Family of 5 Outgrows the trundle bed - now what?

[jenfriend]

I'm looking ahead to my next-next trip (hopefully Oct. 2009), and am just wondering what a family of 5 does when the youngest outgrows the trundle bed option at POR-Riverside.

Cabin at the FW Campground, Deluxe resort, 2 rooms at Value resort, 2 rooms at moderate resort, or stay offsite?

The cabin gives us a lot of space, but we're from an area that offers a lot of camping experiences so that theme is not appealing, and it's one of the more expensive options (but you can cook - but then I'm cooking on my vacation).

Deluxe Resort - some offer sleeping accomodations for 5 in one room (still only 1 bathroom, though). May be fun to stay in style. AK or Poly or Contemp. are most appealing.

2 Value Rooms - more room & 2 bathrooms!!! But now I'm at a value resort with less amenities.

2 Moderate Rooms - same as above, but much more expensive. Finally - we can stay somewhere other than POR-Riv

Offsite - more space, but more hassle.

Another question - Do you stay on Disney and visit the other sites in Orlando?

[castlegirl]

Our family of 5 was DH, DS11, DD4, my mom, and myself. We stayed at the Poly. Grandmom and DD shared one of the queen beds and DS slept on the separate day bed. One bathroom wasn't really a problem. IMHO, it's spacious for a hotel. Girls did our hair at the desk/mirror, not in the bathroom. The patio also provided some extra space to spread out if someone was getting dressed or needed privacy.

Yes, we often visit other Orlando attractions and stay on Disney property. We ususally rent a car because we have relatives in area that we also visit when in Florida.

Good luck with your decision. :mickey:

[PrincessEmmasMommy]

We stayed at the Poly this past summer. The rooms are huge! They have 2 queen beds and a large daybed. I think this would be a good option for your family!
Enjoy!
Jen

[Not2Loud]

I would go for the cabins at Fort Wilderness. They are very affordable in October. I would recommend one person in the family get an AP to get that rate.

We paid under $200/night with the AP rate this year for the cabins.

[mickeynuts]

We stayed at the Poly when our kids were 8, 6, 3, and 10 months (6 in the room cause the baby was in a crib) and it was wonderful. Lots of space to spread out and having the monorail right there was awesome.
Our last trip we stayed at Fort Wilderness, kids were 12, 10, 7, and 4. It was so nice to be able to spread out and having the kitchen was a big money and time saver. We didn't cook at all but we got things like snacks, fruit and breakfast foods, sodas, bottled water etc. It was nice to be able to have a small breakfast while we were getting ready and have a nice cold water bottle and little snack waiting when we came back. And to me it didn't feel like camping even though the decor had a woodsy theme, the cabins were as nice as any hotel room and it was priceless to not have noise from the neighbors.
The only thing about both of these options is that it would have been really nice to have two rooms for the sake of a second bathroom, we might try that sometime.
All of your options are awesome, you will love any of them!
:cool: Laura

[Nurse Kim]

We are a family of five and found that no matter how we figured it we would save more money staying off site. I tried to justify staying on property but my crew would rather have the extra money to spend so off site it's. We also have our own screened in pool/spa to relax in if we want.

We have meals scheduled and others at the house. We have chosen foods that would be the same as if we ate at a CS so again we haven't lost any money. Our rental home is just 5 minutes from Disney so for us this is worth it.

It may be different if we had ever stayed on property but this is our first trip. My DH promised me we would stay on property at least once just so I can say I did but for our first trip we have decided to see how staying off property goes.

Good Luck with your decision

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

I know our decision is not for everyone but, we joined DVC. ;)

We visit once a year so, we figured this was the right option for us. Bigger accomodations, more vacation time each year,etc.

So far, so good. We are very happy with our decision.

Good luck with your options.

[GAN]

I'd suggest possibly renting a 2BR DVC unit. It would give you Deluxe accommodations(w/kitchen, washer/dryer, etc.) at a price point close to 2 moderates. You could also consider renting 2 studios at close to the cost of 2 values.

[TammiMcMan]

The cabin gives us a lot of space, but we're from an area that offers a lot of camping experiences so that theme is not appealing, and it's one of the more expensive options (but you can cook - but then I'm cooking on my vacation).It would be more than 2 value rooms or a value family suite, but I think the least expensive option in comparison to 2 moderates or a deluxe room. When we stay in the cabins, we don't do much more than breakfast, sometimes sandwiches and then snacks. On the plus side, it's very convenient to the MK, they may lack in the pool facilities, but you have the beach, petting farm, hayrides, nightly campfire movies and sing alongs with Chip & Dale and it's a pretty relaxing spot.


Deluxe Resort - some offer sleeping accomodations for 5 in one room (still only 1 bathroom, though). May be fun to stay in style. AK or Poly or Contemp. are most appealing.The Contemporary, GF, Poly, BWI, BC and YC all offer rooms with an extra daybed for the 5th guest. The AKL and WL only accomodate 4 in their standard rooms.


2 Value Rooms - more room & 2 bathrooms!!! But now I'm at a value resort with less amenities.You can book a family suite at the value, which gives you a separate bedroom for the parents, 2 bathrooms and a small kitchenette (microwave, fridge & sink).

DVC was mentioned, but the 2 bedrooms, even with rented points instead of booking through Disney can be expensive. It's my understanding that the new 1 bedroom units at the AKL will have extra bedding for a 5th guest. Hopefully a DVC member can confirm that.

Another option is the Swan/Dolphin. One of them sleeps 5, I think it's the Dolphin. You can get some pretty good discounts there, although you do give up some of the Disney amenities.

[garymacd]

We ran into the same situation as you: We are not a family of five, only four. But our girls were getting too big to share a double bed at the moderates. One thing we did was stay at WL in bunk beds. I know this doesn't help your situation, but here is what we also did for our stays at the moderates.

We brought a camping air mattress (don't bring an air bed. they are too bulking, especially if you are flying) and a small air pump. We found one that was really powerful, really small and rechargeable. It filled the mattress in about 45 seconds. We also brought sheets to fit and used the extra blankets from the room. In the morning we just slipped the mattress under one of the beds or deflated it and put it into a drawer.

All this fit into a suitcase with room to spare.

[OogieBoogieMan]

You may want to try renting a home. You definitely lose some of the "magic" as others here will likely attest, but in my own biased opinion it is worth trying once. We have been to Disney many times and stayed a variety of hotels, mostly Deluxe on site and eventually ended up buying into DVC. Just this year we decided to buy a home nearby and rent it out and we absolutely love it. We will probably hold on to the DVC, we are still thinking about that one, but for us the convenience of coming home to a 5BR/5BA house outweighs what we lose at the hotels, especially with three kids. At the end of the day it isn't for everyone, but if you are looking for room give it some thought, there are plenty of options in the area.

[Scott C]

We tried two rooms at POP last summer. Having two bathrooms really sped things up in the AM. Plus the extra privacy was nice also.

Thanks
Scott C

[magicofdisney]

We're a family of 6 and have been doing the 2 room thing since our twin girls were born (just 5 of us then). We always go value so we can stay longer. One thing I've done that helps is to bring an extra shower curtain and rod and hang it up between the bath and room area in the kids' room. I got this tip from a Disney site online. Not only do we have the extra space with two rooms, but we have the added privacy without having to pay moderate prices. :mickey: