Ready to pull my hair out

[Ready to go in Ok]

I am trying to put together a trip for 11 adults and 2 children, ages 6 and 8. I am pricing out everything so that we can have a group meeting over Memorial weekend. Renting DVC is making as much sense to me as quantum physics. I can pretty much handle figuring out 2 regular rooms and 1 family room at AoA. Other than that, I am pretty much ready to throw my hands up. One in the group is adamant that we stay onsite and do the dining. I am open to offsite however. I can be very convincing when necessary Help? Anyone? Where in the world am I going to stick 13 people??

 

[KPetty725]

I am trying to put together a trip for 11 adults and 2 children, ages 6 and 8. I am pricing out everything so that we can have a group meeting over Memorial weekend. Renting DVC is making as much sense to me as quantum physics. I can pretty much handle figuring out 2 regular rooms and 1 family room at AoA. Other than that, I am pretty much ready to throw my hands up. One in the group is adamant that we stay onsite and do the dining. I am open to offsite however. I can be very convincing when necessary Help? Anyone? Where in the world am I going to stick 13 people??

At the risk for being accused of shamelessly plugging DVC rental when I rent my points out frequently, it really is a great option. I would say you're first step would be to determine sleeping arrangements so you know how many beds you need and go from there. For example, are any of the adults married couples who can share a bed or do you actually need 11 beds plus a place for the kids?

Once you know how many beds you'll need, you can determine the best DVC room configuration. A studio typically has two queen beds and some resorts offer a chair that folds out into a twin bed, allowing you to sleep 4-5 people. A one-bedroom has a king bed in the master bedroom and a queen sleeper sofa in the living room. Technically these only sleep 4-5 as well. A 2-bedroom is basically a 1-bedroom combined with a studio, allowing you to sleep 8-10 people.

Use that to decide how many rooms you will need and then you can start pricing out options.

Hopefully that makes sense but feel free to PM me if you need help. I promise not to shamelessly plug DVC...I'm all out of points right now anyway.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I'm going to vote for off site. You can go to Villa Direct and plug in how many bedrooms you need (I am assuming you need at least 6 bedrooms) and check out their rental homes.

You can also find large homes on VRBO but Villa Direct has houses in the same neighborhoods for cheaper than VRBO.

If they insist on staying on property I would call the Grand Gatherings number and see what kind of arrangements they can come up with to handle that many ppl.

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

Thanks so much. I am going to look this up now.

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

KPetty I tried to PM you, Lord only knows where it went. I used to be an avid Diser several years ago, but I haven't been on in a few years and I'm quite rusty. In a nutshell, there are mostly couples, but everyone is family, so no one will fuss about sharing a bed. Or they will have the good sense to fuss under their breath. So I am thinking we need 7 beds.

 

[mdinme]

We went with a large group and decided to get several studios at riverside. Tey put all of them close together, was nice to be able to get some privacy from time to time but still be close.

 

[bluejasmine]

We went with a large group and decided to get several studios at riverside. Tey put all of them close together, was nice to be able to get some privacy from time to time but still be close.

What studios??

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think that poster meant rooms .

 

[mom4graceandlogan]

I would definitely stick with onsite. While you could get a deal on a large villa offsite, I just don't think it would be worth it for 2 big reasons. 1. transportation. and 2. Memorial Day weekend. With a group that big you want some flexibility to split up for a while. If you are having to drive in, People either ready to go somewhere else or stay longer are stuck. You as the planner will probably be stuck trying to please everybody. I also would not want to deal with memorial day traffic and parking lots filling up. YOu could find a villa with transportation but be sure to check the schedules. YOu could get stuck with limited drop off pick up times. Renting DVC is a great option, but you may find choices limited due to holiday and a weekend. Have you considered the cabins? I was a deluxe snob for a long time, tried the cabins and loved them. Plus it has lots of activities that would make it feel like a family reunion. A of A is also a great choice or three rooms at a resort. THen those that want dining plan can do it.

 

[TaraPA]

Do you mean this Memorial Day - as in 2 weeks? If so renting points will be next to impossible this late in the game. I've rented points a few times & even at 2-3 months out the picking are slim as to what is left.

The cabins might be a good idea - they each sleep 6 & have lots of outdoor space too. I love the villas but you'd need a few & that could get pricey.

Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[BringingUpDisney]

I am trying to put together a trip for 11 adults and 2 children, ages 6 and 8. I am pricing out everything so that we can have a group meeting over Memorial weekend. Renting DVC is making as much sense to me as quantum physics. I can pretty much handle figuring out 2 regular rooms and 1 family room at AoA. Other than that, I am pretty much ready to throw my hands up. One in the group is adamant that we stay onsite and do the dining. I am open to offsite however. I can be very convincing when necessary Help? Anyone? Where in the world am I going to stick 13 people??

I think they are having the meeting in two weeks, not traveling so only info/pricing is required.

I highly recommend staying on site with that size group. With Disney transportation it gives everyone the freedom to come and go easily. That way if some people are slower to get going in the morning, they can catch up later, or you have the flexibility to go back to the room to relax or nap during the afternoon.

It sounds like you could do 3 rooms in a resort that offers some daybeds. You could also look into renting DVC points as PP mentioned. Having done the big group trip to Disneyland, we found that flexibility and not trying to do everything with everyone at all times was the key to a happy and stress free group vacation!

 

[TaraPA]

I think they are having the meeting in two weeks, not traveling so only info/pricing is required.

Oh DUH! I was wondering how she was going to pull it off so quickly!!!

 

[daisymomof4]

Will you have cars? If not, I'd stay onsite for transportation alone. That many people are going to want to split up at some point, someone may want to sleep in, etc and having resort transport will make that easier.

In addition to the 2 rooms and 1 suite you priced at AoA, I'd price 4 rooms at another value, and 4 at a moderate (I'd pick POR or POFQ for the boat to DTD). If you do individual rooms, the people that want the DP can add it, and those that don't can pay oop so I'd work up those numbers.

I'd price out something offsite too. Be sure to add in all extra costs like park parking, hotel fees (if there are any), car rentals if needed, etc.

Good luck!

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

When you mention large groups, someone always suggests renting DVC points...but as someone that often travels with other couples or family groups (and who is usually the one who does the planning!) I can tell you that for a variety of excellent reasons (health, family issues, job, etc) the reality is that people sometimes need to cancel. The larger the group, the better the odds someone will have to drop out.

Renting DVC points is a risk as you could lose money if people cancel out and you are either left with a larger unit than you really need or extra units. For a group You need flexibility--my recommendation would be to do individual resort rooms for each couple or famly, paid for separately (room only reservation). This way if someone needs to cancel, no problem.

Gooc luck!

 

[mmouse50]

I have travelled with my extended family 14 of us and then again with just my nieces and nephews as well as couple of their friends (12 of us) and we all had separate rooms it was easier and kept me (the planner) sane. It was pretty much each family had their own room or a couple of the cousins stayed in a room - we stayed at WL with family and FQ nieces and nephews - that way we had our own privacy - those who wanted to hang out after the park closed did and the rest of us could go to sleep. We were all on the dining plan. And basically both times everyone was free to do what they wanted we just met up for meals. It worked great when my parents went - they didn't care to do what the more thrill seekers wanted to and could go back to their room if they wanted.

I made a schedule of which park that we would head out to each day and told them what time the cars would be leaving and they were all on board with that - during the day if they wanted to go back to the resort they just took the Disney transportation. But pretty much all in all everyone stayed together as a group, which really surprised me - I thought everyone would scatter when we got in the parks.

Even though it is great to have everyone together all day - 24/7 for more than 3 days could be a bit much.

 

[mdsouth]

When you mention large groups, someone always suggests renting DVC points...but as someone that often travels with other couples or family groups (and who is usually the one who does the planning!) I can tell you that for a variety of excellent reasons (health, family issues, job, etc) the reality is that people sometimes need to cancel. The larger the group, the better the odds someone will have to drop out.

Renting DVC points is a risk as you could lose money if people cancel out and you are either left with a larger unit than you really need or extra units. For a group You need flexibility--my recommendation would be to do individual resort rooms for each couple or famly, paid for separately (room only reservation). This way if someone needs to cancel, no problem.

Gooc luck!

I think this is a valid suggestion. The separate reservations can be linked. That is what a Grand Gathering planner will help you do. Then some families can have the dining plan while others don't.

 

[Sue M]

I would stay on site. This will give everyone the freedom to come and go when they want. Staying off site and renting cars, everyone has to come and go at agreed times. If someone is tired and wants to go back to the resort for a break, it's easy on site .
Depending on your budget, I'd get 4 rooms at a moderate resort, or 3 rooms at a deluxe. The deluxe resorts have 2 queens & a day bed (except WL & AKL), the mods (except CBR) havev2 queens.
As far as I know most DVC studios have 1 queen, and a pull out sofa, except OKW which have 2 queens.

For me I'd feel too squished having 4 adults sharing one room, family or not!
If price is an issue each couple can each have their own room at a value resort.

You can have all the reservations linked as traveling together so they will all be near by.

 

[disnut8]

I am trying to put together a trip for 11 adults and 2 children, ages 6 and 8. I am pricing out everything so that we can have a group meeting over Memorial weekend. Renting DVC is making as much sense to me as quantum physics. I can pretty much handle figuring out 2 regular rooms and 1 family room at AoA. Other than that, I am pretty much ready to throw my hands up. One in the group is adamant that we stay onsite and do the dining. I am open to offsite however. I can be very convincing when necessary Help? Anyone? Where in the world am I going to stick 13 people??

I don't know the makeup of the 13 people (husbands? wives? boyfriends? girlfriends? whose kids? friends? cousins?) but I would definitely echo the Grand Gathering planning. I did a trip with 10 people and there was no way with all the different wake up times and bedtimes we were going to be able to all be comfortable in one place. Absolutely no way. So think about that first.

We ended up doing four rooms at Pop Century and it was perfect. Every subset (three groups of two adults and one group of four which included two kids) had their own room, they could wake up when they wanted, they could go to bed when they wanted. Doors were closed between rooms and cell phones were used for communication in the morning to get organized for the day (or you can use the room phones). Plus - everyone's bathroom was their own which was a life saver on certain occasions.

I also have to stress a PP's thing about having rental or personal cars if you are staying offsite. That's a must. An absolute must. There is no way all 13 of you will be able to tour a park together. No way. Plus, you would need at least two vehicles so add $28 per day for parking.

Just things to think about and bring up at your meeting.

 

[KPetty725]

KPetty I tried to PM you, Lord only knows where it went. I used to be an avid Diser several years ago, but I haven't been on in a few years and I'm quite rusty. In a nutshell, there are mostly couples, but everyone is family, so no one will fuss about sharing a bed. Or they will have the good sense to fuss under their breath. So I am thinking we need 7 beds.

Yeah, the PM requirements are pretty strict around here!

For 7 beds, if you wanted to do DVC (although there are lots of options on here now), you would probably want to get either a 1-bedroom and 2 studios or a 2-bedroom and 1 studio. I would look to see which is cheaper.

I definitely agree with what a PP said about cancellations, though. If you do rent DVC, you'll have to tell everyone that it is non-refundable, period. They don't go, they still pay.

If you still need help, feel free to email me! katiepetty@hotmail.com

 

[Gretchen]

We went a few years ago with a group of 16. 4 families, 3 rented a house 1 a condo. The 3 in the house were 6 adults and 5 kids. 6 bedroom house. 3 couples had their own rooms and bathroom, 3 groups of kids had their own bedroom and shared 2 bathrooms. There was a pool and spa. Each family had a car. Worked out great.

Last trip we went with another family, 4 adults 3 kids. Got two rooms at the dolphin. Rented 2 cars. That was probably one of our better trips. We could stay together, or any one of us could go do something different. One day we all went to MK for the am, dd and I went over to Epcot. My friend and her daughter went back to their room. My DH and DS went to the dolphin pool. My friends DH went for a run and then a swim. We all had a great time.
Good luck!