Sharing a room with a 3 and 5 year old?

[saywhatnow]

We are planning our family's FIRST(!!!) trip to WDW for September 2014. I'm am completely overwhelmed by the choices of all the resorts and all the types of rooms/buildings! We will be doing 2 days at MK and 1 day at HS. Any time we have traveled with our kids (3 and 5 at time of travel), we have had a separate room for us to retreat to once we've put them to bed. It looks like to be able to do this we'd need to do either AOA family suites (not really wanting to do Value resorts though) or do a Deluxe resort that might have a balcony that we could go have a glass of wine on while we wait for "grown up" bedtime. Any help for me/suggestions? Thanks in advance!

 

[J&J]

The room with a balcony would be nice and also at a nice Disney hotel. When the kids go to sleep that would be your time to relax. Did you know that Disney has sitters that will go to your room to watch the kids. Don't know the cost and they also have day care centers fr them to play with other kids while you have dinner out.

 

[monorailsilver]

I can tell you from my experience I have never had issues being in the same room.

We do rope drop, come back after lunch for naps (upcoming trip it will be a swim, yay!) and then go back til park closing.

I put out the kids Jammie's before we left for the evening park hours and upon returning they'd change, hop in bed, TV would be on and they would be passed out.

All the trips we have had either a balcony or lanai and have sat out there during naps as well.

 

[DVCmom4]

We stayed at the Poly and had ground floor in the Tahiti building. After we put the little ones to bed we would go out the sliding glass doors and a few steps away was the beach. We would sit with a glass of wine and watch the lights or fireworks sitting on the beach! It was so relaxing!

 

[Aliceacc]

If you can swing it financially, I'm going to suggest either the Poly or the Contemporary.

You can request a full balcony or patio in either, giving you and your husband someplace to be after the kids are in bed. (Though, to be honest, all 5 of us pretty much pass out once we get back into the room.)

And the access to the Magic Kingdom simply can't be overstated!!! You can walk them to and from the Contemporay (think of thousands of people lining up for transporation after fireworks, and you walking the kids in their strollers back to your room!!!) For the Poly, it's the very manageable monorail... and the fact that the monorail stops right at your resort is an amazing thing for young kids. The Poly is also an easy walk to the TTC, where you catch the monorail to Epcot.

I haven't stayed at the Contemporary since 1976, but I've got to tell you-- the Poly is a wonderful respite from the frenetic craziness of the parks.

 

[Wood Nymph]

A trip to WDW totally wears out the kids. Once you get them to fall asleep, they sleep like a rock. Fireworks next door wouldn't wake them up. We've always just turned on some boring cartoons or something, wait for them to fall asleep, and then just relax. We've usually found that once you get the kids to sleep, you are usually tired yourself.

 

[pamkat1820]

We prefer a deluxe for the balcony at night. Our kids are 3& 7. We stayed at AKL and loved the balcony at night. Then at POR and I was lost. It wasn't the same. But 2 kids ar that age are prefect for sharing a room.

 

[mrsp1030]

We love the wilderness lodge and do the same thing. Put the kids to bed and relax and enjoy the evening on the balcony. It is a deluxe but not as pricey as the poly. Has bunk bed rooms also as an option.

 

[bartleby1]

We were always just as tired as the kids and couldn't wait to fall asleep ourselves! I really wouldn't go crazy over this. If you can swing the extra money for a deluxe with a balcony, great. If not, the kids will be so exhausted that it won't matter if you're in the same room or not.

 

[jessicamouse]

I was worried about the same thing last year we traveled with our three and five-year-old boys. I was convinced I was gonna go crazy all being crammed in one tiny room and that I would really want to at least the balcony to be able to step out and like you said have a glass of wine. Honestly we never even thought about that once we were there. We were all so exhausted by the time we got home we all went to bed. usually the kids pass on the bus on the way home, So the bigger problem was having to carry them and strollers off the bus and up the three flights of stairs to my room My husband is an insomniac and even he didn't have any problems with the kids in the room in and sleeping in the small pirate beds at CBR. Disney is a lot of fun but it is truly exhausting. I probably could've slept on the floor and been fine

 

[anjalee6]

I agree. Disney vacations are simply exhausting especially for little ones. My kids are now 4 and 6 (we have gone every year since the youngest was 8 months old) and we have never had a problem sharing rooms. The kids crash, we sit on the balcony or right in the room with the tv on and just talk. They are so tired they don't even move.

 

[gabriellewatson]

I've never gone with children in the past, but I have stayed at both POFQ and WL.

I would highly recommend WL just because it offers fantastic 'Disney' theming that both your children and you will appreciate. The lobby tends to be loud, but in September (not so bad). Our last trip was at WL in September; great month to travel IMPO

WL offers bunk bed options. I believe they are more expensive, but double beds might work for you guys, plus you get a little balcony to relax.

I am taking my DS (2) and DD (5) September 2014, and we are staying at POR. I think that the theming, the rooms, the pools, and the restaurants are comparable to that of a Deluxe (from the looks of thins). Granted there are a lot more rooms, but that doesn't bother us at all, plus we'll be saving money by staying there, so we will likely have more spending $$ for fun stuff.

I've also read tips about BYOB (in the suitcase) to save money on drinks. Just put in your cup and bring down to the pool. Sip on some wine while the kiddos swim Not all that bad. I think my husband might bring some Bandit Merlot or Cab on our next trip

 

[wiigirl]

We stayed at the Poly and had ground floor in the Tahiti building. After we put the little ones to bed we would go out the sliding glass doors and a few steps away was the beach. We would sit with a glass of wine and watch the lights or fireworks sitting on the beach! It was so relaxing!

 

[jimandami]

One other option, and one I would highly recommend, would be to rent DVC points for a 1 bedroom villa. You would have a master bedroom with king bed, jet tub in bath, pullout in the living room for the kids, full kitchen, washer/dryer, and balcony. We have usually found that renting points is cheaper than paying Disney to stay at the Poly or Contemporary, but it does depend on when you go. You can also save money by having groceries delivered for easy breakfasts, snacks, etc...

 

[Sandy1892]

My kids used to love the novelty of us all sharing a room once we got back from the parks we all went to bed asleep with 15mins well that was me and DH guess the kids just wore us out.its a family vacation enjoy.

 

[Happyjen27]

I always get a suite when I travel with my kids. Until Disney prices made that cost-prohibitive.

I read on the DIS over and over that we wouldn't need an extra room, and all one room is fine, and I was utterly skeptical but wanted to stay at a deluxe, and couldn't afford more than a regular room.

Everyone was right! I did fine with my 5 year old twins in our Poly room. Just fine. We got a ground floor room and could have gone outside, but, honestly I was too tired! Once the kids were asleep I would just read or play cards with my husband in the room.

So, you'll be fine in a deluxe room. One thing I liked about the Poly was the day bed because my kids do not co-sleep well, and I don't co-sleep with kids well! So, one kid in the daybed, one kid in a queen and then DH and I in the other queen. It kept the peace at night and everyone slept great.

 

[maplevale]

When on vacation - our kids are up later so we all tend to go to bed at the same time (9-11 depending on what we get up to!) Even if we aren't ready to go to sleep - after a day (or few days) of chasing the kids, doing the parks and countless hours in the pool - we put the kids in one bed and turn on the TV - they always fall asleep anyway.

We stayed at POR with our 9 month old and 4 year old (going back in the winter) and if you really wanted you could request a ground floor room and sit outside - the grounds are absolutely beautiful!