Suggestions for family of 5 - where to stay?

[susan39]

My family is going to Disney for Thanksgiving but we have 3 kids (12,9,4) and many places either say that we have too many people or they automatically put us in a deluxe room or suite. We want to stay at a moderate or lower priced Deluxe resort on property. Have any of you had this problem? Any suggestions? We don't want to spend tons of $$$ on the resort!!! Thanks!!!

[wdw_bound]

The two lower-priced Deluxe's have a capacity of 4 people over the age of three (WL and AKL). To my knowledge, the only Moderate that holds five is POR - Alligator Bayou, using the trundle Bed and 2 doubles. There are Deluxe rooms that hold 5 (CR and Poly come to mind), but they are $$$. The ASMu Suites will also accommodate you, but even though they are technically a Value, they are priced much higher due to the larger room capacity size.

FWIW, our family has stayed at POR and loved it - boat to DTD, great pool and recreation.

[trapper]

Hi and:welcome: I too have 5 in my family 16,14,9 so last year we stayed at the POR in the Alligator Bayou section it has 2 double beds and a trudle for a child 9 and under it worked great for us. We really liked the resort it is pretty spread out but so nice you like to walk and enjoy it all. I think you would enjoy it and to the best of my knowledge it is the only resort that will accomodate 5 without getting connecting rooms or a suite of some sort. I agree with the above poster about the pool and we also loved the boat to DTD Have Fun!

[stitch and co]

Family of five here. :mickey:

We stay at POR and fit great. Love the resort for the landscaping and, as mentioned, the boat ride to DTD is nice and relaxing. The kids love the pools too.

I have looked into the Family Suites, but staying at POR is still a little cheaper. Would love to stay in a Deluxe but just can't justify spending all that $$$. I can live without the extra space, since all we need when we are at WDW is a nice place to sleep and shower basically, we do not spend that much time in the room.

Hope this helps.

[dizne4me]

We also are a family of 5(and sometimes 6 when foster son comes to visit) and we stay in the cabins at Ft. Wilderness - I know it's a little more pricey than the moderates but when you take into consideration that you can cook your own meals - it pays off for us - in the long run. Plus we always have so much fun running around the resort - we don't go into the parks every day - so we save some $$$ there as well.

[TammiMcMan]

For deluxe resorts, the only option you have without going into a suite, is the Dolphin (unless you want to go into a higher priced deluxe resort). They allow 5 guests in a room, with no additional charge for a childs rollaway bed. Pricing ranges from $219 to $299. If you belong to Starwood Preferred Guests, or work in the Education field, there may be discounts that can be applied.

As others have mentioned, you have the trundle bed option at POR, the Family Suites at the AllStars or simply connecting rooms at a value resort.

Another option is the Fort Wilderness Cabins. They run about the same per night as the Dolphin, but you have twice as much space. There is actually a separate bedroom with double bed and bunk beds, plus a pull-down Murphy bed in the living room. You get a full kitchen as well (with daily housekeeping). Personally, I love Fort Wilderness. They may not have fancy slides into their pools, but it's so relaxing and we never miss Chip & Dales campfire sing along and movie when we're there. Also, you can save some money by having breakfast in your cabin or if you have afternoon naps, you can have sandwiches. There's a trading post that carries everything you might need, or you can bring along some of your own cereals and favorites from home.

Sort of quick details on about what you'll spend per night:

Contemporary - standard view $259; garden view $305 (sleeps 5 in one room, most floor space I think of all the deluxes 422 square feet)
Wilderness Lodge - deluxe $485 (includes club level service)
Animal Kingdom - deluxe $300
Port Orleans - $145-$160 trundle bed room (315 square feet)
AllStar Music - $179 family suite (520 square feet)
Value - $82-$94 X 2 rooms (260 square feet)
FW Cabin - $239 (504 square feet)
Dolphin - $219-$299

[slt21]

I'd definitely recommend Port Orleans Riverside - it's a very nice resort and a good value for the money (lots to do at the resort itself), and it's by far your least expensive option (room rate-wise) for 5 people. Your littlest should have no problem with the trundle bed.

Ft. Wilderness cabins are really nice, as well (and plenty of room) but are more expensive.

A deluxe room would be my last choice if money and value are any issue at all. The deluxe resorts are wonderful, but even the ones that hold five may seem a little sardine-in-a-can-ish (that is, if you're like me - I like having a lot of space to move around, but a lot of people are perfectly fine with 5 in one room). Granted, you won't have a lot of space at POR, but you'll also be paying a whole lot less.

Have fun!

[magicofdisney]

For deluxe resorts, the only option you have without going into a suite, is the Dolphin (unless you want to go into a higher priced deluxe resort). They allow 5 guests in a room, with no additional charge for a childs rollaway bed. Pricing ranges from $219 to $299. If you belong to Starwood Preferred Guests, or work in the Education field, there may be discounts that can be applied.

As others have mentioned, you have the trundle bed option at POR, the Family Suites at the AllStars or simply connecting rooms at a value resort.

Another option is the Fort Wilderness Cabins. They run about the same per night as the Dolphin, but you have twice as much space. There is actually a separate bedroom with double bed and bunk beds, plus a pull-down Murphy bed in the living room. You get a full kitchen as well (with daily housekeeping). Personally, I love Fort Wilderness. They may not have fancy slides into their pools, but it's so relaxing and we never miss Chip & Dales campfire sing along and movie when we're there. Also, you can save some money by having breakfast in your cabin or if you have afternoon naps, you can have sandwiches. There's a trading post that carries everything you might need, or you can bring along some of your own cereals and favorites from home.

Sort of quick details on about what you'll spend per night:

Contemporary - standard view $259; garden view $305 (sleeps 5 in one room, most floor space I think of all the deluxes 422 square feet)
Wilderness Lodge - deluxe $485 (includes club level service)
Animal Kingdom - deluxe $300
Port Orleans - $145-$160 trundle bed room (315 square feet)
AllStar Music - $179 family suite (520 square feet)
Value - $82-$94 X 2 rooms (260 square feet)
FW Cabin - $239 (504 square feet)
Dolphin - $219-$299
Tammi,

Do the moderates and deluxes have connecting rooms?

[TammiMcMan]

Do the moderates and deluxes have connecting rooms?Yes they do. You can request them, but it's never a guarantee. It's something that they will try very hard to fulfill though.

With the exception of the WL, AKL and Swan, all the other deluxes do fit 5 in their standard rooms. We have a family of 5 (young adult, teenager and 10 year old). In all our years staying at a deluxe, we never found ourselves to be cramped. The CR has the biggest square footage, followed closely by the Poly and GF.