Anyone go with family and stay in different resorts?

ToyStory3

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We're talking to my sister and her family about going to WDW together next September. Our families have gone on several trips together and we always travel well together. We're laid back and don't get too uptight about anything. They want to stay at AKL (their first on-property trip) and we have been wanting to stay at WL. We all decided we should stay where we really want to stay. We are all fine with it but it seems a little odd. Wondering if we'll even see each other much.
 
After 4 trips with extended family, different resorts is now everyone's preference. We made plans every day to either tour a park together or have a meal together, but we weren't tied at the hip. For us, it works out perfectly.
 
:) I think that is the best of both worlds...family time and then my own family time. I would plan ADRs together and use cell phones. It will be easy to meet up in the parks. Win-win.
 
We typically stay at the same resort because our group travels with DVC. BUT a few times now we've had other parties wanting to come to disney with us. ( friends, cousins ). We would just include them in our touring plans and meet out front of wherever. Worked out fine. The only drawback is the kids couldn't all share a pool in one place.
 

If someone has a car, different resorts are awesome! AKL is about 30 minutes from WL. The buses would be annoying. I agree with the previous posters, private family space is the way to go. Meet up with your other family... you can also pool hop at WL and AKL. Or, if you want to stay together you can always pick one resort this trip and plan your next vacation to stay in the other :littleangel:
We love eating breakfast at Boma in AKL and Whispering Canyons in WL. It would be hard to choose which one to stay in. Good luck with your plans.
 
Yes, our family of 4 stayed at WL a couple of years ago on a pin code, and my sister joined us and stayed at POP since it was just her. It worked out just fine for us to meet up at a park at rope drop and spend most of the day together. Once or twice she came with us to WL for an afternoon break (she just sat by the pool) and once we went with her to POP so I could rest and DH and my sister took the kids to the arcade. We'd eat dinner together and then go our separate ways. We felt like we were able to spend plenty of time together.

I do think the one downside for you would be the swimming situation. You wouldn't be allowed to swim with them at AKL (even DVC members aren't allowed to hop there) and they wouldn't be allowed to swim with you at WL. You could ask the lifeguards and they might say OK if it's not crowded, but it would be a pain to go all the way there and get no for an answer.
 
... you can also pool hop at WL and AKL. .

the new rules say only the WDW guests staying at that resort can use the pool (except for DVC member) - the only other exemption is for sister resorts - bc/bcv/yc , PO and AS

to OP - it is better for me to be in a separate place - they stay at OKW - I stay at one closer to the parks - BWV. BCV or BLT.
 
I think all of the adults will be fine with it. We'll meet up in the parks from time to time and do some meals together. The hardest part will be keeping the cousins from melting down every time we go off to our own resorts. They'll want to stay together. But, everyone's so tired at the end of a parks day that they may not have the energy to worry too much about it. Overall I think it will work well. Thanks!
 
When we went with my inlaws we had rented points for AKL and they decided to come way later. They didn't want to pay rack rate and decided to stay at CSR. I would suggest a car but even that isn't totally necessary. It just makes it easier. It was a wonderful trip. We planned all of our ADR's together. Some days we didn't meet up until then, but most days we picked them up on the way to the park. It was fabulous and gave everyone the space they needed while still getting to enjoy some time together. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
 
I do think the one downside for you would be the swimming situation. You wouldn't be allowed to swim with them at AKL (even DVC members aren't allowed to hop there) and they wouldn't be allowed to swim with you at WL. You could ask the lifeguards and they might say OK if it's not crowded, but it would be a pain to go all the way there and get no for an answer.

I don't understand. How would anyone know you're not staying at that resort? I don't remember wristbands or anything. Do they do that at the Deluxe resorts only? We've only stayed at value, moderate & Shades of Green in the years since I can remember. Stayed at Poly and Contemporary when I was a kid, but who has that kind of memory? :)
 
We did a separate stay with my parents in early December last year. We stayed at Kidani and they stayed at OKW. It was nice to vacation together and not feel like we were on top of each other. Every morning, either we'd drive over to OKW and meet them or we'd drive directly to a park and meet them there. (We had one rental car, which I do think is a bit easier.) Some days we stayed together for a bit while in one of the parks before splitting off, some days we split off immediately. We'd meet up for dinner almost every night. What I liked about it the most is DH and I took a couple days off from the park while my parents decided they wanted to go to one every day. So it was nice to have some together and some apart time as well. It was the first time I'd vacationed with my parents since I was a kid. Being in separate resorts put my mind at ease there wouldn't be any one of us getting on the other's nerves. We had a fantastic time together. I think being in separate resorts was a big plus for all of us.
 
I don't understand. How would anyone know you're not staying at that resort? I don't remember wristbands or anything. Do they do that at the Deluxe resorts only? We've only stayed at value, moderate & Shades of Green in the years since I can remember. Stayed at Poly and Contemporary when I was a kid, but who has that kind of memory? :)

It is a Disney policy--no going to a pool if it's not your resort. There are some pools that you have to show your KTTW in order to gain access to the pool and other amenities. If you are staying at the Poly, you have paid a lot of money to be able to go to that pool. It doesn't mean that some lunkhead like my DH and I can come visit from POR (or any other pool, no matter the classification of the resort) to use the pool.
 
It is a Disney policy--no going to a pool if it's not your resort. There are some pools that you have to show your KTTW in order to gain access to the pool and other amenities. If you are staying at the Poly, you have paid a lot of money to be able to go to that pool. It doesn't mean that some lunkhead like my DH and I can come visit from POR (or any other pool, no matter the classification of the resort) to use the pool.

Sure, makes sense. It just seems like to me they should make an allowance for family staying at other places, as long as one of your parties is actually paying at the deluxe. (Though I guess the huge family reunion type parties could absolutely crash and trash a pool that way, though. Maybe that's why they do it.)
 
I think it works out fine. Everyone should stay were they want. Like others have said plan to tour the same park or have a meal together most days and you'll get to see them plenty.


Last trip was with lots of family. Everyone stayed at the same resort except my brother and his family. I wished they were at the same resort as us because we live far away from each other (NJ & TX) and I would have loved to see more of my neices. I also wish the rest of the family would have stayed further away because they all live close to us. Do what feels right to everyone.
 
Yep, we stayed Pop and they were at CBR. Worked out fine. One night my son spent the night there with them. Otherwise we just met up at the parks at some point. They like to sleep in, we hate it. So it worked out well...nobody ever felt like they were rushing/being rushed...
 
We were at Cypress Point with extended family, then moved to POR (overflow for convention at Contemporary for four nights - DHs company was paying for this), and then we moved back to the condo with family. I'm probably in the minority here, but I much prefer to have us all staying at the same resort. Just makes it so much easier for getting together. DS missed his cousins even though we got together during the day when we were at POR, and we were really happy when we were all staying back together again. // I really like traveling with my side of the family, though. I have to say, though, that if it were with DH's side of the family I would a little more separation. lol
 
We told DD if she wanted to stay in the same resort as us (BCV) she would have to book early! She listened to her friends and tried to get into BC or BWV and it was booked. She was able to get into SS and we will just meet up in the parks with them. It might have been a little more convenient having them at the same resort but now DH and I can get an earlier start and meet up with them when they get to the parks.
 
We're talking to my sister and her family about going to WDW together next September. Our families have gone on several trips together and we always travel well together. We're laid back and don't get too uptight about anything. They want to stay at AKL (their first on-property trip) and we have been wanting to stay at WL. We all decided we should stay where we really want to stay. We are all fine with it but it seems a little odd. Wondering if we'll even see each other much.

Different hotels is definitely not a problem for my family. We have our preference of hotels. Even on our Fantasy cruise, we got separate tables for dining, but close to each other (we both have kids on the spectrum-just makes eating easier). We spend time together, but we are not attached to the hip. Works great for us :thumbsup2.
 
Once we stayed at the boardwalk and my sister in the cabins. We were on the meal plan so all of our ADRs were together. We would meet up at the parks and ate together. It worked out fine.

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I went on a trip with a group of friends for one friend's 50th birthday. She and her family stayed at FW in their RV, another friend & I were at AKV, others at All Star & OKW. We just met at the front of the park in the morning or some went their own ways.
 












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