Welcome SingingMom to the disboards- I see this is your first post!!! If you want to economize, I would suggest staying in a family suite and letting your parents get their own room, that way you wouldn't have to switch resorts. The Art of Animation (AOA) has just opened and I think that would be a great way to go since it's brand new. Begining Sept. 15, there will also be non-suite rooms available in the the Little Mermaid section. AOA is a value resort so it would fit your pricing needs and definately could accomodate your parents in a 2nd room. However for a "value" the suites are not cheap. Another option would be to start out with a 2 bedroom Villa. If you book this vaction through Disney it might be expensive, however you could consider renting points from a DVC owner. You should check out the DVC renting information on these boards, to see if this option would work for you since there are pros and cons for renting directly from a DVC owner. If you rented a DVC villa for your first 3 nights, you could move to a family AOA suite later or maybe consider the Cabins at Fort Wilderness, since they also accomodate 6. The cheapest option would be to stay the first 3 nights with your parents off-site in a rented condo or hotel, then move on-site after your parents leave. You would give up being on site for the first 3 days, but many rentals and condos make more sense cost wise for a larger party. Check out the rentals at Bonnet Creek, which are located next door to Disney. Why not price out all 3 scenarios to see which option fits your budget and go from there. You need to decide first if you want all of your nights, on-site. If you go to the WDW website you can play around with the resort selection, number of party, tix, etc. to give you an idea of the costs. Well, hope this was helpful. Have fun planning.
