Traveling as a family of 5

[pinkxray]

We are a family of 5. Kids are 16, 6 and 3. We haven’t traveled much beside Disney since the littlest has been born.

I am looking to book a trip to Hawaii in 2022. It seems outside of Disney is it hard to find rooms for over 4 people. That leaves us with a jr. suite type room or connecting rooms. I prefer the jr. suite type a little but more but it seems cheaper to book two rooms in some cases.

If you travel with 5 people do you have a preference? I am a little concerned about getting two rooms and having them not be connected once we arrive? Should I be concerned about this? From what I can tell, I need to call the hotel and make sure they have adjoining rooms, ask which type to book and ask if they guarantee adjoining rooms?

 

[luv2sewtjr]

This was an issue when I was married. We didn’t travel much but we either stayed at suite hotels or just got two rooms. The rooms would then be broken down by gender.

Now it is me and my three. They are 16, 18, and 20. When we travel, we sometimes get one room, but during longer trips I’ll get two rooms or a suite when possible (in the middle) just so we can all spread out.

 

[mjkacmom]

Make sure to ask for connecting rooms, not adjoining (family of 7 here, and yes, there were times it didn’t work out).

 

[indyannamom]

Make sure to ask for connecting rooms, not adjoining (family of 7 here, and yes, there were times it didn’t work out).

The difference in this is extremely important!!!!

 

[Donnainnj]

You may want to consider condo rentals. Our trips to Hawaii were mostly in 2br condos that ended up less expensive then 2 hotel rooms and allowed us to cook once in a while to save money/time.

 

[Cynt]

I agree with booking a condo. We booked Marriott Ko'Olina Beach club on Oahu. Great decision for us. There are numerous condo options throughout Hawaii.

 

[amez]

Our standard for hotels when traveling has been the Comfort Suites. Depending on where we are at sometimes we will get something at a Double Tree as well. My three are closer in age then yours, but when they were really little they could share a full or queen bed when they slept sideways. As they got older we would get suites and my son would get the pull out sofa and my daughters would share a bed. They're all late teens and 20s now so we typically rent a house/condo etc. (or even when they were younger it’s nice to spread out when we’re staying somewhere for awhile. And pull out beds and roll always just isn’t as comfortable for an adult.

 

[firefly_ris]

Rental houses, condos, Embassy Suites are a few examples of a bit more spacious accommodations that we use.

There's also plenty of places where we all stayed in one hotel room.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Family of 5 here. Just posting to say I feel your pain; the world is made for families of 4. Just wait until you try and get on a cruise. Boy does that ever get expensive with the 3rd kid!

 

[QueenIsabella]

Consider this website: https://sixsuitcasetravel.com/

We've used it a lot--we're a family of 6. It's great when we're traveling and just want a hotel for a night or two. Generally, we prefer condo type rentals for more than a couple days--love the space, love the kitchen, even if you just use it for breakfast and snacks. We've had generally good luck with Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, and Residence Inns. Now my kids are older--youngest turns 15 on Friday--so having them in adjoining rooms is less of an issue. But, I feel your pain.

 

[Immadismom]

We are a blended family, and our kids are currently 20,18,17. We now usually get two rooms, for the extra bathroom space (oldest two are girls). However, the last time we drove to Disney DH was so excited to find us a room outside of Savannah where we would all fit in one room, very reasonably priced. Imagine my shock when we walked in & found 3 full-size beds lined up in the room!

 

[chaselovesnemo]

For a three year old? Bed on the couch or buy one of those blow up toddler travel mattresses to take.

 

[HeatherC]

We have always done a lot traveling as a family of five. Kids are now in their 20’s but we still take family trips when we can. Our usual hotels are mostly Marriotts. We tend to to stay mostly at Residence Inns and Springhill Suites because most of their rooms will sleep six and their rates are often a lot less than booking two rooms at a Hampton Inn, etc.

Our other choices are to rent a condo or villa through VRBO which most times is less than hotels. We will do this when we are staying somewhere for a week or longer. We also love the extra space and having a kitchen and laundry available.

 

[taaren]

When we travel as a family of 5 (blended, kids are 19, 14, almost 3), I like to use timeshare units that are 1 or 2 bedroom ... there are a lot of those in Hawaii. Marriott Vacation Club, Westin has timeshare units, Hilton Vacation Club, Worldmark has larger units ... might want to check out rentals on Tug or get into some timeshare groups on Fb since there are a lot of people with a glut of points since they haven't travelled this year.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

Family of 5 here. Just posting to say I feel your pain; the world is made for families of 4. Just wait until you try and get on a cruise. Boy does that ever get expensive with the 3rd kid!

We found that getting two connecting rooms was cheaper than trying to find a room that fit 5. Plus, then we had two bathrooms. I feel the pain of family of 5 travel.

 

[justafigment27]

We are a family of 4, but nobody will share a bed with my oldest, so we are always looking for places with 3 separate sleeping places.

Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, Embassy Suites, Homewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites and Holiday Inn Express & Suites are hotel chains hat I can think off the top of my head that offer rooms with 2Q beds and a sofa sleeper.

There are also hotels that offer roll away beds as well.

 

[Nicolepa]

We always do a suite with a kitchen due to allergies. Oldest and youngest get the pull out sofa and middle sleeps in a sleeping bag on the floor. (Their choice.) For Hawaii I would rent a condo but otherwise the hotels we use are: Drury Inn, Hyatt House, Residence Inn. There are a few others but these are my top choices. The Drury does not have a full kitchen but they offer free breakfast and light dinner & drinks. They do have a full size fridge which works for my allergy kiddo.

 

[limace]

Oh yeah, you definitely want a condo or TS unit in hawaii-and they are everywhere. Not just for the space, but for the ability to have some food in your room-if you haven’t been before, food is expensive in hawaii. We love having the space, being able to have coffee or snacks on the balcony, etc

 

[Carolynleanne]

You may want to consider condo rentals. Our trips to Hawaii were mostly in 2br condos that ended up less expensive then 2 hotel rooms and allowed us to cook once in a while to save money/time.

When we do hawaii, we rent timeshares or stay in vrbo type properties. Actually, we do that in MOST places we travel too. Not only does it give us more room for our family, but we end up with at least a partial kitchen. Extra food savings!

 

[Twohsieh]

We are a family of five that has enjoyed having our DVC timeshare to accommodate us all in a 1 bedroom or larger. When we stay at non-Disney hotels, we either stay at Marriott brand hotels/timeshares or get a connecting room.
As for cruises, Disney Cruise Line does accommodate a family of five in a Deluxe Family ocean view, Verandah or Concierge stateroom.