Help me plan for December 2022, Dis fam!

[Ursula J]

I'm going to just ignore the real world and dream of another WDW trip. Picture, if you will, a trip in the post-Covid, post-Chapek world (let a girl dream) of early December 2022. We have 3 sub-units in our family: my parents; me, my husband, and daughter; and my sister, her husband, and daughter. We cannot squish into 2 rooms for more than a day without a lot of irritated people So we need 3 bedrooms or rooms. We prefer to stay onsite because of my folks (nervous drivers in a "big city" and my dad uses an ECV). Would you recommend trying to rent DVC? We've never tried that before but I want to find the least-ridiculous prices. We love POR, Wilderness, Yacht & Beach, and AK--but some of these have worse transportation than others. If we rule out top-tier places like Poly and GF, where would you be looking?

 

[sponica]

My opinion:
Price out 3 rooms at the places you enjoy because every place has its own transportation problem in some way shape or form.

Assume no discounts (perhaps by then there will be) and go- what price can I justify paying?

I'd probably look at wilderness first, because everyone raves about it at christmas time followed by AK because it's the holidays, why not do something different?

I like to say there's no such thing as a bad Disney resort, some just meet our needs and wants more than others do.

 

[snikki]

I would also price out 3 separate rooms at the resorts you are interested in and let everyone book their own accommodations.

You could look into renting a DVC Grand Villa but if anyone backs out (or something comes up and one family unit can't make it) then the person who booked it is on the hook for the money, unless you get the funds upfront. I would only book DVC with a group if everyone paid upfront and understood they would not get their money back if they canceled.

I will say I'm not an outdoorsy fan but Wilderness Lodge at Christmas calls my name and is on my bucket list. Like PP I would start there. I also love the Beach Club and the whole Epcot resort area vibe.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Early December is the highest DVC booking demand of the year. I'd caution against trying to rent multiple units at high demand resorts at that time.

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

Have you looked into Old Key West Resort? Even if booking with cash, it's one of the more affordable DVC resorts, and offers ample space. It has a very laid back atmosphere, which would help your parents relax quite a bit. You can also save money on food by using the full kitchen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

For your husband, daughter, self, and parents:
2 Bedroom Villa. Just be sure to request a ground floor since your dad uses an ECV... I don't believe any of the buildings have elevators.

For your sister, husband, and daughter:
Studio

If you book the rooms separately, you can call and request rooms in the same building. The resort is sprawling with buildings, so the odds of the request being fulfilled are high.

Since you're traveling with a large group, I also suggest looking into a resort with monorail/boat transportation, or walking distance to one of the parks. On my recent trip, buses routinely had only a few seats open. That may become a problem with a large group during peak hours (e.g., park close).

Garden View rooms at Boardwalk are relatively cheaper than other deluxe resort rooms, and it would mean you can walk directly to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. The convenience would be worth the extra $$$, in my opinion.

 

[CarolynFH]

I don't believe any of the buildings have elevators.

@Ursula J, Only a very few buildings have elevators, so if booking OKW with a scooter it's best to request "ground floor or elevator building for medical reasons." If renting points, the DVC owner needs to put in that request; if paying cash through Disney, the reservations folks can do that. However, unfortunately, @_auroraborealis_ is right - availability the first two weeks of December is very, very tight.