Family's of 5...Where do you stay?

[Chumpson]

I was looking at the All Star places, but apparently they don't hold 5 people, which bothers me since finances are an issue with us. So, where do you stay?

 

[mommytothreeboys]

We just got back about 3 weeks ago and we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. As far as I could tell, it was the cheapest way for our family of 5 to stay onsite. We could also have stayed in the Family Suite at All Star Music for a little bit more per night. It gives you more space/privacy, but for the amount of time we spent in the room, we opted for POR. We LOVED it!

 

[MELSMICE]

There are many options for families of 5 - some much pricier than others..........

--Ft. Wilderness cabins - sleeps 6 with a full kitchen; one bath

--Deluxes will sleep 5; no kitchen; one bath

--All Star Family Suites - sleeps 6; kitchenette; two baths

--Port Orleans Riverside - sleep 5 with a trundle or roll-away

We have stayed in all but the All Star, so I can't comment on that. I would recommend the cabins or POR.

The cabins would be more costly, but you can save on meals.

POR is a beautiful resort. With the exception of a few amenities, it feels very much like a deluxe resort to me.

 

[saikai]

We just returned from POR (5/14-5/20) there are five of us and I was VERY worried about staying there but it was great. We didn't spend a lot of time in the room but it was roomy enough for all of us. It was less expensive than the family suites at the all star resort but after staying at POR I am more than willing to forgo the extra room of the all stars to enjoy the beautiful grounds of POR. Enjoy your trip!

 

[supersuperwendy]

POR for sure! We just stayed, we're a family of 5. We loved it so much DH and I are going back for our anniversary...no kids!

 

[MiaSRN62]

I'd say POR as well, but that trundle is really only fit for about age 8 and under (approximate). It is not the same size as a twin bed. So not knowing your childrens' ages, I'm hoping POR works out for you.

 

[MELSMICE]

I'd say POR as well, but that trundle is really only fit for about age 8 and under (approximate). It is not the same size as a twin bed. So not knowing your childrens' ages, I'm hoping POR works out for you.

We didn't have a trundle in our room so we requested a roll-away. It was big enough for my teen DD's.

We would fold it up during the day to give more space to walk around.

Also, one nice thing about POR (all mods I believe) is that they have a curtain near the sink areas which you can pull closed to give more privacy for changing, etc. So, one person can be in the bathroom & someone can be changing & both have privacy.

I was very impressed & pleased with the accommodations.

 

[jtovey56]

We also stayed at POR with a trundle bed. It was fine, as a matter of fact the two kids fought over who got to sleep on the trundle bed.

 

[minnie61650]

.....Also, one nice thing about POR (all mods I believe) is that they have a curtain near the sink areas which you can pull closed to give more privacy for changing, etc. So, one person can be in the bathroom & someone can be changing & both have privacy. ............
.

The Family Suites at All Star Music also have privacy curtains near the sink areas. (2 privacy curtains--- 1 by each sink .)

DH and I stayed in a Family Suite at All Star Music ( a value resort) last Sept. (2006)

We really enjoyed the Queen size bed, the kitchenette with the microwave, having a sofa and cushioned chair to sit on and relax after a day at the parks before retiring for the evening.

I thought the pullouts very comfortable.

They are designed so the back cushion and seat cushion of the pullout support the pullout. There is no meatle bar to hurt the sleepers back.

Info thread--Pullouts in Family Suites at ASMU with photos of how the pullout is supported.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18100990#post18100990

Here is the layout of the Family Suites:

Here is my review of the Suites:

www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=17640774&postcount=7

For more photos and info please see this info thread:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1392879

Here is an info thread POR vs, AS family Suites.
It has photos of the trundle bed at POR-AB.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1392857

Have fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!

 

[mnasmom3]

We've stayed at POR in the past and it worked out fine. This time though, we've opted for 2 connecting rooms (hopefully connecting) at ASSports for our September trip even though it's a bit more then one room at POR. My issues w/the POR were the small beds. We're used to a queen bed at home. This way we'll have 4 beds. Dh and I can have our own, the girls can share a bed and ds can have the 4th. Also, we'll have more room to move around and 2 full baths.

 

[minnie61650]

Just an FYI


For comparison, the price of a Family Suite is $9-11 more then 2 Standard Rooms, or $13-15 less the 2 Preferred Rooms, depending on season.

Also a fridge is included in AS Suite.

Fridges cost $10 a night to rent when staying at a value . Don't forget the Queen size bed,a coffee pot and microwave are also in Family Suites.


Have fun at Disney!

 

[mdfdisney]

My DW and I have three girls.

We stayed at POR on our first stay inside WDW. As long as at least two of your kids don't mind sleeping in a double bed (my girls do it at home a lot despite having separate rooms ) it is fine and the least expensive option.

We reserved two rooms at POP, but brought along a single mom and her daughter and put one of our girls in the second room. I probably wouldn't do this option without a third adult.

We stayed and CR and really enjoyed the extra space and proximity to MK, but the price is outrageous for a Tower room with MK view. Still, save up and do it once if you can.

On our next trip, we will be trying out the ASMu Family Suites and a Deluxe room and BC (split stay of 3 nights each). I think the Family Suites will be the comfortable stay with all the extra room, kitchenette for our breakfast supplies and two bathrooms (4 females ). I added BC just for the change of scenery and easy access to Epcot for the end of our trip.

Fort Wilderness cabins look nice with extra space and a full kitchen, but the extra cost may push it outside what you want to pay.

I have also stayed offsite at Nickelodeon Family Suites (smaller than ASMu Family Suites) and at a 3 bedroom condo that was only $99 a night and 4 or 5 miles from the South entrance. The condos or larger offsite hotel rooms can be good options if price becomes a major issue or you plan to go to Universal, Sea World, etc.

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

We did POR for our last 3 trips with our 3 kids and we love it so much

It so quiet, peacefull and clean

I say go for POR

 

[Chumpson]

Now I need to decide between--The Suite at All Star, 2 All Star Rooms or a Room at POR? Thoughts on those? I am thinking my kids will be 12, 9 and 7.

Help?

Oh and this may be our only trip, never been before and don't know if we will go back.

 

[MELSMICE]

Now I need to decide between--The Suite at All Star, 2 All Star Rooms or a Room at POR? Thoughts on those? I am thinking my kids will be 12, 9 and 7.

Help?

Oh and this may be our only trip, never been before and don't know if we will go back.

If you are comfortable with one bathroom then I say POR. We have 3 teen girls & did it with one bath no problem.

 

[MiaSRN62]

The Suite at All Star, 2 All Star Rooms or a Room at POR? Thoughts on those? I am thinking my kids will be 12, 9 and 7.

If your budget allows, I'd go with two AS rooms (will give u 2 bathrooms and that is a big "+" with your kids' ages. Also, will it be the 7 yo that sleeps on the trundle ? I know sex can play a factor here. I don't think the 9 or 12 yo would be comfortable. And even if your 7 yo is a little larger than average, he/she may be a big tight on the trundle. Just something to think about.

Or if you plan on the one room at POR, then do as Melsmice said---get a rollaway if you can but I'm not sure they are guaranteed to be in stock ? But I would think even if it's folded up, with a family of 5 with your kids ages, it would make the room a tad tight. I know we stayed in a POR room without a rollaway and felt a little too snug in there.

 

[KKB]

(I did a lot of research on this one, as we are a family of 5, kids same age as yours!...then Mom decided to come, so now there are 6...we have 2 rooms at POP. Kinda wish I had known about the Family suites...the kitchenette plus private room for DH & I would have been nice. But might not have been as comfortable for my mom...I do have fridge/coffee maker swaps I am in, so that helps)

POR..slightly cheaper; quieter, nicer grounds; further away, one bath, smaller beds

Fam suite---kitchenette, private master BR

2 rooms---slightly roomier, as the same amount of space as suite w/o kitchenette; no fridge/micro/coffee maker; if they aren't adjoining (WDW makes no guarantees...), adults will have to split sleeping arrangements

Good luck!

 

[chasgoose]

The best option would probably be two rooms at the All Stars or at Pop (which, IMHO, is nicer). Not only would that be cheaper if you didn't book preferred rooms, but you would have the most space (even more than a family suite) of the three options. I think your kids might be too old for the one POR room and that room would be very tight for 5 people. Not only might the trundle bed be too small, but you only have one bathroom compared to the two bathrooms in the options at the values. With the two value rooms, you get 4 real beds (all doubles) instead of two doubles and a tiny trundle at POR or one queen and 3 or 4 sofa beds (I don't care how nice sofa beds are, they still aren't real beds) at an All Star family suite. If you request adjoining rooms you almost always get it (especially if it means splitting up the parents) and that is the only risk you run booking two rooms.

 

[minnie61650]

... If you request adjoining rooms you almost always get it (especially if it means splitting up the parents) and that is the only risk you run booking two rooms.

Yes, that is the risk of booking 2 rooms . Some guests who book connecting rooms for familes do not get them (including my family.)


As a mother of 4 (All grown now. My oldest is in her 30's and my youngest is 22) I often wished Disney had more options for larger families.
When the children were younger and we would go to Disney they did not have DVC or the family suites. In fact Disney did not have a Moderate until CBR opened in the late 1980's so if we wanted to stay onsite we either rented 2 rooms at a deluxe or stayed in the cabins.

I wrote to Disney many times over the years asking for more options for families so when I heard they were building the New Family Suites at All Star Music it just made me so happy!

In the late 80's I booked 2 connecting rooms at CBR for my family.
When we checked in there were no connecting rooms left but we were able to get rooms next to each other on the second floor.
Our two oldest were teens so I put them in one room and the 2 little ones who were 5 and 7 stayed with us. It worked for us because our older children were able to stay in a room without us but if they were younger DH and I would have had to split up.

Disney may say they guarantee connecting rooms but in reality Disney does not guarantee connecting rooms.

If there are 2 adults Disney can split the adults and children into two rooms that are not connecting. They try hard not to do this but it can and does happen sometimes. If however it is one adult with 5 children Disney should try harder to find connecting rooms since some of the children cannot be left in a room without an adult. But if you look at the threads posted below you will see that sometimes even Disney mixes up.


It does happen. Far too often IMHO.

From this thread;

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1145289

Just wanted to re-iterate what others have said:

We requesting connecting rooms at CBR in January--not really a busy time & we were early for check-in. They did not have us in connecting rooms. They said they could accommodate us, but it would be smoking rooms--which was our #1 request non-smoking.

We were side-by-side, so we just went outside to go next door, so it wasn't a huge deal for us. But if you definitely want to be together--I would go with a suite. You could also look into renting DVC points for a villa.

Here are a couple more threads about guests not getting connecting rooms:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1095679

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=785797&page=1&pp=15

From this thread:

http://disboards.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=13528958

One of the threads that Linda posted a link to was my experience last March. I had many conversations with the higher-ups at Guest Services and was told that even if it says "guaranteed" it is not truly "guaranteed." It just has higher priority over the "requests." Because on a given day, there might only be 25 connecting room sets opening up, but 27 "guaranteed connecting rooms for families" ressies checking in. 2 of those families are not going to get their "guarantee."
I know, I was shocked that we had to fight so hard to get put in rooms that had just been fumigated for lice (they were taken out of the inventory, but re-opened because we insisted we needed rooms.) I sort of assumed that if they didn't have the rooms for us, they'd find rooms elsewhere on Disney property. For that stay, we were sometimes 2 adults and sometimes only 1. Now we will book offsite if we need to do that again. If there are 2 of us adults, we book connecting and hope for the best. Otherwise, we'll split the kids.

My point is to make backup plans if you are depending on connecting rooms.

That is one of the main reasons if my family were young I would choose a Suite over 2 connecting rooms or I would be prepared that I may need to split the family up and sleep in a different room than DH.

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Have fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!

 

[fivefordisney]

I think I am in the minority here...but we felt sort of squished in POR. The trundle was really small and the kids argued about who would stay on it. We stayed at the Poly next and that was much better in terms of space. The daybed in the Poly was perfect for my then 9 yo DD. THe other two kids, ages 3 and 7 shared a queen bed. Having more space in the room was great too.

Good luck. How old are your kids?