Need tips from families of 6 or more

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

My DH said he'd be willing to go later this year if we can get free dining. I was surprised b/c I'm usually the one wanting to go to DW. We had also said we would try to stay away for a year or two.

I started thinking about it though and realized that any trips we'll take now will cost a bit more than they have in the past. We will be paying for another child and we will need a bigger hotel room now.

I really don't see connecting values working out for us with young kids, and I'm not sure if the price of a moderate would be worth it.

I'm really a bargain hunter so it would be hard for me to pay over $1000 more and not get much more out of it. I would be willing to stay off site (if it's really close) and give up the dining plan if I could get a really affordable trip.

Open to any and all advice! Thanks!

 

[Ashley Kees]

I would strongly suggest the All Star Music Family suites. I stayed there about 18 months ago with DH, DS1, DD4, DD5 and DB15. We didn't want to do two connecting rooms because we didn't want the kids to share beds (all are kickers, and we didn't want uncles sharing with nieces/nephew) and we wanted the option of food in the room while still being super-close to the parks, having the theming and constant transportation to/from the parks.

Here's the benefits of the suites for us:
1. CHEAP (for Disney) plus eligible for up to 20% off with the AAA discount on room-only.
2. separate beds for the kids! The beds were plenty comfy enough for little ones, and the double was big enough for my teenaged, football sized brother.
3. separate bedroom for adults and a QUEEN SIZED BED in a value resort! LIfesaver! We had the baby in a crib in our room, but we were still more comfortable!
4. actual kitchen. The kitchen area was actually conducive to cooking a few small meals with the equipment given, and unlike regular rooms, included an EXTRA ventiliation system in the kitchen area to take care of microwave odors that would possibly bother neighbors in other rooms! There are LOTS of meals that can be prepared in those little kitchens quite legally and safely with a little creativity! Plus, with the free dining (it will probably be the quick service dining plan) you may end up with lots of leftovers. You'll have some place to store and reheat your leftovers and snacks for late night snacks and quick breakfasts!
5. A sitting room during the day rather than just plopping down on beds, and more floor space too! When waiting for big groups to get ready during the morning, or sitting through a little one's nap, it was WONDERFUL to have a couch and chair and table and be able to sit and chat. When the living room beds are folded up there is plenty of walking space in the living room! MUCH nicer in my opinion.
6. Theming is great, and access to food courts/game rooms/ theme pools was a major plus! We go to Disney to experience Disney. I don't want to drive or hang around in someone else's house when I'm there. Staying on property made the vacation even better!

A cabin is a good choice if you want to cook, but is a lot of cost if you are going to have free dining.

 

[mjkacmom]

We did connecting rooms when our kids were between the ages of 1 - 7, and had no issues. We also rented DVC points for a 2 bedroom villa at the BC, which was awesome, and cost about the same as 2 moderate rooms. I think next time we will stay offsite at a 3 bedroom condo, and see how that goes.

 

[WAHMto5]

We have 5 children and the connecting rooms at POP and it worked out great for us. The FW Cabins are also have lots of room and worked out well also For us, it is SOO much easier to stay on-site with the kids.

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

Thanks, everyone. These are all options I definitely will price out and look into. Is there anyone out there who has stayed off site that can share some insight? Or anyone working with a budget?

Thanks!

 

[VAfamily1998]

Hi! We've stayed off site for two of our trips with our 4 children (one trip they were 7, 6, 3, and 1...the next trip they were 9, 7, 5, and 3).

We specifically searched for Marriott hotels because we were Platinum rewards members and had enough points for a free stay!

Trip #1 we stayed at a Residence Inn http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcorl-residence-inn-orlando-lake-buena-vista/
We had a two bedroom suite--one bedroom had a King size bed and the other had two double beds...perfect for us! They also served a very nice free breakfast every morning! We didn't have any issues with driving/parking at Disney...the only park that seemed to be a hassle was Magic Kingdom, due to the need to park, then take a monorail or boat.

Trip #2 we looked into staying at the same place, but for some reason we couldn't (can't remember if we didn't have enough points, or they were already booked, or?). We stayed at http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcosp-marriotts-sabal-palms
Again, we had a 2 bedroom suite. Although the suite was much larger than at Residence Inn, the bed configuration did not work out as well for our family because the 2nd bedroom had a double bed and a twin bed, instead of two doubles. There is a pull out sofa in the living room, but I try to avoid using those if at all possible because I prefer to keep the living room as a living room--so people can hang out there without worrying waking up whoever is sleeping, etc. Our kids were still pretty small so we were able to squeeze the three youngest together in the double and my oldest slept in the twin. One thing I really liked about this one, compared to the Residence Inn, was in the in room laundry, a nice balcony over looking the pool, and the fact that our car was parked just steps from our room---we didn't have to use elevators, walk down long halls, etc. after a long day at the park!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I wouldn't be so concerned about connecting rooms. While we have never done this (we are DVC now so use our points to get a large enough room)--we did it on DCL and it was fine. TWO bathrooms.

And off site condo may be much more price and space friendly, though. Several options quite close to Disney--especially on I-Drive.

 

[houseful of boys]

We usually stay off site in a rental home. We especially like Windsor Hills due to its proximity to the parks (check out vrbo.com and look at Windsor Hills in Kissimmee). It's so nice to have the extra space. A full kitchen with pantry and washer and dryer are a life saver when you are doing a budget trip. The biggest consideration I would say is if you are used to doing table service meals then you just can't beat free dining with a family of six. Last year we had connecting rooms and it was no big deal. That being said, if you want to save a bunch of money, share quick service meals and take in your own snacks and waters and eat off site (even in your own rented kitchen) at times. We love both experiences, I still feel the Disney Magic when I rent a house or condo (especially if you get one with themed rooms for the kids)

HTH
Cara

 

[pnutallergymom]

We rented a 2bdrm unit at Bonnett Creek last year from a private owner.....It was GORGEOUS!! We got the entire week for 765.00. It had a King bed with Jacuzzi whirlpool tub and shower in one room, and 2 Queens with its own bathroom in the other room, plus the sofa pulled out to a queen as well. Pools were fabulous. Great Activities for kids. Big plus is it is on Disney property.

Having said this though, I wouldn't stay off-property again until my kids are much older. Something about staying off-property took away some of the "magic" for me.....and I didn't like that I had to budget for everything on our own. I liked being able to pay one price for everything and only have to worry about my spending money. We compared the two trips and I think we probably spent the same on both. We stayed at POR our first time.

 

[v.t.]

We are looking at staying in the FS at the music resort or at the FW cabins. There will be 6 of us (3 adults, 3 kids) and have free QSDP. I am leaning toward the music resort for the food court . Are the single beds okay for the kids?

 

[luvalwaysMandy]

We only have 3 children, so a family of 5. We plan to stay off site in a very big/nice house for less than we would spend on a hotel.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

We have four children and LOVE getting connecting rooms. It's so much nicer to have extra room to spread out...plus TWO bathrooms!!! We loved being able to put the younger kids down to bed in one room and hanging out in the other. There was more room for our stroller and gear. Our kids are not great on wanting to share beds, either. So, we put the older two kids in their own beds and dh and I each shared a bed with one of our younger boys. We haven't tried a family suite, but have heard good things about them. Another option might be to try to rent points for a villa.

For our last trip, we didn't get connecting rooms as we had requested. I know they are never guaranteed, but 2 out of 3 trips, we've gotten them. This time, however, we had rooms right next to each other, just not connecting. I can see how that could have been difficult if we had toddlers. Luckily, our youngest was 3 at the time. It all worked out.

For the first time ever, we are taking a budget trip down in June, and staying off-site. I guess we'll have to see how it goes, since I know we've been spoiled by being on property all other visits. We found a 4-bedroom home with a pool about 5 minutes from Disney..for a great price. We've rented homes elsewhere, and always love having extra room.

Yes, it is definitely more expensive to take a large family, but is certainly doable. You just have to figure out how to avoid conflicts and make everyone as happy as possible, knowing you are going to have limitations. For us, having a totally separate living space is essential (as opposed to many of the hotels we've stayed at that have a partial divider in their "suite" rooms. For one night that's fine, but we'd go crazy having to deal with that for longer than 2 nights.

 

[KelleyGirl]

I second Windsor Hills!

Our family loves it there. My kids like it better than on-property because of the private pool and game room!

 

[YellowJackets]

All the previous advice is very good, I only have 1 thing to add. Onsite or off, value suite or mod really depends on your expectations/needs.

Our family of 6 (4 kids, 11, 9, 4 and 1) have do it both ways while only a family of 5 and we will be going back in 3 weeks and all 6 staying in one room at POR. We have stayed at POR before and love it. We spend very little time in the room and while it will be close quarters, we don't need the extra space an offsite option offers. But ... the offsite options are very good and I would choice that if you plan on spending much time outside the parks or you need the space.

 

[TSRE]

If you are interested in Bonnett Creek, there is a thread on the Orlando Area board called "We Love Bonnett Creek" that has a lot of good info. This is what we will be doing with our family of 5. The space is more valuable to us than the theming, but I can understand people that feel differently. After the first time we stayed in a timeshare type place, I never wanted to go any other way. Everyone liked each other so much more at the end of the week! Plus, I would rather have our own car instead of relying on Disney Transportation, but that is just me. Even if it takes the same amount of time, I'd rather be sitting in a car with just my family than a bus with whoever. As with everything Disney, it so depends on your preferences, and then attitude when you get there .

 

[kelma]

We're also a family of 6. Our kids are now 11, 9, 5 and 3. When they were 8, 6, 2 and an infant, we stayed at POR. We all fit fine, but didn't enjoy the atmosphere of the resort (no flames just personal preference ).

When they were 9, 7, 3 and 1, we stayed in connecting rooms at POP and it was great - lots of room and the kids loved the theming.

10, 8, 4 and 2 - we stayed at the Poly with a great deal that still made it more expensive than our usual trip, but we knew with our family size it would be the ONLY time we'd ever be able to go there, because we'd never pay for 2 rooms It was great, but I won't even go into details because it was definitely not budget

This January we stayed in the Wilderness Cabins with the 40% off discount. Even with paying for the meal plan, it only wound up being about $200 more than 2 rooms at POP with free dining. We loved having a kitchen for early breakfasts as we find getting breakfast for everyone in the food court to be stressful and time consuming. It was especially nice in the 30 degree weather we enjoyed during our trip - gave us more time to let the temperature rise to a more balmy mid 30's And our kids all fit great in the bedroom while my dh and I slept in the Murphy bed in the living area.

We have also stayed off site when we only had 2 kids and enjoyed it too. In fact, without the meal plan, I probably wouldn't stay onsite at all. We're just the type that stress out over how much meals cost and just knowing that everything is already paid for makes our vacation much more enjoyable We also enjoy doing character meals and not waiting in line to meet them and I would never pay for a character meal a day

No matter where we stay, with 4 kids and a double stroller, we always drive to and from the parks and find it much less stressful than getting 4 little ones and all of our junk and the double stroller on and off crowded buses. When we had 2 kids, we absolutely loved the buses - 4 not so much

For what it's worth, I think the next time we go it will be at ASMovies with connecting rooms just for the fun themes and water play area for the littler ones.

HTH!
Kelma
Mom of 2 princes and 2 princesses

 

[v.t.]

We are looking at the Disney Buses as a plus. Even though we will have a car, our group splits up a lot and if someone wants to return, they can hop on a bus or take the car, leaving the other group with some way to get home. I just thought since we do have free dining it would be nice to stay at a hotel where we can use the QS plan. (That was our main problem with the BC last year.)

 

[mom25kids]

Well I can't speak from experience, that is until another 10 days. LOL But we have 5 children (15, 12, 10, 9, 7) we threw out any idea of a hotel immediately. For several reasons: the cost, not wanting to be in "connecting" rooms, no room to run, other people there (noise issue from our room lol), no full kitchen, etc, etc. We got a home for a full 7 days for I want to say it was $800. Which beat all the prices from any and all hotels/motels, etc that I tried to find for us. The best part is there is a pool fenced in the HOUSE, and each child will have their own room. Plus the full kitchen is also a gem.

My best friend goes at least once if not more times a year to Disney and always gets a house. It's just her, her husband and their two children (7 and 3). They love the more freedom it gives them. I knew from her experiences that this was the only way for us to go. Granted, we don't have the bus from the hotels, or special passes, etc, but that's all worth it, imo, when I don't have to worry about them getting fed up with each other, throwing fits (due to close quarters - we live on 46 acres and the idea of them all being in a room in a hotel, even connnecting, gives me the chills lol), etc.

I just can't fathom doing it any other way but in a rental home. But, as I said, we leave to drive (yes, I am partially insane) from Western PA to Florida on the night of May 15th. So we shall see exactly how it plays out.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

We tried a rental home for our family of 6 for the first time last year. I was a non-believer, but now, all 6 of us are total converts! We loved it so much, we stayed there again for a short-notice, non-Disney Orlando trip in Feb. And next year, the kids actually asked to stay in this house again, rather than stay DVC! The heathens!

For ~$1250 a week, we got a 4BR/4BA house with a private pool, free wi-fi, free game and movie rentals, steps from the clubhouse and main pool. Please note, there are much cheaper offsite options--we wanted the space to spread out. This is in Windsor Hills. WH also has a lovely playground, movie theater, water slide, and is a gated community. I felt very comfortable letting my DD14 go running on her own each day.

We also like driving to the parks--with our APs, we get free parking, and with AAA, there are special up-close parking spaces, so it was a breeze to get in and out.

My kids also prefer mostly homecooked meals versus a bunch of fast food or restaurant meals. it works out great--they can snack all they want, and I'm saving money. Naturally, we have vacation-type snacks, like break-and-bake cookies.

I should mention, my kids are 14, 13, 7, and 4. They ALL loved the house--the little two shared a bedroom (they don't at home, so a big thrill for them), the older two had private bedrooms with TVs (another treat). It was great putting the little guys down, and still being able to watch TV or swim or whatever. The most memorable thing for my little two? Having a "midnight swim"! It was dark and after their bed time, so the pool lights were on, not actually midnight. But that was hands-down, their favorite activity of the entire week.