family reunion suggestions... Dolphin? Others?

[nigel-bigel]

Last night I accepted the very glamorous task of planning a family reunion at WDW in Oct or Nov of this year. We are expecting about 25 adults and 6 kids, ages 1-9. We will need about 10 rooms.

Where to stay? I tend to like Epcot resorts because of the proximity to dining, nightlife, and the whole Boardwalk scene. However, I think this group will find them too pricey. One of our group is a teacher - can we book 10 rooms at the Dolphin at her rate if she pays for them all?

I have never stayed at a moderate. Would their distance from things make it difficult to meet up for dinner?

Have any of you done a trip like this where people actually stayed at different resorts? Is it nice to have a little privacy, or does it just make things more difficult? This is a pretty close family. They can stand being together!

Any and all opinions would be greatly appreciate.! Also, I need all the advice I can get about planning a trip like this in general!

Thanks in advance...

Nicole

 

[anniet]

I planned a trip for 14- 11 adults and 3 kids in September of 2000. Age ranges were 18 months to I think 68, and we all had a blast!

We stayed at Coronado Springs, and really enjoyed it! CSR usually hosts conventions so the pool was not nearly as crowded in the mid afternoon as we have seen CBR get. I think it was because most guests were at meetings.

The transportations system was not the greatest and half way through the week we gave up and just got car seats for the kids and made do with two rent a cars and my cousins car that he drove down from Jacksonville.

The best advice I can give, is don't think you will all stay in one large group in the parks. We did that the first day and literally only got on 3 rides because of the time it took us to agree on a ride and then get through the line.

I planned a few "family activities" like a birthday dinner at Rainforest Cafe, an anniversary dinner at Hoop dee Doo, a night to view Illuminations and a family day at Typhoon Lagoon. I put them all on a calendar so everyone knew what was happening when and I handed them out to everyone.

Other than that we went to whatever park we felt like that day and one day the older adults went to EPCOT while the younger adults took the kids to Magic Kingdom. Later that day the Older adults came to MK and took the kids and the younger adults went off to EPCOT.

Walkie Talkies or cell phones are VERY HELPFUL!!!!

We had such a good time we are all going back in September 2005!

Have fun!

 

[stacy6552]

I reccommend that you look into the Wilderness Lodge/villas.

A two bedroom villa will sleep up to 8, so you could put a family of 4 in one bedroom (on two queens) grandma and grandpa on the king in the master and uncle bob on the pull out. You can scale it all the way back to a standard room at the lodge for less than $250 and if you get a code you'll do even better. There's alot of flexibility to staying there. you could even put people up next door at Ft Wilderness in a cabin that sleeps 6, including a set of bunk beds and with the AAA discount wont run you much more than a moderate with fridge rental.

Have you registered with the grand gatherings at disneyworld.com? They've got a really cool program so you can send email polls out to everyone and cool stuff like that.

 

[wdwphanatic]

... one of the DVC (Disney Vacation Club) resorts. I've been on a big family trip at BWV and a smaller family trip at BCV. Both were great. We got a 2-bedroom and a few studios, and it worked out perfectly for everyone. You should visit the DVC rent/trade board at this site and see if anyone could rent you some of their points. The least expensive way to go would be to rent a bunch of studios (these can accommodate 4 people plus a baby), which have a small fridge, coffee maker and a microwave -- also a money saver! Both BWV and BCV are right in the middle of all the action -- mere steps from Epcot and not far from MGM Studios -- and are deluxe Disney resorts all the way. BCV guests have access to the best pool at WDW, imo -- Stormalong Bay!

As far as the Swan/Dolphin are concerned, I don't believe one teacher could reserve all those rooms at the discounted rate. And, personally, staying at BCV and BWV would be more of a Disney experience and cheaper in the long run... Just my 2 cents, however.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to let me know!

Happy planning,
Sarah

 

[snyderla]

I'm planning a Family Reunion trip, too. Ours will be in 2005. We will have about 60 total. Cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles...everyone! If you book 10 rooms, you can get a 35% discount on them, for each night you have 10 rooms booked. Also, since there will be more than 25 of you, you can speak with a private event planner at WDW and they can plan things for you similar to Grand Gatherings, but less expensive, and just your group.
Another thing available for large groups is a Park Hopper Convention pass, 2,3,4 or 5 day. They include admission to Pleasure Island &/or Disney Quest. I think the 4 day, with 4 admissions to PI or DQ included, was about $2 more than a regular 4 day hopper. Fabulous deal, I think.

If you have any questions I can help with, feel free to PM me.
Be sure to check our the Magical Planner and the official Disney World website. Look under Leisure groups for more info.
Oh...and have fun planning!
Lori

 

[nigel-bigel]

Thank you so much for all of your feedback!

I've spent almost my entire evening checking out all of your suggestions, and I think Coronado Springs is the best solution for us.

I am a little concerned about everyone being able to meet for dinner at the Boardwalk, but hey! Who says we have to eat there? I'm sure many of us will rent cars, anyway.(Driving at WDW. What a novel concept.)

Also, thank you for referring me to the Grand Gatherings at the official Disney site. I had no idea about that one! It looks like they can help me plan some pretty cool stuff. And, because we won't be spending as much on our rooms, we can afford it.

That 35% discout is great to know about! But with my luck, one of the husband's cousins will flake out and not come at the last minute, and everyone's room rates will shoot up. If we have 10 rooms, terrific, but I need to play it safe.

Thank you again for all of your input!! You have helped me more than you realize! I love planning trips for my family, but trying to make sure all these other people will be happy is not so much fun.

Nicole (who is tired and grumpy and cross-eyed from staring at this screen all night, and really enjoys her husband's family much more than it sounds)

 

[swilphil]

I read elsewhere that you can get 3 rooms at the Dolphin at the teacher discount, but I don't know if there is a limit or that person only needed 3 rooms. They also have jr. suites that sleep 6, and larger suites that I think can sleep 8. If you get a price quote from Coronado and then call the Dolphin, they may be able to get you a similar deal. The Dolphin location is great and works really well when you have a big group that splits up a lot. We stayed there and didn't need to rent a car at all and neither did our in-laws. We applied the cost of the rental car to our room, and it really was a good deal.

 

[nigel-bigel]

Originally posted by swilphil
If you get a price quote from Coronado and then call the Dolphin, they may be able to get you a similar deal.

Sherri, I'm confused. Are you saying that I could approach the Dolphin and get them to match the rate from Coronado Springs?

Really? Do you actually know of that being done?