Tween DS and DD sharing “queen” bed in Disney hotel

[Calelladreaming]

Hello, am hoping to take our kids for a trip of a lifetime to DWF in October 2026. Planning a two week half term trip with 10 days in some sort of self-catering (poss Windsor Hills or The Grove) followed by a 4 day splurge on a Disney hotel, likely Animal Kingdom.

Am completely gobsmacked at how un-family friendly most hotel rooms are with 2 queen beds rather than a queen and 2 singles (FFS, if Premier Inn can get this right….!). I can’t see how this arrangement would suit anyone other than a family group of 2A 1C.

DS will be 12 (nearly 13) and DD will be 11. Would I be nuts to consider getting them to share a queen bed/is it just plain wrong, or would I be nuts not to do this?!

Any views or experiences welcome. The beds look huge so maybe it’s not such an issue to share but I don’t know.

The alternative is to book 2 rooms at double the cost (which would still be cheaper than the “suites” which would have an extra sofa bed or similar).

One option would be to let the kids decide and to offer them, say, £300 spending money each if they’re willing to share which would still be a big saving and would keep them happy/mean they’re not being forced to share.

While we could afford a second room it’s such a lot of money even in the context of the holiday as a whole, and it’s an inheritance that’s funding it so I don’t want to “waste” money IYSWIM.

Thank you!

I’d do (and have done in a similar situation) mum in with daughter and dad in with son.

I agree with PP.

Save the money for spending on all the extras - if the kids don't want to share a bed why don't you share with your DD and your DH and DS can share the other bed.

were going away this summer- 2 queen beds. I’ll sleep with dd (9) and dh with DS (13)
is that an option for you?

Doing same this year but with two DSs. I’ll share with 9yo and DH will share with nearly 14yo.

Obvious solution is that you share with your daughter and your husband shares with your son. I wouldn't have the siblings in the same bed at that age.

Some resorts have a pull-down bed that initially looks like a sofa or a table. Have a look on some YouTube hotel reviews. Many of the Disney hotels have this option. Or email the hotel and enquire if a different variation is possible.

Especially as they are not even siblings!
No way would I expect my almost secondary school age daughter to share a bed with a boy (nor would I expect the boy to)

We did occasionally at similar ages. DD sprawls so we usually tried to put some kind of barrier down the middle. DB and I used to routinely sleep top to tail at relatives as kids. When they were older, on one holiday we bought a self-inflating mattress from Target when we arrived and they took it in turns to sleep on that, so that's a possibility otherwise.

They are siblings?
I still wouldn’t make them share though.

Having gone to medium
priced Disney hotel in Florida last summer the beds are definitely not huge. A standard queen… felt small and we got two rooms and one person in each bed was much better! Not sure how well anyone would sleep
cramming 4 people into one room. Would be a real squash and getting ready in mornings with one shower/ one toilet etc would take time.

What?

I can't see where it's stated that they aren't siblings? Could be me!

But in any case agree with the above solution.

Either let the DCs share or do as PPs have suggested. I wouldn't worry about it.

I would, I think 12 & 11 is the oldest age you'll get away with it so may as well save the money. Or you could do you and DD and DS and DH sharing?
I think American queen beds are bigger than UK queen too so there'll be plenty of space

Yes. The obvious answer is you share with dd and your dh shares with ds.
Is there nowhere with bunks?

Have you looked at some of the moderate resorts at WDW? Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful but definitely one of the more pricey and doesn’t benefit from being on the monorail like some of the other deluxe options. You still have a bus ride to the parks.

You might find a better room at something like Art of Animation.

You must be quite comfortably off and good for you but many people would struggle to pay for two rooms on Disney resorts and that is why the rooms are specifically designed for a family of four. You’re not “crammed” in at all, they’re perfectly adequate for sleeping and showering etc.

Thank you all, I don’t normally miss the obvious! But yes, it would be a workable solution for me to share with DD and DH to share with DS. 😊

We stayed at the grove last year and the second bedroom had 2 singles. We've also stayed in Bahama Bay and floridays which had 2 singles in the 2nd bedroom, if that helps.

A lot of Disney accommodation does have a drop down bed (5th sleeper), have you checked your room type doesn't have that. This is why we have never stayed on property at disney, we'd lose our minds sharing one room for 2 weeks!

Is top-to-toe with pillows/rolled sheet/towels/pool noodles down the middle an option? (not necessarily all of those at once, that might be overdoing it a bit).

Or as PP said, an airbed from Walmart/Target and they take turns in the "proper" bed. You might even be able to pass it on to another family when you leave for your park hotel, you always end up running into the same Brits at all the parks.

Animal kingdom Lodge has rooms with a queen and a bunk. Request one of those on arrival or go adult plus child as others have suggested.
Beautiful hotel, we've stayed twice.

We usually stay at Port Orleans resort which comes with the pull down Murphy bed which would be fine for your youngest depending on height. Having been on a lot of Disney forums some people take or buy an inflatable single bed and one child sleeps on that. Most do the Mum with daughter, Dad with son.

Animal Kingdom lodge is further out than most resorts, just putting that in there for travel times to and from the parks.

2 queen sized beds is standard in the US.

@BruisedNeckMeat I've stayed at both and if they have the money to splurge, AKL is just a no brainer. They aren't comparable. Also, the pools are warmer at AKL!

It's fine. An American queen is a UK king roughly. There's loads of space. You spend so little time in the room and are so exhausted by the evening I can't see it being an issue. Would they camp side by side in a tent? This is no different. Just ask for two sets of twin duvets/comforters so they don't annoy each other with the blankets.