Families of 5 - Options Limited

Good morning Fountain of Knowledge for all things Mouse;

We are a family of 5 (3 kids, ages 8,6,4) with a current reservation at
the Contemp. for April. We are however investigating some other resort
options from a cost perspective, and have found that about a third of
the resorts allow 5 in one room (we stayed at Ft. W. last year).

So, what do you families of greater than 4 do? Get 2 rooms?
Adjoining? Pay double? By the time you do that, you pay the Deluxe
resort rate anyway. Or, are ya just stuck with the resorts that allow
5?

Thanks all!

Ed

The Mouse doesn't make it easy for a family of 5. Your options:

- 2 rooms at a value resort
- 1 All-Star Music Family Suite, sleeps 6, but can cost more than 2
single rooms, but you get 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette
- 1 room at Port Orleans Riverside with trundle bed
- Ft Wilderness cabin
- almost all deluxe resorts can sleep 5 in a standard room, exceptions
are Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge where you need to upgrade
to a deluxe room

2 rooms at a value resorts are usually a little bit more than a single
room at Port Orleans Riverside. Once you start getting 2 moderate
rooms, you may as well spring for a deluxe room.

Just wait until you want to take a Disney Cruise!

-Joe

elinden11@verizon.net wrote:
> Good morning Fountain of Knowledge for all things Mouse;
>
> We are a family of 5 (3 kids, ages 8,6,4) with a current reservation at
> the Contemp. for April. We are however investigating some other resort
> options from a cost perspective, and have found that about a third of
> the resorts allow 5 in one room (we stayed at Ft. W. last year).
>
> So, what do you families of greater than 4 do? Get 2 rooms?
> Adjoining? Pay double? By the time you do that, you pay the Deluxe
> resort rate anyway. Or, are ya just stuck with the resorts that allow
> 5?
>
> Thanks all!
>
> Ed

The Mouse doesn't make it easy for a family of 5. Your options:

- 2 rooms at a value resort
- 1 All-Star Music Family Suite, sleeps 6, but can cost more than 2
single rooms, but you get 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette
- 1 room at Port Orleans Riverside with trundle bed
- Ft Wilderness cabin
- almost all deluxe resorts can sleep 5 in a standard room, exceptions
are Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge where you need to upgrade
to a deluxe room

2 rooms at a value resorts are usually a little bit more than a single
room at Port Orleans Riverside. Once you start getting 2 moderate
rooms, you may as well spring for a deluxe room.

Just wait until you want to take a Disney Cruise!

-Joe

elinden11@verizon.net wrote:
> Good morning Fountain of Knowledge for all things Mouse;
>
> We are a family of 5 (3 kids, ages 8,6,4) with a current reservation at
> the Contemp. for April. We are however investigating some other resort
> options from a cost perspective, and have found that about a third of
> the resorts allow 5 in one room (we stayed at Ft. W. last year).
>
> So, what do you families of greater than 4 do? Get 2 rooms?
> Adjoining? Pay double? By the time you do that, you pay the Deluxe
> resort rate anyway. Or, are ya just stuck with the resorts that allow
> 5?
>
> Thanks all!
>
> Ed

I have a family of 5 also. We've stayed at the Polynesian twice, once
at Wilderness Lodge (when the third child was only 2), and once at Dixie
Landings (now called Port Orleans, I think). I believe that Dixie
Landings was (still is?) the only moderate that can accommodate 5;
that's with a pull-out trundle. We did not enjoy Dixie Landings, it has
doors that open directly outside (like a motel) and it just wasn't our
cup of tea, I guess. At the time, we paid the rack rate for Dixie
Landings, and I didn't think it was a bargain at all. We've never
considered the Value resorts, because we would have to get 2 rooms, and
that then makes a motel (IMO) a pretty expensive option.

I've recently heard about something called Family Suites that are being
test marketed at ASMusic, I think. Lots of info on the disboards about
it. They can accommodate up to 6 people, with a small kitchenette. The
issue I have with those is that there is only one actual bed, the other
sleeping arrangements are pull-out chairs and sofa. I'm not keen on
sleeping on a pull-out, and my kids are not so little anymore, I can't
see them being comfortable on the pull-outs either. (Kids are
13,11,10). And the price is $169/night..... Two connecting rooms would
probably be more cost effective. And there is a difference between
"connecting" and "adjoining". If you want to have a door between the
two rooms, you want to ask for "connecting". "Adjoining" just means
adjacent, next to each other, not necessarily connected by an interior door.

So, for my family, I only see the deluxes as a desirable option.
(Although I am learning more about the DVC, and renting points, and
might consider that on another trip.) As far as I can tell, for a
family of 5, you can either rent two rooms at a value or moderate, one
room at PO (moderate), one ASMusic Family Suite, a DVC villa, a fort
wilderness cabin or one deluxe resort room.

We will be at WDW next week, split stay at the Yacht Club and the Animal
Kingdom Lodge Concierge. I thought about Fort Wilderness as a
possibility, but it was almost as expensive as the Yacht Club, and I've
always wanted to try the Yacht Club....

Cathy


elinden11@verizon.net wrote:
> Good morning Fountain of Knowledge for all things Mouse;
>
> We are a family of 5 (3 kids, ages 8,6,4) with a current reservation at
> the Contemp. for April. We are however investigating some other resort
> options from a cost perspective, and have found that about a third of
> the resorts allow 5 in one room (we stayed at Ft. W. last year).
>
> So, what do you families of greater than 4 do? Get 2 rooms?
> Adjoining? Pay double? By the time you do that, you pay the Deluxe
> resort rate anyway. Or, are ya just stuck with the resorts that allow
> 5?
>
> Thanks all!
>
> Ed
>

I have a family of 5 also. We've stayed at the Polynesian twice, once
at Wilderness Lodge (when the third child was only 2), and once at Dixie
Landings (now called Port Orleans, I think). I believe that Dixie
Landings was (still is?) the only moderate that can accommodate 5;
that's with a pull-out trundle. We did not enjoy Dixie Landings, it has
doors that open directly outside (like a motel) and it just wasn't our
cup of tea, I guess. At the time, we paid the rack rate for Dixie
Landings, and I didn't think it was a bargain at all. We've never
considered the Value resorts, because we would have to get 2 rooms, and
that then makes a motel (IMO) a pretty expensive option.

I've recently heard about something called Family Suites that are being
test marketed at ASMusic, I think. Lots of info on the disboards about
it. They can accommodate up to 6 people, with a small kitchenette. The
issue I have with those is that there is only one actual bed, the other
sleeping arrangements are pull-out chairs and sofa. I'm not keen on
sleeping on a pull-out, and my kids are not so little anymore, I can't
see them being comfortable on the pull-outs either. (Kids are
13,11,10). And the price is $169/night..... Two connecting rooms would
probably be more cost effective. And there is a difference between
"connecting" and "adjoining". If you want to have a door between the
two rooms, you want to ask for "connecting". "Adjoining" just means
adjacent, next to each other, not necessarily connected by an interior door.

So, for my family, I only see the deluxes as a desirable option.
(Although I am learning more about the DVC, and renting points, and
might consider that on another trip.) As far as I can tell, for a
family of 5, you can either rent two rooms at a value or moderate, one
room at PO (moderate), one ASMusic Family Suite, a DVC villa, a fort
wilderness cabin or one deluxe resort room.

We will be at WDW next week, split stay at the Yacht Club and the Animal
Kingdom Lodge Concierge. I thought about Fort Wilderness as a
possibility, but it was almost as expensive as the Yacht Club, and I've
always wanted to try the Yacht Club....

Cathy


elinden11@verizon.net wrote:
> Good morning Fountain of Knowledge for all things Mouse;
>
> We are a family of 5 (3 kids, ages 8,6,4) with a current reservation at
> the Contemp. for April. We are however investigating some other resort
> options from a cost perspective, and have found that about a third of
> the resorts allow 5 in one room (we stayed at Ft. W. last year).
>
> So, what do you families of greater than 4 do? Get 2 rooms?
> Adjoining? Pay double? By the time you do that, you pay the Deluxe
> resort rate anyway. Or, are ya just stuck with the resorts that allow
> 5?
>
> Thanks all!
>
> Ed
>

DH and I went with adult daughter and got two connecting (not
adjoining) rooms at All-Star Movies. We had AP rates so it wasn't bad
at all and we had two rooms for all of our stuff. You could probably
do two connecting rooms at a moderate and still have it be economical.
Haven't stayed in the all-star suites but there are photos and info on
allearsnet.com so I would check those out too. Good luck!

DH and I went with adult daughter and got two connecting (not
adjoining) rooms at All-Star Movies. We had AP rates so it wasn't bad
at all and we had two rooms for all of our stuff. You could probably
do two connecting rooms at a moderate and still have it be economical.
Haven't stayed in the all-star suites but there are photos and info on
allearsnet.com so I would check those out too. Good luck!

> I've recently heard about something called Family Suites that are being
> test marketed at ASMusic, I think. Lots of info on the disboards about
> it. They can accommodate up to 6 people, with a small kitchenette.
>

Not really test marketed at this point - and they are popular, I'd be
surprised if Disney didn't continue them elsewhere.

However, there haven't been any discounts yet on the All Star Suites.
So the 2 value rooms probably would be better priced. But the Suites
are nice for those who want to have one unit, not two connecting ones.

Denise

> I've recently heard about something called Family Suites that are being
> test marketed at ASMusic, I think. Lots of info on the disboards about
> it. They can accommodate up to 6 people, with a small kitchenette.
>

Not really test marketed at this point - and they are popular, I'd be
surprised if Disney didn't continue them elsewhere.

However, there haven't been any discounts yet on the All Star Suites.
So the 2 value rooms probably would be better priced. But the Suites
are nice for those who want to have one unit, not two connecting ones.

Denise

"Not really test marketed at this point - and they are popular, I'd be
surprised if Disney didn't continue them elsewhere."

Rumor has it that they may make the other half of Pop Century all
Family Suites....

-Joe

Denise wrote:
> > I've recently heard about something called Family Suites that are being
> > test marketed at ASMusic, I think. Lots of info on the disboards about
> > it. They can accommodate up to 6 people, with a small kitchenette.
> >
>
> Not really test marketed at this point - and they are popular, I'd be
> surprised if Disney didn't continue them elsewhere.
>
> However, there haven't been any discounts yet on the All Star Suites.
> So the 2 value rooms probably would be better priced. But the Suites
> are nice for those who want to have one unit, not two connecting ones.
>
> Denise