Resort Advice Needed - Family of 6 from AUSTRALIA!!!

[Kerry Middleton]

Hey Everyone
We are looking at doing a big family vacation to Disney World all the way from Australia, so none of us have ever been before (non do we know anyone who has been). With all the information out there it all seems a little overwhelming. I've read so many different posts on various forums but none of the situations is ever the same as my own. So I thought I'd put it to all you experts out there.
We are a family of 6 - 2 adults and 4 children (8, 6, 3 and 2 at the time of travelling). We want to stay onsite, so we will be needing accommodation that will sleep 5 with room for a portable cot for my youngest. We will be staying for 1 week in the beginning of October 2018 (6th - 13th).
We were planning on booking through the disneyworld website and after spending many hours tossing up between Port Orleans Riverside, All Star Music and Art of Animation, we had deciding on paying a little more to have a family suite at AoA. Then I read on another forum that some people rent out DCV points in order to stay at more expensive (and bigger) rooms for the same price as pay full price through Disney. So that opened up a whole other range of resorts.
So I'm looking for advice on
a) renting DCV points
b) which resort has good access to the parks. Or at least which park is best to be nearest too? I understand that the parks can take time to get to but would prefer not to be stuck on buses for over an hour with lots of small children too often
c) if we stay for 7 nights and only get park passes for 5 days which is the best resort to hang around at (best pools, best food, best activities for kids)
d) any recommendation people have on various resorts with similar size family and age of kids

These are the resorts that I have narrowed it down too if we were to book through Disney
Port Orleans Riverside (Pool View)
All Star Music (Family Suite)
Art of Animation (Family Suite)

if we were to book through a point rental site
Beach Club Villas (Studio)
Animal Kingdom (1 Bedroom)
Boardwalk Villas (Preferred Studio)
Grand Floridian (Lake View Studio)
Old Key West (1 Bedroom)
Polynesian Village (Lake View Studio)
Boulder Ridge Villas Wilderness Resort (Studio)

Thanks everyone - all advice is very much appreciated

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

I’d probably do the AKL 1BR to have the extra space. With the ages of your kids it would be nice to be on the monorail for access to MK but I don’t know if it may start to feel crammed in a Poly studio after a whole week.
AKL is a beautiful resort, you can see the animals from several places, the pool is great, and (in my experience) the buses were reliable.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I don’t know anything about DVC accommodations, but I would NOT do POR. You’re going to be way too cramped with 6 people in one of those rooms.

 

[smiths02]

I think with that many people for a week, you are really going to want a bedroom and two bathrooms. That leaves you AoA suite, AKL 1 bedroom (Kidani-I think only Kidani has the two bathrooms, Jambo house has one bathroom), AS Music suite

I think an AoA suite would be a good bet for those ages. We really enjoyed staying in one (have done it twice)

It looks like the AoA suite is $3265 USD...and discounts will probably come out for that time frame.



A standard view AKL 1 bedroom would be $3077 USD from a rental site. That price would not go down and you will have some risk renting points. Benefit would be a full kitchen instead of a kitchenette

For my first trip from another country, I personally would be more comfortable getting a room directly from Disney and being able to cancel, get discounts, etc.


As an aside, I went with a 2 year old in 2009 and then with two 2 year olds in 2015...we didn't need a cot or pack n play. We did get bed rails once.


We have stayed with 5 people in a regular room (4 adults and a 2 year old in a standard room at AKL and 2 adults and 3 kids in a standard room at Beach Club)...while we survived....I can't imagine adding another person and doing that for a week. I really would not stay in any standard room or studio with that many people. I would stay offsite before I did that (if DVC or AoA suite is too expensive).

 

[smiths02]

I don’t know anything about DVC accommodations, but I would NOT do POR. You’re going to be way too cramped with 6 people in one of those rooms.

I would not do any standard room or DVC studio with 6 people for a week

 

[FSU Girl]

I really like staying in the DVC villas. I've never done it through points though, you can book them through cash, but it's a bit more expensive that way. Only reason I prefer that is there is usually more options available closer to the date and it's a lot less risk. You can cancel and get your money back, which I don't think is possible with points and with points you run the risk of having to deal with a person who could potentially not book it or cancel it or all sorts of problems. I know a lot of people do it so the risk is probably low, but I'm not a big risk taker.

For the villas I love Bay Lake Tower, it has a huge one-bedroom that has two full bathrooms. It's walking distance to Magic Kingdom, which you'll probably want to spend a lot of time at with the ages of your kids. The Broadwalk Villas are nice too and walking distance to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. I think Animal Kingdom Lodge is really pretty and having a savanna room is really cool, but it's pretty far from all the parks and your only option for transportation is the bus.

Have fun on your trip!

 

[Hopefully]

I agree with the others I would NOT do a single room or a studio with a family of 6 with those young children.
I think your best bet is AoA family suite. I think the kids (and adults) will love it.
Off topic, but if you are coming all that way, why on earth would you purchase only a 5 day ticket? All of WDW can not even be done in a week. And adding days at that point is not much more. Just my thought.

 

[amym2]

I definitely agree with the others that a studio at any of the DVC resorts would be a tight squeeze. We've stayed in a one-bedroom with our family of four at Animal Kingdom Villas and Bay Lake Tower and really appreciated the two bathrooms. Bay Lake is walkable from the Magic Kingdom but honestly the bus service from AKV is among the best we've ever had. The one-bedroom at OKW is huge and it only has one bathroom, but it's a split bathroom. With any of these, the full-kitchen and laundry in your villa would be a definite bonus! The Poly studio is very spacious and has the split bathroom as well and it would give you easy MK access, so if you decide on a studio, that would be my choice. The downside to renting DVC points is the reservation is non-refundable. The pools at AKV, OKW, and Poly are all great.

We're DVC members and haven't stayed at Art of Animation, but I've heard good things about the family suites. We've walked around the resort, and I'm sure your kids would love it. It's a great option if you don't want the risk with DVC.

Ditto the suggestion to get park tickets for every day you're there. We much prefer to do partial days at the parks with some resort time. Highly recommend the park hopper option as well. We tend to do a park at rope-drop, go back to the resort for lunch and to swim/naps (since we usually have a full kitchen and order groceries), then back to the parks for dinner. Or we'll go at rope drop, stay until 2pm, then head to the resort for the rest of the day.

 

[Kerry Middleton]

The reason for the 5 day pass was that we will be coming off of a cruise ship and figured while we were in Florida we would spend a week at Disney world. As its so far to travel it seemed a waste to go all the way there and not visit.
I had originally thought to do a 6 days but considering the ages of my children I figured that they may need a rest day (or at least just a resort day) mid week.
I hadn't really given much thought to being too squished in. Especially since coming off a cruise where the room will be tiny. Also since they are just our kids and not other adults sharing a room for a week with them isn't too big of a deal for us.
I dont really expect to be able to do everything but just hoping to make it a fun holiday for the kids.
All the resorts look so nice it's hard to tell one apart from the next.

 

[LivingforDisney]

Hi, I am in Sydney. I agree a week is not long enough, have been twice and stayed at wdw both times on site for 14 nights and then did Universal. Have a look on disboads site for the Australian section, lots of Aussies who have done wdw and can offer advice.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

So, the week you are planning includes October 8, 2018. That is Columbus Day week in the United States, a federal holiday you won't have.

Nearly every DVC studio that holds 5 has holes for that week already. It is an extremely popular week for school vacations in parts of the United States. There is also a large convention that week that uses a bunch of rooms, and so some people started looking early (in November) for DVC options. DVC in fall is best booked out 11 months in advance.

At this point, for that week, you would need to look for a 1 bedroom DVC. Even renting points, which has a lot of limitations including no ability to cancel once booked and requiring cash up front, you would not save money over AOA or ASMu suites if that is the goal, although the accommodation would be nicer/different.

 

[WEDWDW]

I say AoA all the way!(it even rhymes!lol).

Your kids will LOVE AoA!

CARS is AWESOME-especially at night!!!!

WELCOME TO THE DIS!!!!

We talked to many Australian Cast Members on the International College Program during our November trip to WDW and they were doing an awesome job of representing Australia-such nice young people!

WDW is unlike anywhere else in the WORLD!!!!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hey Everyone
We are looking at doing a big family vacation to Disney World all the way from Australia, so none of us have ever been before (non do we know anyone who has been). With all the information out there it all seems a little overwhelming. I've read so many different posts on various forums but none of the situations is ever the same as my own. So I thought I'd put it to all you experts out there.
We are a family of 6 - 2 adults and 4 children (8, 6, 3 and 2 at the time of travelling). We want to stay onsite, so we will be needing accommodation that will sleep 5 with room for a portable cot for my youngest. We will be staying for 1 week in the beginning of October 2018 (6th - 13th).
We were planning on booking through the disneyworld website and after spending many hours tossing up between Port Orleans Riverside, All Star Music and Art of Animation, we had deciding on paying a little more to have a family suite at AoA. Then I read on another forum that some people rent out DCV points in order to stay at more expensive (and bigger) rooms for the same price as pay full price through Disney. So that opened up a whole other range of resorts.
So I'm looking for advice on
a) renting DCV points
b) which resort has good access to the parks. Or at least which park is best to be nearest too? I understand that the parks can take time to get to but would prefer not to be stuck on buses for over an hour with lots of small children too often
c) if we stay for 7 nights and only get park passes for 5 days which is the best resort to hang around at (best pools, best food, best activities for kids)
d) any recommendation people have on various resorts with similar size family and age of kids

These are the resorts that I have narrowed it down too if we were to book through Disney
Port Orleans Riverside (Pool View)
All Star Music (Family Suite)
Art of Animation (Family Suite)

if we were to book through a point rental site
Beach Club Villas (Studio)
Animal Kingdom (1 Bedroom)
Boardwalk Villas (Preferred Studio)
Grand Floridian (Lake View Studio)
Old Key West (1 Bedroom)
Polynesian Village (Lake View Studio)
Boulder Ridge Villas Wilderness Resort (Studio)

Thanks everyone - all advice is very much appreciated

I think it really depends on what you value more - space or proximity to parks. With those two options in mind, I would definitely eliminate POR from your list. It offers you neither space nor any park proximity advantage.

In the "space" category, you have AoA, ASMu, AKV and OKW. For space, park proximity (to AK) and overall resort theming and amenities, AKV wins this one for me. The resort is gorgeous with a ton of activities for the kids (two pools and a splash pad, plus other activities) plus great food. Plus you will have a full kitchen and a washer/dryer in your room which can help with meals and with packing (when we stay in a villa, I pack half as many clothes as we would need otherwise and do wash through the week).

If proximity to parks is more important, the DVC studios you've listed will provide that. If this is the direction you want to go, I would first think about which parks you want to visit most (if EP/DHS, I would do BC. The BWI pool, IMHO, will not be conducive to the ages and number of children you have). If MK, I would probably do Poly to have access to the MK monorail plus walking access to the EP monorail.

So, for me, it would come down to the BC or Poly studio (if park proximity is most important) or AKV (if space is more important). I think, ultimately, I would personally choose the 1-bedroom at AKV. For transportation convenience, you could always utilize the Minnie Vans if need be. They are $20 per ride, can accommodate 6 people and will have 2 car seats for the smaller kids.

 

[Hapi]

Just wanted to provide some notes from my previous stays and future plans.

We recently rented points through a site recommended by mousesavers.com and surprisingly got our first choice within a day of the request. We did it at 7 months out, so we didn't have to pay extra for each point. Went to the Disney site quickly and registered the confirmation number and am set up for an April trip at Beach Club Vilas. We travel with a party of 4 adults. Much less expensive than going through Disney.

For access to parks: The best we've tried is Contemporary - walking to Magic Kingdom is the best. The pool was just basic (no frills); monorail running through hotel - very cool; being able to watch MK fireworks from hotel was excellent. POP transportation several years ago was not a problem for us; I think we missed 1 MK bus due to crowd size. AOA transport should be about the same. We've been at Jambo and Kidani and the earlier stay at Jambo had the better experience with transport. At Kidani we sometimes had a longer wait for buses. Fort Wilderness has the option of water transport to MK which is fun if the weather is pleasant. Bus transport is a little more involved because of the transfers from the internal buses to the park buses. And for Beach Club Villas, we chose this for it's easy access to 2 parks. I don't know Disney transport policies, but check the boards for Uber dropping off at CR and walking to MK; that may be an easy inexpensive option for you - quicker than waiting for the buses.

For resort atmosphere: The Contemporary feels more adult; much more spartan decor and furnishings and non-themed pool area. During your stay MK will be doing the Halloween party on select nights and the fireworks for that event should be different (they were when we stayed at CR). From the moment we arrived at POP we were immersed in Disney - it just made you smile. DH came in on Magical Express separate from us and he was impressed by the Disney feel. I would expect AOA and ASMusic to be similar. The large pool was fun but unheated (like all values). That early in October the pool temp shouldn't be a problem. We were on the QSDP at POP and there were lots of options at the food court; I got corn chowder with a snack credit and had that for dinner. You may be able to walk to the AOA food court from POP. Fort Wilderness is great fun; there are many options for activities here. We watched the electric water parade at the pier, walked through the stables to see the horses, got take out fried chicken and paired it with homemade fixings at our campsite. Grills are abundant around FW. AKL is impressive, a nice place to just sit and watch the animals, either Jambo or Kidani. Both pools are large and surrounded by foliage. The Kidani villa was easy for 4 adults because of the second bathroom. The only issue with both these is the long distances between rooms and anything else. We tried Boma and discovered we're not fond of the African and Indian flavors of most of the foods; I'm unsure of the children's choices here or the food court.

Happy Planning!

 

[twoolle]

We are a family of 6 with kids 8, 6, 4 and 2. We have all stayed in a single room at POR and CBR and it was just fine. We are used to tight quarters and since kids are little they don't mind being together. In March we rented DVC points to stay at Boulder Ridge in a studio! If I were you I would look into the MK area hotels for sure as it will give you multiple transportation options. Our family does not like the bus because of the kids ages and basically the size of our family, plus double stroller etc.

Regarding BRV, we wanted to stay there because we love the theming and we have 3 boys. And it's just a boat ride away from MK!

You can look into renting points from one of the agencies and then buying your own trip insurance. That is the only way I would do DVC in your situation. We have actually rented from a dis boards member and did not buy TI, but obviously it's a little different situation.

And while 1 week may not be enough to some people, I would say if you are already here, then why not? You can still have a lot of fun. It will be busy in October but if you spend time doing your research and making good touring plans that is better.

Hope that helps!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

OP cannot get a studio at BWV or BCV that week already, so I recommend not giving that advice.

 

[Kerry Middleton]

These are the average prices that I have found on the Disney Website (our dates are October 6th-13th). We want to stay onsite as we would like to use the DDP.

Port Orleans Riverside - Standard View $246.43 - $310p/n depending on view
All Star Music - Family Suite $316p/n
Art Of Animation - Family Suite $414.71p/n
Boulder Ridge - Deluxe Studio $461p/n
Beach Club Villas - Deluxe Studio $512p/n
Polynesian Villas Deluxe Studio - $571p/n
Animal Kingdom Villas Kidani - $663 - $747pn depending on view

There is such a big price jump between the different resorts and staying for a week could mean the difference of $$$. Which is what lead me to looking at other options, include the DCV rentals. I just haven't been able to read up enough about them yet to know whether it would be the right choice or not. Especially organising it from Australia.

I think that we are more concerned about the travel to and from parks as well as the resort having a fun pool area and foods the kids will enjoy - rather than the size of the room. As a PP said, we will have a stroller (or even a double stroller) most days and keeping all 4 kids entertained on a very long and potentially crowded bus trip multiple days in a row doesn't sound like a lot of fun.

 

[Kerry Middleton]

Also a PP mentioned about discounts. Is that something that you just sort of wait around for and then book when you see they are available. Is that running the risk that there will be no more vacancies at the (finally!!!) chosen resort?

 

[Hopefully]

Also a PP mentioned about discounts. Is that something that you just sort of wait around for and then book when you see they are available. Is that running the risk that there will be no more vacancies at the (finally!!!) chosen resort?

Yes You run that risk. As several PP have stated your week in October is a holiday week in the US and it will be very busy.
You should choose your resort and book soon.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I would expect limited general public discounts that week, due to the convention (lots of Deluxe units are held for that conference) and due to the holiday.