Suggestions for a young family of 5

Hi all,

We are contemplating a 2nd trip to Disney with our children possibly March, April or May 2017. This trip would include my husband, myself, and our 3 children -- ages 6, 5 and 3. Since it's 5 of us and no infants, our on-site options are pretty limited and the family value suites and most of the moderates seem to be out of our budget at this time for those months.

My kids are all small and so could potentially all share a queen bed together, or a 2 bedroom with an additional sofa bed, or something of that nature. In short we are flexible with number of bedrooms/beds as long as the size of the beds would work.

A full kitchen would be nice as that will help us save money on some meals, but not a total deal-breaker either -- but I would at least want something with a mini fridge and microwave if not.

We were last down Thanksgiving 2015 and we stayed at Lake Buena Vista Resort Villa & Spa, in a 2 bedroom suite, but we got a really good rate as we were there during my husband's business trip.

We're not very picky, so I'd be perfectly happy with a Holiday Inn-esque place, as long as it's clean, enough beds for us, and at the least the fridge/microwave combo -- and a decent proximity to the parks would be a plus as well of course. Any suggestions are appreciated, thanks.

A good friend of mine with a family of 5 went this last summer on a budget and stayed at Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista about 15 min outside of Disney World. I think they got their package through the Disney Good Neighbors hotel website. But going direct to their website has deals too. She, said the hotel Had full breakfast included. Maybe that will work for you.

We are a family of 5 and before we chickened out and went back to staying onsite we were booked at the Marriott Village Fairfield. They have breakfast included and shuttles to the parks. We go every year and all our kids are Disney 'adults', so it's a pain and we figured we would try and save money and we usually stay with Marriott's whenever we travel anywhere else because it's good for our family but at the last minute we decided to just stay onsite. We had a car and took a drive around and the Marriott Village is about 5 minutes to Disney Springs, so not far at all to anything and close to the highway if you are doing Universal too.

What about the "new" Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites (formerly the Nickelodeon Resort)? Haven't stayed there yet but it looks clean and updated and has lots on the go for families including transportation to the parks.

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnresorts/hotels/us/en/orlando/disfs/hoteldetail/hotel-room-rates#

Thanks all, I'm adding all of your suggestions to my research list. Any other suggestions please add!

We are a family of 5. Here's my review of our stay at the Marriott Townplace Suites at Flamingo Crossing. The room had 2 Queen beds and a sofa.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ju...neplace-suites-at-flamingo-crossings.3497129/

Not sure what your budget is, but if you check skyauction you can find some really great resorts at very good prices. I see Sheraton Vistana Resort (our favorite) 2BR available for a few dates in March, several in April and more in May going for $750 with surcharges included. That's not much more than $100/nt at a luxury resort a few blocks from Disney property, and that is at the higher end of the listings (price and quality). Lots of other resorts available as well.

For sure look at hotels that offer a suite option like Embassy Suites, Staybridge Suites, Marriott Townplace Suites, Buena Vista Suites, Caribe, Doubletree Suites and those that offer bunk/room options like B Resort ....

- Always check for any resort fees (more and more are sneaking them on) and parking fees.
- I would have a car unless I were at a Disney Springs hotel.
- See who includes a breakfast option


Look at "condo" type options (rentable timeshares etc) like Wyndham Bonnet Creek, Sheraton Vistana ............. more space and kitchen's for cooking. We do use SkyAuction both auction and buy it now, read all the fine print so you understand.

bankr63 said:

That's not much more than $100/nt at a luxury resort a few blocks from Disney property, and that is at the higher end of the listings (price and quality). Lots of other resorts available as well.

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I didn't know about that site -- that sounds amazing. I'll definitely check that out. I'd say our cap is probably like $140-$155/night.

HopperFan said:

- Always check for any resort fees (more and more are sneaking them on) and parking fees.
- I would have a car unless I were at a Disney Springs hotel.
- See who includes a breakfast option

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Excellent tips, thanks -- I do often forget to check/inquire on resort fees... they can be really sneaky. We will most likely be renting a vehicle -- just easier to have that freedom with 3 little ones (and 3 car seats). I know I'll need to factor in parking cost at both the hotel (if not complimentary) as well as $20/day at the parks -- which could add up because I'm looking at the 6 day pass deal on Southwest... a lot of "nickel and diming" will add up, but I still don't think will be anywhere near as much as a family suite at AoA (which I checked for next March and was quoted at $391/night!!!).

The Residence Inn, Fairfield Suites and Springhill Suites hotels all include parking and complimentary breakfast. I don't think any of them charge a resort fee. There are several of those in the Sea World area as well as in the Lake Buena Vista area.

mjhtvchick said:

The Residence Inn, Fairfield Suites and Springhill Suites hotels all include parking and complimentary breakfast. I don't think any of them charge a resort fee. There are several of those in the Sea World area as well as in the Lake Buena Vista area.

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Not all include parking. The Marriott Village outside of Disney Springs charges for parking.

http://www.marriott.com/hotel-promotions/marriott-village-orlando-lake-buena-vista.mi

Sadly more and more are adding these fees, always check all the way through potential booking and then click rate details, that is sometimes the first time you see a resort fee or reference to parking fees.

I will suggest a completely different alternative... you did not really ask for this type of lodging in your original post, but here goes:

Our trips to WDW took a dramatic change for the better when we started staying offsite, but in condos/villas rather than hotels. The great news is that there are a wide range of options and price points, and many options are really close to the parks. Since you mentioned staying offsite already I am guessing you don't mind driving, or missing out on things like extra magic hours.

There are condos EVERYWHERE (Windsor Hills, Emerald Island, and the list goes on and on if you do some research), and since you seem to have flexibility in your travel dates, you should be able to get a really good rate. These will usually have 2 or perhaps 3 bedrooms, full kitchen, and access to the clubhouse/pool for the resort.

Our preference, BY FAR, is to get a villa. These will be a little more expensive, but you can get great value if you can afford it. These will be 4/5/6 bedroom homes with PRIVATE pools, maybe a game room, full kitchen, and a huge amount of space to stretch out.

We have had such great memories, in the private pool and game rooms... I always wish I could convince more people to try this...

Here is a good example available next May at $150 per night (plus taxes and cleaning) : https://www.vrbo.com/170401ha (Note I have never stayed here, just came up in a quick search).

As our family has gotten older, we have started to stay further from the parks and add other activities like golf and fishing to our itinerary. There are resorts that offer these too.

Consider a Condo or Villa. There is really no reason to stay in a small hotel room that adds stress to your vacation!

Ed

Yes, I completely agree with Ed above. Forget hotels, find a townhouse or condo. We're a family of five...kids are currently 12, 9, 9 but we've been bringing them since they were 4, 1, 1. We have never stayed on property, and always gotten a condo or townhouse. I would strongly recommend a website like VRBO.com, which is where you can find those places. There are dozens and dozens of townhouse/condo communities within 15 minutes of WDW. They are concentrated along Rt. 192, which runs on the south side of WDW. There are a bunch just to the east and a bunch just to the west. You will have an endless choice of 3 bedroom, or even 4 bedroom, places in your budget. They all have full kitchens, family rooms, in house laundry, etc...essentially it's a fully furnished apartment. Many we've stayed at even have nice Disney touches if you want...stroller you can use at the parks, Disney books/games/etc... Most of the places we stay at are in the $65-$90/night price range and are worlds better than any hotel could ever be (as far as conveniences go). None of them have ever been dumps/unsafe/shady, etc... They have all been well kept and nice places, some just slightly better than others.

Our next trip, which is a 17 day trip in June/July 2017, we're trying a new place. I have to look it up because I forget the name off the top of my head. But it's a detached single family home. 4 bed, 2.5 bath, private driveway with carport, in a nice gated community with a pool. Truthfully, it looks more like a double wide trailer than a traditional home, but we drove by the area last time we were in WDW and felt very comfortable with it. We're paying something like $700/week.

Another vote for a condo or house! When our kids were younger we always stayed off property in Windsor Hills resort. It is a beautiful resort, only 2 miles or so from Disney. Options from 2 bedroom condos, 3-bedroom townhomes, all the way up to 6 bedroom houses are available. You can rent these properties for the same price or cheaper than a hotel, but it will be so much more convenient. Full kitchen will save tons of money if you want to eat meals in and/or pack food for your park days. Many of the homes have beautiful Disney themed kids bedrooms, game rooms, and private pools. As mentioned in previous posts, most of these houses will come equipped with strollers, games, etc....everything you need for young kids. If you are interested check out www.windsorhillsrent.com which is the rental site for properties in Windsor Hills. Specifically, I have stayed at these homes and would highly recommend: www.storytimeorlandorental.com
Good luck!

HopperFan said:

Not all include parking. The Marriott Village outside of Disney Springs charges for parking.

http://www.marriott.com/hotel-promotions/marriott-village-orlando-lake-buena-vista.mi

Sadly more and more are adding these fees, always check all the way through potential booking and then click rate details, that is sometimes the first time you see a resort fee or reference to parking fees.

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Thanks for pointing that out! I have never looked at those ones - it is really too bad that they are doing that.

I'll definitely have to look into the condo option -- I didn't think about them because I just assumed they would be out of budget. We've used a service similar to VRBO (Twiddy in Outer Banks) -- I'll definitely give this a look, I didn't realize they could be so feasibly priced. Having a washer/dryer would be fantastic -- I like to pack light (3 little kids plus a bunch of luggage to haul around is not a fun time) and also head home with clean laundry!

Are any/a lot of the condo properties timeshares, where we may have to do a "schpiel"? I wouldn't really mind that too much but wouldn't want it to take away from park time.

firefly_ris said:

I'll definitely have to look into the condo option -- I didn't think about them because I just assumed they would be out of budget. We've used a service similar to VRBO (Twiddy in Outer Banks) -- I'll definitely give this a look, I didn't realize they could be so feasibly priced. Having a washer/dryer would be fantastic -- I like to pack light (3 little kids plus a bunch of luggage to haul around is not a fun time) and also head home with clean laundry!

Are any/a lot of the condo properties timeshares, where we may have to do a "schpiel"? I wouldn't really mind that too much but wouldn't want it to take away from park time.

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I would highly recommend staying away from the spiels. There are very few people who can stand them, and they always go way longer than promised with high pressure tactics.
We've used Skyauction twice (the "Buy Now" price, not the bidding). We stayed at Sheraton Vistana resort and it was fantastic. It was a 5-10 minute drive, and we had more space and amenities then we ever had on property at Disney.
We've also stayed at Bonnet Creek which is right beside Pop Century resort and couldn't be any closer to the parks. It was fantastic as well. We rented that resort through VacationStrategy.com and I believe it was $940 for 8 nights in May of this year. That was for a two bedroom, living room, two bathroom, full kitchen, laundry in suite unit. We loved it there as well, and my kids would rather stay there than onsite in one room.

firefly_ris said:

I'll definitely have to look into the condo option -- I didn't think about them because I just assumed they would be out of budget. We've used a service similar to VRBO (Twiddy in Outer Banks) -- I'll definitely give this a look, I didn't realize they could be so feasibly priced. Having a washer/dryer would be fantastic -- I like to pack light (3 little kids plus a bunch of luggage to haul around is not a fun time) and also head home with clean laundry!

Are any/a lot of the condo properties timeshares, where we may have to do a "schpiel"? I wouldn't really mind that too much but wouldn't want it to take away from park time.

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Windsor Hills, which I mentioned in my prior post, is not a time share and there is no "schpiel" involved. There are plenty of other options too, which would not require that.

firefly_ris said:

I'll definitely have to look into the condo option -- I didn't think about them because I just assumed they would be out of budget. We've used a service similar to VRBO (Twiddy in Outer Banks) -- I'll definitely give this a look, I didn't realize they could be so feasibly priced. Having a washer/dryer would be fantastic -- I like to pack light (3 little kids plus a bunch of luggage to haul around is not a fun time) and also head home with clean laundry!

Are any/a lot of the condo properties timeshares, where we may have to do a "schpiel"? I wouldn't really mind that too much but wouldn't want it to take away from park time.

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No, none of the ones we have stayed at have been timeshares with sales pitches. In fact, none are timeshares. They are all owned condos or townhomes, just like you or I could go buy one. Many of them are owned by rental agencies, though they have no sales pitch or pressure either. They're simply in the business of owning many condos/townhouses and renting them to vacationers. I tend to search for privately owned places on VRBO...there are plenty of them. They're owned by "snow birds" or families who use it themselves for vacations and then rent it out the rest of the time to help pay for the cost of ownership of the condo (my wife and I are considering buying one for this purpose). When you rent from a private owner, you tend to get some of the small "nice touches" that you'd expect if you were living in someone else's vacation home. Always, always a good experience for us.

Just to add a bit of balance to the timeshare vs. vacation home differences. Everyone tends to point out the features and/or negatives of each. Full disclosure, I am biased towards timeshare resorts as my personal choice.

Vacation Home Rentals:
- your own space, your own pool
- really a full apartment size (minimum) all the way up to a luxury house
- really good value for money
- might include lots of extras like stocked games room, specific nursery room with crib
- each one is an individually owned, decorated and maintained property
But
- each one is an individually owned, decorated and maintained property
- if your unit is not acceptable, you have no recourse
- maintenance issues can take some time to resolve
- many often require a bit (to a lot) of self-cleaning at the end of stay (stripping beds, perhaps vacuuming)
- can charge for extras, many charge for pool heat as an extra
Caveats
- understand all the rules terms and requirements of the owner before you go, they can be quite variable
- best to get a specific unit that comes with a recommendation from a trusted source

Timeshares:
- your own space, 1-2-3 bedrooms with up to 12 occupancy
- full kitchen and laundry in unit
- space of 4-5 standard hotel rooms. (1200-1500 sf or larger)
- central pool(s) with slides or other features, restaurants, other amenities (pool towel exchange, tennis/pickle ball, mini-golf, bike rentals, etc)
- daily or weekly housekeeping - no self-cleaning required
- if there is a problem, there is 24 hour maintenance staff, or ask front desk for another unit
- usually dealing with a reputable chain, quality usually matches the brand line (Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott maintain their standards). Easy to check on the quality of the resort through standard review sites.
But
- several now charge resort fees, parking, or other extras
- most will try to entice you to attend an OPTIONAL timeshare presentation - just say no, it's not really that difficult.
- the pools are communal, although most larger resorts have multiple pools
Caveats
- beware of heavily discounted promotions (usually for 3 night 4 days) that do require you to attend a timeshare presentation. Marketers are required by state law to declare this, so read any suspicious offer. Should state something to the effect of "the intent of this offer is for timeshare sales and marketing" "attendance at a sales presentation is required to qualify". These are comparatively rare however, but get a lot of bad press.
- do not give in to a timeshare presentation. Really, no matter how valuable their offer, just resist and say no. A standard offer is usually around $200 worth of cash/goodies for a one hour presentation (that can stretch out longer). It is not for the weak of resolve and really not worth the cost/hr when compared to what you are spending to be at Disney! Saying no to the guy trying to sign you up is really easy though, and generally once you give them a firm no, they leave you alone.

As I said, I am biased towards the resorts because I like to know what I am getting, and enjoy having the housekeeping options and just dropping off my key at the end of week.