Hi Amy!
Thanks so much for stopping by the Disney Parks Moms Panel for help planning your Walt Disney World vacation. I can only imagine how excited you must be for your trip. Less than a year to go - hooray!
There are great options at a few different price points that would work well for your family of 7. The most affordable would be to stay in 2 rooms at one of the
Value Resort Hotels. The rooms there sleep up to 4 adults (with 2 double beds each) and you can request connecting rooms at the time you make your reservation. My favorite in this category is Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. It’s the newest resort, the theming is amazing and The Big Blue Pool is the largest single pool on property. There are a limited number of Little Mermaid Standard Rooms here and they book up quickly, so if you’re interested in this location, I’d recommend making your reservation soon. I also love Disney’s Pop Century Resort and I've actually stayed there more than any other resort at Walt Disney World.
If you’d like a little more space, queen-size beds and some added amenities, you can also look at the
Moderate Resort Hotels to compare pricing.
The other option that you might check out is renting a
Deluxe Villa through an independent site like dvcrequest.com, which could save you quite a bit over booking directly with Disney yourself. There are 2-bedroom Villas that sleep up to 8, plus they include a full kitchen and washer and dryer, which would be a big bonus during your stay.
I hope that helps, Amy, but please stop by again if we can help answer any other questions. Wishing you a MAGICAL vacation!
Beth