Should we stay on-site?

[tmfranlk]

Ugggghhhh.... I just can't decide what to do! I have no idea where we should stay.

Option 1: Stay at All-Star Movies or Pop Century (for theming and separate rooms).

Option 2: Rent DVC points (luxury locations and maybe better price).

Option 3: Rent an off-site home (for better price).

The situation: My extended family travelling together. We have 12 people: dad-52, mom-50, my DH-37, me-28, my DD-1, Sis#1-25, BIL-33, their DD-2, Sis#2-23, her BF-20, Sis#3-8 and family friend-25.

Obstacles:
-My DH would prefer as much privacy as possible.
-The young kids would probably like to be together.
-Parents don't want Sis#2 and BF alone in their own hotel room (though connecting rooms would be fine).
-Would like to keep the cost as reasonable as possible.
-Different people will prefer different schedules (i.e. Dad will want to sleep in, my DH won't be big on the parks, young kids may need mid-day naps, etc).
-Will probably have one, if not two, pregnant women (probably about 5 months).
-We will have vehicle space for about 2/3 of the group unless we rent another car.

And I thought planning this trip would be easy! LOL

Anyone want to venture a solution. Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to solve a big jigsaw puzzle (and accomodations are only the first step!).

Thanks for any help you are willing to give. Sorry for the long post!

 

[swilphil]

With the young children and pregnant women, you will definitely want to stay on site. It is so much easier to return to the room. Renting DVC points would be ideal. Go to the DVC board to read up on it. That's what I plan to do our next trip. There is a grand villa that sleeps 12, but you may not want everybody that close together. I know you can get some good rates renting DVC, but I have no idea how available the Grand Villas are. You can get better deals off season and if you stay Sun through Thursday.

If you are arriving on a Saturday, you may want to spend that first night at the All Stars and then switch to DVC. I think Disney will move your luggage for you.

Another possibility: the Dolphin has a jr. suite that sleeps 6 and has a separate bedroom. That may work better for the sis/bf situation than connecting rooms although at ages 20 and 23, I'm not sure if there's much you can do. Dolphin has a teacher/nurse/govt. rate that is excellent, but I don't know how much the jr. suite would be. Dreams Unlimited travel agency has Swan/Dolphin specials, too.

You may be able to spend a little more on hotel by not renting a car at all. That's what we did. We took Tiffany Towncar Service from the airport and that included a grocery store stop.

Good luck and have fun!!

 

[Jeanny]

Personally, with that many people, and that many personalities, you're better off staying ON site. You'll save time and money in the long run...tired people can go back to the resort... late risers can come and go as they please....

The transportation is at your beck and call, you don't have to worry about getting everyone to the cars/vans, etc, getting to the parks, or leaving someone behind...paying for parking?? little things like that add up..

You're a saint for making the arrangements for such a large group! I hope they appreciate you!!


Good Luck! Jeanny

 

[Jeanny]

Personally, with that many people, and that many personalities, you're better off staying ON site. You'll save time and money in the long run...tired people can go back to the resort... late risers can come and go as they please....

The transportation is at your beck and call, you don't have to worry about getting everyone to the cars/vans, etc, getting to the parks, or leaving someone behind...paying for parking?? little things like that add up..

You're a saint for making the arrangements for such a large group! I hope they appreciate you!!


Good Luck! Jeanny

 

[Jeanny]

hmm, that was strange.. don't know why my previous post showed up twice, I hit the submit button only once..... and it won't let me delete one... sorry everyone for the repeat!

Jeanny

 

[Laura]

I would agree with the renting of DVC points, because staying on-site sounds like the better option for such a large group as yours, and the accommodations at those resorts are sooooo nice. Transportation really is easier on-site, too.

 

[ducklite]

I would rent points and get 2 two bedrooms. That would give you four private bedrooms plus two sleeper sofas in teh LR's, and you could work out sleeping like this:

Master bedroom #1 (one king bed) dad-52, mom-50

Master bedroom #1 (one king) my DH-37, me-28, my DD-1

Second BR #1 (2 queens or queen and sleeper sofa) Sis#1-25, BIL-33, their DD-2

Sleeper sofa in LR #1 Sis#2-23

Sleeper sofa in LR #2 her BF-20

Second BR #2 (2 queens or queen and sleeper sofa) Sis#3-8 and family friend-25.

Lots of privacy for the couples, people can come and go as they please using WDW transportation, the added benefits of kitchens plus wshers and dryers.

Something to think about

Anne

 

[LSchrow]

my vote:
option 2: DVC villa (preferably at BWV or BCV)

reasoning:
~ no need for a rental car, just use WDW transportation (if needed, else short walk to epcot, longer walk to MGM). whenever anyone needs "down time", it's easy to hop back to the room. just walk to BW entertainment & varied dining options (as well as "general store" for neccessities).

accomondating the schedules of 12 ppl can be intimidating. being right in the middle of things means you don't have to; each can see the attractions/nap/swim/shop when they wish, without inconveniencing anyone else. just a suggestion: try to meet up for a few dinners ~ makes for great "family memories".

have a wonderful time!!

 

[Kimberle]

I agree w/ the others, on site, most diffently.

We vacation in Orlando every year. Every other year we do a "Disney" trip, stay on site, no rental car. The other year we stay in an Orlando Hotel and do Universal, Sea World, etc., with no Disney or maybe just 1 day.

Even for just the 3 of us, on-site is so much more relaxing. We'll start off the morning together, by 11 dh is ready to head back to the hotel & rent a water mouse or something. DD & I spend a few more hours in the parks.

Even though Disney hotels are a bit more expensive, you don't need to rent a car. Just hire a towncar service to take you back/forth from the airport. It is **so** nice to walk off the plane & be greated by your driver. Those rental car lines are brutal!!

We haven't stayed there, but I believe the Fort Wilderness cabins will hold quite a few people too. I don't think it matters to much where you stay, you and your family are going to have a wonderful trip!!

We've stayed at CR & are staying WL this trip in Sept.

 

[peachgirl]

I agree with the others, out of the options you list, a DVC property would be the best way to go. They can be expensive though, especially if you're talking about a Grand Villa (tough to get) or (2) 2 bedrooms. Although, if you're splitting the cost of the rooms, it would really make the DVC choice affordable.

Unless you're planning on a lot of people cooking at one time or doing laundry at the same time it would be a lot less expensive to rent (1) 2 bedroom and (1) studio. The studios don't have a full kitchen, but they do have kitchenettes. They have 2 queen beds. You have to move up to a 2 bedroom to sleep more than 4 people to a room so a 1 bedroom wouldn't offer any more sleeping space.

It depends on just how much privacy everyone wants, but the cost of a 2 br vs a studio is hundreds of dollars (almost twice as much, actually). Unless the couples all want their own private room, the 2br/studio could easily work, especially with 2 of the children being so young. Everyone could have the benefits of the kitchen/ washer & dryer in the 2 br and it would be much less expensive.



The only DVC property I'm personally familiar with is OKW. The 2 br is huge! The limit is 8 people, but even at the limit there is plenty of room. They have 2 full bathrooms, one of which is huge and has a wonderful jacuzzi that is shut off from the toilet/shower area. It makes it very easy for lots of people to get ready in the mornings!

Renting points is generally less expensive, but don't rule out reserving directly through WDW. Value season rack rates are $480 (2br) and $254(studio). We got a discount rate that made it less expensive to reserve through CRO than renting points. Not only was it less expensive, but the deposit and refund requirements are much more generous and we got daily housekeeping. With points you have to pay extra, I believe it's $35 per day, per room. If your stay includes a Fri. or Sat. night, the points needed increases dramatically while the CRO rate is the same as any other day.

Good luck on your choice. My hat is off to you, I can't imagine setting up a WDW vacation for that many people!

PS....Have you considered the cabins at Fort Wilderness? They do sleep up to 6 people and are much less expensive than DVC properties. You didn't list it as one of your options, so I didn't go into detail about them...but if you haven't considered them you might want to. We stayed there many years ago and we really enjoyed it!

 

[tmfranlk]

Thank you so much for the advice so far! I was REALLY hoping to stay on site somewhere since most of the group never has. Your suggestions are putting giant smiles on my face!

I will definitely look into renting DVC points. I have heard about it, but don't know alot about the process. I do know that my mom would LOVE the BW/BC/YC area. What a wonderful surprise that would be for her!

We are arriving on a Friday and leaving the next Friday. Maybe we can stay at All-Star, Pop Century or Wilderness Cabins (thanks for the suggestion peachgirl) Fri and Sat nights and then move to the DVC resort for the lower point weekdays.

Thank you so so much! I am having a lot of fun planning for this trip. 12 people seems so easy since we had considered a full family trip of close to 40 people.

If anyone else has advice, please feel free to suggest away. I'll take all the help I can get!

TIA
Tia

Swilphil wrote:

That may work better for the sis/bf situation than connecting rooms although at ages 20 and 23, I'm not sure if there's much you can do.

I know, and so do they, but they want to set an exampe for our 8yo sister.

 

[wdwfan]

I totally agree and think that staying on property and renting DVC points is the way to go. I have rented dvc points in the past and so have many other disers. It was a very easy transaction. Good luck with your planning.

 

[taylor1293]

If finances permit, I agree with everyone else, stay on-site and rent 2 2-bedroom units.

However, since you mentioned keeping costs down. You may want to consider offsite and renting a 2nd car.

If you rent points at $10 a point, you will be paying around $3200 (depending on when you are going) for just 5 nights. Plus the extra cost of the hotel rooms for Friday and Saturday night.

You can get 2 luxury 2-bedroom units off-site for 7 nights for under $1,400 total.

A huge difference in price .

But if you can swing it, stay on-site. BWV is awesome!

Teresa

 

[*Fantasia*]

If this was my family, I think I would just let everyone pick their favorite resort and let them do their booking. And when we want to get together, we'll just pick a place to meet. We will still be able to spend some time together...in the parks...resturants...or when going shopping dowtown. This would give us an excuse to visit other resorts and have fun. This way everyone gets privacy when it's down time. This is just my opinion.

I know in my family, it's hard to please everyone so this way, if they are not happy with the place they are staying at, no one gets blamed. And they can choose another resort of their choice.

 

[tmfranlk]

Thanks for the suggestion, Fantasia. This wouldn't work for us though as the 3 kids will want to swim together and ride to the parks together. Lucky for me, my family is very easy going and will be happy with whatever I choose. Plus, they know that I'm the Disney "expert" of the group (most haven'y been for more than 10 years, if ever, and have never stayed on site) and think that I have all of the "inside scoop".

 

[swilphil]

Peachgirl--I've never rented DVC points or stayed in one of their properties. I didn't know you could get cheaper rates if you book through CRO. How do you find out about discounts? When is value season?

Sherri

 

[KDawnLily]

Definately stay on site. With the freedom to move about on their own your whole family will probably enjoy it much more. Here's another suggestion, you didn't say when you were thinking about going but, if any of you like to camp why not get a couple of sites at FW campgrounds . A couple of tents..a couple of sleeping bags....There would surely be ample opporuntiy for great memories and the children would probably love the Chip n Dale campfire movie.. at only $67/site during peak times it may be an inexpensive way to make great memories. Use the $$ you save on the rooms for more Character meals or a dinner show or two... You do have to love the outdoors though- and of course there is the no room service, no beds, no in room TV... ahh well.. It might be an option though.
The AS or Pop Century would be a great way to save money too.. 4 rooms would work great for you.$308/night during value season for the 4 rooms...2 adults in each(sis 23 staying under the watchful eyes of Mom and Dad of course) and the family friend and sis's BF could perhaps share a room.. leaving the 2 8 yr olds to hop from room to room if need be....
Good Luck planning and have a great trip!