Two adults and 8 teens! Where do I look for help?

[BigredNole]

Offsite all the way. 5 adults in a room is insane just to go to two rooms. You will need 3 and that would be a minimum. Each Uber trip would be about $10 each way. Split that up multiple ways and it is not expensive at all. Look for someone that can get a 4BR at some place like WBC or 2x 2BR units. It would still be far cheaper with Uber + offsite. The room savings alone would be about $1,000-$1,500.

 

[auburngirl409]

The only potential issue I see with my own answer, though, is you and DH would have to share a bed with one of the kids if you go this route. If you do end up booking this, you might want to consider bringing two twin air mattresses so everyone has their own bedding.

The only potential issue I see with my own answer, though, is you and DH would have to share a bed with one of the kids if you go this route. If you do end up booking this, you might want to consider bringing two twin air mattresses so everyone has their own bedding.

Absolutely! We could do a couple twin mattresses!

 

[auburngirl409]

With this title my first thought was: a bottle of wine.

It depends all on budget. What did you book already? The trip is less then 4 months away.
Are the parents comfortable with kids being without adult supervision at night if you can 't get 2 rooms for 5 people or 1 room for 10 people?

So, the initial planning wasn't up to me, unfortunately. We had a couple who were planning on taking them and it hasn't worked out. So, we have been asked, at less than four months out, to get it all planned!
The parents may would be okay with some of them being unsupervised. We, on the other hand, are not. So we prefer to have an adult in the rooms. So, 2 rooms. One for 6 (is that doable?) and one for 4...

 

[leebee]

How much money have these kids raised? A room for SIX at WDW is going to be prohibitively expensive. You need to look into renting a house in Windsor Hills. It'll take between 10 and 20 minutes to get to the theme parks, and everything is clearly marked. You said you were driving so you'll have a vehicle. Paying $15 or $20 a day for parking is nothing split across that many people, but the cost of on-site accommodations for six is going to get expensive, quickly!

 

[NeuroCindy]

Rent a house offsite. It's so nice (less bathroom battles, more space, etc), and driving to the parks isn't bad at all.

 

[auburngirl409]

How much money have these kids raised? A room for SIX at WDW is going to be prohibitively expensive. You need to look into renting a house in Windsor Hills. It'll take between 10 and 20 minutes to get to the theme parks, and everything is clearly marked. You said you were driving so you'll have a vehicle. Paying $15 or $20 a day for parking is nothing split across that many people, but the cost of on-site accommodations for six is going to get expensive, quickly!

Their goal is $10,000 and they are close to that. Now, let me be very honest. The last time we went to DW, it was a trip paid for by my parents for our entire family(grandparents, siblings and spouses,etc) so the last time we actually paid for a DW trip was a good many years ago.
I don't even know if this is doable on this budget. Today was my first day to really sit down and research/plan and it's been totally crazy!
We do plan to take breakfast stuff, eat smaller (quick service)lunches and one big meal a day.

 

[auburngirl409]

Another thought/question... could we do three rooms, two of which are connecting, at a moderate? Me and the girls stay in the connecting rooms and the guys stay in another room.
Is that something that would work?

 

[crazylady]

Another thought/question... could we do three rooms, two of which are connecting, at a moderate? Me and the girls stay in the connecting rooms and the guys stay in another room.
Is that something that would work?

A kid in the 3rd room would need to be over 18. And I don't think your budget would allow for 3 moderate rooms anyways.

 

[writerguyfl]

You might also consider the Disney Springs Hotels as a middle ground between on-site and off-site. These seven hotels are on Disney property (walking distance to Disney Springs) but independently owned and operated.

One of those hotels is the DoubleTree Suites. All rooms are 540-square foot suites. (That's about the equivalent size of two Disney value rooms.) The standard option being two queen beds in the bedroom and a queen-sleeper sofa in the living room.

It's a compact hotel. Even if your two rooms are at opposite ends of the hotel, you'll still just be a couple hundred feet from each other. I've stayed there 50+ nights over past couple of years. The staff is great.

The DoubleTree is on the far end of Hotel Plaza Blvd. It's a longer walk to Disney Springs, but it's right near the Crossroads Shopping Center that has multiple restaurants with "normal" pricing. So, if the teens wanted to save money on food, they could walk over to McDonald's, Taco Bell, Firehouse Subs, or Perkin's.

Check for possible discounts at the Disney Spring Hotels marketing website: http://disneyspringshotels.com/

Be sure to factor in the cost of parking. If looking at other Disney Springs Hotels, be aware of any resort fees. (The DoubleTree does not currently charge a resort fee.)

Unlike most off-site resorts that have limited transportation to the theme parks, the seven Disney Springs Hotels offer continuous transportation. It runs every 30 minutes all day long. This is the flyer distributed at check-in:

 

[maxiesmom]

Another thought/question... could we do three rooms, two of which are connecting, at a moderate? Me and the girls stay in the connecting rooms and the guys stay in another room.
Is that something that would work?

The problem is, you can't book connecting rooms. You can only request them, and that request is not guaranteed to be met.

Also, "adjoining" rooms and "connecting" rooms are not the same thing. Adjoining would be rooms near each other, hopefully next to, but maybe not. Connecting rooms have the inside door between them. You can request both adjoining and connecting room types, but no room requests are ever guaranteed.

I like the earlier idea of staying at the All Star Music and getting a family suite and one room. That way there is no stress over the girls having connecting rooms, you will be in one space.

 

[auburngirl409]

@crazylady Sorry, I meant a value resort.

 

[auburngirl409]

You might also consider the Disney Springs Hotels as a middle ground between on-site and off-site. These seven hotels are on Disney property (walking distance to Disney Springs) but independently owned and operated.

One of those hotels is the DoubleTree Suites. All rooms are 540-square foot suites. (That's about the equivalent size of two Disney value rooms.) The standard option being two queen beds in the bedroom and a queen-sleeper sofa in the living room.

It's a compact hotel. Even if your two rooms are at opposite ends of the hotel, you'll still just be a couple hundred feet from each other. I've stayed there 50+ nights over past couple of years. The staff is great.

The DoubleTree is on the far end of Hotel Plaza Blvd. It's a longer walk to Disney Springs, but it's right near the Crossroads Shopping Center that has multiple restaurants with "normal" pricing. So, if the teens wanted to save money on food, they could walk over to McDonald's, Taco Bell, Firehouse Subs, or Perkin's.

Check for possible discounts at the Disney Spring Hotels marketing website: http://disneyspringshotels.com/

Be sure to factor in the cost of parking. If looking at other Disney Springs Hotels, be aware of any resort fees. (The DoubleTree does not currently charge a resort fee.)

Unlike most off-site resorts that have limited transportation to the theme parks, the seven Disney Springs Hotels offer continuous transportation. It runs every 30 minutes all day long. This is the flyer distributed at check-in:

Thank you! I had actually started looking at these hotels last night!
Is there a particular reason why you would choose the DoubleTree? Or are they all pretty comparable?
I have read horror stories of off-site shuttle service. I understand these hotels run continuous busses, are there other "dislikes" about using their transportation that I should think about? When we have stayed on-site, we have never really minded the provided transportation. It wasn't the funniest part of the trip, but it wasn't terrible!

 

[gdrj]

Here's my two cents. (WriterguyFL much kudo's)

On property or Disney Springs Hotels. This gives the kids some freedom (they will want it, and you will need it), and also gives flexibility. Face it, they are not all going to want to beat to the same drum, a few of them may want to do EMH's, while others want a different park. On property resort or Disney Springs Resort gives you that flexibility. If staying at Disney Springs area besides using the hotel busses, they can walk to DS and jump on Resort bus. Ride to Contemporary and walk to MK, Beach Club to EPCOT etc.

NO chance I would go off property.

 

[auburngirl409]

Here's my two cents. (WriterguyFL much kudo's)

On property or Disney Springs Hotels. This gives the kids some freedom (they will want it, and you will need it), and also gives flexibility. Face it, they are not all going to want to beat to the same drum, a few of them may want to do EMH's, while others want a different park. On property resort or Disney Springs Resort gives you that flexibility. If staying at Disney Springs area besides using the hotel busses, they can walk to DS and jump on Resort bus. Ride to Contemporary and walk to MK, Beach Club to EPCOT etc.

NO chance I would go off property.

With a $10,000 budget, do you feel that on site is doable? I have punched in a few scenarios on Disney website to get an idea, but have to keep changing details around because of "this room/resort isn't available for your dates,etc" type things.
Any preference on DS hotels?

 

[Karebear]

The problem is, you can't book connecting rooms. You can only request them, and that request is not guaranteed to be met.

Also, "adjoining" rooms and "connecting" rooms are not the same thing. Adjoining would be rooms near each other, hopefully next to, but maybe not. Connecting rooms have the inside door between them. You can request both adjoining and connecting room types, but no room requests are ever guaranteed.

I like the earlier idea of staying at the All Star Music and getting a family suite and one room. That way there is no stress over the girls having connecting rooms, you will be in one space.

If 4 of the 5 people are under 18, wouldn't the OP be guaranteed connecting rooms since 5 people can't fit in a value room? I thought that WDW guaranteed for a solo adult with that many kids?

 

[maxiesmom]

If 4 of the 5 people are under 18, wouldn't the OP be guaranteed connecting rooms since 5 people can't fit in a value room? I thought that WDW guaranteed for a solo adult with that many kids?

Nothing about a Disney resorts reservation is ever 100 percent guaranteed. There was at least one poster with many children who ended up with non connecting rooms

 

[gdrj]

With a $10,000 budget, do you feel that on site is doable? I have punched in a few scenarios on Disney website to get an idea, but have to keep changing details around because of "this room/resort isn't available for your dates,etc" type things.
Any preference on DS hotels?

The closest is the Wyndham "Gardens", we've stayed there a number of times (location, location, location). Less than 5 minute walk to DS. One of the least expensive. There are usually discounts for AAA, or also from some of the Disney fan newsletters (not sure if I'm allowed to say name). The "B" resort, further away, again sometimes has specials (pricey when not), rooms are a bit larger. The only one that I would avoid is the Best Western based on previous stays. We stayed at Hilton during the Summer for 80 bucks a night, hit a good deal. Just want to look at parking fee and resort fees, Wyndham is lowest. Some promos may waive or reduce "resort fees", anywhere from $12 to $25 per night.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When you stay offsite, you may be required to find transportation to the parks each day. I don't know how you are getting to WDW. If you are driving cars, you could drive the cars to the theme parks, but parking is $20 per day for each vehicle. If you have a church bus or larger van, it would be one fee per day instead of multiple fees. If you stay on WDW property in a Disney resort hotel, you can get transportation from the airport (if you are flying) and transportation to the theme parks. If any of the kids are 18 or older, they could be the lead name on the reservation for a third room. If all are 17 or younger, you would probably need another adult to act as a chaperone. Either way, if you need at least two hotel rooms, you and your spouse would have to split up for the trip.

 

[auburngirl409]

When you stay offsite, you may be required to find transportation to the parks each day. I don't know how you are getting to WDW. If you are driving cars, you could drive the cars to the theme parks, but parking is $20 per day for each vehicle. If you have a church bus or larger van, it would be one fee per day instead of multiple fees. If you stay on WDW property in a Disney resort hotel, you can get transportation from the airport (if you are flying) and transportation to the theme parks. If any of the kids are 18 or older, they could be the lead name on the reservation for a third room. If all are 17 or younger, you would probably need another adult to act as a chaperone. Either way, if you need at least two hotel rooms, you and your spouse would have to split up for the trip.

Yes, we will be driving down in a 15 passenger van. So, we could drive to the parks if needed. We would rather not have to, but will if necessary.
My husband and I do plan on splitting up for the trip. We feel much more comfortable if we are able to be with the kids in the rooms at night.
We do have one girl going who is over 18. So, we could put her name on a reservation for a third room?

 

[writerguyfl]

Thank you! I had actually started looking at these hotels last night! Is there a particular reason why you would choose the DoubleTree? Or are they all pretty comparable?

I thought of the DoubleTree Suites primarily because all the rooms are two-room suites. You'll get two queen beds plus the sofa bed, which means you would only need two rooms, not three. There's also plenty of room for an air mattress, should someone not want to share a bed.

I'm also a huge fan of the hotel. As I wrote, I've stayed there a lot. I've never had any major problems. Any minor issues (no iron in the room, forgotten toiletries) get fixed with one phone call. I also had a minor dental emergency once when staying there and the Front Desk staff was awesome.

My second favorite of the bunch is the Holiday Inn Disney Springs. Excellent staff and decent size rooms. You'd definitively need to get three rooms, though.

I've spent 40+ nights at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista. At this point, I'll only stay there if it's dirt cheap (close to $100 including resort fee). I've never had a perfect stay there. The staff isn't great. Issues like a broken toilet took 3 calls and over an hour to fix. On multiple occasions I've been woken by groundskeepers using leaf blowers near my room prior to 7am.

I've spent exactly one night at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace. It was the dirtiest hotel room I've had in the past several decades. However, they've done a renovation since then. I'm assuming the renovation included deep cleaning the rooms.

I haven't stayed at the other three. The B Resort and Spa gets good reviews, but it's usually one the more expensive side. The Best Western has hit or miss reviews. I'll defer to gdrj, as she or he has stayed there.

The Wyndham has a split personality. They actually market it as two hotels that share the same common areas like the lobby, restaurant, and pool. The main tower of 232 rooms with interior entry is known as the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista. The two wing buildings of 394 exterior entry rooms is known as the Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista. I'll quote one of our frequent commenters over on the Orlando Hotels and Attractions forum:

"I have stayed in Garden rooms and never will again. They've been redecorated but you can't make them bigger or ceiling higher. Felt like shoe boxes. But if you just want a bed and not hanging out in it could be okay."

Link to that thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/wyndham-garden-inn.3639397/

I have read horror stories of off-site shuttle service. I understand these hotels run continuous busses, are there other "dislikes" about using their transportation that I should think about? When we have stayed on-site, we have never really minded the provided transportation. It wasn't the funniest part of the trip, but it wasn't terrible!

There are two big dislikes with the Disney Springs Hotels transportation. First, the stop for Magic Kingdom is actually at the Transportation and Ticket Center. From there, you have to transfer to the ferry or monorail to get to the park entrance. Of course, if you're driving and parking, you'd have to do that, too. The only way to avoid that extra step is to stay at a Disney Resort.

The second dislike is that each bus stops at two theme parks. Usually, one bus goes to Epcot and then to Disney's Hollywood Studios. The other bus goes to the Transportation and Ticket Center and then to Disney's Animal Kingdom. That extra stop usually adds about 25-30 minutes to the route.

Keep in mind: Many hotels use off-site shuttles that only go to one place. Typically, shuttle companies use Epcot at their hub. If you're not going to Epcot, you'd have to transfer to Disney transportation to get to your destination. To get back to the hotel, you'd have to return to Epcot to get your shuttle.

Additionally, many off-site shuttles only run a few times each day in each direction. In contrast, the Disney Springs Hotels shuttles run all day long. As gdrj notes, not everyone will probably want to stick together 24/7. The flexibility of continuous shuttles means that someone not feeling well and wanting to go back to the hotel doesn't ruin everyone's day if you're driving and staying off-site.

In my eyes, the Disney Springs Hotels shuttles aren't as great as transportation from a Disney Resort...but they're are significantly better than most off-site shuttles.

(Sorry for the length. Brevity is not in my wheelhouse.)