where to stay, single mom of four

[momto4kid]

I'm really hoping to get to Disney this year. I have A little one who asks almost daily age 6. Also 9, 13 and 15 year old. The older ones will want to also go to Universal probably. Question is where to stay. We will be flying so at some point I'm guessing we will have to rent a car. We will be on a budget also! Any advice greatly alleviated.

 

[dprincessmom]

With that many in the party, you will need 2 rooms, a suite or one of the locations on property that sleep 5 (Port Orleans Riverside, Alligator Bayou section). The other option is off property which will save you some money. Most of the off property resorts have shuttles to both WDW and US so you might not need a car.

 

[catherines_mama]

Or you could look at renting points from DVC member. You could sleep your crew in a 1 Bdrm and if you do Bay Lake Towers or Animal Kingdom lodge Kidani your 1 Bdrm has 2 bathrooms (thinking of you 13 & 15 yr olds). It will give you a kitchen where you can do meals, at least breakfast and snacks to help with money and stress. I love breakfast in the villa and late night cookies or brownies. It's a treat for mine, now be good and I'll make brownies when we get back.

Depending on the time of year they can be not too expensive. you can also look at the family suites which give you great theming and food courts. Good luck!!

 

[Marionnette]

I'm really hoping to get to Disney this year. I have A little one who asks almost daily age 6. Also 9, 13 and 15 year old. The older ones will want to also go to Universal probably. Question is where to stay. We will be flying so at some point I'm guessing we will have to rent a car. We will be on a budget also! Any advice greatly alleviated.

Where you stay will be largely dependent on your budget. It's possible to stay at Disney and fit all of you into one room at POR. It's a tight fit but it is a possibility. The advantage would be having Disney transportation available to you so that the older kids can split from the group and go off on their own. You will also get free round trip transportation between the airport and your resort.

You wouldn't need to rent a car. You could avoid all of the hassle of driving to Universal by using a taxi. All of the Disney resorts will call a cab for you. They will pick you up just outside of the lobby.

The major expense, as I see it, will be the tickets for both Disney and Universal. Anyone age 10+ will pay the adult prices. Adding an extra day or two at Disney will be pretty cheap once you get past the first 3 days. Adding tickets to Universal on top of Disney tickets will easily set you back $100+ per person for just one day at a single park. If you're traveling on a budget, I highly recommend choosing either Disney or Universal and sticking to just one of them for this trip.

 

[ParkHopperFan]

I would highly recommend staying off-site. You can rent a car through Hotwire for about $17/day.

A community like Windsor Hills could be ideal for your family. It's gated and secure with a ton of amenities. You could easily trust your older kids to head off to the community pool or game room while your younger kids nap. You can get a condo or pool home with a full kitchen and washer/dryer for a great price.
We were in the same boat a few years ago with the cost of staying on site with three kids. It got to be too costly. We explored other options and have stayed at a few off site communities since including Windsor Hills. It's a 5 minute drive to restaurants and Disney property so it was just a no brainer for us. Try ************************** to explore your options.

You could also pop over to the Hotels & Accommodations section and see what others recommend for places to stay.

Good luck!!

 

[Broadway Duchess]

With a crew of those ages, I would definitely stay offsite. Yeah, Disney gives you transportation and a heaping dose of pixie dust, but comfort is key. If I couldn't rent points from a member, I would be looking to stay offsite and rent a car. You're going to spend some dough at the moderates and that could be applied to having more comfort in your hotel stay. This, however, is coming from someone who doesn't look at a hotel room as simply a place to "sleep and shower."

Depending on when you go, you can get some decent car rental deals and staying somewhere like The Fountains or WorldQuest would be ideal for you.

Where it gets tricky on your budget is with admission media. I would probably choose two Disney parks and one Universal to accommodate everyone. The teens will love Universal (stick with Islands, here) and the younger ones will have a great time at Disney. I have a Universal AP and some non-expiration hoppers in reserve (I try to buy before the annual rate hike), but my employer also has discounted tickets available. The discounts aren't huge (think ten to fifteen percent) but there was a reasonably priced Disney/Universal combo from our employer that I got one year. We had multiple park tastes to consider and that turned out to be the best thing for us then. Check that avenue; sometimes companies have negotiated tickets that aren't available for purchase elsewhere.

I agree that first, you need to set a budget and determine the time of year you'd like to go. Secondly, I would make some hard decisions to decide WHERE to go. You know your family best; if they'd like non-stop, commando-style touring, then try to fit as much in as possible. If you think they'd benefit from having breaks, then schedule less. I believe it's possible to do "everything" at Disney/Universal, but I also know I'm never going to try. God willing, there'll always be a next time.

Happy planning!

 

[100AcreWood]

We did one day at Universal for our family of 5. It was around $430 just for tickets for one day. Ticket prices per day go down the longer you stay. I recommend Disney this trip because I think it will have more for everyone in your family.

I stayed at Windsor Hills last year. I will not return to on site. For a big family it is nice and cheap. I rented a 3 bedroom condo for $535 for a week!

 

[Schmeck]

We did one day at Universal for our family of 5. It was around $430 just for tickets for one day. Ticket prices per day go down the longer you stay. I recommend Disney this trip because I think it will have more for everyone in your family.

I stayed at Windsor Hills last year. I will not return to on site. For a big family it is nice and cheap. I rented a 3 bedroom condo for $535 for a week!

Does Windsor Hills have frequent shuttles to the parks? Or did you have to rent a car/pay for parking?

Also, staying offsite right now does not get you any FP+

 

[100AcreWood]

Does Windsor Hills have frequent shuttles to the parks? Or did you have to rent a car/pay for parking?

Also, staying offsite right now does not get you any FP+

No you have to rent a car and pay for parking. So worst case, you're paying $65 a day to drive. That's still cheaper than staying onsite.

 

[Schmeck]

No you have to rent a car and pay for parking. So worst case, you're paying $65 a day to drive. That's still cheaper than staying onsite.

But you may get turned away at the gates, depending on the time of year, crowds, etc.

We stay onsite for less than $100 a night (in the right season).

Also, depending on where you go, FP system may not be available and offsite guests would only get day-of times (not good times so far) for the FP+ system. Right now it's just at AK.

 

[100AcreWood]

But you may get turned away at the gates, depending on the time of year, crowds, etc. We stay onsite for less than $100 a night (in the right season). Also, depending on where you go, FP system may not be available and offsite guests would only get day-of times (not good times so far) for the FP+ system. Right now it's just at AK.

Wow we took last year off. I don't know anything about the new fast pass system. It sounds like things have changed a lot.