their kids.

Over those six trips we have stayed in separate WDW resorts, in the same WDW resort, shared rooms, and had our own. What we've learned works best for us is individual space. It doesn't matter if we're at the same resort or different ones, we just like our own rooms and we like being on WDW property. My parents do best without sharing, even if they think they like to share (they have a very set, inflexible schedule that is just really hard for kids to adjust to...and adults who are on vacation and don't want to be in bed at 8 pm). I like my own space when I travel with my kids, and my siblings feel likewise. When I travel without my kids (four out of six trips), I'm fine sharing with two other adults, but four in a room gets really old really fast.

Staying offsite in one place, for us, would be horrible because being under one roof (no matter how large the living space) is too much togetherness. We've rented vacation houses as a large group outside of WDW several times, and more space (i.e., separate rental houses) makes for much happier adults and kids. The few times we've all shared one house led to transportation aches (when you're in one unit together, there's this automatic need to 'save space' by carpooling...so someone who wants to go back to the cabin after lunch for a nap has to wait around while their driver shops for souvenirs and gets grumpy and unhappy). And different styles of living lead to conflict in shared living spaces (my mother insists that the kitchen closes at 8 pm...several teenage male grandchildren and some adult kids disagree).

Staying onsite at WDW with our own rooms gives us space. We don't have to share an eating area, because outside of set ADRs with the family, we're on our own and can snack in our room or go get QS etc. AND, because of WDW's transportation to resorts, we can leave whatever we're doing to head back to our room when we want without that decision impacting others in our group. We spend lots of time together and really enjoy it! But we enjoy it most when we are not together 24/7.

That’s my family. Others are different. But I would always opt for separate rooms onsite at whichever resort is within budget.
 

Yes but if the grandparents really really really like their adults kids and grandchildren they may not want that much separation.
I guess the OP needs to tell us. :listen:

We travel with our adult children and our DGD all of the time, and for the most part we share space. We are used to each other, and know how to respect one another's privacy, and we choose Deluxe accomodations so we have other areas to spread out a bit. WE also will on occasion book CL which gives us even more space so the rooms are vacant for those getting ready to go out. This works for us because we are all on the same page in regards to clutter, (cannot stand it) sloppiness ( will not have it) etc.
I would not recommend this for everyone though, and while I love my family, I will not share space with all of them, nor would they with us. I would never test this out on a Disney vacation.

I agree with @rosiebean. Make sure everyone can be together if you opt for accomodations that have families sharing space.
 
Thank you everyone for your fantastic suggestions! I'm so glad I asked :).

Having talked it over with my wife, I think we probably will focus on onsite options. Although we've done offsite before - and I do like the look of some of the choices - transportation would be problematic for starters. We don't think that one family would like to drive in the US (we're from the UK) which means either sticking with one of the drivers (we would need 2 vehicles) or paying for Uber/taxi/similar. Being onsite does give everyone maximum flexibility to do their own thing, even if that flexibility comes at a price.

One of the reasons why I didn't put too many constraints on your suggestions was because they might have been my constraints and not necessarily how the rest of the family would have thought about things. By leaving it open, you've all been wonderful and come up with some great permutations.

We have shared a property in the UK before for a week but that is with the grandchildren being quite young (1 and 3 years) … the dynamic between the grandchildren is likely to alter a bit as they get older. That may influence the sleeping arrangements :rolleyes1

:thanks:
 
Thank you everyone for your fantastic suggestions! I'm so glad I asked :).

Having talked it over with my wife, I think we probably will focus on onsite options. Although we've done offsite before - and I do like the look of some of the choices - transportation would be problematic for starters. We don't think that one family would like to drive in the US (we're from the UK) which means either sticking with one of the drivers (we would need 2 vehicles) or paying for Uber/taxi/similar. Being onsite does give everyone maximum flexibility to do their own thing, even if that flexibility comes at a price.



:thanks:

The transportation is exactly why we stay onsite. We can all come and go as we please, which makes a huge difference in our relationships. My son and his wife will often start with us, but within a few hours at most, they are off on their own. My son in law will wander off, and my DH and I will as well. If we all had to coordinate our comings and goings we would end up estranged by the end of three days.
 
We have gone as a group before and my advise is get the option that gives you the most bathrooms! Think about taking showers in the morning and waiting your turn. There are many resorts that can acomodate 5 people but only have one bathroom. I did stay at the Poly once and it had 2 bathrooms. One had a stand alone shower and the other had a tub/shower combination. I apologize I can't remember the room category but I know we used (my friends) DVC points.
 
Thirteen dollars at Value resorts.

***

@PhilipC, if at all possible, take the trip when the children are 7/9, before any age into the Disney Adult category :)

I agree! Once they hit ten they are Disney Adults, and the cost rises for dining and park tix.
 
I vote for 3 rooms onsite, especially if you won't have at least two cars.

Onsite allows for some flexibility if a family is tired or looking for a few hours pool time or isn't moving as fast as others in morning. To work with this dynamic offsite you would need multiple cars (and parking fees).

We have traveled with multiple families several times ... each family having it's own space has always been a real plus. We only travel with those we are super close to ... and we all still appreciate our own rooms.

For the kids to have their own beds I would look at:
- WL Bunk bed room
- AKL Bunk Bed room
- FW Cabins
- AoA 3 Suites OR 2 suites and a regular room for you all
 
How long will you be staying? Depending on your length of stay it might be more cost efficient to get annual passes. Annual passes get you discounts on merchandise and dining, as well as free parking at the parks ( but not at the resorts). If you decide to stay onsite in a room/suite that has a kitchen you will probably want to take an Uber or rent a car to get groceries and other stuff. You can also have groceries delivered to your resort.
Just a few things to consider.
 
I agree with the previous poster that stated it would be wise to set a budget first. Otherwise if you start planning thinking you are staying deluxe or dvc and then find you only have the budget for moderate or even value you might be disappointed. Set your budget. Then have fun with the planning.
 
Our most recent trip was a family trip, mother in law, sister in law, myself and 4 kids - we rented a two bedroom at OKW and it worked well for us.
We had MIL in the master, my sil and I shared the second bedroom with the 2 queens and the kids shared the living space as it had double sofa and a sleeper chair and we brought an airbed. We also had two bathrooms.

The villa was huge but I don't know if it will work with two set of "two" parents (I am a widow and my sister in law is divorced and thankfully we adore our mother in law :) ) OKW is the largest 2bd room on property and adding two more people would be too many imho. Renting points for a 3 bedroom (or grand vila) is tricky due to the booking windows and paying cash is expensive and also subject to availability.

We have also stayed in the cabins and they are nice but only one bathroom and the transportation to the parks can be tricky. You would need two (or 3?) cabins and there is only one bedroom.

I think in your situation I would lean toward 3 "traditional hotel" rooms and then see what category your budget allows for, this way everyone has their own room and bathroom.

In the moderate category - mid price range - we love POFQ due to the amenities and the layout as well as the fact that the resort smaller/easily walkable. We have always had great bus service and there is a boat to Disney Springs. You also get to take advantage of the amenities at POR - in walking distance.

Once you set the budget you could upgrade to a deluxe or move to a value, they all have something unique to offer.
 
I say it depends on what your idea of the vacation is. If you really wanted to spend more time together at the resort hanging out, then maybe an offsite would be better(which I usually do not recommend for a WDW stay). But if you really want to focus on the parks and being there most of the days, then get 3 rooms at the same resort. Only you know your family dynamic and how much "together" time you are going to do. Staying on site is much easier for those groups where some will want to split up and maybe go back to the room and rest, etc. And even though you are in different rooms to sleep, does not mean that you will not spend the majority of the time together. The WDW resorts have plenty of spaces for families to enjoy their time together.
 
Be aware that though grandparents might really really like their adult kids and not want separation...the adult kids may very well have the opposite feeling about togetherness! My mother and father would gladly share rooms with me and all my siblings. But experience (hard, hard experience) has led us to book my parents a separate room when at all possible during any vacation and especially at WDW.

I travel with extended family during all my WDW trips. Out of six recent trips, two have been with myself, kids and one sister and her family. The rest have been with my parents and other siblings and their kids.

Over those six trips we have stayed in separate WDW resorts, in the same WDW resort, shared rooms, and had our own. What we've learned works best for us is individual space. It doesn't matter if we're at the same resort or different ones, we just like our own rooms and we like being on WDW property. My parents do best without sharing, even if they think they like to share (they have a very set, inflexible schedule that is just really hard for kids to adjust to...and adults who are on vacation and don't want to be in bed at 8 pm). I like my own space when I travel with my kids, and my siblings feel likewise. When I travel without my kids (four out of six trips), I'm fine sharing with two other adults, but four in a room gets really old really fast.

Staying offsite in one place, for us, would be horrible because being under one roof (no matter how large the living space) is too much togetherness. We've rented vacation houses as a large group outside of WDW several times, and more space (i.e., separate rental houses) makes for much happier adults and kids. The few times we've all shared one house led to transportation aches (when you're in one unit together, there's this automatic need to 'save space' by carpooling...so someone who wants to go back to the cabin after lunch for a nap has to wait around while their driver shops for souvenirs and gets grumpy and unhappy). And different styles of living lead to conflict in shared living spaces (my mother insists that the kitchen closes at 8 pm...several teenage male grandchildren and some adult kids disagree).

Staying onsite at WDW with our own rooms gives us space. We don't have to share an eating area, because outside of set ADRs with the family, we're on our own and can snack in our room or go get QS etc. AND, because of WDW's transportation to resorts, we can leave whatever we're doing to head back to our room when we want without that decision impacting others in our group. We spend lots of time together and really enjoy it! But we enjoy it most when we are not together 24/7.

That’s my family. Others are different. But I would always opt for separate rooms onsite at whichever resort is within budget.

We are like that too. We need our own rooms. I will not sleep in the same room as my parents or brother/SIL, etc. The only people I will share with is my husband/kids and if my sister and I are travelling together, her(because its OK if my sister sees me naked LOL). Sharing a house with separate bedrooms is one thing, but being in the same hotel room where everyone is on top of each other is something we are not comfortable with.
 
We are like that too. We need our own rooms. I will not sleep in the same room as my parents or brother/SIL, etc. The only people I will share with is my husband/kids and if my sister and I are travelling together, her(because its OK if my sister sees me naked LOL). Sharing a house with separate bedrooms is one thing, but being in the same hotel room where everyone is on top of each other is something we are not comfortable with.

THats what I mean about really knowing your personal family dynamic. Sharing space is not as easy as it sounds, and if you have not done so before, starting this in wdw is not my recommendation. I would save money elsewhere.

We are used to traveling as a large extended family, but honestly in our next trip we have a 2 bdrm villa booked and I'm happy for the extra space.
 
I agree! Once they hit ten they are Disney Adults, and the cost rises for dining and park tix.
Not Adult, just Guest 10+. Adults at Disney are 18+ and can reserve a hotel room.
 
Not Adult, just Guest 10+. Adults at Disney are 18+ and can reserve a hotel room.


In regards to park tickets and dining plans, kids 10 and over are often refered to as "Disney" adults. We have one more year before our DGD is no long a Disney adult, but a full fledged adult, and that means she wll cost more at the resort! LOL!
 


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