WWYD about lodging???

[houseful of boys]

We are a family of 6. Our sons ages are 13,10,6, and 2. I currently have ressies at HOJO in a queen/queen room. I plan to bring a pack and play for the 2 yr old. I know we will be cramped and have been considering a basic suite at Desert Inn&Suites also. HoJO's is a little cheaper and I know my kids would LOVE the water park area. Do you have to pay extra for the Water fun or is it included in your stay. Also, how far is the walk exactly? Also, officially we would exceed the occupancy in HoJo. We do this all the time with our size family. But now that the baby is 2, not sure how big a deal it is. What would you do?

TTA

 

[GrandBob]

The water play area is free. The walk is 7-10 minutes. My wife and I can do it in 5, but with little ones, it could be closer to 10. Still, pretty close and convenient.

 

[dizneedoll]

We've stayed at Hojos many times so I can answer some of your questions.
Yes, the water playground is free, no extra charge. There is a separate swimming pool close to the deluxe rooms in building two.
The walk will take about 10 min depending on how fast you walk.
It's just me and my DS so I don't know what Hojo's policy is regarding how many people you can have in the room. I would call and ask Hojo's. The staff is really nice there but if it were me, I'd rather know the policy beforehand in case you arrive and they say you have to take another room or worse there isn't any extra room at all.

 

[sonnyjane]

I would call and ask Hojo's. The staff is really nice there but if it were me, I'd rather know the policy beforehand in case you arrive and they say you have to take another room or worse there isn't any extra room at all.

I agree with this. 6 people in a standard queen/queen room seems AWFULLY cramped to me, especially for any trip longer than one night! I would try to find somewhere with a suite or adjoining rooms.

 

[dmked]

Hojos regular rooms sleep 5. They have cribs there you can use for free if you don't want to bring a pack and play. Also with kids your kids' ages I don't think you could all fit and not fall off the beds

The walk is not that long at all, considering all of the walking you do in the parks during the day, the walk to/from Hojos seems like nothing. My kids loved the water park, but we only used it once during our stay since we mostly were in the parks from open to about 10 pm. Hojos kids suite might work better for you.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

My cousin and I stayed in one of the double rooms last year with our combined 4 kids (we didn't know about the 5 people per room limit at the time). Our kids were ages 7, 5, and two 2 year olds. We were pretty cramped, so I can't imagine trying to do it with older kids.

The walk takes us about 7 minutes walking at a normal pace.

 

[bumbershoot]

Are you planning your days where you would actually have the time to use the waterplay area?

If you think the trip will be focused on parks, you might consider changing.

With your HoJo room, are you getting the Entertainment Card discount? Or at least the disney fan discount? If not, call them directly, change that! Check if their suite is available and what the cost would be.

It's easy for me to talk, saying that fire codes are important...I sadly don't have the size family I wanted...but I still think that fire codes are important. They need to know how many people are in each room, in case rescue has to happen, so they don't miss anyone. I personally take such things seriously, I mean, what if the adults have passed out from smoke inhalation and there's no one to ask how many kids are in the room? Call me Worse Case Scenario girl...

 

[dismom73]

We are a family of 5 and can no longer cram into one room. Not so much the sleeping arrangements, but only having one bathroom does not work for us (it might have something to do with the fact that we have three girls )anyway...if your set on staying at hojo check and see if the kids suite is available (sometimes the rate is $99) otherwise if you can get the entertainment rate, or ap rate on connecting rooms it's well worth it. We have the parlour family suite booked at desert inn and suites for $119 a night. It is right accross the street so it cuts down on the walk and it has 4 queen beds and a sitting area. However, if you know you are going to do pool time it's probably not as good a choice as hojo.