Family of 5 - Want Value Resort Prices

I'd rent a two bedroom condo at Bonnet Creek that's Disney themed. You can use the Bonnet Creek shuttle or rent a car (we always rent a car). I've found it takes me less time by car to get to the parks from Bonnet Creek that it does from the value resort. Also, with renting a car we don't have to wait for a bus or have to worry about standing (I have balance issues). I've found we save even more time/money by having breakfast each day in the condo, being able to run laundry so I don't have to pay to check bags, and being able to eat off-site if we want (better food & lower prices).
 
Have you looked at the prices on third-party booking sites and available coupons? For our 2017 visit we were able to use a 15% off Travelocity coupon for Caribbean Beach that brought the price within $25/night of the All-Star prices.
 
I have a family of 5, always been a family of 5 when traveling to WDW and we started out at Moderates and moved to Deluxe and always had a magical time.
I don't disagree that a house gives you much more space but for some staying on-site just works better than staying off. I don't have to deal with renting a car, paying for parking and driving around Orlando. Plus when some of us were done with the parks, it wasn't an issue because they could just go back to the room and the rest of us could leave when we were ready.
I have no issues using WDW's bus service and since we rarely spent time in the room other than to sleep or get ready it was just fine.
Now all my kids are much older so we don't even go as a family any more but when we did we didn't have any issues with the 5 of is in one room.

This has been our experience as well. No issues sharing one room and we actually prefer using the buses to driving.

I can understand how offsite may work better for some families, but for us flexibility and transportation options are major factors in our enjoyment of Disney. We split up, sleep in, change plans, etc throughout the trip so coordinating getting back and forth to somewhere offsite with one vehicle would completely change the way we like to do Disney.
 


Another option might be the Disney Springs hotels that participate in EMH and have 60 day FP+ booking. I briefly considered that because we are a group of six this year, but we will only have one car and we won't necessarily be at the parks for the same amount of time every day. I didn't want the teenagers relying on shuttles or trying to drive in Orlando, so we opted for the convenience and hopefully the safety of Disney transportation when we are going in different directions.
Just so you're aware, the Hotel Plaza Boulevard shuttles run on an actual schedule. IMO, this makes them more reliable than Disney buses.
 
I would echo trying Disney Springs hotels. They get most of the benefits and some have rooms that accommodate more. We are not a family of 5 but we have a boy and a girl so we often have to find sleeping set ups similar to a family of 5. We stayed in the AoA recently and it was great but definitely not really value priced in the family suite.
 
Just so you're aware, the Hotel Plaza Boulevard shuttles run on an actual schedule. IMO, this makes them more reliable than Disney buses.

Thanks! I didn't know how reliable the shuttles would be, and I know the Disney bus stops usually have people around even late at night, which made me feel better if the kids stay out late.
 


Thanks! I didn't know how reliable the shuttles would be, and I know the Disney bus stops usually have people around even late at night, which made me feel better if the kids stay out late.

We had a bad experience with this bus service last year so as a result, I would only stay at a Disney Springs hotels if I had my car or used Uber. The buses pick up at two parks, then go to 3 different hotels.
 
We had a bad experience with this bus service last year so as a result, I would only stay at a Disney Springs hotels if I had my car or used Uber. The buses pick up at two parks, then go to 3 different hotels.

That was my concern. We will have one car and will start most days together, but I know the kids want to do to the water parks and DH wants to do a tour and some people might want to sleep in occasionally. I feel comfortable with DD16 and her friend taking a Disney bus to the parks if they want to sleep in or coming back at a different time in the evening. We have always stayed onsite, so I know the kids will be able to manage Disney transportation to get wherever they want to go, even if the buses are late. They would probably be fine with an offsite shuttle, but they know what to expect from the Disney buses. DD16 doesn't want us to use the car at all once we arrive, but I convinced her that she would rather be in the car to and from the water parks than on a cold Disney bus :thumbsup2
 
We're a family of 4 and we're staying off site. There is nothing magical about overpaying for cramped and close quarters o_O
A person after my own heart!
Having separate bedrooms is so nice! Parents can stay up and watch TV, talk etc.
We love having a private pool! No lugging totes of towels, swim gear, etc down elevators, hallways, stairs, etc. We just go out the sliding glass door! To us that is the ultimate luxury!
We also like having laundry, which to some is the WORST THING EVER! But hey, we get gross at the park and want to change more than once a day. This helps, and we have less clothes to take home dirty.
We also love having a full kitchen, especially a full sized fridge.
 
I really think you'd love BONNET CREEK. It is on Disney Property even though not Disney. You have ample space. Great pools and hot tubs. We booked from reputable seller on ebay. Great deal. They do have a shuttle but recommend having your car. We still loved WDW and all the magic but really loved our spacious 2 bedroom unit and the pools [lazy river and regular] and hot tubs shuffle board grills, etc.
 
A person after my own heart!
Having separate bedrooms is so nice! Parents can stay up and watch TV, talk etc.
We love having a private pool! No lugging totes of towels, swim gear, etc down elevators, hallways, stairs, etc. We just go out the sliding glass door! To us that is the ultimate luxury!
We also like having laundry, which to some is the WORST THING EVER! But hey, we get gross at the park and want to change more than once a day. This helps, and we have less clothes to take home dirty.
We also love having a full kitchen, especially a full sized fridge.

I think it depends on the kids. My kids can sleep through anything. We had no issues with them sleeping and us watching tv, talking, cleaning up, doing laundry, etc. while they slept in the same room with us at CBR. It's scary now because they can sleep through smoke alarms and just about anything.

Now that they are older if we ever go back as a family of four we will be getting two rooms. We've talked about offsite but we prefer onsite.
 
Although they only have one bathroom, have you looked into the Cabins at FW? They have some drawbacks too such as the buses but I booked them for August as it was the most affordable option for our party of 5 that allowed for a little bit of privacy. I've stayed there before and it was a great experience. It was real nice to take the boat to MK and a boat to the contemporary to access the monorail.
 
Although they only have one bathroom, have you looked into the Cabins at FW? They have some drawbacks too such as the buses but I booked them for August as it was the most affordable option for our party of 5 that allowed for a little bit of privacy. I've stayed there before and it was a great experience. It was real nice to take the boat to MK and a boat to the contemporary to access the monorail.

I think OP is looking for the cheapest option, full stop. I agree the cabins are great, and a nice upgrade from a single room at the other moderates. But when I did a quick search for some random dates in July, the cabins were about $40 per night more than POR with the 5th sleeper. It's a great option for slightly larger families, but not the value resort price OP seems to be looking for.
 
Hopefully this won't sound rude, but I'd be very careful with only reporting 4 if there are actually 5 people. While likely you wouldn't have an issue, ya just never know how strict hotels will be with their occupancy policies.

I agree here! As a family of 5, we always always check the occupancy. If some say 4, we would always call and inquire before booking to see if a younger child counted and many were great and would accommodate. I mean we aren't trying to pack 5 college kids into a room!
 
We are a family of 5. In the past we have just paid way too much to stay deluxe. Next time we will stay at the Disney Springs Double Tree in a suite, have all the FP benefits, and use part of our savings to Uber/Lyft to the parks on demand.
 
I have had really good luck the last few years on hotwire. Normally I can find rooms near disney for about 50 or less. I would rather pay less and stay near by. I use the shuttles. We once stayed at the holliday inn (formally nick hotel) for 80.00 it was really cool kids loved it. We have 3 kids most hotels have been really cool offering roll always. Always call the websites will say 4 but the hotel may say diffrent
 
Mousesavers newsletters will sometimes have extra savings for offsite hotels and Disney Springs area hotels. The Doubletree suites have lots of room, fridge, microwave, coffee maker.
 
Yup. Stay offsite. The whole "bubble" thing is hogwash, IMO. The bubble is what you make of it. There are endless options right by WDW which will be a fraction of the price and give you so, so much more than a cramped place on property. It can still be 100% magical.

I'm glad you put the IMO behind your statement, because IMO, the "Disney Bubble" is NOT hogwash. I don't get to visit often, so when I go, I want and need to be surrounded by everything Disney. We dine offsite for our meals because of our kosher diet, so that's when the bubble goes bye-bye....but as soon as I drive back on property, all is good. We are a family of 3, so we aren't "cramped" in the least. I know very well that I could save TONS of money and do something offsite, but considering my family can't take advantage of any breakfast things offered at said hotel, then onsite at Disney is the way to go for us. Also, because I'm a resident, I'm lucky to get great deals on the value resorts anyway. Also, not having to pay for parking is nice. Over 4 days, I'd be paying $100 for that as well as what I pay to park at the resort now. I think the values are $15 a day. So that's $60 of my money gone for resort parking. I'm okay with that over $160 for both.
By no means and I'm saying to you that you're wrong about the Disney Bubble....we all have our opinions and are entitled to state them as we wish. :goodvibes I just needed to chime in with mine. I've been a full time teacher these last 3 years and for me that bubble is what I need especially after the year I've had this year. :scared1:
 

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