Family of 9 on a budget

[wellmansteak]

Hello! Looking for a bit of advice.

We are traveling with extended family for the Princess Half next Feb. We would like to stay on-site as inexpensively as possible. Normally my family of 4 stays at an All Star and we're happy there--however, with 9, that would be 3 rooms (since the occupancy is 4) and that's out of our price range. We would like to stay somewhere for about $200 a night if possible.

I know we can do it for that price off-site, but I would like to exhaust every possible on-site option before we start looking off-site. Any creative ideas? For example, I thought about renting a camper that sleeps 11 and staying at Fort Wilderness. I think we can do that for about $200 a night.

Thanks so much!

 

[WDW Crawl]

Going to be honest, renting a camper with that many people in it does not sound fun. Not really sure though if you'll have many other options in that price range on property. Art of Animation resort has the family suites but they will run more I believe.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I don't see any way that you will be able to stay on-site with 9 people for $200 a night (other than the camper idea which doesn't sound like much fun). Have you given any thought to an off-site vacation home? You could get a really nice one that would sleep everyone comfortably, not to mention the extra bathrooms. Even if you have to add two rental cars, you could probably stay within your budget. Just something to think about.

 

[kmb584]

I don't think an under $200/night budget for 9 people is realistic since even at the values you're overbudget.

I'd look into either renting an off-site house or staying off-site at a resort like Wyndham Bonnet Creek. You'll be able to get 2-3 bedrooms at a resort and quite a bit more with a house. Extra bathrooms are a huge bonus and you're going to easily come in under budget!

 

[wellmansteak]

Yes, we've done the off-site rental house before and enjoyed it (see my signature!) And that might be what we need to do. But I thought I'd see if there were any other options. Even if we needed to split up into a group of 5 and a group of 4.

We've camped together before and had a blast. So I am not too worried about that aspect--more worried about renting an unfamiliar camper. Normally we would just take our camper, but due to scheduling issues, that's not really an option.

Thanks for your help!

 

[gillenkl]

Yes, we've done the off-site rental house before and enjoyed it (see my signature!) And that might be what we need to do. But I thought I'd see if there were any other options. Even if we needed to split up into a group of 5 and a group of 4.

We've camped together before and had a blast. So I am not too worried about that aspect--more worried about renting an unfamiliar camper. Normally we would just take our camper, but due to scheduling issues, that's not really an option.

Thanks for your help!

If you post on the "camping at disney" forum you may get better help regarding the Fort. I know there used to someone who delivered campers to the Fort and would do the setup at the site and everything. Not sure how many they sleep. We take our own popup when we go the Fort so I never paid much attention to the rental threads.

 

[anniemck]

Royale Parc Suites, it is actually a Quality Suites Resort, right outside the Disney Properties on 192 and very nice... 2 bedroom Suites sleep 10. They also have kitchenettes, free breakfast and a tiki bar out near the pool/hot tub.

 

[Mari23]

have you checked renting a 2 or 3 bedroom condo at the Bonnet Creek, you may be able to find something there, plus you are in the Disney bubble. Check redweek.com for listings


Good luck!

 

[katiee37]

If you really want to stay on-site, consider a split stay. Find somewhere cheap off-site for your arrival and departure days and any days you might be planning to take it easy, and book your value resort of choice for the days you want to utilize the on-site amenities like EMH or Disney transportation.
Have a magical trip!

 

[GadgetTheInventor]

Have you researched the benefits of staying on-site as it relates specifically to the race experience? How are the on-site buses vs. those driving from off-site?

As someone who has done races with a large family (eleven for the Flying Pig in Cincinnati!), I can vouch for the benefits of close accommodation. You get to sleep in, not worry about traffic, and people can head back for a quick shower if your races or finish times are staggered. Spectators can also arrive at staggered times vs. the runners who need to arrive early to find their corral. If you are coming from off-site, everyone needs to leave at the same time as the first runner. Staying in a hotel provides you with all the hot water and towels you can use to freshen up after the race.

Consider the money you are putting into this vacation. Is this a one-time experience? Are there runners in your group who are going to be pushing themselves to avoid the cut-off pace and could benefit from the extra sleep or hassle-free bus ride over to the race from the hotel?

I would defiantly look into what other runners are saying about their race accommodation experiences and then decide whether or not to spend the extra money.

 

[christmasbn]

Stay at fort, you can rent a huge camper from one of many local companies, and also put a tent up on the site as well. Boat over to MK and park at your site. No other value or local hotel could do hat for the same price. You are on Disney property at an awesome resort, and no transportation hassels. We are doing that this February, trailer rentals are about $65 a night for the 6-8 person ones, so go a step up to the $100 a day to sleep ten, throw a tent up for changing/more space and book the site with a AAA discount to save more money. the trailer companies that rent locally (read up on them on the Camping board) provide everything you could possibly need including propane and set up for you, deliver for you, and some will even shop for you to stock the fridge. Pretty sweet.

 

[spiceycat]

guess camping is your only choice

even OKW would be $370 to $400 per night for a 2-bedroom villa that sleeps 9.

here the camping board

http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24

 

[HopperFan]

Campsites that time of year are probably running $135+ and then you need to get the camper as well so I imagine you will be well over $200 a night. I def would check the camper board here to see if anyone has stayed there for a race and how the transportation went for start time. I know when we stayed in cabins (no race just regular trip) the bus situation there was a negative so we ended up driving to all but MK.

Race wise - we stayed onsite once and the busing to the race (Jan Half) was by outside companies and both ways got lost to race/hotel. Add that we were sardines - smelly sardines coming back. Next two we stayed off property, drove in ourselves and it was SO much better. I know we were back at our hotel before others even got on a bus.