Disney world vacation with 5 people?

[QueenOfHearts83]

I am planning a trip to Disney world for February. I am thinking about bringing my niece with my family. But it seems that adding that extra person really adds additional costs. We really would like to stay at a Disney Resort. Any tips on a trip with 5 people? Any advice, tips or thoughts will help?

 

[Gaston's gal]

You could stay at the All-Star Music or AoA Suites for a little extra space for your group. POR has a good room for 5 as well. I don't know the ages of everyone in your party, but you could pay out of pocket for meals instead of getting the DDP for your family to save some money too.

 

[disneygirl76]

I am planning a trip to Disney world for February. I am thinking about bringing my niece with my family. But it seems that adding that extra person really adds additional costs. We really would like to stay at a Disney Resort. Any tips on a trip with 5 people? Any advice, tips or thoughts will help?

What are the ages of those traveling? Disney has some great Resort options for a family of 5!

 

[BigRedDad]

Once you go from a studio to a suite, the price SKYROCKETS on Disney property. It actually is cheaper to have 2 rooms at a value than a suite. However, offsite at a much better place, 3-5x the space, and better amenities can be had for 1-2 nights at a Disney suite. This gives you a ton more space and would easily cut the cost of the extra traveler. This also assumes you have a vehicle. Without one, the savings reduce quite quickly.

 

[MickeyMomV]

Have you looked into a cabin at Fort Wilderness?

 

[QueenOfHearts83]

What are the ages of those traveling? Disney has some great Resort options for a family of 5!

2 adults 3 children (12, 9 & 8).

 

[Zipadeelady]

We are a family of five and our best stays have been at Port Orleans Riverside. There are two queen beds and a pull down bed big enough for the average 10 year old. I purchased one of those collapsible hampers to put in the bathroom to help keep the room somewhat clean, which can be tricky to do with 5 people. Riverside is cheaper for a family of 5 than a suite at AOA or ASM. Plus there is usually a higher discount for staying at a moderate which helps.

 

[Big Hair]

A possible option is most DVC Deluxe Studios sleep 5. The best way to get a good price within your range I will leave to the experts who contribute to this site. They are nice.

 

[Master Yoda]

2 adults 3 children (12, 9 & 8).

The least expensive option will bounce between a single room at Port Orleans Riverside and 2 rooms at a value resort. Having done both with a party of 5 many times I would give the edge to 2 rooms at a value.

While Port Orleans is a much nicer resort, the extra square footage and the second bathroom you get with 2 rooms at a value make it a little more practical. This was especial true in my case with a wife and 3 daughters.

 

[yensid67]

Travel-wise I would suggest checking out Amtrak. Hotel-wise I would suggest staying OFF SITE to save money. Rooms are roomier, a lot of the hotels are close by! Check out Extended Stay America brands. We stayed at Clarion Lake Buena Vista and was about 5-10 minutes walk(if we wanted to) away from Disney Springs area! If you HAVE TO STAY ON PROPERTY I would suggest following Master Yoda's advice...he is not called a MASTER for nothing! LOL!

 

[couchpotatooo]

We are a family of five and our best stays have been at Port Orleans Riverside. There are two queen beds and a pull down bed big enough for the average 10 year old. I purchased one of those collapsible hampers to put in the bathroom to help keep the room somewhat clean, which can be tricky to do with 5 people. Riverside is cheaper for a family of 5 than a suite at AOA or ASM. Plus there is usually a higher discount for staying at a moderate which helps.

I totally agree we have a family of five and even though the don't really have much to offer for families of five The Port Orleans Riverside would be you best bet. They are a Moderate resort but cheaper then family value suites that they offer. We will be there in June again. I would say you could stay at Caribbean Beach but they are under heavy construction and not sure if all their restaurants will be finished or not. If the restaurants are not a big deal for you then this resort also would be a great option with a really nice themed pool for you kids.

 

[couchpotatooo]

The least expensive option will bounce between a single room at Port Orleans Riverside and 2 rooms at a value resort. Having done both with a party of 5 many times I would give the edge to 2 rooms at a value.

While Port Orleans is a much nicer resort, the extra square footage and the second bathroom you get with 2 rooms at a value make it a little more practical. This was especial true in my case with a wife and 3 daughters.

Yes, I agree all depends on what they want to spend because those Value suites are not worth the extra money, unless money isn't a issue for you.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

We are in the same boat... we are going to try tent camping at Ft. Wilderness.

 

[allgiggles]

With the ages of the kids, you can probably still get by with a room for 5 at Port Orleans Riverside...as long as one of the kids comfortably fits on the pull down bed (it's about 63" long) and the other 2 kids can share a queen-size bed. Our kids are tall and would never have comfortably fit on that bed past the age of about 9. And while they can share a bed for short trips (a night or two), on longer vacations they do best if they each have their own bed as they're all restless sleepers and don't sleep well when sharing a bed.

We've traveled to Disney as a party of 5 on several trips and we prefer a suite at Art of Animation or prior to that resort opening, we got 2 rooms at a Value Resort (usually Pop Century). But we're willing to pay the higher price for the extra space and 2 bathrooms and I realize that's not an option for everyone. While we don't spend a lot of time in the room, it's nice (for us) to have two separate sleeping areas as our kids tend to stay up later than my husband and I while we get up earlier than the kids. We also like the extra space for storing luggage; the microwave for heating up snacks and leftovers; and a table to sit at to eat breakfast.

One room at POR is the most economical on-site choice if the logistics of those rooms (pull-down bed, one bathroom, etc.) work for your family.

As far as other tips, we skip the dining plan and just pay out of pocket. We don't eat the way we would need to eat to make any of the dining plans a good deal for us. We've tried to QSDP, but still had meals and snacks left over at the end of the week. We usually only do one or two table service meals because we can't decide where we want to eat dinner tonight let alone 6 months from now. I often eat a kids meal because that's more than enough food for me. Same with our teenage daughters. Sometimes we even just split a few meals between the 5 of us -- not to save money, but to avoid throwing away more food than we eat. A lot of people bring their own snacks and water to the parks to save money. We don't, but that's definitely a way to save money -- just bring water and snacks with you if you drive or have them shipped to your resort if you fly.

 

[couchpotatooo]

plus if they restaurants are not a big deal Disney is giving $75 gift cards everyday you stay at Caribbean Beach because of the construction.

 

[DPN]

You could try a villa at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek. We've stayed there many times with as many as 8 people in a 2 bedroom villa. It is relatively inexpensive if you rent direct through an owner on a website like redweek.com. It's super close to the parks (the resort is actually on Disney property) and really close to Disney Springs. It's a great resort nice pools. You would need a car.

 

[thomas998]

Have you looked into a cabin at Fort Wilderness?

This is the best option for the money.... The downside of it is that the cabins are probably the least Disneyish place you can stay. We've stayed there with 3 adult and 2 kids and it was plenty of room... but if you stay there you really want to have a car depending on the bus service there is a bad option if for no other reason than your cabin can be a pretty long trek from one of the bus stops and walking past wooded areas when its night time can be a bit unnerving for some.

Other thing to keep in mind if you do the cabins is that going to the swimming pool is going to pretty much require a drive/bus ride because you are a long ways from the pool no matter which cabin your in...

Also the one big advantage of the cabins is the complete kitchen so you are able to fix your own meals if you are trying to keep costs down.