Where to stay for family of 6

[llboyle]

I am really in a quandry! We are a family of 6 - my DH and me, and 4 kiddos 16yo, 12yo, 10yo, and an 8 yo. We had 2 connecting rooms at the Pop a couple of years ago and liked it fine, but it was a bit cramped. We definitely need 2 bathrooms (2 oldest kids are girls). We loved the food court at the Pop as most of my kids are picky eaters.

We are looking at a trip in early June. So my question is, should we do 2 rooms again at the Pop, (we know we liked it), or do a Suite at AofA, or upgrade to 2 rooms at a moderate Epcot resort (we would look at Caribbean Beach), or splurge for a villa at OKW? (Beach Club would be my first choice but they are not available that week) We are early morning people, get to the parks early...quick breakfast in the room and we are out the door! We did love the Pop food court. Reviews for CBR food are lackluster, and OKW doesn't have a food court (right?) and is Downtown Disney which doesn't interest us at all, but the villas look fab and spacious! Ugh, what to do, what to do? Any help you can provide would be most appreciated! thanks!

[faline]

Have you considered renting points from a vacation club owner? You could make arrangements through Intercot sponsor, The Timeshare Store - they might even have access to your first choice resort. Finding an affordable place to stay on site can be problemmatic for larger families.

I'd suggest 2 rooms at a moderate or a stay at a vacation club villa.

[DisneyDadfromPittsburgh]

We are a family of 5 and fall into that same category. We have done both, reserve 2 connecting rooms at POP and also reserved one room at the Beach Club which sleeps 5. The Beach Club was fantastic - great pool and A+ location but it was still one room with one bathroom. Since that experience we have always reserved two connecting rooms wherever and whenever we go because we have four beds with two bathrooms.

[clarkee]

we have done AoA, Bay lake tower, and AK villas. We loved the themeing of AoA. The space is fine. Obviously the extra room in the villas is nice but often a luxury. Coronado has junior suites too. I prefer a suite to the two adjoining rooms because I like the extra space for eating breakfast in the room.

[MNDisney Dad]

Cabins at Wilderness Lodge are nice.

[faline]

Cabins at Wilderness Lodge are nice.

They are but might be a bit tight for a family of 6 and still only provides one bathroom.

[AndrewJackson]

They are but might be a bit tight for a family of 6 and still only provides one bathroom.

Yes, the cabins could be a bit crowded for 6. The Murphy bed is pretty small for two, but you could always stick one on the couch. Also, if you get a cabin in loop 2100, you could always use the comfort station in loop 1100.

Have you considered a family suite at All Stars? I think it is a bit cheaper than two connecting rooms, and quite a bit cheaper than AoA.

[llb]

thanks for the suggestions...here's where we are now: Wondering if the AofA suite (like the Cars suite) really is spacious enough for 6. The pull-down bed doesn't even look like a full bed! So would we need to take our air mattress too?

Looking at 2 rooms at CBR...but the inconsistent reviews are a bit unsettling.

I am somewhat risk-averse/and still want to maintain control when it comes to vacation reservations, so I am reluctant to rent DVC points, although Beach Club 2room villas look like heaven to me.

We could still do 2 rooms at the PoP Century.
Any advice on AofA or CBR for a family of 6 is still very much appreciated. Thanks!!

[amorillo]

My family of 6 stayed at AoA in 2012. Our children's ages were 17, 14, 5, & 3. We thought the space was fine for our family. (we didn't really spend much time there). The table/pull down bed is a full size bed. We split the kids up, one big and one little in each bed, and they had more than enough room. The resort is beautiful and the pool is very cool! I would definitely consider staying there again in the future.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Two rooms at CBR (or any moderate)would cost a bit more than 2 rooms at the values. However, two rooms at any of the moderates will give you a bit more room and queen beds (except CBR) instead of the full size beds at the values. If it's affordable for your family I would definitely got with 2 rooms at the moderates over 2 at the values. However, CBR is the only moderate that doesn't yet have queen beds. Rumor has it a room refurb starts there next month and queen beds is supposedly on the agenda, but who can say for sure until it's done.

As far as CBR is concerned. It's our favorite moderate. I often see bad reviews for this resort, but after 3 stays there it's still our favorite. We love the tropical theme over the themes of the other moderates.

My brother's family of 5 stayed at AoA for Christmas a few years ago. They loved it. Although they did say given all the space it appears to have, it did feel very cramped when all the beds were open. And keep in mind you only get one "real" bed in the family suites. The other two are a murphy bed and a sofa bed. With two rooms you get 4 real beds.

[disneykidsince1970]

I am a control freak myself so I appreciate your thoughts abt renting points but I have rented points several times from dvc members and had great experiences. Once I had the reservation number, I even called the resort directly with some special requests with no problems.

I agree with 2 bathrooms for 6 people...esp teen girls! AofA has 2 baths but the Murphy and the foldout couch aren't huge beds....if u have petite kids, maybe ok.

We did cabins but 1 bath is tough...unless you use the camping baths as someone suggested....

My fave for space is a 2 bedroom at BLT. We did it twice by renting points....awesome! Although..we just booked a 2 bedroom (3 baths!) at AKL for next Feb!

Good luck!

[disneynarula]

We did the AoA suite a few years with three adults and three children and actually found it sort of small. There was plenty of room for sleeping but there was no room to store suitcases.

We are going to get two rooms at a moderate this year. At least you get four real beds.

Renting DVC points is another way to go. We thought about that but DHs job is really unpredictable and we can never really count on being able to go. Most DVC rentals are not refundable. Other than that, and lack of mousekeeping, it can be a great way to get deluxe accommodations for moderate prices.