Value vs. Moderate for a family of 5

[allybabba98]

Honestly I'd really consider an offsite condo. On our first family trip to Disney my kids were 1,5 and 8 and we had two connecting rooms at POP. It was so nice to put the little one down for a nap while one of took the other two swimming and not have tip toe around in the same room. Also nice to be able to put some or all of the kids to bed and the others can stay up later in the other room.

Since then all our vacations whether at Disney or not have been in condo unit's or a hotel with separate bedrooms. This May we are staying in a 2bdrm/2bath condo at Bonnett Creek for $120/night. It is basically on Disney property it's so close and even factoring in a rental car and parking I cannot get a comparable room at a Disney hotel for anywhere near that price. I honestly don't think we would enjoy our vacations nearly a much or at all if we were all crammed together in one room for 10 days. I also like having a full kitchen and balcony as well as a living room. We don't spend a whole lot of time in the room but when we do it's nice to spread out after spending the day together (let's face it teens/tweens and parents both require a little space from each other).

I have heard great things about Bonnet Creek. I will look into it. My DH goes because I love it but with this trip I am just going to tell him to go back to the room if he needs a break and the kids and I will continue. So if we needed a car that may not work. I will look at Bonnet Creek as maybe they have some type of shuttle service??? Thanks so much of the help.

 

[allybabba98]

have you considered booking two connecting rooms at a value?

I haven't looked at that option. I realize they can't guarantee it but I should probably price it out. Thanks for taking the time to help.

 

[pittsburghmom]

We love staying onsite with our family of 5. When the kids no longer need car seats, then maybe we'll toy with the idea of offsite. Here is the least expensive to most expensive for the mods vs. value:

1. POR or CBR with trundle
2. 2 connecting rooms at a value
3. Family suite at All-Star Music
4. Family suite at AoA

For our last trip, we had a free dining pin code and booked a family suite at ASMu. Upon arrival, the resort was overbooked so we were "upgraded" to AoA Cars Suite which was fantastic, since it was above our budget. While it would have been less $$ to book the moderate, we did not want the table service dining plan that comes with the mods. We do not want to be tied down to ADR's and do sit-down meals. The QS plan fits our family better. Also, we enjoy the more compact size of the value resorts and the quick bus service. Good luck with your decision!

 

[mombrontrent]

I have heard great things about Bonnet Creek. I will look into it. My DH goes because I love it but with this trip I am just going to tell him to go back to the room if he needs a break and the kids and I will continue. So if we needed a car that may not work. I will look at Bonnet Creek as maybe they have some type of shuttle service??? Thanks so much of the help.

They do offer a shuttle service, it is $7/pp but it would work well if your DH was just going back alone.

 

[bluezy]

We've stayed in a moderate with 6 of us no problem. My girls are teenagers, son is 7 and an infant. We usually stay for 10-14 days and have no issues being in just one room. We aren't in the room for much more than sleeping anyways. We hit the parks at rope drop, come back to swim every afternoon, then head bac out to the parks til they close. Sometimes DH will come back with the boys if they're tired around 9. But my girls and I stay out til super late.

We go 3-4 times a year and have stayed at almost every resort on property. Also stayed at Bonnet Creek several times and rented a 5 bedroom house at Windsor Hills. We just MUCH prefer to be onsite and be a little snug in one room then offsite in bigger accomodations. We have a large home and have plenty of room to spread out the rest of the year....a few weeks of family togetherness is kinda fun

You're very lucky that your family is able to do tolerate each other when staying in one room at POR. That doesn't work for every family. My sister stayed at POR with her family of 6 because she didn't want to spend the money for 2 rooms at a Value resort. Her kids were 13, 12, 4, & 2 at the time. They were living in a 6,000+ sq. ft. home with 4 bathrooms at home and she thought they would have no trouble vacationing in a 300 sq. ft. room with one bathroom, a double jogging stroller, a pack & play, and an air mattress along with the trundle bed. They were there less than 48 hours when she called me to complain about how cramped the room was and how they were all fighting with each other because of the close quarters. I told her the size of the rooms before she made the reservation -- and pointed out that the room would be about the same size as her master suite at the house....but with a few extra beds and 4 extra people in it. She kept the 2 little ones on a strict bedtime and so when she put them down at 8:00 each night, that meant that they all had to go to bed at 8:00 because the littles wouldn't go to sleep with the lights or TV on. And they couldn't even turn those things back on once boys were asleep because they were used to total darkness and quiet when they slept. She called me 2 more times that week to vent because she was frustrated with their living quarters. It got so bad that they had originally booked for 6 nights but they checked out at 5:00 a.m. after night 5 -- they had originally planned to stay until dinner time on the last day so they lost 2 full days and 1 night of their vacation. I tried to gently point out all of the reasons she should consider 2 rooms instead of one before they made the reservation (it was her first trip to Disney in over 15 years and the first one ever with kids), but she wanted to do the trip on a small budget and didn't want to spend extra money on the room. She regretted that decision as soon as she opened the door to the room. I know all of that "togetherness" works for some families, but it doesn't work for everyone.

 

[ssdeverell]

If you are hoping for free dining, keep in mind that POR was excluded the last two years. We had to move to CBR, but we liked it there, too.

 

[kymom99]

I have heard great things about Bonnet Creek. I will look into it. My DH goes because I love it but with this trip I am just going to tell him to go back to the room if he needs a break and the kids and I will continue. So if we needed a car that may not work. I will look at Bonnet Creek as maybe they have some type of shuttle service??? Thanks so much of the help.

I read in a review of BC that you have to buy a ticket for the shuttle at the resort. You can't decide when you are at the parks that you want to ride it. the drivers don't sell tickets. It will just take a little planning ahead.

 

[allybabba98]

If you are hoping for free dining, keep in mind that POR was excluded the last two years. We had to move to CBR, but we liked it there, too.

Oh...I did not realize that. I guess I am in limbo right now to see if there are any deals that will be released either free dining or room offers. Does that normally happen around May? Thanks for the heads up.

 

[allybabba98]

We love staying onsite with our family of 5. When the kids no longer need car seats, then maybe we'll toy with the idea of offsite. Here is the least expensive to most expensive for the mods vs. value:

1. POR or CBR with trundle
2. 2 connecting rooms at a value
3. Family suite at All-Star Music
4. Family suite at AoA

For our last trip, we had a free dining pin code and booked a family suite at ASMu. Upon arrival, the resort was overbooked so we were "upgraded" to AoA Cars Suite which was fantastic, since it was above our budget. While it would have been less $$ to book the moderate, we did not want the table service dining plan that comes with the mods. We do not want to be tied down to ADR's and do sit-down meals. The QS plan fits our family better. Also, we enjoy the more compact size of the value resorts and the quick bus service. Good luck with your decision!

Wow, thanks for this. I am going to go and price out the two value rooms. Yeah, I love AoA but it is for sure not the cheapest way to go. Thanks for your help.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

After staying off site as a family of five in a Disney theme town house I can't get past the savings and tons of extra room the town home had. It was a fraction of the price, all about Disney, had a washer/dryer on the second floor, three bedrooms and thre bathrooms, private enclosed pool in the back. The full kitchen allowed breakfast, snacks and even pizza at the end of the day. Beverages in the fridge, ice, and soooo quiet. The exit was one past the resorts, about a ten minute drive to many parking lots.

I don't like the buses anyway and love having food to offset that cost too. We can do a Disney trip and not break our retirement saving. We have saved enough to upgrade to AP and an extra trip. My last price was $599 and cleaning fee of $75 for the week. We stayed one night on site until our check in Saturday was ready. The four walls and closeness made us appreciate all the room of a tow home.

Now with their Frozen theme condo at Windsor Hills, I think offsite is a doable concept and Disney fun too.