(Article last updated: April 13, 2016)
Families of more than 4 people often struggle to find an affordable resort for their Disney World trip, so today I've listed the resort options (onsite and offsite) from least to most expensive to help families of 5+ decide what will work best for them.
Let's take a look...
Yes, that's a pic of Darius Rucker at Disney World, or as I call him, Hootie, which always prompts my kids to ask things like "What was Hootie anyway? Some kind of kid show?" and call me old because obviously he's a country singer.
In this article
- First things first
- B resort
- Wyndham Bonnet Creek
- Doubletree Guest Suites in the Walt Disney World Resort
- Swan/Dolphin
- Caribbean Beach Resort
- Port Orleans Riverside
- Hilton Orlando Resort Lake Buena Vista
- All-Star Music
- Art of Animation
- Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa
- Ft. Wilderness
- Beach Club and Yacht Club
- Contemporary Resort
- Villas at Wilderness Lodge
- Boardwalk Inn
- Coronado Springs
- Old Key West
- Polynesian
- Animal Kingdom Villas (Jambo and Kidani)
- Grand Floridian
- Bay Lake Tower
- Saratoga Springs
- Wilderness Lodge
- Beach Club Villas
- Boardwalk Villas
First things first
Before deciding to stay offsite
This list includes all onsite resort options, as well as some of the closest offsite resorts. There are obviously many more offsite options than what I've listed, but these are the ones that are very close to Disney World.
People staying offsite should consider that many/most offsite resorts have daily resort fees, parking fees, etc., and you need to review the perks of staying onsite to make sure it is your best option.
2 rooms might be better
Though the list below covers the rooms that accommodate 5+, it's often much cheaper to just book 2 rooms at a resort that has a max capacity of 4 per room and then request connecting rooms.
If you have a family of 5+ with kids under 18, Disney will guarantee that you'll get connecting rooms. If you decide to do that, it'll just be 1 reservation and require the same deposit as if you booked just 1 room.
See the pros and cons of every Disney World resort for info on all of the onsite resorts.
About the numbers listed below
- The rates I've listed are full rack rates and don't include tax or reflect any promotional discounts which are often available.
- The "max capacity" is the number of people age 3+ allowed per room. A child under 3 is usually allowed in addition to that max capacity number.
B resort
Offsite or onsite: Offsite, Disney Springs resort area
Room type: Captivating Queen
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: Just over 300 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queen beds and a sleeper sofa
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $95/night
Wyndham Bonnet Creek
Offsite or onsite: Offsite, but very, very close to Disney World
Room type: 2 bedroom condos
Max capacity: 8
Square footage: 1257 sq. ft.
Beds: King bed, 2 double beds, and queen sleeper sofa
# of bathrooms: 2
Prices starting at: $100/night through VRBO.com
Doubletree Guest Suites in the Walt Disney World Resort
Offsite or onsite: Offsite, Disney Springs resort area
Room type: 1 bedroom suite
Max capacity: 6
Square footage: 540 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queen beds and a pullout sofa
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $159/night
Swan/Dolphin
Offsite or onsite: Technically offsite, but located onsite between other Epcot-area resorts and has many onsite perks like making FastPass+ reservations 60 days beforehand and Extra Magic Hours
Room type: Deluxe Alcove (Standard Dolphin rooms w/a rollaway bed can also accommodate up to 5 people)
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 500 sq. ft.
Beds: 1 bed in sleeping area (queen bed at the Swan, double at the Dolphin), sofa bed, and optional rollaway bed
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $175/night
Caribbean Beach Resort
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: All rooms except Pirate and King rooms
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 300 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queen beds and a twin Murphy bed
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $187/night
Port Orleans Riverside
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Alligator Bayou rooms (all buildings except the Mansion buildings which are buildings 80, 85, 90, and 95)
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 314 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queen beds and a twin Murphy bed
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $214/night
Hilton Orlando Resort Lake Buena Vista
Offsite or onsite: Offsite, in Disney Springs resort area
Room type: Junior suite
Max capacity: 6
Square footage: Around 500 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 double beds and a sleeper sofa
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $239/night
All-Star Music
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Suites
Max capacity: 6
Square footage: 520 sq. ft.
Beds: 1 queen, 1 twin sleeper chair, 1 double sleeper sofa, and 1 twin sleeper ottoman
# of bathrooms: 2
Prices starting at: $244/night
Art of Animation
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Suites
Max capacity: 6
Square footage: 565 sq. ft.
Beds: 1 queen, 1 double Murphy table bed, and 1 double sleeper sofa
# of bathrooms: 2
Prices starting at: $312/night
Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa
Offsite or onsite: Offsite, in Disney Springs resort area
Room type: 2 bedroom suite
Max capacity: 6
Square footage: 800 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queen beds and a sofa sleeper
# of bathrooms: 1.5
Prices starting at: $339/night
Ft. Wilderness
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Cabins
Max capacity: 6
Square footage: 504 sq. ft.
Beds: 1 double bed, bunk beds, pull-down bed
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $348/night
Beach Club and Yacht Club
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Standard
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 400 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queens and a twin daybed
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $400/night
Contemporary Resort
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Standard
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 437 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queens and a twin daybed
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $400/night
Villas at Wilderness Lodge
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Studios and 2 bedroom villas
Max capacity: 5 for studios, 8 for 2 br villas
Square footage: 356 sq. ft. for studios, 1080 sq. ft. for 2 br villas
Beds: Studios: 1 queen, 1 full sleeper sofa, and 1 twin Murphy bed. 2 br villas: 1 king, 2 queens, and a queen sleeper sofa
# of bathrooms: 1 for studios, 2 for 2 br villas
Prices starting at: $421/night for studios, $928/night for 2 br villas if booked through Disney, usually less if renting points
Boardwalk Inn
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Standard
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 434 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queens and a twin daybed
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $459/night
Coronado Springs
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Junior Suite, Casitas - 1 Bedroom Suite, and Casitas - Executive Suite
Max capacity: 6
Square footage: Junior Suite is 628 sq. ft., 1 bedroom suites are 942 sq. ft., and Executive Suite is 1570 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queen beds and 1 queen sleeper sofa in all rooms except the Executive Suite which has 2 queen beds and a king bed
# of bathrooms: Executive Suite has 2.5 baths, others have 2 baths
Prices starting at: $460/night for Junior Suites, $811/night for a 1 bedroom suite, and $1171/night for Executive Suite
Old Key West
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: 1 bedroom villas (larger villas also available)
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 942 sq. ft.
Beds: King bed, queen sleeper sofa
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $508/night if booked through Disney, usually less if renting points
Polynesian
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Standard (or consider a Studio in the Villas section - graphic comparing the 2 shown below)
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 404 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queens and a twin daybed
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $508/night
Animal Kingdom Villas (Jambo and Kidani)
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: 1 bedroom villa (larger villas also available)
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 710 sq. ft.
Beds: King bed, queen sleeper sofa
# of bathrooms: 1 at Jambo, 2 at Kidani
Prices starting at: $534/night if booked through Disney, usually less if renting points
Grand Floridian
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Standard
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 448 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queen beds and a twin daybed
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $640/night
Bay Lake Tower
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: 1 bedroom villas (larger villas also available)
Max capacity: 5
Square footage: 727 sq. ft.
Beds: King bed and queen sleeper sofa
# of bathrooms: 2
Prices starting at: $655/night if booked through Disney, usually less if renting points
Saratoga Springs
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: 2 bedroom villas or Treehouse villas
Max capacity: 8 for 2 br villas, 9 for Treehouse villas
Square footage: 1075 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 br villas: 1 king, 2 queens, and 1 queen sleeper sofa. Treehouse villas: 2 queens, 1 bunk bed, 1 twin sleeper chair, and 1 queen sleeper sofa.
# of bathrooms: 2
Prices starting at: $695/night if booked through Disney, usually less if renting points
Wilderness Lodge
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: Deluxe Rooms (club level)
Max capacity: 6
Square footage: 500 sq. ft.
Beds: 2 queen beds and 1 queen sleeper sofa
# of bathrooms: 1
Prices starting at: $736/night
Beach Club Villas
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: 2 bedroom villas
Max capacity: 8
Square footage: 1083 sq. ft.
Beds: 1 king, 1 queen, and 2 queen sleeper sofas
# of bathrooms: 2
Prices starting at: $890/night if booked through Disney, usually less if renting points
Boardwalk Villas
Offsite or onsite: Onsite
Room type: 2 bedroom villas
Max capacity:
Square footage: 1226 sq. ft.
Beds: 1 king, 1 queen, and 2 queen sleeper sofas
# of bathrooms: 2
Prices starting at: $890/night if booked through Disney, usually less if renting points
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Have questions about one of these resorts or have another one you'd like to add to the list? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
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23 Comments on "Resorts for families of 5 at Disney World (from least to most expensive)"
Hi Shannon, I love your podcast and website! I know this is an older post, but I needed your help. We were looking into reserving two rooms at the pop century resort since we will be 8 people traveling. I chatted with a cast member and they told me I would have to make two seperate reservations and therefore leave two seperate deposits of $200 each. Can you reserve two rooms and make only one deposit??
I hope you respond, but I’ve read that Disney WON’T guarantee connecting rooms for larger families? I have 4 children 10, 8, 7, and 2 at time of travel and really just wanted two rooms with a connecting door.
They will guarantee connecting rooms if the number of adults is less than the number of children.
Our family of 5 is already booked at the Ft. Wilderness Lodge. One of us is planning on taking our toddler back to the Lodge for naps, daily. I’m really nervous this will require a fair bit of time to go from any one of the parks to the room. Can someone give me an idea of how long this might take?
We rented DVC points to stay at Boardwalk Villas in a deluxe studio. This was Dec. 2015. The resort was undergoing renovations, and some rooms had a pull-down twin bed by the TV, so the capacity was 5 (two queens and that pull-down). Substantial cost savings!
Not sure if all BWV studios have this option, but I wanted to mention it for those who were looking to rent points. We paid $244/night.
There’s also the Saratoga Springs Treehouse Viillas starting at $741. From the Disney website — 2 Queen beds, one bunk bed, and 1 Twin-Size Sleeper Chair and 1 Queen-Size Sleeper Sofa
Sleeps up to 9 Adults.
In addition, answering other comments above, all DVC 1 bedroom and larger accommodations include a full kitchen with a full size fridge.
Ok, so I have been looking at the Extended stays, what I need for next year is accomodations for 5 with 2 bathrooms we were thinking about going to universal studios as well, the stay would be for 7-8 days any suggestions. we would like to have a full size refrigerator and microwave
Please confirm if this is correct, but of all the onsite Disney properties you’ve listed, only the DCV ones will have a fridge/microwave or more correct? Or said another way, all the rooms that are 2 queen beds with some sort of day bed/murphy bed….those are regular hotel rooms so to speak?
The DVC rooms and suites have microwaves. All onsite resorts have refrigerators.
This statement is wrong. I have stayed at value resorts for the last to years. (Sports and Movies). Neither of the rooms had refrigerators, and if they had them in the past they may not get them back.
As of 2012, they now have refrigerators. In summer of 2013, many had to be replaced due to an issue and some rooms temporarily didn’t have refrigerators available to use.
Are the fridges full size or are they mini fridges? And do they have freezer compartments ? My family and I are planning on staying for a week when we finally go, and I wanted to know what type of groceries I could order for the room.
Do you know if an infant (under 1) counts on the room capacity? Looking to book AKL studio for two adults, 6, 3, and baby next year.
No, I mention that at the top of the article. Kids under 3 don’t count toward the max capacity.
We took our 5 kids plus my mother in law to Disney last year and got adjoining room at All-Star Sports (4 in each room) and we enjoyed it. We were spending the whole day at the parks and really just needed the rooms for sleeping so it worked out great for us! Great post as always.
Hi Dan! I want to do the same next year. Do you relember how much did you pay? Thanks!
We traveled in June with 2 adults and 4 teens. We booked two connecting rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter which was expensive, but still cheaper than the suites. You can squeeze into Art of Animation, but my requirement was that everyone had a real bed and not a sofa bed or chair bed. It was also great having two bathrooms.
thank you so much for this post Shannon! I have been to Orlando 2 times with my kids so far (ages 4 and 5) I will be there again this weekend. I have stayed off property only because I NEED a two-bedroom suite that’s affordable, and most of the rooms on site are too small for my liking, lest I dish out $600/night! I am tempted to try staying onsite next time, but I truly believe the cons outweigh the pros personally, but I will give onsite a try… thanks again for this post
BLT one bedrooms have a second bathroom. Also Kidani Village 1 bedrooms have 2 bathrooms.
Verified and updated! Thanks.