First timer accommodation for 6 help pease

[Upatnoon]

I love this idea, would you recommend staying on or off property first or does it really not matter?

I would start with onsite, then move. With two value rooms, you would have 500 square feet of living space. After the excitement of the first few days of your trip wears off, having some space will make the rest of your trip much more enjoyable.

For example, A 2 bedroom at Wyndham Bonnet Creek is 1,200 square feet, and costs much less per night than two value rooms. It has a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. That resort is next door to the Disney Caribbean Beach resort, so you are not miles out of the way.

 

[Karebear]

I vote for the family suite at All Stars or Art of Animation. 2 rooms at a value is great, but the suite will give you the kitchenette so that you can do breakfast or whatever in your room and save some money on the cost of food. You will also have Disney transportation for your entire trip. If your 4 year old wants to call it a day, you can stay back at the hotel while the teenagers use Disney transport to go back to the parks at night, etc.

 

[Our Aussie six]

So much fantastic advice, I am definitely going to look into the Disney springs hotels even if for part of our trip. So many things to think about.
I love all this planning

 

[Our Aussie six]

I would start with onsite, then move. With two value rooms, you would have 500 square feet of living space. After the excitement of the first few days of your trip wears off, having some space will make the rest of your trip much more enjoyable.

For example, A 2 bedroom at Wyndham Bonnet Creek is 1,200 square feet, and costs much less per night than two value rooms. It has a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. That resort is next door to the Disney Caribbean Beach resort, so you are not miles out of the way.

Wow that is a lot more space and it would be a big help having a kitchen do you know if they have any shuttles to the parks?

 

[MommaBerd]

Wow that is a lot more space and it would be a big help having a kitchen do you know if they have any shuttles to the parks?

There is a shuttle, but there is a fee to use it. Here is a thread with all you need to know *and more* about WBC: https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-we-loooooove-bonnet-creek-thread-part-4.3366139/

We did love staying at WBC and have done a split stay on-site/off-site, which worked well. We own DVC now, but honestly, the WBC villas are considerably bigger.

 

[Sandiz08]

Art of animation or all star music suites if you want to stay on property in one room. Two separate value rooms work too.

 

[MomOTwins]

I'd get two value rooms and let the teens have their own room. They are old enough that a separate room won't be an issue even if you don't get them right next to each other.

 

[maxiesmom]

Good point- why didn't I think of that?- considering we're doing a leading reservation at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace. We have a 1 bedroom Island Suite which sleeps six, at considerably less cost than even the discounted BWI room. I wasn't sure of our dates so we booked that in case we can't make for those first couple of days.

We do have a car rented for that time, but I'm not sure if we'd need it, although I don't think the busses from there are quite as good as on-site.

No off site busing is as frequent as Disney's, nor do they drop off as close to the park gates.

 

[Stefani P.]

Art of Animation suites would fit 6. And they are only like $300 a night.

 

[maxiesmom]

Art of Animation suites would fit 6. And they are only like $300 a night.

If only! They start at $384 during the very limited value season, and go up as high as $631 over Christmas. Which is crazy.

The All Star Music suites start at $277 and go up as high as $497.

 

[isabellea]

I think I would stay at a Ft Wilderness cabin if we were a family of 6.

 

[fairygagamother]

I agree that the deluxe room at BWI might end up being a money saver, depending on if you can get a decent discount. Another option could be the Wilderness Lodge deluxe room. I’m not sure if there is an extra charge for a third adult or not. When we stayed there, there was not. But both of those deluxe rooms (BWI & WL) would be club level which means breakfast, snacks, drinks & appetizers are provided. Appetizers are heavy enough that they substitute for our dinners most nights. Just soft drinks alone could add $60 or so to your daily dining budget!
But, then again, if you get 2 rooms in a moderate or value, you would have 2 bathrooms. But what a good problem to have!

 

[Stefani P.]

If only! They start at $384 during the very limited value season, and go up as high as $631 over Christmas. Which is crazy.

The All Star Music suites start at $277 and go up as high as $497.

Holy cow. I've stayed and my friend and her family have stayed several times. Most we've paid is $315 a night!!

 

[QueenElinor]

I agree that the deluxe room at BWI might end up being a money saver, depending on if you can get a decent discount. Another option could be the Wilderness Lodge deluxe room. I’m not sure if there is an extra charge for a third adult or not. When we stayed there, there was not. But both of those deluxe rooms (BWI & WL) would be club level which means breakfast, snacks, drinks & appetizers are provided. Appetizers are heavy enough that they substitute for our dinners most nights. Just soft drinks alone could add $60 or so to your daily dining budget!
But, then again, if you get 2 rooms in a moderate or value, you would have 2 bathrooms. But what a good problem to have!

We were kind of surprised how well it penciled out for us. We also are only able to stay for six days because of the kids' schedules, and there's no food faster than Club Level! So we'll save time for touring instead of eating. Two of the three are also old enough to partake of the alcoholic drinks, and the third doesn't drink anyway, so the evening dessert parties to watch EPCOT fireworks will be fun. My understanding is that BWI may have the tastiest food of all the Clubs- in the evening chefs from the Flying Fish come up to prepare it. Right now I have only three ADRs scheduled for the whole week- mostly lunch at the parks.

I couldn't see packing 5 adults into a standard club level room, even if Disney allowed it, and the kids all want to stay together with us (amazing how absence makes the heart grow fonder ) so two rooms just didn't appeal to us as well as one big one.

If one is really looking forward to the dining offerings at WDW, CL might not be considered a good thing, but it is for us. It suits our vacation style very well.

 

[Babsy]

We were kind of surprised how well it penciled out for us. We also are only able to stay for six days because of the kids' schedules, and there's no food faster than Club Level! So we'll save time for touring instead of eating. Two of the three are also old enough to partake of the alcoholic drinks, and the third doesn't drink anyway, so the evening dessert parties to watch EPCOT fireworks will be fun. My understanding is that BWI may have the tastiest food of all the Clubs- in the evening chefs from the Flying Fish come up to prepare it. Right now I have only three ADRs scheduled for the whole week- mostly lunch at the parks.

I couldn't see packing 5 adults into a standard club level room, even if Disney allowed it, and the kids all want to stay together with us (amazing how absence makes the heart grow fonder ) so two rooms just didn't appeal to us as well as one big one.

If one is really looking forward to the dining offerings at WDW, CL might not be considered a good thing, but it is for us. It suits our vacation style very well.

YES, ITA. We enjoy the deluxe CL access rooms. They aren't the least expensive option, but are a really enjoyable place to stay.

AoA or ASMu suites are potentially a lower priced option as are the cabins in FW.

If you split your stay with off site, you will gain a larger accommodation when off site and save some $$$, but it isn't as easy or convenient unless you rent a car when staying outside WDW, IMO.

 

[Shellyred8]

Hi our family of six are planning on visiting from Australia In 2020. I know it’s still a long time away but I’ve been trying to work out where we should stay. What is the best options budget wise for a family of six to stay on property? Would it be getting 2 value rooms, renting DVC points or even a family room? I’m so confused and since we are planning on staying 14 nights budget is a big factor.
I have looked into renting a condo off property and I’m open to suggestions it seems to workout cheaper but then we would need to hire a car so that adds to the cost which is why I’m leaning towards staying on property.
So much to think about thanks for your help

I would recommend looking into renting DVC points and getting a 2 bedroom villa. With that many people, it will be nice to have at least 2 bathrooms (some have 3!) and a little more space. The 2 bedroom villas have a full kitchen, so you could have a few meals in your room to help with the food budget. They also have a washer and dryer to do laundry. So, if you coming for 2 weeks, it might be nice to have the laundry in your room so you can just do laundry whenever it fits into your schedule.

If you decide to look at off-site places, make sure to factor in the Resort Fees that most of them charge now. Also, if you rent a car, you will most likely have to pay for parking at the hotel too. Both are usually a per-day fee, so those fees add up fast.

Happy planning!!

 

[vinotinto]

Since one of your kids is an adult, and two others are teens, I would get two rooms onsite. Two value rooms cost less than a suite and you will have two bathrooms, be less cramped, and have more sleeping surfaces. Also, staying onsite means that if some of your kids want to stay at the parks and you want to return to the room with the little one, you don't have to worry about transportation logistics. They can just take the bus back to the resort. And they can charge meals, etc., to the room wither Magic bands.

Enjoy!

 

[Our Aussie six]

Art of animation or all star music suites if you want to stay on property in one room. Two separate value rooms work too.

I noticed the Big Blue pool at AOA is closed for refurbishing in fall 2020, do you think that would matter too much or is that the best pool at the resort?
Also is it likely that the family suites at All star music will have been refurbished by September next year?
Most likely we will visit in either September or November.

 

[Sandiz08]

Well, considering that we stayed at art of animation one night just to swim in the big blue pool, I would say that this might be a dealbreaker if I had not tried it yet. However, dates are not set in stone. We stayed at animal kingdom lodge not too long ago, and the pool was supposed to have been closed. It opened up in time for our vacation after all. The big blue pool is ok. Highly themed and fun looking, but it has no slides, and we for some reason could not hear the characters talking underneath the water. The splash pad water was off in November, not sure why. If you have young kids, they might be sad to see the pool under refurbishment, but you can still use the little mermaid pool and the cars pool, which is actually very cool looking too. If you will be going in November, consider the weather. We are from a very warm climate and my kids were just fine, but us parents were cold. If you are from a cold climate, this might not bother you. The pool being closed might not be that bad of a deal if it turns out to be cold when you're there.

 

[Sandiz08]

I noticed the Big Blue pool at AOA is closed for refurbishing in fall 2020, do you think that would matter too much or is that the best pool at the resort?
Also is it likely that the family suites at All star music will have been refurbished by September next year?
Most likely we will visit in either September or November.

As for the All star Music refurbishment, I'm not quite familiar with what is going on over there, maybe someone else can chime in. Most of the time, refurbishments are completed building by building. You may get lucky and get a room that has been refurbished, well before the resort is entirely done.