Which hotel would you choose?

[rt2dz]

We are considering a large family trip. We are no strangers to Disney. We grew up going every year. My family goes to WDW every year and one of my sisters takes her family to DL just about every year. My parents want to do one huge family trip. However, I have no idea what hotel would be best for a large group and I was voted in as the planner. It would be a total of 5 rooms.

Room 1: 2 adults
Room 2: 1 adult, maybe one teenager
Room 3: 1 adult, 2 kids and maybe that one teenager
Room 4: 2 adults, 3 kids
Room 5: 2 adults, 3 kids

The dates are the weekend after Thanksgiving through the next weekend. My parents would be footing the bill for tickets and lodging. My parents want us all at the same hotel and it really needs to be a deluxe. I was thinking WL, but those families of 5s kind of throw that off. I also want to make sure it is a good Christmas Time hotel.

Just returned from the Boardwalk Inn this last December and we were very disappointed in it, so that one will not be re-visited.

 

[Dzny Nut]

for comfort and space, you should probably do POFQ, while for the cost, i would say the POP, or one of the other value resorts.

 

[daisyduck123]

I'd look into renting points & getting some DVC villas.

I'm biased though. We're DVC & I've been spoiled by having the fridge, microwave, etc. in our rooms.

 

[spiceycat]

akl/akv

right now same place

the 1-bedroom AKV will sleep 5, the others can go with a studio

that say this is not close to any of the parks - so no walking to the parks.

you must use the bus for all park visits.

another choice - VWL, OKW, or SSR

would get a 2-bedroom - then the sleep 5 folks could share with the sleep 1or 2 or 3 folks. a 2-bedroom allows 8.

you can rent a reservation from a DVC member.

a 2 or 1 bedroom comes with a full kitchen, washer, dryer - living room
master bath with a whirlpool tub, and shower stall.


2 bedroom at OKW
has a king bed in the master
queen sleeper sofa in the livingroom
2 queen beds in the second bedroom

the others may have in the second bedroom - either 2 queens bed or 1 queen bed and a double sleeper sofa

akv in the livingroom will also have a chair bed (this is the only one so far to do this)

 

[rt2dz]

Moderates and Values really will not work because my brother has health issues and it is a possibility at any point he would be stuck in the room. Plus, if one of the little kids were to get sick, again, access to food would be necessary require room service. Plus, my mother isn't one for exterior hallways.

If we were to rent DVC, we would all need separate accommodations. No one can take one of my sisters and, especially, her kids for too long. Although, my parents, brother and nephew could all share a two bedroom. That's a thought.

AKL is my FAVORITE resort, thinking of buying DVC there--still running the numbers--but I know my brother and one of my sisters will fly in and I'm not sure about my other sister and my parents. I'm not sure how bus transportation would go over with some of them.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

With your circumstances, time of the year, and desires, I would try the GF or VWL.

Good luck with the planning process.

 

[Pryncess'mom]

Our family of 5 really enjoyed the Poly. The rooms were very nice, the location is great not only for the monorail at the hotel (we actually took the boat over to MK more oftern) but the walk to the TTC for the EPCOT monorail was short. Nice theming, food was good, and we were very pleased with the CM's there. The buses to other parks was good for us too.

good luck with your choice.

deb

 

[dansyr2514]

This year we stayed at a 2 bedroom at SSR. It was absolutely gorgeous. We had 3 children and 4 adults and we all fit comfortably and their was never an issue about bathrooms or noise while sleeping. If the older kids wanted to stay up late they just pulled out the sofa bed in the living room and watched tv there. The full kitchen was also a nice perk. Since the kids are picky eaters...we could just keep some pb&j or frozen pizzas for when they decided they finally wanted to eat. Also having a washer and dryer helped...since the kids went through quite a few clothes and bathing suits.

 

[JoyMouse]

I think that if we were able to do it, we would stay at the Poly or CR and enjoy the monorail. They are just classics. We usually do POP and we love it, but you said to nix the values & moderates. Good luck!

 

[Always Grumpy]

For a family of this size, I would pick the Poly. The rooms are nice and you are not all together like the villa's would have you. Don't get me wrong, we love the WV's and have stayed many a nights there but...I think the Poly would be a better choice.

Just a thought..

 

[Shmily1]

I would pick BC. We stayed there with 5 (three of them teenagers) and it was fine. The proximity to Epcot, DHS, and the restaurants makes it all worth it. This was one of the best trips we've taken! You will love it!!!

 

[rt2dz]

Thanks everyone so far!!

Any other opinions???

 

[marivaid]

I'd go with the Beach Club, either a regular room or a villa. The kids will love Stormalong Bay, and it was really pretty at Christmas time. The rooms are large, with a day bed big enough to fit an adult.

You can rent surrey bikes, walk around the lake, walk to Epcot, take the boat to MGM...

If you don't mind me asking, why were you disappointed in BWI ? I didn't like that resort either, too stuffy for my taste, but the BC isn't like that at all.

Rate : $279/night, AP rate
Value : 9/10
Atmosphere : 10/10
Transportation : 9/10
Location : 20/10!

----------------------------------------

There really aren't enough words to say how much I enjoyed this resort. We were at BWI this summer and although it was gorgeous, I didn't like the resort's feeling at all. So I was a little worried that BC would be the same. Couldn't have been more wrong.

We came in from MK around 2pm. We had walked maybe 3 steps into the lobby when a gentlemen came to greet us. By the time we got to the front desk, 2 other greeters welcomed us home. Our room was ready, which was great.

Just like the Poly, this resort is luxurious yet has a very relaxing feel to it.

The rooms are large and bright. I am in with the bedspreads!! The daybed is big enough for an adult to sleep on comfortably. We had booked a Standard room, and the girl who checked us in said nothing about an upgrade, but we could see the Swolphin from our room, a bit of the lake, as well as the tip of the ship from Stormalong Bay. We had a full balcony with chairs.

Speaking of Stormalong Bay,it was very cute and not too busy. They had games for the kids in the afternoon, so we avoided it at those hours, but the rest of the time it was rather quiet. My mom really enjoyed the sand bottom pool. The only thing she didn't like is that you have to leave the pool area, and cross the "street" to get to the slide.

We ate breakfast at Cape May which was great, a lot less chaotic than Chef Mickey's and better food as well. The characters there are dressed in their bathing suits We had dinner at Beaches & Cream one night, and it was fun too. Not enough tables though.
Mugs can be refilled at the Beach Club Marketplace, which also sells fresh sandwiches, pastries, and a bunch of frozen/fresh foods that you can cook yourself if you're staying in the Villas part of the resort.

The best part, of course, is the location. The walk to Epcot through International Gateway was about 5mns. We walked all around the lake, and it was really nice. Boat to MGM was very convenient. We also used it to go to Epcot once, because we enjoy the ride. A lot of people were having fun on the surrey bikes and we definitely want to do that next time.

Our room :

View from our balcony :

Exterior photos :

Inside photos, Christmas decorations :

Stormalong Bay

Beach and view from the other side of the lake :

 

[rie'smom]

Maybe consider Fort Wilderness cabins. There's a kitchen in case someone has to stay in the room with the sick child. BTW, I don't cook but it certainly was handy for snacks and coffee. Plus, each cabin is separate, so distance from the sister, and also from other family members. Family trips are lots of fun but after awhile, everyone needs their space. My kids used to love the cabins.

Here's the layout:

 

[septbaby]

It would be a total of 5 rooms.

Room 1: 2 adults
Room 2: 1 adult, maybe one teenager
Room 3: 1 adult, 2 kids and maybe that one teenager
Room 4: 2 adults, 3 kids
Room 5: 2 adults, 3 kids

Just returned from the Boardwalk Inn this last December and we were very disappointed in it, so that one will not be re-visited.

My advice is driven by the teenager: get a hotel on the monorail. None of them are isolated so the teenager will be able to roam and not be bored. It seems the Contemporary it going through some changes, so you may want to verify the progress for your timing. The Grand Floridian and Poly are also on the monorail.

I think AKL or WL would be fantastic, but worry that the teenager w/o buddies in your group would feel kind of trapped or isolated for a whole week.

 

[rt2dz]

There are some huge age gaps in our family and the teenager and my brother are actually fairly close in age. Or at least my brother is closer in age to my nephew than to any of us. One in high school and the other in college. My nephew is also not the type to go off by him. I'm sure he'll hang out with DH and me a lot too. We're not only the favorite Aunt and Uncle (with 7 sets on his dad's side), but he loves our kids.

I thought about the cabins. And haven't ruled them out. But getting around Fort Wilderness Campgrounds can be such a pain. And DH likes the idea of a busy lobby. Plus, I'm not sure my mom would enjoy them--she really wants to check out all the Christmas decorations. I know, I know, but try telling her that.

BWI...We haven't really been able to put our finger on why exactly we disliked it. It really wasn't any one thing, but a combination of many factors. Any one of them, and we might give it a second chance. I found the lack of dining options to be more of a hassle than I thought. I thought being just off the boardwalk, it wouldn't matter, but it did. It also just wasn't very child friendly. At least not in the way the other resorts we've stayed at have been. The halls were so narrow; we had severe problems getting the stroller through. And we had a lot-- A LOT-- of problems concerning mousekeeping. I expect a lot more from Disney than that. At times, I expect more from a Motel 8 than that. We also found more than one CM to be less than friendly throughout the resort too.