Resort advice please!

[kelleybean]

Hello -

We are considering a June trip with me, DH, my son, my mom and teenage niece. We would want to stay on site so that it will be easier for mom to go back to the resort and rest if the parks get to be too much. My son, who has autism, has to have his own bed, not necessarily his own room, or else he will not sleep at all (I'm guessing the other autism parents on here can relate to what a disaster that would be!). Any suggestions for which resort?

I am looking at the family suite at AoA. Is there only one bathroom though? This appeared to be cheaper than 2 rooms connecting rooms elsewhere. Are there other options that I'm missing?

Thanks!

 

[kclong1]

2 full bathrooms - one traditional bedroom, table is a murphy bed, and couch is a pull out - kitchen is microwave (if I remember correctly) and small fridge, small sink

 

[VAfamily1998]

Is your mom also the grandmother of your niece? Like Kclong said above, there are two beds (converted from other furniture) in the living room--so your mom and niece would need to share a bed-either in the living room along with your son, or you could give them the bedroom and you, your son, and your husband could share the living room.

You could also do a cabin at Fort Wilderness--A queen bed and a set of bunk beds in the bedroom and a pull out sofa in the living room. That way everyone (except you and your husband) would have their own bed. Only one bathroom though.

 

[katmu]

I have stayed at a Ft. Wilderness cabin with my mom, and my 2 sons including one who is on the spectrum. There is only 1 bathroom but there were enough beds for everyone and it's quiet there so that was good for my son and my mom who was 75 at the time.

On an earlier trip, we also stayed at a 2BR Boardwalk villa that I was able to get a with a good deal and that did have 2 baths. You might be able to rent points if you were interested in a DVC resort.

 

[Marthasor]

I would recommend getting two rooms instead of the suite. They won't guarantee connecting, but you can certainly request it. Two rooms at a value will most likely price out less than the AoA suite and will give you four beds (instead of 3 in the suite). That way you and your DH can share a bed, and your son, niece and mom would each have their own bed. If you want queen size beds instead of doubles, consider staying at a mod.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Hello -

We are considering a June trip with me, DH, my son, my mom and teenage niece. We would want to stay on site so that it will be easier for mom to go back to the resort and rest if the parks get to be too much. My son, who has autism, has to have his own bed, not necessarily his own room, or else he will not sleep at all (I'm guessing the other autism parents on here can relate to what a disaster that would be!). Any suggestions for which resort?

I am looking at the family suite at AoA. Is there only one bathroom though? This appeared to be cheaper than 2 rooms connecting rooms elsewhere. Are there other options that I'm missing?

Thanks!

Not a lot of five person room options at Disney.

How tall and how old is your son? The only single room options would be the suites at AoA and ASM, the cabins at FW, and the five person rooms at most of the deluxes and at POR and CBR. The five person rooms have a small single bed, but many adults cannot sleep comfortably in them.

The only two bath single room option is AoA, aside from the DVC villas.

For an autistic child, the cabins might be a better choice because they will be quieter and are surrounded by calming nature. The suites at AoA are full of bright colors and can be , well, very animated (noisy).

On the other hand, if someone needs to return to the room during the day, that is harder to do with the cabins. Travel between parks and the cabins can be challenging. Not a problem for healthy people, but older people might struggle if the cabin is farther back in the loop. There can be a lot of walking involved.

 

[DG25]

You have not said how big or old your son is. And since your mom and niece would have to sleep together, I would choice a moderate, if your son is under 9. In the values the beds are full size, at AoA the Murphy and sofa are full size beds, so mom and nice may be squished. In a moderate the beds are queen and they have a kid size Murphy bed. So POR or CSR. I agree the cabins would be great since they have a set of bunks for the kids a queen for parents and a sofabed for mom, but they are hard to get back to, unless you rent golf cart and mom can drive it. If you can expensive but most deluxe shave two queens and a daybed. All star music has suites with a full bed?, a full sofa, a pull out chair and a fold out ottoman so both kids would have a single bed, but I hear the sofa is not to comfy. You could look into a DVC, not sure how much better that will be, most studios hold 5, a queen bed, a full or queen sofa depending on the resort and a twin Murphy bed, if your son is older than 9 this may be your best choice. I really like BRV studios, although if two bathrooms are important than poly would be better, it only has one toilet but it has a tub/shower and then another shower in a separate bath and two sinks. Poly would also be very easy for mom to get back to the room.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Look into renting DVC points. Several studios and one bedrooms sleep 5.

 

[SharonZ]

In your situation, I would look at booking two value rooms. I'm not sure of your son's age, but the he may not be comfortable on what is not a "traditional" bed (and smaller than a twin mattress), and you might appreciate him being able to have some quiet time. You will also have at least one "extra" adult charge per night.

 

[kwdw]

AoA has two full bathrooms - plus a little sink in the kitchenette area (with microwave, mini frig, and coffeemaker).

I'm assuming mom and niece would be sharing a bed? If so - you will either need to give them the queen bed in the bedroom - and you and your DH take the table bed (full size) in the main room with your son on the sleeper sofa. Or - you can give your mom and niece the table bed - and you and hubby keep the bedroom.

You can also look at Fort Wilderness cabins or two values.

Unless your son is small for his age - I don't think the mods that sleep five will work for you.

 

[bumbershoot]

The Murphy type beds in the 5 person rooms (including some Dvc studios) are 63" long so even if you get a taller person if they are a curled up sleeper it's fine. My son was 5'7" and about 120 lbs in December and loved the cabinet style bed at GFV studio.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The Murphy type beds in the 5 person rooms (including some Dvc studios) are 63" long so even if you get a taller person if they are a curled up sleeper it's fine. My son was 5'7" and about 120 lbs in December and loved the cabinet style bed at GFV studio.

63" is 5'3". Your son didn't hang over the end? I think the DVC murphy beds are 72" long (that would be 6' long) and the POR, CBR murphy beds are about 66" (5'6").

 

[Babsy]

Two value rooms would be the option that I would choose if you and DH are Ok with sleeping on a full/double bed. That would give a 'real' bed for everyone. Plus the two bedrooms. Request connecting rooms.

If the budget allows &/or if you and DH need a queen bed:
I would look at two rooms at POFQ. It is a fairly quiet and small resort for a moderate. The peaceful setting would be good for your son. Request connecting rooms :- they are not guaranteed, but it would be nice if you managed to get them. I would make that your only request. With two rooms you will have 2 bathrooms, 4 queen sized beds and two sleeping areas. If you don't get connecting rooms you should be able to be fairly close together as POFQ is quite small anyway. There is only one bus stop and it is an easy resort to get around for your Mom. If you want to go for walk or boat ride, you can also walk to POR and use all the facilities over there. There is a horse and carriage ride, surrey bike rental, nice themed pool and several quiet pools. Also, the boat goes to DS for other dining and activities.

Another possible option could be the Swan or Dolphin. If you qualify for one of their deep discounts you could get a deluxe hotel at near moderate prices. Don't forget to add nearly $50 per night for resort and parking fees. The Swan has 2 queens and the Dolphin has two full beds.

 

[Lupeix]

Have you considered two rooms at the Swan? They guarantee connecting rooms and will cost you about the same or a little more than an AoA suite. You don't get all the Disney perks, but you do get Disney transport, EMH and fastpass benefits. You can also walk/boat to Epcot and DHS and will get 4 queen size beds and 2 bathrooms. Plus it is a lot more peaceful, which may be really important for you and your kid.
We did a split stay last year AoA suite and 2 rooms at Swan. My sister who has a developmental disability came with us. AoA can be a mad house and I can tell you it can be overwhelming for kids with special needs.

 

[Nancyg56]

63" is 5'3". Your son didn't hang over the end? I think the DVC murphy beds are 72" long (that would be 6' long) and the POR, CBR murphy beds are about 66" (5'6").

I would be okay with that, and I am 5'5". I sleep curled up, and even when I stretch out, I tend to gravitate to teh bottom of the bed so my foot dangles. It all depends on the way people sleep.

 

[Nancyg56]

OP- I would choose two values if you think that your son needs to have some quiet or space. If not, and one of you would be okay on the Murphy bed, I would choose POR. I think that it offers the most for the money. I am not sure how much traveling Mom can do, so the Cabins would be conditional for her mobility. They are quiet and have more space, but getting to and from the cabin maybe an issue.

 

[sharadoc]

Hi. Our son is also on the spectrum and he doesn't like a traditional "room", he needs a space that feels more like a house so we need to get a family suite, cabin or DVC 1 BR villa.

How is your budget? My recommendation would be a 1BR villa at OKW if you, hubby and son would sleep in the living room, and give your Mom and niece the king bed in the bedroom. I have heard people drag the sleeping chair into the bedroom but I don't think it would be very easy, but doable if you, hubby and son want the bedroom.

The living room has a ton of room, a full size table, a large balcony/patio, and a boat to Disney Springs. Bus service is fantastic there.

Alternatively, I would recommend two connecting rooms at All-Stars if you want beds for everyone and are okay with only beds in the room. The All-Stars are smaller and quieter than AofA or Pop, which could be better for your son. The All-Star Music family suite is great, if your son is small you can bring the ottoman bed into the bedroom with you and hubby, then your Mom and niece can have the chair bed and sofa bed in the living room.

The cabin is the best choice for us for our son. No noise of feet running outside the room, over our heads, flushing toilets, yelling voices through the walls, so DS feels comfortable. However, he is such a Disney fan that he tolerates more there than he would at home. We do bring a small, noisy fan for white noise to help.