lss1

I am planning a trip to Orlando_Disney World for my husband, adult son, myself and two daughters with 5 year olds.
Any advice for accomodating this many without breaking the bank?
When my family of 5 went a few years ago, we stayed on the property which was nice. Would it be best to get two rooms for 4 or stay off property in a villa of some sort?
Thanks for any advice...

I think we will fly in and may or may not get a car depending on location. (We could do either way.)

missypie

Do you have any control over when you go? The on-site prices vary a lot depending on the season, and within the seasons there are weeks that cost less than others.

lss1

Well, we do have some control. Unfortunately the week we are looking at is Spring Break before Easter. The other option is in the summer. These are probably the worst times to go, but my daughter and I are both school teachers, so we have to go when school is out of session.

missypie

On site rates are much lower in summer than on spring break. Do you get out of school in May or June? We used to get out by May 25th; one year we headed out the day school got out and it was not too hot or too crowded.

Go to mousesavers.com and subscribe to their newsletters. Read up about Annual passholder rates. Go to disboards.com and subscribe to a thread about annual passholder rates for the week you want to go. It costs more to buy an annual pass than regular tickets, but I did it (one person per room needs an AP to get the rate) and saved $100 per night on our room, for a net savings of about $600.

Also, if you and the other adults are type that pay off your credit card bills every month, get a Disney Visa card....both trips we've paid for our food with free $$$ from Disney Visa.

Some of the Value hotels now have Family Suites. You might want to book one of those and one regular room.

TC

We are taking our children and grandchildren to DW in December. Our family of 6 decided to rent a house instead of hotel. The Formosa Garden house is only about 1 mile from the Disney World main entrance. It has 4 bedrooms and a private pool. The cost for December is only slightly more than $100 per night. Here are the links for a few homes we considered during our search. There are tons more -- homes and condos alike.

http://www.fgvillas.com/

http://www.villasatformosagardens.com/

http://www.villasatformosagardens.com/

http://www.greatrentals.com/rental-property/p313108

http://www.vr360homes.co.uk/villas/s...7946/index.htm

http://www.greatrentals.com/rental-property/p138313

TC

Ooops! I meant to say the price is slightly less than $200 per night ---- or equal to two hotel rooms that would cost about $90 per night. Still a very good deal. I have dealt directly with the owners and they were all very accomodating in responses and answering questions.

lss1

Thank you all for the great responses. My daughter teaches in a year-round school, so she does not finish until around the last week in June. So if we do not go over spring break we will likely have to go that last week in June.
I looked at the villas, and I really like them. I just wonder if the convenience of being able to pop into your room for a break v/s the spaciousness of having some down time is worth it?
Also, if we stay off-site, we would have to rent a car, pay parking, etc.
But I really like the idea of not being piled on top of each other...
TC...after you go in December will you let me know the pros and cons of your choice?
Missypie...I will check the boards...I like the idea of buying the pass and saving on the accomodation.

scarboroughmom

Don't let the idea of being able to pop into your room for a break influence you too much. Taking a Disney bus can take longer than driving your rental car. The monorail and the boats are usually pretty quick, but it is still a trek to get 8 people to the resort and then back to the park. Disney resorts are typically huge. It can be a long walk from your room to where you get the transportation. You may find that you still use the car, even if you stay at a WDW resort.

Also, sometimes AAA can get you discounts equal to annual pass. AP disounts are not always available. Don't buy the pass unless you a have already reserved the room(s) with the AP discount. I think that you can actually reserve more than one room with one AP.

Dukey

A couple of years ago we rented in the Villas at the Boardwalk.

We were able to walk to EPCOT and boat to MGM; Disney transport was about a three-minute walk from our villa door.

Don't have any idea what they run per night but i wouldn;t discount it until i knew for certain.

swaymock

As far as renting a car (and I realize there are many of you which is going to mean a mini van) --- I found that the cost of the round trip airport transportation for 4 of us was more expensive than renting a car for a few days. Something to think about.

chepar

We just got back from WDW a few weeks ago, and the initial plan was to go back to the room mid-day for breaks. We ended up doing this only once, having figured out that it does take some time to travel around with the bus system.

It would be faster to travel around with your own car, and I believe if you stay at one of the WDW resorts, parking at any of the parks is free.

However, since Disney provides free airport shuttle service, I can see where you might want to avoid renting a car altogether.

TC

You say, Also, if we stay off-site, we would have to rent a car, pay parking, etc., but isn't it still cheaper than renting two or more higher priced hotel rooms? You can't have it all -- cheap accomodations and no car rental. And the question does remain...how are you getting 8 people from the airport to your hotel? That's not free. Might as well rent a van or two small cars.

DancingBearMD

"how are you getting 8 people from the airport to your hotel? That's not free."

I agree accomodations at a home off-site would be significantly cheaper, but just want to note as to the above that if you are staying on Disney property you can use their Magical Express bus service for free travel to and from the airport.

lss1

Yes, if we stay on-site, we would use the free shuttle service to the resort. Otherwise, we will need a van/or shuttle transport. We will likely need a van for transportation to and from the parks if we stay off-property.
I am aware of these issues; I am interested in hearing from people who have done it one way or the other or both to see what worked best.
I was thinking that returning to the room mid-day was not as likely as it seemed. I think the girls are thinking this would be needed for the five year olds.
I am seeing...morning at a park...mid-day rest...and then returning to parks in the evening.
Which seems to possible regardless of whether we are on site or not. (and from what I am reading...returning for rest via Disney transport is not much easier than returning to your car..)
Is that accurate?

DancingBearMD

One of the compensations of going at a busy time is that the parks are open later. So it is conceivable on or off-site that you can and will go back and take a break. Say you are at a park from 9-12, then take a break for lunch/nap/pool, then return at 5 and stay for a few hours.

Two places where on-site/off-site make a significant difference are:

Magic Kingdom. If you are on-site you either have a monorail ride (Grand Floridian, Contemporary or Polynesian), a boat ride (Wilderness Lodge) or a bus ride, and the busses pick up right outside of the Magic Kingdom entrance. If you are off-site and driving you will have to take the monorail or a boat back to the Ticket and Transportation Center and then a tram to your car.

Epcot. Future World, closest to the entrance, opens first. World Showcase, further into the park opens at 11. So you could find yourself in World Showcase by early afternoon, and that's a long way back to the parking lot. But if you were at the Boardwalk/Beach & Yacht/Swan & Dolphin you could exit Epcot at the International Gateway entrance and walk or ride a boat to your hotel.

We've done both. As much as I like staying on-site, with your crew I'd go for renting a villa/house off-site. You'll have a kitchen and more privacy.

I'd price out the rental car options. Renting two smaller cars might not be much if any more than renting a van, and will give you more flexibility in splitting up.

lss1

Excellent advice...DancingBearMD...thank you very much.

lss1

I am leaning towards getting one of the larger villas off-property. I have checked with Formosa Gardens which looks very good. Any one with any other ideas on off-site properties?

lss1

Uuuuhhh! I have now had two house reservations come right out from under me. The first...the lady did not receive my final email saying I wanted to book. The next one...even after receiving an email confirmation hold (hold for 7 days), the owner realized her partner booked the place, accepted payment, and did not put it on the calendar.
I have looked at some many they are starting to run together. Does anyone know about the Wyndham Bonnet Creek? Is it actually on the Disney Property? I am looking at getting 2-2 bedroom units.
Thanks!