What is a Dad to do? Which Resort to pick?

[DisneyDad1257]

Hello Everyone

This is my first post as I have been a long time reader but never a posting person. I have two basic questions in this post:

1) I am looking to plan a family vacation that includes 5 adults (my wife and myself, my parents, and my mother in law) and 2 children ages 4 and 1. We would like to take this trip around Jan 2014 (I like to plan ahead). I was thinking of the option of a 1bdrm villa and a studio (for my parents) because I cannot seem to find anything that has 3bdrms without blowing crazy $$ away. However, I don't think it is fair for my mother in law to shell out all that $$ for the her part of the trip and have to sleep on a sofa sleeper. What suggestions do any of you have that could help me out? I am also leaning towards wanting to stay at Animal Kingdom but have heard Boardwalk is awesome. Thoughts or suggestions?

2) Using what I have outlined in question 1 I am looking into renting DVC points. I know this will save $$ (a good thing) but have never done it before. I have stayed on prperty before but have always done moderate resorts. I am open to any tips or suggestions that people have on this topic also

Thanks you so much in advance for any help offered

DisneyDad

 

[Tara]

3br aka grand villas might be somewhat difficult to book, so be aware of that. That said, you might look into a 2br and a studio so that your MIL has a real bed. The number of points you'll need for this versus a grand villa is significantly lower.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Renting points is a great way to save money..............Look at Old Key West......you get more per point value. It is in my opinion the best resort at WDW(we joined in 1993)......a bit more slow paced and beautifully themed and landscaped.

AKK

 

[magicaldisney]

There are two beds in the studios at OKW. How are you splitting your party up?

As for renting. You are not renting points, but renting a reservation from a DVC member. It is wonderful and we rented twice before buying ourselves. It is, however, a private transaction between you and the member. The member is in complete control of the reservation until the moment you check in. The member will need to set up Magical Express if you will be using it and will need to set up any dining plan that you might want to add. The dining plan for DVC members has to be paid for at the time it is added to a reservation. With most DVC members, you will not be able to cancel your reservation without losing all or most of your money. When staying on points, you do not receive daily housekeeping. There are rental brokers, such as Davids Rental, that charge a little more per point, but the risk of being scammed is not there. The rule of thumb if you are going to rent directly from a member is to be careful about people who contact you instead of you contacting them.

 

[Vaughn4380]

Non-serious answer: Get a two bedroom for your family and parents to share at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then get an offsite room at Motel 6 for the mother in-law.

Serious answer: Whenever we go with extended family we have always been thankful to have our own room to retreat to (this goes for both my family and my in-laws), so whatever you do I think it would be best to make sure your mother inlaw is not sleeping on a sofa in your suite.

I am very partial to AKL, but that is because I like to sit and watch the animals and spend a portion of my trip at the resort. I also understand that traveling will take a bit longer due to the location. If the animals are not your thing (and they may not be) I would choose another location based on what parks you prefer.

 

[kerriemiller]

if you go to youtube you can search for videos that people have made of the rooms at pretty much any of the hotels. Old Key West has really nice 3 bdrs. But for sure check out the videos I found them very helpful.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Hello Everyone

This is my first post as I have been a long time reader but never a posting person. I have two basic questions in this post:

1) I am looking to plan a family vacation that includes 5 adults (my wife and myself, my parents, and my mother in law) and 2 children ages 4 and 1. We would like to take this trip around Jan 2014 (I like to plan ahead). I was thinking of the option of a 1bdrm villa and a studio (for my parents) because I cannot seem to find anything that has 3bdrms without blowing crazy $$ away. However, I don't think it is fair for my mother in law to shell out all that $$ for the her part of the trip and have to sleep on a sofa sleeper. What suggestions do any of you have that could help me out? I am also leaning towards wanting to stay at Animal Kingdom but have heard Boardwalk is awesome. Thoughts or suggestions?

2) Using what I have outlined in question 1 I am looking into renting DVC points. I know this will save $$ (a good thing) but have never done it before. I have stayed on prperty before but have always done moderate resorts. I am open to any tips or suggestions that people have on this topic also

Thanks you so much in advance for any help offered

DisneyDad

We have rented points many times. My husband comes from a large family and we have taken trips to WDW with 10, 15, 20+ people on several occasions. Normally the easiest thing to book (and usually the cheapest as well) would be a combination of villas at OKW or SSR. You could do a 2 bedroom and a studio, or 3 studios. What week in January will it be? Be aware that the Marathons are usually the second weekend and all the DVC resorts will be booked up completely. We made our 2013 marathon reservation right at the 11 month booking window thanks to BIL being an owner. This will be our 4th January in a row coming down, you'll see a big crowd right after New Years, then it dies down just a tiny bit mid week, then all the marathoners start pouring in by the beginning of the second week and stay til the marathon is over. If you book later in January, towards the end of the month it should be pretty easy to do.

If you find an owner to work with you can book in February 2013. That seems like a long time but it will come around quickly. Be ready to make a fast decision and put the money down.

 

[Sue M]

I would consider a 2bdrm and studio, or 3 studios so everyone has their own space. Or 3 non dvc rooms. You can have all the reservations linked as traveling with, so you'll be in the same area.

 

[MMS1125]

For the $$ we've done this with extended family what if you take the grand total and divide by the number of people and ev1 pays the same amt/pp? Will the 1yr old be 3 by then? or you plan on adding to your family in Jan 13? Makes a difference in cost and people count for rooms

 

[HANDYMOM]

DVC is nice for a lot of reasons; space and condo conveniences like a kitchen and more bathrooms. DVC also comes with some downsides like no daily room cleaning, towel replenishment etc.

It all comes down to how much time you will be spending at the resort and what your budget allows.

Personally, I would prefer 3 rooms to a villa. We don't do "resort days". Even when the kids were small, we came back to nap/play in the pool, but still spent the majority of time on the go. I don't want to cook or clean on vacation so a small fridge is fine for me. All the food courts have microwaves if necessary.

Since January is one of the slowest times of the year, I doubt you would have any issue getting ajoining rooms or at least rooms side by side.

If you go DVC, I'd go with a 1 bedroom and two studios

 

[DisneyDad1257]

Wow

This is exactly why I wanted to post this question. I love all the different options. I will clarify a few things for further postings

1) at the time of travel my kids will be 4 and 1. (we just found out we are having another)
2) the towels service does not bother us we can just wash them if necessary
3) the plan is to stay for 7 or 8 nights (not decided yet) at the end of Jan 2014 or beginning of Fed 2014. I am from Chicago and will probably be looking to escape the sub zero temps by then. Another reason for that time of year is so the parks are not overloaded with people
5) we spend most of our time at the parks when we go. I have never really been concerned with space untill my own family started growing and I wanted to make sure I met the needs of the other family members I am traveling with. My dad likes to golf and I figured he would want a day doing that and my mom likes spas so I figured she would want a spa day. But for my wife, myself, and mother in law we are probably just looking for one pool day in the middle of the week to recharge
6). I have always been able to afford staying at the moderate resorts. This time I was looking to see what my other options might be and I also understand all the pros and cons of renting DVC. I have poured over David's rental site numerous times and have started to look at private parties. My wife and I are pretty good with u doers tanking the pitfalls since we have rented many other cabins and what not when traveling to other parts of the country

Again I would really like to thank all of the Disney fans out there that are helping my make an educated decision on what I can do to to make my next trip a great experience. I have asked my wife if she thinks I am Disney crazy and she just smiles a me. Deep down I think she is just as crazy as I am but just doesn't obsess about it as much as I do!

 

[DisneyDad1257]

Non-serious answer: Get a two bedroom for your family and parents to share at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then get an offsite room at Motel 6 for the mother in-law.

Serious answer: Whenever we go with extended family we have always been thankful to have our own room to retreat to (this goes for both my family and my in-laws), so whatever you do I think it would be best to make sure your mother inlaw is not sleeping on a sofa in your suite.

I am very partial to AKL, but that is because I like to sit and watch the animals and spend a portion of my trip at the resort. I also understand that traveling will take a bit longer due to the location. If the animals are not your thing (and they may not be) I would choose another location based on what parks you prefer.

I was waiting for someone to give me a funny mother in law post

I laughed when I read this one

 

[Phatoomch]

Villas are obviously an option - maybe get a two-bed with a studio next door.

But, if space really isn't an issue and you are park people, maybe look into getting 3 mod rooms. Like a PP said, the time of year you are going there shouldn't be a problem getting them all next door to each other.

Go to the Disney website and look at all resorts. Pick a handful that you like then do the number crunching. Then look at the pros and cons of each resort.

And ask LOTS of questions here - plenty of us are very willing to help you with your decision or, if nothing else, cheer from the sidelines

 

[Deb & Bill]

Get a one bedroom and two studios at SSR. Put the grandparents in the two studios. Keep the one bedroom for your family. SSR has a golf course and a wonderful spa on the property. There are five pools on the property and at last three of the five have water play areas for kids. You are a short boatride or walk from DTD.

The reason I say a one bedroom and two studios is to not show favoritism to either set of parents. One might feel slighted having to stay in the studio with the other in the second bedroom. But if both have a studio, they have a little privacy and can all join up in the one bedroom villa for meals and other family activites. Especially if one studio is further away from the one bedroom villa. There is no guarantee that they will be close to each other, but you can request it.

Plus, while the GV sounds nice, it may not give your family any privacy. You want your vacation to be relaxing, too.

 

[twinboysmom]

Hi OP. I really think renting DVC points is a great option for your family. Thought I would throw my two cents in. You will definately get the most bang for your buck at OKW. The grand villas here are also the most economical point wise. It would also ensure all adults a bed and their own bedroom. The only faults I find for OKW is the stairs (most buildings do not have elevators and 3 flights is long and tired with young kids and stroller) and that it is bus transportation to all parks. Grand villas are usually difficult to get but since you would be able to book at the 11 month window I don't think you would have an issue. You just have to find a renter with that many OKW points they wish to rent out.

Other options might be a standard view room at BLT. With your children being so young you would really appreciate the walkway to the MK and the monorail to Epcot and MK. They need to be booked at the 11 month window but the point costs are reasonable.

My views on boardwalk (they offer a standard view for less points as well) may not be what you want to hear. New won't stay there until our boys are older. We had the worst bus service of any resort we have ever experienced. Our MK bus always shared with swalphin, and YC/BC. Miserable and this was a june stay. The lack of CS options also was a problem for us.

We did stay at AK Kidani. Stayed in a 2 bedroom and loved the 3 bathrooms. The pool is fantastic for littles but it does not offer a CS (must go to Jambo) and it is all bus transport. I will say, we had great experiences with their buses.

Hope this helps some and happy planning!

 

[twinboysmom]

Get a one bedroom and two studios at SSR. Put the grandparents in the two studios. Keep the one bedroom for your family. SSR has a golf course and a wonderful spa on the property. There are five pools on the property and at last three of the five have water play areas for kids. You are a short boatride or walk from DTD.

A very good option as well. It's our home resort and we love it.