savings for big family/ room accomodations

[sddis]

We're planning to go with family in 2015: 6 adults, 2 children and 2 infants. Would there be any discounts for us that we should keep an eye out?

I think right now Disney is offering a free day on a 4 day+ park ticket. But that's about a $10 savings for a 6 day trip, so its not much.

Also, what kind of room accommodations would be the best value? I was thinking 2 rooms with 3 adults each and 1 child and 1 infant each would be the most inexpensive.

 

[bbak3030]

Discounts depend on many things. What month do you want to go?

 

[sddis]

Discounts depend on many things. What month do you want to go?

Plan is for early August 2015.

 

[ellochka]

Two rooms is the bare minimum you will need, and yes, it will be the cheapest. If you want more room, you can get a family suit at POP or AoA and one more room. There will likely be discounts on the room rate in early August, but don't expect anything more than 10% for value resorts or 20% for moderate. If you book your room through a travel agent, they should be able to apply the discount on your booking later.

 

[Southernmiss]

You might want to look at Fort Wilderness Cabins. I believe they sleep 8. We are a family of 6 Disney adults. I say cabins, because of the space and full kitchen. Each cabin also has a grill and a porch. Your group would probably need 2 cabins.

We saved so much $$ because I put something in the crockpot every morning. We ate breakfast in the cabin, came back mid day and ate our big meal of the day from the crockpot. We then rested and went back out after a couple of hours until the parks closed. After eating mid day, we only snacked in the evenings.

 

[SM101]

With that many people, I'd probably looking into staying off-site (and rent a passenger van).

 

[a742246]

You may want to look into Wyndham Bonnet Creek as a rental, or rent a dvc members points and stay at the SSR Treehouses.

 

[sddis]

Two rooms is the bare minimum you will need, and yes, it will be the cheapest. If you want more room, you can get a family suit at POP or AoA and one more room. There will likely be discounts on the room rate in early August, but don't expect anything more than 10% for value resorts or 20% for moderate. If you book your room through a travel agent, they should be able to apply the discount on your booking later.

so If i book myself I cant apply the discount later?

So much information on the other posts I need to look up before I can reply. BRB

 

[ellochka]

so If i book myself I cant apply the discount later?

So much information on the other posts I need to look up before I can reply. BRB

Yes, you can, but you will have to watch them and call. It is rumored that the travel agent will apply the discount automatically. We are renting DVC points, so it's not an option for us.

 

[sddis]

just looked at all the options mentioned so far and none seem appealing. They are either more expensive or aren't inside of Disney, which is a must for us.

Looks like I can also 4 adults, 1 infant in 1 room and 2 adults, 3 children in the other room for about <$120/night per room. So <$240 per night inside of Disney, which is hard to beat.

It sounds like people are mentioning we need more room. We are only going to use the rooms to sleep and each room has two beds. Are Disney hotel rooms typical of hotel rooms or are they much smaller?

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

just looked at all the options mentioned so far and none seem appealing. They are either more expensive or aren't inside of Disney, which is a must for us.

Looks like I can also 4 adults, 1 infant in 1 room and 2 adults, 3 children in the other room for about <$120/night per room. So <$240 per night inside of Disney, which is hard to beat.

It sounds like people are mentioning we need more room. We are only going to use the rooms to sleep and each room has two beds. Are Disney hotel rooms typical of hotel rooms or are they much smaller?

Make sure you're checking occupancy requirements. Most value resorts are a maximum of 4 people (plus one infant in a crib). If the kids are old enough to need a ticket they will be counted as a person.

 

[ellochka]

just looked at all the options mentioned so far and none seem appealing. They are either more expensive or aren't inside of Disney, which is a must for us.

Looks like I can also 4 adults, 1 infant in 1 room and 2 adults, 3 children in the other room for about <$120/night per room. So <$240 per night inside of Disney, which is hard to beat.

It sounds like people are mentioning we need more room. We are only going to use the rooms to sleep and each room has two beds. Are Disney hotel rooms typical of hotel rooms or are they much smaller?

The value resorts are smallest of the bunch, at around 350 sq ft, I think. I think it would be hard to get 4 people through the shower in the morning/evening, and you will want a shower in Florida in August. Also, they have full (!) beds. Not queen, not king... full. Ouch. My personal take is "more space, please" based on staying with our 3 y.o. in one room this past month (Greenbrier, pretty large room). Who wants to go to bed at 8 pm? You may need some closed off adult space or maybe you can get someone to babysit, and all others go to the bar (well, that last would be expensive).

I think you should check out homeaway.com. They have nice 2-br condos for the price of a value resort. With 2 br you can hang out in the living space when the babies are asleep, and won't have to leave the condo. You are also not tied to Disney dining options for breakfast and dinner. However, it only makes sense if you have a vehicle. And you won't be able to take the babies for a nap to the hotel in the middle of the day. That can be deal breaker.

 

[Aliceacc]

There's almost always a summer deal of some sort. This year's saved us just over $1000 on our resort. (We saved 30% because we're staying at a Deluxe, with an additional 5% because we're staying for more than 5 nights )

From https://disneyworld.disney.go.com
"When you stay at a Disney Resort hotel, you’re always in the middle of the magic. And with this great offer, it’s easier to enjoy all of the enchantment!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels, valid for stays most nights August 16 through October 3, 2014. Book now through August 8, 2014!

Explore savings for select Disney Resort hotels under each Resort Category:

Select Disney Deluxe Villa Resort Hotels
Save up to 30%

Select Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels
Save up to 30%

Select Disney Moderate Resort Hotels
Save up to 25%

Select Disney Value Resort Hotels
Save up to 20%

Campgrounds
Save up to 15%

The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Savings based on the non-discounted price of the same room. Length of stay requirements may apply. Moderate and Deluxe Resort suites may be available at a lesser discount. See Important Details."

Take a look at www.mousesavers.com for info on discounts.

And consider working with a Disney Certified travel agent. Ours is wonderful. When the summer discount was released, I checked my email at 10:30 am to find she had modified our reservation and saved us the $1000.

 

[dpswift]

We're planning to go with family in 2015: 6 adults, 2 children and 2 infants. Would there be any discounts for us that we should keep an eye out?

I think right now Disney is offering a free day on a 4 day+ park ticket. But that's about a $10 savings for a 6 day trip, so its not much.

Also, what kind of room accommodations would be the best value? I was thinking 2 rooms with 3 adults each and 1 child and 1 infant each would be the most inexpensive.

Onsite 2 rooms in a value would be cheapest. With a pack in play in each room it would be a little crowded. However if it were me we would make it work. If you try to get connecting rooms the adults could sit in 1 room while the kids slept.

There is not much night life at value resorts however the walk around the lake at POP is nice and there is a small bar.

 

[Marionnette]

Yes, you can, but you will have to watch them and call. It is rumored that the travel agent will apply the discount automatically. We are renting DVC points, so it's not an option for us.

This is not entirely true.

Some TAs will keep an eye on the discounts and they will call Disney when they come out. They will not "apply the discount automatically". They will check with Disney to see if the resort and room type that you have booked is available under the discount during your travel dates. If it is, then they will have the discount applied. If it isn't, they can't get you the discount unless you change your dates, your resort/room type, or both.

 

[Marionnette]

just looked at all the options mentioned so far and none seem appealing. They are either more expensive or aren't inside of Disney, which is a must for us.

Looks like I can also 4 adults, 1 infant in 1 room and 2 adults, 3 children in the other room for about <$120/night per room. So <$240 per night inside of Disney, which is hard to beat.

It sounds like people are mentioning we need more room. We are only going to use the rooms to sleep and each room has two beds. Are Disney hotel rooms typical of hotel rooms or are they much smaller?

All resorts charge an extra per-night fee for additional adults beyond 2. At $10 per person per night, you're talking $20 per night more for a Value Resort room when you have 4 adults in it.

 

[sherreis]

Being that you are planning on going in early August, you might re-decide only using the rooms for sleeping. At that time of year, I have always planned for early to the parks before it gets too hot and returning to our resorts for rest and pool for the afternoon. We would return to the parks in the evening.

Since you really want to stay at a WDW resort, I suggest you look into renting DVC points. It can save a lot of money as well as giving you more living space and a kitchen if you go with anything more than a studio. You can find out more about renting DVC points on the DVC threads. If you were planning on the dining plan, you can still do that when you rent DVC. It's worth considering and playing with the numbers to see which gives you and your family the options you are looking for.

 

[Marionnette]

Being that you are planning on going in early August, you might re-decide only using the rooms for sleeping. At that time of year, I have always planned for early to the parks before it gets too hot and returning to our resorts for rest and pool for the afternoon. We would return to the parks in the evening.

Since you really want to stay at a WDW resort, I suggest you look into renting DVC points. It can save a lot of money as well as giving you more living space and a kitchen if you go with anything more than a studio. You can find out more about renting DVC points on the DVC threads. If you were planning on the dining plan, you can still do that when you rent DVC. It's worth considering and playing with the numbers to see which gives you and your family the options you are looking for.

The OP would need either 2 studios, with no guarantees that they will be close to one another, or a 2-bedroom unit. Either way, she is going to pay a premium for them. It will be much more than the cost of 2 value resort rooms.

The time period that she is looking at is considered "Magic Season". Points for a week in a studio will range from 95-169 per unit. A 2-bedroom villa will run about 243-551 pts., with the lower amounts being almost impossible to book and the higher amounts being at VGF. At a cost of even just $11/pt. (most DVC members will want a little more), you're talking a minimum of $2100 for 2 value studios at AKV (almost impossible to book) and a minimum of $2700 for a value 2-bedroom at AKV (also nearly impossible to book). By comparison, a week in 2 non-discounted Value Resort standard rooms would run about $1700 in 2014. IMO, for someone who only wants a place to sleep and shower should probably be looking offsite, but they definitely don't want to rent DVC points in the case of the OP.

 

[Hans Olo]

What about a campsite? You can rent a camper that fits all of y'all as well.
Im renting one from Greenberg Rent A Camper that will be large enough to fit 4 adults 4 children. This was definitely the cheaper way for us to go and stay on site.
Might be something to look into.

 

[ellochka]

With so many people on a budget, off-site is probably most efficient. Good rentals, however, are fast to go, so reserve in advance.

Here is what I found pretty quickly:
$1,200 for a week http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p317722
$1,300 http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p125104vb
$1,000 http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p158585