Family of 6 in a Port Orleans Riverside room?

[MistressMerryweather]

For those who have done it, is it miserable cramped? We don't spend a huge amount of time in our room and it is the cheapest option, beating out 2 rooms at value, value family suites and cabins. A deluxe might do it, but we would have to come across a 40% coupon code. We would have dh and I, our 8yo, 6yo(in the double/queen bed), 2yo(trundle or cot) and infant 6 mos(pack 'n play). Would love to hear from those who have done it, or better options out there.

 

[Dizfan4life]

We stayed at POR some years back, and just recently at CBR, and if I was you I would not cram 6 people in the room at any moderate resort. The only place you would be able to stick the pack-n-play might be between the two beds and in front of the nightstand. The trundle will roll out from under the bed that is closest to the door/window. I saw you had on your post something about Values and I would probably either get two rooms at a value, a value family suite, or check into renting DVC points. Having 6 people and one bathroom would seem impossible to me . Have a great trip!

 

[kellydizfan]

I seriously wouldn't do it. Not sure if they would allow it to begin with. We did 5 of us back in July 2009 and it was too small. No way really to get away from anyone else. I felt claustrophobic with the 5 of us in that room. We are hoping to go back this August and I have 2 rooms booked at Pop Century. I can't wait now - just looking at airfare and they keep changing daily. It really isn't much difference in price between the mod and 2 rooms when we booked ours but we are also going during free dining to help with expenses.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

Thanks! Actually POR is not my favorite resort. I would much rather get a 40% coupon code for deluxe and be on the monorail with 2 kids that are 2 and under. We did 5 in a mod POFQ last October, 2 kids in a bed and 1 in a pack 'n play and it was okay. The pack 'n play fits behind the curtain right under the safe box. Now, though, with 1 more on the way, it sounds a bit crampy. I do recall wishing we had 2 rooms last time, just so dh and I could hang out in the evenings. Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty sure we will forgo the POR thing.

 

[rigs32]

I can't imagine that you'd have any floor space left.

 

[hollyk]

we did it 2 years ago with 4 kids and 2 adults ages(9,7,3,7mo) they did not have queen beds but double's I believe and it was doable as we don't spend much time in there. it was cramped but made it work. there is room to put the crib next to the TV. The deluxes are not too much bigger ( a little) and only a couple will let you have six in the room (and yes they do let you have 6 as the child under 3 doesn't really count). I know it's cheaper than family suite or 2 rooms, it actually was the cheapest option as to what we are looking at currently, but my infant is now 2.5 when we will go again, and will be way too cramped. I would look into Cabins as those hold 6 comfortably and have kitchen, or renting DVC.

 

[twoplustwins]

We did!! DH and I, our two daughters (ages 7,4) and twin boys (age 2). It was cramped, but I read up and did some research about what to bring, how to arrange, etc. DH and I slept in one bed and then pushed the other bed against the wall. That gave us a little more room between the beds. We put the double stroller by the TV, but a pack and play would fit there. There is space in the bathroom by the sinks on the side where the hanging bar is to store things as well. Feel free to ask me any questions you can think of!! HTH

 

[stm61]

I did it several years ago. I had one bed with a dd with me (dh stays home with the animals). One kid in the trundle, two in the other bed, pack n' play by the sinks. We've even put a kid's size air mattress between the 2 beds and pushed the table over some and put another mattress in that area. My boys are seperated by several girls and we had to get creative when the older boy aged out of sharing with his sisters. Yeah, it was very crowded in there, but we were only in the room to sleep. We stood the mattresses up against the wall during the day, so they weren't in housekeepings way. We also don't do mid-day breaks, so by the time we got back the kids were to tired to fight for more then a few minutes. I think the last time we were able to have all 5 in a room with me the kids were 13, 7, 7, 3, and 1 1/2.

 

[natnelliesmom]

We stayed there this past October. We are a family of 5- DH and DD5 in one bed (and they are doubles, not queens!) Myself in the other bed (DD 1 yr was in and out of my bed all night), DD7 on the trundle.
It was MISERABLY cramped. We hated it. We are park stormers- spending the majority of our time in the parks. But the little time we were in our room was awful. There was no room to put our things. There was mess everywhere! Once we rolled in the stroller, we pretty much had to climb over the beds to get to the other side of the room. The only places to put the pack-n-play are crammed in between the beds, or in the sink area. Since my DH and I had the light on by the sinks as a night light- the only place to put it was between the beds.
The resort was beautiful. But we would NEVER stay there as a whole family again. It was not worth the money we saved to put up with the aggravation. I think our stays in DVC villas spoiled us.
We just felt like we were in a cheapo Holiday Inn or something!! Lol. Never again.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

As a mom with tons of kids, I know what it means to do things with limited space. We didn't find our room cramped at all with 5 in there, and we would've fit six with no problems had we needed to. Our family has only one bathroom at home, so if we can handle living with one bathroom with seven people, you will probably be fine with 6! Especially since one is a baby. I liked that the toilet is separate from the sinks. That is probably the biggest issue with us is people needing to brush teeth or wash hands while someone is showering or going potty! The separation solved that problem for us! We loved POR!

 

[maxiesmom]

I wouldn't recommend it. We did a legal 6 at POR, and you hardly have room to breathe. Not to mention, it is a challenge to share one bathroom with that many people. Especially when it seems for us someone always has tummy troubles when we are away from home.

That trip we actually started out at POR and then went to an off-site suite hotel. And we were all much happier off-site with all of the extra room. And I am saying that as someone who loves being on-site! The rooms atPOR will hold 6, but not comfortably.

I think you should look into the Family Suites at ASMu. We have stayed there too, and it is much nicer than packing all into 1 room. It does cost a bit more, but don't forget you also get a kitchette, and you can do some easy meals in the room to save money. We just did breakfast in the room, but with 6 people that saves you a good amount.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

Second the opinion above about looking into the Family Suites at ASMu-they will price a little higher but are quite spacious, have two full baths, separate living area (two TV's) and the kitchenette was really great, especially for a nice, quiet breakfast at your own pace rather than packing everyone up and going to the food court to eat breakfast. It made getting out and to the parks very easy in the morning for our group, and we did "rope drop" every morning.

 

[n2mm]

I also think the family suite is a better fit. Yes, you'll be miserable. Heck we did 6 in a 1 bedroom in May and found that to be crowded and that has 2 bathrooms. I think with the extra room in the family suite, plus kitchenette, 2 bathrooms, 2 TVs and a separate room for the baby to sleep in, you guys would be happier. Plus with the kitchenette you would be able to prepare several of your meals a day there and save on food which would help cover the xtra cost of the larger room. Other than that, you might want to look into renting points from a DVC member to stay in a 1 bedroom (BLT, OKW, AKV -- only these 3 sleep 5 +1 in a one-bedroom).

 

[SirGalahad]

As with anything on these boards, it all depends on what type of family you are. If you are down to earth about it and your children get along with few squabbles, you'll have no problem. If you're just sleeping and bathing there, don't worry about it.

 

[lblume91]

We are getting ready for our 4th stay at POR. While we are "only" a family of 5, my kids are much older (and take up a whole lot more space!) than yours. Our girls are 17, 12, & 7. It's always a tight fit but still well worth it. It's not permanent. We can tolerate anything for a week's time. We love POR. It is the best value for a family of 5, has an awesome food court, & has beautiful grounds. I say go for it.