Four adults - 2 value rooms or 1 deluxe room?

[PrincessDana]

Looking at a 4-night December trip, 4 adults total (all ladies -- myself, my sister, my niece, and my daughter). Looking at AP rates, I can get 2 rooms at a value resort (All Stars) or pay a tiny bit more for a deluxe room (Boardwalk or Beach Club). This trip is special, my sister was supposed to go with us last year but because of a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, couldn't make it. I love the idea of a deluxe resort for all the wonderful Christmas decorations, etc. Yet, I haven't ever had 4 people in a room at Disney before. Any suggestions? We're probably not spending tons of time in the room, but will more than likely focus on Epcot and Magic Kingdom (Candlelight Processional, maybe the Christmas Party).

I also thought about a moderate resort, looking at Gran Destino Tower or PO Riverside, but still would be only the one room with a moderate.

Pop Century is out as a value as my daughter will not ride the Skyliner. lol

 

[gottalovepluto]

2 rooms at the Value. You get 2 bathrooms and nobody sharing a bed is worth far more to your sanity than the convenience you get out of a deluxe, even at Xmas.

You can wander the deluxe hotel for free and see all the Xmas decor whenever you want.

 

[R&RsMom]

I’ll vote for one room deluxe. We did that recently, and it worked fine. We also were not in the room a lot. With your deluxe choices, you get proximity to Epcot, a lot of great restaurants close by, and potentially extended evening hours.

 

[HopperFan]

Given your are all family and the makeup of mom/daughter sleeping combos ~ as long as you can make the one bathroom work I would go for deluxe. Make it special.

 

[kda]

Why not ask the group? Some families are fine with slumber parties, and others value privacy.

 

[focusondisney]

Why not ask the group? Some families are fine with slumber parties, and others value privacy.

Agree. What strangers on the internet think doesn’t matter. What do the people going on the trip want?

 

[starry_solo]

Not sure if there's a possible daybed combination (or queen sleeper sofa) for Beach Club, but if there is and you don't do a package (room + tickets), put a phantom child under 17 so no additional cost for that phantom child, to get a daybed so you'll have 3 sleeping surfaces.

 

[ttintagel]

I'm a very light sleeper, so I would absolutely choose the two cheaper rooms. The deluxe resorts are great, and being closer to the parks saves time, but my health goes straight downhill if I can't get a good night's sleep on vacation.

 

[SMF_mom23]

Have you checked out renting DVC points for the trip yet? I don't know what availability is now, but not long ago it seemed to me the number of confirmed reservations was very high for as close to the holidays as it is. If you're up for a split stay, that would further open up your options.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

For me the issue would be one bathroom. What about a family suite at ASM? Two bathrooms. You could also try AoA.

Then again it might be nice to have separate rooms.

 

[lynzi2004]

I would weigh the value of the deluxe nighttime hours to your group. If you all will take advantage of them, go deluxe. If you won’t, pick a value hotel and have the extra space!

 

[georgina]

For my family, the Boardwalk area would be the better choice. But the women in my family don't spend a lot of time primping in the bathroom - some of us shower at night, some in the AM. It's a pretty area in the evening, easy access to Epcot. I'm not really a fan of the All Stars, I would rather stay offsite. I agree with asking the group, and also checking out confirmed DVC rentals you could take over. i just spent 4 nights at the GF doing that.

 

[Marthasor]

I have done 3 adults at YC with only one bathroom and it was tough. We did have a room with a daybed, however (I'm 5'2" and fit on it comfortably), so that helped. I would think long and hard about how important 2 bathrooms will be to your group. I'm not a fan of the values and the EP resort location is so nice. Have you checked to see if any of the 1-bedroom villas with Murphy beds are available for your dates with an AP discount? That would at least give you a split bathroom and more space - consider SSR, BCV and BRV. RIV and VGF are gorgeous, too, but typically price much higher. You could also price out two rooms at Swan/Dolphin to see if it offers any savings. I can usually get two rooms at Swan/Dolphin for the price of one at a WDW EP resort.

 

[DJFan88]

Are you talking about the deluxe rooms at like BWI? Because we have 5 in our family and it went fine. There was 3 sleeping surfaces, 2 queens and a foldout couch queen. My husband and I in one, my younger son had one in middle and then way down it seemed on the pullout my son and his gf. With people in and out and breaking off in different groups or pool or whatever we were fine. If someone really had to go to the bathroom while someone in shower, there was a public bathroom down the hall.
Plus is the added extra nightly hours at Epcot and wherever depending on when you go on a couple of nights.
You also can’t discount the time savings of a quick trip to enter parks and quick ability to return back and forth to your room for breaks without tying up much time.
Sounds like you are all family too, which is different than not.
We also , same group, stayed at AoA suite, which was also very roomy and comfortable . 2 bathrooms, again 3 sleeping surfaces. One queen with a closed door, a pullout couch, and a queen size table bed pull down which was actually more comfortable than the pullout and liked a lot. Room configuration does give the table sleeper a little less privacy just due to location of it, but was also a good fit. Skyliner access helped some, but not as quick as walking at BWI

 

[beccasmom]

Before purchasing DVC, we sometimes faced the same issue. So much depends on the group dynamics. However, it often comes down to practicality (specifically here, everyone having their own bed and two rooms = 2 bathrooms) with a well-deserved splurge for a special holiday treat. For 4 nights I would go with the deluxe resort. It sounds like you have a busy schedule and won’t be spending lots of time in the room anyway. Four adults in one room is not optimal (done that more than once), but sometimes you go with the heart. Hoping it works out well for you whatever you decide!

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I'd ask your traveling party. My relationship with all of those people in my life is pretty close and while 4 people sharing a bathroom wouldn't be ideal, we could make it work and do when we travel. But I realize some people don't travel like that and don't like to share beds. Totally up to your group.

 

[RoseGold]

It's "deluxe" but it's still just a hotel room. I wouldn't want 4 in one room.

Don't count out Swolphin, I'd price that out too.

 

[Karebear]

I would go with the Deluxe room as to me the location of the Epcot resorts can't be beat as well as the extra hours should you choose to use them. I have stayed at the YC or BC a few times with my mom, my teen daughter (who takes forever in the bathroom), my teen son and me. Having the vanity outside the bathroom helps. It has never been an issue. Also this summer, we spent some time in airbnbs in Europe with 5 of us (me, my husband, 2 17 year old girls and an 18 year old boy). While we usually had multiple bedrooms, there was often only 1 bathroom and again we made it work with some taking showers at night and some in the morning.

 

[CanucksRock]

I’ve booked BWI for family trip with my mom, brother, SIL, and 10 y.o. niece. My big thing was we had to have a bathroom where the sink area is separate from the toilet/shower. With that setup I find it fine with multiple people. None of us are the type to take long showers and can balance out night before vs morning. Not like your spending lots of time in the room with so much to do outside the room. It was all about location.

 

[UA DVC Member]

As a couple people posted above, the Swan/Dolphin with 2 rooms could be a good option. Both places are really nice, and you get all the benefits of staying in the Epcot/DHS area for much less than a Disney deluxe resort.