need room - 6 people 3/27 to 3/31 @ WDW

[6whits]

We are new to this. We are looking for a room that will sleep at least 6 people (3 adults and 3 kids) :jumping4:

We are arriving at WDW on March 27 and will be leaving the morning of the 31st or can stay longer if needed.

PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[kikipug]

Good luck... that is Easter, and school spring vacation... rooms will be scarce, and prices will be high.

 

[kay_key3]

It is so hard to find a room in any place that will let more than 4 people occupy. Thats no good. I have 5 in my family and will not have my husband and I seperated or my children in another room. Why can hotels have 5 people occupancies.

Thats why we don't travel much. We have a family and this country is against family togetherness.

 

[robinb]

6whits,

Welcome to the DIS!!!

You might get some more help on one of the DIS's specialty boards.

The Resorts Board covers on-site resorts and the Orlando Board covers everything else.

Good luck!!

 

[vernon]

Your options are a little limited on site by the size of your group,

1) You can book more than one regular hotel room. The All Star is the cheapest on site, but this still may not work for your group make up.

2) You can book one of the cabins at Fort Wilderness. These do sleep 6, but again depending on ages/group make up it may not work. There is one double bed, a bunk bed ( sleeps 2) and a pull out double sofa bed in the living area. If you can work with this set up it's going to be your cheapest option for all of your group to be in one accommodation on site. If you strip this option down to it's absolute most basic , it is having a trailer for your room/board but that really isn't telling the full story. As with most things Disney, they do an excellent job on the themeing of the area and accommodations and everyone I know that has stayed in them has really enjoyed their stay there. Trailer park, it is not. Here's a link to some of the info on this option http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/resorts/FortWilderness/rooms.htm

3) You could rent a 2 bedroom DVC Unit from Disney. This will sleep up to 8 people. This is a luxurious option, with a price to match. The make up of the unit would be a master bedroom with kingsizebed, ensuite bathroom with jacuzzi, walk in shower. 2nd bedroom has two queens (some have one queen and a pull out double sofabed depending on resort) and in the living room is a pull out double sofa. The unit also benefits from a fully equiped kitchen and washer/dryer. It will cost a lot more for the room, but if you use the kitchen for even just breakfasts (cereal,bagels,toast etc), chill beer/wine bought in the supermarket and to chill drinks to take to the parks it will probably save you close on $100 a day. Here's a link to information on this option http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/resorts/OldKeyWest/rooms.htm

4) You could borrow points from a DVC member and get a 2 bedroom unit. Many DVC members will rent out points/bookings for their DVC (timeshare) units. You have to bear in mind this is a private transaction between you and the DVC member, if something were to go wrong, you have no comeback with Disney, you would have to persue it through civil courts. I haven't heardof any problems with this option, but it doesn't mean it hasnt happened in the past, nor does it mean it won't happen in the future. At that time of year, it's probably still going to be an expensive option, although not as expensive as booking through Disney. You can find a page on these boards, under DVC information where you can calculate the points cost of the unit and also a board where owners rent out their points. The current "going rate" is about $10 per point.

5) You could go off site in a hotel style accommodation. There are a number of timeshares and suite hotels that would accommodate your group. Vistana, Orange Lake Country club, Wyndham Palms, Celebration World resort and Marriotte all have timeshare units in the area, often they'll offer a discounted room rate if you're prepared to give up a morning of your vaca to sit through the presentation. Buenna Vista suites, Embassey suites and Hawthorn suites spring to mind immediately, but there are many more.

6) You can go off site and rent a private vacation home. There are many vacation homes in the area, but you would need to rent a car. Many of these are available for a price close to a moderate hotel. Many also have a private pool. You can rent through a local agent, one I have had many dealings with are Premier vacation homes and I have alsways been happy with their service http://www.pr-vacation.com is their website so you can check out their offerings. The other option for renting a vacation home is to rent direct from an owner. IMHO this option is a little more rsiky as you don't necessarily have the fall back of a local company/point of reference if the home is not what you were expecting. Saying that it is usually the cheapest way to book a vacation home and many people use http:www.vrbo.com when they go this route.

KayKey, while I understand your frustration at not being able to have a complete choice available to you, it is generally the families involved that choose to have larger families. The hotels have to balance keeping their costs for standard hotel rooms down to make them commercial, with the requirements of the greatest number of people. I hope you agree they have to set standards and limits at some level, commercial needs have lead that to being, generally, a hotel room that sleeps four people. As I believe I have shown above, there are a lot of options available for larger families, but they do require a little flexibility on behalf of the family.

If you feel America and the hotel industry here is "anti family" you should try travelling to Europe LOL, the standard hotel room is often two twin beds ( i.e. sleep two people only) or one double and you're charged close to double price is you want to have children in the room with you. The country/government doesn't decide on hotel set up and to an exptent the hotel companies don't either. Market forces dictate what is economically viable and what is not. There is enough demand for some hotel suite operations that offer larger accommodation, and in Orlando there is a thriving vacation home industry built upon the needs of larger families.

If you are prepared to look around at your options and be prepared to be flexible in your approach and choices, you might find it's possible to travel a lot more than you previously have.

 

[robinb]

Wow! Great post Vernon .

I want to add just one thing. If the original poster (OP) stays off-site I would recommend a car rental.

 

[kikipug]

In terms of off-site, for a resonable price, check out hifamilysuites.com... they are converting to a Nickelodeon-themed hotel, and have suites that sleep 6 or more.

 

[KayleeUK]

Just wanted to say Welcome to the DIS

 

[kay_key3]

.

Not every family decided that it was to be large. There is 7 years between my daughter and my youngest son. I was not suppose to have children and there he was. I have only one choice, and he is now 5.
All I am saying is that allowing more rooms for "larger"families would be great for the "larger" family that may just contain more than just children.

 

[vernon]

Kay Key, I understand that not all families who have more than 2 kids intended to have more than 2 kids and while it may at times seem inconvenient to have been "blessed" with an extra arrival, that was why I said GENERALLY (not in all cases) it is the families involved that make that choice. You can't really expect everyone else to pay extra just so hotels can accommodate those who have bigger families. I think I've pointed out that there are plenty of options available to larger families. IMHO to expect the majority of hotels to cater for larger families is being unrealistic. It's not an economically viable business plan in an industry that runs on low profit margins.

While it would indeed be great for families with more than 2 kids ( I'm presuming that was what you meant to say) if every hotel had a number of rooms for larger families, the problem the hotels have is who pays for them if there are no larger families visiting? Do they let the rooms lie empty in the hope a larger family turns up at the last minute? Do they upgrade lower paying customers to the larger rooms? Should they rent out the larger rooms for the same $$ as smaller rooms(not workable because everyone would ask for one)? IMHO it's not a workable option for the hotel industry. There are plenty of options available to larger families, but you have to pay a little more, be a little more flexible and be understanding that your family is not the regulation size.

 

[kikipug]

I have talked about the hotel room dilemma when teaching my marketing students... In the hospitality business, hotel rooms are 'inventory'... just like milk is inventory in a grocery store- if you need more than a gallon of milk at a time, you have to buy two. Same goes for hotel rooms or loaves of bread.

Believe me... I was the 3rd child... I always got the 'rollaway bed' between the two other beds... I understand.

 

[bytheblood]

Kay Key, I understand that not all families who have more than 2 kids intended to have more than 2 kids and while it may at times seem inconvenient to have been "blessed" with an extra arrival, that was why I said GENERALLY (not in all cases) it is the families involved that make that choice. You can't really expect everyone else to pay extra just so hotels can accommodate those who have bigger families. I think I've pointed out that there are plenty of options available to larger families. IMHO to expect the majority of hotels to cater for larger families is being unrealistic. It's not an economically viable business plan in an industry that runs on low profit margins.

While it would indeed be great for families with more than 2 kids ( I'm presuming that was what you meant to say) if every hotel had a number of rooms for larger families, the problem the hotels have is who pays for them if there are no larger families visiting? Do they let the rooms lie empty in the hope a larger family turns up at the last minute? Do they upgrade lower paying customers to the larger rooms? Should they rent out the larger rooms for the same $$ as smaller rooms(not workable because everyone would ask for one)? IMHO it's not a workable option for the hotel industry. There are plenty of options available to larger families, but you have to pay a little more, be a little more flexible and be understanding that your family is not the regulation size.

That was very nicely put!

6whits - welcome to the Dis!!

 

[bytheblood]

We are new to this. We are looking for a room that will sleep at least 6 people (3 adults and 3 kids) :jumping4:

We are arriving at WDW on March 27 and will be leaving the morning of the 31st or can stay longer if needed.

PLEASE HELP!!!

What kind of money are you looking to spend? Are you on a tight budget, moderate budget or are you wanting to go all out?

If you do not have a tight budge, you could consider a Villa. Those home away from home suites are nice and very spacious.

 

[charstar]

Well, I'd like to tell you what we are doing, when we head down to Disney with 6 folks ( 3 adults & 3 children) we have booked 2 adjoining rooms at one of the Allstar resorts, we can have kids in one adults in another , or split kids with adults. It's also a great number of adults to children.

Personaly. I think there is a high enough demand to build a value family resort for families with more kids.

We have 3 kids in our family, and are a family of 5. My mother is sponcering our trip so we are taking advantige of this oppertunity to vacation as a family. Good luck, we took several days tring to figure out the best value for us. Magical moments on disney property is what we value the most so 2 rooms at a better price worked for us, instead of a suite that sleeps 6 at a higher priced resort. Off property didn't work because my mom haven't been here since 1977 and really wants the whole experince.

Good luck,

 

[kay_key3]

I do understand. Just because I am from the mountains of Kentucky, does not make me dumb. I understand economics and the profit line.

I am not asking that every little place cater to my needs and wants, on the off case I might come and visit. I am not worth that much trouble....lol

My point is that travel for many families may be more on the side of camping. My family usually takes a camp week out for vacation. We have a tent that we bought on sale, sleeps 10, for 100.00 and use it everywhere we go. The only reason we are no using it for the WDW trip is because of my daughter who is in the cheerleading comp. The team is staying together in a hotel. So, we had to purchase a hotel room and thanks to our great coach found me a suit with a sweet deal on the money side.

Thank goodness that they make tents to fit the "larger" families. Oh my I can even take the dogs.

 

[kay_key3]

Yep that proved how dumb I am not. My daughter who is in a cheer comp that weekend has to be with the team. Sorry about that the smallest of my larger family wanted a drink. I left and forgot where I was in my idea of vacations for the family.

 

[6whits]

Thank you for your post. We had been trying to book 2 rooms with one of the all star hotels, but they were all booked. They must have had some cancelations,bec we now have 2 rooms. It was cheaper to book this way. Thanks again and hope you have a great trip.

Well, I'd like to tell you what we are doing, when we head down to Disney with 6 folks ( 3 adults & 3 children) we have booked 2 adjoining rooms at one of the Allstar resorts, we can have kids in one adults in another , or split kids with adults. It's also a great number of adults to children.

Personaly. I think there is a high enough demand to build a value family resort for families with more kids.

We have 3 kids in our family, and are a family of 5. My mother is sponcering our trip so we are taking advantige of this oppertunity to vacation as a family. Good luck, we took several days tring to figure out the best value for us. Magical moments on disney property is what we value the most so 2 rooms at a better price worked for us, instead of a suite that sleeps 6 at a higher priced resort. Off property didn't work because my mom haven't been here since 1977 and really wants the whole experince.

Good luck,

 

[6whits]

Thank you for the great info. We ended up booking 2 adjoining rooms at one of the all star hotels. We had been trying to do so, but they were all booked. Thank you for taking the time to write us.

Your options are a little limited on site by the size of your group,

1) You can book more than one regular hotel room. The All Star is the cheapest on site, but this still may not work for your group make up.

2) You can book one of the cabins at Fort Wilderness. These do sleep 6, but again depending on ages/group make up it may not work. There is one double bed, a bunk bed ( sleeps 2) and a pull out double sofa bed in the living area. If you can work with this set up it's going to be your cheapest option for all of your group to be in one accommodation on site. If you strip this option down to it's absolute most basic , it is having a trailer for your room/board but that really isn't telling the full story. As with most things Disney, they do an excellent job on the themeing of the area and accommodations and everyone I know that has stayed in them has really enjoyed their stay there. Trailer park, it is not. Here's a link to some of the info on this option http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/resorts/FortWilderness/rooms.htm

3) You could rent a 2 bedroom DVC Unit from Disney. This will sleep up to 8 people. This is a luxurious option, with a price to match. The make up of the unit would be a master bedroom with kingsizebed, ensuite bathroom with jacuzzi, walk in shower. 2nd bedroom has two queens (some have one queen and a pull out double sofabed depending on resort) and in the living room is a pull out double sofa. The unit also benefits from a fully equiped kitchen and washer/dryer. It will cost a lot more for the room, but if you use the kitchen for even just breakfasts (cereal,bagels,toast etc), chill beer/wine bought in the supermarket and to chill drinks to take to the parks it will probably save you close on $100 a day. Here's a link to information on this option http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/resorts/OldKeyWest/rooms.htm

4) You could borrow points from a DVC member and get a 2 bedroom unit. Many DVC members will rent out points/bookings for their DVC (timeshare) units. You have to bear in mind this is a private transaction between you and the DVC member, if something were to go wrong, you have no comeback with Disney, you would have to persue it through civil courts. I haven't heardof any problems with this option, but it doesn't mean it hasnt happened in the past, nor does it mean it won't happen in the future. At that time of year, it's probably still going to be an expensive option, although not as expensive as booking through Disney. You can find a page on these boards, under DVC information where you can calculate the points cost of the unit and also a board where owners rent out their points. The current "going rate" is about $10 per point.

5) You could go off site in a hotel style accommodation. There are a number of timeshares and suite hotels that would accommodate your group. Vistana, Orange Lake Country club, Wyndham Palms, Celebration World resort and Marriotte all have timeshare units in the area, often they'll offer a discounted room rate if you're prepared to give up a morning of your vaca to sit through the presentation. Buenna Vista suites, Embassey suites and Hawthorn suites spring to mind immediately, but there are many more.

6) You can go off site and rent a private vacation home. There are many vacation homes in the area, but you would need to rent a car. Many of these are available for a price close to a moderate hotel. Many also have a private pool. You can rent through a local agent, one I have had many dealings with are Premier vacation homes and I have alsways been happy with their service http://www.pr-vacation.com is their website so you can check out their offerings. The other option for renting a vacation home is to rent direct from an owner. IMHO this option is a little more rsiky as you don't necessarily have the fall back of a local company/point of reference if the home is not what you were expecting. Saying that it is usually the cheapest way to book a vacation home and many people use http:www.vrbo.com when they go this route.

KayKey, while I understand your frustration at not being able to have a complete choice available to you, it is generally the families involved that choose to have larger families. The hotels have to balance keeping their costs for standard hotel rooms down to make them commercial, with the requirements of the greatest number of people. I hope you agree they have to set standards and limits at some level, commercial needs have lead that to being, generally, a hotel room that sleeps four people. As I believe I have shown above, there are a lot of options available for larger families, but they do require a little flexibility on behalf of the family.

If you feel America and the hotel industry here is "anti family" you should try travelling to Europe LOL, the standard hotel room is often two twin beds ( i.e. sleep two people only) or one double and you're charged close to double price is you want to have children in the room with you. The country/government doesn't decide on hotel set up and to an exptent the hotel companies don't either. Market forces dictate what is economically viable and what is not. There is enough demand for some hotel suite operations that offer larger accommodation, and in Orlando there is a thriving vacation home industry built upon the needs of larger families.

If you are prepared to look around at your options and be prepared to be flexible in your approach and choices, you might find it's possible to travel a lot more than you previously have.

 

[robinb]

We had been trying to book 2 rooms with one of the all star hotels, but they were all booked. They must have had some cancelations,bec we now have 2 rooms.

Yippie! Stick around for a while and check out the other boards. You'll learn a lot!