Adult Family of 5

[MNCruzn]

We are planning a 7-day visit to WDW in August, 2022. We are five adults (all 20+), most of who are huge fans and have been to WDW as a foursome multiple time. We are planning to stay On Property. The issue we are having is our oldest daughter is trying to convince her boyfriend to come with us on this trip. He is NOT a Disney fan, so there is a chance he may chose not come.

If he does come, my oldest and her boyfriend would fly down for only 4 of the days. My wife, and our other daughter would stay the additional 3 days.

If he does NOT come on the vacation, then our oldest wants to be at WDW for the entire 7 days we are planning to be there.

So, here's my question:
- How would you plan for this? Would you book the room for the 3 "for sure" travelers, and then add DD on to the room if the boyfriend does not come?
- If they come with, can you book room for 5 adults? Would it be better (cheaper?) to book two separate rooms???

We are pros at Disney when it comes to a foursome, but beyond that we are lost. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[kwdw]

Depends on how much money you want be spend……. Two rooms might be a good choice and you could do that at a value or mod. Your daughters are adults and if they are both there all 7 days, two bathrooms and a bit of privacy might be nice. A 2 bedroom villa would also be sweet for a week with that many adults. Might be nice to be at AKV for example to get the third bathroom.

You could think one room for the three of you, the second for the daughter with the boyfriend. And if the boyfriend drops out, your daughters could share the second room.

There’s also the family suites and the treehouses. I don’t think there is a “hotel room” you can put five adults, but I could be wrong.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

"So, here's my question:
- How would you plan for this? Would you book the room for the 3 "for sure" travelers, and then add DD on to the room if the boyfriend does not come?
- If they come with, can you book room for 5 adults? Would it be better (cheaper?) to book two separate rooms??? "

You need to choose what places you are willing to stay and then compare prices on whether they have rooms for 5 adults (so *not* the ones that need one of the 5 to be a child under 5' tall to fit a fold-down bed), which are basically suites that fit 6, like at Art of Animation family suites or some rooms at some Deluxe resorts or the Cabins at Ft Wilderness. You can compare those prices to getting two rooms that hold up to 4 adults, like two Little Mermaid rooms, two Pop, etc. ("Family suites" at Pop and the All Stars are just two rooms with adjoining doors, not dedicated suites.) If you're not willing to pay the extra cost of a suite/cabin for 6 if it turns out you guys are only a party of 4, then book two rooms, knowing you can cancel one if not needed. But you could look at it as a chance to stay somewhere you might not have considered, and possibly enjoy a bigger space for four adults. If you 4 are used to sharing one bathroom (which is the case at the Cabins, BTW), I would probably book the two rooms, knowing I would save the money if the boyfriend does not come. It seems like the easiest choice, too, given that the two rooms would have different lengths of stay.

 

[Disney.Dreamin.Dee]

I would simply say that he needs to decide yes or no now...

 

[Her Dotness]

I would simply say that he needs to decide yes or no now...

Heartily agree.

Otherwise, you might be in for a last-minute "emergency" that leaves him unable to come because he feels awkward telling her, "Not just no, but H no."

 

[lockets]

Would you book the room for the 3 "for sure" travelers, and then add DD on to the room if the boyfriend does not come?

Yes. As long as the four of you are used to sharing a room together. I would hold something right now for the 4 pax scenario.

- If they come with, can you book room for 5 adults? Would it be better (cheaper?) to book two separate rooms???

I’m not sure if her and/or the boyfriend would be comfortable sharing the same room with her family. I would ask her how she envisions it and impress upon her to keep her boyfriend’s preference in mind. He isn’t a Disney person. He might not be a share-a-room-with-my-girlfriends-father person. Before she jumps enthusiastically to say yes to everyone staying in the same room with you paying, I’d make sure she asks the boyfriend now if he’d be comfortable with that (she can say “if you hypothetically were to go”). The sleeping arrangements might push him to say no to the whole thing if he feels like he both doesn’t want to share a family room nor wants another man paying for his room (even if it’s with their kid). Even if he can’t afford their own room, I know some men (it sounds like he’s over 18) might feel emasculated in that case and would opt out. Key word is some. You never know.

So for now I’d book a room for the four of you and give them more time to decide what to do, but not leave the decision till the last minute of course.

Also not sure if they are independent but while you offering to cover them is very generous and I love that - there’s always the option of them getting their own room for themselves. Even if it’s at a cheaper resort on property - that’s ok! Y’all can meet up. Because there’s also that glitch of their 4 days vs. your 7. So if you opt into one larger (more expensive) room to accommodate everyone together - they won’t be there all nights anyway.

All I said above is to avoid an awkward situation and truly make sure everyone is comfortable.

One side of my family is super close and even share beds. The other side of my family would never mix different levels of people like this together in one sleeping space. So that’s why I wouldn’t assume anything and I’d sort it out with some chats.

PS - I would also ask your other daughter if she’s comfortable sharing a room with her sister’s boyfriend just to cover all bases there as well, or if that might be weird for her. That might lead you in a direction if she’s like “that’s a little much.”

 

[fairygagamother]

There are rooms available that can accommodate 5 people. It’s usually 2 queen beds plus a sofa that converts to a twin. Do be aware that there is a per person charge per day for more that 2 adults in one room. I think it’s about $25, ppossibly more depending on if you stay at a value, moderate, or deluxe. There are also rooms with bunk beds ( Wilderness maybe) that would be less awkward if BF would be uncomfortable sharing a bed.
I would book two rooms & then cancel the second one if you end up with only four.

 

[lanejudy]

("Family suites" at Pop and the All Stars are just two rooms with adjoining doors, not dedicated suites.)

This is not correct. POP doesn’t have family suites. All Star Music has family suites that were converted from two regular rooms, but they are suites with a king bedroom, kitchenette and living room with 2 queen Murphy beds (couch and table). Art of Animation has family suites that have similar beds to ASMu but a different layout because they were built as suites. Family suites sleep 6 adults.

OP - decide budget and what sleeping accommodations are necessary. If you book a package, you can drop 1 guest with no fee up until 30 days before arrival, $50 fee after that. A room only will allow you to adjust closer to arrival, but separately-purchased tickets are non-refundable (but do hold value towards a future ticket).

 

[Gehrig1B]

We have done this before. We book a DVC studio which holds 5 people. We only put the names of those committed on the reservation. We then add those who commit to the full trip at the time they commit, otherwise we add them only for the days they are going to be there by alerting the front desk day of. Only complication is park reservations. Tickets are not a concern as everyone in our family are APs.

 

[clm10308]

I’d go with 2 rooms. If the boy friend comes, the the two of them get one room. If he doesn’t come then the sisters could have one room and the parents could have one room.

 

[FCDub]

I second two rooms. I would not want to share even a semi-private room with my girlfriend's parents on a multiple-night vacation.

 

[kathy884]

I don't have any specific advice for you OP (I book offsite and get a two bedroom/two bath condos offsite on most trips that makes this a little easier for us in squeezing in an extra person) , but I just want to say that I feel your pain. Last September I planned a Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park trip with an adult group who would commit (immediate family) and a live-in boyfriend (they have their own apartment) and boyfriend just decides last minute, never more than a month ahead of time except for this next trip (I just got a commitment two and a 1/2 months ahead of time, and I think I'll faint.). And for 2022, I am doing two more of these, one to Orlando in March and one to Southwestern, CO in June. The boyfriend loves to travel (especially if we are paying lol), but has never been a planner and is always thinking, "I might get that better new job that I can't take off from, etc." and typically will never commit to anything more than a month out.

Most of my Southwest frequent flyer points go for tickets for the boyfriend, as I can book way ahead of time to use less points, but then cancel last minute and get all my points back. In our March trip, I have five who have committed for the whole time way in advance (actually the boyfriend as I mentioned above did just commit last week), but what I did 11 months ahead of time was book a two bedroom / two bath condo at the Sheraton Vistana Resort that could sleep up to eight (but not really) - king bedroom, second bedroom with two doubles (a bit tight for two adults in a double - really prefer one adult per bed here), and pull out bed in living quarters. That's an easy setup to throw an extra adult into if need be, as long as some are reasonably flexible in sleeping accommodations/privacy. We are doing couples in the master and pull out bed and adult singles on the doubles in the second bedroom. The two full bathrooms and extra space are super nice, but we're just doing two Disney days too. Offsite condos are pretty inexpensive for extra space. Onsite Disney not so much.

On tickets, I bought the two day Disney tickets for the boyfriend ahead of time, even though I didn't know for sure he was going. In case there were capacity restrictions which pandemic stuff and because it was a busy spring break time, I wanted to make sure we could all get in. I had a plan B though too. My favorite nephew lives in Orlando and I could always twist my pinky (oh ouch) and do an extra solo Orlando trip to see him, change those tickets to my name and go to the parks on my own or with my favorite nephew. Seeing family down there and going to the parks is that much fun for me. I'm always up for an extra Orlando trip.

For our Southwestern, CO, trip in June, I have firm commitment for three immediate adult family members, and again it's a maybe for boyfriend (no commitment for him on this one). I booked boyfriend's flight with my Southwest points. He can decide as late as 10 minutes before the flight and I can still get my points back. I paid cash for the other air. For two nights I have two fully refundable hotel rooms (Hampton Inn). I will cancel one if boyfriend doesn't come and the three of us will stay in one room instead of two to save some dollars. DH is fine with immediate family in one room and one bathroom, but with the boyfriend there DH want his own bedroom and bath. Then and I am paying for more than I need if boyfriend doesn't come, I booked a two bedroom / two bath condo for five nights. It's hard to get something where I am going that is nice last minute, so in this case I will most likely keep the condo even if boyfriend does not come (costs me a bit more, but should be super nice and we will enjoy the extra space even if it's just three of us). Kid's boyfriends can be expensive lol. At least we really like him.

 

[Marthasor]

We are planning a 7-day visit to WDW in August, 2022. We are five adults (all 20+), most of who are huge fans and have been to WDW as a foursome multiple time. We are planning to stay On Property. The issue we are having is our oldest daughter is trying to convince her boyfriend to come with us on this trip. He is NOT a Disney fan, so there is a chance he may chose not come.

If he does come, my oldest and her boyfriend would fly down for only 4 of the days. My wife, and our other daughter would stay the additional 3 days.

If he does NOT come on the vacation, then our oldest wants to be at WDW for the entire 7 days we are planning to be there.

So, here's my question:
- How would you plan for this? Would you book the room for the 3 "for sure" travelers, and then add DD on to the room if the boyfriend does not come?
- If they come with, can you book room for 5 adults? Would it be better (cheaper?) to book two separate rooms???

We are pros at Disney when it comes to a foursome, but beyond that we are lost. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

My first question is, where are planning to stay? Value? Mod? Deluxe? That is going to influence answers on which room or how many rooms you should book. If it's a value or mod, you could book two rooms now and simply cancel the second one if he decides not to come (make sure you cancel prior to any cancellation fees kicking in). Or, if you were planning on booking a value suite, that would hold as many as 6 guests. If you book one room at any deluxe (except WL and AKL), that will hold 5 adults, so you could just adjust guests once you have definitive answers. Alternatively, perhaps book the room for the 3 of you and, if your daughter decides to come, have her and her boyfriend make their own arrangements so you aren't held up in making your plans? If he decides not to come, you can simply add your daughter to your room.

 

[mjkacmom]

There would be no way I’d ever sleep in the same room with my SO’s parents. We’ve had our kids’ SO’s vacation with us several times, rent a house and they get a bedroom. I’d book 2 rooms with a refundable cancellation policy.

 

[cjlong88]

I echo the PP's sentiments. If I were in this situation I would book two rooms where you can cancel for a full refund up to 30 days out. If he doesn't come and you would rather have the 4 of you in one room, you can simply cancel one room and add all of the guests to the room left over.

 

[Unclelude]

I'd book a studio that sleeps 5. If the BF comes, he gets the little mermaid "flop down" bed under the TV.

 

[kandlsutton]

So, we just went through something similar, but with 6/7 not 4/5. We booked a 2BR at Riviera for me, DH, DS(17), DD(21) and boyfriend, and DD (26) and fiance. DH and I took the king, DS took the queen murphy bed in the LR and shared our bathroom, and the girls/guys took the 2 queen beds in the 2nd bedroom.

I had to get over my DD’s sharing a room with the guys, but there really wasn't another reasonable option. Then, DD(21) and boyfriend broke up a couple of months before the trip, so I was left an unused 6-day park ticket. Because we already had the 2BR, missing 1 person was not a big deal.

As a family of 5, we have had to book deluxe accommodations for 17+ years. Poly, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, and Riviera all have rooms that sleep 5 in the resort rooms, but most/all of these rooms only have 1 bathroom and I would hesitant with 5 adults in the one room. We also stayed at Art of Animation, but only 2 of the 3 beds are in the same space and wouldn't offer any privacy. For us, the number of bathrooms is the deciding factor, so I would be considering renting a 2BR DVC villa (everyone gets their own bed), 2 resort rooms (may not be connecting and would need to be able to cancel 2nd room if boyfriend doesn't come), or Art of Animation suites.

I would purchase park tickets for everyone- 6/7 days for 3 of you and 3/4 for the other 2. If boyfriend doesn’t come, then can upgrade the 3/4 day ticket to 6/7 day ticket and would have to transfer the other 3/4 day ticket to someone else for another trip Park reservations may get complicated, but August is hot so hopefully reservations won’t be an issue to add later for oldest daughter if boyfriend doesn't come.

 

[kandlsutton]

I'd book a studio that sleeps 5. If the BF comes, he gets the little mermaid "flop down" bed under the TV.

If I were the boyfriend, no way would I come if I knew I had to sleep on a bed smaller than a twin. My 5’-4” adult daughter wouldn't volunteer for that 4” thick mattress and my 5’-10” teenage son wouldn’t either.

At least at the Poly (not the DVC room), the sofa folds down into a regular twin bed (not a pull out sofa bed). Our teenagers fought over that bed since it meant they didn't have to sleep with their sibling.

 

[Ursula J]

Two things: First, he should decide right now, as said above. It's not fair to anyone to remain uncertain, and August isn't that far away in WDW terms.
Second, if he's not a Disney fan, I'd urge him to *not go*. It's going to be hot, expensive, and crowded--things that don't deter die-hards like us because we KNOW we're going to be happy to be there. But no one who's skeptical will be won over in those conditions, imho.

 

[Brian Noble]

if he's not a Disney fan, I'd urge him to *not go*

Maybe a different conversation is with your daughter. She probably really wants him to come but more importantly to love it. I think it might be hard to love WDW in August, because being in the parks then is sort of like hanging out in the mouth of a St. Bernard that just ran a mile. She might not want his first WDW experience to be when it approximates the pit of hell.

In the meantime, I think you have two options: book two rooms assuming he will come. If he decides not to, you can either put the girls in that room, or cancel the second room and put all of you in the one.