Traveling with family -- Accommodations dilemma

[TikiGoddess]

Hi all,

I am in the beginning stages of planning for our 2008 trip. It's a big one for us -- this is the first time we will be in WDW for an entire week!

My brother and his family (DW, DS5, DS3) will be joining us (me, DH, DD5, DD3.5). We originally talked about renting a vacation home with 4 bedrooms and a pool (which would work out to be around $70/night per family). My DH and I have been talking about it and we think for everyone's sanity it might be better if each family had their own space. Brother does not want to be stuck in a hotel room for a week especially since he wants to be able to cook some meals.

SO....
Does anyone know of accommodations where we might get side-by-side suites/condos, with 1-2 bedrooms each, a kitchenette (at least), all relatively close to WDW?

On-property options are too expensive. We're looking to spend less than $100/night per family.

Thanks!
TikiG

[pox24]

DVC hotels have exactly what you are looking for but not close to that price range. I suggest web search of all local lodging options to find an alternative. There are literally thousands of hotels within a short drive. Best of luck.

[GrumpyFan]

I would say at that price (under 100), you're going to be hard pressed to find anything like that. For that kind of space, and a kitchenette, you are probably looking in the $150-200 price range per family per night and that's for off-peak season and probably not very close to the parks.

Your best bet might be to try and find a suite or look into something like a Residence Inn (around 150 per night), but that's still going to have a "hotel-like" feel to it. Seralago has 2-room suites that they advertise starting at $89 a day, but the reviews aren't very high. I know someone who stayed there one night of their 5 day trip last year and hated it. So, be careful and read reviews before booking anything.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I would go with the off-site vacation home.
2) For your group, on-site would be expensive.
3) Very expensive.
4) I would then rent a 15-passenger van.
5) This way only vehicle car to the parks.

[King Triton]

1) I would go with the off-site vacation home.
2) For your group, on-site would be expensive.
3) Very expensive.
4) I would then rent a 15-passenger van.
5) This way only vehicle car to the parks.

I agree. You'll be much happier with a vacation home with that many little kids. I might consider two vehicles in case one family wants to do other things...but, the larger van isn't a bad idea since parking is going to run you $10 a day/car.

[HndrdPrcnt]

I agree. You'll be much happier with a vacation home with that many little kids. I might consider two vehicles in case one family wants to do other things...but, the larger van isn't a bad idea since parking is going to run you $10 a day/car.

I also agree with having 2 vehicles. We did just that with our extended family (we had 10 of us there). This gave us the opportunity to, as an immediate family, make our own choices if we needed to go back for a nap for the little ones, etc.

Also, while you can plan on doing most things together, something nice that we did on our trip is that we took 1 day of the trip for each of our 2 families to spend a day alone. This was great for us. While we love our extended family, this gave us the chance to focus on our children and their specific desires. We took the day and did MK in the morning, a nap in the afternoon, Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique in the late afternoon and then MNSSHP in the evening. It was a great day for my DW and I to just really connect with our children.

[mobettah]

We just rented a six bedroom home in Sunset Lakes with a pool, a gameroom and a tv in just about every room. It slept 14...and we had 13 people in it - ages 65 to 2. We really never felt crowded at all. In a home like that one, you guys could each take a floor if you wanted.

It was literally 10 minutes of driving to get to Animal Kingdom...just a little longer for the other parks. And we paid $1250 including pool heat. We paid another $50 for a grill rental. That should fit your budget.

Also, I did a quick internet search and there are tons of townhouses for $70-100 a night in places like Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms and Emerald Island. These are all very close to Disney.

Personally opt for the big house...that way you guys can hang out at night together if you wish...and if you don't wish, you will have plenty of space to spread out.

I also would make sure to have my own car for maximum flexibility. It gets old after a while molding your plans with that another a family...and you may want some alone time or to leave at different times.

Hope this helps.

Have fun!!!!

I wish we were going back today.