Info for a family of five

[Rella Bella]

Hi. Friends are headed to WDW in January and I need advice on where to recommend they stay. They have a teenage daughter, as son 11 and a daughter 7. My first thought was Fort Wilderness cabins. But they want to be economical in lodging so they can spend more on fun!

Where have you with families this size stayed... too big for one room... too small for two? My family is just 3 so we've never had to think larger than one room. They'd prefer to stay on site... but we're open to nearby off site recommendations as well.
So, what do you suggest?

 

[pennst8r]

we have 5, and we've stayed at POR a few times. They have a trundle bed that pulls out from under a bed. Otherwise, as far as a Disney resort, it's 2 connnecting rooms, or a Deluxe.

 

[jimmiej]

We stayed at Contemporary with 5. Two adults, 18 yo, 12 yo, & 8 yo. Had plenty of room. However, it is a deluxe with "deluxe" prices.

 

[soccer mom]

I would recommend two connecting rooms. They could do POR with two double beds and a trundle, but it would be tight. If son isn't on small side, he might not make it on trundle. My DD 16 layed on it when we were there just to see how long it was. She is 5' 3", 105 lbs and filled it end to end when layed out straight. She said she could have slept on it if necessary. Two bathrooms is always great too!

 

[klj27]

I would say one room at POR would be the most economical. We stayed there with five and had a great time. We will be going back next summer.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

We are a family of five and we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. They have two double beds and a small trundle. Our six year old happily slept on the trundle and loved it. It didn't feel cramped at all to us. It's a beautiful resort and pretty affordable. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat. We loved POR.

 

[HopperFan]

POR will be your best bet economics wise at a Disney Resort, but we are opting for our next trip to Doubletree Suites in Downtown Disney. Still on property but not all the perks. Got through Mousesavers for $119 including breakfast for all of us. Two rooms, fridge, micro, multiple tvs and space & bedding for all. Supposed to have been completely redone in last year. Go on to their website for info http://doubletreeguestsuites.com/ but check Mousesavers as well. It is one of her preferred hotels.

 

[twotommygirl]

We just came home today from POR Riverside and we are a family of 5. We absolutely love it here and find the room size to be more than adequate. The only thing with the trundle beds is that they can only be found in AB section, which was too rustic for our taste. I learned here on this site that you can rent a cot and stay anywhere in the resort and not be limited to AB. We stayed in Parterre Place, in a 2nd floor corner room overlooking the quiet pool, which was perfect for us. Also, the cots are a nice size (much bigger than the trundle beds) and pretty darn comfortable. Any more questions, just ask away.

 

[Rella Bella]

Thanks so much everyone! Sounds like it's POR... now where can they get the best price there??
I'll check out the DTD option too!

 

[HopperFan]

Was offered $126 for January at POR with AAA.

 

[vicceja]

Hi!

We are a family of 5 as well(DH,Me,DS9,DS7,DS4) , and we always end up spending a pretty penny even though we try and get as many discounts as we can. You definitely would have to book two rooms at the value. I think POR was comfortable for us this past June, only because my little one was able to use the trundle bed....but it was kind of small. We will be staying at AKL this December but only because we decided to purchase the AP's and received a discount for the room. Have you considered DVC points?

 

[stm61]

we were at POR last month, me, my mother, ds12, and 2 dd's6. My ds just fit on the trundle, he's 5'1", 100 lbs. One of my dd's is a kicker so we brought a kid size blow up mattress and put it between the beds. Next time I'm not sure what we'll do as my ds will about 15 and dd's 9. Maybe a full size blow up for him and still bring the kid size for smaller dd.

 

[WAHMto5]

When we had just the 3 kids, we also stayed at POR and it was very nice. We are now staying at the FW cabins since we have 5 kiddos now
Have fun!!

 

[bigmac5]

We are a family of 5 me DH,DS11,DS13,DS14 We had two connecting rooms at ASSp. We loved it. That way we ended up with 4 beds and 2 bathrooms and 2 TV's. We could not do POR even if we wanted to because we were told the oldest age for a trundle was 9. 2 Values cost us about $120 more(total) for 6 nights and we sure got more space than if we stayed at a mod.

 

[Hope73]

I am having the toughest time trying to think of where to stay in Jan. We are a family of five with mom, dad, kid 5, kid 6 and grandma is joining us. I am thinking of the POR or Poly. Last year we stayed at the poly in two rooms and we all said we could have done one there and been just fine. I would not consider staying off site because of transportation and the dining plan which was amazing. Our food was so wonderful and we were there 6 nits and did 6 character meals. My kids loved it. I am scared we will get to the POR and think the rooms are too small. I liked how the Poly had a day bed in the room.

 

[juliette]

How much is the cot rental??

 

[kizmac]

We just got back from POR and we did 2 rooms with 5 to a room and it was fine for us. We even had the pack n play set up for my DD and had oodles and oodles of luggage in our room too. The rooms were more than adequate for us. The beds were extremely comfortable. My kids took turns sleeping on the trundle. Our stay was awesome!