Help choosing resort for family of 6 plus 2 grandparents!

[my523]

We are planning our first Disney trip as a gift my parents. So this is kind of our "Disney trip of a lifetime." To begin, I need help deciding where to stay. Here's the info...

Staying on Disney property is a must.

My family is 2 adults and 4 kids (ages 2-10) and we plan to stay 7 nights.

The grandparents (2 adults) would like to stay as close as possible to us in connecting room or same building.

We are thinking about going early November, early December, or possibly mid-January (is it even warm enough for pools these times?).

I have looked at renting DVC points in order to get a 2BR villa and a nice deluxe stay, but am pretty leery due to the strict cancellation policy (due to the health of one of my parents).

Cost is a small factor, but not a dealbreaker... having an adequate room and being able to be as close as possible (if not with) grandparents is more important.

We also need a resort where the transportation is quick with no in-between stops (like, only one bus stop at the resort).

Help! My brain is tired.

 

[nw6675]

I have looked at renting DVC points in order to get a 2BR villa and a nice deluxe stay, but am pretty leery due to the strict cancellation policy (due to the health of one of my parents).

We rented points from an agency last year, but had to cancel. The travel insurance we bought covered it without issue. Took a month for the check because of the pandemic, but no problem with it being a points rental. Just a thought since the 2 br sounds like it would be a good option.

 

[CarolynFH]

Since your youngest child will be 2, a 1 BR (at some DVC resorts, not all) would accommodate your family, and you could reserve a studio for the grandparents. However, a 2 BR could accommodate everyone. You could let the grandparents have the king size bed in the main bedroom when they're there, and you could have it when they're not (you would have to change the bed linens yourself, but housekeeping can provide clean ones). A (1 or) 2 BR would have a full kitchen as well as laundry, very helpful with small kids and also allows you to pack fewer clothes for everyone since you can throw a load into the washer in the morning and into the dryer that evening. A 1 BR at BLT and at Kidani (Animal Kingdom) has 2 full bathrooms, and a 2 BR at those resorts has 3 full baths. So if a 2 BR is reasonable budget wise, I'd recommend that because even though you would be allowed to book your family of 6 in a 1 BR, it would be kind of tight. IMHO a 2 BR at BLT or Kidani would be much more comfortable for all of you, whether the grandparents come or not.
You may have already found this, but here are the links to the DISboards information on Animal Kindgom Villas and on Bay Lake Tower.

 

[Marionnette]

We are planning our first Disney trip as a gift my parents. So this is kind of our "Disney trip of a lifetime." To begin, I need help deciding where to stay. Here's the info...

Staying on Disney property is a must.

My family is 2 adults and 4 kids (ages 2-10) and we plan to stay 7 nights.

The grandparents (2 adults) would like to stay as close as possible to us (same floor, same villa, connecting room, etc.), BUT they will only be staying for 3-4 nights. If sharing a room/villa, they would need a separate bedroom.

We are thinking about going early November, early December, or possibly mid-January (is it even warm enough for pools these times?).

I have looked at renting DVC points in order to get a 2BR villa and a nice deluxe stay, but am pretty leery due to the strict cancellation policy (due to the health of one of my parents).

Cost is a small factor, but not a dealbreaker... having an adequate room and being able to be as close as possible (if not with) grandparents is more important.

I have reached out to a travel agent, but haven't heard back, yet.

Help! My brain is tired.

Disney regular hotel rooms do not accommodate 6 people. You could book a Family Suite at AoA or ASMu for your family but a regular hotel room for the grandparents would not be nearby.

The pools are heated, so swimming is usually okay November thru January although cold snaps can occur. The air can be a little chilly after sundown in January but the water is still warm

You really cannot beat a 2BR villa for a multi-generational family trip! It gives you personal space to gather as a family but the privacy that separate bedrooms provide. You might be able to book one through the Disney website. Their cancellation policy is a little more lenient. It would be much more expensive than renting but...trip of a lifetime!

If the grandparents don't have mobility issues (a lot of us don't!), a treehouse villa at Saratoga Springs might be fun. 3 bedrooms instead of 2 and a large deck to relax on. One of the bedrooms has bunk beds. The drawback is that you have to climb stairs to get to the villa and they're kind of remote.

If you decide to go the route of a DVC rental, just be aware that November and December fall during what members refer to as Fall Frenzy. It is one of the most desirable travel times for DVC members and they book their home resorts 11 months in advance in many cases. There are also weekends in January that are busy DVC periods...Marathon and MLK weekends to be specific. If you are at all interested in renting, don't wait too long to start the process. You might want to check the DVC Rent/Trade board here on the disboards. Some owners can be very flexible with refunds or rescheduling your trip.

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[potterfanatic]

Maybe a moderate with a pull down bed with connecting rooms might be a good option if your parents are willing to share the pull down bed with one of the kids? It’s definitely not going to be as cozy as a 2 bedr. But it might be significantly less expensive and still function for your family if renting points is off the table.

 

[Lilsia]

Rent DVC points. You get a 1 bedroom and parents get a studio. There really is never a guarantee that your rooms will be close together. The best that you can do is request it. Staying at a smaller resort, like the Beach Club villas instead of SSR, would be better.

 

[Lilsia]

Maybe a moderate with a pull down bed with connecting rooms might be a good option if your parents are willing to share the pull down bed with one of the kids? It’s definitely not going to be as cozy as a 2 bedr. But it might be significantly less expensive and still function for your family if renting points is off the table.

They said that the grandparents won't be staying as long as they are, so when the grandparents leave, the kids will be back in the parent's room.

 

[MulanMom]

When our kids were younger, we did this and booked a dedicated 2BR at BRV using DVC points. It worked great. I always liked dedicated 2 BDRs when little kids were in the mix. However, in your situation, a 2BDR lockoff might work to your advantage. Your parents can stay in the studio portion of the lockoff, and when they leave, you stay in the remaining 1 BDR. You need to have the reservations linked to do this, but it might save you some money for your remaining nights. Have fun and enjoy! Multigenerational trips are so wonderful!

 

[Marionnette]

When our kids were younger, we did this and booked a dedicated 2BR at BRV using DVC points. It worked great. I always liked dedicated 2 BDRs when little kids were in the mix. However, in your situation, a 2BDR lockoff might work to your advantage. Your parents can stay in the studio portion of the lockoff, and when they leave, you stay in the remaining 1 BDR. You need to have the reservations linked to do this, but it might save you some money for your remaining nights. Have fun and enjoy! Multigenerational trips are so wonderful!

You cannot be guaranteed that a studio & 1BR will connect. Like any Disney room assignment, it would only be considered to be a request. And given that a 2BR is fewer points than a 1BR + a studio, I don't think that it would save the OP that much money in the long run.

 

[jo-jo]

We have done many trips with our kids, grandkids. DVC. Asking for close rooms. Most times we are 8- 10 rooms away around a bend on same floor. Once we were one floor exactly above each other. Joked about passing food up and down on a rope. Once exactly across the hall. And a couple of time within a few doors. Close enough you could keep eyeballs on child going to knock on grandma's door.

So you never know.

If you can swing the cost, having grandparents stay in the room with king bed and then just spread out after they leave would be my choice.

 

[DisneyRNMama]

We have a large immediate family (7 of us), and I decided to book a 2 bedroom villa at SSR. I really wanted 2 separate rooms at Wilderness Lodge because we love WL but I didn’t want to risk not having connecting rooms or adjoining rooms. Also the 2 bedroom villas at BR and CC were more expensive than the 2 bedroom at SSR. So we’ll enjoy SSR and the close proximity to Disney Springs.
Another thing to consider is that 2 smaller rooms will feel much more cramped than a 2 bedroom villa.
ETA: I didn’t rent points, I was able to book the villa on the Disney website and add tickets.

 

[Marthasor]

The weather will be variable in any of those months - there is no way to predict whether it will be warm enough to swim or not.

We love the 2-bedroom villas and we never book with rented points. I am not comfortable with the terms and conditions on rentals. It costs more, but we just book through WDTC. I will note, finding 2-bedroom availability has become harder post-shutdown. Personally, I would go online and input any of your preferred dates to see what, if anything, is available and book it. I would do a room-only and buy your tickets separately if your parents aren't staying the whole time and will need different length of park tickets. For a first-time trip, my first choice would be something in the MK area - BLT, VGF (which is very difficult to get, but has the most beautiful rooms in all of WDW, IMHO) or CCV. BRV is nice, but the rooms are in need of a refurb. Second choice would be BCV (which is actually my favorite, but I think the MK area is better for a first-time trip). You could also look for a bungalow at Poly or a 2-bedroom suite at one of the deluxe resorts, but both of those options are typically even more expensive than a 2-bedroom villa.

 

[MulanMom]

You cannot be guaranteed that a studio & 1BR will connect. Like any Disney room assignment, it would only be considered to be a request. And given that a 2BR is fewer points than a 1BR + a studio, I don't think that it would save the OP that much money in the long run.

Unless things have changed significantly with DVC since we were members (23+ years), you can get a 2 BDR lockoff. Most of the 2BDR accommodations are lockoffs...a combination of 1BR + studio. You can't start in a 1 BDR then try to add the studio, but if you start with the 2BRD lockoff then you can reduce to the 1 BDR. We did it at OKW. It did require checking in again for the 1 BDR, but we were able to remain in same unit.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are grandparents who have traveled many times with our families and it is nice to have connecting rooms but not a deal breaker. If you choose a small resort that has everything under one roof instead of separate buildings, you won't be too far from each other. Since the grandparents are only staying for part of the trip you really want two rooms.

 

[Scrapmom3]

We are a family of 10 travelling in November and we booked four rooms at POFQ-one for us (the grandparents), one for four adult children (two couples) to share, and two rooms for my son, DIL, and their two small children (with a request for a connecting door, fingers crossed). I called and requested a "travelling with" number so our reservations are linked--the hope is that we wind up in the same or at least adjacent buildings. We chose POFQ because it is small and very walkable no matter where our rooms happen to fall. I would have liked an additional room so that each couple in the shared room had separate accommodations, but the budget did not allow. The DVC 2-bedroom sounds great if you can swing that--this grandma would love that kitchen option!

 

[my523]

Thanks for all the ideas. However, my parents recently told me that they actually DON'T want to share a villa. They want a completely separate room. So, it sounds like the lock-off villas would be a great option. Or, if we can't find availability, standard rooms/ studios.

I know AoA has family suites. Are there other resorts that would fit my family of 6 comfortably? I know that since our little one is under 3, she could be in a pack 'n play. But, I have no idea how she would sleep in the same room as the rest of us 5.

I think I would be okay not renting DVC simply for the convenience of having an agent help with itineraries.

 

[my523]

We are grandparents who have traveled many times with our families and it is nice to have connecting rooms but not a deal breaker. If you choose a small resort that has everything under one roof instead of separate buildings, you won't be too far from each other. Since the grandparents are only staying for part of the trip you really want two rooms.

Which ones are all under one roof?

 

[my523]

Disney regular hotel rooms do not accommodate 6 people. You could book a Family Suite at AoA or ASMu for your family but a regular hotel room for the grandparents would not be nearby.

If the grandparents don't have mobility issues (a lot of us don't!), a treehouse villa at Saratoga Springs might be fun. 3 bedrooms instead of 2 and a large deck to relax on. One of the bedrooms has bunk beds. The drawback is that you have to climb stairs to get to the villa and they're kind of remote.

Yeah, at AoA, we would just get them a suite, also.

And, they do have mobility issues, unfortunately. But, that sounds SO fun!

 

[Marionnette]

Thanks for all the ideas. However, my parents recently told me that they actually DON'T want to share a villa. They want a completely separate room. So, it sounds like the lock-off villas would be a great option. Or, if we can't find availability, standard rooms/ studios.

I know AoA has family suites. Are there other resorts that would fit my family of 6 comfortably? I know that since our little one is under 3, she could be in a pack 'n play. But, I have no idea how she would sleep in the same room as the rest of us 5.

I think I would be okay not renting DVC simply for the convenience of having an agent help with itineraries.

AoA and ASMu have family suites that will accommodate 6. Most hotel rooms will sleep only 4 + 1 child under the age of 2.

Some deluxe hotel rooms will sleep 5 + 1 under the age of 3. BWI, YC/BC, CR, GF definitely have rooms that officially sleep 5 plus a baby. POR has some rooms that sleep 5. Of course, the further you go down Disney's hierarchy of resorts, the smaller the rooms become and the more cramped it will be for a family of 6.

The new resort studios at the Grand Floridian will open this summer. They will be a part of DVC but only half of the rooms will belong to DVC initially. The other half will be available to book for cash reservations. They will be located in the Pine Key building at the Grand. About half of those rooms will connect with another resort studio. The rooms will not have a kitchenette like other DVC studios but there will be 2 real queen beds plus a murphy-style single bed. They are among the largest DVC studios (Poly is bigger) which means that a pack n play for the 2 year-old would not get in the way too much. You cannot book them yet and I don't know how cash rates will compare to regular hotel rooms at GF. It might be something to keep in your back pocket to explore in late March.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

If you are okay staying in a value the All Star Music has family suites with a closed bedroom (queen bed) and bathroom and a second room with 2 queen beds one of which becomes a sofa and the other a table. There is also a small kitchen with full fridge/microwave as well as a second bathroom. It sleeps 6 plus an infant. Something that Music suites have which AOA do not is that in the same buildings as the suites (Calypso and Jazz) there are also regular rooms available so you have a good chance of being close with the grandparents. These suites/rooms are in the preferred section so much closer to the food court/busses and the main pool. There will be a small extra charge for preferred location for the regular room.