gopherit
I'm not in the book, you know.
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2003
First a small rant - I really hate how Disney presses you to have all your decisions in hand months in advance. I'm lucky these days to know what I need to do in the next 8 hours. And planning for a larger group - oye vey. Not the stress I signed on for when we joined DVC back in 1999!
So that aside - I'm planning an Xmas trip for our fam of 6, and being a giving gopher, I'm allowing each of the three 18+ aged gopher pups the chance to "bring a friend" (at very low, if any, cost to friend). It's sort of an Xmas gift to my 3 hard-to-shop for elder pups. Right now - I have us booked for a short stay @ Kidani in a "close-quarters but it says it sleeps 9" 2BR, then 5 nights in a BW Grand Villa, then one final night in a Bay Lake Tower (another "it says it sleeps 9 so we gonna test that theory" experience) before flying back to TX just before Xmas.
And now... I'm fearing... all those resorts in 8 nights.... will it be nuts?!?
With 9 people in tow (me and DH, our 10 yr old DS, and the 6 "20-somethings"), I was looking for a spacious accommodation. Kids had stated their preferences (last trip was in a SSR 3BR GV, so they wanted to go back to home resort BW, or to AK, WL or BLT). But I couldn't lock in on dates until university and job calendars were set, so earliest I could start booking was ~ 9 mos out. (Yeah... for xmas. I know, i know. what was I thinking...) I immediately reserved a block of available days at our home resort (BW) but even then couldn't get a whole week in a GV. My hope was to change at 7 mos window to 7 nts in a Kidani GV, or half-n-half it. But it never worked out. There was always a day missing, here or there, often right smack dab in the middle. Tried waitlist, hoping the opening of Riveria part way through our trip would help open up other resorts - but nope, it just got crazier - and as stuff started to book up, I admit it - I began to panic and took whatever I could get my grubby lil gopher paws on. It took three weeks and (I'm convinced) an act of God just to get the BLT 2BR for the last night of our stay! If I'm gonna break up the trip, I prefer that there's a long stay in there somewhere, and no more than 2 resorts in a week. So much for the latter preference. I chose Kidani and Bay Tower as the "bookends" to the BW villa stay only because (a) they were available & sleep 9 people and (b) they have 3 bathrooms (critical with that many people). I also took a hard look at HOW those 9 people would be sleeping (preference being queen beds, and as few "dinky pull out" beds / sleeper sofas as possible). At least the bulk of the trip will be in the spacious BW GV. I could not obtain 3BR villas at OKW or SSR or other resorts for the "bookend" nights. I even looked at splitting the herd, if need be, but by this time - well you know how booked up Xmas time is. Pickins are slim. And at this point waitlist is tough because you have to put in what you would "cancel" if it became available. I still cruise the reservations page... but feel pretty sure what I have is what I have.
So I'm trying to be positive... thinking "ok, these are young able bodied people, even if I'm not, lol... change is good... they get to try 3 resorts, not just one"... and if that's not enough of an upside, well we are now staying 8 nights (instead of just 7), since I saved a few points going with 2BRs versus a GV for whole stay. More time is ALWAYS good, right?
Are there any other perks to this many resorts in a short span of time? I wasn't planning on doing a dining plan (thinking TIW with this sized crowd). Should I reconsider (are there perks to doing a dining plan on one segment of stay? I know last trip I had the option to do dining plan at one resort stay, and not the other. I'm trying to coordinate park days to where we are staying (do AK while we're at Kidani; do Hollywood and Epcot while at BW; etc.) Or is that of no benefit? I'm also trying to prepare them for how to pack to make this as little hassle as possible (use Disney Magic to move that luggage to next resort, just have it ready to go that morning as we leave the resort.)
If there's any other perks or possibilities - let me know - I'm all ears (Mickey-Mouse sized ones, at that.)
So that aside - I'm planning an Xmas trip for our fam of 6, and being a giving gopher, I'm allowing each of the three 18+ aged gopher pups the chance to "bring a friend" (at very low, if any, cost to friend). It's sort of an Xmas gift to my 3 hard-to-shop for elder pups. Right now - I have us booked for a short stay @ Kidani in a "close-quarters but it says it sleeps 9" 2BR, then 5 nights in a BW Grand Villa, then one final night in a Bay Lake Tower (another "it says it sleeps 9 so we gonna test that theory" experience) before flying back to TX just before Xmas.
And now... I'm fearing... all those resorts in 8 nights.... will it be nuts?!?
With 9 people in tow (me and DH, our 10 yr old DS, and the 6 "20-somethings"), I was looking for a spacious accommodation. Kids had stated their preferences (last trip was in a SSR 3BR GV, so they wanted to go back to home resort BW, or to AK, WL or BLT). But I couldn't lock in on dates until university and job calendars were set, so earliest I could start booking was ~ 9 mos out. (Yeah... for xmas. I know, i know. what was I thinking...) I immediately reserved a block of available days at our home resort (BW) but even then couldn't get a whole week in a GV. My hope was to change at 7 mos window to 7 nts in a Kidani GV, or half-n-half it. But it never worked out. There was always a day missing, here or there, often right smack dab in the middle. Tried waitlist, hoping the opening of Riveria part way through our trip would help open up other resorts - but nope, it just got crazier - and as stuff started to book up, I admit it - I began to panic and took whatever I could get my grubby lil gopher paws on. It took three weeks and (I'm convinced) an act of God just to get the BLT 2BR for the last night of our stay! If I'm gonna break up the trip, I prefer that there's a long stay in there somewhere, and no more than 2 resorts in a week. So much for the latter preference. I chose Kidani and Bay Tower as the "bookends" to the BW villa stay only because (a) they were available & sleep 9 people and (b) they have 3 bathrooms (critical with that many people). I also took a hard look at HOW those 9 people would be sleeping (preference being queen beds, and as few "dinky pull out" beds / sleeper sofas as possible). At least the bulk of the trip will be in the spacious BW GV. I could not obtain 3BR villas at OKW or SSR or other resorts for the "bookend" nights. I even looked at splitting the herd, if need be, but by this time - well you know how booked up Xmas time is. Pickins are slim. And at this point waitlist is tough because you have to put in what you would "cancel" if it became available. I still cruise the reservations page... but feel pretty sure what I have is what I have.
So I'm trying to be positive... thinking "ok, these are young able bodied people, even if I'm not, lol... change is good... they get to try 3 resorts, not just one"... and if that's not enough of an upside, well we are now staying 8 nights (instead of just 7), since I saved a few points going with 2BRs versus a GV for whole stay. More time is ALWAYS good, right?
Are there any other perks to this many resorts in a short span of time? I wasn't planning on doing a dining plan (thinking TIW with this sized crowd). Should I reconsider (are there perks to doing a dining plan on one segment of stay? I know last trip I had the option to do dining plan at one resort stay, and not the other. I'm trying to coordinate park days to where we are staying (do AK while we're at Kidani; do Hollywood and Epcot while at BW; etc.) Or is that of no benefit? I'm also trying to prepare them for how to pack to make this as little hassle as possible (use Disney Magic to move that luggage to next resort, just have it ready to go that morning as we leave the resort.)
If there's any other perks or possibilities - let me know - I'm all ears (Mickey-Mouse sized ones, at that.)