Big family on a budget- where to stay

[married2mm]

We've done values,mods,deluxes& 2 beds in okw&ssr.
Also offsite in villas & wyndham bonnet creek 2 beds.

I love the space of offsite,extra bathrooms,bedrooms,kitchen & my fave-laundry facilities.
Conversely; in villas at wdw the sense of still being in the bubble & yet having those above extras is amazing.but-at a price.

Why not have a split stay between whatever works out the cheapest (2values?!)
And then end your vacation with the all the space & extra offsite benefits.

We don't cook on our trips-even with a full kitchen -however it's very useful for light breakfasts,sandwiches,snacks..

It depends what works best for you & your family...

Good luck deciding.

 

[Kaytie]

You would need to list one of the adults on the reservation for each room but it would be up to you to decide who sleeps where once you get there.

Well, not exactly. Minors can't be in the room alone, so the parents would have to sleep in separate rooms.

I would think that if the family group consisted of mother, father and 6 underage children they would accommodate the request.

As you've seen, they will if at all possible. If everything were possible, the word 'impossible' wouldn't exist.

The one downside to this is that not all bus rides are relaxing.

Conversely, for many people, driving isn't relaxing - long distance commuters, people who drive as their jobs, those uncomfortable driving n unfamiliar areas...

 

[Monykalyn]

I don't think anyone could eat enough to save money by cooking food in a 2 BR villa vs paying for 2 value rooms and eating breakfast/sandwiches etc. there.

She has teens along-oh heck yeah eating offsite/in a villa with a real kitchen will be much much cheaper LOL! And trying to get 8 people fed in two small rooms for a couple meals may prove challenging.

Why not have a split stay between whatever works out the cheapest (2values?!)
And then end your vacation with the all the space & extra offsite benefits.

Our family does this-get the onsite perks for a few days, then get to spread out and relax! Truly best of both worlds, but we don't mind the "inconvenience" of packing/moving in middle of trip.

 

[Pennstate6411]

What is your current budget might I ask?

Budget for some may not be a budget for others

 

[stinkpickle]

I'm afraid that "most convenient" and "most budget friendly" are going to take you down two separate paths.

 

[married2mm]

I'm afraid that "most convenient" and "most budget friendly" are going to take you down two separate paths.

Budget friendly isn't anything we've found in wdw

 

[SorryI'mNotSorry]

What is your current budget might I ask?

Budget for some may not be a budget for others

My budget isn't set in stone, but will be the difference between us being able to stay four days vs staying eight, if that makes sense. We will go no matter what, but the place we stay will determine what other things we have to cut out and how long we will get to be there.

Here's what's going on in my head right now as far as costs-

I can get a rental house that sleeps eight (found a nice one that is owned by someone that lives semi local to us in Ohio, and it has excellent reviews on all the travel sites and has amazing amenities) for cheaper than two value rooms together.

If we stay off site we would need to rent a car, so if we are renting a car (van), we might as well just drive our own which would save us the costs of flying and a rental van. That's going to add the cost of two hotel rooms on the way down and back because we would stop halfway ( so say $400 total), but it would save airfare for 8 people roundtrip plus a rental van which would be a $2000 savings at least.

So without even factoring in food or space, it seems like maybe the airfare and driving our own car is just a no brainer. I dunno. I always said I wouldn't do it because I just love the magical express and the onsite "feel". Maybe we need to give it a try and see how it goes.

 

[unwritten01]

Sounds like you are on the right track. We have on numerous occasions requested connecting rooms and have always received them. There is never a guarantee, but it is always the #1 request we submit and I call them again shortly before we head out (of course up front asking as well). We also typically drive down unless some crazy great airline deal opens up which has been I believe twice. Six of us this year (college claimed another - I have one at Clemson and one headed to Alabama - should be another fun football season). I am open to the offsite places but get overruled every time by my beautiful wife.

I will say when possible we try to aim it to take advantage of free dining (huge bonus) - those teen boys eat..end eat..and eat... errrrrr...not me - no way.. Anyway, this December we received free dining and are staying 16th through 21st so very close to Christmas. The kids told me they wanted to stay offsite next year or at Universal. I told (dared?) them to go ask their mother. They haven't yet. No matter what I know you will have a great time!

 

[stinkpickle]

... I always said I wouldn't do it because I just love the magical express and the onsite "feel"...

Of course, you can rent a van locally (in case you don't have a vehicle to haul eight people and luggage), and drive it to WDW and back. Then just get two rooms at a value resort and take the buses to the parks, plus get the other benefits of staying onsite. And if you need snacks or anything else, you'll have a van handy to take to the store while you're down there.

 

[peg2001]

Well, not exactly. Minors can't be in the room alone, so the parents would have to sleep in separate rooms.
..

I'm pretty sure this statement is not accurate. Tour groups of teens do it all the time as well as Pop Warner youth groups. Do you really think they have someone over 18 in every room? I maintain that an adult must reserve the room but sleeping arrangements are up to the occupants.

 

[disneydacey]

It will actually be mother, mother, and our 6 underage children.

My Bad I would be pretty annoyed if I was put in a non-connecting room from my spouse.

 

[disneydacey]

And OP for what its worth if you can swing I would totally rent points. We did it a few years ago and now it is the only way we will do Disney. You get awesome accommodations and the convenience and $$ saving benefit of cooking some meals in room. Plus I loved having laundry in the room.

 

[RangerPooh]

I can understand the airfare cost for a large family, which is why we drive. We too make it an overnight trip, because we've done it in a day and no one is very happy by the time you reach your destination. Plus driving means that we have our own vehicle for driving to the parks when we stay off-site. Just be sure to factor in the cost of parking each day which is $20. Thankfully its good at any park for that day, so park hopping is no issue. As for the "feel" of arriving at Disney, our family still goes nuts at seeing the entrance gates/archways to the WDW Resort; even after dozens of trips. Agreed it's not the same as stepping onto Magical Express at the airport, but you also don;t have to wait for the shuttle and stop at each resort along the way.

If you have not checked it out, there is a forum/thread for Orlando Area Resorts that you might find useful.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I'm pretty sure this statement is not accurate. Tour groups of teens do it all the time as well as Pop Warner youth groups. Do you really think they have someone over 18 in every room? I maintain that an adult must reserve the room but sleeping arrangements are up to the occupants.

Do the Pop Warner and similar groups typically have a block of rooms--where they are all in the same building/same floor/etc.? OP's oldest few children are 15 and 14 years old. As a mother of 4 kids (17, 15, 13, 11) I would feel comfortable having my older kids alone in a different, non connecting room if the room was still very close by.

Actually later this summer we are taking a (non Disney) vacation and can't find hotel rooms large enough to accommodate us all, and our best solution was to get 3 small hotel rooms--so my older two will have a room by themselves. This is in a relatively small hotel (227 rooms total). But if we were given rooms in different buildings of a large resort like the All Stars? No way.

 

[Monykalyn]

That's going to add the cost of two hotel rooms on the way down and back because we would stop halfway ( so say $400 total), but it would save airfare for 8 people roundtrip plus a rental van which would be a $2000 savings at leas

If you do this, another solution is to "splurge" on a throwaway room (or campsite). I don't think mentioning this is against the rules as there is a thread dedicated to it. Can get up to 10 on a campsite, so that would include MB for everyone, plus parking and EMH.

 

[gayles]

Not sure this would work but maybe 2 Cabins ( hopefully next door to each other ) at The Camp Ground . easy access by Boat to MK . Fun activity at night & Day at Campground .

 

[leebee]

Drive down and rent the offsite house. We have done this numerous times with extended family and it's always a better vacation. Space, extra bathrooms, your own kitchen (breakfast, coffee, snacks, coffee, full sized fridge, coffee- even if you never cook a real meal), a washer and dryer... sometimes even your own pool. Oh yeah, and you can stay twice as long!! This seems to be a no-brainer to me!

 

[momof2n2]

If you do this, another solution is to "splurge" on a throwaway room (or campsite). I don't think mentioning this is against the rules as there is a thread dedicated to it. Can get up to 10 on a campsite, so that would include MB for everyone, plus parking and EMH.

Drive down and rent the offsite house. We have done this numerous times with extended family and it's always a better vacation. Space, extra bathrooms, your own kitchen (breakfast, coffee, snacks, coffee, full sized fridge, coffee- even if you never cook a real meal), a washer and dryer... sometimes even your own pool. Oh yeah, and you can stay twice as long!! This seems to be a no-brainer to me!

The combination of these two items as what has worked for us in the past. First, we drive down from New York State. We rent a five or six bedroom house in Clearmont, just a short drive west of Disney. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the property. Then we book a campsite for the duration of our trip. We do not cancel it or try to scam. We build that into the price of the trip. We order our tickets from undercover tourist. I will do this again next year. Feel free to message me if you would like for information. We have been booking offsite vacation rentals since 2003 and have never had anything but a fantastic time. Last time we went, our five bedroom house that slept 12 was about $115 a night.

 

[dansdad]

I'm pretty sure this statement is not accurate. Tour groups of teens do it all the time as well as Pop Warner youth groups. Do you really think they have someone over 18 in every room? I maintain that an adult must reserve the room but sleeping arrangements are up to the occupants.

Big groups book with a different department, use a different system, and have agreements with the groups that minors will be in rooms without an adult. For normal bookings the statement you quoted is correct.

 

[dansdad]

My Bad I would be pretty annoyed if I was put in a non-connecting room from my spouse.

That has happened to use twice now. First time we were in 2 different buildings and the second we were on different floors in different wings of the resort. The first time I was very annoyed and wasted 4 hours of vacation arguing that every bit of paperwork we got stated "connecting rooms guaranteed". After being told by the resort general manager that connecting rooms are never guaranteed and finally giving up my arguing, the 2nd time it happened we were at least prepared and didn't let it bother us.