Is this realistic at all?

[disneymouse16]

I have never rented before but am looking into it. We would be a group of 11, 7 adults and 4 children. Would it be feasible to rent a 2 bedroom and a studio? We are not picky about where we stay. Basically we would just like to stay at the same property. Does that seem like we could do that? Would a certain time of year make it more likely? I'm just trying to see what kinds of options we might have! Thanks!

 

[JETSDAD]

The most important thing will be booking early. 11 months out is ideal. October-January would be busy DVC season but it will depend on what resort you're hoping to stay at. It really shouldn't be an issue though if you plan early.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Sure - that's very doable. Certain times of the year for certain resorts you'll want to try and set up the rental 11 months in advance. At other times of the year 7 months will work. SSR is the largest resort so will be the easiest to do this. OKW and AKV should be next easiest but availability is fluid and you never know what might be available at any given time. SSR is the one that is virtually a given.

 

[disneymouse16]

Thanks! Would love to rent and try out DVC !

 

[wbl2745]

We had a 2-bedroom and a studio for seven adults and it worked great. When I made the reservations I linked the two and asked that they be located close to each other. The studio was across the hall from the 2-bedroom.

 

[Chuck S]

I have a group of 11 going down next year. I'm getting a GV and a 2 Bdrm at OKW, that way everyone, except for one child, gets a real bed and there are two kitchens/ washers and dryers with plenty of room in the GV for a group meal, if desired.

 

[crisi]

One thing to be aware of is that there are no guarantees you rooms will be close to each other. Make sure you have your owner (and you may end up with owners - one for each room) add "traveling with" and the other parties lead name on the reservation - that will at least let Disney know. But even then, there are not guarantees. At some resorts you could end up in different buildings, others just a very LONG walk down hallways. Putting "traveling with" on your reservations should keep you at least from ending up at opposite ends of a resort.

The other piece of unsolicited advice from years of group trips and watching other people on this board take group trips - when traveling with multiple families, make sure that you are not taking all the financial responsibility when you book the room. Many DVC rentals want payment up front, and many are final - you can't cancel them if you discover your sister in law will be eight months pregnant and can't travel. Which is at least understandable. Get travel insurance. The one that causes the hardest feelings is when everyone is on for the trip when reservations are made, and then when it comes time to book plane tickets and buy park passes, suddenly there is a soccer tournament that weekend that the kids couldn't possibly miss. Over the years, the Disboards has seen plenty of people "stuck" with an extra room. For owners this can be a pain in the back end, but often can be worked around with sufficient notice - for renters it can be (depending on the terms you sign up for) the loss of a bunch of money with no hope for recovery.