For a family of five, the cheapest Disney World resort room is often a fifth-sleeper room at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside or Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, not a Value Resort family suite. Both Moderates have rooms with two queen beds and a child-size pull-down bed. If your fifth guest needs a full-size bed, Disney’s All-Star Music Resort Family Suite is a better budget option. A Fort Wilderness campsite can cost even less if your family already has camping equipment.
The key is to compare rooms that actually fit your family. Most standard Disney Value Resort rooms sleep four, so the lowest advertised resort rate may not apply to a party of five. The ages of your children, the type of fifth bed, and the dates you book can completely change which resort is cheapest.
Cheapest Disney World Resorts for a Family of 5 Compared
| Disney Resort Option | Sleeping Setup | Why Consider It? |
|---|---|---|
| Port Orleans Riverside, 5th Sleeper | Two queens and a child-size pull-down bed | Often the lowest-priced conventional resort room for five |
| Caribbean Beach, eligible 5th-sleeper room | Two queens and a child-size pull-down bed | Can be similarly affordable, with Skyliner access |
| All-Star Music Family Suite | One queen and two queen-size pull-down beds; sleeps six | Budget-friendly suite with two bathrooms |
| Art of Animation Family Suite | One queen, double sleeper sofa and double pull-down; sleeps six | Two bathrooms, Disney theming and Skyliner access |
| Two standard Value Resort rooms | Separate rooms, generally up to four guests each | May cost less than one suite, but connecting rooms are not guaranteed |
| Fort Wilderness campsite | Bring your own tent, camper or RV; sites accommodate up to eight | Potentially the cheapest on-property option for campers |
Important: Disney describes the fifth-sleeper beds at Riverside and Caribbean Beach as child-size and lists those rooms as sleeping up to four adults. They are not a good default for five adults or a group with an older teenager who needs a full-size bed. At Caribbean Beach, not every room in a standard or preferred category has the extra bed, so confirm that the room assigned to your party includes it.
Which Disney Resort Is Actually Cheapest for Five People?
A Moderate Resort room with a fifth sleeper can cost less than a family suite even though Disney classifies All-Star Music as a Value Resort. That is because you are comparing different room types, not the resorts’ cheapest advertised rooms.
For a concrete illustration, a published check of Disney’s booking prices for January 12, 2027, recorded in September 2026, showed the following nightly examples:
| Room That Can Accommodate Five | Sample Nightly Rate |
|---|---|
| Port Orleans Riverside, 5th Sleeper | $283.05 |
| Caribbean Beach, eligible fifth-sleeper room | $317.05 |
| All-Star Music Family Suite | $321.30 |
| Art of Animation Family Suite | $425.00 |
These are historical sample quotes for two adults, before tax, not live availability or final prices for a family of five. They were recorded from Disney’s booking system and published by Whistle While You Work. The actual price for your five registered guests may differ, as will discounts, dates and availability. Use the examples to see why the cheapest Moderate room can beat a Value family suite, not to set your trip budget.
If your main goal is the lowest price for a proper hotel room, I would check Riverside and Caribbean Beach first. If extra sleeping space or two bathrooms are essential, compare All-Star Music with the cost of two standard Value rooms.
Port Orleans Riverside: My First Choice for the Lowest Room Rate
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside has a dedicated Standard Location – 5th Sleeper category in its Alligator Bayou area. Disney lists two queen beds and one child-size pull-down bed. That makes it a practical option for two adults and three children when one child is comfortable on the smaller bed.
This is still a single hotel room with one bathroom, not a suite. For a family with small kids, though, that may be all you need. Riverside also has landscaped grounds, a pool with a waterslide, bus transportation to the theme parks and boat service to Disney Springs.
The biggest drawback is space. A fifth-sleeper room can feel cramped for older children, and the resort is spread out. Disney also has a guest-room refurbishment project scheduled through August 2027, so check the construction notice for your dates.
Check the exact room description on Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside room page. For more about this resort category, see my cheapest Moderate Disney Resort comparison.
Caribbean Beach: The Budget Alternative With Skyliner Access
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is the other Moderate I would price immediately. Certain Standard Location and Preferred Location rooms have two queen beds plus a child-size pull-down bed. Disney also offers rooms in those categories with only two queen beds, so make sure the reservation accommodates all five guests and includes the right bedding.
Caribbean Beach has an advantage over Riverside if you are spending a lot of time at EPCOT or Hollywood Studios: it is a hub for the Disney Skyliner. Buses serve Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, while the gondolas offer another option for the other two parks. For a family planning afternoon hotel breaks, this can be valuable.
Like Riverside, Caribbean Beach is a large resort, and a five-person room is still a single room with one bathroom. There is also ongoing resort work to check before your trip. If the price difference is small, I would choose Caribbean Beach for an EPCOT-heavy itinerary and Riverside when its room quote is substantially cheaper.
For room eligibility, see Disney’s Caribbean Beach room listings and my Caribbean Beach Resort review.
All-Star Music Family Suite: Best Budget Suite for Five
All-Star Music remains one of the best Disney World budget accommodations for a family of five. It just is not always the cheapest room. Its family suite sleeps up to six adults, with a queen bed in the bedroom, two queen-size pull-down beds, two full bathrooms and a kitchenette with a microwave and refrigerator.
The second bathroom is the biggest selling point to me. Five people getting ready for a park morning is much easier with separate sinks and showers, and the additional beds work better for older children than a child-size fifth sleeper.
All-Star Music uses buses for its park transportation. You will not have the Skyliner advantage of Caribbean Beach or Art of Animation, and the resort itself is straightforward rather than luxurious. But you are getting a true suite designed for a larger group rather than squeezing everyone into a room built around two queen beds.
Look specifically for the Family Suite category on Disney’s All-Star Music room page. The standard and preferred rooms at this hotel generally sleep only four. You can also compare my Disney World Value Resort rankings.
Art of Animation: A More Expensive Family Suite
Art of Animation Family Suites sleep up to six adults and include a separate bedroom, a double sleeper sofa, a double-size pull-down bed, two bathrooms and a kitchenette. You can choose from Finding Nemo, Cars and The Lion King themes, or book a general Family Suite category when available.
For kids who love Disney and Pixar characters, it is probably the most memorable resort on this list. It also shares a Skyliner station with Pop Century, making it convenient for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.
But Art of Animation suites often cost considerably more than All-Star Music. I would pay the extra amount only if the theme, pool, or Skyliner access would noticeably improve the trip. The Little Mermaid standard rooms are not an alternative for five guests without an applicable infant occupancy exception.
For the room setup, see my Art of Animation family suite floor plan and Finding Nemo suite review.
Could Two Value Resort Rooms Be Cheaper Than a Suite?
Sometimes, yes. Two standard rooms at an All-Star Resort or Pop Century may cost less than a single All-Star Music or Art of Animation Family Suite. That is why I would price both arrangements rather than assume the suite automatically wins.
Two rooms give you two bathrooms and more sleeping separation, but connecting rooms are a request, not a guarantee. That matters with young children. Check the booking rules for your exact family, including adult supervision and whether Disney can accommodate connecting rooms, before using this strategy.
If everyone is comfortable in one suite, All-Star Music is often a simpler reservation. If you have teenagers or grandparents traveling with you, two rooms may be easier. My Disney World hotels with suites guide covers other room layouts.
What If Your Family of Five Includes a Baby?
This can change the answer completely. Disney generally allows one child under age three in addition to the normal occupancy limit for a room, provided you include that child on the reservation. For example, two adults, two older children and one infant may be able to book a standard Value Resort room designed for four.
That could make All-Star Sports, All-Star Movies, All-Star Music or Pop Century cheaper than any of the fifth-sleeper or suite options. Do not leave the infant off the reservation or assume the rule applies to multiple additional young children. Enter every guest’s actual age when searching Disney’s rooms.
For general resort prices, my cheapest Disney World resort guide compares the standard Value rooms.
Is Fort Wilderness the Cheapest Option for a Family of Five?
A tent or RV campsite at Disney’s Fort Wilderness can be the least expensive Disney-owned accommodation for five people. Disney lists its campsites as accommodating up to eight adults, depending on the site and equipment.
But a campsite is not a hotel room. You need your own tent or RV, sleeping equipment, and a plan for cooking and bathroom facilities. If you must rent an RV or purchase camping gear just for this trip, the savings may disappear. Fort Wilderness is worth comparing for families who already enjoy camping, not as the default hotel recommendation.
Disney also offers cabins at Fort Wilderness, but those are separate accommodations with a different price and should not be confused with campsites. See the official Fort Wilderness campsite details.
How I Would Book the Cheapest Disney Room for Five
- Enter all five guests and their ages. This filters out rooms that cannot legally accommodate your party and identifies whether an infant changes the room options.
- Check Riverside’s 5th Sleeper and Caribbean Beach first. If your fifth person can comfortably use the child-size pull-down bed, compare both resorts for identical dates.
- Compare the All-Star Music Family Suite. Pay attention to the difference in price for two bathrooms, full-size beds and a kitchenette.
- Price two Value Resort rooms and Art of Animation. Compare the full stay rather than assuming a particular category is cheapest.
- Check Disney discounts and room availability. A special offer can make a normally more expensive resort the best deal. Verify the specific room type, construction notices and final total before booking.
For promotions, see my guide to Disney World resort discounts. If you are willing to stay off-property, compare cheap hotels near Disney World with park shuttles, while accounting for fees and transportation. You can compare actual room categories on Disney’s official resort booking page.
The Best Budget Choice Depends on Your Fifth Guest
For two adults and three children, I would check Port Orleans Riverside’s fifth-sleeper room and eligible Caribbean Beach rooms before booking an All-Star Music Family Suite. They can cost less while keeping everyone in one Disney hotel room. Caribbean Beach is especially appealing if you want Skyliner access.
If your fifth guest is too big for a child-size pull-down bed, or your family needs two bathrooms, All-Star Music is the budget suite I would check first. If one child is under three, a standard four-person Value room could be the actual cheapest solution. The right answer comes from comparing the same five guests, room occupancy rules and total stay price, not just picking the resort with “Value” in its category.
