DW, me, and kids 17/16/11 headed to DW May 2024.
Last trip did AoA family suite and LOVED the extra bathroom/room for us.
Willing to explore other resorts. Five big people is tough!
Any other recommended resorts for five that aren’t a studio?
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I don’t know if they are still booking them but would a FW cabin work?
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I’ll check it out. Wanted to consider renting for DVC but seems like the 1 bedrooms don’t really fit five.
Some do, but you have to see if it has a fold down twin bed in addition to the normal Murphy bed.
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Obviously Aulani, Grand Cal, Hilton Head, and Vero do not apply for WDW but otherwise that’s your list of 1br that accommodate 5
The 1br that accommodate 4 will say they can sleep 5 but you have to bring your own bedding (which would include an air mattress if your 5th didn’t want to sleep on the floor). There’s space enough to fit that sleep space, but the way the rooms are laid out do not accommodate that extra bed.
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Very helpful. Thanks.
We’re probably not flying down bedding so one bedrooms probably aren’t the fit.
Looks like we could squeeze into Caribbean Beach in one room for less than the AOA family suite.
Worth trying one of the DVC studios with five people or just go for the extra space of a family suite?
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Lots of resorts do offer that 5th sleeper arrangement.
For me, personally, it’s a tight fit when all of the people are not little kids anymore.
But it might work for you!
The family suite at AoA — or, for a little less ASMu — are going to offer you the best bang for the buck as compared even to renting points or deluxe accommodations. But I completely understand the desire to check out other locations, too (only a handful left on my list!).
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Yep. That’s exactly the tension. Squeeze in someplace new or more comfort in a value resort. Decisions!!!
Connecting rooms at Pop
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IMO if you’re going to spend the money for connecting rooms, spend the same or a little more for the suite.
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If you consider DVC studios, I would recommend a Poly studio. It has 5 good sleep surfaces, is the largest of the studios, has two showers and two sinks (but only ine toilet).
For one bedrooms BLT and Kidani have two full baths a king size bed, a queen sleeper safa and a twin sleeper chair (when those efurbs happens and they get a Murphy bed in there they will be amazing 1 bedroom options).
Added Grand Floridian, Saratoga Springs, and Riviera have 1 bedrooms with the queen Murphy bed and the twin Murphy under the TV. But just the one bathroom. Definitely better sleep surfaces.
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We’ve been in the Saratoga Springs with the two pull down beds and it’s nice. Especially the washer and dryer.
We’ve also had 5 in Caribbean Beach. But we were 5 neat people, with minimal stuff. A 14 year old slept comfortably on the pull down single.
The one bathroom in either Saratoga or Caribbean worked for us because we always seem to have both shower in the morning and shower in the evening folks.
We’ve also been in the FtW cabins back when they had a pull down bed in the living room. There was a double bed and bunk beds in the tiny bedroom. You do get a full kitchen which you don’t at Caribbean. (Idk about AoA)
Despite that full kitchen and as much as I love the campground I’d go with Caribbean before a cabin, if it were available. I can’t think they will be in May.
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We’re a family of 5 and always squeeze into 1 room. We don’t spend a ton of time in the room, so I would rather spend that money elsewhere.
We’ve done Poly DVC studio, Dolphin standard room, and Shades of Green standard room. All fine. The Dolphin was definitely the tightest.
Non-Disney vacations we often upgrade to some kind of suite or 2 adjoining rooms, but the Disney costs are too high to justify it.
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If you stay at a Deluxe hotel or a DVC, you get the Extended Evening Hours that value and moderate places don’t. With the ages of your kids, you might want to take advantage of that.
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We stayed one night only last November. We had three 15-year-olds at the time. It was cheaper for us to do two connecting rooms at Pop than one suite at AoA. That can probably change if there are deals, but that was our situation.
When our kids were younger we did AoA suites always, but now my teens all like their own beds. Space felt tight with all our suitcases but we liked this arrangement for a short stay.
Honestly, if we go back, and I am not sure we will, we probably will rent a home off site unless they offer better incentives for on site people. Because the on site “budget” options for families of five are few.
We did also stay at a ASMu suite one time but did not enjoy that at all. It was pretty dirty and dingy and loud.
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In 2020, we had two connecting rooms at Pop. I think the issue is that they can’t guarantee connecting rooms…so if you go that route, you have to willing to accept the possibility of two separate rooms that are not connecting.
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I definitely am not an expert, but the woman I spoke to at Disney when we made the reservation said they will always connect families. It is not considered a request and will be done. But I would for sure call to ensure they know that on the reservation. I was surprised because she made it sound like a non-negotiable. Because that was a concern for us for sure.
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I’ve read in the past that when the number of kids is greater than the number of adults, the rooms are always connecting.
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Maybe I missed something about what you want or don’t want, but almost all the Deluxes will sleep 5 to a room. Price wise they don’t cost much more than AoA suites a lot of the time (with discounts).
We just stayed at YC earlier this year with our family of 5. You get 2 queens and a twin/daybed. One bathroom for 5 isn’t ideal, but we can make it work on vacation. It’s the same setup at BC, BWI, Poly, CR, GF. The room felt plenty big to me and there’s a bit more space for your things than CBR or POR would be with a room for 5. Also the fold down bed at the mods is smaller than a twin.
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ASM will be the cheapest for a suite. Followed by AA suites and FW cabins.
If you are going the first half of May, you may find you can rent a 2 br DVC cheaper than the rack rate at AA suites or FW cabins- specifically the AK Value and Standard 2 BR. But BW, OKW and SSR have some of the lowest points 2 BRs. Worth checking out.
Also, I know the Swan and Dolphin have suites but I know nothing about pricing. Might be something to look into though.
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