Thanksgiving 2021 Resort and/or Split stay recs?

[Lm3js]

Question: What resort and/or would you split?

Background of us/trip: Family of 4 - 2 adults, 2 older very tall teen boys (18 and almost 13 by trip time). We are all huge Disney fans and go to DL every/multiple times a year (well, except when it was closed). We have been to WDW as a family once before in 2016. I was supposed to go to the WDW Wine and Dine half marathon with friends in 2020 as a milestone birthday present to myself but that got canceled (as did our family trip to Europe). This trip will be a combo makeup birthday present for myself, a bd present for younger son, a makeup family vacation as well as possibly not getting another trip for a while due to eldest leaving for college. So, a special trip. However, we aren't made out of money so also looking through lens of budget-- best bang for buck. We are mostly park warriors but am looking to plan a few days of 'resort or other activity days' and hope the weather will be nice enough to enjoy the pools (?). We plan on flying in on Saturday and returning the following Sunday with 5 park days and 2 resort days + a little free time on travel days depending on flights. We probably will only do 1 park a day given I'm guessing things will be crowded and we'll take our time.

The dilemma: Week of TG seems there is still limited availability given that many resorts aren't open yet. Yet, I am afraid if I wait too long, we'll be locked out of being able to get reservations for park days as I'm assuming as things open more up, TG will be a popular time. I have stayed previously at PoP as solo traveler and liked it but not sure it will be big enough for the 4 of us. We stayed at POR before and thought that was great, but it was also pretty tight (and it is not open now). Right now options for moderate are CSR and CBR (pirate) and most of the values that are open. I do not think we can afford a Deluxe pricing for the whole stay but was thinking a split between a Deluxe (GF?) and Value (maybe AoA that has family suites)? Also as a placeholder, I booked a room at Swan thinking that may be an option too as rooms are likely bigger and being able to walk is nice especially since kids are older. It is priced equivalent to a moderate even with the fees however, am I going to miss the Disney feel? I know, I'm all over the map!

Should I book a package now to lock in something and then try to change as more resorts open? Would you do a split? And if so, which 2?

Thank you in advance for any and all recommendations! I'm sorry this is another 'what resort' question.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

If you are going over a more crowded time, I would highly recommend staying somewhere that you don’t have to rely on transportation to go everywhere. If you can’t stay deluxe, then I would stay at the swan or dolphin as you can walk to Epcot and DHS.

 

[pinkxray]

I would definitely stick with swan over the other options you listed if I was going during a holiday week. I am a big fan of not having to using transportation to parks so being able to walk to two parks would be awesome.
We stayed at Dolphin during the Wine and Dine weekend 2019 and I didn’t miss the “Disneyness” as much as I thought I would. The pool is great especially for the ages of your kids. You are also right near the Epcot resorts and can visit them to eat and see all the holiday decoration to get in some Disney.
I do believe Swan and Dolphin aren’t using Disney buses right now. I think you get dropped off at TTC vs MK. Not sure if that bothers you.
I am a big fan of split stays so if Swan was cheap enough I might do a split stay with Swan and watch the MK resorts for the cheapest room to open up like Wilderness lodge and add a few days there.

AOA family suites are not value priced. I just checked Sat-Tues Thanksgiving week. AOA is around $560 those days. Wilderness Lodge is $511. I would probably stay WL Sat-Tues and switch to Swan the rest of the week.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

If you are going over a more crowded time, I would highly recommend staying somewhere that you don’t have to rely on transportation to go everywhere. If you can’t stay deluxe, then I would stay at the swan or dolphin as you can walk to Epcot and DHS.

Totally agree with this. I would normally say CBR but if the only option is a pirate room then definitely avoid that (rooms are double beds which won't be good for your tall sons). I would pick Pop over a pirate room or any of the other deluxes, simply because of Skyliner. It is such a game changer to be able to avoid busing to 2 parks. AoA family suite would also be a great option but the price on that is probably going to be comparable to a deluxe. It seems like your best choice, price and transportation wise, would be Swan/Dolphin. If you aren't as concerned about transportation, I'd go with CSR.

 

[jbock]

Following the themes of others w/ some other details- I just looked at those dates really quickly - 11/20-11/27 right? S/D is ~1/4 to 1/3 of the price of GF. I've stayed at both. I personally put a big premium on the monorail and being able to walk to MK, among the monorail resorts, but I'm not sure I put 3+x the price of the S/D. I don't know your budget, but you might call S/D reservations directly and ask about suites or the alcoves, studio rooms, adjoining rooms, etc. You could have offset not being in an official Disney hotel by creating something special for the kids (their own room / bathroom (also special for you!)) at perhaps a good bit less than the GF. For example - I've got a stay coming up where I can either pay $540 a night (incl taxes/fees) for a 1BR suite at Dolphin which is a studio suite + an attached hotel room - it's apparently pretty sizable) or I got a decent deal for the GF @ $510 a night for lagoon view. (So yes, I know in that case Dolphin is more $$ but that's just bc the rate for GF wasn't in the high $700s like it is for TG - I suspect the rate you'd pay for what I booked wouldn't be that much higher than what I got... (nurse, teacher, military, AAA, etc? they discount that.) But that room I ended up getting is.. I don't know 800-900 sq ft and has 2 bedrooms / 2 baths. But I fully admit I probably put too high a premium on where we sleep at night after a long day at the park.

Anyway, more importantly the parks I can only assume are going to be very, very crowded. I do not believe I put too high a premium of being in control of when I go where so not having to rely on transportation (walking to/from parks) is a big deal, particularly when it's crowded. I just looked at trying to split stay for that week (seeing if the front-end was cheaper) and I can only get GF - garden/standard at 720-820 a night. I just.. for me, I'd see about getting a bigger room at S/D if I could get it in the 500-600 range, spend some extra $ on lyfts or Minnie Vans if those are back and still come out saving a lot... and still being able to walk to 2/4 parks + boardwalk access.

You could also do this, and this is a bit cheeky if you can swallow holding on to two deposits - book the GF the whole time. Book a suite (or a standard room) at S/D for the whole time. See if any Dis discounts come out for that time period. If a nice discount comes, switch the rate type and stay at the GF the whole time. (Or tinker around with both reservations when/if that discount comes depending on how it fits in your budget.) Alternatively, to promote the sponsor of this site and to save you some effort, get Dreams Unlimited to book the GF room-only for you and they'll watch for the discount and adjust the package for you. Then you can just cancel the S/D. Actually, I'm pretty sure they book S/D so you could put all of this on their plate.

Ok, that was a lot, probably more than anyone would want to read. Back to actual work for me. Have fun!!!!

 

[Lm3js]

Following the themes of others w/ some other details- I just looked at those dates really quickly - 11/20-11/27 right? S/D is ~1/4 to 1/3 of the price of GF. I've stayed at both. I personally put a big premium on the monorail and being able to walk to MK, among the monorail resorts, but I'm not sure I put 3+x the price of the S/D. I don't know your budget, but you might call S/D reservations directly and ask about suites or the alcoves, studio rooms, adjoining rooms, etc. You could have offset not being in an official Disney hotel by creating something special for the kids (their own room / bathroom (also special for you!)) at perhaps a good bit less than the GF. For example - I've got a stay coming up where I can either pay $540 a night (incl taxes/fees) for a 1BR suite at Dolphin which is a studio suite + an attached hotel room - it's apparently pretty sizable) or I got a decent deal for the GF @ $510 a night for lagoon view. (So yes, I know in that case Dolphin is more $$ but that's just bc the rate for GF wasn't in the high $700s like it is for TG - I suspect the rate you'd pay for what I booked wouldn't be that much higher than what I got... (nurse, teacher, military, AAA, etc? they discount that.) But that room I ended up getting is.. I don't know 800-900 sq ft and has 2 bedrooms / 2 baths. But I fully admit I probably put too high a premium on where we sleep at night after a long day at the park.

Anyway, more importantly the parks I can only assume are going to be very, very crowded. I do not believe I put too high a premium of being in control of when I go where so not having to rely on transportation (walking to/from parks) is a big deal, particularly when it's crowded. I just looked at trying to split stay for that week (seeing if the front-end was cheaper) and I can only get GF - garden/standard at 720-820 a night. I just.. for me, I'd see about getting a bigger room at S/D if I could get it in the 500-600 range, spend some extra $ on lyfts or Minnie Vans if those are back and still come out saving a lot... and still being able to walk to 2/4 parks + boardwalk access.

You could also do this, and this is a bit cheeky if you can swallow holding on to two deposits - book the GF the whole time. Book a suite (or a standard room) at S/D for the whole time. See if any Dis discounts come out for that time period. If a nice discount comes, switch the rate type and stay at the GF the whole time. (Or tinker around with both reservations when/if that discount comes depending on how it fits in your budget.) Alternatively, to promote the sponsor of this site and to save you some effort, get Dreams Unlimited to book the GF room-only for you and they'll watch for the discount and adjust the package for you. Then you can just cancel the S/D. Actually, I'm pretty sure they book S/D so you could put all of this on their plate.

Ok, that was a lot, probably more than anyone would want to read. Back to actual work for me. Have fun!!!!

No this is perfect (as well as the other replies). I need everything right now to help me narrow down choices. I talked to family last night and one kid really wants a nice pool area the other doesn't care as long as he can go and do everything star wars. You are definitely hitting on all my thoughts too about budget best bang for buck. I hate spending $$ on hotels when I can spend instead at special things at park (like a dessert party). Since I don't know how much 'special' is going to be offered by TG and how this trip is going to celebrate so much was thinking of splurging a little to get us in a nicer resort. But yeah, those prices right now are premium--which I totally expected but now trying to justify... And I'm Marriott Platinum as I travel a lot (or did) for work so D/S could offset cost if I use points and get free night. Though it is pricer than it should be now too.

 

[gigicnm]

We are in a very similar situation. I’ve had a lot of difficulty booking a room for mid November. At CBR we could only get a pirate room. Nothing at any of the value resorts except a suite at AoA. We loved the LM rooms at AoA (traveled with two tall teenaged boys, but none are available. So our choice was Coronado or Swan (dolphin has double beds, Swan has queens if that makes a difference for you). We ended up booking a deluxe queen room with a balcony- resort view for the same price as the CBR pirate room. We’re traveling with a 7 year old so we figured it was worth it to pay for a balcony so the adults can sit out there while the little guy sleeps. I just can’t figure out why I’m had so much trouble finding a room In mid-November. We’ve travelled that week before with no issues.

 

[Lm3js]

OMG and airfare for that week is crazy too. I am thinking/hoping it will come down

 

[JakeAZ]

OMG and airfare for that week is crazy too. I am thinking/hoping it will come down

This!

I've been tracking prices since schedules were released in December. They've just gone up and up. I'm glad we locked in ours already, but some in the group are still trying to get something "reasonable". $5000 for a family of 5 from SF to MCO RT in coach, with a stop....shockingly isn't their idea of "reasonable"

It's almost as if all the airlines got together and decided to get all their lost revenue back that week...

I'm hopeful once Southwest releases their schedule, pricing might come down with another airline competing for business.

 

[Lm3js]

This!

I've been tracking prices since schedules were released in December. They've just gone up and up. I'm glad we locked in ours already, but some in the group are still trying to get something "reasonable". $5000 for a family of 5 from SF to MCO RT in coach, with a stop....shockingly isn't their idea of "reasonable"

It's almost as if all the airlines got together and decided to get all their lost revenue back that week...

I'm hopeful once Southwest releases their schedule, pricing might come down with another airline competing for business.

Ha ha that is me...coming from SF! Right now prices are ~900+ RT with a stop. Looking at 11/20-11/28 and I'm also flexible +/- days. That is crazy abnormally high. I was thinking they would be more like $500 range at the high end given that normally they are around $250 RT or so. I believe they will drop come summer but am stalking SW too. If it drops in the $400 range even though still high, I may jump at it to secure it given how volatile things are. If not, I may need to postpone going to 2022.

 

[JakeAZ]

Ha ha that is me...coming from SF! Right now prices are ~900+ RT with a stop. Looking at 11/20-11/28 and I'm also flexible +/- days. That is crazy abnormally high. I was thinking they would be more like $500 range at the high end given that normally they are around $250 RT or so. I believe they will drop come summer but am stalking SW too. If it drops in the $400 range even though still high, I may jump at it to secure it given how volatile things are. If not, I may need to postpone going to 2022.

It's crazy. Our dates are 19-27. I was lucky enough to get a "decent" deal with points / credits / cash from PHX but my sister's and brother's families are coming from SF and Portland. Terrible pricing for them.

The only plus side is there are plenty of open seats on these flights so hopefully people hold steady and the airlines will be forced to drop the prices.....

 

[Lm3js]

It's crazy. Our dates are 19-27. I was lucky enough to get a "decent" deal with points / credits / cash from PHX but my sister's and brother's families are coming from SF and Portland. Terrible pricing for them.

The only plus side is there are plenty of open seats on these flights so hopefully people hold steady and the airlines will be forced to drop the prices.....

I'm looking at ranges of dates as well and trying to game the 'what if I book one way on one airline and one way on another using points? What if I go through Texas on a stopover? What if I go through LAX? What if I fly to MIA... all terrible $$$ right now...

 

[JakeAZ]

I'm looking at ranges of dates as well and trying to game the 'what if I book one way on one airline and one way on another using points? What if I go through Texas on a stopover? What if I go through LAX? What if I fly to MIA... all terrible $$$ right now...

Yup. They know why we are all going to Orlando. It's just weird how they are sticking it more to the people on the west coast. It's not like there are limited flights from those originations. There's actually plenty of them, but yes, they are all terrible.

I remember about a year ago how we were "all in this together"...

 

[DL1WDW2]

Is 18 year old considered adult when you check rates , because 3 adults will increase the nightly rates. Have you considered 2 rooms at POP?
Also , I think Swan/Dolphin... one has queen size and other has doubles. So make certain you get resort with the queens.
Can’t imagine anybody enjoying the decor at Art of Animation .
But POP Century has a spacious feel with new update in the rooms Plus SkyLiner !
Don’t delay, just get a reservation with 5 day cancel policy and try to stay on property or close to Disney Springs to walk over bridge .
You can always cancel the room if something better appears...

 

[DizneyFamof4]

I am in the minority here We have gone 5 times during Thanksgiving week (2 Deluxe, 2 Value and 1 Mod) and we do not find it worth the huge $$ difference for a deluxe over the other resorts and for transportation, we rarely had issues with buses, as a matter of fact the longest wait was for a monorail when we stayed at GF. With the size of your family I would concur with DL1WDW2 and look at 2 POP rooms, plus i'm sure your boys would love having their own room Else I would lean towards S/D and definitely NO pirate room at CBR. Also, your 18 year old will be charged as an extra adult.

 

[Lm3js]

Yes my 18 yr will be considered an adult and I am pricing 3 adults and 1 child. I have reservations currently for both swan (which is extra $200 for 3rd adults) and PoP but am going to keep my eye on things! I am hoping some more of the moderates open up to bring prices down some. If Poly opens, I may consider splurging there for a split stay but so far underwhelmed by the options and prices available at the Deluxes!

 

[starry_solo]

Best bang for your buck is off site....like Wyndham Bonnet Creek, surrounded by Disney Property.