advice on Home Away from Home resorts

[tcrick]

I'm a newbie to this forum. Looking for some advice on saving money and making the most of a Disney trip.
I plan to take my family (me, my wife and 4 kids ages 6-10) to MK and MGM weekend of September 18-20.
Only the Home Away from Home resorts will accommodate all 6 of us. It isn't really in my budget, but I would like to treat the family to the full Disney experience and get the benefits of the resorts. Any suggestions on getting good discounts for the resorts?
Any other suggestions for making this trip the best it can be for kids 6-10 are appreciated.

Thanks to all.

Rick

 

[Demosthenes]

The FW cabins may be just what the doctor ordered for you family. They are almost always on a code, and you can usually get one during value season for less than $150. The Cabins sleep six, two in a murphy bed in the living room, and four in a back bedroom. The cabins are served by direct bus to the theme parks and a boat to MK. FW has nightly sing-a-longs and movies that are shown free of charge, which is great for September when the parks close early, and children can get bored. During the day, you can swim at one of two pools, play in two arcades, play tennis, go fishing by cane in the canals, rent a pedal boat to explore the canals, go horseback riding, rent a bike or golf cart, go to the petting zoo, or spend time at the lake by renting a boat from the marina. At night there are two hay rides, the aforementioned movie and Chip n' Dale meet and greet, 3 showings of the Hoop Dee Doo Revue, and the Electrical Water Pageant. Also, FW has a great lounge for adults called Crocket's Tavern that is located next to the best buffet bargain at WDW in the Trail's End buffeteria. Also, to save money, you can eat in your cabin, cooking meals certain nights, eating breakfast daily, but never cleaning the dishes since mousekeeping does that for you. The one drawback to the cabins, IMO is how remote they are, and that can be a legitimate complaint, but that is also part of the charm of this resort. IMO, no resort in all of WDW offers so much for so little money.

 

[FriendsOfEeyore]

Budget and Home Away From Home don't typically go together. Just as a point of reference, a DVC member would need 150 points a Thurs, Fri, and Sat night stay in a 2 bedroom in Setember. If they are willing, they might rent those points to you. The going rate is about $10 / point, or in this example $1500 for 3 nights. YOu might be better trying to get 2 attached rooms at the All Stars, for $170 - $200 per night.

 

[Demosthenes]

Since you're only going to be at WDW for 3 days, I'd reccomend renting a Golf Cart for the length of stay. It'll add $120 to your visit, but you'll find it eliminates any remote feeling to FW.