family of 5

[bonnielynn]

What is a good resort for a family of 5.. I have been told PO Riverside with a roll away bed.. not sure if that would begood.. too cramped..
We have 3 children 15, 16, 8... boys are 16, 8...

Any advice..?

 

[Julia M]

We stayed at PO, with 5 (3 kids) and found it to be very cramped. I personally would stay off site, or move up to a deluxe.

We have stayed at Vistana, Orange lake Country Club and Marriotts Grand Vista. We love the space.

This Xmas, we are staying at the Poly, concierge level. That way we'll have a bigger room, as well as the lounge.

Good Luck

Julia

 

[bonnielynn]

Cost me a extra 1000 to get 2 rooms at the Pop century.. can't imagine what it would cost for a deluxe!!

 

[rileyroosmom]

If you don't want to pay for a deluxe hotel, how about 2 rooms at either a value or a moderate? There are also the cabins at Fort Wilderness.
I know the choices are somewhat limited (and expensive). I also have a family of 5. We have stayed in 2 rooms at the CSR. Loved the 2 baths, 2 tvs 2 fridges and the extra space. We have also stayed at the Polynesian, it had great room space and was a great resort.
Good luck with your choice!

 

[minniesfriend]

The Contemporary rooms sleep 5. Our fam of 4 stayed there with my mom. It has two queen beds and then a day bed thing that converts into a single. These rooms are larger than POR.

You could try FW cabins. We stayed there with my parents and really liked the space. Make sure you read about the transportation issues. It's very peaceful there.

OKW and BWV 2 BR are great. We've stayed at both of these resorts with 6 people each time and have had plenty of space. OKW villas are larger than BWV, BWV has a great location.

 

[mindystar]

I personally am a fan of the Contemporary. We have a family of five also, so it was nice to have plenty of space for all of us. The couch that converts to a day bed is much nicer than a rollaway or so I think.
Hope this helps!

 

[eeyoresmountainpals]

I personally would recommend the Polynesian. We have three boys (16,12 and 11). We went last October and stayed Poly Concierge and we did not feel cramped at all.

We actually stayed there several times many years ago when there were 6 of us. (Our daughter is now away at college.) The last time all six of us were there were when the kids were 12, 9, 4 and 2. Even then we didn't feel cramped. Two boys slept in one bed, daughter slept on the day bed and we had a crib for the little one!

 

[nanalisa]

The rooms at CR and Poly are huge and sleep 5 with 2 queens and a daybed. We had a rollaway at POFQ in July and it was not fun plus the 2 beds were just full sized. POR has small bed underneath one of the beds but is tiny, not big enough for a 15 yo or the 8 yo for that matter.

 

[minnie61650]

My suggustuion:
2 rooms at the ALL Stars.
That means 4 double beds and 2 BATHROOMS.
All for less than 1 room at the Contemporary or the Poly.

Call me a resort SNOB but for me it is ALL STARS ALL THE TIME.
I am 55 year old and travel several times a year. I often stay at 4 star hotels.
So the deluxe resorts do not have anything special for me.
All Star is like being in the heart of the MAGIC and that is where I want to be.

All Star Music is my faveroite.It Is quieter because more couples stay there.I love the Clypso builing it is closer to the pool,food court and bus stop.

Here is a site with a map of All Star Sports and All Star Music.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmap.htm
Scroll down.All Star Music is at the bottom of the page.
The Calypso buildings at All Star Music are #1 and #10 are nearest to the food court and bus stop.
They are the preferred buildings and cost about $12 extra per night.
The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

Here is the map of All Movies.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmovie.JPG
The Fantasia Buildings are the preferred buildings.
The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.
The buses are wonderful.
Bus ride times according to PassPorter.com

Bus rides are shorter from the ALL Stars than POP according to PassPorter.com

All Star Buses---Pop buses----Contempory
MK 20 min-----MK 25 min-------20 min (mono)
Epcot 10 min----Epcot 20 min------15 min
MGM 10 min-----MGM 15 min-------20 min
AK 10 min------AK 15 min-----------20 min
DTD 15 min-----DTD 20 min---------35

The All Star resorts have 1960 rooms each.
Pop has 2,880rooms.
That means more people in the pools,food court and in line waiting for the bus at POP.
When phase 2 of POP is built it will be 2 bus stops at POP and the 2 POPs will have the same # of rooms as the 3 All Stars.

Also All Star is closer to the main road to get to parks and thats why bus rides are shorter from there than from POP.

A WORD ABOUT BUS SHARING:

It is usually just our stop and maybe one more on the way to the parks. On the way back sometimes its all 3 but often Sports and Music share and Movies has it's own bus back.

I guess some people who stay at POP see all 3 All Star names on the return sign of our bus stop when they head to the POP bus stop and think All Stars also has 3 stops on the way to the park.
(Even when we stop at another AS resort to load up it has not taken more than 5 minutes and we are on our way!)

I love the All Star Resorts --they can't be beat. I have visited WDW more than a dozen times with the 1st time in Oct. 1971. It was brand new. I've stayed at FW, Disney Inn, a few the of Hotels on hotel Blvd., CBR and the towers at the Contemporary. I got to see the MK from my balcony at the Contemporary and I'm happy I got to experience it once. I just prefer the All Star Resorts.
The theaming is pure Disney.
My last 4 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we take dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 we are staying at the All Stars Music. I thought about AKL and even though we can well afford AKL I just wanted Alex to experience the Disney Magic at the All Stars on his first visit.
Where else can one find Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse at the pool?
IHave a great time at Disney!
Linda

 

[magicmouse2]

We have 2 rooms at Pop booked (3 kids)and compared prices to 1 at POR. It only worked out about $150 dollars more ? I cant understand how it worked out a $1000 more for you. Unless your kids are under 5 it will be cramped at POR. With 2 rooms at a value you also get the extra storage space. Only other resorts I would consider for 5 in a room are Polynesian and Contemporary. I agree that the values are very magical because of the Disney theming. Only thing I will miss is the hot tub during our Pop C stay. We are splitting a stay with a 2 bed villa at SSR but wanted to get the dining plan and try Pop C. We love MGM so the convenience of being close will be cool. We have a car so transport for us is no issue. Have fun planning!

 

[golfgal]

We stayed at AKL in a deluxe room. We had a queen, bunk beds and a day bed. There was plenty of room for everyone. The bed sit higher off the floor, so it was a good place to keep your suitcases while you stayed. The bathroom was split so there is a double sink in one area and tub and toilet in a separate room. I loved having my morning coffee watching the giraffes eat their breakfast!

 

[hockey mom]

We also have 3 kids and my vote is also for 2 rooms at a value. I am not sure how it will cost an extra $1000- maybe you can elaborate.

We have stayed at POR and AKL deluxe and found 2 rooms at POP were better.

 

[Lars624]

Have you considered renting points from a DVC member??
The DVC villas are a great alternative for families with 3 or more kids....I have 16 y/o twins & a 9y/o DS & we love the 2 bdrm villas.

 

[bonnielynn]

We have 2 rooms at Pop booked (3 kids)and compared prices to 1 at POR. It only worked out about $150 dollars more ? I cant understand how it worked out a $1000 more for you. Unless your kids are under 5 it will be cramped at POR. With 2 rooms at a value you also get the extra storage space. Only other resorts I would consider for 5 in a room are Polynesian and Contemporary. I agree that the values are very magical because of the Disney theming. Only thing I will miss is the hot tub during our Pop C stay. We are splitting a stay with a 2 bed villa at SSR but wanted to get the dining plan and try Pop C. We love MGM so the convenience of being close will be cool. We have a car so transport for us is no issue. Have fun planning!

I called yesterday to add the 15 yr old on (wants to know go).. I am currently booked at the Carribean w/one room, 5 day hopper and dinning added... to add the 15 yrs old and get 2 rooms at pop it raised the amount by $1000. That is what I was told by the disney agent.. which leaves me in a pickle.. I didn't even ask about going up to Deluxe because I figured it would really be alot more. So I can either squeeze us into the Riverside or go outside and forget the dinning...

 

[bonnielynn]

Have you considered renting points from a DVC member??
The DVC villas are a great alternative for families with 3 or more kids....I have 16 y/o twins & a 9y/o DS & we love the 2 bdrm villas.

I am not as educated on the subject of renting points.. I did put a feeler out ther and asked about renting points.. however I am not sure how many points that I need for a 2 brd... I think that would most likely be the cheaper way to go.. I have had someone quote $12.75 per point.. Is that good?

 

[zoomsharedisney]

The average price for points on DisBoards is about $10.00 per point.

 

[tiki23]

We're a family of five - 2 DS, 14 and 15, and one DD 12 - and we've just booked 2 rooms at CBR. I love my kids, love that we'll be doing WDW as a family but on a busy vacation like this for 10 days, I need some space and downtime. I would go nuts in one room with one bathroom!

Also, there is NO way any of my kids would share a bed; I would never hear the end of it, lol.

Go for the two rooms at Pop or rent points....for sanity's sake.

 

[the kabuki]

As a family of 5 , our favorite is to book two connecting rooms at a value resort. Has always worked out terrific for us.

 

[ToyStory]

I am not familar with the points, but go to the DVC board and look at the points that people have for rent I have seen them for $10.00. Also look at the points calculator. Weekends are much more expesive and you have see what the cancellation policy if needed.

When I was booking my trip it was cheaper to go with two moderate rooms then one deluxe room at the Poly or CR. It was about the same for WL.
Going for two room at a value would even be less, but for me my husband refuses to stay at one. My mom and I stayed at All Star Movies with my son and it was nice.

I would recommend two rooms at POR therefore you will have four double beds and two trundle beds. Plenty of beds and two bathrooms and refrigerators and I think it would be less then renting points especially if you are staying through a weekend.

 

[tar heel]

We have a family of 5 and renting points for a 2-bedroom costs MORE than a deluxe resort and thus lots more than POR.

I'll be the dissenter here. While I prefer a deluxe resort or two moderate rooms (my family doesn't like the pools at the values), we were perfectly happy the two times we stayed at POR. The last time we stayed there, my kids were 16, 12 and 6. The third bed is a trundle, not a rollaway, so it tucks under the bed during the day. The 12-year-old slept on the trundle and said it was fine.

We're so busy at Disney that we don't spend much time in the room unless we're sleeping, resting or getting ready for the day. When we're in one room, I usually get up early and get ready while everyone else is asleep. Some eat breakfast while others are showering and we get along fine.