Resort advice, please! First-timers plus scooters

[pks_domer]

Hi all. We are WDW regulars, DVC and on/off AP depending on travel cycle. I feel like we know the place pretty well, and we do things how we do things.

However, we are considering a trip next April with my parents (who have come with us before) and my brother and his family. Their kids, a bit older than ours, have never been to DW. My dad (and maybe my mom) will need scooters. So, we're talking four kids (age 6-13), six adults (including the grandparents).

I see resort choice as one of the first key decision points. My mom will likely prefer somewhere we could all stay together, ideally in one room. I'm not quite in that head space, and would be happy to just be at the same resort. Left to my own devices, I'd pick something with direct scooter access to at least one park (so, Crescent Lake area, BLT/VGF, etc). Dad navigated the monorail and bus just fine on the scooter last time, though we didn't try the skyliner with it. My brother and SIL know Disney is expensive, but I don't think they really have looked at the numbers.

Any suggestions on resort? What am I not thinking of? Am I over-thinking ride-in scooter access?

I should probably just flip all this over to a Disney planner and let them sort it, but I trust in the wisdom of the Dis. Thanks in advance!

 

[lanejudy]

Who is footing the bill? If you are offering your DVC points for accommodations or mom&dad are covering the resort cost for all, that makes a difference. If each family unit is responsible for themselves, each may have different budgets — meaning deluxe could be a non-starter for the new family.

Personally, I’d prefer my own space, so separate rooms maybe at the same resort if that’s in budget for everyone.

 

[gottalovepluto]

You sound like you are moving from the theoretical phase of “let’s do Disney together!” to the Money phase. You need to price out your accommodation options, tickets and LL estimates. Then sit down and have an actual discussion “no, mom we cannot afford the grand villa” is a real phrase that may have to come out of your mouth. The budget needs to be set and it needs to be set now.

If you don’t want to run the math, get a Disney Travel Agent. You will need to tell them how many people, what dates and what accommodations you are considering and they will get the estimates for you. You will still need a budget “cannot exceed $$$$$”.

If your struggle is you’re paying points and they’re paying cash it’s very complicated and you might want to ask on DVC boards for advice. We did RIV cash once with family who did CBR and managed to request Aruba. They came over for coffee in the mornings at the cafe and we all Skylinered together, worked well.

Skykiner and ECV is nbd. They slow it down so much at RIV it might as well be stopped and the CM can stop it with a click of a remote if they have to if something goes wonky. All other stations have stationary loading/unloading areas.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

If you're seriously considering staying in one room with 10 people, my mind goes to the DVC Grand Villas. Some of the GV layouts are 2 floors, which might not be ideal with a couple scooters involved. We have experience with the AKL Jambo one-floor GVs, and they're spectacular (but they're tough to get since there are only 5 or 6 of them). But you'll be doing a lot of buses from there. To be honest, in your situation, I'd probably be looking for more than one room. But with 10, even that could get complex! Good luck with your planning. Hope it all works out and you have a great time!

 

[pks_domer]

Thanks for the great advice, all!
Still working out who pays for what, and yes, setting total budget will be key. Our contract isn't big enough to cover a GV for a high-season week even with bank/borrow, so it's either rent/transfer points, or, more likely, cash booking. And if it's the latter, then that also is a bit of a driver to individual rooms.

 

[CarolynFH]

Since you don't have a handle on budget yet, be sure to include the family suites at AoA in the list of possibilities for your brother's family. It's a Skyliner transfer at CBR for them to travel to DHS or Epcot or to meet at RIV but would still be convenient if others are at RIV. OTOH, what is your home resort? You'll probably need to book at the 11 month window no matter what, so that becomes an anchor for where the rest of the party might stay. I agree with others that if a GV isn't in the budget (points or cash) then separate accommodations will be better - there aren't many 2BR that will accommodate 10 people at all, not to mention comfortably.

 

[fla4fun]

I would not hesitate to consider Pop or AoA with scooters, if budget becomes a big issue. The Skyliner at Pop/AoA, DHS, and Epcot all have the stationary cabin entry for scooters which is much easier to navigate than Riviera where they try to keep it moving (although they can stop if necessary). I feel like it is just as convenient to get to those parks using the Skyliner as it is staying in Crescent lake, but a much lower price point. I don’t recommend CBR for scooters because of the lack of elevators.

If you are going to pay cash, as opposed to using points, also price out the Swan and Dolphin to see if they are a better deal than the Disney deluxe at Crescent Lake. Don’t forget to include their fees when making the comparisons.

 

[pks_domer]

Thanks, all! Good to know Pop and AoA are manageable with scooters. We own at Kidani, so would be all buses all the time there. And good reminder about Swolphin-- haven't stayed cash in a while, so hadn't had that on the radar screen. Good info all around!