First timer accommodation for 6 help pease

[Our Aussie six]

Hi our family of six are planning on visiting from Australia In 2020. I know it’s still a long time away but I’ve been trying to work out where we should stay. What is the best options budget wise for a family of six to stay on property? Would it be getting 2 value rooms, renting DVC points or even a family room? I’m so confused and since we are planning on staying 14 nights budget is a big factor.
I have looked into renting a condo off property and I’m open to suggestions it seems to workout cheaper but then we would need to hire a car so that adds to the cost which is why I’m leaning towards staying on property.
So much to think about thanks for your help

 

[ArtieRyder]

I have 6. We've rented DVC points the last few trips. Its usually about 700/night, but the accommodations are nice.

The concern with renting two value rooms, is that you're not guaranteed to get two rooms next to each other

 

[Tigerlulu]

Either dvc points or art of animation suite.

We’ve rented a townhouse in Windsor hills before and really enjoyed it. 3 bd/3bath with a private immersion pool in addition to community pool and amenities. We’ve considered actually buying one, just haven’t done it yet.
It’s incredibly close to Disney too. Would need a car but may not be a bad option.

 

[starry_solo]

Depends on how much you are willing to spend. You will need a two bedroom villa to have 6 people stay in the same suite for DVC.

$700/night adds up (what the person who rented DVC villa above says paid)

What you might consider is renting a mini van, stay off property, and one person in your party gets an annual pass (for free theme park parking). I'm not sure how much an Australian ticket for WDW would cost, but a platinum pass for WDW is about $1000. Theme park parking is $20-25/day so if you go 14 days (and stay off property).

Cheapest is 2 value rooms but as others have said, no guarantee of rooms connecting, adjoining, or even close to each other.

Or you might be able to do a family suite at a value resort. That runs about $300/night, I think. It would also depend on the sizes of your family members. I think the layout is 1 queen, 1 double, 2 sleeper chairs that are twins (single person can sleep on those).

Art of Animation suites are pricier.

 

[QueenElinor]

We are renting a Deluxe club level at the BWI, it sleeps 6. Very pricey but I bought an AP to get the room discount of 35% which brought it down to $650 a night and that's over a holiday- non- holiday would be less.

Plus, it is club level so that definitely helps with food costs. The more people you have in a room at club level, the better the deal. We won't have many ADRs, if any at all. This may not work as well for people with a hearty appetite but it works for us. And the kids love it!

 

[DCLPrincess]

A cabin at Ft Wilderness sleeps 6. Queen bed, queen sleeper sofa and bunk beds. The bathroom is quite large and there is also a kitchen sink.

 

[sWDWcopeland]

AOA suites are really nice, depending on the ages of your children and whether or not they like privacy. You have two bathrooms which helps with 6 people. The pool is also very nice - zero entry and music under the water, kinda cool. My 3 kids loved it.
Another choice is two rooms at Pop Century. While connecting rooms are not guaranteed, you can request them. This gives privacy to our teen girls and two bathrooms. Both choices are great.

 

[maxiesmom]

The suites at the All Star Music are substantially cheaper than those at the Art of Animation. Roughly $100 a night cheaper. Over 14 nights that is a huge savings.

Both types of suites sleep 6, have a kitchenette, 2 tvs, and 2 bathrooms. The layout is different, as is the theming. That is it. And I honestly prefer the layout of the All Star suites over those at AoA, At AoA the kitchenette is right next to one of the fold outs. At the All Stars it is in a little alcove.

 

[MommaBerd]

I think it all depends on the ages of your kids and what you want out of your accommodations. I think that it is somewhat difficult to predict what resort room prices will be once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens, as well as the gondolas. So, my recommendation would be to first decide what type of accommodation would be best for your family, and work from there.

When we first started going to WDW, we were a family of six. We wanted roomy accommodations with space to spread out. We couldn’t afford that on Disney property, so we stayed offsite. We knew we wouldn’t get as many perks, but our comfort was more important. Granted, it was easier for us to make that decision because we drove down, so car rental wasn’t an issue. But maybe your family just wants a place to crash. Or, spread-out space isn’t a priority for you.

With the services we now have available - grocery delivery service and Uber/Lyft, I wonder what the cost difference would be in NOT renting a car and paying for parking vs. using ride share services? Especially if you stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek? Just thinking “out loud”...

But, it’s great that you are thinking about this now. It seems that you know that if you decide to rent DVC points, you’ll need to put your request in a little before 11 months out. Good luck in making your decision!

 

[VAfamily1998]

We are a family of 6. We found staying at a cabin in Fort Wilderness worked well for us. I would recommend checking them out if 1) you are comfortable with 2 people on a sofa bed in the living room and 2) members of your party are quick in the bathroom.

I think having the kitchen in the room can make breakfast and late night snacks more convenient and economical. Also, having the private large deck and picnic table really expands the living space.

 

[Upatnoon]

Hi our family of six are planning on visiting from Australia In 2020. I know it’s still a long time away but I’ve been trying to work out where we should stay. What is the best options budget wise for a family of six to stay on property? Would it be getting 2 value rooms, renting DVC points or even a family room? I’m so confused and since we are planning on staying 14 nights budget is a big factor.
I have looked into renting a condo off property and I’m open to suggestions it seems to workout cheaper but then we would need to hire a car so that adds to the cost which is why I’m leaning towards staying on property.
So much to think about thanks for your help

If I was coming from Australia, I would want to stay for 2 weeks at least.

I would probably do a split stay, with some time at a Disney resort and the majority at a house or resort with 2 or 3 bedrooms.

So, for example, 5 days two value rooms and the rest at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in a 2 or 3 bedroom.

 

[Our Aussie six]

If I was coming from Australia, I would want to stay for 2 weeks at least.

I would probably do a split stay, with some time at a Disney resort and the majority at a house or resort with 2 or 3 bedrooms.

So, for example, 5 days two value rooms and the rest at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in a 2 or 3 bedroom.

I love this idea, would you recommend staying on or off property first or does it really not matter?

 

[Our Aussie six]

Thank you everyone for your advice there are some great options for me to consider. I should add our kids will be
19, 17, 13, 4.

 

[blistex]

I love this idea, would you recommend staying on or off property first or does it really not matter?

Usually, you'll want to start your stay on-property so you can reserve your FastPasses and your ADRs as early as possible - otherwise you'll have to wait an extra month to book the FastPasses for the earlier portion of your trip.

 

[maxiesmom]

Usually, you'll want to start your stay on-property so you can reserve your FastPasses and your ADRs as early as possible - otherwise you'll have to wait an extra month to book the FastPasses for the earlier portion of your trip.

Yup. And I think going from on site to off is not a great idea.

 

[QueenElinor]

Yup. And I think going from on site to off is not a great idea.

I agree, especially if one does not come to WDW often, staying on-site is both easier and more fun. There are enough new and different things without dealing with being offsite as well.

I remember trying to get everyone to & from the parks, there were only five of us and it was like herding cats. Plus, if someone wants to back early or stay late, everyone has to go. With the ages of your kids, that is definitely going to come up. WDW is a great, safe place for the older ones to roam on their own, but being off-site puts a serious wrench in that plan. If the teens want to sleep in, you can let them. If they want to stay up until wee hours, that's no problem either.

We just really found it more convenient and MUCH easier to stay "in the bubble". Although, with two weeks, a week on- and a week off-site would certainly be feasible, but perhaps not desirable- you'd want to do the first week on-site just to get a feel for things, and then it's a let-down to stay anywhere else!

 

[starry_solo]

Thank you everyone for your advice there are some great options for me to consider. I should add our kids will be
19, 17, 13, 4.

Will that be their ages at the time of the trip or is what they are currently? This will add one adult to the cost of the room (there is an extra cost per adult after 2 in most rooms).

It usually gets a bit disappointing to go from Disney bubble to out of Disney bubble, but if you go from off to on property, you lose out on the ability to do FPs 60-days in advance of your on-stay reservation.

One potential to look at is the Disney Springs hotels that aren't owned by Disney. They do still have the ability to do FPs 60-days in advance and might have more cost effective rooms for your family.

 

[QueenElinor]

Will that be their ages at the time of the trip or is what they are currently? This will add one adult to the cost of the room (there is an extra cost per adult after 2 in most rooms).

It usually gets a bit disappointing to go from Disney bubble to out of Disney bubble, but if you go from off to on property, you lose out on the ability to do FPs 60-days in advance of your on-stay reservation.

One potential to look at is the Disney Springs hotels that aren't owned by Disney. They do still have the ability to do FPs 60-days in advance and might have more cost effective rooms for your family.

Good point- why didn't I think of that?- considering we're doing a leading reservation at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace. We have a 1 bedroom Island Suite which sleeps six, at considerably less cost than even the discounted BWI room. I wasn't sure of our dates so we booked that in case we can't make for those first couple of days.

We do have a car rented for that time, but I'm not sure if we'd need it, although I don't think the busses from there are quite as good as on-site.

 

[DavidL]

I'm of the opinion that getting 2 value resort rooms would be fantastic... Don't get worried about not being "guaranteed" to have 2 rooms side by side, because the Disney cast members at the resort always do their best to accommodate any requests that they can. It's not "guaranteed", but I am believe that it is very likely possible. The Disney Bubble is amazing... We always stay on-site at the value resorts.

 

[MommaBerd]

Totally forgot about the Disney Springs hotels! Great idea @starry_solo! That opens up other options, for sure!