Resort recommendations for a group of 6 ages 23-60

palmtree1958

New Member
Original Poster
I'm turning 60 in February and want to take the family to Disney World in March to celebrate. Do they have home rentals on the WDW Resort property that would accommodate 6 or will we need to book 3 rooms. We are factoring in the exchange rate because we are Canadians. Any suggestions as to where to stay?
 

Minnie Mum

Well-Known Member
No, there are no home rentals on property. Plenty off site, though. On property your choices would be
- regular resort rooms (at least 2).
- a family suite at AoA or ASMusic. These would be cramped with 6 adults.
- a cabin at Ft Wilderness. Also likely cramped.
- a 2 bedroom villa at one of the Disney DVC resorts. Pricey. Very Pricey.

Also technically on property, but not owned by Disney (so no guest benefits) is Bonnet Creek . They have condos to rent. Haven't stayed there, so can't comment on them).
 

correcaminos

Well-Known Member
I'm turning 60 in February and want to take the family to Disney World in March to celebrate. Do they have home rentals on the WDW Resort property that would accommodate 6 or will we need to book 3 rooms. We are factoring in the exchange rate because we are Canadians. Any suggestions as to where to stay?
Do you have a budget you need to stick to?

Without knowing, Renting DVC might be a good option. There are 2 bedrooms that will give you a real king bed and usually 2 real queen beds. Then a sleeper sofa and sometimes sleeper chair. AKV, SSR, and OKW would all be about $4k for 6 nights if rented through a company. You might save about $400 or so by renting through a private person though (check out mouseowners.com for that) That said the cheapest value I could find in March for 6 nights is $1050 for 6 nights, so three rooms in a value would be costly. The availability for a 2 bedroom is pretty good for March right now.

The cabins hold six and will be a bit cramped but I think the bus service is a bigger issue there unless you have a car. You can put 6 into 2 rooms and save money that way.
 

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
If price is the #1 decider, it will be pretty easy to compare costs among your various choices. If, however, quality of your stay overrides price, then things like kitchen, laundry, # of beds, # of bathrooms, proximity to reliable transportations, as well as other considerations, may bring a whole new set of options for you to consider. What may work well for others, or what may work for you, may vary. Good luck and please consider posting a post-trip report to let us know how things worked out.
 

Dana223

Member
In two weeks I will be staying with a party of 6 adults in two rooms at All-Star Sports. This was the cheapest option for us and exactly what we wanted because we plan to spend all our time at the parks!
 
I'm traveling with 3 adults and 3 kids (2 are teens though, so really 5 adults) in October. We chose to rent DVC points through Dave's DVC rental. I highly recommend it. We got a two bedroom suite at animal kingdom lodge with 3 baths, full kitchen and washer and dryer. We stayed in a similar room at Saratoga Springs in 2010 and it was wonderful. I highly recommend this for 6 adults!
 

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
No, there are no home rentals on property. Plenty off site, though. On property your choices would be
- regular resort rooms (at least 2).
- a family suite at AoA or ASMusic. These would be cramped with 6 adults.
- a cabin at Ft Wilderness. Also likely cramped.
- a 2 bedroom villa at one of the Disney DVC resorts. Pricey. Very Pricey.

Also technically on property, but not owned by Disney (so no guest benefits) is Bonnet Creek . They have condos to rent. Haven't stayed there, so can't comment on them).

- The family suites at AoA and ASMusic would indeed be cramped for a family of 6, unless the master bedroom includes another pullout chair and I don't think it does. Both the pull out couch and the pullout table in AoA are roughly the size of double beds. If the OP has members of his party that are larger than average, it can be kind of tight. Plus, the Value suites are themed more for families with young children, and the youngest in his party is 23. If they're among the very young at heart, or if they intend to be "park commandos" - spending little time at the resort, just hitting the parks from dawn until it's time to crash at night, the value suites might be great. But for 6 adults I'd think the lack of amenities in the resorts, the lack of any table service restaurants and the tight quarters might make it less than enjoyable. But everyone's mileage may vary.

- The cabins at Fort WIlderness are smaller than the value suites, and only 1 bathroom for 6 people (with [possibly] nearby comfort stations if necessary) but you're also getting a full deck with a charcoal grill outside, plus a full kitchen inside, if the OP wants to have some "home cooked" meals while on vacation whether it's for comfort or to save some money. Also, the sleeping accommodations include a master bedroom with a queen sized bed AND bunk beds. If the party of 6 includes 3 couples versus all siblings, not only is one couple getting the short straw, but the most privacy will ironically be in the living room area with the pull out.

- If the OP wants to ideally stay on Disney property in a single "home" for all 6, then probably the most economical approach would be to check out David's DVC rentals. For a week throughout most of March, in the $4300-4500 range you can find 2BR units that will give you a king sized bed in a master bedroom, a 2nd bedroom with 2 queen sized beds (as well as a sleeper sofa) and at least 2 bathrooms, in Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and the Standard View categories at both Boardwalk and Animal Kingdom Villas (and the Animal Kingdom Villas will include 3 bathrooms as opposed to 2). For chucks and giggles I looked up the first full week in March on travelocity, both Old Key West and Saratoga Springs show availability but the price for the room alone would be in the upper 8K range. There might be promotions down the road that will cut the price down significantly, but not for now. And of course if the party of 6 could be split up into 2 rooms, renting DVC points and staying in 2 studio suites would save even more.

- the same Travelocity search for the same week shows availability at Bonnet Creek for less than 3 grand. The tradeoffs - you can't use Disney Magical Express to and from airport if that's something you wanted (but the $ you save could go towards a a private car service), the hotel has its own shuttle service to/from parks that might not be as good as Disney's onsite transportation (but WDW transportation isn't always so great either) and you won't have room-charging privileges. But if the OP's group doesn't want to be steeped in all things Disney 24/7 this might be an attractive compromise. Lots of onsite amenities including its own lazy river and miniature golf course.
 

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
If the travelers can split into two groups (e.g., 3 and 3 or 4 and 2), you have a mid-sized budget, your party isn't prone to over-packing (meaning your storage needs won't be unusual) and you don't need a kitchen to prepare meals, I'd request connecting standard rooms ("connecting" would give you a door in between that you could open if/when you wanted to socialize) in a moderate on-site hotel (e.g., Port Orleans French Quarter if anyone has mobility issues and would appreciate shorter walks; or the recently-refurbished Coronado Springs, or Port Orleans Riverside, depending on thematic preference). The rooms will each have 2 queen beds (some also have a fold-down Murphy bed that would fit a child or small adult), 2 sinks with storage in the vanity area, a mini-fridge and coffeemaker, and a full bath. Guest laundry facilities are also available at all Disney resorts.

If you had a bigger budget and wanted access to a full kitchen, one or two cabins at Fort Wilderness might be a good option.

If you had more time, I'd recommend a 2-bedroom DVC villa using rented points, but as you're less than 7 months out, availability might be an issue. (If you want to look into it, I recommend contacting David's Vacation Rentals or the DVC Rental Store to inquire.) Also, keep in mind that if you want to make any big group dining reservations at any in-demand restaurants, those should all ideally be made 180 days from your anticipated arrival date (if staying on property) or 180 days from the date you want to dine (if staying offsite), so those deadlines may be coming up soon.
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Unless you are just adamant about staying onsite, there are several home rental websites where you can rent some very nice homes, some with your own pool and/or nice community pools.
My wife had to go down for a business trip a little while back with a few associates. They rented a five-bedroom house with pool for much less than they could book even two value resort rooms and crowd three into one room and two into the other.
Now, they did drive, so no car rental was necessary, but even paying for parking, it was MUCH less expensive and was much better having five bedrooms and four baths than having separate hotel rooms.
 

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