Just wandering...........

[sfd38]

With a family of 5, which resort @wdw can we stay at without destroying all of the $$$.?

The Crew:

Counting down for June 08!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mickeyminnie123]

hmm.. probably the disney port orleans riverside for about $145 a night. It has some suites up to 2-3 rooms. very nice staff and always willing to do anything to make your stay the best! good luck and have a great trip.

 

[sfd38]

Yes we heard about PO riverside, and also cornado springs was another choice. Have you stayed at either one . this is our 4th trip, me;1972 contemp.resort,1988 honeymoon off-site (bad idea) third trip 2000, C B resort( Family of 4), now with the third future Minnie Mouse (age 5).

 

[Marla Hellwig]

I am going to move this over to the Resort board

You might look at a Wilderness Cabin at Ft Wilderness - the cabins sleep 6

 

[GovieMom]

Just wandering ... too cute! I'm wondering about your wandering ... lol. Anyhow, if one of your children is small enough to fit on a trundle bed, you can get a standard room at PORiverside that would fit all five of you comfortably. That would be the cheapest way to stay onsite, as suites and the FW cabins cost considerably more.

 

[PlainJane]

Yes we heard about PO riverside, and also cornado springs was another choice. Have you stayed at either one . this is our 4th trip, me;1972 contemp.resort,1988 honeymoon off-site (bad idea) third trip 2000, C B resort( Family of 4), now with the third future Minnie Mouse (age 5).

There are no standard moderate rooms that sleep five besides PO Riverside. Another option would be the All Star Music Family Suite which is $179.

 

[minnie61650]

There are no standard moderate rooms that sleep five besides PO Riverside. Another option would be the All Star Music Family Suite which is $179.

I agree.

DH and I stayed in a Family Suite at All Star Music ( a value resort) in Sept. of 2006.

We really enjoyed the Queen size bed, the kitchenette with the microwave, having a sofa and cushioned chair to sit on and relax after a day at the parks before retiring for the evening.

I thought the pullouts very comfortable.

They are designed so the back cushion and seat cushion of the pullout support the pullout. There is no metal bar to hurt the sleepers back.

Info thread--Pullouts in Family Suites at ASMU with photos of how the pullout is supported.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18100990#post18100990

Here is the layout of the Family Suites:

Here is my review of the Suites:

www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=17640774&postcount=7

For more photos and info please see this info thread:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1392879

----------------------------------------------------------------------


Family Suites at All Star Music vs. POR

The Family Suites run about $30 more than a standard room at POR-AB.

Comparisons:


The Family Suites has 2 seperate sleeping areas.
POR has 1.

The Family Suites are 520 square feet.
POR is 314 square feet.

The Family Suites has 2 bathrooms.
POR has 1 bathroom.

The Family Suites have 2 dressing areas with a privacy curtain.
POR has 1 dressing area with a privacy area.

The Family Suites have 2 sinks( 1 each next to the bathrooms), 2 closets, 2 safes, & 2 hair dryers.
POR has 2 sinks ( a double) .1 closet,1 safe, and 1 hair dryer.

The Family Suites have a kitchette with a nice storage area,lots of counter space, a microwave , paper plates & bowls, plastic ware, can opener, Paper towels, fridge,& coffeee pot.
POR has a fridge &a coffee pot.

The Family Suites -Sleeps up to 6 (plus one child under age 3 in a Pak-n-Play crib)
POR-Sleeps up to 5 (plus one child under age 3 in a Pak-n-Play crib)

The Family Suites--Queen bed, full-size pullout sofa, convertible ottoman & chair sleepers (4 separate sleepers) & 2 TVs.
POR has 2 double beds and a trundle bed&1 TV.

The Family Suites -Studio amenities and separate sleeping areas giving more privacy than a standard room.
POR is a standard room.

Have fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!

 

[TeddyToo]

We love the Swan and its sister resort, the Dolphin sleeps 5 with the Heavenly beds. It is an Epcot resort with most WDW benefits, such as EMH, all WDW transpotation except ME, package delivery just not charge from parks to room. The teacher/government employee discount gives you a Sheraton, better than deluxe room at less than moderate prices. If you join Starwood preferred guest (free) you more than likely get free upgrades. Ours was a totally unobstructed view of the Tower of Terror from the Swan. Best of luck in your deciding

 

[ciera321]

My nephew and his family (5 total) always stays at POR in the Alligator Bayou section using the trundle bed. It is a little crowded, but like a lot of us, they don't spend that much time in the room. Works well for them...

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

hmm.. probably the disney port orleans riverside for about $145 a night. It has some suites up to 2-3 rooms. very nice staff and always willing to do anything to make your stay the best! good luck and have a great trip.

POR does NOT have any suites.


If you have AAA you can get the AS Music Family Suites for less than $150/night during Value season. Call early, because they have a limited amout o rooms available at the AAA rate.

Suzanne

 

[chip 'n dale rule]

We love the Swan and its sister resort, the Dolphin sleeps 5 with the Heavenly beds. It is an Epcot resort with most WDW benefits, such as EMH, all WDW transpotation except ME, package delivery just not charge from parks to room. The teacher/government employee discount gives you a Sheraton, better than deluxe room at less than moderate prices. If you join Starwood preferred guest (free) you more than likely get free upgrades. Ours was a totally unobstructed view of the Tower of Terror from the Swan. Best of luck in your deciding

Just wanted to add that you are also not eligible for the dining plan if you stay at the Swan or Dolphin. We have stayed at both the Dolphin and POR and we actually preferred POR. We just didn't care for the theming (or lack of) at the Dolphin. We also really LOVED the gardens in the AB section of POR. We did like the main pool at the Dolphin better but they don't have quiet pools, which is what we like for our late night swims.

Have a great time at whichever resort you choose!

 

[mbcary]

Although the Swan and Dolphin are not eligible for the dining plan, they used to offer discounts to teachers, nurses, etc. If they still offer this discount (sometimes up to 50% off the rack rate), then it might be worth it to do this and pay for your dining. Just a thought.

 

[chip 'n dale rule]

I see on the website that the teacher discount is $149 for value season which is still more than POR value season. Am I missing something... or is that the only discount? Just wondering as I am a teacher. Thanks.

 

[mbcary]

I see on the website that the teacher discount is $149 for value season which is still more than POR value season. Am I missing something... or is that the only discount? Just wondering as I am a teacher. Thanks.

No, you probably aren't missing anything. The difference is that the Swan/Dolphin have "Heavenly" beds. They are so wonderful to come back to every night. Plus I love the closeness to the International Gateway. I will mention that we stayed at POFQ last December and loved that as well. It is a smaller resort than POR and we were very close to the bus depot. I hope you enjoy your trip. I am sure you will wherever you stay.

 

[sfd38]

The info was very helpful . Counting down to mid-june 08!!!!!!!!

Also, looking for a count down ticker with a firetruck theme. Is there one out there?..........

 

[copper68]

I would absolutely stay at the Swan or Dolphin before staying at a moderate resort...

First off, the hotel is a deluxe resort.

Secondly, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!! You are within walking distance of 2 theme parks. That alone to me is worth the cost of paying the full rate. Since you can get it with the teachers discount (DW and I have used the discount often - nurse and gov't employee) it should be a no brainer. You're also within walking distance of the Boardwalk, and several other resorts, so your dining options are endless.

Either way though, you and the family will still have a great time!!

 

[disneygirl29]

We love the Swan and its sister resort, the Dolphin sleeps 5 with the Heavenly beds. It is an Epcot resort with most WDW benefits, such as EMH, all WDW transpotation except ME, package delivery just not charge from parks to room. The teacher/government employee discount gives you a Sheraton, better than deluxe room at less than moderate prices. If you join Starwood preferred guest (free) you more than likely get free upgrades. Ours was a totally unobstructed view of the Tower of Terror from the Swan. Best of luck in your deciding

swan/dolphin is a favorite of ours... and if not doing the ddp I would go this route... you get better than deluxe for moderate pricing... and like someone said join starwood and possibly get upgrades... the teacher/nurse/gov rate is $169 I believe not $149... but still worth it to be on boardwalk area/walking distance to epcot and mgm, and quick jant thru epcot to MK... By far hands down BEST deluxe if you ask me (even over MK resorts, personally-- although I haven't stayed in Cont since the renovations, and it does look nice but that would shoot the $$ fast) ALSO if you get the Starwood CC (AmEx) you can earn a free night just by joining and using the card once-- i was told even for just a pop charged you'd earn it...so worth it even if you normally don't use CC... also a good feature is there are no black out dates for the great rate... and you can cancel up to just a few days before at no cost...

so if need the shuttle you could do mears at like 35 round-trip (might be a little more) per adult and $30 per child-- again round trip so say $160 for transportation to the hotel... it is usually a better deal...

We will probally be back there next year with the changes to DDP in 2008 we will probally opt of DDP so that puts SWan/Dolphin back in the running and at the top of my list!

 

[dgtdisney]

Not exactly on topic - but i am hoping to ask for some advice - I have a room at the dolphin booked for next may - we are spg members and are wondering what to ask for when asking for an upgrade - we have heard that the resort in huge. we have 3 small children and are not sure if asking for a better location is better than asking for a better view??

 

[Maraena]

Couldn't they also just get 2 connecting rooms at either of the values? Their rack rate per room is $84 so two would only be $168. Toss in a fridge, coffeemaker, and toaster swap and you've got the makings of the suites.

Of course, I think that probably depends on the age of the children too. Just seems to me like two rooms would be a better deal there than the suites and a ton more space than the mods.

Am I missing something in that?

 

[sfd38]

All this info is making my head hurt, But very useful. Still , Iwould like to know of a countdown ticker that has a fire truck or other related ticker...