Am I right with this resort plan or totally off base??

[Mommyof4]

Hi all!
I am admittedly no Disney World expert. I have been there a handful of times throughout my life, but have never been in charge of planning the trip. Now I find myself the mother of four boys, who will be ages two through nine when we plan to go to the park next year late April/early May, and planning a trip for our family of 6 along with all 4 grandparents!

After all my research, given the amount of people we have, not being rich!, having little kids so not wanting to be off property/renting car (my youngest will need to be taken back to resort each day for a nap), I've determined we should get two family suites next to each other at the Arts of Animation Resort. Looks like Total cost for both combined would be about $700/night (unless you know of a deal- I'm all ears!) Each suite sleeps up to 6, so I was thinking one set of grandparents and the two big boys would be in one suite, with me and my husband the other set of grandparents and the two and three-year-old in the other. There's a bus that is exclusive to this resort that takes you to all parks, meaning you don't need to make stops at other resorts extending the ride time, which I figure is necessary with the little guys.

What do you think of that plan? Am I right on or completely missing a better scenario with another resort? Thanks so much for your input!!! I'm so nervous to book this trip and make a mistake!

 

[epcotisbest]

Hi all!
I am admittedly no Disney World expert. I have been there a handful of times throughout my life, but have never been in charge of planning the trip. Now I find myself the mother of four boys, who will be ages two through nine when we plan to go to the park next year late April/early May, and planning a trip for our family of 6 along with all 4 grandparents!

After all my research, given the amount of people we have, not being rich!, having little kids so not wanting to be off property/renting car (my youngest will need to be taken back to resort each day for a nap), I've determined we should get two family suites next to each other at the Arts of Animation Resort. Looks like Total cost for both combined would be about $700/night (unless you know of a deal- I'm all ears!) Each suite sleeps up to 6, so I was thinking one set of grandparents and the two big boys would be in one suite, with me and my husband the other set of grandparents and the two and three-year-old in the other. There's a bus that is exclusive to this resort that takes you to all parks, meaning you don't need to make stops at other resorts extending the ride time, which I figure is necessary with the little guys.

What do you think of that plan? Am I right on or completely missing a better scenario with another resort? Thanks so much for your input!!! I'm so nervous to book this trip and make a mistake!

I have never understood the whole don't want to be off property thing. We stay off site at least once per year, and onsite once per year.
With that many people and for that kind of money you can rent a four or five bedroom house in early May, have all kinds of room, your own kitchen and plenty of space and beds for everyone. Driving offsite sometimes takes less time than waiting for a bus, and even if it takes more time, if you add an extra half hour or so to your time it takes to go back and forth, so what? The added space more than makes up for the extra time.
Just my opinion, but perhaps at least look into an offsite vacation home rental.
Some people say they will never stay offsite. I personally don't get that mindset, but if onsite is important to you, with that many people accommodations are going to be expensive and crowded.
Good luck regardless of what you decide.

 

[Tinkerfan4ever]

The only other suggestion I would have is to look into renting DVC points. You may be able to get a room with a full kitchen, washer and dryer for the same price you are paying for 2 suites. A 2 bedroom DVC unit would meet your needs. Plus you would have full deluxe accommodations.

 

[Mommyof4]

I have never understood the whole don't want to be off property thing. We stay off site at least once per year, and onsite once per year.
With that many people and for that kind of money you can rent a four or five bedroom house in early May, have all kinds of room, your own kitchen and plenty of space and beds for everyone. Driving offsite sometimes takes less time than waiting for a bus, and even if it takes more time, if you add an extra half hour or so to your time it takes to go back and forth, so what? The added space more than makes up for the extra time.
Just my opinion, but perhaps at least look into an offsite vacation home rental.
Some people say they will never stay offsite. I personally don't get that mindset, but if onsite is important to you, with that many people accommodations are going to be expensive and crowded.
Good luck regardless of what you decide.

Thank you for the input! I really appreciate it! I guess my only real reasoning for feeling like we should stay on property is for all the Disney decor, cool rooms, etc. that our little kids would think is awesome/memorable vs. a standard home or regular hotel. And bc I thought the bus would be helpful, so for example, one grandparent could ride back with the baby to nap while the rest of us stay at park and come back later without needing to worry about who has the car.

 

[Mommyof4]

The only other suggestion I would have is to look into renting DVC points. You may be able to get a room with a full kitchen, washer and dryer for the same price you are paying for 2 suites. A 2 bedroom DVC unit would meet your needs. Plus you would have full deluxe accommodations.

I definitely looked into this and thank you for the input! I couldn't seem to find a villa that could sleep 3 sets of adults comfortably in their own beds and also have room for the 4 boys and not be really far from the parks? I checked bay tower but it seemed like it would be too cramped for 10? Got your message too- thank you!

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I like your plan. I also suggest looking into DVC rentals.

 

[Tinkerfan4ever]

I definitely looked into this and thank you for the input! I couldn't seem to find a villa that could sleep 3 sets of adults comfortably in their own beds and also have room for the 4 boys and not be really far from the parks? I checked bay tower but it seemed like it would be too cramped for 10? Got your message too- thank you!

Most 2 bedroom DVC units sleep 9 not 10. (When I counted your family members the first time I thought you only had 9..oops!) You would probably need a grand villa which would sleep 12. You still might be able to get a grand villa for less than 2 suites at Art of Animation. As far as distance to the parks - there are certainly some resorts, Bay Lake, Polynesian, etc, that are closer to the parks than others. But if you compare the distance from Old Key West or Saratoga Springs, both DVC resorts, you are closer to Magic Kingdom than you would be at Art.(By a couple minutes) Plus you are closer to Disney Springs as well.

I certainly don't think you can go wrong with 2 rooms at Art - I just think having the full kitchen, washer and dryer would be super helpful with a group your size. And if you can save some money - all the better! But at either rate - you will be at Disney!!!!!

 

[epcotisbest]

Thank you for the input! I really appreciate it! I guess my only real reasoning for feeling like we should stay on property is for all the Disney decor, cool rooms, etc. that our little kids would think is awesome/memorable vs. a standard home or regular hotel. And bc I thought the bus would be helpful, so for example, one grandparent could ride back with the baby to nap while the rest of us stay at park and come back later without needing to worry about who has the car.

You are welcome. I was looking at things more from a budget, comfort and roominess view than from decor and cool rooms. For us, budget and comfort are much more important than theme, but we don't have children. If theme is important AoA is hard to beat. It is a beautiful place, lots of theme, over the top pool and just wandering the grounds seeing all the big character icons is quite fun.

 

[Ali Mouse]

Would a moderate work for you? My family of 5 have stayed at POR and CBR. They sleep 5 to a room. The fold down bed last time was for my 7 year old boy. We are staying in a standard room at CBR in June for $197 a night. So you could get two adjoining rooms and it would be @ $400 a night. -$300 savings a night!

 

[BigRedDad]

At $700/nt there are far better options. As pointed out, going DVC point rental is an option. However, I think a 2BR would be cramped. You could easily get 3 rooms at Pop Century for ~$400/nt giving you 6 total beds. You could even get 3 moderate rooms at about $600/nt. Offsite would save you a ton of money. With due diligence, you could get a 3BR at Wyndahm Bonnet Creek for maybe around $1,500 - $2,000. This resort is better than most of what Disney offers, has bus system allbeit $6 per person per day, is about 1 mile from Pop, AoA and BW.

 

[Minthorne]

has bus system allbeit $6 per person per day

It is now $8 a day per person

 

[jaklgreen]

I do not like the suites for that many adults since the beds are weird, pull down table and a chair that converts. I don't think grandma or grandpa are going to be comfortable in that. I would go with 3 rooms at a moderate. They each have 2 queen beds that way every couple can have a bed and then you can spread the kids out. I am a big fan of staying on property. I like not having to deal with driving in a tourist area or worry about carrying car keys, etc. The less I have to worry about on my vacation the better. It is so much easier and less stressful to just get up and get on the next bus. I know some people have little patience so do not like the bus but we see it differently. We see it as all inclusive, no worry, relaxing vacation.

 

[parkhopper1213]

Hi all!
I am admittedly no Disney World expert. I have been there a handful of times throughout my life, but have never been in charge of planning the trip. Now I find myself the mother of four boys, who will be ages two through nine when we plan to go to the park next year late April/early May, and planning a trip for our family of 6 along with all 4 grandparents!

After all my research, given the amount of people we have, not being rich!, having little kids so not wanting to be off property/renting car (my youngest will need to be taken back to resort each day for a nap), I've determined we should get two family suites next to each other at the Arts of Animation Resort. Looks like Total cost for both combined would be about $700/night (unless you know of a deal- I'm all ears!) Each suite sleeps up to 6, so I was thinking one set of grandparents and the two big boys would be in one suite, with me and my husband the other set of grandparents and the two and three-year-old in the other. There's a bus that is exclusive to this resort that takes you to all parks, meaning you don't need to make stops at other resorts extending the ride time, which I figure is necessary with the little guys.

What do you think of that plan? Am I right on or completely missing a better scenario with another resort? Thanks so much for your input!!! I'm so nervous to book this trip and make a mistake!

Hi all!
I am admittedly no Disney World expert. I have been there a handful of times throughout my life, but have never been in charge of planning the trip. Now I find myself the mother of four boys, who will be ages two through nine when we plan to go to the park next year late April/early May, and planning a trip for our family of 6 along with all 4 grandparents!

After all my research, given the amount of people we have, not being rich!, having little kids so not wanting to be off property/renting car (my youngest will need to be taken back to resort each day for a nap), I've determined we should get two family suites next to each other at the Arts of Animation Resort. Looks like Total cost for both combined would be about $700/night (unless you know of a deal- I'm all ears!) Each suite sleeps up to 6, so I was thinking one set of grandparents and the two big boys would be in one suite, with me and my husband the other set of grandparents and the two and three-year-old in the other. There's a bus that is exclusive to this resort that takes you to all parks, meaning you don't need to make stops at other resorts extending the ride time, which I figure is necessary with the little guys.

What do you think of that plan? Am I right on or completely missing a better scenario with another resort? Thanks so much for your input!!! I'm so nervous to book this trip and make a mistake!

Depends on what the family's priorities are. We like being on property. We hardly spend any time in our room so its hard to justify paying for a moderate or luxury room. When you are on property there is No need to rent a car and we like using the Magical Express to get to/from the airport. The savings go towards our food and gift shop purchases.

 

[ninjaprincesst]

I have never understood the whole don't want to be off property thing. We stay off site at least once per year, and onsite once per year.
With that many people and for that kind of money you can rent a four or five bedroom house in early May, have all kinds of room, your own kitchen and plenty of space and beds for everyone. Driving offsite sometimes takes less time than waiting for a bus, and even if it takes more time, if you add an extra half hour or so to your time it takes to go back and forth, so what? The added space more than makes up for the extra time.
Just my opinion, but perhaps at least look into an offsite vacation home rental.
Some people say they will never stay offsite. I personally don't get that mindset, but if onsite is important to you, with that many people accommodations are going to be expensive and crowded.
Good luck regardless of what you decide.

I understand the offsite thing totally. We rented a vacation house once and while it was nice, I would not do it again. There was just too much time invested in travel and getting into the parks especially magic kingdom and the pain in the butt rental car. The rental people were so slow getting the cars turned in we almost missed our flight.

 

[BrianV]

I understand the offsite thing totally. We rented a vacation house once and while it was nice, I would not do it again. There was just too much time invested in travel and getting into the parks especially magic kingdom and the pain in the butt rental car. The rental people were so slow getting the cars turned in we almost missed our flight.

That's not normal. Usually when we drop off a car they take less than a minute. But getting to MK is definitely slower by car. The rest of the parks are even or perhaps even faster.

 

[donaldtoo]

Hi all!
I am admittedly no Disney World expert. I have been there a handful of times throughout my life, but have never been in charge of planning the trip. Now I find myself the mother of four boys, who will be ages two through nine when we plan to go to the park next year late April/early May, and planning a trip for our family of 6 along with all 4 grandparents!

After all my research, given the amount of people we have, not being rich!, having little kids so not wanting to be off property/renting car (my youngest will need to be taken back to resort each day for a nap), I've determined we should get two family suites next to each other at the Arts of Animation Resort. Looks like Total cost for both combined would be about $700/night (unless you know of a deal- I'm all ears!) Each suite sleeps up to 6, so I was thinking one set of grandparents and the two big boys would be in one suite, with me and my husband the other set of grandparents and the two and three-year-old in the other. There's a bus that is exclusive to this resort that takes you to all parks, meaning you don't need to make stops at other resorts extending the ride time, which I figure is necessary with the little guys.

What do you think of that plan? Am I right on or completely missing a better scenario with another resort? Thanks so much for your input!!! I'm so nervous to book this trip and make a mistake!

Have you looked into the prices of the family suites at All Star Music? We've stayed in them 3 times and they fit our needs just fine. They are pretty much the same setup as AoA, where 13 of us stayed in 2 Cars family suites in July of '12.
I was a CM with a 60% resort discount during both our '12 and June of '13 trips, so that is of no help to you, but, when we wanted to book AoA for our '13 trip, prices had already gone up considerably because of the popularity of the resort, and plus there was a CM discount blackout for the dates we wanted anyway. We opted for All Star Music family suites again at a much lower rate. And, 6 of us (I'm no longer a CM) stayed in a ASMusic family suite again just back in Feb., and it was still quite a bit less than AoA.
Pop (which we've also stayed at), AoA, and the All Stars are all pretty much in the same area on the south end of property. All close to AK, DHS, and Epcot, but, a bit of a haul to MK way up on the north end of property. We also fly (about a 22 hr. drive each way from Austin, Texas) and have never rented a car, and have never had any major issues with Disney transportation.
Granted, you can't really beat the theming at AoA for the kiddos, but, ASMusic is pretty neat, too.

Anyway, hope some of that may have helped.
Good luck and have a Magical trip...!

 

[ninjaprincesst]

That's not normal. Usually when we drop off a car they take less than a minute. But getting to MK is definitely slower by car. The rest of the parks are even or perhaps even faster.

It literally took forever getting the cars rented and taking them back . I also found it a pain getting in and out of all the parks not just the MK.I guess it is each to their own, but we found way to much of our time wasted staying offsite. No t to mention making dining and fastpass are much harder when staying offsite

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

As someone who has stayed in the AoA suites many times, you will probably need to let the grandparents have the bedroom, and then you or your husband take the sofa bed with a child and the other take a child on the pull-down bed. The pull down bed is only a full and the sofa is okay, but not that comfortable. Neither would be comfortable for two adults. Also, the bedroom bath only has a shower. It would be easier for your little ones to take a bath, which the other bathroom has. Also, in the shower/tub bathroom, the sink is separate from the toilet and shower/tub so more people can be getting ready at one time. The other one doesn't have a separate sink area.

 

[dreamfinder]

Keep in mind that when you request multiple rooms at the same resort, there is no guarantee that they will be side by side, or even in the same building. Not sure if that would be a problem or not in your situation.

I would strongly advocate for DVC point rental. Even though a grand villa may be a bit of a price increase, you should be able to do a 2 BR and a normal hotel room at AKL for maybe $50-100 more a night. That lets one set of GPs have the hotel room, and then in the villa one set have the king bed, while the 4 kids share the bed/pull out in the other bedroom and you take the pull out in the main room. If you do look into DVC point rentals, early May is a bit cheaper than April. Should save you about $90+ a night if you can do the stay in May. You could also in theory do the same type of stay at pretty much any DVC except for OKW and SSR, but they will all cost a fair bit more. AKL or WL will be the cheapest way to do that. WL is obviously closer to MK, but AKL has the animals. Depends on your preferences obviously, but my DS loves watching the animals to the point of outweighing any slight increase in travel times to MK. Despite common misconceptions, average travel time from AKL to all 4 parks isn't that much different than any other resort on property.

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

I recommend the Cars Suites for a couple of reasons. One thing is that even the back unit is fairly close. We stayed in Nemo once and were actually farther away than any Cars suite we had stayed in. We didn't luck up and get in the front unit, which is actually the closest to the lobby. Another thing, the theme in the Cars area is just so much fun. Kids love the scale of the area.
I think his is a good choice for your family. The food court has a really nice variety of food. The main pool is great for the little ones.
If you get there early enough, you will most likely be able to get rooms close to each other. If you're late, I wouldn't count on it.
We are staying in Lion King this trip because I have my son and his gf in the Mermaid rooms and we wanted to be close to them since we drive a lot to the parks. They weren't with us in December, so we stayed in Cars.
It is a very short trip to Epcot and HS, but it does take a while to get to and from AK and MK. If you have adr's, keep that in mind.