How can we find the best deal?

[treemi01]

I will start with the fact that we are WDW veterans, even though we haven’t been there in several years. We are a family of 7 and have 5 kids who will be: 13, 11, 8, 6, and 3 more than likely when we go. We are looking to probably go in August (yes, I know it’s hot, we’ve been before in Aug.). It’s been a few years because, frankly, they’ve priced us out of the market. But, we have 2 kids who have never been there, and we just need to go. It would be MUCH easier for us to stay on property for logistical reasons. Our 3 yo uses a wheelchair, so renting a vehicle is really difficult for fitting 7 people/luggage/wheelchair/medical equipment, busing is ideal transportation for us, and even flying with all of the car seats is tough. We are fine without having a vehicle onsite.

I know 2 rooms in a value are our best bet, but man, it’s still over $10K without airfare for a weeklong trip. I consulted a TA to see if she could do better, and her offer was slightly higher than the one I found, but she suggested we stay at POP to use the sky liner, which was a good point.

Does anyone have better suggestions? We’d love to go, and we know WDW is expensive, but it’s still a bit of sticker shock. Are there likely to be any promotions we could take advantage of that will come out later? We are willing to entertain offsite, but I think it would cost about $2-3K just to rent the vehicle(s) we would need, and that just doesn’t help with any potential savings we would get from accommodations. We are also kind of Disney diehards, and we do really make use of park hoppers, EMH, etc., so we would definitely miss EMH if we stayed offsite, but we would do it.

Any other larger families with tips or suggestions in how to make this work? TIA!

 

[KayaWildfire]

Big family here, our 6 kids range in age from 9-24. We do stay on property, at quite literally whichever hotel is the cheapest in two rooms. Lately that has been All Star Sports, we are doing Music this Christmas and have done Pop before(way before the refurb and Skyliner). One caveat with the rooms, you aren't guaranteed adjoining or connecting in any way. We have gotten lucky and Disney has come through for us, even if it meant changing a room assignment at the front desk, but it isn't guaranteed. Any way you can go before your youngest turns 3? That would allow you to not have to buy him tickets and he wouldn't count for room occupancy so you could do a family suite at Music that fits 6 so you wouldn't have to worry about the two rooms being together. As far as getting a deal, keep an eye out for specials. If you can go late in August, there has been free dining offered and that could save you a bundle, it shaved about 3k off our trip this year. To help with the budget, we do drive to Florida also from Wisconsin over two days.

 

[Shellyred8]

Have you looked into renting DVC points. You could do 2 studios (they don't guarantee connecting rooms, so that could be an issue) or a 2 bedroom (I would recommend the 2br). This will give you plenty of space for all of your people. Also, you would be at a Deluxe resort, which is usually closer to the parks. If you stay at at the BoardWalk or BeachClub, you will be within walking or boating distance to two parks. This might not be the cheaper option, but if convenience is important to this trip, DVC is a good option to look into.
Also, if you go during the last two weeks in August, DVC rooms are less expensive. Also, it's a little less crowded during that time. Just some things to ponder.