Party of Five? These Disney Hotel Rooms Offer a 5th Sleeper
Staying at a Disney Hotel has benefits, one of which can make a substantial difference for travelers with a party of five. We’re talking about rooms with a 5th sleeper. Of course, these room types also work for smaller parties who prefer separate beds. For instance, if you have two children, one might sleep on the room’s queen-size bed, and the other might enjoy the single sleeper.
The benefit? Everyone has their own space, or if you’re a party of five, you can fit everyone in the same room. You don’t have to worry about the expense of reserving two rooms and requesting connecting doors. You don’t have to spend hours searching the secondary rental market for oversized condos or homes, hoping they are as close to Disney as they say. You’ll already be at Disney and eligible for complimentary transportation to and from the theme parks. Plus, you get all the other benefits of staying at a Disney Resort.
Below, we’ll preview all the Disney Resorts (by resort category) that offer a fifth sleeper. To be clear, we’re not including family suites or rooms that accommodate larger groups. These are all standard hotel rooms and deluxe studios that offer two queen-size beds and one single sleeper. As for nuances, you’ll notice some rooms have unique bed styles, which we’ll point out.
Moderate Resorts with a 5th Sleeper
We’ll start with the moderate resorts. Unfortunately, none of the value resorts offer a fifth sleeper. A few do, however, offer family suites, which we’ll cover separately. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort lets you reserve a room with a fifth sleeper. To get this room type, you’ll reserve a standard room with a fifth sleeper. This room type sleeps up to four adults and one small child. So, consider the size of the person who will sleep on the fifth bed. I have a 10-year-old family member who would do fine on this type of bed. My teenage niece, however, would now be too tall to sleep comfortably on the pull-down fifth sleeper.
Naturally, we’re all different shapes and sizes, but if I had to guess, 12-13-year-olds would be about the maximum age for the pull-down sleeper. I also assume that’s why Disney lists these rooms as four adults and one small child. (We’ll see some options for five adults below.) We have a photo tour of the Under the Sea Rooms at Caribbean Beach if you want to learn more.
Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside is another moderate resort category option that offers room for five. These rooms will see updates in the next year or so, but the layout should remain the same. If you’re reserving a 5th sleeper option at Riverside, you’ll end up in the Alligator Bayou section of the resort.
Similar to Caribbean Beach, these rooms sleep up to four adults and one small child. On a side note, this section of Riverside and the entirety of Caribbean Beach do not have elevators. So if you end up with a second-floor room assignment, you’ll have to take the stairs. For more details, see our photo tour of the Alligator Bayou rooms at Riverside.
Deluxe Resorts with a 5th Sleeper
Next, we’ll check out the deluxe resorts with fifth sleepers. Unlike the moderates, these specific deluxe resorts sleep up to five adults. The difference? They all have fifth sleepers that are sofa beds. This is my preferred fifth sleeper option, and I’ve personally slept on this type of bed for a week on the Disney Wish (cruise ship). I found it comfortable, and because of the design, you get plenty of support that the pull-down beds don’t offer.
Both Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort have this type of bed. Here is the sleeper sofa in the Moana rooms at Disney’s Polynesian. The mattress, which you’ll see momentarily, is hidden in the sofa’s back rather than tucked under the seat cushions.
Here is a photo of the room with the sofa folded. While the Polynesian isn’t my favorite resort, these are my favorite standard hotel rooms at Disney World. They are spacious and well-designed.
In the Magic Kingdom Resort area, we’ll stop at Disney’s Contemporary Resort to check out the Incredible rooms. These rooms have a long sofa, and a portion of it folds down.
When we stayed in this room as a party of three, each of us had a bed, and it worked well. It was also a partial work trip for me, and I could set up my desk area on the end of the sofa and leave it that way when the bed was in use. My only complaint was that the small table was a little high for the seating area. Otherwise, we enjoyed the room and our stay at the Contemporary. See our Incredibles room review for more details.
Moving on to the Epcot Resorts Area, all three resorts offer rooms with a fifth sleeper for up to five adults. Here is a photo of the rooms at Disney’s Beach Club. The rooms at Disney’s Yacht Club have a similar layout.
The rooms on the Beach Club side of the resort were renovated fairly recently, with touches of classic characters like Donald Duck and family. We have a photo tour of Beach Club’s rooms if you want to learn more.
Disney’s BoardWalk Resort sits across the lake from the Beach and Yacht Club. On our last stay, our room had an oversized chair that pulled out to a single bed. This is the only place where we’ve personally seen this type of fifth sleeper. We didn’t need the extra bed on this stay, so I cannot comment on whether or not it was comfortable. For more on the rooms, see our photo tour of the rooms at the Boardwalk Inn.
Deluxe Villa Resorts with a 5th Sleeper
Our last stop for the fifth sleeper option is Disney’s Villa Resorts. You will see a few repeats on this list, but note that these are all separate Disney Vacation Club Resorts. When booking the following room types, they will all be listed as deluxe studios.
Now for the part that might not make sense. On their website, Disney notes that these rooms sleep up to five adults. The deluxe studios we’re about to preview all have the same pull-down bed style as the moderates. You may remember that the moderate resorts specifically state that they sleep up to four adults with one small child. We’ve stayed in most of these room types, and while the fold-down bed that’s part of the sofa at the deluxe resort is a distinct difference, I can’t see one on the single pull-down beds.
On the flip side, the deluxe studios will have many more amenities than a standard hotel room. You’ll find the fifth sleeper at both the Grand Floridian Villas and Polynesian Villas. Note that the Island Tower at the Polynesian does not have the fifth sleeper. You’ll be at the original portion of the resort in one of the following buildings: Moorea, Pago Pago, or Tokelau. Here is a photo of a deluxe studio at the Polynesian Villas.
As you can see, the fifth sleeper pulls down from the wall. It features Lilo and Stitch artwork inside. This is another great room option if you’re considering the Polynesian. It has a split bath layout that works well. You can preview the entire room in our Polynesian Villas deluxe studio room tour.
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge were recently updated. We don’t have a current photo of these new studios. Note that Wilderness Lodge is home to two villa resorts: Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek. If you’re looking for the fifth sleeper, make sure you select Boulder Ridge. Copper Creek Villas do not have an extra bed.
Back at the Epcot Resorts Area, the Beach Club Villas and Boardwalk Villas both offer deluxe studios with a pull-down single bed. Here is a photo of the one at Boardwalk Villas.
We have more photos available in our Boardwalk Villas Review.
Last but not least is Disney’s Riviera Resort. This is another one of our favorite rooms at Disney World. The photo below shows the deluxe studio layout with all bed options in use.
Here’s a closer look at the individual bed. You can preview the entire room (which has a wonderful bath layout) in our photo tour of the deluxe studio at Disney’s Riviera Resort.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article helped you decide which Disney World resorts offer a fifth sleeper option. It took some time and effort on my end to explain it in a way that made sense, at least I hope. For more on the Disney Resort Hotels, you might enjoy these overviews:
Are you planning a visit to Disney World with Kids? You might also enjoy our guide to the best Disney World Resorts for Kids. Or see our entire list of Disney World Hotel Reviews.
To learn more about the resorts, see our guide to the Disney World Hotels. You might also like our overview of dining at Disney World. Need to know how to get around? Our beginner’s guide to transportation options at Disney World is one of our top resources.
For touring the parks, see our Disney World Rides and Attractions guide. It links to attraction guides for all four theme parks. If you’re just getting started, you might like our Disney World Vacation Planning Guide. It brings together the resources you need to plan your visit. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more updates.
In the Comments
What do you think of these Disney Resorts with 5th sleeper options? Have you stayed in any? Do you have a preference? Let us know in the comments.