POR - Cramped with 4?

[mikkiwikki]

Ok -We have ressies at POR.

I'm beginning to wonder if Im going to be able to handle 4 of us (hubby, me, son and daughter) for 10 days straight in the 312 square foot room!
Someone give me some tips. Pleeeeze.

This is our first vacation as a family. I assume what parents do at night is to announce "lights out"..Then while in the room...wait for kids to go to sleep and not annoy one another. I rented a trundle bed...so the plan was to but DD on the trundle, but DS on ONE bed...and hubby and I on the other.

Is this the drill? I just can't imagine doing this 10 nights! Am ready to rent off site. Any tips welcome.

 

[CharmedLife]

We have stayed with 4 and been just fine. You will probably not spend much time in your room other than to sleep and get clean! I probably wouldn't push it to 5 people. The beds are double, not queen, so factor that into your comfort level as well. But personally we've been just fine. Also, the sinks are outside of the bathroom, making it easier for multiple people to get ready at once.

I can't even recall how many of our last trips have been spent at POR or POFQ - they are our favorite resorts and we've never been disappointed! I have only stayed off-site once, and my hubby and I agreed we would NEVER do it again. You get so much of the "Disney magic" on site, and the convenience to the parks and the bus system can't be beat (plus there is the boat from POR to DTD, a nice bonus).

Seriously - with the trundle and a separate bed for your son, I think you'll be just fine, although I'm not sure how old your kids are. I suppose the older they get, the more cramped the room will start to feel (but we've had 4 adults in a room, no problem).

 

[mikkiwikki]

I guess the big concern is the having to go to bed at 8pm.

Maybe we can trade off....and have one person go see the sights after 8pm...while the other babysits. It would be kinda nice if the rooms had a divider or something so mom/dad could read or something while the kids were snoozing off, without keeping them 8up. I guess I could go out on the balcony or something to read? Im just going to miss not having this after 8pm time frame to chat /re-group with hubby.

Renting a condo off site is beginning to tug at me only for this reason.
I totally understand the disney magic angle though. When I was a kid we ALWAYS stayed at the Polynesian, which was great for the monorail ...I loved as a kid. However - budget doesnt warrant that hotel this time around.

 

[LorlovesStitch]

We also have 2 small children and have not found the room situation to be much of a problem. You will be surprised how quickly and soundly the little ones fall asleep after a full day of Disney and fresh air (not to mention how tired you will be as well). My husband and I bring little book lights (the kind that attach right to your book) and catch up on reading we don't normally have time to do. Once in a while one of us will go out and the other one will stay with the kids. I personally enjoy hitting DTD by myself (retail therapy really calms the soul ) because I LOVE to browse and it is much more enjoyable when I can look at what I want, when I want, and no one is begging for "just this one more thing." If there is a big game on while were are at the World, then sometimes hubby will take a trip down to the ESPN Club and watch it in peace! It really is nice to just relax and do nothing, especially because no matter how late my kids go to sleep, they are up and at 'em early every morning for some more Disney magic

 

[Callalily6]

We have stayed in the moerates with 2 kids and us. Okay - I did not go to bed at 8pm. My kids passed out and we had the TV on low. Other times, my husband or I would go for a walk, to the pool, or to get some food to bring back to the room. And depending on how little your kids are - ours were under 3 - we put them in a stroller and went for a walk before bedtime around the resort. They have nice trails/ paths and the kids konked out before we got back to the room. We grabbed some food and went back to the room.

I guess we kind of bailed on bedtime too. It got pushed back about 2 hours, but they had a long nap mid-day.

A nice little trick to know is to check in as early as possible and ask for a room upgrade. If they have any, they will offer it for nex tto nothing - like an extra $10/ night. We were offered a suite at a deluxe for an extra $10/ night. So ask, but dont set your heart on it.

 

[RubyPatches]

I think that you will be fine with 4 people. We had three and were just fine and I can't imagine that one more in our party would've made a lot of difference. Plus, I just LOVE POR. Have a great time!!

 

[staci]

We have stayed many times with four in rooms that size. I think you should be fine. After a day at the parks, YOU will probably be just as tired as the kiddos!! You can always stand outside your room on the balcony/walkway after they nod off. This is such a beautiful resort to look around at.

 

[CharmedLife]

Last October we were there with DD (then 4) and DS (then 1.5). I would take my DD down for ice cream after we put DS down to bed. Hubby would sit outside the room reading a book til DS fell asleep. Then we all went back in the room and put DD to bed, who fell asleep MUCH faster than she does at home, even with DH and I watching TV. It was not a problem the whole stay. Like everyone has said, the kids are much more tired than they are at home and sleep a lot more soundly.

If you are still in the planning phase and still concerned, you might want to consider renting DVC points and staying in a 1-bedroom at one of the DVC resorts. Then you could put the kids to bed in the bedroom while you stay up in the living area. If you get a good deal on points, depending on when you're going, you may actually not pay much more than you will at POR.

Good luck deciding!

 

[NCombs]

Just a few ideas to help with the cramped feeling:

I requested a corner room at POR because those rooms have 2 windows instead of 1. I know the room size isn't any different but it felt more open to have the 2 windows.

You won't have a balcony, but people do take the chairs from the room outside and sit outside their rooms.

POR is really beautiful.

 

[crzy4dsny]

We just stayed 15 nights there with a family of 5. There was plenty of room for everyone. We all went to bed at the same time. If you are on vacation why do your kids have to go to sleep at 8:00 ? We didn't stay up late very often. The heat knocked us all out. We were usually in bed around 10:00.

Since they refinished the rooms they have installed new lights above each bed. These lights are on seperate dimmer switches. You could shut all the lights off and keep the light above your bed on low for reading or something if you wanted.

After a day in the parks and swimming the kids are wiped out. They will go to sleep easily, as will you

 

[tatooed goofy]

We just got back from POFQ. We did not have the trundle bed but just 2 double beds. We had DH, DW, DD11, DD9 and did just fine. I think you will find it to your liking. It is my favorite resort and I would go back there again instead of the others. Everything is close and the room was nice. The bathroom had lots of space and we even had room to move around in our room. I really think you will find it okay. I can emphasize with your feelings as after a while enough is enough for space. I hope you have a fabulous vacation no matter what you decide to do. Enjoy the magic!!!

 

[mikkiwikki]

My daughter is only 2 and I didnt want to mess with her sleep schedule. I anticipate staying up a little later, but probably not 10. Plus I just like having some time with my hubby after the kids crash to talk & plan without the little darlings interrupting me!

We just stayed 15 nights there with a family of 5. There was plenty of room for everyone. We all went to bed at the same time. If you are on vacation why do your kids have to go to sleep at 8:00 ?

 

[Schmeck]

When you say you rented a trundle bed - do you mean you requested a room with a trundle bed (alligator bayou section) or are you paying extra for a fold-up bed? Do they charge more for the alligator bayou rooms with the trundle?

 

[HopperFan]

When we stayed in AB we requested a bottom floor corner room. (I have always requested and gotten corner rooms there because they do make the room feel bigger and more cheerful) That basically created a porch for us because there was no reason for anyone to walk past our room. We created our own little porch.....are you driving ? If so I would take two of those pop up chairs. Put the kids to bed and pop up on the "porch" and enjoy the evening for awhile before hitting the bed.

We have never had a problem with space in moderates, even now that kids are older. We spent so little time in our room, even just walking around the resort or sitting and having an ice cream made for peaceful time before bed.