Those of you with 4+ kids, where do you stay?

[EllaDisney]

For our next trip, we'll have 4 kids, two being our 4 and 3 year old little ones with Down syndrome. Can we stay in one room at the Value resorts?

 

[mrs06chris]

How old are the other two children?

 

[DisGirl1971]

The value resort rooms only hold 4 people age 3 and over, plus 1 child under age 3. If all the kids are over 3 then, no you can't do that. We have 5 kids and we have gotten the connecting rooms at All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports and Pop before and it worked out great. If one of the kids is under 3 years of age you could get one room at Port Orleans Riverside section. But, if all the kids are over 3, then it would have to be 2 value connecting rooms as the cheapest. The next in order of price would be a All-Star Family Suite at Music, Cabin at Ft. Wilderness (but only 1 bathroom), 2 rooms at a moderate, and 2 rooms at a Deluxe or 2 bedroom vills - which are very, very expensive.

 

[PrincessAnnabell]

We stayed in all star music. I think it was a suite. It had a kitchen and sep. bedroom. The kids slept on a pull out couch and chair. We had I think a 13 year old, 8 and two 4 year olds. We really liked it, but it was our first trip and nothing to compare it to.

 

[jaybee1026]

We stay offsite. Because we go for 2 weeks, I really need the in suite laundry, kitchen and extra room. The Disney properties offering the same amenities are too exspensive for us. If we were to go for less time we'd probably get two adjoining rooms at a moderate resort.

 

[fourblessings]

We have stayed at all star movie, contemporary, poly, wilderness campground. and this spring the beach club

 

[wendyland]

We only have 3, but we're renting a 4 bedroom house with it's own pool and game room for way less per night than the Disney Resort. We found the house on vbro.com. I've been to the resort(wilderness lodge) and I've stayed at hotels nearby. The resort was very nice, but I'm really excited to be renting the house and it's only 3 miles away from the parks.

 

[lisagirl88]

We will be staying at All Star Music next month in the family suite with 6 of us. It has a separate bedroom with a queen bed, a small kitchen, two full bathrooms and enough room for 4 kids to sleep. We will have two in pack and plays and two in the fold out beds. We stayed there before with our two oldest and had a ton of room so we figured adding our two toddlers in pack and plays would be no big deal!! We loved it and also loved having the small kitchen for breakfasts before the parks.

 

[MissionWDW]

We get two connecting rooms at Pop. I've never had a problem getting connecting rooms, but if there was a problem, DH and I could each take a few kids. I have five kids.....so there aren't many options for us.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I have four children ages 2 to 9 and we stayed at All Star Music in a family suite and had a great experience. Having two bathrooms was nice, the kitchenette came in handy even though we had the dining plan, there is a queen size bed in the bedroom, the family suites are in the buildings closest to the food court and bus stop, and the living room has a chair and ottoman that convert to two separate twin size pull out beds and a sofa that converts to a full size pull out bed. This was a nice layout for us because our two oldest kids didn't have to share a bed. If you are staying onsite, I think this is a nice option for families who need more space but don't want to break the bank. For our next trip we are looking into renting a condo or townhouse offsite at Windsor Hills.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Port Orleans Riverside for us! We are doing POFQ this time round though. We need two rooms wherever we stay b/c we don't do Deluxe, and since we like the free regular dining plan, we go moderate. We love POR and look forward to POFQ, especially since we can still use POR while we are there for food and pool.

 

[Schmeck]

For our next trip, we'll have 4 kids, two being our 4 and 3 year old little ones with Down syndrome. Can we stay in one room at the Value resorts?

6 people can never stay in a regular value room - it's 4 plus one under age of three in a PnP.

Is there some significance to the part about Down's Syndrome? Will you need certain accommodations?

 

[AmyBWV99]

Our 4th will be 4 months on our next trip and we will be staying in a 2 bdrm at akl.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

We stay offsie in a 4BR/4BA home in Windsor Hills. For better or worse, my family won't consider any other option at this point. You could go smaller/cheaper with a 2BR or 3BR condo or townhouse there, and still have plenty of room for your crew.

There are condos and villas offsite with more resort-type amenities--I hear wonderful things about Bonnet Creek, for example.

Others have listed the onsite options. You would have to look at the different accomodations, see what best suits your family. For example, an All-Star suite might be a little pricier, but you might have real use for the kitchenette. DVC offers more space and a full kitchen and laundry facilities--consider renting points to bring the price down.

Because you have two young children with Down's, you might do better spending a little bit more on your rooms, and saving elsewhere. But, only you know what's going to go best for your gang. Offsite means much cheaper eating, but you'd need a car (and have to pay for parking).

 

[suevr]

The cabins at Fort Wilderness also accommodate 6 (or 7 if using a pack and play for a baby) plus they have a full kitchen if you wanted to cook. They're great for going back and taking naps because there's a separate bedroom so you can close the door.

 

[Doogan]

We stay offsie in a 4BR/4BA home in Windsor Hills. For better or worse, my family won't consider any other option at this point. You could go smaller/cheaper with a 2BR or 3BR condo or townhouse there, and still have plenty of room for your crew.

There are condos and villas offsite with more resort-type amenities--I hear wonderful things about Bonnet Creek, for example.

Others have listed the onsite options. You would have to look at the different accomodations, see what best suits your family. For example, an All-Star suite might be a little pricier, but you might have real use for the kitchenette. DVC offers more space and a full kitchen and laundry facilities--consider renting points to bring the price down.

Because you have two young children with Down's, you might do better spending a little bit more on your rooms, and saving elsewhere. But, only you know what's going to go best for your gang. Offsite means much cheaper eating, but you'd need a car (and have to pay for parking).

We've stayed in a 3 bedroom condo at WH. We're looking at either a townhouse or pool house this time. Do you mind mentioning which house(s) you stayed at and would recommend?

 

[rt2dz]

For our next trip, we'll have 4 kids, two being our 4 and 3 year old little ones with Down syndrome. Can we stay in one room at the Value resorts?

No, you can't stay in one value room. Value resorts are for 4 + ONE child under the age of 3.

You do have a few options. I've posted this before: Walt Disney World Accommodations for Families of 5+ It gives a great run down of all your options.

Our last trip, we stayed offsite in a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house with a private heated pool. It was cheaper than 2 value rooms, a family suite, a deluxe room (because child #4 is under 3 so we technically could have done that), Port Orleans, DVC resorts (by renting from owner) or the cabins. By more than HALF! It also was closer to all the theme parks than any of the values, Port Orleans, and many of the other options. It was wonderful. We didn't even miss EMH (which all the guides and tour guides recommend avoiding anyhow). It was also better for DS#3 who is autistic. I HIGHLY recommend offsite. Check out VRBO.

I am a complete "onsite only" snob, reformed.

 

[KelnRon]

We stay offsite also. There are 6 of us and I can't imagine being crammed into one room! We get two bedrooms, two bathrooms, full kitchen and washer/dryer. I love the extra space and it gives the kids some room to roam and have some space of their own. There is usually 2 queen beds in the 2nd bedroom. My two youngest dd are 2 & 4 will share a bed and their older sister is 14 will have her own bed. My son will use the pull out couch. At that age is still cool w/ that ... we will see how it goes as he gets older and probably move to a 3 bedroom.

 

[lyncecelia]

We are staying at the All Star Music Family Suites in April, but usually they rent DVC points. Just wasn't in the cards this time, so it should be interesting!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

We've stayed in a 3 bedroom condo at WH. We're looking at either a townhouse or pool house this time. Do you mind mentioning which house(s) you stayed at and would recommend?

We stay with Romancing the Mouse, in their 4BR home. They aren't the cheapest option, but they provide great service. Our kids don't "go to WDW', they "go to THAT HOUSE". Seriously, that's what they say, they love that particular house, and it's the highlight of their vacation. We really like the comfort of a familiar place, and it's very close to the clubhouse if we want to hit the community pool.

A little OT, since the OP didn't ask, but I'll tell you what my kids find so appealing:

DD16 loves having her own bedroom with a king bed and private bath. There's a TV/DVR in her room, there's free wi-fi--she's in heaven. She's a runner, and I feel very comfortable letting her run alone in this gated community.

DS14 also loves having his own room with a king bed. He gets a private bath, but not such a draw for him, KWIM? He loves the free movie/videogame rentals. Generally, we let him just put the PS2 in his room, since it's vacation.

DD8 and DS5 love sharing a room with twin beds. It may sound silly, but at home, my boys share. So, it's a big thrill when my little guys get to share. Their favorite thing, though, is the private pool. They could live in there!

DH and I love the relaxing atmosphere. My gang doesn't care to eat out much, they prefer to eat Mom-cooked foods. Since it's vacation, I do a lot of shortcuts--my oldest says she knows it's vacation when she smells the break and bake cookies! I cook simple meals, sometimes DH grills, we hang out and relax--it's really a great vacation. While I'm not a huge fan of doing laundry, it's very convenient to throw in a load.

It also gives us a chance to do things other than WDW--we've done Universal, Seaworld, Gatorland, Holy Land Experience, and the Orlando Science Center.