I have no idea where to stay.

[squirrely]

We'll be taking our first trip to DW at the end of Oct/beginning of November, and I cannot figure out where to stay.

It will be my husband and me, my three girls (9, 8 and 6) and our son, who will be 15 mos. old at the time. I am planning to stay on site in order to make it easier to go back to the room for naps, should the toddler be unwilling to go along with my plan of napping in the stroller.

I love the idea of the moderate resorts, particularly the POFQ and POR. I know that in the Riverside I might be able to cram all of us into one of the Alligator Bayou rooms with the trundle and a Pack N Play, but I don't know if we would feel like sardines. Then I wondered if it made sense to get two conjoined rooms at a moderate or a more expensive junior suite at one of the deluxe resorts. We're not on a very, very tight budget, but the less we have to spend on lodging, the more we'll be able to do during the rest of our vacation. I know I cannot afford a villa, but I sure wish we could because the size would be perfect.

A decent pool is really important to me because my kids love to swim.

What would you do if you had 6 people you had to house, oh wise Disney experts?


P.S. Would you advise the park hopper option and the meal plan? I have read a lot of mixed opinions.

I will be forever grateful for your help.

 

[Aliceacc]

For starters, absolutely get the DDP. Since each of your kids is under 10, each one eats for $10 per day. (Your youngest isn't included; he can pick from everyone else's plates.) So for $110 per day, you're feeding your family of 6, including one table service meal each day-- some days you can do character meals, some days not. If you have kids under 10, this is a great deal!!!

I am SO not an expert, but I think I would try the Contemporary with the AAA discount. That monorail going right to the Magic Kingdom is a HUGE draw with young kids. And it has 2 queen beds and a daybed.

If you can swing even more money, some of the lowest priced rooms at the Polynesian are pretty large and they're on the monorail too. And then there's the volcano pool.

Take a look at the fact sheets and slide shows at www.allears.net

I also love the idea of the park hoppers. You can do the day in the Magic Kingdom, then hit dinner in one of those fabulous Epcot restaurants!!!

edited to add: I started this thread for other newbies like you and me: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1715551

 

[GoingtoSeeRella]

I think you'd be very croweded at POR in the AB section. We were just there in January with a family of 5. I think I'd recommend 2 connecting rooms...that would give you some space and 2 bathrooms!

POR has a pretty great pool and my kids loved the slide.

Not sure what to say about hoppers. We've done it both ways, depending on how commando we wanted to vacation. With younger children, think about if you're going to nap during the day and if you'd be OK with returning to the same park if you didn't have the hoppers.

Good luck trying to figure it out!

 

[roselark]

You might consider renting DVC points from a member and get a 2 bedroom villa. Or you can also book these through Disney, but you would save a bit by renting points.

 

[cdrn1]

We stayed in a garden room at the Polynesian: myself, DD 32, DD 30, DD 26 and her two children 3.5 and 1. We had PLENTY of room. There are two queens and a daybed. My adult DD slept on the daybed, and slept like a rock. The room was very spacious and we never felt crowded. We had at least ten pieces of luggage and two strollers, and found spots to store it all out of the way. The extra room was worth every penny. The monorail was so wonderfully convenient, and every night that we were at the hotel, we walked to the beach and watched the fireworks. It was also very nice at the end of the day to take the launch (boat) from MK to the resort. The monorail was packed at that point, and the launches were wonderfully empty. We would put the littles to bed every night and then sit out on the patio and enjoy a glass of wine and the lush surroundings. Total Nirvana.

 

[Coconuts]

If you can swing it money wise, stay at one of the monorail resorts. They all have 2 queen beds and a day bed and you can get a portacrib for your toddler. The convenience of being on the monorail is worth it with a toddler. If you can't afford this then either get connecting rooms at a moderate or a family suite at ASMu. Bear in mind, Disney can't guarantee connecting rooms, no matter what some may tell you. I recently stayed in POR and you would definetely need more than one room. IMO the first choice is the monorail resorts, then ASMu family suites. I think they come with 2 bathrooms which may come in handy with 3 daughters! Good luck and have fun.

 

[Dale-Not-Chip]

You might consider renting DVC points from a member and get a 2 bedroom villa. Or you can also book these through Disney, but you would save a bit by renting points.

That's exactly what you should do. Rent points for a 2 bedroom at Old Key West. (cheapest point cost) This way you can have naps going on while you and the hubby are free to make a little noise in the living room. Also you can at least cook breakfast in the room as well as have snacks in the room.

Average point rental. 10 bucks a point.
OKW 2 bedroom - 296 points for the week

 

[KatMark]

Could someone please explain how you go about renting points for a DVC? How many points needed per night of stay; cost, etc. Is there a place that discusses this?

 

[Dale-Not-Chip]

here on the Dis go to the DVC section and they have a whole rental fourm.

 

[CoolPool]

The value resort AS Music has a family suite. Check to see if that set-up might work for your crowd.

If it were me, I personally think a deluxe is the way to go particularly if you can get a discount and stay near at least one park with easy access (meaning no bus). The rooms with 2 queens (not doubles) and a daybed.

I agree the meal plan will save you some trouble and expense. We always do park hoppers because we tend to stay at a resort that makes that super easy.