Experiences with family of 5?

[Bryu5]

My family of five are triplets my wife and I. We stayed at multiple resorts. The Contemporary and Poly were easiest when they were young, but we did stay at Wilderness and the Cabins in FWR. Moderates were nice where we could get all of us in one room PORS... we got two moderates at CSR when they were teens and they brought a friend. We had our personal car for Moderates and FWR and WL, which helped. We had every issue including a hospital stay. Went with additional family etc.

I’d recommend the cabins at FWR if your rent a golf cart. Very fun and a split home so you can separate the family for sleeping.

-Bry

 

[Simba's Girl]

As we start to ponder our next Disney trip for 2021, it will be our first with a family of 5 and while I've been busy exploring options I'd love some personal experiences about what has worked best for YOUR family or traveling group.

Background: Last full family trip was in 2012 when my oldest two were a month shy of 5 and 3. We stayed at POR and loved it, kids slept great etc but it was kind of a PITA to get the 3 year old to bed since someone had to hang out in the room silently until the girls fell asleep, which took awhile for 3 year old even when she was exhausted. Last year I took a girls trip with them and they were 10 and 8 and we loved AoA, but obviously all crashed at the same time, etc.

Next trip will be myself, DH, DDs will be 14ish and 12ish, and DS will be 5. Trying to figure out the best strategy. This may be our only "full family" trip as we've got some other vacation plans on the horizon. We want to stay onsite. I know my DH would love to have two separate rooms after last visit, and obviously I'd love the extra space, too...but I'd also love to try an Epcot resort and a 2 bedroom won't be in the budget.

In your experience, is it too crowded to have a family of 5 in one room? AKL 1 bedroom on DVC points seems like a good option but it would be really nice to have a transportation choice other than the bus. Splurge and try to get BLT 1 bedroom on points? Suck it up and get a studio or regular deluxe room? 2 rooms at a moderate is also a possibility...then everyone would have their own sleeping surface? Not sure we need a kitchen in DVC but we may use it a little bit. I'd love to hear others thoughts/personal experiences as we navigate new territory....I want to make sure the experience is pleasant for all involved.

Family of 5 or so...DDs are 19,16 & 12

DD1 has not been with us the last time and won't be for our upcoming trip (college kiddo needs $) BUT I can share our experiences.

We made about 5 or so trips with all of us together

CBR- we only got 1 room here, we should've gotten 2 or upgraded to a deluxe. Too cramped. Kids were 15,11, &7
YCCL-was fine but was here when they were 1st testing the MBs, we had an awful experience with it and CMs were rude. Kids 14,10&6
BCCL-deluxe room-(*note I don't think that deluxe BC rooms have CL access anymore) Plenty of room for ALL of us, granted nothing private but still a good amount of space to spread out. Kids were 18,15 & 11
PolyCL-felt a little cramped but it was nice to have lounge to chill in kids were

1 BRs at DVC resorts on points-nice to spread out!

For our family it makes sense to go CL or to get at least a 1BR when we travel as a group of 5 or more.

As our kids got older, the ability to have them do whatever the heck they wanted together has had a positive effect on our trips. Kids can go to pool or a park and adults can either go with them or do what they want to do.

 

[fairygagamother]

Beach Club has changed from having 5 in a room to allowing only 4. That narrows our choices down! We enjoy deluxe & have stayed at Boardwalk & Polynesian with 5 in a room. We’ve also had the deluxe room at Wilderness when there were 7 of us. Poly felt very spacious with 3 adults & two 11 year olds.
The deluxe room at WL has a close off bedroom , but only one bathroom. BUT- it’s club level which might serve you well. Breakfast in the lounge, snacks throughout the day, evening appetizers which are sufficient enough to use as dinner, any drinks you need (including beer & wine) & great desserts - might offset the cost of the room for your family.
Whatever you choose, request a balcony or patio if available. It becomes extra space , especially useful if someone wants to stay up longer or wakes up before everyone else.

 

[dansdad]

Beach Club has changed from having 5 in a room to allowing only 4.

Actually, only the Club Level rooms at Beach Club changed to a max of 4. The non Club Level still can have 5.

 

[simplymama]

Just remember that there is no guarantee of getting connecting rooms, and if you are considering renting points make sure that you do your research on their policies. Most point rentals can't be changed, you usually pay the amount in full at booking and most are non-refundable.

If you call and your children are under 18 there is a guarantee of connecting rooms. I know I've heard conflicting things on this here on the boards over the years, but we have had it every single stay and never had an issue. Every CM I have spoken to on the phone tells me yes, they guarantee connecting rooms for families.

The key is to call to book and both rooms have to go on the same reservation number. So you have a single reservation that has two rooms listed on it.

I'm not sprinkled with pixie dust that much to have managed this nearly a dozen times without a single issue ever coming up at check in.

 

[dansdad]

If you call and your children are under 18 there is a guarantee of connecting rooms. I know I've heard conflicting things on this here on the boards over the years, but we have had it every single stay and never had an issue. Every CM I have spoken to on the phone tells me yes, they guarantee connecting rooms for families.

The key is to call to book and both rooms have to go on the same reservation number. So you have a single reservation that has two rooms listed on it.

I'm not sprinkled with pixie dust that much to have managed this nearly a dozen times without a single issue ever coming up at check in.

You may have gotten connecting rooms every time but there are plenty of us that have not. Twice my wife and I were traveling with 5 kids under the age of10 and had to split up. Both times 2 rooms were booked under 1 reservation number. Every CM I spoke to before our trip and every bit of paperwork all said " guaranteed connecting". Then we showed up and found out the truth is, they are not. Had the general managers at POR and Beach Club inform me that they most definitely do not guarantee connecting rooms. I've seen dozens upon dozens of reports here on the DIS of people who had the same experience as us.

 

[jubby73]

We are a family of 7 and we rent a RV at Fort Wilderness every year. The RV is cheap to rent and from a Disney approved company and the company set up the RV and tear down the site after your stay. We love Fort Wilderness so much to do, we usually stay there for 1 to 2 weeks and go to the parks for just one day. It usually cost us 2300 to stay for 8 days plus all 5 of our kids are under 8. We have stayed at the cabins as a family of six, we are not big park people and enjoy doing other things around Disney like resort hopping.

 

[simplymama]

You may have gotten connecting rooms every time but there are plenty of us that have not. Twice my wife and I were traveling with 5 kids under the age of10 and had to split up. Both times 2 rooms were booked under 1 reservation number. Every CM I spoke to before our trip and every bit of paperwork all said " guaranteed connecting". Then we showed up and found out the truth is, they are not. Had the general managers at POR and Beach Club inform me that they most definitely do not guarantee connecting rooms. I've seen dozens upon dozens of reports here on the DIS of people who had the same experience as us.

How can a manager tell you they don't guarantee what is written down on paperwork that you have that they do guarantee it? That makes him look a bit foolish.

Did you complain after to Disney Communications?

I've seen many people not get connecting rooms who book under two numbers, yet in person I've never met anybody who didn't get them with the one reservation number system.

 

[mickeymom22]

Family of Five here! We have always been in one room except for the time we were given some pixie dust and given a free uprade to a family suite at ASMu!

My kids are 22, 19, and 13 now, but when they were much younger...

We stayed at ASMu with a pack n play when my youngest was 2 (other kiddos 8 and 11). I don't recommend it...very crowded. It was a godsend when we got the family suite. Youngest slept in her pack n play in the room with us and the two older ones had their own room...plus 2 bathrooms!

Next stay POFQ with a pack n play right before youngest turned 3. We loved that resort and youngest hadn't been in a pack and play for awhile. She thought it was her very own fort! It was tight, but we did great! It helps when you bring those yummy beignets back to the room for some family snack time!

Next couple of stays we stayed at POR in the Alligator Bayou. Our youngest loved her very own special bed. Hubby and I missed POFQ. POR is nice, but it is spread out and we always seemed to get one of the remote rooms.

Beach Club and Boardwalk: We loved the pool area of the Beach Club, but were disappointed in the resort. Our room had weird noises in the walls and the ice maker in the hall was leaking so bad the carpet was soaking wet. Size of room okay.

We really liked our room at the Boardwalk. It felt like it was the biggest and roomiest room we have had onsite at Disney. It did seem like a long walk down the hallway to get there, but once inside we were a happy family of five!

We also rented a camper once and stayed at Fort Wilderness! That was a lot of fun and plenty of space!


Best stays for us:
Value: All-Star Music family sutie
Moderate: POFQ if little one doesn't "count" yet...but if old enough to count then POR
Deluxe: Boardwalk

Fort Wilderness was fun in a camper and we had family that brought a golf cart. I would budget a golf cart into the trip if you are staying there in a camper or cabin!

 

[NavyDad]

As we start to ponder our next Disney trip for 2021, it will be our first with a family of 5 and while I've been busy exploring options I'd love some personal experiences about what has worked best for YOUR family or traveling group.

Background: Last full family trip was in 2012 when my oldest two were a month shy of 5 and 3. We stayed at POR and loved it, kids slept great etc but it was kind of a PITA to get the 3 year old to bed since someone had to hang out in the room silently until the girls fell asleep, which took awhile for 3 year old even when she was exhausted. Last year I took a girls trip with them and they were 10 and 8 and we loved AoA, but obviously all crashed at the same time, etc.

Next trip will be myself, DH, DDs will be 14ish and 12ish, and DS will be 5. Trying to figure out the best strategy. This may be our only "full family" trip as we've got some other vacation plans on the horizon. We want to stay onsite. I know my DH would love to have two separate rooms after last visit, and obviously I'd love the extra space, too...but I'd also love to try an Epcot resort and a 2 bedroom won't be in the budget.

In your experience, is it too crowded to have a family of 5 in one room? AKL 1 bedroom on DVC points seems like a good option but it would be really nice to have a transportation choice other than the bus. Splurge and try to get BLT 1 bedroom on points? Suck it up and get a studio or regular deluxe room? 2 rooms at a moderate is also a possibility...then everyone would have their own sleeping surface? Not sure we need a kitchen in DVC but we may use it a little bit. I'd love to hear others thoughts/personal experiences as we navigate new territory....I want to make sure the experience is pleasant for all involved.

Our family went through the same stuff as we are also a family of 5. My wife and I always say that the world was not built for families of 5. Some of the resorts at WDW we could not even make reservations for 5 people.

Our first trip(2009) as a family our kids were 3, 6 & 9 and we got two adjoining rooms at Pop Century. It's not guaranteed but I don't believe it's too difficult getting two adjoining rooms if you are not picky about location. It was great having two bathrooms, two separate entrances and two separate sleeping areas. Just by opening and closing the door we had flexibility day and night.

Second trip (2012) we had a family suite at AoA. Basically it is just like two adjoining rooms at AoA but you get a small kitchenette which came in handy. Very nice having separate sleeping areas and two separate bathrooms. We loved having the micro fridge and microwave. Inova fold down bed/table combo was handy.

After that we did a couple of deluxe stays. Loved the resorts and the rooms were larger than value rooms so at first one room was plenty big. It as usually easy to get a fold away cot that was about the size of a single bed. As our kids became teenagers, the one deluxe room was just too crowded with cots and growing kids with long legs. Getting two rooms at a deluxe was just not in our budget.

We then did 2-3 trips at Fort Wilderness in a cabin. This was GREAT as we had lots of space, a full kitchen, a separate bedroom with a queen and two bunks. Each comes with a large deck or patio with picnic table. I think they had 1 or 2 rocking chairs as well but I may be wrong. The only drawback was only 1 bathroom. This became a problem after awhile with 2 teen girls and a teen boy plus my wife and I all needing showers and to get ready in the morning. We absolutely loved Fort Wilderness - what's not to like about renting your own little cabin in the woods a short boat ride from the Magic Kingdom?

For a family of five I would say the AoA Family suites and the Cabins were our most convenient options. Best thing about the suites was having two separate bathrooms. Best parts of the Cabins was having full kitchen and also just having your own little space kind of away from everything. Also - at the cabins you park your car about 8 feet from you front door. As we usually drive to WDW this came in very handy.

 

[NavyDad]

Thanks for your input on those two. We stayed at AoA last time and one of my daughters is begging to stay there for our next trip in the Lion King suites. I haven't ruled it out, but since this might be it for full family trips, I'm trying to decide if we splurge and go deluxe this time. Although, we were all perfectly happy at AoA in the LM rooms so I'm sure we'd love it there.

This became our exact problem. We wanted to upscale our stays a bit to Deluxe but the deluxe resorts don't offer a lot of great options for a family of 5 unless you go DVC (and even then you might not fit into a studio or 1 bedroom).

If you liked AoA before I would just go back to that again or look at getting a cabin.... or renting DVC points and get a 2 bedroom.

 

[NavyDad]

If you call and your children are under 18 there is a guarantee of connecting rooms. I know I've heard conflicting things on this here on the boards over the years, but we have had it every single stay and never had an issue. Every CM I have spoken to on the phone tells me yes, they guarantee connecting rooms for families.

The key is to call to book and both rooms have to go on the same reservation number. So you have a single reservation that has two rooms listed on it.

I'm not sprinkled with pixie dust that much to have managed this nearly a dozen times without a single issue ever coming up at check in.

There is definitely NOT a guarantee of two adjoining rooms. We have been lucky before but we have known people that have not been so lucky. Disney goes out of their way in their hotel policies and their reservation confirmations to spell out that two connecting rooms is a request and NOT a guarantee. Still - depending on how busy the resort is I would say there is at least a 90% chance you are going to get it.

 

[Deb & Bill]

How can a manager tell you they don't guarantee what is written down on paperwork that you have that they do guarantee it? That makes him look a bit foolish.

Did you complain after to Disney Communications?

I've seen many people not get connecting rooms who book under two numbers, yet in person I've never met anybody who didn't get them with the one reservation number system.

There is no guarantee that you will get connecting rooms ever. Even if you have six little kids under the age of ten and only two adults. You have to plan on it not happening. They will do everything they can to accommodate your request, but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

 

[dansdad]

How can a manager tell you they don't guarantee what is written down on paperwork that you have that they do guarantee it?

I wasted over 4 hours of our vacation the first time it happened trying to use that logic. It was explained that the paperwork is from Walt Disney World Travel, not the resort. And WDWT has no way to control inventory or room assignments.

Did you complain after to Disney Communications?

Yup. They apologized profusely that our request for connecting rooms wasn't able to be honored. And multiple times stressed connecting rooms are not guaranteed promising to better train the phone CMs. Yet I know for a fact they are still giving incorrect information about this. They reiterated that the only thing your reservation guarantees is a room, or rooms, on property.

I've seen many people not get connecting rooms who book under two numbers, yet in person I've never met anybody who didn't get them with the one reservation number system.

Even though they try their best to accommodate there are a lot of us that have had this happen. The system has no way to block off connecting rooms so when it comes time to assign the 2 rooms on the one reservation, if there's no available connecting rooms there's no way.

 

[maxiesmom]

Not quite the same, but I just did a trip with 4 adults. We started out in one room at the Dolphin, and moved into 2 rooms at CSR. The extra space was nice, at first. But even my 19 year old niece ended up wishing we had stayed in the one room at the Dolphin. Ends up for us location is more important than space. It sure didn't compare to being able to walk into Epcot, and boat over to the Disney Studios.

 

[maxiesmom]

How can a manager not give you connecting rooms? Easy. Nothing about your resort reservation is 100% guaranteed. Disney has an out to cover anything. Room type is not guaranteed, even your specific resort is not guaranteed. People do get different room types than they have booked (been downgraded twice myself) and people get "walked" to different resorts.

 

[maxiesmom]

If you call and your children are under 18 there is a guarantee of connecting rooms. I know I've heard conflicting things on this here on the boards over the years, but we have had it every single stay and never had an issue. Every CM I have spoken to on the phone tells me yes, they guarantee connecting rooms for families.

The key is to call to book and both rooms have to go on the same reservation number. So you have a single reservation that has two rooms listed on it.

I'm not sprinkled with pixie dust that much to have managed this nearly a dozen times without a single issue ever coming up at check in.

Nope. You have been lucky.

 

[HappyGal]

Beach Club - will they provide a roll-away cot if the room doesn't have a day bed or a twin size sleeper-chair?

 

[DL1WDW2]

I thought the Polynesian Resort rooms had 2 beds with fold out couch.
I was searching room options at WL and a room with a bunk bed popped up.
Might want to call but the Grand Californian at DLoriginally opened with a room that had queen and a bunk bed with a trundle underneath .... another thing to research .
I googled and The three resorts with bunk beds are WL , AKL , and Ft W .
Dated 2013....
I have grandson 12& granddaughter 11... No way they can sleep together without waking each other up nonstop plus gd snores... haha

 

[DL1WDW2]

Would love to know answer to the roll away.... googling says no guarantees and request is limited availability.