It's So Hard For Us Fams of 5!

[smiths02]

I know this is a little off topic, but we stayed with 5 people (one turning 3 on the trip) in a standard savanna view room at AKL. We actually had 4 adults (DH, myself, FIL, and MIL)

I know this is not an option for you...I am just sharing that it was a great vacation even staying in one room with my inlaws for a week. (Maybe a teenage boy is harder to share space with than my ILs though

I am pregnant with twins now and planning a trip before they turn 3 so I don't have to worry about the occupancy issues! I appreciate the info for future trips though.

 

[tink_lover]

Family of 5 here. After a number of stays, purchased DVC. Our kids are close in age to yours....we stayed at POR years ago (so kids were a lot younger/smaller). We would not choose to stay there again. Between all of us and our luggage, there was no room to move.

We have not done the family suites, although may try for a couple nights in Oct. We have not done the cabins either. I can't convince dh to stay there. Have you priced garden view at CR? We have stayed GF, Poly, CR, BWI, BC, AKV, BLT as family. Have also done Pop, WL, Swan, Dolphin, Hilton Bonnet Creek and WA with less than 5.

Everyone is going to have an opinion. Mine is this - love the kids but want to enjoy my vacation. At the age they are (I'm talking my family here), one room for one week is extremely difficult. There is no privacy, no "away" time. On our last WDW trip, it rained heavily for 2 days. It was so nice to have 2 rooms to hang out in.

 

[mrzrich]

We Loved the Cabins too. There is a full sized bed and a set of bunk beds in the bedroom, as well as a full sized Murphy bed in the living room. Each unit also has a full kitchen. We saved alot of money on breakfast. If we were inclined to have a few meals in the cabin, we could saved even more. There is an outdoor grill which could make for a nice easy meal.


There are two TV's. (One in the living room and one in the bedroom) We stayed with my mom and I was concerned about it being awkward for her and my DH. The cabin allowed them each to have the privacy they needed.

I have an energetic autistic child, so a big plus for us was that our unit was our own. If he jumped or yelled, we weren't bothering our neighbors. MY DH liked that our car was parked right at our doorstep.

We have never rented a golf cart. The internal buses are very efficient. Boat Launches got to MK. There are also boats to the Contemporary and WL if you have ADRs. We also took the boat launch to WL to go to Roaring Forks (The WL CS)

The Meadows Pool is now themed. It has a slide, a kids Splash Zone, and a hot tub

 

[mrzrich]

I think the new POR murphy beds are smaller than the old trundles. Also kinda weird with the TV right on top of the kid if they are sleeping and someone else is watching TV.

 

[icc2515]

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.

I think you might be a little off on this price. I just checked and the price for a week in July is about $1800.00. I even checked in Sept and it was like $1400. Are there special discount codes or something I need to look for?

 

[disneymom06]

We are a family of 6 so I too feel your pain. I have done many options and when we were able to do POR, (youngest under 3), it was my favorite and the cheapest option.

The kids liked the cabin but the murphy bed wasn't that comfortable. There is no food court so we either cooked or ate out. We did have a car which I think is a must for flexibility. FW has a 2 loop bus system, it takes a bit longer to get anywhere. We did like the kitchen for breakfast.

Many times we have done 2 rooms at POP. We were lucky and always got connecting rooms. If they didn't before I checked in, they were able to change the rooms to connecting. KIds love POP but pools were always crowded. It was always lively.

We did try a 2br at SSR. It was great, but I was lucky to score a room on a last minute reservation that I got on ebay. If I could afford it, this is the best option, but way out of budget.

POR is my favorite. The grounds are beautiful, quiet pools are never crowded and at night it is peaceful. I love the boat ride to DTD. It gives more options for dining, snacks and shopping. The food court is amazing and they have a bakery. I can't say enough about POR, it is always my first choice.

This year, we will be at Bonnet Creek. Not a disney hotel, but I got a great price and for the 6 of us, 2 bedrooms is the best of all options. If 2 rooms at POR was in my budget, that is where I would be.

Have a great time, where ever you decide to stay.

 

[mrzrich]

I think you might be a little off on this price. I just checked and the price for a week in July is about $1800.00. I even checked in Sept and it was like $1400. Are there special discount codes or something I need to look for?

No, you are not looking in the right places. WBC can be rented for cheaper. We have rented from Ken Price at vacationupgrades.com

Others have gotten better pricing from a company called Vacation Strategy.

Still others have gotten amazing deals from Ebay. Be mindful of seller feedback if choosing that route.

 

[mrzrich]

If you are interesting in renting DVC, but are nervous to do so from a private individual, try David's DVC rental site. He brokers the deal giving you more peace of mind. His business is endorsed by the DIS and other Disney fan sites. He charges $13 a point. http://www.dvcrequest.com/

 

[evcollins]

Actually when we were thinking about off site this was the place we were thinking about! The hot bfast was my selling point for sure. The beers or wine in the evening?!? Sounded good to us. I was just worried about driving to the parks every day and the cost of that. And then lurking these boards made me want to consider on property a little more. It feels like such a TOUGH choice!

If you're considering an off-site location, our family of 5 will be staying at Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista. They have complimentary breakfast made to order, shuttle buses to all four parks, free parking, managers evening reception which includes complimentary beverages and snacks and indoor/outdoor pool, with movie nights by the pool on certain nights. Sounds fantastic to us! We'll grab a hot breakfast in the morning and we plan on driving to all parks. Good luck on your search!!

ec

Yes, it is definitely a tough choice. I feel your pain, especially with fams of five or more. It had great selling features, esp. the breakfast...no, wait....the it must be the complimentary drinks!

We are choosing to drive because the shuttle buses don't run as early as we'd like to be at the parks, esp. HS on Saturday for SWW.

Enjoy your stay! We were also looking into POR. It looks fabulous!!
ec

 

[rentayenta]

Rent DVC points.


We are also a family of five and after stuffing ourselves into the POR, it got old. I want to be comfortable, have room to move, make coffee, not tip toe around, etc etc. It's vacation after all. Look into David's as the PP mentioned or check the rent area here on the DIS.


Be warned, once you stay DVC, it's very hard to go back. Trust me, I know. We bought DVC on our trip in 2009 and during that trip stayed with friends at OKW and AKV. We wanted to add on a couple of nights so we chose the POR and wow, that was a shock.


We're trying the new AoA resort on the night we arrive in October. It sleeps six and we'll have six so we'll see how we fare. It's only for one night so I'm sure we'll be fine. If we weren't staying at the THV for part of our trip, we would have tried the cabins for that first night.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[Lizzybean]

Well I think the CLEAR choice here is to go a bunch of times and stay at all the different resorts!!

DH said we should do OKW just the 2 of us in October and we'd enjoy it more. He was pretty set on POR but after some more thought and discussion he thinks FW will save $$ or break us even w/ the full kitchen. We can have full bfasts, cook dinners, etc and only do a few special meals that we wanted to focus on anyway (chef mickey, wishes, flying fish...unfortunately I think cape may is closed during our visit). He also realized FW would offer a good deal of privacy for us which he hadn't considered so that made a difference I think.

It's not so much being cheap but there is a lot to think about when you're considering dropping over $1K extra on a room alone just because you aren't that nuclear fam of 2 adults 2 kids. I'm also to blame planning a huge family trip to Disney 12 weeks out...

 

[Missyrose]

I think the new POR murphy beds are smaller than the old trundles. Also kinda weird with the TV right on top of the kid if they are sleeping and someone else is watching TV.

Wow, I had never seen a pic of the new murphy beds at POR. That is one small but very high off the ground bed.

 

[Lizzybean]

Rent DVC points.


We are also a family of five and after stuffing ourselves into the POR, it got old. I want to be comfortable, have room to move, make coffee, not tip toe around, etc etc. It's vacation after all. Look into David's as the PP mentioned or check the rent area here on the DIS.


Be warned, once you stay DVC, it's very hard to go back. Trust me, I know. We bought DVC on our trip in 2009 and during that trip stayed with friends at OKW and AKV. We wanted to add on a couple of nights so we chose the POR and wow, that was a shock.



We're trying the new AoA resort on the night we arrive in October. It sleeps six and we'll have six so we'll see how we fare. It's only for one night so I'm sure we'll be fine. If we weren't staying at the THV for part of our trip, we would have tried the cabins for that first night.

Good luck on your decision.

I'm seriously considering points. Especially after going through emails from my good friend from last year. I'm hoping maybe she knows someone I can rent from once she gets back from her 2 week Disney trip and I can get some more info.

By the time this thread is over I'll be a DVC member w: an AP.

 

[Lizzybean]

Wow, I had never seen a pic of the new murphy beds at POR. That is one small but very high off the ground bed.

DH just said it looks like a changing table. Then said what if a tv falls on my kid??

 

[Missyrose]

DH just said it looks like a changing table. Then said what if a tv falls on my kid??

I know people are trying to convince you that POR will work fine, let me just play devil's advocate. It's going to be sweltering hot when you're at Disney. So hot that after a couple of hours at the pool, your whole family wants to come back and just chill in the room to cool off. There's five of you and two beds, not a ton of room for everyone.

Like you said, this trip is more expensive than you or your DH anticipated, I just don't want you guys to be ready to kill each other (or your kids) at the end of it.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

If you go with renting points, Kidani Village at the AKL has a super nice 1-bedroom suite. We stayed there last August. Here are a few pics:

We felt like royalty there. The second bathroom...the full kitchen...the washer dryer...all the closet space...the view of the swimming pool and slide from our double-sized balcony...and the master bathroom that felt as big as our room at Pop Century the week before! Ha! It was amazing.

 

[Sammie]

I'm seriously considering points. Especially after going through emails from my good friend from last year. I'm hoping maybe she knows someone I can rent from once she gets back from her 2 week Disney trip and I can get some more info.

By the time this thread is over I'll be a DVC member w: an AP.

I would not wait very long, OKW and SSR are still available but that might not last long.

 

[MagicallyDelicious]

I adore POR, don't get me wrong, but there is no way I'd want to spend a week there with five adult-size bodies in one room.

I can't imagine any of my kids being able to sleep comfortably on that Murphy bed.

 

[Lizzybean]

If you go with renting points, Kidani Village at the AKL has a super nice 1-bedroom suite. We stayed there last August. Here are a few pics:

We felt like royalty there. The second bathroom...the full kitchen...the washer dryer...all the closet space...the view of the swimming pool and slide from our double-sized balcony...and the master bathroom that felt as big as our room at Pop Century the week before! Ha! It was amazing.

O. M. G. That is gorgeous!! My DVC friend always stays at AKL. Now I know why!

I also agree from another post I don't want to be ready to kill the kids or vice versa after spending a good 3 grand on vacation. I knowwww some moms are always patient and happy and smile but...I'm not that mom. After the heat and bickering (I KNOW there will be bickering) I have to have somewhere (anywhere) to hide with a cold drink. I want to stay in the most magical mood possible. I don't need or ask for a lot but a little bit of personal space is a necessity and I guess you get what you pay for. DH may have to fork out more to keep me sane. I think if it was me him
And the girls a royal room at POR would be perfect but throw in an angsty teenage boy and it could be a disaster.

Plus, is it weird the possibility of a washer and dryer on vacation excites me? Think of all the inevitable ice cream stains I could get out?!?

 

[Missyrose]

Plus, is it weird the possibility of a washer and dryer on vacation excites me? Think of all the inevitable ice cream stains I could get out?!?

Not weird at all, it's one of the reasons some of us buy into DVC in the first place!