family of 6- cheapest place to stay

[violet13]

We are planning our first trip to Disney in November, we will be bringing 4 boys (ages 5 months to 10 yrs)...trying to cut costs everyway possible....who knows of a fairly cheap "suite" (I heard you can't get a hotel/motel room if family is more than 5 tops)...all we really care about is...having a microwave, fridge, stove would be nice- to save on eating out. Any good deals out there??? We are renting a MiniVan and driving there so shuttle buses and stuff aren't a high priority. And it's "off season"- that should help. Thanks!!!

 

[glenbois]

Hi

We are a family of 5 from the UK and have booked 10 days in October at a knock down rate of £325 ($455) for 10 nights from Dave at http://www.sd-leisure.freeserve.co.uk/apartment.htm

He auctions them on www.fsauctions.co.uk

I have no experience as this is my first trip to the America.

Hope this helps

Geoff

 

[Belle5]

Look on Mousesaver's site to see if you can get a code to help you with a cabin in Ft. Wilderness. At one point a saw someone was able to get one for $139 a night. These cabins are extremely nice. We stayed in one a few years back They have Corian counters, glass cooktop and lots of other nice features. My boys loved being in Ft. Wilderness! The maids will even clean up your dishes for you.

 

[janiejo]

Friends of ours have rented at Vistana Resorts. It is a timeshare complex that also rents out their condos when not in use. Depending on how full they are when you are going, I have heard of people getting a 2 bedroom for $600 for the week. Do a search for timeshare rentals in Florida. We stayed our first night in May at Little Lake Bryan - Marriott Village. They had "suites" and for good prices. We paid $69 AAA discount for 5 of us. Since your youngest is a baby, maybe this would work for you! Good Luck!

 

[chells]

We stayed at, I think it was Quality Suite or Comfort Suite Parc Corniche(spelling?) two years ago, which worked well for us. Sorry this isn't much help, we didn't book direct with hotel but found a better deal with one of those hotel discount websites (maybe Hotel Kingdom?) - location was on the International Golf Course near SeaWorld. Previously stayed at Enclave Suites, closer to Universal, which I found to be alright but a bit rundown, buy the hubby loved, but only because we had a top floor balconey, where the balconey was almost bigger than the entire suite.

Both were reasonably priced (cuz we always travel on the cheap)

chells

 

[BonnieA]

Have you thought about renting a house? I had a 3 bedroom house in December last year (off season) and it was less than $600 for a week including taxes . There are many reputable agencies to go through. I used elite homes.

 

[Kermit]

Actually, your family of 6 is really considered a family of 5 as long as one of them is an infant. I would probably stay at a deluxe if you were staying on Disney property because 5 plus a crib in PO-RS would be really snug, but you can get a regular room if you want. You may want to think about an efficiency at BWV. Some of them sleep 5, and you would have a small fridge and microwave. You could also save some money if you rented points instead of getting it from Disney.

 

[Gillian]

Personally, I think the BWV units are really small compared to other condo/timeshare units in the area!

If you look on the Orlando resorts board, you will see lots of posts about good places for families to stay. I can personally recommend the Marriott condo resorts (cypress harbour or Grande vista) or Sunterra's Cypress Pointe. Cypress point is a great value for the space! The have a very large 2 bedroom unit with 2 baths, w/d and a full kitchen. They have 2 nice pools and a small mini golf course. We had a huge 3 BR/3bath unit that was $155 per night in July. It should be much less when you are going.

try go2orlando.com or http://www.mousesavers.com/nondisney.html for places to get good rates.

People have said good things about holiday inn family suites also.

Have fun!

 

[kozmo]

i agree with kermit and gillian, i would rather stay at one of deluxes,use discount codes and have monorail access or boat access,fwilderness cabins are a good choice if you need 2 bathrooms,but your boys are little,so id rather stay cheapest room at ,poly,contemp,gf, or wilderness lodge.

 

[holycow]

stayed at the Hampton Inn Maingate West...I posted about this if you want to look it up...it is right around the corner from the Animal Kingdom, room had Micro, and fridge. 2 Queen beds and was only 55$ a night...very clean...so if you want to save$$$...and don't mind if it is off site....
Good luck and have fun!
Holycow

 

[deena]

I have heard great reviews from this hotel; it is an all suite property and also fairly new (built in latter 90's).

I remember others saying the suite was clean, comfortable, and spacious so you will definitely have more room for everyone to spread out than if you were inside smaller onsite Disney rooms and the added perk of more space would be that it is priced less too since you would like to cut costs.

The room types for families consist of two queen beds plus a pull out sofa bed along with a microwave and refridgerator; their pool looks great also have complimentary breakfasts along with other amenties.

The location to Disney is around 5-10 min. along with conevenient to eating, grocery stores, and shopping places; stayed along this same area last year along with in the past many times and arriving at parks were a snap as we always drive like you are doing.

The last time I checked the website www.hotelchoice.com they were offering Comfort Suites Maingate Resort at $53 a night. Another site that would have suite hotels you can pick out that are listed in all kinds of price ranges is www.go2orlando.com.

Also you can check out www.hotelkingdom.com for some other great selections in the surrounding area because there are a lot of quaility suite hotels, condos, villas, and even rental homes that are right next door to the parks which have maximum space/more amenties for families at a definitely less steeper price.

Hope this helps and you enjoy your vacation.

 

[DreadpiratK]

We are a family of 5 going in Sept., also on a budget. We've found some excellent prices on renting vacation villas. As low as $80/night (if you negotiate with the owners) for a 3 bedroom house. I don't know about you, but the thought of spending a week, much less two, packed into a single hotel room is not in the least pleasant, and no amount of 'on site magic' could make up for it! check out http://www.evilla-rentals.com. You put in your request, and dozens of home-owners e-mail you with offers. We found that negotiation is possible with most of them, Tell them you like thier house but found a better price elsewhere and they will usually come down. Worth a try, and it's free.

Another thing to try is Ebay. We were able to get a two bedroom time share rental the first week in Sept. for $350. Cheap enough that we are now going for 2 weeks and renting a house the second week!

Many here will diagree with me, but I think having seperate bedrooms and room to spread out is well worth staying off site. Not to mention the amount of money you can save, not only in houseing, but in being able to cook at least some of your own meals.

 

[pats]

We are 5 of us going in Aug. We are renting a 4 bedroom 2 bath house with pool in backfor $550 for the week. That includes the taxes and everything. We went trough vrbo.com and the owner has been great. I like the idea of having everythiing right..even the washer and dryer so we dont have to pack as much..i can throw a load in in the morning and dry it when i get back to the house. It was much cheaper then any of the biggre suites i looked into.

 

[Beauty]

I have to agree that there is nowhere like onsight! Deluxe hotels including Swan/Dolphin.....If you are a teacher of govt employee you can get great rates at the Swan/Dolphin!

I would NEVER give up onsight!

 

[BarbOKW]

I have a family of 6 also, so I know finding enough space can be tough. I'd go for 2 rooms at either the All Stars or one of the moderates. Before we joined DVC that's what we always did, because staying on site adds to so much to your enjoyment of WDW. Disney is running lots of discounts so you should be able to get rooms at a pretty good price. Don't forget to ask for "guaranteed" connecting. Good Luck!

 

[Disneydenise]

With the ages of your children I think the way to go is onsite. It will make for a very special trip and easier for you. I think two rooms at a value or moderate with the extra bathroom will be a big help when trying to get ready. I am not a fan of doing laundry on vacation but my children are teens now. We use to take a break day and stay at the quiet pool and get all the laundry done in 2 hours. I also enjoy not having any means of preparing any meals. I do however go to the food store and get snacks to keep in the room. Have a wonderful vacation no matter what you choose.

 

[robinb]

I think given your needs (5+ people, microwave, fridge, stove and cheap), that renting a house is your best bet. Staying onsite is great, but only a couple properties will satisfy your first 4 needs, but not your last!

Many rental houses have 4 bedrooms and a private pool. A 3 bedroom will save you more money and having to walk to a common pool will save you even more. Here are a few links that I have saved over the years. I have never stayed at any of these places.

http://www.lwshomes.com/
http://www.floridasunshine.com/
http://primeservices.com/opm/
http://www.disneyhomes.com/
http://www.welcomehomesusa.com/http://www.biddulph.u-net.com/
http://www.vrbo.com/
http://www.homes4uu.com/
http://come.to/stayinorlando
http://www.floridaleisure.com/
http://www.floridasunshine.com/baker.htm

You might also want to check the Timeshare User's Group for timeshare rentals during your time:
http://www.tug1.org/tugads/1-1sposted1.html

 

[mainey-mouse]

Wow...can't beleive people are actually trying to convince you to stay onsite given your particular parametres. Maybe they all work for Disney? Anyway, if you haven't been before, don't get all hung up on the "onsite" stuff. With that many kids, you need some comfort and Disney isn't going to give it to you this side of many many hundreds of dollars a night...

We stayed at Tropical Palms in May. Really nice, clean, comfy. A two bedroom cabin was $79/night. Sleeping accoms included a queen bed, a double bed (each in their own bedroom), a pull out sofa, and a sleeping loft for kids (2 small or 1 big). Fridge, stove, and all the dishes, pots, pans, knives, forks you need. You can find them at
www.tropicalpalms.com.

My kids - 4 and 7 years loved it. If you have a toddler, the sleeping loft could be a concern, because the railing at the top and ladder to climb up just aren't safe for toddlers. But I think they have studio models with 2 beds and a pullout sofa, which might suit you as well.

 

[ceopa]

We have traveled to WDW twice in the past year with our three children ages 3 to 6 yo. We stayed at the All-Stars our first trip and did not care for the small rooms or bus transportation. We were at Downtown Disney Hotels for our recent May trip, drove back and forth to the parks (in our mini-van) and loved it! We kept a cooler w/ ice and drinks in the back of the van, and gave the kids a nice cold drink and snack at the end of the day - it was great!

We are returning in August and renting a house in Kissimme for $750/week (huge 4br -2.5 baths) with private pool. November house specials are already out there. It is off-season, and you should be able to get some great rates (maybe $500/week)! I think the kids would get a kick out of having there own pool!

Just a few additional links for rental homes:

www.villas2000.com - check the special offers - and you may need to convert british pounds to US$

Also - you can place a want ad for a rental property on
www.vrbo.com

To look for timeshare rentals by owner:
www.tug2.net - and check there classified ads!

Have a great trip!

 

[mooses41]

mainey-mouse, i disagree. Renting a 2br at okw isnt incredibly expensive.