Experiences with family of 5?

[kaytieeldr]

If the DVC villas are beyond your budget, then go for a Family Suite at either POP or AoA.

Fixed it for ya:
If the DVC villas are beyond your budget, then go for a Family Suite at either POP Music or AoA.

I’d recommend the cabins at FWR if your rent a golf cart.

Still only one bathroom.

If you call and your children are under 18 there is a guarantee of connecting rooms.

No, there absolutely is not any such guarantee. Despite what the phone rep tells you, even despite any abbreviations that might be on your written/digital confirmation.

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

Even "better" is a(n inactive) DISer who was traveling as the sole adult, with too many children for them all to fit in one room. They did not get connecting rooms.

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.

Just to clarify, adjoining and connecting aren't synonymous. All Disney resorts except Fort Wilderness have adjoining rooms - rooms that are next to or near each other. All connecting rooms adjoin. Not all adjoining rooms connect.

Best example: All Star Music. Despite being designed and built exactly like all the other ASK rooms, the Calypso and Jazz sections had zero connecting rooms. They were all turned into Family Suites.

 

[Deb & Bill]

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

What are you booking? If you are booking a DVC villa (one or two bedroom), it won't have a day bed or twin sized sleeper chair. If you are booking a hotel room, they might be able to offer you something else. There are some BC hotel rooms that sleep four and some that sleep five.

 

[Deb & Bill]

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

The bunk beds at WL and AKL are being removed. Fort Wilderness will be the only one left.

 

[maxiesmom]

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

That is right. Best thing to do is to bring an air mattress along.

 

[HappyGal]

That is right. Best thing to do is to bring an air mattress along.

So there's space for an air mattress?

 

[LNMom]

I appreciate PLs for the great info. We have recently entered the world of needing two rooms. We used to manage in a suite, but we need two baths now for our family of five (I can't take kids fighting over who gets to brush their teeth first!!!). We have had much better luck in Europe than the US finding accommodations that meet our needs!
Disney has been the most difficult of anywhere we have travelled in the US. I am hoping Riviera has 1.5 baths in the 1+ bedrooms. I love that GDT at CSR has 1.5 baths in suites, but max occupancy is 4. We are starting to stay off site just to have more room. Disney desperately needs to get with the times and create accommodations that work for modern families!!

 

[maxiesmom]

I appreciate PLs for the great info. We have recently entered the world of needing two rooms. We used to manage in a suite, but we need two baths now for our family of five (I can't take kids fighting over who gets to brush their teeth first!!!). We have had much better luck in Europe than the US finding accommodations that meet our needs!
Disney has been the most difficult of anywhere we have travelled in the US. I am hoping Riviera has 1.5 baths in the 1+ bedrooms. I love that GDT at CSR has 1.5 baths in suites, but max occupancy is 4. We are starting to stay off site just to have more room. Disney desperately needs to get with the times and create accommodations that work for modern families!!

The average us family is still small. Just over 3 people.

Disney has multiple choices for larger families. However it is impossible to have a set up that suits every family. I get where you are coming from as I travel a lot with my sis which makes us a family of 6. You just have to pick what works best.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I appreciate PLs for the great info. We have recently entered the world of needing two rooms. We used to manage in a suite, but we need two baths now for our family of five (I can't take kids fighting over who gets to brush their teeth first!!!). We have had much better luck in Europe than the US finding accommodations that meet our needs!
Disney has been the most difficult of anywhere we have travelled in the US. I am hoping Riviera has 1.5 baths in the 1+ bedrooms. I love that GDT at CSR has 1.5 baths in suites, but max occupancy is 4. We are starting to stay off site just to have more room. Disney desperately needs to get with the times and create accommodations that work for modern families!!

It doesn't appear to have 1.5 baths in the RR one bedroom. Just a sink outside the bathroom and a sink inside the bathroom.

 

[simplymama]

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.

They haven't ever gone out of their way to tell me that but instead just the opposite. Every CM I have ever asked on a call has told me if all your children are under 18 and you only have two adults on the reservation they guarantee you connecting rooms.

I'm not saying that in the fine print they don't have a way out, but I am saying that they have absolutely told me, every single time that it is guaranteed for families and used to say it on the papers they would send before arrival.

I'm always sure to check with the CM that I book with and they always book the two rooms on one reservation which always makes any date or room category changes difficult and often results in them needing to place a call to guest services to get it taken care of.

 

[kaytieeldr]

haven't ever gone out of their way to tell me that but instead just the opposite. Every CM I have ever asked on a call has told me if all your children are under 18 and you only have two adults on the reservation they guarantee you connecting rooms.

Dansdad has already detailed his own personal experience showing this is not true; and I have described an incident where there was just one adult traveling with four or five children between the ages of three and 17, where the two rooms that she booked that clearly had to be connecting, ridiculously moreso than two adults traveling with up to six children. She did not get assigned connecting rooms.

 

[simplymama]

Dansdad has already detailed his own personal experience showing this is not true; and I have described an incident where there was just one adult traveling with four or five children between the ages of three and 17, where the two rooms that she booked that clearly had to be connecting, ridiculously moreso than two adults traveling with up to six children. She did not get assigned connecting rooms.

What isn't true in the post of mine you just quoted? Again....

They haven't ever gone out of their way to tell me that, but instead just the opposite. Every CM I have ever asked on a call has told me if all your children are under 18 and you only have two adults on the reservation they guarantee you connecting rooms.

I'm not saying that in the fine print they don't have a way out, but I am saying that they have absolutely told me, every single time that it is guaranteed for families and used to say it on the papers they would send before arrival.

I'm always sure to check with the CM that I book with and they always book the two rooms on one reservation which always makes any date or room category changes difficult and often results in them needing to place a call to guest services to get it taken care of.

 

[maxiesmom]

The CM you book with has zero control over the rooms you get. Zero. Rooms are only preassigned a few days prior to your trip. And are even then subject to change

 

[simplymama]

The CM you book with has zero control over the rooms you get. Zero. Rooms are only preassigned a few days prior to your trip. And are even then subject to change

Absolutely.

Of course a guest has hope that CMs are trained to respond properly. That's what they are being paid for and that's what Disney should be training them to do.

One CM might make a mistake, when it's repeatedly the same response from multiple CMs over 10 years, then it's normal for one to believe it's how they have been trained to respond.

 

[quandrea]

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.

I’m going to try this. Our kids love the fort and want to go back. However, I’m reluctant as the beds were so bad! This might be an option. How were the beds? Any chance of a king?

 

[Deb & Bill]

What isn't true in the post of mine you just quoted? Again....

They haven't ever gone out of their way to tell me that, but instead just the opposite. Every CM I have ever asked on a call has told me if all your children are under 18 and you only have two adults on the reservation they guarantee you connecting rooms.

I'm not saying that in the fine print they don't have a way out, but I am saying that they have absolutely told me, every single time that it is guaranteed for families and used to say it on the papers they would send before arrival.

I'm always sure to check with the CM that I book with and they always book the two rooms on one reservation which always makes any date or room category changes difficult and often results in them needing to place a call to guest services to get it taken care of.

Absolutely.

Of course a guest has hope that CMs are trained to respond properly. That's what they are being paid for and that's what Disney should be training them to do.

One CM might make a mistake, when it's repeatedly the same response from multiple CMs over 10 years, then it's normal for one to believe it's how they have been trained to respond.

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.

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.

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.

So, it's pretty much like Target telling you that Walmart will accept your return from Target and refund your money if you aren't near a Target.

The CMs booking your stay are from a different company than the CMs checking you into the hotel and assigning your room. The CM booking your stay has no idea how the rooms will be assigned on the day you check into the resort. All the booking CM knows is that there are two rooms available on the day you check in. They don't know that another guest has decided to self extend. They don't know that the room next to one of yours was flooded the night before and is out of service for a few days. They don't know that another guest who was also told they were guaranteed connecting rooms checked in before you did and got the last two connecting rooms. They can't give you what they don't have. It's like Tetris with hotel rooms.

 

[North of Mouse]

I’m going to try this. Our kids love the fort and want to go back. However, I’m reluctant as the beds were so bad! This might be an option. How were the beds? Any chance of a king?

Don't rent an RV thinking that the beds are so comfy!! It's usually right opposite unfortunately. We RV mostly and have owned many different kinds, price ranges, etc. and we 'always' either buy toppers or switch out the mattresses for better quality ones ourselves. We now own motorhomes, and have bought new mattresses each time. I'm sure there may be exceptions, but we haven't found them!

 

[simplymama]

So, it's pretty much like Target telling you that Walmart will accept your return from Target and refund your money if you aren't near a Target.

The CMs booking your stay are from a different company than the CMs checking you into the hotel and assigning your room. The CM booking your stay has no idea how the rooms will be assigned on the day you check into the resort. All the booking CM knows is that there are two rooms available on the day you check in. They don't know that another guest has decided to self extend. They don't know that the room next to one of yours was flooded the night before and is out of service for a few days. They don't know that another guest who was also told they were guaranteed connecting rooms checked in before you did and got the last two connecting rooms. They can't give you what they don't have. It's like Tetris with hotel rooms.

Yes, but all of this is the same at any large chain, with a central reservation system, yet connecting rooms can be guaranteed and planned for by the room assigners in the days leading up to a stay which usually happens 4 to 5 days ahead of time.

Of course at times Disney goofs up, or has an unexpected situation, just like any other hotel.

All those same scenarios could happen and suddenly they don't even have a room for you. Although like most large hotels they hold a few back just for this type of situation.

The problem some guests experiencing is that instead of the manager saying, hey we made a mistake or had this happen and yes we promised you guaranteed connecting rooms for families and will compensate you for your inconvenience or make it right and if it's a long stay try to fix things in the next day either at their own resort or a different one, some managers are arrogant.

Yep that happens everywhere too.

Sometimes it's all in the customers demeanor too.

That doesn't change the fact that they guarantee connecting rooms for families anymore than it changes the fact they guarantee you a room on site at all.

That doesn't change the fact that 99% of the time that request for families will be met and the ones we hear about are the 1% that experience something different.

Like I said we've done this starting way back in 2004 and we've never had an issue and I'd never lose an ounce of sleep over it unless I was traveling alone with children and honestly, I know I read above that somebody said somebody booked two rooms with one adult, but I'm almost positive that Disney doesn't even allow that situation. There has to be an adult on every room, but there's always exceptions in life and Disney is known to make them occasionally too.

 

[Have3Kids&aHusband]

We have stayed at Poly, YC, & POR with our family of 5. We had plenty of space in Poly & YC and for our family did fine with only one bathroom. POR wasn't as roomy, but we all managed to maneuver around each other with ease. My friend stayed there with her family of 5 and her oldest was about 16. She said they managed fine there as well. However, my kids have decided they prefer to not stay at POR not really because of the room, but more due to the pool. We do go to the pool everyday during our trips and even do a day in the middle of our trip to do a whole pool/resort day.

 

[kaytieeldr]

That doesn't change the fact that they guarantee connecting rooms for families

No. Really. I swear Disney does not ever, ever guarantee connecting rooms. Never. I truly don't care what however many people have said to you. They cannot produce what does not exist, including paired connecting rooms.

Ditto for Holiday Inn in Somerville MA. I can't speak for the entire chain, but I know the Assistant Manager here. The will give a party connecting rooms of available at check-in, but they will not create new connecting rooms; nor will they walk the guest to a different hotel unless they are 100% full.

anymore than it changes the fact they guarantee you a room on site at all.

With 30,000 rooms onsite, they do guarantee you a room onsite. Read your confirmation.

 

[dansdad]

One CM might make a mistake, when it's repeatedly the same response from multiple CMs over 10 years, then it's normal for one to believe it's how they have been trained to respond.

3 immediate family members have gone through the training and I can say with certainty they were trained to respond the exact opposite of what you've been told. It was heavily stressed to not say that connecting rooms are guaranteed.