OVERVIEW: LARGE FAMILIES LOOKING FOR DISNEY WORLD VALUE PRICING
This page recommends Walt Disney World accommodations for large families seeking lower prices, sorted by family size.
See this page for an introduction to Large Families at Walt Disney World.
(For staying off-site, see this.)
The chart also includes additional information—for example, number of bathrooms, nature of any kitchen facilities, and total square feet.
As always, with one exception, when more than one similar option is available, recommendations are made based on appeal to kids and transportation convenience. The exception is advice regarding Old Key West–which is not the most kid appealing of the DVC resorts, but is the least expensive!
All prices are for the 2015 Fall price season. See this for when to go to Walt Disney World. Prices will be higher during most other parts of the year, but in similar proportions. See this for price seasons at Walt Disney World.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LARGE FAMILIES SEEKING VALUE PRICING
Basic Recommendation: Families with 4 people or fewer: Standard (Little Mermaid) room at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. For 4 people, you will pay $38 per person per night.
5 people: Best choice= Art of Animation Family Suite, $68/person/night.
You get two baths, a private bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a microwave and mini-fridge, and a couple of living areas with couches and tables that convert into sleeping space for 4 more people.
The next best choice is one of the new five person rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, which hold four in two queen beds plus a fifth person in a small (~64 inch by ~30 inch) fold-down bed, for $42/person/night. This option is not recommended for first-time visitors, as while Caribbean Beach has the highest kid appeal among the moderates, it is not as kid-appealing as Art of Animation, and is inconvenient.
The next best choice is the Alligator Bayou section of Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort, which hold four in two queen beds plus a fifth person in a small (~66 inch by ~31 inch) fold-down bed, for $42/person/night. This option is not recommended for first-time visitors, as the resort not nearly as kid-appealing as Art of Animation. The resort is less kid-appealing than Caribbean Beach, and Caribbean Beach rooms have a better arrangement of drawer space.
The final option is a 6-person Cabin at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground and Resort. This option is not recommended for first-time visitors, as it is very inconvenient, and not nearly as kid-appealing as Art of Animation. The cost is $76/person/night. You get a full kitchen and two sleeping spaces. One sleeps 4 in a full bed and bunk beds–the bunk beds are 70″ long. The second sleeping space is in the combined living room/dining room/kitchen, where a full bed folds down from the wall.
6 people: Best Choice: Art of Animation Family Suite $57/person/night. See above for details.
Next best choice–a cabin at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, for $63/person/per night. See above–not recommended for first time visitors.
7 people: there are no good options for value pricing at this family or party size—or for 8 people either. You can try for connecting Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation, with no guarantees. Your cost for these will be $43/person/night.
Your best choice to guarantee you will all be in the same space is harder to pull off.
It requires renting enough points (NOT reserving this villa from the WDW website—this will cost MUCH more) from a current Disney Vacation Club owner to get a Two Bedroom Villa at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. You can rent points from Disney Vacation Club members on websites like SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, a sponsor of this site. See this page for how to do so.
Success will get you a great space for $62-72/person/night. Disney’s Old Key West Resort is neither kid appealing nor convenient, but is the cheapest of the DVC resorts, and thus, when paid for using rented points, the only one that comes even close to the Value pricing range.
For your money you will get two bedrooms, one with a king that sleeps two, and one with two queens that sleeps 4. In addition, you get a huge (compared to other DVC resorts) kitchen/dining/living room combination with a sleeper sofa that sleeps two more and a fold-out chair that sleeps a ninth person.
8 people: See “7 people.” Two (perhaps) connecting Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation: $38/person/per night. Rented points for a Two Bedroom Villa at Old Key West: $54-63/person/night
9 people: Rented points for a Two Bedroom Villa at Old Key West: $48-56/person/night.
Otherwise, your only choices are rooms that don’t connect. One option is to rent two Family Suites at Art of Animation. These may be a hike apart–even if they are in the same section. Two suites will cost $75/person/night for a party of 9.
Less expensive, but possibly leading to some family jealousy, is renting both a Family Suite and a regular Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation. (The Lion King suites are closest to the Little Mermaid section.) Both together will cost $54 per person per night.
10 people: No value-priced options guarantee you will all be in the same space. Two Family Suites at Art of Animation will cost $68/person/night. A Family Suite and a regular Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation will cost $49/person/night.
11 people: No good options that put your party all in one room at value pricing. Your best bet is to rent two Family Suites at Art of Animation. Cost $62/person/night
12 People: As in 11 people, rent two Family Suites at Art of Animation. $57/person/night.
MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD
- For where to stay, see this
- For your next best choices, in order, see this
- For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
- For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
- For where not to stay, see this
- For what you get in each resort price category, see this
- For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
- For resort reviews, see this
- For the value resorts, see this
- For the moderate resorts, see this
- For the deluxe resorts, see this
- For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
- For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this
- For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this
- Military/DOD families should look at this
- Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this
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I have a family of 11.. 3 adults and 8 children ages 17,15,13,9,9,9,3,1. what is the cheapest and best place to stay? We are looking to go down in December 2017.
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Angela, offsite, especially in a rental home, will be by far the cheapest. I don’t track the offsite options so can’t give you any specific advice.
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Hi I am a family of 7 children ages 16, 14, 12, 8, 5, 3 and myself and my husband this will be our very first time and we are not at all as fortunate as others financially but I am trying to bring them with my tax money. So could you please indicate the best possible solution for us and or parks that they will all enjoy so we can take full advantage of this trip and have fun! Thank you in advance
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Shanika, the least expensive way to go to DIsney World is to stay off site. You’d look for either two rooms or a suite/house. For what to do in the parks and how long to stay, see this
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Thank you Dave.
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Looking to go on our first trip in October 2016 as a family of 6 (2 adults and 4 kids age 15, 9, 8 and 7). We would like to take advantage of the dining plan included for 2016 bookings but this is only available with moderate accommodation. Currently thinking of Fort Wilderness as our kids love being outdoors. Do you think that Art of Animation would still be better though, bearing in mind the fact that we’d have to pay extra for the dining plan? We are not planning on hiring a car. Thanks 🙂
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Kitty, I don’t particularly recommend the Cabins for first visits, especially without a car. See this. Moreover, there’s no real counter service at Fort Wilderness, making the dining plan a little hard to use. In your shoes, I’d aim for two connecting moderate rooms.
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Do you happen to maybe have the phone number for the carribean beach resort or for the fort wilderness resort? So I can go ahead and book my resort. please and thank you.
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Ana, you book not by calling the resort directly but rather either on the web or at 407-939-7675.
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Disney has so many options for parties of more than 4. You can all travel together for a magical family vacation
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