Which resort for first grandparents trip

[FSU Girl]

I’m working on plans for a first trip to have both set of grandparents come with us to the parks with the baby. I’m not sure where we should stay and what room configuration we should stay. Should we do 3 separate rooms or get a two bedroom villa?

Also how long should this trip be? Neither set of grandparents is a big fan of the parks, but would like to go to explore with the baby.

I prefer staying at the deluxes. Would it be weird if we stay in different hotels? My parents would probably prefer staying off property. Only big issue I see with that is not being able to go to the pool together.

would love to hear some experience of how these kind of trips went for others.

 

[lockets]

Who’s paying?

 

[Anna131517]

We’ve only ever gone with one set of grandparents. We’ve stayed in 2 bedroom villas and in separate regular hotel rooms. Both were fine. The villas are great because you can cook and do laundry. We always stay on property but I think all of you staying at the same place would be more important. With a baby and older parents stay someplace with easy transportation. This last trip my in laws really got tired easily and my mother in law fell and badly broke her wrist. Our next trip my parents are coming just for a couple days to do resort days with us, no parks for them.

 

[amandaks]

Three separate parties of adults in a 2bed is crowded. There’s only two bathrooms. One couple doesn’t get a real bedroom. I’d try for three hotel rooms or three studios (the kitchenette is great to have with the baby) or a two bedroom with one set of grandparents and let the other set stay offsite. I’m not sure you’ll run into issues bringing grandparents to the resort pool as your guests, but others can chime in with regards to their experience.

 

[FSU Girl]

Who’s paying?

We haven’t worked out that detail yet. Either we all pay separately (or give money to the one booking a single big room) or we’ll pay for the grandparents to join us

 

[FSU Girl]

We’ve only ever gone with one set of grandparents. We’ve stayed in 2 bedroom villas and in separate regular hotel rooms. Both were fine. The villas are great because you can cook and do laundry. We always stay on property but I think all of you staying at the same place would be more important. With a baby and older parents stay someplace with easy transportation. This last trip my in laws really got tired easily and my mother in law fell and badly broke her wrist. Our next trip my parents are coming just for a couple days to do resort days with us, no parks for them.

Ya we definitely need an easy going pace for them. I was thinking maybe a magic kingdom resort to be closest to magic kingdom where there’s the most rides for the baby. Did you like being all in one room when you had them in the villa or did you prefer having separate spaces?

 

[FSU Girl]

Three separate parties of adults in a 2bed is crowded. There’s only two bathrooms. One couple doesn’t get a real bedroom. I’d try for three hotel rooms or three studios (the kitchenette is great to have with the baby) or a two bedroom with one set of grandparents and let the other set stay offsite. I’m not sure you’ll run into issues bringing grandparents to the resort pool as your guests, but others can chime in with regards to their experience.

We’d be booking the villa for cash not points so I think that guarantees a regular two bedroom instead of a lockoff so everyone would get a real bed. It was like that in the past when I’ve stayed in one not sure if something’s changed.

 

[Anna131517]

Ya we definitely need an easy going pace for them. I was thinking maybe a magic kingdom resort to be closest to magic kingdom where there’s the most rides for the baby. Did you like being all in one room when you had them in the villa or did you prefer having separate spaces?

The villa we stayed in was a 2 bedroom at Bay Lake Towers. It’s fantastic for one set of grandparents and a couple with kids. Very roomy and you walk to MK or take the monorail to EP. This next trip we’re staying at Boardwalk. I would recommend having each set of grandparents coming at separate times. One at the beginning of your trip and one at the end. I don’t know about your families, but when we have both sets of grandparents together they’re both trying to call the shots and there is too much discussion about what to do. We find it easier to deal with one set at a time.

 

[sponica]

I've only ever gone with one set at a time. With my inlaws we did connecting rooms at FQ. (each party paid their own bill).

We chose FQ for it's small footprint after walking all day long when they're not used to it, having a short walk back to the room was nice.

With my mom and step-dad, they're staying at a timeshare off site but we're not huge "hang out by the pool people".

I don't know the dynamics at play here, but I'd take that into account before committing to one space. My personal recommendation would be 3 separate spaces in the same place if finances allow for it. Each group of adults will need down time, no matter what they say.

As for length of time, we did 4 park days with my inlaws. This time around I have a week planned, my step dad is only coming to the park 1 day and my mom is joining us at all 4 parks.

 

[lockets]

We haven’t worked out that detail yet. Either we all pay separately (or give money to the one booking a single big room) or we’ll pay for the grandparents to join us

If you pay - stay deluxe since that’s your preference. I stayed at Gand Floridian and Riviera and could see my grandparents liking the vibe at either of those. You might have more ideas for where to go.

If paying separately, no I don’t think it’s weird to be in different hotels especially if any of them are on a fixed budget. And, if they have a strong preference to stay off property and wanted mostly pool time or hangout time w/ baby you could always meet up w/ them or vice versa. An Airbnb villa for all is another option/compromise.

 

[Anna131517]

I've only ever gone with one set at a time. With my inlaws we did connecting rooms at FQ. (each party paid their own bill).

We chose FQ for it's small footprint after walking all day long when they're not used to it, having a short walk back to the room was nice.

With my mom and step-dad, they're staying at a timeshare off site but we're not huge "hang out by the pool people".

I don't know the dynamics at play here, but I'd take that into account before committing to one space. My personal recommendation would be 3 separate spaces in the same place if finances allow for it. Each group of adults will need down time, no matter what they say.

As for length of time, we did 4 park days with my inlaws. This time around I have a week planned, my step dad is only coming to the park 1 day and my mom is joining us at all 4 parks.

The other nice thing about French Quarter besides it’s affordability is it has a nice pool area for little kids and it’s near Disney Springs - so you can go shopping and have more dining options.

 

[DeeBee3]

So we have done both grandmas and have done it separate ways. My husband and I have 2 kids. One year we did a 1 bedroom and a studio. That was fine, but kids were smaller and could fit in the beds/pullout.

Then we did a 2-bedroom at Copper Creek. One grandma got a bed, the other grandma had the pullout. My immediate family took the main bedroom with its own bathroom since we had the 2 kids.

I will say it was much better when we had a studio and 1-bedroom. With all those adults, people need their own space and bathrooms. At least, we would prefer it.

Soooooo - with 4 grandparents I would highly recommend separate rooms. At least 2 - like a studio for one set and a 2 bedroom for the rest of you. If they want to be comfortable and have a place to rest when they need down time, then they need their own sleeping area.

If you try to go for a monorail resort (or Wilderness Lodge), transportation is easy. However, it all depends on your budget and what parks you will be visiting. The Boardwalk area is also amazing because it is so easy to access Epcot and HS.

I think the grandparents could plan to do meals with everyone and some of the park days, but also take some "no park" days. You will probably all be ready for some "space" after that. haha

 

[Miffy]

OP: I think a lot depends on what is expected of the grandparents. Are they coming along to babysit while you (and significant other?) explore the parks? Or at least to help you out as needed?

Do you expect everyone to do everything at the same time together? And do the two sets of grandparents know/like/enjoy each other? And are you in charge of all the scheduling, tickets, entertainments, etc.?

If you're all paying separately and you're staying deluxe but one or both sets of grandparents stays mod or value or off-site, it seems like it'd be pretty difficult to meet up. And if the grandparents are there for babysitting duties, it'd be kinda uncomfortable (to say the least) for deluxe-staying you to drop off the baby with mod- or value- or off-site-staying grandparents.

I cannot personally fathom wanting to do this, but I wouldn't want to travel with any group. That being said, I agree with several of the other posters--take each set of grandparents on a separate Disney trip, not both sets on the same trip. And all of you should stay at the same resort/timeshare/house rental/whatever together. In separate accommodations. Unless all of you currently live in the same house together, remember that grandparents are people too and need and want their privacy. Their lives didn't morph into grandparentdom and abandon everything else they had going before baby arrived.

And the more bathrooms, the better.

 

[FSU Girl]

The villa we stayed in was a 2 bedroom at Bay Lake Towers. It’s fantastic for one set of grandparents and a couple with kids. Very roomy and you walk to MK or take the monorail to EP. This next trip we’re staying at Boardwalk. I would recommend having each set of grandparents coming at separate times. One at the beginning of your trip and one at the end. I don’t know about your families, but when we have both sets of grandparents together they’re both trying to call the shots and there is too much discussion about what to do. We find it easier to deal with one set at a time.

We’ve never done a trip with both before so I’m not sure how they’d handle it lol. Is it possible to keep the same room and switch out the people from the beginning and end? Or would we need two separate bookings?

 

[FSU Girl]

I've only ever gone with one set at a time. With my inlaws we did connecting rooms at FQ. (each party paid their own bill).

We chose FQ for it's small footprint after walking all day long when they're not used to it, having a short walk back to the room was nice.

With my mom and step-dad, they're staying at a timeshare off site but we're not huge "hang out by the pool people".

I don't know the dynamics at play here, but I'd take that into account before committing to one space. My personal recommendation would be 3 separate spaces in the same place if finances allow for it. Each group of adults will need down time, no matter what they say.

As for length of time, we did 4 park days with my inlaws. This time around I have a week planned, my step dad is only coming to the park 1 day and my mom is joining us at all 4 parks.

I think my in laws would need more rest than my parents who walk 20 miles a day on a normal day so they’ll be fine with walking around the park. We don’t typically spend much time at the pool but I figured with the baby we should have at least one pool day and a break from the parks. I figure with the baby needing a midday nap that would give the grandparents some down time too

 

[FSU Girl]

If you pay - stay deluxe since that’s your preference. I stayed at Gand Floridian and Riviera and could see my grandparents liking the vibe at either of those. You might have more ideas for where to go.

If paying separately, no I don’t think it’s weird to be in different hotels especially if any of them are on a fixed budget. And, if they have a strong preference to stay off property and wanted mostly pool time or hangout time w/ baby you could always meet up w/ them or vice versa. An Airbnb villa for all is another option/compromise.

That’s a good idea. I need to get most of the details worked out they don’t want to do any of the planning so I need to present all my options at once to them. Off property pool would probably be easiest for everyone to go to I think only Disney is super strict on who gets into the pool.

 

[FSU Girl]

So we have done both grandmas and have done it separate ways. My husband and I have 2 kids. One year we did a 1 bedroom and a studio. That was fine, but kids were smaller and could fit in the beds/pullout.

Then we did a 2-bedroom at Copper Creek. One grandma got a bed, the other grandma had the pullout. My immediate family took the main bedroom with its own bathroom since we had the 2 kids.

I will say it was much better when we had a studio and 1-bedroom. With all those adults, people need their own space and bathrooms. At least, we would prefer it.

Soooooo - with 4 grandparents I would highly recommend separate rooms. At least 2 - like a studio for one set and a 2 bedroom for the rest of you. If they want to be comfortable and have a place to rest when they need down time, then they need their own sleeping area.

If you try to go for a monorail resort (or Wilderness Lodge), transportation is easy. However, it all depends on your budget and what parks you will be visiting. The Boardwalk area is also amazing because it is so easy to access Epcot and HS.

I think the grandparents could plan to do meals with everyone and some of the park days, but also take some "no park" days. You will probably all be ready for some "space" after that. haha

The main point for the trip is going with the baby into the parks so I think they’ll want to be together for most of the trip minus naps for the baby. Not sure if I should do just a short trip instead like a weekend each for each grandparent instead of doing like a week long trip. I’m think magic kingdom area would be easiest with magic kingdom being the main focus since it has the most to do with the baby. Epcot is my moms favorite park but that would still be easy to get to with the monorail. They don’t do anything thrill ride so Hollywood studios wouldn’t be worth it to any of them.

 

[FSU Girl]

OP: I think a lot depends on what is expected of the grandparents. Are they coming along to babysit while you (and significant other?) explore the parks? Or at least to help you out as needed?

Do you expect everyone to do everything at the same time together? And do the two sets of grandparents know/like/enjoy each other? And are you in charge of all the scheduling, tickets, entertainments, etc.?

If you're all paying separately and you're staying deluxe but one or both sets of grandparents stays mod or value or off-site, it seems like it'd be pretty difficult to meet up. And if the grandparents are there for babysitting duties, it'd be kinda uncomfortable (to say the least) for deluxe-staying you to drop off the baby with mod- or value- or off-site-staying grandparents.

I cannot personally fathom wanting to do this, but I wouldn't want to travel with any group. That being said, I agree with several of the other posters--take each set of grandparents on a separate Disney trip, not both sets on the same trip. And all of you should stay at the same resort/timeshare/house rental/whatever together. In separate accommodations. Unless all of you currently live in the same house together, remember that grandparents are people too and need and want their privacy. Their lives didn't morph into grandparentdom and abandon everything else they had going before baby arrived.

And the more bathrooms, the better.

It would be mostly to go into the parks with the baby and hang out together. Only way I’d see them doing any babysitting would be if Victoria and Albert’s opens back up I’d love to go back. But my parents watch our baby a lot so it wouldn’t be weird to leave her with them for the night, although would be easier if we shared a room since we’ll be bringing her pack n play for her to sleep in. This would be a first trip with either set and the baby so all new experiences

 

[sponica]

That’s a good idea. I need to get most of the details worked out they don’t want to do any of the planning so I need to present all my options at once to them. Off property pool would probably be easiest for everyone to go to I think only Disney is super strict on who gets into the pool.

For any group plan, everyone needs to agree on what type of trip it is and have the same expectations, or feelings get hurt.

Is it a Disney vacation that happens to include these groups of people OR is it a multi group trip that happens to be at Orlando?

The trip with my in-laws was the former (and honestly it was a little too much togetherness for all of us, even with separate rooms). The trip with my mom is the latter.

As an aside, plan the trip you want....don't limit yourself to MK unless you really want to.

 

[robinb]

I’m working on plans for a first trip to have both set of grandparents come with us to the parks with the baby. I’m not sure where we should stay and what room configuration we should stay. Should we do 3 separate rooms or get a two bedroom villa?

Also how long should this trip be? Neither set of grandparents is a big fan of the parks, but would like to go to explore with the baby.

I prefer staying at the deluxes. Would it be weird if we stay in different hotels? My parents would probably prefer staying off property. Only big issue I see with that is not being able to go to the pool together.

would love to hear some experience of how these kind of trips went for others.

My DD is now grown, but we went on many family Disney vacations with aunts and uncles and sisters and brothers and parents along the way. My #1 piece of advise is that all family units should be at the same resort. The couple of times we were at separate resorts it was a ginormous PITB to meet up and do things together. My #2 piece of advise is to know, acknowledge and accept the touring/vacation styles of the people you're traveling with. My mom and MIL were both LATE risers. Noon was the crack of dawn for either one of them. We were park commandos. Our touring styles were like oil and water and we knew we couldn't really force them to get up for rope drop. We compromised with a character breakfast and hung out with them at the parks later and at the resort in the afternoon.

Consider why you're taking this trip with the grandparents who are not "big fans of the parks". Is it to spend time with them? Share some Disney magic with them through their grandbaby's eyes? To have a couple days/nights on your own while you have babysitters?

I know from your other posts and trip reports that you enjoy a high end, expensive vacation. If the grandparents can and choose to afford that kind of thing, knock your socks off and shoot the moon! If not, it is incumbent on you to compromise. IMO, you go to WDW often enough that you can bend in this instance and stay at a moderate resort or even *gasp* offsite. Disney will be there in the future for a more intense trip. Take THIS TRIP to connect with family and have a more relaxed time with them with Disney as a background instead of the focus.

Now, back to your question about where to stay.

If you can shoot the moon, I would pick a Deluxe resort near the MK or consider a DVC 2-BR with an additional studio. The DVC resort gives everyone their own space and the living room of the 2BR as a place to hang out. The only problem is that studios have become harder to come by because of the point glut left over from people not traveling during Covid. 2BRs can also be hard to come by for the same reason because most of them are 1BR/studio lock-offs.

If you go the moderate route, I would suggest Port Orleans French Quarter because of the size. It's a small, quaint, intimate resort with beautiful grounds.

If you do the off-site route, you could consider a 3BR at one of the other timeshares. I've stayed at the Sheraton Vistana and at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Both were very nice with resort amenities and both were affordable. You could also consider renting a house with a private pool or a condo that is part of a resort with a pool. I've stayed at a number of local hotels which are very nice but I would prefer to have something bigger.