Best Resort for Five (!!!) Kids?

[princessamygrant]

The last time I traveled to WDW was in 2009 and we had two kids. We stayed at FQ and loved it. Now we have five kids (some our legally ours, and some are our foster children): 16, 9, 3, 2, & 3 months so we are severely limited in options to stay on property.

We are looking at taking advantage of free dining and traveling in August. We could stay at the cabins in Ft. Wilderness, but that seems sort of inconvenient. When we went in 2009, we spent the morning at the pool, had a quick service meal at the resort, went back to the room to nap, and then headed out to wherever our dining reservations were before hitting up the parks. This worked out really well for us with the Florida heat. However, it doesn't seem like the cabins really allow for this as there is no quick service dining on-site, correct? Can the guests staying in the cabins use the Wilderness Lodge pool and food court? If so, how easy is it to drive between the two resorts?

The other (sort of affordable) option seems to be getting two rooms at Pop. There is only about a $35 price difference (upgraded to the same "regular" dining) to stay at Pop or cabins. Any sense on what would be better?

The third option would be to stay off property at a condo nearby, but then of course, we wouldn't have the dining (although we potentially could save quite a bit of money I think with a crew of this size).

We are totally open to suggestions since we are not frequent visitors to the park and with this many kids can't afford to go super frequently. Please advise!

[Fangorn]

I would probably opt for the two rooms at POP, requesting "connecting" rooms. That would give you actual beds for everyone, and two full bathrooms, which with that sized crew, would be a big plus. POP is a great resort, and the food court is pretty good, although it does get very crowded (and noisy) during the breakfast rush. My kids, no matter what age they were, always loved being at POP.

Steve

[buzznwoodysmom]

Also a family suite at Art of Animation or All Star Music would work. Not sure how comparable the cost is tho.

I would pic two rooms at a value over the cabins with the number of people you have. Two bathrooms would be huge for me.

[faline]

Yes, I think two connecting rooms at a Value resort might work well for your family and would provide that extra bathroom that might be important for a large family.

[deedee73]

With the number of children & ages I would definitely choose POP & 2 connecting rooms. No question! Much ore convenient to things, large food court, pools close by...all of these and a ton more reasons including the 2 bathrooms would cinch it for me.

[BrerGnat]

Art of Animation Suites may be cheaper than two rooms at Pop. You can put the baby in the master bedroom with you and have the other 4 kids share the two double beds in the main room. You get 3 bathrooms and a kitchenette with microwave which mighy come in handy. That would be my recommendation.

[Sneaky Pete]

Art of Animation suite would be my recommendation.

[eeyoremom]

Maybe you should check out Windsor Hills if you have a vehicle. Just google it. Beautiful grounds, wonderful 3 bedroom condos, very close to animal kingdom. We could see animal kingdom lodge. No real food court, but lots of fast food fairly close and you can do some things in the complete kitchen. Washer, dryer, dishwasher, the works. Wonderful pool complex, slide, splash pad. Not much more money than 1 value room. Pm me if you want more info.

[Arielfan98]

Here are my two recommendations:

1) The absolute cheapest option for your family would be to stay at an All Star Hotel and book two connecting rooms. Trust me, it is much cheaper than the Animation suite, or any other suite for the matter. The proof is in the pricing. My family is getting too large ourselves for 1 room, and 2 connecting rooms at any all star is the cheapest option (even cheaper than an All Star Suite).


2) If you absolutely need the extra space, I'd look into renting DVC points from Dave's DVC Rentals.

[SBETigg]

I think renting DVC points is your best bet. You can all be together and have the space you need in a 2 BR. Free dining? Not such a great perk next to having the space for everyone, and you can have some lighter meals/snacks in your kitchen.

I don't know how the Art of Animation suites can accommodate a family your size without some discomfort. I guess I just don't get the appeal there. There's bedding for six (though one of yours is a baby, so maybe okay) and two of those beds are temporary beds that have to be made up and put back to reclaim the space during the day. Does not sound great to me. Two connecting rooms at POP would be a preferable option for me in that case, and maybe you can still get the free dining. Having more kids does present challenges and you have to think what works best for you, but you'll have a great time whatever you choose.

[Speedy1998]

Here are my two recommendations:

1) The absolute cheapest option for your family would be to stay at an All Star Hotel and book two connecting rooms. Trust me, it is much cheaper than the Animation suite, or any other suite for the matter. The proof is in the pricing. My family is getting too large ourselves for 1 room, and 2 connecting rooms at any all star is the cheapest option (even cheaper than an All Star Suite).

For staying on property this is correct. However, a Condo off property is cheaper and you get a lot more space.

[Speedy1998]

For a party of six, without breaking the bank. I would recommend looking at a condo or Townhouse in Windsor Hills. You can get a 3 bed 2 bath condo or a 3 bed 3 bath townhouse for somewhere between $1500 to $1800 per week. Also you have a full kitchen so even though you miss out on the free dining you can cook some of your own meals to save some cash.

[1DisneyNut]

With a party that size, I would do a condo offsite. You could get a 3 or 4 bedroom with 3 or 4 bathrooms for substantially less than what onsite is going to cost. I don't know about your preferences but I despise the value resorts and would search for any other option first.

[#1donaldfan]

Check out AoA like mentioned. We stayed there last year and we actually loved the room. Two full baths "under one roof". The beds were very comfortable and the food court was VERY good.

[Arielfan98]

For staying on property this is correct. However, a Condo off property is cheaper and you get a lot more space.

While that is true, the benefits of staying on property could outweigh staying off property. The transportation will be free and if you time it right, the dining plan could be free. I think it depends on what is best for your family.