Larger Family Booking Advice...

[LinaNate]

We've been to Disney World twice, still newbies. LOL.

We're a family of 5 (Kids aged 4,6 & 8) and trying to make a disney trip happen again. Finances are tight and I'm hunting for the best value. In the past we've stayed at The Cabins at Fort Wilderness and we LOVED them. For our most recent trip we stayed at Caribbean Beach and weren't as satisfied.

The trouble I'm having is determining where to try to stay. This year The Cabins are very expensive for the dates we are looking at ($380 a night). The cheapest option when you search the Disney site where a family of 5 is concerned is the Caribbean Beach but I'm not stoked to go there again.

I've heard people say the family suites in some locations are affordable and comparable but they are also looking mighty expensive for our dates. Other folks swear by booking two connecting rooms so I priced that out and found it wasn't really cheaper either.

I'm wondering what similar families do when booking for 3 or more kids...

 

[Calee]

Did you check port Orleans riverside?

 

[LinaNate]

Did you check port Orleans riverside?

How do you think that compares to the other two? It's sightly more than Caribbean but if the transportation and facilities are nicer it might be worth it.

 

[starry_solo]

Do you want to stay on-site?

 

[Calee]

How do you think that compares to the other two? It's sightly more than Caribbean but if the transportation and facilities are nicer it might be worth it.

I don't know I've never stayed there, lol. We are a family of 5 though so I've looked at all the on site options too. The only one that you didn't mention was POR. We like CBR though so we've returned there. I know plenty of folks that say they lovr POR though! Maybe if you read the thread about that one on the resort board you could get an idea of if it appeals to you.

 

[Momto2plustwins]

We’re tent camping for part of our trip at FW and staying off property the other half. There are 6 of us, so really not many options. If we could afford AOA suites we would stay there in a heartbeat. I have a very hard time spending a lot on the room that we really only use to sleep in.

 

[100AcreWood]

We're a family of 5 and we love staying offsite. Will you have a car? If so I would definitely look into renting a condo. What are your dates? Even in the summer I have found nice condos 10 minutes from Disney for less than $800 for 7 nights.
Another option is Disney Springs. You could stay at the B Resort or the Doubletree.

 

[LinaNate]

We're a family of 5 and we love staying offsite. Will you have a car? If so I would definitely look into renting a condo. What are your dates? Even in the summer I have found nice condos 10 minutes from Disney for less than $800 for 7 nights.
Another option is Disney Springs. You could stay at the B Resort or the Doubletree.

We are hoping to stay the week after Thanksgiving, 6 nights 7 days was the plan.

The prices to stay off site look more affordable for sure... and I like being able to cook in a full kitchen before we hit the parks! When you all stay offsite you pay to park at the parks right? Or how does that work?

 

[LinaNate]

Do you want to stay on-site?

I'm open to all options! Just unfamiliar intimidayed with offsite options. Ha, ha.

 

[100AcreWood]

We are hoping to stay the week after Thanksgiving, 6 nights 7 days was the plan.

The prices to stay off site look more affordable for sure... and I like being able to cook in a full kitchen before we hit the parks! When you all stay offsite you pay to park at the parks right? Or how does that work?

Yes, we pay the $20 to park but even with the $20 it's cheaper to stay offsite. We love Windsors Hills. It's a gated community 10 minutes from the parks and for us it's faster to drive to the parks than wait for the Disney buses at their hotels. The only exception is the Magic Kingdom because you have to go through the Ticket and Transportation Center, then take the ferry or monorail to the Magic Kingdom. It adds a little time but still worth it. There are lots of owners in Windsor Hills but I have rented 3 bedroom condos (1 king, 1 queen and two twin beds) from vacationcentralflorida.com.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I second the idea of Windsor Hills. We're a family of 6 that loves our space, so we splurge and rent a 4BR house (note: there ARE cheaper offsite options!). We typically pay ~$1200 for a week. We like having a private pool, video games, place to stretch out, full kitchen, laundry--the whole bit. While I don't cook every meal--yikes!--my family prefers to be more relaxed, I cook quick things or we make sandwiches, etc. My kids prefer it to restaurant meals, so the cost savings is a bonus. I also only do a few loads of laundry--easy to throw in whenever.

Windsor Hills also has condos (in a big building) and townhouses (attached, in a row). Most townhouses have a small splash pool--10'x10'. There's also a community pool with a waterslide--plus a game room, playground, and other amenities. Since it's a gated community, it's very safe.

While the community is safe and quiet, you're literally minutes from WDW, and also from 192, which has literally hundreds of places to eat or shop, including Target, Publix, and more fast food joints than you can count.

You WILL have to pay for WDW parking, so you need to figure that in your budget. Of course, you'd be paying to park at a WDW resort, as well, assuming you're arriving by car. Flying and using MDE, obviously, don't require a car.

If Windsor Hills doesn't fit your budget, there are plenty of other communities that are a little further out, maybe not quite as nice, but less expensive. Virtually all homes have pools, full kitchen facilities, and laundry. Some have fancy game rooms, free movies, and so forth. VRBO is a good place to poke around for rentals.

 

[bigbabyblues]

FYI in case you haven't seen it, Disney will be charging a nightly parking fee for resort guests. The amount depends on what level of resort you are staying at, but a moderate resort will be $19/night for parking. That lessens the hit for the $22/day parking for theme parks for offsite guests somewhat when comparing offsite vs. onsite.

 

[pixiegoose]

Have you looked into renting dvc points? We’re renting a studio at OKW through a friend and paying the same as a rack rate standard room at Pop. Now, our friend is giving us a better deal than the rental sites would but even renting a BLT studio through a site was roughly rack rate at a moderate. I’d look into it and decide ASAP if it interests you as the 7 month mark is coming up quickly and dvc availability will go down as owners switch from home resorts (October- January are the busiest times for dvc).

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Have you considered another stay at Fort Wilderness, in a trailer rented from an outside company? That is a cheaper options than a suite or moderate with an extra pull-out bed, or at least it was the last time that i priced it.

 

[CricketMa]

When I vacation I usually like to stay somewhere nice and comfortable. BUT if i was traveling with that many kids I would probably want to stay somewhere fun and cheaper.

I would stay at a value and get two rooms. I would say they don't have to be connecting so long as they are next to each other. Then I would stick all the kids on one room and enjoy adult time at the end of the day. Technically you'll have to have an adult assigned to the room but with the ages of your children as long as they are responsible I would personally be okay with them being along as long as they are RIGHT next to me.

But I also traveled a lot as a kid and my parents did this a lot. I know a lot of people aren't comfortable with this. I know some people will frown upon me even suggesting it.

 

[Fosteringaprincess]

I 3rd Windsor hills! It's so close and so nice. We have the resort pool plus our own splash pool that is heated! We are a family of 6 but have my sister and neice meeting us a few days. It's so nice to have space and not in one hotel room. I have to get up about an hour to hour and 1/2 before the rest of the family to get ready and get bag repacked every day. This allows me to get everything done and drink coffee before the kids get up. We prefer off site !

 

[Stubbzilla]

We're a party of 6 and what has usually been the best deal for us now is to rent DVC points. We used David's Vacation Club twice now. The second vacation is still coming up. This time, getting two studio rooms at SS worked out to be slightly cheaper than getting a family suite at A of A. You have to calculate all your dates, though, because it changes. The biggest downside to renting DVC is that you can't cancel.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

We are hoping to stay the week after Thanksgiving, 6 nights 7 days was the plan.

The prices to stay off site look more affordable for sure... and I like being able to cook in a full kitchen before we hit the parks! When you all stay offsite you pay to park at the parks right? Or how does that work?

Yes, you will pay to park at the theme parks unless you're staying at a hotel with a shuttle. The Disney Springs hotels, such as the Doubletree mentioned in another post, have excellent shuttles to the parks.

 

[cubed]

We are a soon to be family of 5 and will either book two rooms at a moderate or stay at one of the good neighbor hotels with the 60 day FP and EMH perk. We always have a car and use it since DH hates the buses and waits (we go during high crowd levels).

We've stayed at the Sheraton Vistana many years ago and it's really close to the parks. That is another great option with one and two bedroom suites that are awesome.

 

[omniscientmommy]

We're a party of 6 and what has usually been the best deal for us now is to rent DVC points. We used David's Vacation Club twice now. The second vacation is still coming up. This time, getting two studio rooms at SS worked out to be slightly cheaper than getting a family suite at A of A. You have to calculate all your dates, though, because it changes. The biggest downside to renting DVC is that you can't cancel.

We rented dvc points as well from dvc rental. The have some discounted points but don’t offer trip insurance on those. I would recommend buying trip insurance separate anyways. That way if a family emergency comes up you get not just the room cost back but also airfare. Are you flying or driving? The biggest reason we stay on site is because we fly in. If we had our own car then we’d probably stay off site. We stay at Marriott Residence Inns because they have a kitchen and living area. Good space and good prices. Note that trip insurance won’t cover frequent flyer miles used or point rentals for hotels - only paid stays that can show a dollar amount.