9 people Christmas week, which resort?

[MICKIMINI]

It is really late in the game to pick up enough rooms for your family so finding two rooms at POR is awesome. If she wants to go - go! Older folks sometimes are on a mission and she quite certainly is. She has probably been thinking about this for years and the past year pushed her desire over the top. Make her happy and enjoy your family! It will all work out!

 

[Tiberella626]

Off site we looked at Dreams Villas (affiliated with the Dis) Orange Lake and Mystic Dunes.

When you are looking at DVC for something like this you will need only confirmed reservations. Some resorts are less expensive than others. Saratoga Springs and Old Key West being some of the best values. Call the rentals, Davids, DVC rental market, dvc-rental will all help you navigate. You may find a few days at one and a few days at another, this is a split stay. Kind of a pain but if that's what ya gotta do....

DVC will have a kitchen and Laundry as long as you are in a 1 bedroom or better. Parking is also free and no resort fees (like most off site places).when you factor, food, laundry and parking it's a very strong case. We will be using Walmart delivery for our next trip. They seem to have the best prices for grocery delivery.

 

[Marthasor]

I would love this. I cannot figure DVC out. Everyone says it is a good deal but when I go on Daves site it is so expensive. We are going this summer for my daughter's makeup birthday trip and staying at the Dolphin. Priced out the same as Pop.

I will look at an off-site house too. Even Bonnet Creek is really nice. With a van rental.

Have you priced out the Dolphin for Christmas week? We booked a two bedroom suite there for the week before Christmas for less than one standard deluxe room.
If you stay offsite, prepare to wait in incredibly long lines to get into the theme park parking lots. Driving on-property that week is not fun.

 

[sndral]

Who’s paying for this? If it’s mom isn’t she the one to decide where she wants to stay? If everyone is chipping in, then sure, equal input. How crowded it’ll feel depends on the ages/composition of the 9 people & how normal sharing hotel rooms are for them, not something I’d want to do, but I feel crowded w/ 3 in a room lol.
Although it’s a bit of a hassle, lots of people use scooters on the WDW buses & no matter where you stay you’ll be on a bus to some of the parks. If you stay w/ POR maybe put in a request to be near POR’s first bus stop to up the chances there’ll be scooter room on the bus going to the park.

 

[EZMoney]

So my mom decides on the spur of the moment last night that she wants to take our family to Disney for Christmas this year. We make reservations at POR in 2 rooms and pay the deposit. I wake up at 3 am and cannot sleep because of the cost. There has to be a better way to do this. I am already looking to cancel the package and only book rooms. I can get discounted tickets from an authorized broker. My mom will be in a scooter and I am envisioning the transportation being a disaster. Please...any help!!!

I would look into a DVC rental….Wilderness Lodge is great that time of year.

 

[Best Aunt]

I would look into a DVC rental….Wilderness Lodge is great that time of year.

I would guess that the DVC rooms at Wilderness Lodge (Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek) are already booked for Christmas of this year, but I wouldn't know for sure because DVC Member Services is down for improvements. DVC members could start booking those rooms in January. It's possible that all DVC rooms are already booked for Christmas of this year, I just don't know.

 

[tripplanner2]

It is really late in the game to pick up enough rooms for your family so finding two rooms at POR is awesome. If she wants to go - go! Older folks sometimes are on a mission and she quite certainly is. She has probably been thinking about this for years and the past year pushed her desire over the top. Make her happy and enjoy your family! It will all work out!

Thank you. I think you hit the nail on the head. We have not vacationed together in 2 years and we have been talking about this for a long time. I am the planner and I just keep thinking about all of the moving parts. The money causes me anxiety too...

 

[tripplanner2]

Who’s paying for this? If it’s mom isn’t she the one to decide where she wants to stay? If everyone is chipping in, then sure, equal input. How crowded it’ll feel depends on the ages/composition of the 9 people & how normal sharing hotel rooms are for them, not something I’d want to do, but I feel crowded w/ 3 in a room lol.
Although it’s a bit of a hassle, lots of people use scooters on the WDW buses & no matter where you stay you’ll be on a bus to some of the parks. If you stay w/ POR maybe put in a request to be near POR’s first bus stop to up the chances there’ll be scooter room on the bus going to the park.

She is paying. But I have a hard time with it. I hope the first stop by the main building is really the first stop. That is part of what I worry about.

 

[tripplanner2]

I would look into a DVC rental….Wilderness Lodge is great that time of year.

I have to put some effort into DVC rentals. I know I am missing something huge but every time I attempt to price it out it is a ton of money.

 

[Marionnette]

I have to put some effort into DVC rentals. I know I am missing something huge but every time I attempt to price it out it is a ton of money.

It really depends on what you're looking for. When most people talk about it being a great deal, they're comparing a studio vs hotel room. In many cases, renting a DVC studio beats out booking a moderate or deluxe hotel room, but rarely a value resort room. When going to 1BR villas (the worst DVC value point-wise) and larger villas, renters are most likely taking the kitchen, in-suite laundry and extra space into consideration. Most of those people tend to compare Disney's cash rate to a rental rate and the DVC rental pretty much always wins when making that comparison.

But if you're going to compare an offsite timeshare or vacation home rental to renting a DVC villa, DVC will almost always lose on a dollar to dollar comparison.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

It sounds as though budget is a huge concern for you. May I ask why? Is this because its not affordable or because its just really a lot of money? If its affordable, then I recommend getting whatever she wants. If not, then I recommend going offsite.We took my MIL with a scooter last year while staying off site and it was a great trip! Tons of room in the condo and no problems getting into the parks. It won't be perfect, no trip is, but we had a blast and were so glad we could take her while we could.

 

[EZMoney]

I have to put some effort into DVC rentals. I know I am missing something huge but every time I attempt to price it out it is a ton of money.

You can play around with rental price on a site like dvcrequest. Not sure of availability, but that would give you cost to compare to already booked rooms.

 

[tripplanner2]

It sounds as though budget is a huge concern for you. May I ask why? Is this because its not affordable or because its just really a lot of money? If its affordable, then I recommend getting whatever she wants. If not, then I recommend going offsite.We took my MIL with a scooter last year while staying off site and it was a great trip! Tons of room in the condo and no problems getting into the parks. It won't be perfect, no trip is, but we had a blast and were so glad we could take her while we could.

It is really just a lot of money. I am having a hard time with my mom spending that much.

 

[Indio]

I don't think it's a matter of cost at this point - there's very limited availability and everything is as high as a giraffe's *ss! I think you should probably keep what you've got and just keep checking but I doubt you're going to find anything cheaper than what you have onsite....

 

[cmarsh31]

Unless you found a miraculous DVC confirmed rental and grabbed it the second it popped up (and beat me to it...), I doubt it's an option for this trip. All Stars anything is not going to be better than Pop. I've stayed at both. They're fine, but to me, they basically seem the same. POR is one of my favorite resorts if I'm not staying DVC. Between the past year, and my parents' ages, if they want to go on a vacation with us, we make it happen (and they're not paying for us to go with them, I just took my mom to Disney last month). The time they have, especially with my kids is more valuable than the price tag.

 

[tripplanner2]

Unless you found a miraculous DVC confirmed rental and grabbed it the second it popped up (and beat me to it...), I doubt it's an option for this trip. All Stars anything is not going to be better than Pop. I've stayed at both. They're fine, but to me, they basically seem the same. POR is one of my favorite resorts if I'm not staying DVC. Between the past year, and my parents' ages, if they want to go on a vacation with us, we make it happen (and they're not paying for us to go with them, I just took my mom to Disney last month). The time they have, especially with my kids is more valuable than the price tag.

Thank you for saying that. You are right. We all went through a ton, on top of Covid, and she wants us to be happy. I just have to swallow the pill.

 

[Marthasor]

Thank you for saying that. You are right. We all went through a ton, on top of Covid, and she wants us to be happy. I just have to swallow the pill.

I think if she can afford it, I would try to let the price tag go and enjoy the trip with your family. Especially given your statement above. We finally returned to WDW after 6 canceled trips and I ended up spending more on an upgraded room category I don’t think I would have considered pre-covid. It was the most I’ve ever paid for a room at WDW and it was worth every penny. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

 

[Lilylogan]

If she didn't like AoA then I wouldn't do a value resort...... Id stick to POR and watch if CBR opens up

 

[Heather07438]

It is really just a lot of money. I am having a hard time with my mom spending that much.

You may want to check out the ‘I love Bonnet Creek’ thread. I have not investigated it far myself but from what I understand you can rent a Wyndham timeshare right next to Disney Springs. It’s a pretty serious resort with awesome pools and plenty to offer. I’ve seen people say they rented 2BR for under $200/nt, not sure but there may be 3BRs as well

DVC point charts vary greatly. A studio can run anywhere from under $200/nt on weekdays off-season to over $500/nt. Christmas is high season and needs to be booked early

Port Orleans is beautiful! We liked it so much we stayed 2 times one year. If the current price is giving sticker shock tho, I’d look at Bonnet Creek timeshare rentals conversations here on these boards and check out availability & pricing on redweek to gauge savings. Compare pros/cons. If you can save $2-3k moving over to Bonnet Creek next to Disney Springs it could be worth consideration. There’s a reason some people Love Bonnet Creek lol. But POR can be awesome too Have a fantastic trip whatever you choose!

 

[KittyKitty]

9 people in 2 hotel rooms is tight especially with a scooter.

I've seen scooters parked outside the rooms to open up space inside.

I agree to keep POR till you find something else you want more. You might see if FQ is open on your dates. Staying onsite is so much easier than offsite, especially with a WC.

Let your Mother decide on the price. Yes Disney is expensive. Being in my 70's I understand why your Mother is doing it. Memories.