Help...family of six needs to decide on accomodations!

[DisneyTigers]

Okay, let me say that I used to be an on-site snob. I'm a former CM and if I "did Disney," I "DID DISNEY!"
BUT, we are taking all 4 kids for the FIRST time and are really in a quandry as to what to do (actually, my DH knows exactly what he wants to do, but as I am the "planner" I get to decide! )


We have reservations at POR, so it would be DH and me, 3 kids aged 4-9, and a little guy in pack-n-play. We would do DDP and that would be really worth it w/ 3 kids (that we're paying for).

OR, we also have reservations for a 3 bedroom at Windsor Hills for MUCH less (several hundred $$) than the hotel room, and even if we splurged on food, I think we'd come out even or pay less overall.

Is it worth the space????? have any of you ever stayed in one hotel room w/ 4 kids for 7 days? Did you lose your mind?


We need to decide soon...help help help!!!

 

[Darcy03231]

I have four children and love them all dearly. Having said that there is absolutely, positively no way that I would spend a week in a hotel room with 6 people. By the time the week was over I would be ready for a vacation from my vacation! I would definitely stay off-site (in fact, I did last summer when we went with 9 people). With that number of people you'll really love having all the room. It's also nice to be able to put the kids to bed and for the adults to have space to sit and visit and no worry about keeping the kids up. I loved being able to get up, get the coffee going, have a shower and sit outside enjoying my coffee and a few minutes peace each morning before getting everyone up for the day. I also really liked being able to have breakfast in each morning. It made things much easier. It was also much less expensive.

 

[AlyLynn]

Hi! We are a family of 6, who used to stay at POR, then the cabins, then finally we bought an RV! Yes POR can be crowded, but you are still in 1 room, and onsite! How much time do you really spend in the room anyway? We never had a problem--Our kids are ages 2-13 right now. We have stayed offsite, but the savings never really made up for the convenience of being onsite with such a large family for us. At least if 1 or 2 kids needed a nap, it was a bus or boat ride away. Good luck with your trip!

 

[Del]

Stay at the Vistana....close to the parks....lots of room. You need space with that many people and privacy for you and your husband....it's your vacation too.

Del

 

[Octoberbabiesrus]

I just gotta say, you are one brave lady... I'm taking 2 and thought I was brinking on crazy. I admire u for keeping ur sanity with all the kid!

 

[liznboys]

We are a family of 6, 4 boys 8 and under. We stayed in the Poly last year in one room, and we did not lose our minds. We were quite happy there! And we are not some abnormal, perfect, family of saints or anything... lol We are normal people who get stressed and have sibling rivalry as much as the next large family. We just love being in WDW SO much, and we also love the Poly so much. That trip was one of our best ever actually. And we're doing the exact same thing this year!

That said, I can certainly understand why other large familes would rather stay offsite in larger accomodations for possibly less money. If you don't mind not being onsite, then it makes sense, why not?! For us though onsite is the only way to go.

 

[laughinplace199]

We aren't a family of 6, but we are a family of 5. We stayed in a studio at VWL last year and it wasn't bad at all. It was for 4 nights, not 7, but I'd do it for a week in a heartbeat. We weren't in the room all that much.

Would you consider renting points from a DVC member? You could get a 2 BR unit with a full kitchen, washer/dryer, and lots of space. I don't know how the price would compare to an off-site rental, but it might be worth looking into.

 

[DisneyBrat]

We are a family of 5.. From my perspective I would consider the convienence of onsite. If you need to go back to get a nap its much easier than trying to go back and forth to an offsite place. We have done both and TRUST me I would MUCH rather be a little crowded than give up the Disney magic and convenience plus the perks of staying onsite. What about 2 rooms at the Value resorts? Good Luck in deciding

 

[AlyLynn]

Stay at the Vistana....close to the parks....lots of room. You need space with that many people and privacy for you and your husband....it's your vacation too.

Del

We have also stayed at the Vistana. We really liked it, but do your research, because certain sections are really disappointing, to say the least. We requested the "Cascades" section last year, and were lucky enough to get it. We accidentally drove into the wrong section, and we were terrified that was the section we'd be in. It was still better for us to stay onsite with the 4 kids.

 

[staci]

I would stay onsite. Cant beat the convenience with the kids. As someone else said, how much time will you spend in the room anyway??


Of course, it depends on how physically close your family can be. While ds(4) no longer co-sleeps and sleeps in his own room on the weekdays, on the weekend we are often all in one room together. It doesnt bother us one bit, and I actually rest easier that way. But only you know if your family/kids can handle that close of quarters.

 

[littleteapot]

November 2005 we stayed with DS10, DS8, DD6 and DS6 at a suite at ASMu.

It was perfect for us.

 

[HeatherAnne]

I would definitely look into renting points from a Disney Vacation Club Member! Check out the DVC forums and ask some members about renting. You may even save a little money by going that route - you never know!

Good Luck and Have a great trip!

HeatherAnne

 

[bookmama]

do the fort. that way you won't kill each other.

 

[Disneygirl26]

Okay, let me say that I used to be an on-site snob. I'm a former CM and if I "did Disney," I "DID DISNEY!"
BUT, we are taking all 4 kids for the FIRST time and are really in a quandry as to what to do (actually, my DH knows exactly what he wants to do, but as I am the "planner" I get to decide! )


We have reservations at POR, so it would be DH and me, 3 kids aged 4-9, and a little guy in pack-n-play. We would do DDP and that would be really worth it w/ 3 kids (that we're paying for).

OR, we also have reservations for a 3 bedroom at Windsor Hills for MUCH less (several hundred $$) than the hotel room, and even if we splurged on food, I think we'd come out even or pay less overall.

Is it worth the space????? have any of you ever stayed in one hotel room w/ 4 kids for 7 days? Did you lose your mind?


We need to decide soon...help help help!!!

I say for Windsor Hills I have 2 children 10 and 16 and my DH and almost lost my mind in a hotel, now we only stay in vacation homes, I think you and your DH will thank yourselves later if go the Windsor Hills route.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Family of 6 here! All kids 5 and under. There is no way on God's green earth that I would stay off site. We stay in one room and it is fine. You are hardly in the room anyway. The ASMu suites are really nice though. We did that last trip and it was great!

 

[dbertola]

I didn't realize you could have 6 in one regular room. I have a hard enough time finding a room they allow 5 in.

 

[funhouse8]

Family of six & I also would stay on site with the food plan. You can get alone time when the kids are grown. LOL We always camped when the kids were young so to stay in PO with an inside bathroom would have been a dream come true. We stayed in the cabins once which gave us more room. (I'm not sure of the price though) Whatever you decide have a wonderful time.

 

[danx2plus3more]

i dunno i like my kids..they have almost 4000 sq ft here at home to roam plus the yard and neighborhood..being in close quarters with them is nice..i love it...yes we eat dinner together and spend alot of time together but i love sleeping in the same room with them on vacation... or like last year when the big ice storm hit..power was out for almost 24 hours..below 0 outside so we all slept in the living room that night with the fireplace on..we had so much fun in the dark lit by only candle and fireplace.so yes there are times when we rent condos or cabins but i like hotel rooms just as much..its cozy

 

[LisaNJ25]

We stayed in POR last year with 6 of us for a week. It was doable. Next trip I think we will do 2 rooms at a value or one of the value family suites.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I didn't realize you could have 6 in one regular room. I have a hard enough time finding a room they allow 5 in.

You can have 6 in the allligator Bayou section of POR if one is under 3 years old.