Large family reunion hotel options

[MickeyMouseCD524]

Does anyone have experience booking a large family reunion at WDW with everyone staying on property? I somehow got stuck with the hotel arrangement job. Probably around 20 adults. No one wants to share a bedroom outside their own little family pod. (Which basically means anything with a double queen is only going to have two adults and MAYBE some kids in it). We’re really only juggling about 4 children at the moment. But everyone wants to be in close proximity to each other. Not sure if we should look at getting a couple of villas? Anyone have experience with this kind of thing and can offer advice/help. Biggest group I’ve traveled with before was 5 adults, never done anything like this before.

I’ve already been instructed by the older generation that Treehouses at Saratoga, Cabins/RV at Fort Wilderness, and off property are off the table. Was told to stick to mainly deluxe/DVC options. Any help is welcome!

 

[tourdemondo]

If I may suggest a way to perhaps narrow down your options - flexibility. Will everyone be doing everything together? If not, transportation options become important.
Our party is only 9 adults, but I know that - particularly in the evenings - some will be in a park, some at a nice hotel restaurant, some at a bar at another hotel, some shopping in Disney Springs.
If that's your case, Monorail or Skyliner resorts should be seriously considered.

 

[quandrea]

Does anyone have experience booking a large family reunion at WDW with everyone staying on property? I somehow got stuck with the hotel arrangement job. Probably around 20 adults. No one wants to share a bedroom outside their own little family pod. (Which basically means anything with a double queen is only going to have two adults and MAYBE some kids in it). We’re really only juggling about 4 children at the moment. But everyone wants to be in close proximity to each other. Not sure if we should look at getting a couple of villas? Anyone have experience with this kind of thing and can offer advice/help. Biggest group I’ve traveled with before was 5 adults, never done anything like this before.

I’ve already been instructed by the older generation that Treehouses at Saratoga, Cabins/RV at Fort Wilderness, and off property are off the table. Was told to stick to mainly deluxe/DVC options. Any help is welcome!

I’m booking thirteen people for next year. We are doing a grand villa for my family of five. The other families—four other family groups in all—will get studios. We plan on booking Saratoga Springs Resort for proximity to Disney Springs. Everyone will have privacy and the grand villa allows for a place to share family meals.

 

[starry_solo]

Does anyone have experience booking a large family reunion at WDW with everyone staying on property? I somehow got stuck with the hotel arrangement job. Probably around 20 adults. No one wants to share a bedroom outside their own little family pod. (Which basically means anything with a double queen is only going to have two adults and MAYBE some kids in it). We’re really only juggling about 4 children at the moment. But everyone wants to be in close proximity to each other. Not sure if we should look at getting a couple of villas? Anyone have experience with this kind of thing and can offer advice/help. Biggest group I’ve traveled with before was 5 adults, never done anything like this before.

I’ve already been instructed by the older generation that Treehouses at Saratoga, Cabins/RV at Fort Wilderness, and off property are off the table. Was told to stick to mainly deluxe/DVC options. Any help is welcome!

20 adults = how many per family pod?

 

[DL1WDW2]

What time of year? Are you planning more than a year in advance?
My first response is book everybody at the Riviera…

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

If I may suggest a way to perhaps narrow down your options - flexibility. Will everyone be doing everything together? If not, transportation options become important.
Our party is only 9 adults, but I know that - particularly in the evenings - some will be in a park, some at a nice hotel restaurant, some at a bar at another hotel, some shopping in Disney Springs.
If that's your case, Monorail or Skyliner resorts should be seriously considered.

Yes to all of that. We're looking at Monorail and Skyliner Resorts. Even the ones behind EPCOT because they're walking distance to the park and skyliner. We also are looking at Animal Kingdom Lodge because of the animals, and the grand villas look really big, but transportation options from there aren't the greatest.

I’m booking thirteen people for next year. We are doing a grand villa for my family of five. The other families—four other family groups in all—will get studios. We plan on booking Saratoga Springs Resort for proximity to Disney Springs. Everyone will have privacy and the grand villa allows for a place to share family meals.

I'll look into something like that. We have not had great experiences at Saratoga which is why the older crowd took it off the table. But breaking it all up like that might be a good idea.

20 adults = how many per family pod?

2-4. You have the older couples in their 50s-60s and then the younger crowd plus their significant others in their 20-30s. 1 couple has 2 kids and another has one with a second on the way. We're a little over a year out so there's also room for that number of kids to grow.

ETA: Since everyone is married they don't want to share with their parents or siblings/cousins so it adds that extra layer of difficulty

What time of year? Are you planning more than a year in advance?
My first response is book everybody at the Riviera…

Winter and yes more than a year probably looking at January 2023 but if we want to rent DVC points we kind of need to get a game plan together for when the booking window opens. Does Riviera have rooms with enough space? I've only been over there once and saw a tower room and that was insanely tiny.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I just checked …they have a 3 bedroom Villa but it only sleeps 12 !
Have you considered searching on a DVC rental site to “test” the availabilty and get a better description of the room layout?
Currently WDW doesn’t seem to update the pictures and updated room designs with all the refurbishments… so it can be confusing.
I would also wonder about the “type of group “ you have. Would they prefer a place to hang out at the pools or more of a prefer to get together at a rooftop lounge.
I recently stayed at the Grand Destino Tower Resort and the updated amenities are really nice and relaxing for the moderate price. But I would only want to stay at the new Destino Tower Suites-and NOT at the Coronado Springs attached to resort!

 

[quandrea]

Yes to all of that. We're looking at Monorail and Skyliner Resorts. Even the ones behind EPCOT because they're walking distance to the park and skyliner. We also are looking at Animal Kingdom Lodge because of the animals, and the grand villas look really big, but transportation options from there aren't the greatest.



I'll look into something like that. We have not had great experiences at Saratoga which is why the older crowd took it off the table. But breaking it all up like that might be a good idea.



2-4. You have the older couples in their 50s-60s and then the younger crowd plus their significant others in their 20-30s. 1 couple has 2 kids and another has one with a second on the way. We're a little over a year out so there's also room for that number of kids to grow.

ETA: Since everyone is married they don't want to share with their parents or siblings/cousins so it adds that extra layer of difficulty



Winter and yes more than a year probably looking at January 2023 but if we want to rent DVC points we kind of need to get a game plan together for when the booking window opens. Does Riviera have rooms with enough space? I've only been over there once and saw a tower room and that was insanely tiny.

Well Saratoga proper isn’t the treehouses and it’s been completely refurbished. It’s really beautiful now. I think access to Disney springs is a real perk for a big group. If you’re renting points, it’s easier to book.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

Well Saratoga proper isn’t the treehouses and it’s been completely refurbished. It’s really beautiful now. I think access to Disney springs is a real perk for a big group. If you’re renting points, it’s easier to book.

Yeah we stayed at Saratoga proper once and checked in and the room hadn't been cleaned. Sheets were in a pile, towels everywhere, kitchen a mess, and when we called the front desk (which I realize isn't the actual front desk). It wasn't a pleasant experience. We're also not a fan of the bus system there. Too many stops, we'd need to rent cars or Uber.

 

[starry_solo]

if you think you end up needing ten rooms, see if there’s a group discount with Disney. there are a lot of people that do wedding blocks too that want to try to fill up rooms as well? Maybe look there. That way, booking through Disney is fully refundable.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I have been thinking about this over & over As if I was really planning to vacation with a large group…And realized If one family booked the Wilderness Lodge Cabins and the rest stayed at the resort … Would be awesome get together! Lots of variety with the Lodge and Copper Creek and BRV floor plans… But everybody relaxing together and having the cabin with indoor and outdoor fireplace and hot tub and big open kitchen… Perfect !

 

[Dashzap]

I would pick some dates the group can agree to, and then see what is available. Sometimes it can be hard to book those larger DVC villas. DVC owners with points get first crack, then they come over to inventory for the regular Disney cash paying customer.

You could focus on the Epcot area resorts. Book everyone a room now at either yacht club or beach club or boardwalk, and then watch like a hawk for a two bedroom villa at beach club villas. That would give the group a gathering place.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

if you think you end up needing ten rooms, see if there’s a group discount with Disney. there are a lot of people that do wedding blocks too that want to try to fill up rooms as well? Maybe look there. That way, booking through Disney is fully refundable.

That's a good idea!I'll reach out to Disney and see if there's an option there. Thank you!

I have been thinking about this over & over As if I was really planning to vacation with a large group…And realized If one family booked the Wilderness Lodge Cabins and the rest stayed at the resort … Would be awesome get together! Lots of variety with the Lodge and Copper Creek and BRV floor plans… But everybody relaxing together and having the cabin with indoor and outdoor fireplace and hot tub and big open kitchen… Perfect !

I'll look into it! The Copper Creek rooms always look so nice. I'll float the idea of a cabin for everyone to congregate in and then booking a couple of studios for the rest of the group.

I would pick some dates the group can agree to, and then see what is available. Sometimes it can be hard to book those larger DVC villas. DVC owners with points get first crack, then they come over to inventory for the regular Disney cash paying customer.

You could focus on the Epcot area resorts. Book everyone a room now at either yacht club or beach club or boardwalk, and then watch like a hawk for a two bedroom villa at beach club villas. That would give the group a gathering place.

We have two date options that everyone has agreed too. And we're planning to rent DVC points if we're going to do a villa. I'm a DVC member but I don't have nearly enough points to book something like that on my own. That's why we're trying to figure it all out now cause that 11 month window is going to come up. I don't think Yacht Club has villas but I'll keep an eye out for the rest of them if we decide to do a cash reservation. @starry_solo had a good idea to see if we could get a block of rooms.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

What time of year? Are you planning more than a year in advance?
My first response is book everybody at the Riviera…

I was thinking the same thing.
You can weigh renting points vs disney rate.
It's a new resort and has a skyliner.

I use Dave's but lots of rental companies

 

[starry_solo]

Book your home resort for your family with the points you do have if it’s enough for a two bedroom or grand villa. That is, if your home resort is in a location that the others want to be at.

then, as mentioned before, check with Disney for a block of rooms at a discount.

 

[Marionnette]

Personally, I would stay away from renting large DVC villas for multiple "pods" of families. Life happens. People drop out of plans. Rentals are typically non-refundable. The grand villas, which sleep up to 12 plus 1 under the age of 3, are spectacular but expensive. It would be a shame to spend the money and then have people drop out.

If you decide to go the rental route, choose a DVC resort that has a hotel component as well. That way, anyone who is on the fence can book a hotel room instead.

 

[sponica]

Speaking from experience, don't book anything that has you on the hook for your points or cash.

A) Find out the budget from each component group. I'm sorry but there was nothing worse when I was young/poor than being told there was a vacation planned and it was waaaaaaaaaay out of reach for me. If the young'uns can only afford Pop they are not going to be happy if they have to book at Poly.

B) Figure out what everyone wants from this trip. Is it all the time together or is there time apart?

That being said, I'd be inclined to look at Epcot area resorts (don't count out the Swan and Dolphin)

 

[cutigerlady]

In my experience planning several of these types of trips, don't plan to share spaces between families. Everyone needs their own space to decompress and have some alone time. We stayed at Saratoga Springs and everyone had a 1 BR unit. The resort is big and it was possible to get everyone in the same building. Being close to DS was great because we had so many choices for family dinners, but people had the option to do different things during the day. For some people, having a kitchen was important so they could make some meals to save $ and for others the washer/dryer was important for laundry for small kids.

The second event, we stayed at the Beach Club in adjoining and nearby rooms. We were there right before Christmas and being able to walk to 2 parks and have a wide variety of things to do from the resort without going into a park was really important. Plus, we wanted sit down restaurant options that didn't take reservations (my father doesn't think eating out should ever involve a tray/self service). The big pool area was our hang out space every afternoon and it gave my Dad a quiet place to rest (at the time, we didn't know he had the beginnings of Parkinson's). I used a travel agent to get in all my requests for room locations and she handled the payments from each family.

 

[quandrea]

I definitely would not rent points. Too much commitment.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

As someone who has had issues with 8 people and looking into 2 bedroom villas for 6 when we return, you need to ask if everyone is doing their own thing and meeting for lunch or dinner and what not. You also need to make sure everyone does their research (or at least reads what the person who researched typed out to them in an email or text). If there is anyone who hasn’t been in a while or ever, and you have, I recommend telling them that you are not a tour guide and it is your vacation as well (speaking from personal experience).
as someone else mentioned, I would not rent points. You actually might be better off at a moderate even though that means missing out on the extra deluxe hours. I would ask what everyone’s price point is. If it’s 12 at a deluxe and 8 at a moderate, it could work. But if it’s 2 a a deluxe and 18 at a moderate it might be better to all go to a moderate.
lss: talk to everyone involved. Make sure everyone does their own research. Then take it from there. I definitely would not rent points though.
Also if anyone in your group is going to Disney world prior I recommend having them check out a tour and ask if they can video and take pictures. That is how we decided on a two bedroom for our next trip with size people as opposed to two rooms.