(I hope I am doing this right - first time here and I’m really nervous.)
I have been lurking on lines for the past six months and due to the wonderful information found there, we had an incredible trip during Easter 2014. Such a wonderful trip that my Take-Disney-or-Leave-It DH announced that we need to find a way to do this every year! WHAT? Ok, I’ll run with that!
So…in the past we have rented a home through VRBO but would like to consider staying onsite. We are a family of 5: DH, DS10, DS8, DD6 and me. As far as I know, DH did not secretly win the lottery so I would like to keep budget in mind.
We will (hopefully) be travelling during Easter - the weekend of and the week following Easter.
I think the prevailing opinion is that Port Orleans Riverside is a good moderate choice for 5 people. The Allligator Bayou rooms have 2 queen beds and a pull-down Murphey bed that is good for a small child like your DD6. We stayed in one of those rooms in February and loved it.
Another option is one of the family suites at Art of Animation. I haven’t stayed there, but I think people like the option that has 2 bathrooms.
Also, Caribbean Beach Resort has traditionally not been a good choice because they have double beds. However, it sounds like they’re refurbishing the rooms to make them like the POR AB rooms that I mentioned above. If your trip is a long time from now, you might watch their room options to see if this becomes a reality.
This answer doesn’t fit with your budget question, but hey, I’m a forum poster not a travel guide author! Grand Floridan’s standard rooms are very good for five people. Many have 2 queens and a daybed (a pullout couch that mousekeeping makes up for you each night just as they do with the real beds). And the rooms, according to the UG, are the largest standard rooms in all WDW.
All of the deluxes can accomodate a family of 5. However, regular Wilderness Lodge rooms only allow 4 so unless you want to pay quite a bit more for a Deluxe Room that option is not a good one.
We are a family of 5. If I was trying to save costs I would definitely pick Port Orleans Riverside. The reviews are excellent. @SallyEpp_cot gave some great information about the AB rooms.
Another possibility would be renting points to stay at a DVC resort. I have ZERO experience with this so I’ll defer to the experts.
A couple of other options would be the Ft. Wilderness Cabins or the Family Suite at All-Star Music. Two rooms at Pop would, also, be a great solution. There are pros and cons to each of the options, but there really is a way to do larger families at WDW.
The AOA suites can also hold 5 people and you would have a bedroom for you and DH. Two bathrooms too! You could also rent points for a stay in the studios at VWL. Those now also hold 5 people. However, at POR you would get two queen beds and a murphy bed in the AB section. At VWL you get a queen bed, a sofa bed and the murphy bed.
Another family of 5 here. POR ended up being the least expensive option for our family. It’s a really nice resort. We also have 2 boys and our youngest is a girl. The boys sleep in the other queen and dd had the Murphy.
If the rumors are true, cbr will be on our possibility list too. The pool there is awesome.
A new family of five here. We are a little disappointed that WL does not accommodate because it is our favorite resort. We are planning on staying one more time at WL because DD will not count towards occupancy next trip (still under 2). After that we are planning on making POR our home. It is another one of our favorites as well because in our opinion the food options and transportation other than MK are better than WL.
Thank you everyone for the suggestions! I appreciate it greatly! And I’m excited I figured out how to use this new format.
@SallyEpp_cot Lemon-tester would look interesting on a resume but I am a Parent-Infant Advisor. Lol! I was Talah3 previously but wanted a more Disneyfied name. Couldn’t think of a good one to describe me. My DD is obsessed with Frozen - and sings the songs often. When she sings “Let it Go,” she doesn’t quite have the words right.
Instead of:
It’s time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through.
She sings:
It’s time to see what I can do, to Test The Lemons and break through.
I know it won’t make sense to anyone else, but cracks me up every time I see it.
@TestTheLemons I would love to put my two cents worth here
First of all WELCOME I am so glad you came out of lurking to start a thread - and a great thread too!!
I have stayed at both AoA and POR and while I enjoyed both I really LOVED POR!! This is an absolutely gorgeous resort that seems just a little bit more laid back. The kids will still have an amazing time - POR doesn’t have the huge icons like at AoA but frankly my opinion is that they’ll be seeing them all day in the Parks. Mom and Dad need a little bit a zen too!
My story is somewhat similar in the sense that after taking all of the Disney genius ideas that have been doled (oh did someone say Dole Whip ) out on Lines and putting it into action our trips to WDW have become increasingly better and better. My DH cannot get enough of the place - which works into my evil plan (insert maniacal laugh here)
Ha! Ok seriously…
If price is a concern I would hook up with a great Disney TA and they can point you in the direction of the best deal for you …
We are a family of 5 as well. While our youngest was small enough, we stayed at POR twice and really enjoyed it. The pools and ambiance were wonderful. When the trundle (now Murphy bed) was no longer an option, we got two rooms at Pop Century. Though they don’t guarantee connecting rooms, we got them every time, even when our children were older. We all love Pop! The other options for our family just don’t fit our budget.
POR is an awesome resort, especially for a family of five. I always recommend it to my clients when looking for rooms for 5. It’s a very affordable option. Just keep in mind it has been excluded from free dining recently, so if getting a discount is important when they are released, it may not be the best option for that!
Grand Floridan’s standard rooms are very good for five people. Many have 2 queens and a daybed (a pullout couch that mousekeeping makes up for you each night just as they do with the real beds). And the rooms, according to the UG, are the largest standard rooms in all WDW.
WELCOME 
) out on Lines and putting it into action our trips to WDW have become increasingly better and better. My DH cannot get enough of the place - which works into my evil plan (insert maniacal laugh here) 