Family of 5 - idea to save money...

[jiminyfan]

I have read many posts on where people are discouraged with the limitations for lodging for a family of 5, but if you look at the situation you ave lots of options.

I know that All-stars cannot compete with the Deluxe hotels, but if you are on a budget have you ever considered adjoining rooms at the All-Stars? We got two room for almost the price of a moderate this Septmeber. This gives you lots more space (520 plus square feet vs 315 sq ft) for the money. We are taking my mother and even though we all could fit into one room it is nice to have private times when needed. Plus, with a large family who couldn't use two bathrooms??? Makes gettign ready int eh morning a lot faster and aser.

This is especially nice when you have 3 kids, you can give them their own room and still be able to supervise them.

If you cannot fathom staying at a value resort, I know those of you who would not. Think about two moderates instead of one deluxe room. Once again, space is almost doubled and the costs are not that much more.

Give it a thought.


Remember, DISNEY trips must not be expensive if you plan enough.




Upcoming trips:
June30-July 5th - AKL
Sept 17-25 - ASMovies

 

[cottontail]

Great suggestion.

Deb.

 

[susy]

I think you will have a great time! In Jan we stayed in Toy Story -first floor, on the quiet side (away from Andy's room). We had two connecting rooms for myself, DH, DS (age4), my mom and her DH. It was like having a suite. The two bathrooms really helped and one room could be used for napping, while the TV and lights were on in the other. It was great!

 

[eeyore0062]

Get a styrofoam cooler from a convenience store and use the ice from the ice machine to keep juice, milk and other snack items cold. Fill the cooler with ice in the morning, and again when you get back to the room and everything will stay nice and cool and fresh. It is much more economical than renting a fridge for $10 per day, and after the trip, you can just ditch the $2 cooler or put souveniers in it for your trip home.

Have breakfast in the room before going to the parks... bring bottles and make your own bottled water for the parks by filling them before bed and putting them in the cooer to chill overnight. If you do drink alot of soda and are convenient to the food court, those refillable mugs are a great idea, even if you don't get one for everyone. We usually get one each for the adults, and share with the kids.

Buy your film, batteries, sunscreen, and any over the counter medications you think you may need, etc before you leave home...those items are very expensive once you are there.

 

[SuiteDisney]

We did that in Dec. '99 and it worked out great. The biggest advantage is having 2 bathrooms.

 

[julielinville]

I don't know what your paying at AS but we but we stayed in a Fort Wildnerness Cabin for about $220.00 per night. We had 6 people and needed the space. We really enjoyed it. There is a bedroom with a full size bed and a set of bunkbeds, the living room has a bed that comes out of the wall.

What saved us more money than anything was the full kitchen!!
We stopped at publix on the way in and got cereal, begals, lunchmeat etc. There is even a grill outside if you are willing to take the time to wait for charcoal. At night we would freeze water so that it would last longer than just chilled water. By doing this we limited our meals out to one a day and saved a bundle. We didn't give up that much time because we ate breakfast in the cabin and came back to the resort while the parks were crowded and it was hot. We didn't cook big meals but sandwiches and salads are always a good on a hot day. The microwaveable pasta and macaroni & cheese packets are also great.

The other thing I liked about it was it wasn't crowded!! We even had the pool to ourselves on two occasions.

Hope this helps!

Good luck and have a great time!!

 

[VickiVM]

I posted on another thread about considering renting points from a DVC owner. We are a family of 5, but taking my mom also. We have a BCV 2 bedroom villa for end of September for $1248 for a Sunday arrival and Friday departure (5 nights). Since we'll have a full kitchen with refrig., stove/oven/micro, dishwasher I plan on taking most of our meals at the villa. I even came up with quick and easy menus for most of our meals. When I consider the time we wait in line for even counter meals and the cost of feeding 6 people burgers or hot dogs, we can go back to the room and make that ourselves, quick clean up, nap,swim and go back to the parks in the afternoon. The way I worked out our meals, we'll only need to pay for 1 character breakfast, and two park sit down lunches (only because I want my mom to enjoy some of the theming of the restaurants) and the Fantasmic dinner. I estimated our grocery run would probably be around $150 total. Fortunately we're driving so none of the groceries would be wasted.

But jiminyfan is correct that with planning and organization, even a larger family can still have a wonderful vacation without taking out a second mortgage.