Family of five and trying to decide on resort

Suprize2017

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 9, 2016
We are a family of five. My daughter will be 14 when we return to Disney in February. My twin boys will be 13. In the past, we have stayed at the Caribbean and have loved it (preferred room, so the size of the CBR never affected us). One of my boys has loved the Murphy bed, so that bed isn’t a concern.

I was going to book a room at Port Orleans Riverside, just for something different. My kids have loved the pool at the CBR, and I love the slightly lower price, so I was still considering a return there. It appears that the preferred rooms we have stayed in before were demolished during the construction at CBR, so I’m not sure how close to the food court or main pool their preferred rooms are now. Someone suggested the family suites at AoA, so I checked them out and they look decent. I love the idea of a little more space and two bathrooms, but am a little unsure of the pull out beds from the couches (comfortable?). Spending more than the suites at AoA would cost (they would be the most expensive of these three options) isn’t an option, so I think these three are what I need to choose from.

If you have stayed at any or all of these three resorts, were you happy with your choice? I think my main concerns are the following:
*buses to the parks (is it common to have to wait a while for a bus?)
*cool pool for the kids that will forget they’re young teenagers when we are at Disney
*comfortable beds for all
*decent food at the resort
*space for the five of us, especially as our kids are getting older/bigger (AoA has the edge for this one)

Opinions?
 
Port Orleans Riverside is our absolute favorite resort. However, we are two adults. There is just something about the relaxed atmosphere there and we love watching YeHaa Bob perform! To answer your questions:

*We've always had pretty great bus service there. As with any resort, you will hit it at times when a bus has just come and have to wait a bit longer than normal, but not all of the time. Was just there in April and was very pleased. To be fair, we have also stayed at Art of Animation and have always had fine bus service there as well. Actually the only place we've ever stayed where I felt like the bus service was noticeably terrible, was the Wilderness Lodge :confused3
*I feel like the pool is awesome! Now, it doesn't have a pirate ship or anything like that, but there is a decent slide and plenty of shade. (I don't have teenagers so I'm not sure what's cool anymore :rotfl2:)

*We have never had a problem with the beds there. In comparison, we have stayed in the Art of Animation suites and only used the main queen bed and didn't really like it.

*We've always felt the food court is on par with other places. However, as far as food courts go, Art of Animation is probably the best one on property.

*I feel like the rooms are plenty big enough for 5 people (probably like what you're used to at Caribbean Beach). Our traveling companions once was a family of 5 and they didn't seem to mind the room size.

I hope you have a wonderful time no matter where you chose!!
 
Port Orleans Riverside is our absolute favorite resort. However, we are two adults. There is just something about the relaxed atmosphere there and we love watching YeHaa Bob perform! To answer your questions:

*We have never had a problem with the beds there. In comparison, we have stayed in the Art of Animation suites and only used the main queen bed and didn't really like it.

I hope you have a wonderful time no matter where you chose!!

I’ve read a lot of responses stating the same thing about the queen bed at AoA.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
 
I agree with JBeaty0507. I would suggest staying preferred at POR. if you choose to stay there. Like CBR, POR is spread out.

Another option that you might like to check out is the Swan/Dolphin. It is in the Epcot area, which was my kids favourite when they were teens. The price, with a discount (Nurse, Teacher, AAA and more), is often about the same as a moderate or AoA suite. It is walking distance to Epcot and DHS and has a boat to both. Many advantages of staying in WDW are available with a stay here (no DME, however, so you need to factor in the cost of transportation to/from the airport). You need to check on the rollaway cot for the third child, but we had no problem getting one. I think it was about $15 per night.

Enjoy your trip!
 


I agree with JBeaty0507. I would suggest staying preferred at POR. if you choose to stay there. Like CBR, POR is spread out.

Another option that you might like to check out is the Swan/Dolphin. It is in the Epcot area, which was my kids favourite when they were teens. The price, with a discount (Nurse, Teacher, AAA and more), is often about the same as a moderate or AoA suite. It is walking distance to Epcot and DHS and has a boat to both. Many advantages of staying in WDW are available with a stay here (no DME, however, so you need to factor in the cost of transportation to/from the airport). You need to check on the rollaway tcot for the third child, but we had no problem getting one. I think it was about $15 per night.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for that reminder! My husband and I would qualify for that discount. I need to check them out!
 
When we visited Disney as a family of 5 (now 6) we stayed at both POR and CBR. We booked Standard rooms in each, never paid for preferred. While I really liked both of the resorts, POR was more my style. I liked the boat to DS and the fewer bus stops, but the number of bus stops at CBR didn't both me either. My step-kids were 9, 9 and 11 when we last stayed at CBR and younger when we stayed at POR. They loved both equally from what I could tell. But the Skyliner at CBR will be nice once it's done too.

We are staying at All-Star Music in a family suite in a couple weeks. We have a 9 month old and can technically still fit in CBR or POR but the kitchenette will be handy. AoA was an additional $400 and I decided we didn't need to spend that much. That is probably where we will end up for most of our trips in the future, especially once our youngest is 3.
 
Hello Suprize2017! I am in the same boat as you as I have a family of 5 with 3 boys (ages 11, 15 & 17) . On our last trip several years ago, we stayed at the CBR and had to get 2 rooms (we had 6 total for that trip). For our vacation in August 2018, we were intent on getting a suite someplace rather then booking 2 rooms in another resort. Initially, we considered All-Star Music but was talked out of it by some Disney pros that I know who have stayed there and really disliked it compared to other properties. We booked Riverside because of the wonderful feedback from this board. However, some people also recommended the Cabins at Fort Wilderness and after doing more research, we switched to them.

I do not have an opinion about the cabins first-hand as I have not yet taken our vacation. But I just wanted to point them out to you as another option. I love the layout of the Cabin, the full kitchen (even though we are on the dining plan) and having a patio with a picnic table. It seems that people who like Fort Wilderness really enjoy it for its relaxing atmosphere. The pool areas also get positive reviews from most of the people who stay here. Though I do recognize that it is a completely different kind of experience then staying at Riverside.

Good luck in planning your vacation :)
 


Hello Suprize2017! I am in the same boat as you as I have a family of 5 with 3 boys (ages 11, 15 & 17) . On our last trip several years ago, we stayed at the CBR and had to get 2 rooms (we had 6 total for that trip). For our vacation in August 2018, we were intent on getting a suite someplace rather then booking 2 rooms in another resort. Initially, we considered All-Star Music but was talked out of it by some Disney pros that I know who have stayed there and really disliked it compared to other properties. We booked Riverside because of the wonderful feedback from this board. However, some people also recommended the Cabins at Fort Wilderness and after doing more research, we switched to them.

I do not have an opinion about the cabins first-hand as I have not yet taken our vacation. But I just wanted to point them out to you as another option. I love the layout of the Cabin, the full kitchen (even though we are on the dining plan) and having a patio with a picnic table. It seems that people who like Fort Wilderness really enjoy it for its relaxing atmosphere. The pool areas also get positive reviews from most of the people who stay here. Though I do recognize that it is a completely different kind of experience then staying at Riverside.

Good luck in planning your vacation :)
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top