Lodging for 9 -- Desert Inn family suites?

Joybelles

Earning My Ears
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Aug 25, 2010
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Family of 4 (mom, dad, 2 teen daughters) and family of 5 (mom, dad, 2 teen daughters, 1 teen son) traveling together. I'm looking at hotel options across from the park entrance. Wondering if the Desert Inn's Executive Family Suite (B2) or Parlor Family Suite (C2) would be good for our situation. Or just feel too close... We aren't all one big family, but two separate families (dads work together). I've searched this site, but mostly reading about smaller groups utilizing suites at this hotel. I'm wondering if anyone has stayed here with a group this size and what you feel about privacy.

The price is good at ~$300/nt total. Other places in the area for the same time (did I mention this is the week after Christmas) start around $160/family/night.

The layout of the Desert Inn suites I referenced (per their website) doesn't seem too different from the adjoining suites we had at Best Western Park Place Inn and I felt like those could be private enough for two distinct families. But I want to know if the floor plans on the website are truly indicative of what we would experience there.

It looks like we would all have our own space, but I want to know if anyone stayed here and felt like they: had to whisper; heard snoring; felt a constant need to wear a bra; got to know their travel companions WAY more than planned; needed to justify fiber rich diet; etc.

Thank you all for your help!
 
I'd recommend separate rooms/suites for each family, for multiple reasons....

I wouldn't feel comfortable going w/o full clothing (i.e., daytime clothing) in front of someone else's teen son or husband. On vacation, I want to get into jammies/be bra-less as soon as I get back to my hotel room!

My digestion gets a bit wonky when traveling. I frequently travel with my best friend--several times a year, and we lived together for nearly a quarter of last year--and I still get a bit "shy" poo'ing with her in the same suite. Blessedly, she's the same way, so we will leave one another alone in the hotel room for a half hour without hurting any feelings. But, I'd have a hard time telling hubby's workmate's wife/family that I need the premises vacated so I can poo!

After significant time together in the parks, you'll likely want your own space as your own family for a little while. The noises you know, the smells you know, the little idiosyncrasies you're used to.

After a day in the parks, I don't want to "entertain" at all. I don't want to have to monitor someone else's kids for being too loud/rambunctious/annoying, etc. in my space. Perhaps this comes from traveling with my best friend's kids, who are 4-5 years younger than my tween daughter, and are very "busy" from 6:30am to 9:30pm....

The family-friends traveling issues aside, I'm guessing the sofa bed wouldn't be comfortable for a teen (my 12yo complains about them). Desert Inn has some pretty firm beds (not in a good firm way), which I despise. I actually considered going to Target to get an air mattress last time I stayed there! And their breakfast offerings are meager.

With such a large group, have you looked into Park Vue? I'm guessing the free hot breakfast there would make up the cost difference pretty quickly. You can call them for their best prices.
 
We're at Desert Inn and Suites now. In the set up that has two connecting double rooms. Would sleep 8 very comfortably! 9 might be tough. But there are 4 of us...me, dh, dd and her boyfriend. We went with a girls room and a boys room. Boys get a full bath, girls get a full bath.
The hotel is clean and comfortable, with accommodating hosts. I'm sure a larger set up would work for you guys. Having distinct sleeping areas is a very nice thing.
 
We stay here and love the suites. You can shut a door between the two sides when you feel the need to let it all hang out if necessary. Honestly, tho, because I'm a private person I'd probably get the smaller suites and get two of them at Desert Inn. We go with my mom and my adult (handicapped) brother, so we're ok being in pajamas around everyone, but even if it were my best friend and her family I don't think I'd share a full suite. I need my privacy!

As for once you shut the door between the two...I couldn't hear snoring from those in the other room (and one of them is REALLY LOUD). Bathroom situations worked out fine. We actually had the suite that only has one full bath and one half bath. We just worked out who showered at night and who showered in the mornings. If you're getting the bigger one that won't be an issue tho.
 

The C2 says:

Designed with the comforts of home in mind, the bright and spacious C2 Suite is a luxurious family suite. Consisting of 3 separate sleeping areas, 2 bedrooms with 4 Queen Size beds and one living room with a pull out sofa bed, 2 baths and 800 SQ FT of space, this large suite sleeps up to 10 people.
 
We aren't all one big family, but two separate families (dads work together). I've searched this site, but mostly reading about smaller groups utilizing suites at this hotel. I'm wondering if anyone has stayed here with a group this size and what you feel about privacy.

I too would definitely recommend 2 suites, one for each family. Packing 9 non-family members into one suite sounds too cozy to me.
 
/
...My digestion gets a bit wonky when traveling. I frequently travel with my best friend--several times a year, and we lived together for nearly a quarter of last year--and I still get a bit "shy" poo'ing with her in the same suite. Blessedly, she's the same way, so we will leave one another alone in the hotel room for a half hour without hurting any feelings. But, I'd have a hard time telling hubby's workmate's wife/family that I need the premises vacated so I can poo!
Thanks for sharing... :goodvibes

It's nice to not share a bathroom.
2 full bathrooms in the VGC 1-bedroom villas was a major selling point :teacher:
 
It depends on a few things. $ and comfortability. I have went with close friends and we were able to share over 100 bucks each my sharing a suite, for us it was worth it as money was tight. If I went with others, maybe not so much, for me it depends on my budget and comfortability. I definitely would though. PS, I love DI&S!!!
 
I would totally want a separate suite for each family. Or a suite for the 5 and a double queen or something for the 4. It might not be that much more. You should also check some other sites (I've been enjoying booking.com) to see what kind of deals you can get close by. They have different sites "on sale" at different times, and many are fully cancellable.
 
I stayed in C2 with my family of 4, my mom and our friends- 2 couples. It was pretty comfortable. No one took the pull out bed in the sitting room, but it was a good size. Our kids were 1.5 & 5 at the time. It was like 1 regular 2 queen room and another with an added sitting room. The door separating the two was good when the kids needed to go to sleep and the adults wanted to stay up and hang out. There were 2 good sized baths that had the vanity separate from the toilet/shower, which is always nice. It wasn't fancy by any means, but we were concerned about budget.
I think if everyone is pretty comfortable with eachother it could work nicely.
 
Another vote for separate suites. The week after Christmas (I'm assuming you mean 12/26 - 12/31) is one of the busiest times of the year at DLR. Dealing with all those crowds in the parks can create some physical and emotional stress. Coming back to a crowded space with limited privacy may not be all that relaxing.
 
Thank you for all the great replies and suggestions! The floor plan for the suites I'm considering look like individual suites with connecting doors, but reading what some of you have to say it's not quite as separate as the diagrams appear. Very good to know!! Looks like we will be happier with a two queen room for us and a suite (2 queens plus sofa bed) for the other family.

We stayed at BWPPI last time in adjoining suites and felt private enough until the doors were opened. Unfortunately the doors opened on the bathroom ends of the rooms.... Which was OK being all family, but would be uncomfortable with this group.

My only requirement is to be right across from the park entrance and some of those hotels still have rooms available online. But I know we need to book soon! Not an ideal time to go, but I've seen the parks decorated for Halloween and regular during summer and really want to see the Christmas/winter look. The dads can go any time, but we also have 1 college student, 3 high school students (2 seniors), 1 middle school student, and 2 school head secretaries. Pretty stuck with the "only during winter break" schedule...
 
We've stayed in the C2 parlor family suite a few times. Its basically two adjoining rooms. One room has the "parlor room" with the sofa bed. That is seperated by a door into the room which has two queen beds and a full bath. There is then another door that connects to the other room that also has 2 queen beds, a full bath and a small table and chairs. Its pretty roomy IMO. I think 9 would be an easy fit.
 
We've stayed in the C2 parlor family suite a few times. Its basically two adjoining rooms. One room has the "parlor room" with the sofa bed. That is seperated by a door into the room which has two queen beds and a full bath. There is then another door that connects to the other room that also has 2 queen beds, a full bath and a small table and chairs. Its pretty roomy IMO. I think 9 would be an easy fit.
This sounds like exactly what the OP was looking for, and what I was thinking would work well. I've stayed in a parlor suite before; as kirstie101 says, they are good for 5 people. One small room opening onto the corridor with a sleeper sofa and a tv; then the main room with two queens and the bathroom. Then the adjoining room, which is just a regular 2 queen/1 bath room.

I have heard that the connecting doors at DI tend to transmit the noise from room to room more readily. You could compensate for that by having a little white noise generator or a small fan in your room. I wear earplugs, but not everybody (like my DH) find them comfortable.
 
I haven't stayed in that type of room there. But as a few others have stated, it looks like the rooms are definitely separated by a door so you could close it for privacy. I think one downside of the C2 family suite as opposed to getting completely separate ones is that the family ones just have a fridge/micro on one side.

Also, to entire the with just 2 bed, you have to go through the room with the sofa. So if a teen son is trying to sleep in there, you'd have to walk through.

But each family would have their own bathroom.

It looks like the B2 ones are COMPLETELY separate to where you don't have to walk through someone elses room to get to yours. And each family gets their own fridge and microwave. Downside being that the sofa room in each isn't behind a closed door.
 
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For others in the thread that maybe aren't familiar...here is the floor plan of the C2 Suite

client_C2.jpg


And here is the B2....

client_B2.jpg
 
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For others in the thread that maybe aren't familiar...here is the floor plan of the C2 Suite
Yep, we stayed in the C2 in March. These diagrams are very exact. Note in the C2, there is only one main entrance door. Everyone has to go through the sitting room with the sofa sleeper to get to their room. Also, there is only ONE fridge and microwave in the C2 for both rooms.
I would have really rather had the B2, but it was already booked. It would simply have given us a bit more room to stretch out...We had 9 of us there, also. It was nice to be close together. I think if you get a regular room and a smaller suite, they many not be by each other. We did this last year, and we were not even on the same floor.


client_C2.jpg


And here is the B2....

client_B2.jpg
 

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