It's So Hard For Us Fams of 5!

[Lizzybean]

First time poster but lurker for years! So the DH and I are officially planning our first "real" trip to WDW. We head down to the beach every year for a week or 2 and hit Disney for a day but now that our youngest DD is almost 5 we feel mentally prepared to take on a week of magic!

The problem we are running into is what seems like few available resort/room options for families of 5+. We are going 7/28-8/4 (crazy, I know) and although AoA will be open, I'm hesitant to book since it's excluded from the summer sale. We are seriously considering Ft Wilderness cabins even tho I'm not an outdoorsy girl since we will all fit and I like the boat option to MK.

Any advice from the larger families out there? We have DS13, DD8, and DD4 who will turn 5 while on the trip. We are already driving a 2K mile round trip so I'd like the room issue to well, not be such an issue after listening to those 3 in a minivan for 17 hours straight . I don't want to shell out 4 grand for a deluxe suite we won't be in 1/2 the time but would it end up the same price getting two adjoining mod rooms?!? Ugh! I'm so stumped. Thanks for any help from you very wise dis'ers before I make the big call!

 

[vwaller72]

I believe you can do 5 to a room at Port Orleans Riverside.

 

[Lizzybean]

I believe you can do 5 to a room at Port Orleans Riverside.

Yes! I saw that. I'm scouring the thread on that resort now since there seems to be mixed reviews on the Alligator Bayou area where I *think* we would have to stay. But for $600 less I guess is that big a deal?

 

[Hk331]

We are going as a family of 5 and are staying at Pop century with two connecting rooms! Not sure if you like the idea of connecting rooms, but thought I would throw it out there as an option for you!

Edit: Hmmm... just looked up prices for you and looks like connecting rooms doesn't save much, Mostly due to the time you are visiting.

 

[vwaller72]

Yes! I saw that. I'm scouring the thread on that resort now since there seems to be mixed reviews on the Alligator Bayou area where I *think* we would have to stay. But for $600 less I guess is that big a deal?

I haven't stayed there since we are a family of 6 however I've seen some pretty good reviews. POR seems to be a favorite among the mods.

 

[jedi jen]

We are a family of 5 going to WDW this summer (7/22 - 8/5). We are staying at the CR and Dolphin. My thinking is that the convenience of both to parks and amenities, that it will be easier for us to spread out....by some leaving the room. I also thought the convenience and amenities aspect would make it less stressful (not dealing with transportation issues much). We are only getting one room. I have not done 5 in a room before so this should be fun. I am actually looking forward to it. My kids are getting older and time is passing fast, so I plan to enjoy them while I can....before they don't want to hang with mom.

 

[Upatnoon]

First time poster but lurker for years! So the DH and I are officially planning our first "real" trip to WDW. We head down to the beach every year for a week or 2 and hit Disney for a day but now that our youngest DD is almost 5 we feel mentally prepared to take on a week of magic!

The problem we are running into is what seems like few available resort/room options for families of 5+. We are going 7/28-8/4 (crazy, I know) and although AoA will be open, I'm hesitant to book since it's excluded from the summer sale. We are seriously considering Ft Wilderness cabins even tho I'm not an outdoorsy girl since we will all fit and I like the boat option to MK.

Any advice from the larger families out there? We have DS13, DD8, and DD4 who will turn 5 while on the trip. We are already driving a 2K mile round trip so I'd like the room issue to well, not be such an issue after listening to those 3 in a minivan for 17 hours straight . I don't want to shell out 4 grand for a deluxe suite we won't be in 1/2 the time but would it end up the same price getting two adjoining mod rooms?!? Ugh! I'm so stumped. Thanks for any help from you very wise dis'ers before I make the big call!

If you don't mind being crammed in a small hotel room, POR is your best deal. If you want affordable space, you have to look off-site.

Now that we are a family of 5, we stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It's located next door to the Caribbean Beach resort and you can stay in a 1,200 square foot 2 bedroom, 2 bath for around $700-$800 a week. The even have free bus service to the parks.

There is a ton of info about this resort in the Orlando Resorts and Attractions board.

 

[Lizzybean]

Some friends stay at BC (bonnet creek) every year (another fam of 5 lol) but we were hoping to stay on property if possible to try to eliminate some of the extra hassles i.e. parking, getting back to the room quickly in case of an afternoon meltdown etc, reliable shuttle service during decent times and so on. I don't feel like I NEED a deluxe considering it wouldn't get the use if say it were just hubby and I, but the values just dont seem to appeal to me nor cater to our family size anyway. I like the monorail resorts bc of the convenience but even those don't seem to be able to fit a fam of 5 in a standard room.

I don't love the idea of being crammed into a room at POR mostly for DS13 BUT I think the magic and pixie dust would outweigh that. I'd really like to hear from anyone who has had a cabin at FT Wilderness or done adjoining rooms at a value. I'm okay with either of those provided its cost effective and worth it quality wise! I trust you vets!

 

[vwaller72]

Some friends stay at BC (bonnet creek) every year (another fam of 5 lol) but we were hoping to stay on property if possible to try to eliminate some of the extra hassles i.e. parking, getting back to the room quickly in case of an afternoon meltdown etc, reliable shuttle service during decent times and so on. I don't feel like I NEED a deluxe considering it wouldn't get the use if say it were just hubby and I, but the values just dont seem to appeal to me nor cater to our family size anyway. I like the monorail resorts bc of the convenience but even those don't seem to be able to fit a fam of 5 in a standard room.

I don't love the idea of being crammed into a room at POR mostly for DS13 BUT I think the magic and pixie dust would outweigh that. I'd really like to hear from anyone who has had a cabin at FT Wilderness or done adjoining rooms at a value. I'm okay with either of those provided its cost effective and worth it quality wise! I trust you vets!

We did adjoining rooms at POP last year and are doing the same at ASSpo in 4 weeks. We love it. It gives us just the right amount of room and shutting the door allows the males and females privacy getting ready in the mornings. Two bathrooms is nice too with so many showers and baths between the 6 of us. I'd highly recommend that setup. It works beautifully for us. With fridges in the value rooms now you will have 2 fridges as well.

 

[danceintherain]

From what I've heard (someone correct me if I'm wrong) the Cabins at Fort Wilderness are only convenient if you rent a golf cart (which I doubt 5 people would fit in anyways). The whole campground is huge, which could leave you with a long walk, or another bus ride tacked on for every trip to the parks. I do know that some people prefer it over the other larger family options though. If you go with a Moderate, you may get stuck a ways away from the main building, but the bus stops are spread throughout the resort.

The issue you run into with two rooms at the values is that you're not guaranteed the rooms will connect, which means you and your husband could end up separated. The beds are also doubles, though in your case only 2 people would have to share, so it may not be a big deal.

Have you considered Doubletree Guest Suites? It is technically off property, but you can walk to Downtown Disney, and the bus transportation to the parks is every 30 minutes. The parks share buses, but it's not too bad, except for Animal Kingdom. If you sign up for the Mousesavers newsletter you may be able to get it for an excellent rate. It's double beds again though.

 

[flortlebap]

We are a family of six so now we have been forced to get two rooms! Really hope they are interconnecting, but they haven't been the last two times we requested them and this time it could be a real problem :-s

 

[Kimberle]

From what I've heard (someone correct me if I'm wrong) the Cabins at Fort Wilderness are only convenient if you rent a golf cart (which I doubt 5 people would fit in anyways). The whole campground is huge, which could leave you with a long walk, or another bus ride tacked on for every trip to the parks. I do know that some people prefer it over the other larger family options though. If you go with a Moderate, you may get stuck a ways away from the main building, but the bus stops are spread throughout the resort.

The issue you run into with two rooms at the values is that you're not guaranteed the rooms will connect, which means you and your husband could end up separated. The beds are also doubles, though in your case only 2 people would have to share, so it may not be a big deal.

Have you considered Doubletree Guest Suites? It is technically off property, but you can walk to Downtown Disney, and the bus transportation to the parks is every 30 minutes. The parks share buses, but it's not too bad, except for Animal Kingdom. If you sign up for the Mousesavers newsletter you may be able to get it for an excellent rate. It's double beds again though.

They said they were driving, so they will have a car. You are allowed to park at your cabin.

 

[GoofyMac]

Family of five trying to save money and have a nice Walt Disney World Vacation. I would definitely go with the Family Suite at Disney's All star Music Resort. We had one last year and it was great.

Two bathrooms a Separate bedroom for us and our daughter with a chair that folded out into a bed. the separate bedroom even had enough room for it without cramping it up. The Suite actually sleeps 6. It has two bathrooms and a kitchenette with a sink, microwave, and small fridge. The sofa bed folds out into a queen size bed the love seat folds out into a full size and the chair folds out into a twin.

The sofa bed was a bit hard so we called the front desk and the staff had no problems bringing us another mattress to add to it. Solved our problems.

If I was looking to save money that's where I would go. We have stayed at the all Star Music resort twice and loved it.

Our daughter prefers the smaller Piano pool to the main Guitar pool and loved the playground there which is hidden within a grove of palm trees. The pools can get a bit crowded and busy as well as the food court at peak hours. The Staff does an excellent job serving all of the guests. the food and service is consistently good.

We are staying in one bedroom suite at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa next week. If you are looking for a deluxe you can go that route or you can even get a two bedroom.

We wont stay off property EVER again. We have come to find out that the value for the dollar is actually staying on Property and dealing with a Walt Disney Vacation specialist. We wouldn't do a Disney Vacation any other way. Lisa Mills with Mouseketrips, is excellent and gets excited every time we book a vacation. She knows what she is talking about absolutely LOVES Walt Disney World. She makes several trips a year to Walt Disney World and is a Disney Vacation Club member. Booking a vacation with her will virtually guarantee that you get the best rate.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Hope this helps.

GoofyMac

 

[sukhakuli]

We stayed at the Cabins last time, and really, all the negatives had been blown way out of proportion in the reviews I read. You do not need a golf cart to get around the resort, unless you have mobility issues, We walked everywhere. Even from the cabin to the boat launch. The reviews I read made it sound like you would be walking on dirt trails in the total darkness, but there are very well lit large sidewalks everywhere. The distances are not bad at all, and we really enjoyed the walk. Be careful, the people on golf carts can be rude and dangerous. Some teenagers came very close to hitting my 9 year old, even though we were in an area for pedestrians only. You see some pretty crazy junk, too, like 4 or 5 very small kids with no adult supervision or helmets hanging off the back of a speeding golf cart. One fall like that on the concrete could be fatal to a small child, or cause permanent injury.

anyway, you don't need to be outdoorsy to enjoy the cabins, it is a Disney resort, after all. The parking right outside the door is great. The full kitchen is great, as well, and will save you some food money. The pull out murphy bed is uncomfortable for 2 adults, but I think it would be fine for a child. The set up is very nice for a large-ish family as well. If you can get a discount, it's a great value.

Many of the deluxe resorts will also do 5. We stayed as 5 at the YC and didn't feel cramped. I have heard POR is very small, and someone will be sleeping on a trundle. We were supposed to get a room with a pull out sleeper, but they upgraded up to a gorgeous water view, and forgot about the sleeper chair. But they gave us a roll away bed for free, and my dd was very comfortable on it. For about 5 days one room was fine, but for the next 9 days, the cabins were better. We really need 2 rooms.

Next time we go we will be a family of 6, and that really limits your options. I think we are going to have to buy DVC.

 

[plutolovr]

I like the monorail resorts bc of the convenience but even those don't seem to be able to fit a fam of 5 in a standard room.

Yes, you can fit 5 in a standard room at all the monorail resorts. The rooms come with 2 queen-sized beds and a daybed.

The other deluxes that would fit your family would be Boardwalk, Beach Club, Yacht Club.

 

[wallawallakids]

I hear you!!! We are a family of 6. There are not many options at all. We are getting 2 connecting rooms and hoping for the best. With 5 you still have the option of a lot of the deluxe rooms. Poly, BC, YC, GF, POR all have rooms that sleep 5. I used to joke that our DD was so small maybe they wouldn't notice her. However, even though she only weighs 28lbs, we need a second room for her.

 

[maxiesmom]

As a family of 6 we have done:

2 connecting rooms
An All Star Family Suite
Renting points from a DVC member
Off-site Suite
A Legal 6 at POR

Keep in mind that if you want the inside door between the 2 rooms you need to ask for "connecting" rooms. "Adjoining" rooms are rooms that are just near each other.

For the money we all enjoyed the Family Suite. The fold outs were very comfortable, you get the perk of 2 bathrooms, and a small kitchenette. If you want to save money do a few easy meals in the kitchenette. We did microwave bacon, bagels, cereal, and the like for breakfast. That is way cheaper than eating breakfast out every day. Plus you are guaranteed to be all together in one space, no question!

 

[Babette01]

We are a family of five as well and with your children being the ages that they are, you can definitely stay in a standard room very comfortably. We started at Old Key West in a 2 bedroom when they were younger then we moved to the Yacht Club for several visits and loved every second of it. The rooms are spacious and with Stormalong Bay and the quiet pool as well as so many restaurants to choose from between Yacht/Beach Club, Boardwalk, Swan, Dolphin and EPCOT - it is truly a perfect area around the lake. That being said - when my boys grew taller and older we moved across the lake to a deluxe room at the Boardwalk Inn and are headed back there for Christmas this year with them being, 25,23 and 17. So - you can do it!!

 

[twinboysmom]

There is also the dolphins alcove rooms which has 2 beds and a pullout couch. You still get the amenities of being a Disney guest (WDW transportation, emh's, free parking at WDW parks) but no dining plan or magical express (which you wouldn't need). They are located near the boardwalk inn in the Epcot area. Only negative is they do require a $14 (or similar) resort fee but usually rates are reasonable. Might be worth checking into.

 

[jedi jen]

I like the monorail resorts bc of the convenience but even those don't seem to be able to fit a fam of 5 in a standard room.

FYI - CR and Poly I know allow 5 in a standard room. It may not work for you, but I thought I would pass the info along in case it affects your decision. Have a great trip.