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We are a family of five with the youngest being 3. We can either stay at some of the deluxe hotels$$$$ in one room or get two rooms at a moderate. Any info or thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks
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If it were me, I'd prefer to have one room in a deluxe if the pricing of the two choices was similar. I think the locations of the deluxes and the extra amenitites are worth being together in one larger room, than two smaller value rooms. I'd also choose BWI as the place, so I could walk to DHS and Epcot.
If your other kids are a younger age, I would recommend staying at Port Orleans Riverside. If you stay in the Alligator Bayou rooms, they contain a new fold-down ‘Murphy’ style bed, located above the banquette bench seat, instead of the old trundle beds.
It's a lovely resort and you say save by just getting the 1 room that will sleep 5 (2 queen beds with one sleeping on the fold down bed)
If you have older children, I would say get a Family Suite at either Art of Animation or The All-Star Music Resort. The family suites have a master bedroom with a Queen-size bed, a pull-out sofa and a dining table that converts into a third bed. There are 2 baths, a mini-kitchen, chair, 2 dressers, 2 TVs and a wall safe. They are around 565 square feet.
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If you can stay at a deluxe, that's what I'd go for. The rooms are larger and the deluxes are generally closer to the parks, which makes a difference when you have little ones. The only caveat I have is to avoid AKL. We found the furniture to be too large for the room leaving little floor space.
I'd go for a deluxe. With the youngest being 3 I'm assuming you have a young family and woukd prob spend a lot of time at MK, so I'd pick one of the monorail resorts, and they have the largest rooms too. They have 2 queens & a day bed full size. Plus you have the monorail.
If you decide on a moderate IMO you'd be pretty squished in one room. I'd do 2 moderate rooms.
Another benefit of the deluxe is most rooms have a balcony or patio giving the adults somewhere to hang out after the kids go to sleep or nap.
If it were me, id go for 2 rooms at a moderate. ..have you considered renting DVC points? We are staying at OKW 2 bedroom with 5 people. It costs about the same as staying at a moderate resort. Its nice though bc you get a kitchen , washer and dryer and all the great deluxe amenities but for a much cheaper cost. I dont think ill ever book directly through Disney again.
If it were me, id go for 2 rooms at a moderate. ..have you considered renting DVC points? We are staying at OKW 2 bedroom with 5 people. It costs about the same as staying at a moderate resort. Its nice though bc you get a kitchen , washer and dryer and all the great deluxe amenities but for a much cheaper cost. I dont think ill ever book directly through Disney again.
A couple of other options would be the Fort Wilderness cabins and the Family Suites offered at AS Music and Art of Animation value resorts. We normally stay at a value and are very happy with them. We don't use the fancy amenities so having a clean, comfortable place to sleep, a nice pool and a food court pretty much sum up our needs. The family suites sleep up to six, with a bedroom featuring a queen bed, and fold-out sleeping for four in the second room. Two bathrooms, a kitchenette and two TVs make the suites a good choice for families. The suites at Music are less expensive than the themed suites at Animation, where everything is suites except the Little Mermaid rooms.
Also, the All Stars are five minutes from Animal Kingdom and about the same from Blizzard Beach and about 8 minutes from DHS. Animation is located near Pop so it is a bit closer to DTD and the other parks
The benefit of two rooms is much more space and two bathrooms which could be a plus. Art of Animation suites are extremely comfortable and are well designed rooms. The kids will love it.
AOA also will price out less than two rooms at the moderate resorts. It is in a good location and not really far from any park. Also having a mini kitchenette is a nice option with kids. Unlike most Disney resorts that have a table and only two chairs there is a table that fits the entire family.
When my kids were teenagers we went with the two rooms at a moderate. It was so nice having 2 bathrooms and we each had a bit of space. I love staying deluxe and the location of those hotels, but space was a priority for us. If your kids are younger and need naps ( and you did say you ave a 3 year old) staying at a deluxe hotel near the park you'll spend the most time at makes it easier to head back for a midday break.
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If you have a younger family, I'd also go with a 1-room option -- either a Family Suite, Cabin, POR or deluxe resort (deluxe if that fits the budget). WDW will NOT guarantee connecting rooms, regardless of children's ages. While most requests for connecting rooms are granted, there is possibility of not getting that. And you could even end up with rooms in separate buildings, floors, sections. For that reason alone, I would avoid doing 2-rooms unless the kids are older and you feel comfortable with the possibility of splitting up.
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