Best Rooms For big groups

[Disneyvacation]

hi,
im going to disney with my WHOLE extended family (20 people), we are staying at a moderate or deluxe resort mybe even villas. we are going november 9 through 16 and i was wondering where we should stay with what rooms. we saw at coronado springs there are suites, but they are expensive so we sould only get one or two then standard rooms, but we also want to be together not in different buildings. if anyone has advice i would REALLY appreciate it. what would be the best place to stay with what rooms considering price. thanks again!

 

[wilde_oscar]

when you get into groups that large often the best bet it to go offsite. Staying onsite becomes very cost prohibitive. ya might take a peek at dreamsvillas.com. they are close, reasonable, clean and lots of included amenities you don't find in other vacation home rentals.

 

[Reginak]

I would rent DVC points if I were you. You don't specify how many families make up your party so I am not sure how to divide up the cost, so I will base my figures on 5 families. Points rent for $8-$13 a point, and since you are wisely planning early you will probably rent for about $12 a point (points that rent for low cost don't have much time left in their use year to make reservations).

Here are some scenarios:
OKW
1 Grand Villa (sleeps 12)
372 pts @ $12 = $4464 a week
divided by 7 nts. = $638
divided by 3 families = $213 per night

1 two bedroom villa (sleeps 8)
232 pts@ $12 = $2784 a week
divided by 7 nts. = $398
divided by 2 families = $199

average cost per family for 5 families per nt. = $207


OKW
2 two bedroom villas
4 families $199 per nt.

1 studio (sleeps 4)
82 pts @ $12 = 984
divided by 7 nts. = $141 per nt. for one family

average cost per family for 5 families per nt. = $187


I would pick the first option. The Grand Villa has a huge living room where the whole family can hang out which really makes everything a lot more fun. You will also not have to pay taxes on the hotel rooms. Old Key West is the most affordable of the DVC resorts but with this formula you can figure out the cost of the rest.

I hope that this helps and isn't too confusing. If you have any more questions just let me know.

Regina

 

[Reginak]

I forgot to add that a two bedroom is basically two hotel rooms one with a king bed and one with two queens with a living room (plus a sleeper sofa), kitchen and washer/dryer in the middle; and a Grand Villa is equivalent to three hotel rooms (one king and the rest queens) with the same amenities as above, except the living room is much larger. The AKV GV even has a pool table.
You can look at pictures at allearsnet.com and at Disney.com in the DVC section.
Regina

 

[alldiz]

I would also go with a villa.....probably at OKW because they are
the biggest.....much more room in the living/dining room.
Happy planning
Kerri

 

[Lynne M]

Renting DVC points is probably not a good idea with a group that size. You'd need multiple villas for your group; at minimum 2 grand villas, if you can get them. That would require a very large amount of points, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a single owner with that many points to rent. Renting from multiple owners can get complicated.

Also, many owners have a no-changes, no-cancellations policy. Meaning that, if any members of your group decide that they can't go, and you want to downsize to a smaller villa, you won't be able to, and you'll be stuck paying the full amount. If you need to change your dates, you may not be able to. We've heard many, many stories of people who invite a bunch of relatives along, and then have many of the relatives drop out as the trip approaches.

You can always do a cash reservation for DVC villas, and you'll have much more flexibility, and the option to cancel or downsize. If you do decide to try renting, be sure to read all the stickies and FAQs on the DVC rent/trade board and make sure you understand the process, and how it's different from a reservation with CRO.