Which resort for first grandparents trip

[FSU Girl]

At 1.5 - 2 was when my kids were so afraid of the dark of Spaceship Earth (even though my son had successfully ridden it at a younger age). At 1.5, he cried almost all the way through, and when my daughter was 2, I had to hang on tight to keep my daughter from trying to climb out.

Since your child will be almost 2, she might enjoy the live music at Epcot. My daughter loves dancing to the music there.

Ya I’m not sure how she’ll handle dark rides. She’s not afraid of the dark but that one is so long I wouldn’t chance it. She does love to dance (she bops up and down lol) so music would be good.

Sleeping arrangements could also have a lot to do with everyone's sleep schedules. For my son's first trip with a grandparent, we stayed in a cabin because I wanted him to have his own quiet place to sleep at night. I wanted him to be well rested, but also didn't want everyone to have to tiptoe in the evening or morning to avoid waking him.

most of us are early risers, but not sure if my in laws are different on vacation. I definitely like the idea of a separate room for the baby to sleep and nap in. We’ve stayed in one bedrooms with her because her nap is 3 hours and that allows us to still be able to do things while she sleeps. With others around would probably be more important.

We did a similar trip when my first grand was 16mo this old - both sets of grands were in a 2 bedroom while mom and dad and toddler had a 1 bedroom - it worked out perfectly (using our DVC points). I would recommend a Monorail resort 100% - even if the grands are not ‘park’ people, watching their grand ride Winnie the Pooh (or some other MK kids ride) is why you’re making the trip..

how was it having both grandparents there at the same time? I don’t think the two sets would stay together in a room if we were doing a separate room we’d probably get three rooms if we do that. They said they’ll go on the easy going rides so there are a bunch we can get them on with the baby. I’m thinking a shorter trip might make sense now since the focus will be the baby and Disney I don’t think they’ll want to do too much without her.

I didnt' read the whole thread. For a first trip with baby and grandparents, I'd make it a shorter trip. I would choose CR for easy access to MK. The cafe within the resort is decent for breakfast, coffee and snacks.

To keep everyone together with minimal walking at a decent price, POFQ. The food court, although small is convenient.

I would prefer keeping everyone onsite as it would be a shorter trip with age extremes.

I would also avoid weekends and holidays so it is less packed in the parks. Many of our past trips have been Sun or M-F in various configurations in order to avoid higher prices/crowds at the weekend.

that’s a good idea to avoid the weekend. I don’t want them to get overwhelmed with crowds. It does seem easier if we can keep everyone at one resort. And none of them would be full day park people so we definitely would be relaxing at the hotel midday.

I would consider booking three separate rooms at the Dolphin using the Senior Discount. That way everyone has their own space yet can be together easily. There’s a ton to do there and the main pool is fantastic. The baby would probably even enjoy the little swan boats or a surrey bike ride. Parents who don’t like to spend a lot would appreciate the pricing (for Disney). Some of the restaurants even offer a AAA discount and there are lots of places to choose from.

We stayed there with my in-laws on a trip when our kids were little and it was perfect for them. They were up early every day and went off by themselves walking around the Boardwalk area and going to the bakery, taking the boats, exploring, etc. One day my DH got up early to go get us coffee downstairs and heard his father deep in conversation with the kitchen help, which is a great memory for him! The boats or Skyway rides alone are a fun thing to do! Lots of places for quick bites and ice cream around the area, too.

I think it might be awkward to put two sets of grandparents in a space they have to share. I, personally, wouldn’t like it. I like the idea of splitting the week (with grandparents coming on separate days) if you do go the route of a shared space. I think it’s also good for people to go off on their own to do what they like to do with meeting up later for a swim or meal. Some might like to go to parks together, but some might not. It’s hard to say. But nothing worse than being on a trip when people are getting aggravated. I would set yourself up for success if you can on a trip like this. Good luck!

I’ve stayed at the dolphin before but never used the pool. Do they have a splash pad or zero entry? I didn’t know they offer a senior discount that would appeal to the grandparents.

If you do a 2 bedroom villa and an off-site hotel, you could keep your parents’ names on your reservation. That way they could access the resort amenities, including the pool, and still save money. 2 bedroom villas have occupation limits of 8 or 9, so afaik you wouldn’t be violating Disney’s rules. It would give you all a base near the parks for breaks and pool time, and respect your parents’ preferences.

that would be a good idea so they could still use the pool. I’m just not sure if we have one set of grandparents stay in our room if the other would be upset not being with us too.

I've done the both sets of grandparents trip with two kids (almost 3 and 5.5) and I vowed never again. (Though this could just be our two sets of grandparents.) My advice is that everyone needs their own room--just to have space to decompress. Also, try to get on the same page for expectations of the trip--budget, togetherness time, who is riding with the baby on what ride, etc. If you can get each set of grandparents to come for their own part of a week I feel like you will have a much more enjoyable time.

what happened that made you not want to do that again? Did the grandparents not get along before hand? I didn’t think about seating arrangements on rides that will definitely need to be figured out in advance so no feelings get hurt. It would be mostly together time since that’s the point of the trip but probably need some relaxing time alone. I figured when the baby took her 3 hour nap that would be a good time for everyone to relax. Having separate rooms would probably make that more relaxing

One other thing I wanted to mention was to consider a Disney Cruise!

I love Disney cruises, that might be trickier to convince the grandparents though. It’s more expensive. Both sets love cruising but neither have ever sailed Disney and haven’t seemed overly excited to try it out lol. But I can mention it and see what they say.

 

[Marionnette]

We did a trip in December with both sets of grands and the parents w/ 6-month-old DGD. We stayed at VGF in a 2BR and studio. Daughter, her husband and baby were in 1 bedroom, husband and I in the other bedroom, other set of grands were in the studio down the hallway. Since everyone was staying courtesy of my DVC points, no one had an issue with this arrangement.

We got spare keys to the 2BR for the other grands and they were welcome to come and go as they pleased, use the laundry and kitchen and spend as much time or as little there as they wanted.

One night the kids stayed at Epcot after we all ate dinner together and the 4 grands went back to the 2BR to put the baby to bed and just chill. Another night the kids and 1 set of grands headed over to Trader Sam's for the evening while the other grands babysat. The following night, we traded babysitting duties.

I think it really helps if the grandparents don't compete for the baby's attention normally. If they do, it will only be amplified on vacation. The 2BR+studio gave us all space of separate from one another when we needed some distance and having the kitchen + living room gave us a place to gather when we did want to be together.

 

[Doingitagain]

I love Disney cruises, that might be trickier to convince the grandparents though. It’s more expensive. Both sets love cruising but neither have ever sailed Disney and haven’t seemed overly excited to try it out lol. But I can mention it and see what they say.

We took both sets of grandparents on a Disney Cruise and it was the best trip ever. They were initially reluctant, but we explained it was a big floating hotel and not like small boats or ferries. The highlight for both sets was they could attend Catholic Mass twice on the ship because a large tour group from a Catholic Church was onboard . They enjoyed being able to order anything they wanted without worry about cost,,two lobsters for one grandpa and 3:00 ice cream treats for the other grandpa!

 

[TCRAIG]

Ya I’m not sure how she’ll handle dark rides. She’s not afraid of the dark but that one is so long I wouldn’t chance it. She does love to dance (she bops up and down lol) so music would be good.



most of us are early risers, but not sure if my in laws are different on vacation. I definitely like the idea of a separate room for the baby to sleep and nap in. We’ve stayed in one bedrooms with her because her nap is 3 hours and that allows us to still be able to do things while she sleeps. With others around would probably be more important.



how was it having both grandparents there at the same time? I don’t think the two sets would stay together in a room if we were doing a separate room we’d probably get three rooms if we do that. They said they’ll go on the easy going rides so there are a bunch we can get them on with the baby. I’m thinking a shorter trip might make sense now since the focus will be the baby and Disney I don’t think they’ll want to do too much without her.



that’s a good idea to avoid the weekend. I don’t want them to get overwhelmed with crowds. It does seem easier if we can keep everyone at one resort. And none of them would be full day park people so we definitely would be relaxing at the hotel midday.



I’ve stayed at the dolphin before but never used the pool. Do they have a splash pad or zero entry? I didn’t know they offer a senior discount that would appeal to the grandparents.



that would be a good idea so they could still use the pool. I’m just not sure if we have one set of grandparents stay in our room if the other would be upset not being with us too.



what happened that made you not want to do that again? Did the grandparents not get along before hand? I didn’t think about seating arrangements on rides that will definitely need to be figured out in advance so no feelings get hurt. It would be mostly together time since that’s the point of the trip but probably need some relaxing time alone. I figured when the baby took her 3 hour nap that would be a good time for everyone to relax. Having separate rooms would probably make that more relaxing


I love Disney cruises, that might be trickier to convince the grandparents though. It’s more expensive. Both sets love cruising but neither have ever sailed Disney and haven’t seemed overly excited to try it out lol. But I can mention it and see what they say.

Grandparents had the 2 bedroom and daughter, SIL and baby had their own 1 bedroom Villa - that way - everybody had their own room and we ‘d start the day off with breakfast together. I paid for everything so no one had to worry about budget.

 

[FSU Girl]

We did a trip in December with both sets of grands and the parents w/ 6-month-old DGD. We stayed at VGF in a 2BR and studio. Daughter, her husband and baby were in 1 bedroom, husband and I in the other bedroom, other set of grands were in the studio down the hallway. Since everyone was staying courtesy of my DVC points, no one had an issue with this arrangement.

We got spare keys to the 2BR for the other grands and they were welcome to come and go as they pleased, use the laundry and kitchen and spend as much time or as little there as they wanted.

One night the kids stayed at Epcot after we all ate dinner together and the 4 grands went back to the 2BR to put the baby to bed and just chill. Another night the kids and 1 set of grands headed over to Trader Sam's for the evening while the other grands babysat. The following night, we traded babysitting duties.

I think it really helps if the grandparents don't compete for the baby's attention normally. If they do, it will only be amplified on vacation. The 2BR+studio gave us all space of separate from one another when we needed some distance and having the kitchen + living room gave us a place to gather when we did want to be together.

The grandparents all get along although probably wouldn’t do a vacation with just themselves. All of this is so helpful with planning!

We took both sets of grandparents on a Disney Cruise and it was the best trip ever. They were initially reluctant, but we explained it was a big floating hotel and not like small boats or ferries. The highlight for both sets was they could attend Catholic Mass twice on the ship because a large tour group from a Catholic Church was onboard . They enjoyed being able to order anything they wanted without worry about cost,,two lobsters for one grandpa and 3:00 ice cream treats for the other grandpa!

a cruise could definitely be a possibility, although I’m not sure I can convince them all to go on Disney for the ship. Probably will try the Disney parks first and if that goes well then look into doing a cruise trip.

 

[FSU Girl]

Another question. If I end up paying for 3 separate rooms how do I go about doing this? I’ve never booked more than just my room. Can I book 3 rooms at the same time online? Do I need to call to do this? And if I pay for them all do I have access to them after booking? Since my name won’t be on the rooms, what if I need to change something can I still be in charge on doing that? Like a date needs to be changed or something. Also none of them have Disney accounts so would these reservations live within my account?

 

[Dug720]

Another question. If I end up paying for 3 separate rooms how do I go about doing this? I’ve never booked more than just my room. Can I book 3 rooms at the same time online? Do I need to call to do this? And if I pay for them all do I have access to them after booking? Since my name won’t be on the rooms, what if I need to change something can I still be in charge on doing that? Like a date needs to be changed or something. Also none of them have Disney accounts so would these reservations live within my account?

I know from the other thread that you haven't used a TA before, but for handling multiple rooms, I definitely think one would be VERY helpful for this trip.

 

[Marionnette]

I know from the other thread that you haven't used a TA before, but for handling multiple rooms, I definitely think one would be VERY helpful for this trip.

MTE. A TA can book the rooms and have Disney note the desire to be near one another. No need to call and wait on hold. An agency like Dreams can even do your ADRs, which can be tough to get for a group of 6. It might be worth giving up control over the reservations in exchange for the convenience in this case.