Best 5 person accommodation without breaking the bank

Considering planning another trip after cancelling 2 due to pandemic so far. This time we’d have 2 kids/1 teen/2 adults. I think a single room with sleeping surfaces for 5 will work, as the teen will only be there for 4 of our 9 nights. We may consider a split stay but would prefer to stay put. What’s the best option for the trifecta of comfort, location, and price? Beach Club Villas Studio? Yacht Club? CBR? CSR? AoA suite? Other ideas?

This is us usually also. To be in a single room, the most affordable will be CBR. Which is also awesome because of Skyliner. If you are confident/certain of your dates you might look at renting points at a DVC villa and find a good price that way also, if two people can handle sharing a sofabed or you are bringing an inflatable mattress. My DS11 got by on the sofabed at BRV but I would not have wanted to sleep on it, it had that thin mattress and metal bars underneath feel going on. I understand some more newly redone DVC rooms have upgraded second beds. To me, AOA is just too expensive for a value even if it is a suite. I’d rather have two connected rooms for a much lesser price and have 4 real beds vs 2 beds and a pullout sofa. Sometimes I wonder if the Disney execs who keep foisting these sofa beds on families have ever had to actually sleep on one of them? Or better yet share one?
CSR only sleeps 4 to a room unless it is a suite. At this point for us, our go-to is CBR unless a great deal can be had or we want to splurge on a deluxe, then I’d go for a Boardwalk-area (for convenience and Stormalong Bay) or Contemporary (usually lowest deluxe price in Garden Wing).

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I know that All Star resorts offered cots. We’ve used them in the past and they are much more comfortable then a sofa sleeper. Nicest cots I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if they’ll be available after the makeovers with queen size beds. FQ says they didn’t have cots but you can ask as it’s an option too.

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One thing I’ve pondered doing (I slept on the both the sleeper chair and then the sleeper sofa in the Treehouse last Jan.) if I ever have to sleep on a sofa bed again was having walmart deliver a mattress pillow topper to the hotel because I concur even the new memory foam ones are not comfortable. Just an option I wasn’t sure if others had tried. I know I used to have them for my son’s bunk beds which were so stiff and they made a world of difference.

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We currently have AoA family suite reserved for our next trip. I have been constantly wondering if I made a bad choice, bc of the sleeper sofa. We will have 2 parentals/2 older teens/2 tweens.
I have thought about changing to 2 rooms and risking them being completely separate from each other.
I also wondered if I should do some checking on the Magical Vacation Homes and see what the extra cost is for the Disney transportation they offer.
My brain is not able to focus lately and I’m constantly questioning myself.:crazy_face:

Do they have full size pull downs at poly studios and YC and BCV studios? Or do you still have the sleeper sofa issue?

The 5th single sleeper pull down bed helps a lot and more rooms seem to have them. CBR skyliner is super handy, especially if you stay close to loading area. Y&BC have larger rooms than CBR and I do appreciate a little more space.
Villa Studios in my experience usually have a bed and a fold out couch rather than 2 beds. It’s fine for kids to sleep on. I also think they are smaller rooms. Studios don’t feel as comfortable for me + 3 teen/tween boys.
Poly studio had the 5th pull down under the TV. But no storage space or drawers for stuff. It also felt the most cramped to me - maybe b/c we had bags all over the place. I love the resort, but it was my least favorite room by far. The bathrooms were huge - two separate showers, but only one toilet. It was kind of nice to have my own dressing area, but IMO didn’t make up for the lack of room to put any of our belongings.
Have you considered the cabins at WL? It’s high on my list to try and have heard great things from families I know. More room for larger groups. One friend noted that it was great for kids b/c they didn’t have to worry about noise and the kids could step outside to blow off some energy while adults were getting stuff together. Also, no parking fee. My only holdup on this has been that I think it would require more driving and I prefer convenience of walking or fast transport. I did drive much more on the last trip b/c with the covid protocols I was worried about limited bus capacity and scheduling. It really isn’t that bad to drive.

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