Meeting spots for families in multiple rooms?

[mrsap]

When we have done group trips, we have done club level so we all have a place to gather and obviously the food options are a plus too!

Definitely agree with this!

Interesting view. I wonder cost wise, three club lever resort rooms, vs 2 bedroom/studio plus food.

Never had club level....pardon me while I cry , had a AKL club but then 2020 happened.......so anyway, are they ever so crowded you can't find seats?

The two lounges, that I personally saw run out of seats, were at AKL and Grand Floridian Sugar Loaf (which is no longer available.) Both lounges are/were pretty small with limited seating. Club Level is definitely great for convenience, but not so beneficial if you’re park commandos that do not spend much time at the resort.

 

[tinkerjo]

I k ow this resort is not on your list but we recently stayed in the Congress park area of Saratoga Springs Resort. The actual resort is beautiful and within easy walking distance to Disney Springs. The pool/hot tub area is quiet and most nights I was the only one there, but never more than 3-4 couples. I was told that pool area closing time is not enforced and that as long as you’re quiet, could stay there as long as you like. I enjoyed looking out over the river. Buses are busy but we never had an issue. The actual resort was very large and it if being near a main pool area with a bar is a priority, it was a pain. But the resort is more budget friendly than some others and very quiet and laid back.

 

[Willow Ufgood]

Many DVC resorts have Community Halls where you could gather as a group. BLT, BWV, AKV-Kidani, OKW, RIV and SSR. If you elect to book individual studios at any of these resorts, you could get together in the Community Hall. There's no charge to use the halls. I particularly like the one at AKV.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Unlike others who seems to need time away from their families while on vacation, our family actually loves hanging out together as much as possible when we do trips together and we have such a great time and are constantly having fun and laughing. We would meet up 1st thing in the morning eat, take the bus and then spend most of the park day together, with an occasional separation, but we would do lunch together etc. When we got back from the park, if not real late, we would sit in the FC, the kids will normally gather by the FC TV area and the adults will just sit talking and laughing about the day. BTW; we do have our disagreements but it normally blows over just as quick as it started. So, I guess we're just lucky to have a fun family and do not need time away from each other during a trip, heck it's usually only about 7 days. Of course I also do not understand how families will do single rider line and be separated on a ride, just to save some time. We tried it and all of us hated it.
OP - To me, 7 people is not a lot of family to keep together or to hang out with I would have no issues getting a few value rooms, plus cooking is not what I want to do on a WDW vacation! We will bring cereal for the times we want to eat breakfast in the room, but my DDs could eat Mickey Head waffles every day

 

[DisneyTeacher]

If money is truly not driving your decision I would stick with the two bedroom. Beach Club has easy access to two parks so the family member on a scooter can avoid buses to two parks. You’re steps from Epcot and have the skyliner or boat to Hollywood studios. We always walk from to Hollywood Studios from Beach Club but I know that’s not an option for everyone.

We’ve stayed in a two bedroom several times with both family and friends and didn’t have an issue with togetherness, even maxing out the room. We do a lot together but aren’t afraid to break off and do things in smaller groups as well. I think you’ll like the full kitchen, free laundry, and living room space the two bedroom will give you.

If your parents are going to be hanging out in the room a lot the living room space will be so much more comfortable than a traditional hotel room. I may be the odd one but I don’t really like sitting on the bed in a hotel room during the day. I can do it but I just don’t find it comfortable if I have to do it for hours, including eating.

No regrets, life is short.

 

[Karebear]

Interesting view. I wonder cost wise, three club lever resort rooms, vs 2 bedroom/studio plus food.

Never had club level....pardon me while I cry , had a AKL club but then 2020 happened.......so anyway, are they ever so crowded you can't find seats?

So sorry you never got the AKL trip! We have never had trouble finding club level seats but have not done club level during the more crowded times of the year either.

 

[Babsy]

If your parents are going to be hanging out in the room a lot the living room space will be so much more comfortable than a traditional hotel room. I may be the odd one but I don’t really like sitting on the bed in a hotel room during the day. I can do it but I just don’t find it comfortable if I have to do it for hours, including eating.

No regrets, life is short.

I really agree with this. A bed is great for sleeping, but not so comfortable for sitting. It is really much nicer for older, less agile people to have a comfortable chair to sit in during the day.

When we have done group trips, we have done club level so we all have a place to gather and obviously the food options are a plus too! Maybe do a lesser price point resort like AKL and do the club level access. Just a thought.

We have done this as well. It works pretty well, especially when you are young. As an older person, however, I would choose the two bedroom with family. I prefer the private extra living quarters to the public lounge. Also, some of the lounges close for periods during the day which would leave the grandparents with their bedroom as their only space during those hours. Just my current opinion, of course.

Interesting view. I wonder cost wise, three club lever resort rooms, vs 2 bedroom/studio plus food.

Never had club level....pardon me while I cry , had a AKL club but then 2020 happened.......so anyway, are they ever so crowded you can't find seats?

The only CL's that I have had trouble getting a seat were at AKL and the WL. but there were times, especially at AKL where we just gave up and bought breakfast elsewhere. That said, usually it was not a problem.

 

[Dave006]

Never had club level....pardon me while I cry , had a AKL club but then 2020 happened.......so anyway, are they ever so crowded you can't find seats?

Yes depending on the time of year and the guest mix many of the CL lounges have been packed to the gills. The resorts most mentioned are Poly, YC, BC and BWI.

The 2 CL lounges that we have found with the best seating to guest ratios would be at the GF and WL.

Dave

 

[VandVsmama]

Hello fellow forumers!

I'm currently organizing a "once in lifetime" multi-generational family trip to Disney. It will be our last family trip due to aging parents, so the goal is to make it a good one; we're not overly concerned with budget so I've been a bit trigger happy when booking accommodation.

Reality is starting to set in as I've been looking at the overall costs. We're currently booked in a 2 bedroom + separate studio at BCV, and it's expensive! We can save a couple of grand by giving up the 2 bedroom and moving into 3 studios in total.

My concern and question: where do families catch up to plan/discuss their day/hang out when they are spread across multiple rooms? I'm worried that we won't have a communal gathering space if I give up the 2 bedroom, but at the same time also not sure if the space is worth the extra $$$.

If we go with individual rooms, we're also considering potentially changing to POFQ as we like the idea of the theme and it results in even more money saved to put towards other parts of the trip.

Our family consists of elderly parents (one will be using an ECV), two couples in their forties and a 7 year old, so 7 of us in total. We're traveling in January.

Is it easy to hang out with other people at the resorts outside of the room?

lobby
food court
pool

 

[VandVsmama]

OP here - thank you so much for all of your responses! I'm so, so grateful for all of the information you've given and experiences shared; it gives me lots to think about.

A bit more info for those who had asked questions (I didn't want to turn my first post into a novel). We are Disney newbies. My mom, myself and then 6 year old had a short, very unplanned last minute trip to Disney World last year (visiting 3 parks) and were blown away by how much we enjoyed it. We stayed at Pop!, and fell in love with the Skyliners and Boardwalk area. When we left we said we'd return again for longer. The rest of the family haven't been to Disney since the early 90's (if at all). It makes resort planning difficult as I have no idea what the resorts are actually like other than brief glimpses from afar (BC) or the info I read online (POFQ). We are looking at an 8 day stay this time around, and are committed to staying within the Disney bubble.

I find it interesting that so many of you have said that you appreciate having your own separate space to get away from the family at the end of the day. In my mind, this trip is primarily a family get together, as we usually only see each other once a year and health issues earlier in the year have made us conscious of the limited time remaining with our parents. Disney is just icing on the cake for the visit, so I've been very focused on having lots of family "together" time. That said, we do all like our space/privacy, so I can definitely see nerves starting to fray at the end of the day.... I'll take this into consideration!

I thought I'd already researched everything I could, but I have learned so much from your responses. I particularly want to call out the info around public places at the resorts (the Beach Club solarium looks beautiful, and I had no idea it existed!). I also love the suggestion someone made to hang out at the public places at other resorts (eg. Poly beach with a Dole whip) - this thought had never crossed my mind, and I love it!

Again, thanks so much!

Editing to add: There's a good chance that one of my parents will spend more time at the resort than the parks, depending on energy levels. As I think about it, this might answer the question itself as they'd likely be more comfortable with a home-like atmosphere (villa) vs. being stuck in a hotel room/resort lobby.

This additional info is helpful.

Some thoughts/ideas to consider in your planning:

• How old are your aging parents?
• For the couples in their 40s, when they usually go on vacation, what do they usually like to do?
• Expect your parents to overestimate their stamina to march through the parks for hours and hours every day.
• Set expectations with everyone ahead of time. For example, give everyone the OK to feel free to go off on their own at different times and do their own thing.
• Consider having everybody in the group pick THE #1 THING they want to do, see, or experience on the trip. Then everybody has an agreement w/each other that you all will try to make sure that everyone gets to do their "#1 thing." And then everybody needs to have an attitude of "Everything else we get to do is icing on the cake."
• Tell everyone ahead of time that there won't be time to do or experience everything.
• Expect that some people will like to sleep in, while others will be up, awake, and ready to go really early in the morning. I guarantee you that after the 1st 24 hr of having to stop and wait around multiple times for people, 1 or more in your group will be frustrated and over the course of the trip, tempers might flare. For example, you could all agree to enter a park on your 1st park day together, go on 1 or 2 rides together, and then everybody has the option to split up from there. You could also plan on meeting up at specific times & locations for meals. One great option would be to book 1 sit down/table service meal per day with the group.
• Go spend some time on www.wdwprepschool.com. Has a lot of helpful information & suggestions on how to plan a WDW trip.
• Set up a group text with everybody in the group who has a cell phone. The rule should be that if you're running late or need to change plans on the fly when you're there and the entire group is separated, you send a text to the group.
• Between now and when the trip happens, all of the adults need to go watch a tutorial on Youtube on how to use the WDW phone app, how to use your magic band and/or phone as your room key, etc.

And some more 'food for thought':

• Don't wait until that day when you're walking into the park to decide what you're going to do that day.
• Decide BEFORE YOU ARRIVE IN ORLANDO which park(s) you'll visit on which days.
• Decide beforehand if you're going to purchase multipass for everybody. Go read some threads or watch some Youtube videos which explain all about multipass/lightning lanes.
• With a large group, sometimes deciding where you all are going to eat can be a bit of a battle, especially if some are adventurous eaters and others are more picky. Go to https://allears.net/dining/menu/ to look at menus & prices.
• Since you'll be there in January, the Epcot food & art festival might be going on. Translation: lots of food booths with specialty items to try.
• Come up with a general plan for each day and then plan on having to adjust it each day based on how things are going. And by general plan, I mean: which park are you starting at, about what time is your target time to get there, are you going to do QS (quick service) eateries that day or a TS meal, too? (TS dining reservations can be made 60 days before day 1 of your trip).
• Look up info online about how to link your respective park tickets together, how to add other people as 'friends' linked to your Disney account, so their tickets, multipass/lightning lane selections ,etc. will also show up on your schedule in the WDW app.

 

[bluezy]

You've gotten a lot of good advice here, I'm just going to say that while our family (14 people ranging in age from 2-60... with the majority being between 19-60) enjoys sharing a rental house on non-Disney vacations and all being together 24/7, that would not work for us on a Disney vacation. On Disney trips, we each book what room/resort works for us on that trip. On those non-Disney trips, we're at a very relaxed location (like the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania or a beach in New Jersey) and we focus more on just going out to eat and possibly doing some touristy thing, but mostly spending time at the house and doing activities in the community (biking, swimming, kayaking, etc.). At Disney, while we spend a few hours together each day (usually for a meal and some rides), we generally keep very different schedules and have different things we want to accomplish on that trip. And have very different ideas of what level of neatness is expected in a hotel room. While I'm happy to hang out with my kids and their families in one big house for 4 or 5 nights, at Disney, I want my own space completely. I don't even want to be in a 2-bedroom villa with another family (though I would consider sharing a 2-bedroom villa with our youngest daughter because she keeps a very neat and organized room. ;D). Disney is very overstimulating for me (even as an adult) and I need my space to decompress each night.