Large families only please.....

[Rylee]

If we are traveling for a purpose... an activity and event filled, sight-seeing vacation... Disney, NYC, Washington D.C., etc., location is more important than space.

If we are taking a relaxing vacation to get away from it all, and just reconnect... beach or mountains, the accommodations and amenities are more important.

We have never felt the need to have our own rooms, a private pool, or a lot of space, while on vacation. (We have all of that at home.)

At Disney...
We always stay on-site at a Disney resort. When we were a family of 5, we stayed Deluxe. As 7, we get 2 connecting rooms. I don't want/need a kitchen, we always get the Dining Plan. We aren't interested in the Family Suites, as we want to sleep in beds, not pull-outs.

At the beach...
We rent a 2-3 bedroom/2 bath ocean front condo or suite, with a full kitchen. We sometimes use the kitchen for breakfast or lunches but always go out for dinners.

 

[liznboys]

Onsite at Disney: We are DVC members so we stay in 2 bedroom villas when we stay at the DVC resorts. We've stayed at the Polynesian and Contemporary in one room when our youngest was under 3. And we've gotten two rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort.

Offsite at Disney: We love Buena Vista Suites. Great value for a family of 6 (especially when booking through Dreams Unlimited). We have two upcoming trips to WDW where we are staying at BVS for some of the nights. We are getting a 1 bedroom suite (2 queens and a pullout) plus free breakfast, in a nice hotel, very close to WDW for about $100 per night (that includes tax). We've also stayed at Caribe Royale (the sister resort to BVS) but as of now BVS is less expensive.

As far as places other than Disney, we stay in a 1 bedroom suite or get two rooms.

 

[darlingfamily]

There are a lot of really good ideas here!

I'll add my .02. LOL

We are a family of 6 as well and we are located in Kansas City. We have found really inexpensive flight on Southwest. We can't do a stop-over because of my oldest's needs but you can get them even cheaper if you have a stop-over. Southwest runs some amazing fares from time to time and some of the internet fares are amazingly inexpensive!

We also rent off site. We got a condo for years but now the kids are getting bigger and, again with my son's special needs we need more room so we get a house now. But we would rent a 3 bedroom condo. We would pick up groceries and there was always a washer/dryer on the premises.

We also take a break in the middle of the day and go off site to eat. There are a ton of places to eat along Orlo Bronson HWY which are more economical than eating in the park.

I know everyone has preferences but this is what has worked for this family of 6 for the past 5 or so years.

Good luck!

 

[MomluvsDisney]

I want real advice on how you travel with a large family. We are a family of 6 and it is challenging to travel affordably specifically with lodging especially now that our kids are getting older. We have tried many strategies. Sometimes we will rent a condo, stay in a suites hotel, take the grandparents with us so we can get 2 rooms and they can take 2 kids while we take 2, and sometimes we cram into a normal double hotel room with a pack and play. I'm interested in hearing what works for others in the same boat. Not just in Orlando but whenever you go anywhere??

When we visit Disney, we stay at an off-site resort with 3 bedrooms/2 baths or a rental home. Depending on our needs at the time we like to try different places. A rental townhome (sleeps 6-8) in Windsor Hills comes with a splash pool, 3 baths, and 3 bedrooms. They have bigger single family homes that could sleep up to 10 people and some up to 12. The bigger homes have 6 bedrooms, 4 - 5 baths, and larger pools. Florida Sun Vacation Homes http://www.floridasunvacationhomes.com and All Stars http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com are great management companies that rent out homes in Windsor Hills and other communities. Also, checkout Floridays Resort.

Usually, I stay at Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites, or Marriott Residence Inns when I travel other places. In some cities you could get a 2 bedroom/ 2 bath suite at some Homewood Suites and Residence Inns in suburban locations. However, most HS and RI only come with 1 bedroom with 2 double beds and a sleep sofa in the living room which will accomodate 6.

 

[swilshire]

We are a family of six, though the two oldest kids are out of the house now and seldom vacation with us. We got into timesharing in the mid-90s and it was the best move we ever made.

We always get at least a 2br unit and often times a 3br. We have two or three bathrooms, which is a lifesaver with a big family. We have a full kitchen so we aren't forced to sit in restaurants. We can all eat at our preferred times and eat different foods with no problem.

Our total costs runs about the same as an average hotel room would cost and we have so much more space.

My kids are so spoiled now that even the nicest hotels disappoint them.

Sheila

 

[houseful of boys]

I'm glad to see a little of every answer. I brought this subject up because our littlest one will barely fit into a pack and play anymore. My preference is to rent condos. When we go to the beach this is what we do, otherwise I go stir crazy ( I don't think the kids mind so much )When we go to Disney unless it's free dining we've been renting vacation houses with my sister's family and love it (Windsor Hills is my fav). BUT, this summer we are flying our family of 6f rom Ohio to California to see the Pacific, Sequoia trees and Disneyland for 10 nights. So we will be traveling around the state and can't do a rental. So I've been working at it and have decided to do a combo of things. Using Priceline and Hotwire, we've gotten 2 rooms in some hotels, doing some suite hotels, renting a cabin for a night, and cramming in a standard room a couple of nights. All of your answers put my mind to ease, that I was doing the best I could to keep costs down and yet enjoy our trip. Thanks!

Now if we all could only cram into a compact car!