Hi Audra,
Welcome to planDisney! I am delighted to see you stopping by with a great question. Bring on the fun - you win the award for taking the lead on planning a family trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort! For your group, I recommend
Disney's Art of Animation Resort or
Disney's Pop Century Resort. Both have access to the
Disney Skyliner which provides transportation to EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios as well as a few other Disney Resorts Collection hotels. While both resorts are super cute, Disney's Art of Animation has
family suites that sleep up to six adults in addition to standard rooms. The family suites have two bathrooms.
As you plan, keep an eye on the
Special Offers. As an Annual Passholder, I also suggest that you take a look at the
Annual Passholder options. From time to time, there are Special Offers for Annual Passholders. If one of you joined the Annual Passholder family, you could take advantage of a Special Offer on rooms for Annual Passholders and there are other benefits of being an Annual Passholder including
discounts on select merchandise, dining, and experiences. Just consider how many days you plan to visit the theme parks and then compare the cost of theme park tickets to the cost of an Annual Pass. Since you have some time until your visit, I suggest that you start pricing out rooms now so that you can get a sense of standard room rates and Special Offer rates.
Understanding your concerns about budget, I also know that time is of value. Staying at one of the resort hotels with access to
Walt Disney World® Monorail Transportation is also an amazing experience. When we started traveling with our girls, I decided that it was better for us to stay one night less at a resort hotel with access to the monorail because having that access made it so much easier to visit Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Staying one night less made our stay more affordable yet the proximity to the theme parks meant we could still experience all that we wanted to experience. And, when we stay at Disney's Contemporary Resort or Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, we can walk to Magic Kingdom!
Audra, I hope this helps you get started! I have to say that all of the Disney resort hotels are lovely and distinctive. Be sure to check the amenities at each, especially the dining options, as you make your decision. I am also sending a little extra pixie dust for patience - planning a trip for a larger group can require quite a bit!
Magic and memories,
Donyell