Hi Paula,
As a Mom of 5, I can understand your budget concerns
and your desire to treat your family to a magical vacation together. I would love to help you plan!
First, spend some time looking at the
Value Resorts. You can reserve 2 connecting rooms for your family which will give you 2 bathrooms and 4 double beds. My family of 7 has done this and it works out fine. This is the cheapest route. The Value Resorts all have pools, but they don't have slides. You may want to spend a day at a Water Park which would be a lot more fun than a pool slide anyway.
Also, choose Base tickets as opposed to Park Hoppers. If this is your first trip, you will find plenty to see and do in each park to fill up an entire day (or more). This will save you a significant amount of money.
You may also want to plan on ordering some groceries from a company called Garden Grocer. They deliver to your resort and their prices are very reasonable. You can bring snacks into the parks. I use Garden Grocer and we eat breakfast in our room on most days. For example, I get Nutri-Grain and granola bars, muffins, cases of bottled water, goldfish crackers, etc. When you consider that a bottle of water is almost $3 each in the parks, and you can get a case of 24 for around $8...you'll save a lot of money. You can request a cup with ice at any Quick Service location and then just chill your water that way if it is warm in your backpack.
Please feel free to send me follow-up questions. I'd love to help you plan your vacation so you can make priceless memories with your family...while sticking to your budget!
Kaylene