Resort for three families?

[JennyAnne]

Hello everyone!

Looking for recommendations on a resort for three families traveling together. Two grandparents, one family with two 3.5 year olds and a 1.5 year, and one family with a 5 year old and a 2 year old. I would like to stay moderate or higher. We're trying to be price conscious, as some of the party is a little tight on funds.

What do you recommend? Three rooms at a moderate? Something else? We would like to stay on property to take advantage of transportation.

Thanks!!

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

Port Orleans Riverside (POR) would be worth looking into. One, I believe its the biggest of the moderates, so you might have better luck requesting three rooms close by (if you so desire).

Second, the Alligator Bayou section rooms all have Murphy beds, so families with 5 are allowed. Your one group I think can stay as a family of 4 because of the age of the toddler, but even so, the extra bed gives you some option.

Third, POR has some great pools. The main pool is usually rated one of the best of the moderates, and if its too crowded there are quiet pools.

Fourth, POR has a very large food court, so lots of options for everyone.

Fifth - both POR and POFQ have boat transportation to DTD, which is a big plus and a very relaxing trip.

As you can tell, I'm a big fan of POR.

[Christine]

Treehouse Villas! We stayed there this weekend and it would be perfect for that!

[Pirate Granny]

I think a Old Key West grand villa...three bedrooms...no one sleeping on a pull out couch...bathroom in each bedroom and TV too! And you could save by cooking at least breakfast and/or lunch in the full kitchen.

[paymerich]

I know you want to take advantage of transportation but I would suggest an ALL Star Vacation home over staying in the park . With the money you save , you could get door to door cab service ( or Quick silver)and still have money left over!

[Christine]

I like pirate Granny's suggestion too!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

A friend just returned from a split stay at POR and Contemporary. She said they loved POR but no so much Contemporary. She also said they toured resorts and loved Yacht club. Maybe POR would fit your budget better so that's my suggestion

[Cinderelley]

I would do the villa only if you guys are very comfortable staying close together, such as everyone will have to share the living areas. Setups like that work great for my family except for my mom and stepdad who need the down time away from the grandkids in order for them to rest.

Port Orleans Riverside is a great resort, but there is a lot of open water that little ones could get into trouble with. Just something to think about with that many children 5 and under.

[JennyAnne]

Thank you all for your responses! I'm going to do some research this weekend into the places you recommended so I can share them with my family.

Thanks again!!

[#1donaldfan]

We love POR Riverside and have done three or more family, on several trips there.....we were always placed very close, if not next door, time and again !!! It's the best mod on property !!

[disneynarula]

If you are trying to keep prices down a deluxe villa is probably not an option at rack rates.

Have you considered renting DVC points? You can get a villa at a place like Saratoga Springs for about half what the rack rates are depending on the time of year.

I would get several rooms at a moderate or maybe two wilderness cabins?

I have run about ten different pricing scenarios for our trip with a large party. We have one grandparent, two parents, three children and an infant.

If you don't want to stay in a value your cheapest option is probably staying a a tree house Villa at Saratoga Springs resort using rental points from a DVC resale company. Some of the cons of that are...
-have to book 11 months in advance
-no refund policy
-no housekeeping service unless you pay for it

Your second cheapest option is getting three rooms at a moderate.

Another option is to get two wilderness cabins. It would be cheaper for one family. who could share with the grandparents and split the cost of the cabin but more expensive for the family that was on their own.

[disneynarula]

I know you want to take advantage of transportation but I would suggest an ALL Star Vacation home over staying in the park . With the money you save , you could get door to door cab service ( or Quick silver)and still have money left over!

You could also rent some cars and still probably save money by renting a condo off property.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

You could also rent some cars and still probably save money by renting a condo off property.

Our last trip I rented a car from Alamo right on Disney property. We wanted to try one trip with having a vehicle to use instead of using the bus system. Getting from POR to EPCOT in 5 minutes was a nice perk.

Two benefits from renting on property.

1) - I found it to be cheaper than renting from the airport, and you can still use ME to get from the airport to your on property resort.

2) - because we were renting on property and using ME to get from the airport to POR, I didn't need a car that first night, nor the last day, so not only was it cheaper to rent away from the airport, but I also needed it for two less days.

[wdwfansince75]

Would your party still be eligible for Shades of Green? If the sponsor for your other stay there is going with you, three rooms, all of which comfortably accommodate 5, would be about $150 per room per night. Avoid the walk, with young ones, to the Poly, by using the once an hour busses, or the every 20 minutes bus to the TTC, and connecting there with Disney transport for all four parks, and the water parks...

[Disney1977]

We have stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter and would recommend it to young families. The pool is fun for younger children, it has a dragon slide. My oldest son thought the pool was lame because it had no deep end. Also the resort has elevators for the grandparents. And the French Quarter is compact and easy to walk around.

Have a great trip.

[Brooklynos]

We have a similiar group going in November and we chose POFQ. We love the small size of the resort and we booked three rooms with free dining. It came out cheaper then the other alternatives we looked at. We would have gone with a value resort but our sore knees at the end of the day require some hot tub time.