OVERVIEW: LARGE FAMILIES AT DISNEY WORLD
A large family is one that will not fit into a standard Walt Disney World hotel room—more than 4 people for standard rooms at the values and most moderate rooms, and more than 5 for most deluxe resorts.
(See this for the distinctions among the resort classes at Walt Disney World.)
The problem with connecting, adjoining, or nearby rooms as a solution is that Disney won’t guarantee that you will get them.
When you show up at Walt Disney World, your “connecting rooms” may be not connected, and in fact may be in completely different buildings at your resort.
Your chances of getting connecting rooms are best during the slow season—which is when this site recommends you go, see this for when to go—but even then, there are no guarantees.
DISNEY WORLD SOLUTIONS FOR LARGE FAMILIES
The links below present the best options–by price and family size–for large families at Walt Disney World
Room capacity figures on the pages linked below always exclude one child under 3 in a crib, which can be added to any Disney room—so always read, when a capacity figure is given, “plus one child under three at time of check in, in a crib.”
These links cover large family options
- Large families looking for low-priced rooms—what Disney calls “Value” rooms—see this page
- Large families looking for deluxe level accommodations can see recommendations on this page
- Some recommendations involve reserving Disney Vacation Club rooms, or even renting points from current Disney Vacation Club members to use. See this for more on Disney Vacation Club rooms in general, and this for more on renting points
- For suites, see this
- For staying off-site, see this
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
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- 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
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- For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this
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- Military/DOD families should look at this
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- Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this
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Looking for a place to stay with 10 children ages 15 – newborn. All suggestions welcome. I just don’t know where to begin.
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How many adults? How many of the kids will be younger than three at time of check-in?
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I just spoke with a Disney agent and he gave me a choice between “guaranteed connecting rooms” at the contemporary or a villa at bay lake tower for upcoming February 2015 trip. Has Disney changed the policy on guaranteed connecting rooms or should I be wary of this promise?
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Anne, I have read–but don’t know if it’s true–that Disney will guarantee such rooms IF there’s two (or fewer) adults and a whole bunch of little kids. If your family looks like this, it may be real.
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We’re planning a Halloween vacation with a family of 8, 4 adults and 4 children. Two of the children will be 2 years old at this time. Will Disney count them under the “always exclude one child under 3 in a crib” rule too?
Because, then we could have six people to a room and fit in one family suite at Art of Animation resort.
Please get back to me ASAP about this.
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Just one of the two under 3 will be excepted. So you could fit a total of 7, but not 8. Simplest would be to aim for two connecting value resort standard 4 person rooms.
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Hi, Dave! We are a family of 6, 4 girls (ages 12, 10, 8 and 6). Never been to Disney so completely clueless. Bottom line, what is your best recommendation for monorail accessible hotel for a family of 6? Moderate to deluxe price range, unsure of dates but most likely September. There’s so much, I don’t know where to start, and the hotels don’t appear to be very accomodating towards larger families for some reason. I’m also not crazy about their website – it doesn’t give good room pictures. Thanks!
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Maura, once a family exceeds 4 people, options shrink, and at 6 they are particularly lousy–by which I mean expensive. The only monorail options that will fit you are two-bedroom villas at the Grand Floridian and Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary. These, in September, will cost more than $800 a night…
See the links on this page for less-expensive alternatives, especially this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/12/15/lower-priced-options-for-large-families-at-walt-disney-world/
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Hi Dave,
We love your site, it has been so helpful to us, thank you very much. We are planning our first trip with our kids 8, 6, 3 to Disney World. We are planning our trip for June, 2014, however are stuck in picking the resort. We like the AoA, however are not excited about how far away it is from Magic Kingdom, since we feel we will be spending much of our time there. The Polynesian is great,however kinda pricey. What are your thoughts on the Contemporary or Grand Floridian vs AoA?
Thanks much for your thoughts and time,
Andrea
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Hi Andrea and thanks!!
GF is more expensive than the Poly, and the Contemporary is about as expensive, unless you get one of the “Garden Rooms” there…so I wouldn’t pick among these three based on price…
Closer to MK than AofA, but much less expensive than those three, is an Alligator Bayou room at Port Orleans Riverside. See this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/11/19/review-port-orleans-riverside-alligator-bayou-rooms/
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Hey Dave,
I am taking 3 adults and 4 kids (8,7,5,4) this next sept/October time frame. How much do I need to plan on spending? We will stay on Disney and hopefully get their dining plan. We plan on staying 7 days. A good rough estimate would be nice.
Thanks
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Joseph–can’t do a rough estimate because hotel costs vary by a factor of 5. See this for some help thinking it through: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2009/12/16/planning-your-walt-disney-world-budget/
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Hi Dave
We have a trip booked to stay at animal kingdom lodge which was sponsord threw make a wish my wife and three sons 9,8 and4 my parents including my 15 year old niece where booked together my brother his wife and 4 year old son booked separately at the same resort and then my other brother which is my nieces father booked for him and his girlfriend to stay at the all star music resort because of cost we all will be staying for 1 week November 11th-18th my question being because we are booked separately and not all at same resort would there be issues with the family getting together for dining and other activitys at our resort animal kingdom lodge on a personal note reason for this trip is my 4year old son has bin fighting neuroblastoma cancer for the past 2years unfortunately he has started to lose this fight our goal is to make as many wonderfull memories as possible with him in time we have left so any other advice or suggestions to make this trip the best would be appreciated also this is a first for entire family have never bin before thank you for any advice
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Hi Dustin–and first, my thoughts and prayers for your family and son…
Second, your whole family can get together to enjoy the Lodge with one possible exception–the pool. “Pool hopping” is not allowed–but it’s not la ways enforced…you should make any dining reservations now, though, as these can book up months in advance.
Finally, take a look at this https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/basic-itinerary/alternative-itineraries/itineraries-for-the-rest-of-the-year/v2-of-2009-autumn-winter-spring-itinerary/ as modified by this https://yourfirstvisit.net/required-september-2013-itinerary-and-to-do-list-changes/ It’s not a perfect match for your dates–in it, “Thurdsday” nmeans “Thursday,” not “Day 6” and is designed for kids 8 and older. Use this to help modify for the 4yo: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2011/03/09/the-comprehensive-guide-to-walt-disney-world-rides-and-attractions/
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Hi Dave,
I’m planning a trip with my family of 5 in February. Our kids are ages 9, 7, and 4. This is our third time going and likely not our last. We’ve always rented an off-site house in the past and want to stay on grounds this time. Would you recommend a standard room at the Polynesian or a family suite at Art of Animation? We know he Poly will be more expensive but we are fine with splurging…. Thanks!
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This is our first trip to Disney we are staying 6 nights I was wonder a family of 4 what should food cost? I have the room paid and tickets paid so now planning on the food and extras. Can u give me advise on anything thanks
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Angie, it depends on how much you eat at table service, whihc is more expensive, and how old the kids are and their willingness to eat form kids menus. I’d budget $50/day for the adults, and less for the kids if they are young…
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Thanks for the great info here, I’m in the process of finalizing our trip with me, my wife, her mother, and 4 kids (11, 9, 7, 5). We have two options to choose from due to our late booking. 1st, May 28-June 4 at the Villas at Wilderness lodge or #2, May 31-June 8 at Saratoga Springs (2 nights) and Old Key West (6 nights). The price difference (WL villas are through Disney, others are DVC rental credits) is significant (which more than covers additional length of stay). Either timing can work for our family, but I’m leaning toward the later dates at OKW as it fits a bit better into our schedule. Am a bit worried by the transportation from there, appreciate your thoughts on the tradeoffs of staying a bit longer at OKW and still saving some money vs the location and theme of the villas at WL. Thanks!
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Dave, I’d pretty firmly go with the SS/OKW option, partly from price, partly from dates (as you’ll miss a little more of the Memorial Day week crowds) and mostly because of OKW better fitting the family structure you describe.
The extra bus stops will be a pain–as will be the check out/check in–but a party your size will crowd the WL villas, but work really nicely in OKW. OKW has profound design differences compared to every other DVC resort that makes it much more livable for more than 6 people–and frankly, for more than 4 people. And WL tow bedrooms have a design flaw for groupls that can’t fit soloey inot the two bedrooms for sleeping. See the 2 bedroom floor plans here https://yourfirstvisit.net/2011/02/07/review-the-villas-at-disneys-wilderness-lodge/ and here https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/where-to-stay/next-best-resort-choices/walt-disney-world-resort-features-by-price-category/review-disneys-old-key-west-resort-continued/ focusing on the maount and furnishing of the shared living/dining/kitchen/balcony space…
SS is lousy, but not by so much that it changes the overall call!
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Hi,
I am planning to bring my family for a week. It will be 6 adults and 3 children ages 5 3, & 2 yr.
Can young children get on rides with adults or do they have to be of a certain height to get on all attractions ?
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Lynn, some rides have height restrictions, so little kids can’t ride them at all. See https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/how-oldtall-your-children-should-be/
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My husband and I just returned from our empty nest long weekend trip to Disney. We stayed at riverside and only did downtown Disney and caught a braves game. But it made us long to return with our 4 children who are in college for a week long stay. We’d have to visit over their thanksgiving or mardi Gras break. We visited wilderness lodge and would LOVE to stay there but As you can imagine with four in college, it needs to be affordable. Ticket prices alone are $1750 for 5 nites 6 days. Are there ever any package deals available for 6 adults? Do you know how often the 30% off room rates are offered? We would go nov of this year or feb of ’14. Any and all suggestions would be so appreciated. Are we just dreaming or could this really be doable??!!! Many many thanks!
Dori
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Hi Dori, the ticket prices will really hurt for a family that big–and so will dining. The bad news is that Disney hasn’t done much on tickets since the beginning of the recession, and there’s no guarantee on any discounts–particularly over thanksgiving, as Disney almost never discounts holiday weeks.
For 6 people, the most cost-effective place to stay is gonna be a Family Suite at All-Star Music, but the kids may find the beds too short and thinly padded–see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/09/05/review-the-family-suites-disneys-all-star-music-resort/ The beds in the Art of Animation family suites are much more comfortable–see this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/06/10/review-the-family-suites-at-disneys-art-of-animation-resort/ But AofA is typically around $50/night more than Music…
More expensive, but much more comfortable, close to your haunts at DTD, and with a full kitchen which can save you some dining money would be a two bedroom villa at Old Key West. See https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/01/17/review-disneys-old-key-west-resort/ Standard prices will be too high, but check into renting points: https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/special-circumstances/special-circumstances-large-families/more-on-large-families-at-walt-disney-world/renting-dvc-points-at-walt-disney-world/
Hope this helps! And if so…
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Planning Disney trip for Aug 4 of 2014, for 10 nights, plan on staying at Old Key West 2br Villa what do think of the time frame (Aug 4)
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Vinnie, that’s a very crowded, and very hot, time of the year–see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/01/15/august-2013-walt-disney-world/
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This will be the second trip for most of us, and our last trip was greatly improved by your recommendations. We stayed at the Polynesian and loved it and went during one of your recommended weeks! However, this time we will be in a larger family. About 11 total, 8 adults and 3 kids (7, 5, and 2). I think each pair of adults is going to want their own rooms, but the kids can sleep in a crib or sleeper sofa. So, what might be best for 4 rooms plus sleeping for the kids? Is there one place on site that can handle that or should we split into two suites/rooms that are next to each other? Or just stay off site in a condo? We would likely drive to the resort, so we should have transportation.
Thanks!
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Hi Paul, and so glad the site helped before!
The only on-site facility that will hold all of you and give a room to each adult pair is a grand villa, which costs an arm and a leg.
Another four adult bedroom option that’s much less expensive would be two TreeHouse villas. Each treehouse villa has two bedrooms each with a queen, a bunk bed in another room that sleeps two more, and sleeping areas for three more in the living room.
See this for more including floor plans: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2009/08/16/review-the-treehouses-at-disneys-saratoga-springs-resort-and-spa/
Other than those options, your best bet is off-site…
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My husband and I am planning my trip to Disney for this September 2-10th. We have 4 children. They will be ages 6,4,2,2 at the time of travel. My mother will also be joining us. My question is would you recommend staying at the Art of Animation Family suite (and my mother will get her own suite to be close by) or a savanna view room at the Animal Kingdom. If we were to go to AKL, we would get two rooms (requesting connecting if available) One room for me, my husband and 2 kids and a room for my mother and my twins. But I think if we did not get connecting rooms then I would just bring the twins in the room with us. Which I know will be tight. But how much time will we really be in the hotel? I just don’t know which option will make for a better, more convenient and fulfilling vacation. My older kids have seen video of both resorts. They really love different things about each one. I have always said I was going to wait for them to be older before we went but then I thought I really want them to experience the magic of it all the way only a child could do. =-) Also, I read on here that there is a possibility that free dining could be offered in September. If this were to happen, could we call and have them take off the dining plan we were already purchasing? Thanks so much for any insight.
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Hi Katie, first on free dining, yes, if it is released, you can call Disney and get your package transferred to it.
Regarding your hotel options…a coupla thoughts. First these are both great choices, so I wouldn’t break my head over it. Second, in your shoes, I’d pick AofA, for a couple of reasons:
To fully appreciate the full scope of AKL, your kids should be older–I’m not talking about the animals, but about the stunning architecture
AKL rooms are very small–tied wit Wilderness Lodge as the smallest among the deluxes. Fitting the twins will be a challenge
Related point: all seven of you can hang out in one of the Family Suites, but not in one of your AKL rooms…and kids that age will need a fair amount of room time for naps…
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I have myself, husband, a 5 year old and 2 year old. We are staying at the Caribbean resort….I was thinking of adding my 9 year old niece since my 2 year old will be in a crib anyways but when adding another child it says that the room is not for that capacity. If I am right in what I read, I could add her and take off my 2 year old and just add her at check in??? I was wondering how this would work for the extra magic hours if that is the case since my 2 year old would not be listed as a guest??? Thank you sooooooo much 🙂
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Hi Elizabeth, what I’d do is rebook with everybody, and then cancel the first reservation. If the website still gives you pain, then just call WDW at 407-939-7675…
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We will be traveling with a party of 15. 11 adults and 4 children (11, 4,4, 2.5) We are also military, and all but four are florida residents. We are looking to go in November of 2014 (give or take on the months). What are you recommendations as far as preferably staying on site, getting the most bang for our buck (i.e. the least amount of money) Some are on more of a tight budget than others. When would, in your expert opinion, be a good time to start contacting Disney, or even a travel agent (highly impressed with your recommendation). Is it better to book a room only and get tickets later? Sorry for all of the questions haha 🙂 Thanks in advance!
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Hey Gretchen–give me a sense of two things:
First, family structures–what I mean by this is the different groups that would want their own private sleeping space, and how many kids and adults are in each. Because hotels will be the real variable that drives your trip costs.
Second, how long you plan to stay, and the balance of this for adults vs kids. That is, are you designing the trip for the adults, the 11 year old, or the little ones…All the kids except the 11 year old can have a great trip on 4 days, but the 11 year old and adults would enjoy 6 full days in the parks. This matters if Disney extends the military salute. (See https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/how-long-to-stay/ and also this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/how-oldtall-your-children-should-be/what-if-theyre-too-shortyoung/taking-your-too-shortyoung-kids-anyway/ )
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I am traveling to Disney as a family of 5…my husband and I, my 5 year old son and twin 2 year old girls. Can basic rooms fit 2 gribs? Is it s squeeze? Is it even allowed? I have called Disney and am getting the run around. I know AoA can fit us but my mom is paying for the trip and I am trying to make it most affordable for her. I called Orleans Riverside and talked to housekeeping and they said they could work with me when I arrived…thoughts?
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Jen it will likely vary by resort.
In the case of Riverside, see the floor plan.
This is out of date, as since I visited the full beds have been replaced by queens, and the trundle bed is gone. (There are still 5 sleeping spot rooms, but that’s not your issue.)
The space the trundle bed used to go should fit a crib, easily. You could also move the table and chairs and fit another crib there…
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Hi Dave,
My kids (12&9) and I made the trip from Texas to DW in 2011 & 2010. Both times we’ve stayed at the Cabins at Ft. Wilderness. I know this is out of the way, but I tend to travel quite a bit with my job and if I can get away from the feel of a hotel, I’ll take it! This year I got re-married and now the new wife and 4 year-old step daughter want to go too. So, I’m planning a trip for the 5 of us in June of 2013. Looking to arrive on the 10th and leaving on the 19th. Do you know of a way for us to stay at a place that doesn’t have that hotel feel to it? Also, the times that we have gone before has been late August and it has been pretty hot. Will earlier in the summer be any better? I don’t have too much of a choice but to go during the summer because of the amount of days that we want to stay. I know about the new Fantasyland opening, but other than that, what else will be new to us next year?
Thank you for any help you can give us and for all the information that you have on this site!!
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Hi Ron, and thanks!
To be honest, June feels better to me than August–I’m in Disney World right now as I write this, and it’s hot and muggy–but I think the stats will say it’s not really any better. See the various stuff here: https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/when-to-go/next-best-dates/weather-and-when-to-go/
If you can afford it, a great “doesn’t feel like a hotel” option is a one-bedroom villa at Old Key West.
See the image
…and see this for more: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/01/17/review-disneys-old-key-west-resort/
The rack rate in June is $497 a night–but it’s possible a discount will come out for then…
I’m trying to think of what other than Fantasyland is new since you last visited…not much that I can think of…
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