Grandma is coming too - where would you stay?

[lundve]

So in June 2023, we are planning 8 nights to celebrate my niece and son’s graduation. It’s a total of 7 of us - Grandma is in her 70’s, my DH and I are in our 40’s and then kids ages 18, 18, 16 and 9. Grandma really wants to come, but in the heat of the summer may only join us for a few hours in the morning or once the sun sets each day. We all live in VA so our summer heat is similar, and it’s not medical but her preference. Therefore, she wants a resort that she will enjoy relaxing at if we are gone most of the day.

At which resort(s) should we stay? Our family doesn’t mind sharing a 2 Bedroom and/or we’d thought about 2 studios as well. I’d love to get the opinions of y’all

 

[nw6675]

Personally, I would choose the 2 br over 2 studios at BLT - IF Grandma is ok with a pull-out and the 4 kids sharing the 2 queens in the 2nd bedroom. I couldn't stay 8 nights in 2 studios with that many people personally.

My resort choice would be BLT, for the 3 bathrooms with that many people, walkable to MK, easy access to monorail for Epcot, several pools (although not the most exciting), etc. AKL probably my second choice for the relaxing piece, but IMO a pain to get to/from.

ETA: We just are not fans of BCV and BW, you lose the 3rd bath, but probably the best for relaxing for Grandma

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Would Grandma enjoy shopping? Saratoga or Old Key West might be nice as they have several pools to explore and are a lovely boat ride away from Disney Springs.

They also have good point charts and perhaps you could stretch the points into a 3 bedroom? That is a lot of fully grown people for a two bedroom or two studios.

 

[CarolynFH]

Look carefully at the floor plans and determine where each person would sleep. In a 2BR you’ll have one king bed in one room, a queen bed and queen pullout and maybe a single Murphy in another bedroom, and a queen pullout or Murphy in the living room. Some 2BR have a single foldout chair in the living room, and some 2BR (OKW and dedicated 2BR at some resorts) have 2 real beds in the second BR.

I agree that the 3rd full bath in the BLT and AKV-Kidani 2 BR is very helpful too, and both of them have the single sleeper chair in the living room.

 

[RoseGold]

I wouldn’t want to put grandma on the sleeper sofa in the living room.

That would force me into a 2 1BR situation. Or, put the teenagers in a studio and get a 1BR with grandma and the little one in the master or maybe on an air mattress on the floor. This is a long way of saying 2 1BRs or cram in the 2BR lockoff LOL. My kid sleeps like a rock, and that would work.

 

[lundve]

Would Grandma enjoy shopping? Saratoga or Old Key West might be nice as they have several pools to explore and are a lovely boat ride away from Disney Springs.

They also have good point charts and perhaps you could stretch the points into a 3 bedroom? That is a lot of fully grown people for a two bedroom or two studios.

We have decent amount of points available with borrowing to do most two bedrooms - not nearly enough for a Grand Villa though for that long.

 

[jo-jo]

How is grandma healthwise? At AKL they had a pull out chair, that I believe is better than the sleep sofas. Would grandma travel by herself? For hanging around resort, I love AKL. But if grandma likes to explore a bit BLT would be my choice.

But as an old person talking, when we have traveled with kids, we like having a bedroom that we can say goodnight and close the door even if it's only 8 pm.

Could you afford a 2 bedroom and a studio? Let grandma have the studio. Everybody gets a bed and leaves the living room open.

 

[jennypenny]

I'd only do a 2bd with a murphy and avoid pull out sofas. If you got a 2bd at RR, grandma could take the living room, or you and your spouse could take the living room and give grandma the king if she goes to bed early. RR has some nice places to sit, some of which are indoors, and you don't have to go outside to get food/coffee/etc if it's hot or raining.

Otherwise I'd do something like two studios at Poly, with adults in one room and kids in the other.

 

[DeeBee3]

I 2nd looking at the floor plans. The extra bathrooms really are great.

2 studios are only going to help if grandma is ok with sharing room/sleeping area. If she wants to nap or just relax, it may be hard if you have park commandos coming and going early or late at night.

That's a lot of "grown" people to fit so i would really weigh the bed options and the square footage.

I think a monorail resort would be nice for grandma if she wants to resort hop and just enjoy the sights. Also the walking path by GF would be good.

 

[jo-jo]

I 2nd looking at the floor plans. The extra bathrooms really are great.

2 studios are only going to help if grandma is ok with sharing room/sleeping area. If she wants to nap or just relax, it may be hard if you have park commandos coming and going early or late at night.

That's a lot of "grown" people to fit so i would really weigh the bed options and the square footage.

I think a monorail resort would be nice for grandma if she wants to resort hop and just enjoy the sights. Also the walking path by GF would be good.

Agree.

Also having the kitchen would be great. Even if you don't cook, just for being able to freeze water bottles. heat up frozen breakfast sandwiches, stuff like that.

 

[CraigInPA]

I'd be looking at 3 studios or a 2 BR plus a studio at OKW. It's a lovely resort to relax at, away from the hustle and bustle, and a convenient ride to Disney Springs to shop. OKW studios are huge, with two queen beds, and you'd have no problem spreading the guests out. Plus, OKW studios and 2BR's aren't expensive, points-wise.

 

[tobikaye]

Have you asked grandma what she might like? Shown her options of what the resorts have?

My parents are 71 and 67. My dad is active and looks to explore,, but also likes to just sit and relax and enjoy scenery. My mom uses a scooter, but tires easily due to health issues. She likes to check out shops and loves finding a good place to sit and read. The only DVC they have stayed was BLT and they really enjoyed it. The walk to CR for food/shops was great and if the trip hadn't been short, they probably would have taken the monorail to Poly and GF. They did say that if the weather had been cooler, such as late fall to early spring, the would have liked to stay at SSR so they could just head over to DS occasionally. I know they would love to stay at AKL with savannah view, but I could also see them not leaving as often and could get a bit bored.

View of room would make an impact as they could then relax on their balcony/patio when they just wanted to relax/read. We needed a roll in HA room at BLT for my sister so they were spoiled with the hybrid view of MK and Bay Lake. At SSR, I know they said they would want a room near the walk to DS and facing DS. So, I do not think they would enjoy BC as much since there is not much room view options there. I think they would be okay with a BW view or of the waterways to DHS. I think Riviera would work as well since they would enjoy the views of the lake and CBR and be interested in check it out or taking the skyliner over to the Epcot resorts.

Something else to think about, would she be making her way to catch up with you by herself. If so, MK or EP resorts might be easier since she would have alternate transportation to some parks instead of just buses and only one bus stop option when using the bus. I love my parents, but they have gotten many places by sheer luck and backtracking. I could see them easily getting off at the wrong stop at AKL, SSR, or OKW.

 

[gmi3804]

I thought the title of this thread was “Grandma is coming out.“ Yeah, the eyesight is failing.

 

[Simba's Mom]

If you want to be super-nice, perhaps you could involve grandma in the decision (I said PERHAPS). Have your immediate family narrow what you want and can afford down to about 3 choices, then get some input from her. Frankly, I think the weather in June might be too hot for shopping (DS isn't well shaded). I agree with the recommendation of AKV-Jambo or Kidani. Both have some real nice indoor, air conditioned, quiet areas to look at animals. But by mentioning it beforehand, you might learn of her fear of giraffes. I like the idea of a 2 BR and a studio.

 

[WxKristin]

For any DVC 2bdrm -- what about giving grandma a real bed in the second bedroom (1Q) with the 16 and 9 yo kids (2nd Q)? And letting the two 18 yo teens share the living room space (Murphy bed and/or pull down)?

I'm quite partial to Wilderness Lodge for finding relaxation spots if spending time away from the parks. Followed by Beach club or Boardwalk for easy access to the backside of Epcot.

 

[WDWFERN]

We have taken many trips with grandparents and just returned from a vacation with our family of 4, my husbands parents and sister and my mom and brother. So, in addition to our family, three grandparent and aunt and an uncle.

We did a split stay between RIV and GF. This same group has also stayed at BWV, BC, CC, BLT, and Poly on past trips.

For our group of 9 we got a 2 bedroom and a 1 bedroom. In our 2 bedroom, We had grandparents stay in the king bed (yes initially tough to give up the great bed and space, but went a long way for group happiness for the duration of the trip for grandparents to have nice bed and space to relax). My husband and I stayed with our teenagers in second bedroom with 2 queens, and SIL stayed on the Murphy bed. In the 1 bedroom, my mom got the king and my brother stayed on the Murphy bed. My husband and I enjoyed having coffee on the balcony each morning while our kids and the group slept in.

All relatives commented on RIV being their new favorite. They loved the quiet pool and spending time in a quieter resort when they were taking a break from the parks. They liked having the skyliner to go to boardwalk or EPCOT in the evening. They liked the many nice food options, especially the Coffee Shop, Bar Riva, and Topolinos.

Our last trip we all stayed in a GV at CC. It was wonderful also, but the group in general said they preferred this trip and giving up the awesome main area in the GV for a little extra separate space and the extra king bed a 2BR and 1 BR gave. And I like having 2 washing machines and dryers for the trip!