Shellydon Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Looking into Disney! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 We traveled with my sister and officially booked a child in her room. We stayed at port Orleans riverside that time. We've also stayed off site in a condo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lieutenant Stranger Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 My inlaws wanted to stay at the All Star Suites (we had a group of 10) but I vetoed that. We ended up renting a house ridiculously close to property instead. (4 bedrooms). The places I wanted to stay on property were just a bit too much for our budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmhearn Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Art of Animation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 We stay at the DVC at the Contemporary or the Grand Floridian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Sort of on site - Best Western Lake Buena Vista. 2 queen beds and a queen size pull out sofa. Nice pool, decent restaurant , not too expensive and on the "B" Disney bus line so easy to get to any park. Part of Downtown Disney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diann Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 DW or Land? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 We have four children. We stayed at All-Star Music, which is a value resort. We spend very little time in the room and are budget conscious, so it isn't worth it for us to upgrade to a more expensive resort. All-Star Music has a family suite that sleeps six. They took two regular rooms and renovated them into one unit. There is a separate bedroom with a queen bed and a door, two complete bathrooms, and a small kitchenette nook with a mini fridge, microwave, and sink. The sitting area has a pull out couch, a pull out chair, and a pull out ottoman (sounds weird, but it works), so two kids shared the couch and the other two each got their own bed. The pull outs may have been slightly smaller than a regular twin but were perfectly fine for kids. We didn't have a car there and took the bus everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lieutenant Stranger Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Fort Wilderness in a cabin. Loved it! Loved the spaciousness, the privacy, the kitchen, and the option of taking the boat to Magic Kingdom. If you go this direction, definitely look into renting a golf cart for your stay. I looked into this but we had too many people! We've stayed at the Best Western Lake Buena Vista twice (once on our Honeymoon!) and it was nice. Within walking distance of Downtown Disney-- made it back (this was pre-kids) slightly tipsy and when I had missed the bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Port Orleans Riverside - has a trundle for extra sleeping. The pool is nice. Get a building near the pool/restaurant. The Wilderness Lodge - beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura's Haven Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I am a huge Disney fan! Have you considered doing the Deluxe Villas? They sleep up to eight or nine people, and have full amenities as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caclcoca Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 We stayed at Fort Wilderness in a cabin and enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 We did all star music with 5, but the suites allow 6. It was our one and only trip. We went to the parks for 5 days, so that was packed enough that we did not hang out in the room much. I had contacted the chef at the resort ahead about my dc diet needs (gf). He asked me to see him as soon as we checked in. I did and he stocked the cafeteria with stuff for dc. During the week, other chefs got to know us and would surprise with things they made especially for my dc (choc chip pancakes at breakfast, ice cream sandwiches at night, etc) Our family has different interests and needs--we did not stick together all day long. Having Disney transportation made it a lot easier to facilitate this. We would go to one park in the morning and do things together until lunch. Then, my oldest would whatever he wanted wherever Disney could take him (Norway in Epcot or Virgin Records in Downtown Disney), I would run around to thrill rides with dd, and youngest would take a nap while dh watched cable news (his favorite thing). We had dinner together often after meeting up at an unspecified time at all star music (we only did 2 sit down restaurant meals, we did not do meal plan bc I wasn't sure if gf would work). After dinner dd and I would hop on transportation again to go watch fireworks at a different park than the one we'd been to during the day. Having this flexibility greatly enhanced our trip. It would have been harder to facilitate this staying offsite. Since we were staying on site my older dc were permitted to use their badges to purchase food and charge back to the room. This gave ds another independence activity--questioning food vendors about ingredients. He did not spend too much and he stayed healthy, so that was successful. Dd only did purchases at the all star music cafeteria, but she could run in on her own for an evening snack and choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 What is your budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Yeah, what is your budget? If you are on a budget, you might look into a place like Bonnet Creek. You can find it sometimes for under $100/night for a 2 or 3 bedroom. It is not technically on Disney property, as in, it is not owned and operated by Disney, but it is across from Downtown Disney. http://www.wyndhambonnetcreek.com You can book here for far less than their website: http://vacationstrategy.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Art of Animation! We stayed there in May with our family of 6 and the suite was ADORABLE! There's a queen bed in the bedroom and a bathroom with a walk-in shower. The kitchen table turns into a murphy bed that is quite comfortable according to my daughters and my sons had no complaints about the sleeper sofa. There's a second bathroom, too, with a shower/tub combination. Now, the kitchenette is small -- it's a mini-fridge and a microwave. Didn't want to give the impression that you could make dinner in it! But it's great for cereal in the morning or heating up a can of spaghetti-o's if your kids are hungry at midnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 If you want to stay onsite and cost is a concern, it is almost always least expensive for large families to book 2 rooms at one of the All Star Resorts (Movies, Music, or Sports). Keep an eye on the website Mousesavers for possible room discounts. We have always had either a room discount or free dining plan on our trips to WDW. If your dates are flexible, you can even wait for a discount to come out and plan around the dates the discount is available! We'll be heading back in December, with free dining! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 If you want to stay onsite and cost is a concern, it is almost always least expensive for large families to book 2 rooms at one of the All Star Resorts (Movies, Music, or Sports). Keep an eye on the website Mousesavers for possible room discounts. We have always had either a room discount or free dining plan on our trips to WDW. If your dates are flexible, you can even wait for a discount to come out and plan around the dates the discount is available! We'll be heading back in December, with free dining! Be sure to compare the room rates. It was less expensive for us to book the family suite at All Star Music that I mentioned above than it was to book two separate rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnIslandGirl Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 We prefer the amenities of Disney's Deluxe and DVC resorts. There are lots of options for larger families. http://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/12/20/deluxe-options-for-large-families-at-walt-disney-world/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 We've been a few times with 6. We usually get two rooms at the Caribbean Beach but we did try the suite at the ASMusic one year. My husband and I LOVED the suite - private room!! - but my teens were not comfortable and asked to go back to the CBR in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 If pricing isn't too much of a concern, I suggest staying onsite in a DVC two bedroom villa. You can book directly through Disney (sometimes there are specials in slow seasons), directly through a DVC owner (takes intestinal fortitude---see forum on disboards.com), or through a legit service like David's Vacation Club Rentals http://www.dvcrequest.com/ We're been DVC owners for seven years. We usually stay in a one bedroom unit (at Animal Kingdom Lodge--Kidani and at the Contemporary Bay Lake Tower they have two bathrooms), but we get two bedroom units when we have guests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 Thank you all!! Off to read up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Disney LAND (CA) or Disney WORLD (FL)? If Disneyland (CA), we stay in one of the motels directly across the street from the main entrance, which means we can walk back for lunch/dinner at the motel. (Use the motel microwave to heat up refrigerated dinners we brought and store in the motel room fridge.) Also handy if a young one (and parent! ;) ) need a nap partway through the day. There are about 6 motels right across the street; some sleep 6, or have suite options to accommodate larger families. Many also offer free breakfast/continental breakfast. For walking distance, you want one with a 1600 South Harbor Blvd. address; 1500 or 1700 addresses are a longer trek, but do-able with older children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 This site is awesome for big families: FamilyVacationCritic.com! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 We have four children. We stayed at All-Star Music, which is a value resort. We spend very little time in the room and are budget conscious, so it isn't worth it for us to upgrade to a more expensive resort. All-Star Music has a family suite that sleeps six. They took two regular rooms and renovated them into one unit. There is a separate bedroom with a queen bed and a door, two complete bathrooms, and a small kitchenette nook with a mini fridge, microwave, and sink. The sitting area has a pull out couch, a pull out chair, and a pull out ottoman (sounds weird, but it works), so two kids shared the couch and the other two each got their own bed. The pull outs may have been slightly smaller than a regular twin but were perfectly fine for kids. We didn't have a car there and took the bus everywhere. We did this too. We have also gotten 2 rooms at Pop Century. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Thank all. Definitely going to do a 2 bedroom villa somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Art of Animation here too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 Just to update, we are looking at Fort Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom. I would LOVE to to Polynesian, but two rooms there are too expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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