Most affordable way to do this?

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

You could stay in a 3 bedroom suite/condo at Bonnet Creek for $150 a night or less, which would be about $250/$350 a night cheaper than staying on property. You can do that special TS meal for all of you for $250 and eat other meals and breakfast in your room.

If you are feeding 8 ppl and you eat breakfast in the room you save about $80-$250 a day. By eating dinner in the room you save the same amount if not more.

Bonnet Creek has 5 pools, 2 lazy rivers, ping pong, volleyball, free putt putt and a bunch of on site places to eat.

It is just a few minutes from Disney.

The massive amount of room and space you would have for everybody would be awesome compared to being cooped up in 2 little hotel rooms.

For whoever suggested the deluxe dining plan, that is crazy. most of those folks are over 10 and that cost $100 a day per person. That would be about $700 a day in food costs when you factor in the adults and adult kids and kids. You can pay OOP and eat 3 meals a day for way less than $100 per person.

I would never suggest the deluxe dining plan to anybody unless they were getting the DDP free and paid to upgrade to DlxDp.

 

[Marthasor]

I'm going to suggest renting points for a 2-bedroom and staying onsite at DVC - SSR and OKW will be your most cost effective choices. Yes, add a dining plan. That way the teens can go grab a bite or a snack and just swipe their card as opposed to having to ask you for cash constantly.

I know others have suggested staying off-site and yes, it would save you some money, but it will add the hassle of either having to rent a car or relying on off-site shuttles that do not have very frequent transportation to the parks. You'll also lose out on using Magical Express which offers a cost savings as well.

 

[robinb]

Offsite is definitely more affordable for such a large group, even after you factor in a car. You may want to consider buying Annual Passes for your September trip if you plan on your niece/nephew trip within the next year. It will save you on park passes and parking if you choose to stay offsite.

ETA: I think that a trip with teens is a much different animal than with your own young children. The expensive character meals that make the DxDDP worthwhile for families with younger children may lose their charm with older kids. Especially kids that are not raised on WDW. If you choose to stay onsite, I would probably go with the regular DDP which will allow you a couple of character meals and a couple of meals that would appeal to the older children too.

 

[jcemom]

My mom and I took my three kids along with my niece and nephew. We rented points from a fellow DISer for a two bedroom villa at OKW. (I think we paid $11 per point.) It was very roomy and my kids still say it's the best "hotel" they've ever been in lol.

There is no way I would have purchased the dining plan for that many people...too much money. We had groceries delivered and made breakfast or had cereal or whatever each morning. We ate CS lunches in the parks. We made some dinners and ate in the parks for some, depending on our plans for each day. We bought some snacks but not a lot.

The only TS meals we planned were Crystal Palace breakfast and Chef Mickey's dinner. I chose buffets so the kids could eat as much as they wanted and because the variety meant everyone liked something.

The "problem" with getting the DDP is that you're paying for a TS meal each day. While nice to have, that's not necessary and rather expensive with all those Disney adults. The QSDP is really more of a convenience and not so much a money saver, unless everyone consistently orders the more expensive combo meals and always gets dessert, and always drinks soda or bottled drinks. (We often get ice water and almost never want CS desserts.) I think you'd be better off choosing a couple of TS meals and paying for everything OOP, if you go the DVC points rental route.

 

[LovesTimone]

You could stay in a 3 bedroom suite/condo at Bonnet Creek for $150 a night or less, which would be about $250/$350 a night cheaper than staying on property. You can do that special TS meal for all of you for $250 and eat other meals and breakfast in your room.

If you are feeding 8 ppl and you eat breakfast in the room you save about $80-$250 a day. By eating dinner in the room you save the same amount if not more.

Bonnet Creek has 5 pools, 2 lazy rivers, ping pong, volleyball, free putt putt and a bunch of on site places to eat.

It is just a few minutes from Disney.

The massive amount of room and space you would have for everybody would be awesome compared to being cooped up in 2 little hotel rooms.

For whoever suggested the deluxe dining plan, that is crazy. most of those folks are over 10 and that cost $100 a day per person. That would be about $700 a day in food costs when you factor in the adults and adult kids and kids. You can pay OOP and eat 3 meals a day for way less than $100 per person.

I would never suggest the deluxe dining plan to anybody unless they were getting the DDP free and paid to upgrade to DlxDp.

I am the whoever that suggested DDXDP - As with most post here it's your opinion and you are making a suggestion. Each person has one, just because you do not agree that does not make it crazy. The OP is trying to give his nephew's and niece, a trip that they would never most likely never to be able to go on. With DDXDP it cover all meals and snacks, My nephew at 16 could eat a whole large pizza and salad, bread sticks and dessert, ( and no he was and is not over weight) and still be looking around for something more... So with this plan he will be able to let everyone get what they want, and be able to relax as it is paid for up front. I suggested this as I planned a trip my friends and family we had several teenagers, When at lunch and dinner even though some might not have wanted a appetizer they ordered one, and the kids ( teenagers) would eat it, still eat their main entrée and dessert, without blinking a eye. For myself and my family we enjoy this option. And of course if you can get free dinning, and upgrade that would be the way to go.

 

[Schmoodle]

It's very sweet that you want to do this for these kids - I hope it works out. You've got lots of advice on where to stay, just wanted to add that my youngest two are 15 and 17, and when I asked if they really wanted to go back to WDW or were just humoring me, they assured me they wanted to go. It depends on the kids of course, but lots of teens go to WDW and have a great time. Just look at those tour groups! Now mine don't care about the characters, but then they never did even when they were younger, and I see lots of pix on the DIS of teens with characters.

I know you said you'd prefer a dining plan, and it certainly would simplify things, especially if you end up in regular rooms onsite, but if you go with a Villa/condo, you may want to reconsider. The dining plan has never saved us money, except when I went with a friend and no kids and we enjoyed lots of sit-down meals. Saved all my receipts and added it up to be sure. Cooking up inexpensive dinners to feed that crowd is going to save you a ton, and doesn't have to involve a lot of work (spaghetti, canned sauce, frozen meatballs, bag salad, and frozen garlic bread and so on) and you can make a few reservations at places you'll all enjoy, like early breakfasts in the park.

 

[prune1977]

Offsite is definitely more affordable for such a large group, even after you factor in a car. You may want to consider buying Annual Passes for your September trip if you plan on your niece/nephew trip within the next year. It will save you on park passes and parking if you choose to stay offsite.

ETA: I think that a trip with teens is a much different animal than with your own young children. The expensive character meals that make the DxDDP worthwhile for families with younger children may lose their charm with older kids. Especially kids that are not raised on WDW. If you choose to stay onsite, I would probably go with the regular DDP which will allow you a couple of character meals and a couple of meals that would appeal to the older children too.

Part of it being a vacation for us is not having to drive, being onsite, etc... because I drive a lot for work so this is 1 or 2 weeks a year that i don't have to. I appreciate all the advice so far and it's all been very helpful and a lot to consider.

 

[prune1977]

I am the whoever that suggested DDXDP - As with most post here it's your opinion and you are making a suggestion. Each person has one, just because you do not agree that does not make it crazy. The OP is trying to give his nephew's and niece, a trip that they would never most likely never to be able to go on. With DDXDP it cover all meals and snacks, My nephew at 16 could eat a whole large pizza and salad, bread sticks and dessert, ( and no he was and is not over weight) and still be looking around for something more... So with this plan he will be able to let everyone get what they want, and be able to relax as it is paid for up front. I suggested this as I planned a trip my friends and family we had several teenagers, When at lunch and dinner even though some might not have wanted a appetizer they ordered one, and the kids ( teenagers) would eat it, still eat their main entrée and dessert, without blinking a eye. For myself and my family we enjoy this option. And of course if you can get free dinning, and upgrade that would be the way to go.

I don't think you're crazy at all, we don't eat all TS meals but we do eat alot as thats something my DW and I and even our kids enjoy, we realize we wont' see/do everything on one trip and and so we don't try. We go at a relaxing pace have the kids pick a couple of for sure things that they want to ride or see each day; do those and then we just do whatever else we can without running like crazy. The DXDP has always saved us a lot of money, I didn't know if it would the first time we went but DW insisted we upgrade as we got FD that time. We did I kept receipts the first 2 days then pitched them as I could already tell that we were saving a bunch. Yes I like to have everything prepaid.

 

[DonnaL]

I also think either a DVC unit or Bonnet Creek is the way to go ...if it were me I would go for a 3 bdrm Bonnet Creek unit. Also, would definitely consider either grocery shopping yourself or having groceries delivered by GG or WgoShop.....especially with 6 kids of completely different ages. First of all, for TS restaurants making ressies for a party of 8 and sticking to a timeframe to make it there for those ressies would be a major pain IMO. Don't know how you're getting to WDW (driving or flying) but, we've had six in our party several times ( DH, myself, our three, now adult, children and one grandson) and usually do a mix of eating in and dining out. I plan simple, easy to prepare meals (if driving, it's easy....take a crockpot) and have taken precooked frozen items in a soft sided Thermos cooler as my carryon (ex....precooked frozen meatballs, precooked frozen meatloaves, precooked ground hamburger meat to thaw and use in tacos, sloppy joes, etc., precooked frozen boneless chicken to be used in many different recipes....from chicken cacciatore to chicken with butter/garlic over rice). I've never had a problem with TSA....I'm just careful nothing can turn liquid....we have a 2 hr drive to airport and it's also a 2.5 hr flight, so counting wait time at airport.....it's usually about 7 hours by the time we get to WDW and everything is still frozen in my bag. I also package any spices I need in snack size Ziplocs, simply by measuring out what I'll need and transferring from the jar to the bags and mark each bag....tucks into a corner of a suitcase beautifully. Also, on most trips I will UPS or FedEx a package addressed to myself at whatever resort we are staying, along with our check-in date, with any dry goods (rice, instant potatoes, beans, etc.) I need to prepare several meals......I also include coffee, sugar, some peanut and jelly, snack stuff. Then, I just order any fresh or liquid ingredients I need from Garden Grocer and things like milk, juice, bottled water,maybe some frozen pizzas. We find we enjoy eating out for maybe two meals and then preparing simple stuff in our DVC unit for the rest. I've saved a ton of money over the years and haven't spent a lot of MY vacation time cooking for a crowd.

 

[jcemom]

I don't think you're crazy at all, we don't eat all TS meals but we do eat alot as thats something my DW and I and even our kids enjoy, we realize we wont' see/do everything on one trip and and so we don't try. We go at a relaxing pace have the kids pick a couple of for sure things that they want to ride or see each day; do those and then we just do whatever else we can without running like crazy. The DXDP has always saved us a lot of money, I didn't know if it would the first time we went but DW insisted we upgrade as we got FD that time. We did I kept receipts the first 2 days then pitched them as I could already tell that we were saving a bunch. Yes I like to have everything prepaid.

I think many of us misunderstood as you asked for an "affordable" way to do this vacation. To me, and probably many others, that means being willing to compromise to save some money. That sure doesn't mean the DxDP, at least not to me. I would never consider that "affordable" but then everyone has a different price point that they consider affordable.

The DDP barely saves us any money, lol, and sometimes it doesn't save us anything at all. But then we don't like to schedule TS meals every day of our trip. My kids prefer to get in all the rides/attractions and only a few restaurants rather than the other way around.

If the only thing in question is where to stay then I'd start by doing the math. Add up the cost of two POR rooms at rack rate. Add up the cost of two POR rooms with whatever discount is typical for the time frame you are considering, just for comparison purposes. Look up how many points would be required to stay in the DVC villa(s) you would like. Multiply those points by $12 to see what it would cost to rent them. See how the numbers compare.

The only time we have had larger than a studio it was at OKW and the kids LOVED it.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I know the eating in room for trip would save us $$$ but I don't cook well at all & part of a vacation for us is my wife not having to cook, plus part of the magic is the restaurants at Disney. My wife says she wouldn't mind cooking but I just can't let that happen on a vacation.

No cooking required Having breakfast in your villa (microwave, toaster, fridge) just for easy things will save a fortune, you can get milk, OJ, poptarts, cereal, bread, bagels, fresh fruit, the 3 older kids can make their own food ... plus snacks for them during the afternoon, kids that age eat every 2 hours that will save you too. My boys are 12 and 13 (almost 14) and I know how much food it takes to keep them satisfied. Lunch could also save money just by buying cold cuts, PB&J, chips, etc. Nothing that requires cooking. Then your only meal out would be dinner. Heck dinner out for 8 people is still going to cost a couple of hundred bucks at least. I'm sure your wife won't mind once she sees the savings. Plus her peace of mind is going to be preserved by you guys having your own master bedroom with a king bed!

 

[jcemom]

Oh, I wanted to add...although the only large villa we have stayed in was at OKW, I have heard that the AKVs are really nice too. We have only stayed in a studio at AKV and it was our overall favorite.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Oh, I wanted to add...although the only large villa we have stayed in was at OKW, I have heard that the AKVs are really nice too. We have only stayed in a studio at AKV and it was our overall favorite.

We have stayed at Kidani in a 1 bedroom and it was AMAZING! I can only imagine the 2 bedroom would be even more fantastic. OKW is great too, but we never have a car so we found Kidani to be easier being all in one huge building.

 

[robinb]

]I think many of us misunderstood as you asked for an "affordable" way to do this vacation. To me, and probably many others, that means being willing to compromise to save some money. [/B]That sure doesn't mean the DxDP, at least not to me. I would never consider that "affordable" but then everyone has a different price point that they consider affordable.

The DDP barely saves us any money, lol, and sometimes it doesn't save us anything at all. But then we don't like to schedule TS meals every day of our trip. My kids prefer to get in all the rides/attractions and only a few restaurants rather than the other way around.

If the only thing in question is where to stay then I'd start by doing the math. Add up the cost of two POR rooms at rack rate. Add up the cost of two POR rooms with whatever discount is typical for the time frame you are considering, just for comparison purposes. Look up how many points would be required to stay in the DVC villa(s) you would like. Multiply those points by $12 to see what it would cost to rent them. See how the numbers compare.

The only time we have had larger than a studio it was at OKW and the kids LOVED it.

Yes, that's exactly what *I* was thinking. Like you, the regular DDP doesn't save us money, but we are no longer in the DDP "sweet spot" of having children 10 and under or being able to score free dining anymore. If the OP can go during free dining, then I think it's a no brainer to book POR for the free regular DDP and request AB for the flexibility in having the extra bed in the room. BUT ... given the ages of the OP's brother's children, I don't think that will happen. One-two of them will be in High School. I know that many folks don't think twice about taking their 2nd or 3rd grader out of school but a high schooler? Nope. I personally wouldn't allow it. So, I think the OP is probably limited to school vacations. If he were to book a DVC 2BR I would suggest a Standard View over at AKV-Kidani. It sleeps 9 people (2 in the master, 4 in the 2nd bedroom and 3 in the living room on foldout couch and chair) and it has 3 baths. For the second week in June it comes up at 287 points or $3444 at $12 per point (you don't pay taxes). Any DDP can be added to that and you are not required to purchase tickets to qualify for it.

 

[prune1977]

Yes, that's exactly what *I* was thinking. Like you, the regular DDP doesn't save us money, but we are no longer in the DDP "sweet spot" of having children 10 and under or being able to score free dining anymore. If the OP can go during free dining, then I think it's a no brainer to book POR for the free regular DDP and request AB for the flexibility in having the extra bed in the room. BUT ... given the ages of the OP's brother's children, I don't think that will happen. One-two of them will be in High School. I know that many folks don't think twice about taking their 2nd or 3rd grader out of school but a high schooler? Nope. I personally wouldn't allow it. So, I think the OP is probably limited to school vacations. If he were to book a DVC 2BR I would suggest a Standard View over at AKV-Kidani. It sleeps 9 people (2 in the master, 4 in the 2nd bedroom and 3 in the living room on foldout couch and chair) and it has 3 baths. For the second week in June it comes up at 287 points or $3444 at $12 per point (you don't pay taxes). Any DDP can be added to that and you are not required to purchase tickets to qualify for it.

I may have mistitled the thread as I wanted to know the most affordable way to a magical trip for them that includes a dp and staying onsite at Disney since this will more than likely be the only time in there lives they get to do something like this. I'm not sure though if doing a reg dining plan then paying oop if they need more would be better or just doing a DXDP or doing something different entirely. Not sure about renting pts vs. booking through Disney etc.

 

[jcemom]

I may have mistitled the thread as I wanted to know the most affordable way to a magical trip for them that includes a dp and staying onsite at Disney since this will more than likely be the only time in there lives they get to do something like this. I'm not sure though if doing a reg dining plan then paying oop if they need more would be better or just doing a DXDP or doing something different entirely. Not sure about renting pts vs. booking through Disney etc.

Okay, got it!

The only way to know is to do the math for your particular situation. It's going to vary for everyone and every time of year. Pick a time frame. Price out a week at POR in two rooms. Calculate how many DVC points you would need for a two bedroom villa at AKV and/or OKW or wherever. Multiply the points by $12. There's your cost comparison for the resort.

Make a list of the places you want to eat. Someone posted on another thread a link to a dining calculator but I don't have it handy. Maybe someone else can post that if they have it. Personally I think they're going to make more memories with park attractions than with restaurants, but that's just my opinion. I would not want two or three TS meals each and every day, and neither would my kids, but everyone is different.

 

[robinb]

Okay, got it!

The only way to know is to do the math for your particular situation. It's going to vary for everyone and every time of year. Pick a time frame. Price out a week at POR in two rooms. Calculate how many DVC points you would need for a two bedroom villa at AKV and/or OKW or wherever. Multiply the points by $12. There's your cost comparison for the resort.

Remember that the WDW resort price needs to include taxes (12.5%) while the point rental does not. Also, DVC accommodations do not include daily housekeeping.

Make a list of the places you want to eat. Someone posted on another thread a link to a dining calculator but I don't have it handy. Maybe someone else can post that if they have it. Personally I think they're going to make more memories with park attractions than with restaurants, but that's just my opinion. I would not want two or three TS meals each and every day, and neither would my kids, but everyone is different.

I totally agree with you.