Help me decide... PLEASE

[Deffenm]

We are planning a trip Nov. 29th - Dec. 6th. We are a family of 5 and I can't decide if I should do 2 rooms at POP or one room at POR. I have stayed at both and liked both. No one else in my family has stayed at POP. I thought we were a little too snug in POR last year and I think having 2 bathrooms would be great. I am just concerned about being able to get a connecting room. Our kids are 4, 7, and 9. I don't want to have to be split up on our FAMILY Vacation.

 

[Disneychix]

I would do the 2 rooms at the POP. Just really put up a fuss if they don't have connecting rooms for you. It's not like you're all adults. Let them know it just isn't possible to NOT have connecting rooms with the young kids.
THe 2 bathrooms will be such a help. I think you may feel sooo ontop of one another in one room.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Just curious if you've considered ASMu family suites? I think it's the same price as 2 rooms at POP, but more like a "unit" than 2 connecting rooms. This way you'd get a queen-size bed in one of the rooms.

 

[minniekissedme]

Have you considered the cabins at FW? A bit more pricey but it's nice having the extra room inside and outside.

 

[Mickey23]

Two rooms at POP

 

[Reginak]

I would go to POR; it sounds like the perfect size.

Regina

 

[NHWX]

We stayed at CBR over Christmas and just came back from a two room stay at Pop. And our annual passes are now expired!

We chose the two room option for several reasons. We thought that having an extra bathroom would be great, and it was. My husband could stay up and check on work or home email without disturbing our boys; another bonus. Having an actual bedroom for us was a nice treat too. More towels, etc. All good aspects. We also had a DDE card and we used it extensively at the Pop food court, saving us some money.

But... we won't do it again. Our children are very sensitive to smoke and twice during a six night stay their bedroom had smoke coming in through the bathroom vent. The first time, they were woken by the smoke and came coughing into our room. We called the front desk and within a half hour or so, we were in a new set of connecting rooms. (Better rooms, in some ways.) We received two phone calls from the duty manager who checked to make sure that everything was OK. We also recieved a phone call the next day from the housekeeping manager checking with us. The second time, it was the night before we flew home and we had to meet the DME bus at 4 AM. I just couldn't see moving then and so we notified the front desk so we wouldn't get charged the room cleaning fee and then just bunked in our room. But it did mean that one child slept on the floor (two large boys just don't fit on those tiny beds) and we all had disrupted sleep.

The staff at Pop did everything right! I think they do a wonderful job given the terrible HVAC issues that they have. I'm glad the hotel was not 100% full as I'm not sure if they save some rooms aside just in case they need to move someone.

Next time, we'll either do a moderate or go back to FW Cabins. If the cabins had an improved pool, it would be my perfect resort, hands down.

NHWX

 

[Buzz2001]

Two rooms are better because of the two bathrooms.

 

[Reginak]

Absolute perfect is a two bedroom villa if you consider renting points.

It is really two hotel rooms with a connecting living room, kitchen and whirlpool bath.

Regina

 

[Hopefully]

Disneychix if connecting rooms are not available, they are not available. It is only a request, not a guarantee. No matter how much of a fuss you make that won't change the fact that the rooms are not available. Your response puzzles me. It seems that you believe that making a fuss will get you whatever you want - but that is not the case.
To OP, for your family I would suggest the Family Suites or the FW Cabins. as stated, connecting rooms can not be guaranteed. From Disney's perspective, in your case 1 parent could sleep with the children in each room - meaning you and DH could be separated with some of the kids in each room. With either the Family Suites or the Cabins you would be in one space with multiple rooms.
My choice would be the FW Cabins. They are more expensive but they are wonderful. You would have a full size, fully equipped kitchen. We also had breakfast in the Cabin, saving a lot of money. We also had cold drinks and snacks when we returned for a rest. You can put the kids to bed in the bedroom, close the door and have the Living Room for you and DH to relax in. And the campground is wonderful.
The one downside to the Cabins is that the transportation to the parks is more complicated here. You will need to take an Internal Bus to the bus stop to the Parks, and then a Park bus to the Park. Personally, once we figured out the internal bus routes we did not find this to be terrible.
Have a great trip, whatever you choose.