Traveling with 2 families, resort choice help

[miblue]

Hi! We're trying to plan a trip with another family. We have 3 children, 6, 3, and 1 at time of travel. They have 2 children, 3 and 6 months at time of travel, so total of 9 people but 2 are babies who will be in pack n plays.

My husband attends medical conferences when we go to Disney normally so the hotel is paid for. We'd like for our friends to be able to go with us and stay with us so we could cover most of the hotel fee that way. I've been looking at the more suite type of options with Disney resorts and technically with 9 people we wouldn't fit. However, like the Art of Animation suites or even the campground cabins, I think it'd be fine for us. Is this something we can do or if we show up with everyone will we be turned away?

Any other ideas for where to stay? We really prefer to fly there and so it makes much more sense for us to stay on site. I did look at the Bonham Creek place but with all the fees for shuttles etc. it seems like much more of a pain than to just stay on site. We would just get 2 hotel rooms but they would not both be paid for.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

You can't count more than one baby against the room occupancy limit, but even so, you are over occupancy for the FW cabins or the AOA suites. They have a room capacity of six persons. You won't even be able to book those rooms for a party of 9, even if one of the babies is not counted for occupancy purposes. Not to mention that the rooms would not be particularly comfortable for 2 couples and 5 children.

If you must stay onsite and you must all be in the same room I thinnk with a room capacity of 8 (which is what you will need if one of the babies is excluded) you are limited on Disney property to the 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom DVC villas (which you can book just like a hotel room, although they will be expensive) or possibly some suites at deluxe resorts, although I'm not sure there are a lot of suites with a room capacity of 8.

All two bedroom villas have a capacity of 8 or 9, and the 3 bedroom villas have a capacity of 12, except for the SSR treehouse villas (9).

 

[miblue]

I'm guessing those are mega $$ though right? I have a friend who is a member of DVC, can I buy points or what not from her? I don't even know how that works but before I'd approach her about it I wanted to see. Thanks!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

You can rent points from her if she is willing to rent them to you. She would make the reservation for you via Member Services. Payment terms would be between you and her. Any modifications to the reservation would need to be made by her, since only the member can call Member Services. Any possibility of cancellation would also need to be between you and her, as cancellation within certain time frames can make the points harder to use for the member, or even forfeit them if cancelled within a day of arrival.

There's also some brokers out there who could help you with a DVC rental.

 

[miblue]

Thanks for your fast replies and help! Is there a ball park range for how much points would cost for our size group? Just curious if I should just try to stay off site if it's going to be astronomical.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Use google to search for a points calculator that you can use to determine the number of points you'll need for your dates/time of year, the number of days you want to stay, and which resort you prefer. All DVC resorts have 2 bedrooms. Not all have 3 bedrooms though. OKW tends to have the most space and is not as high on the points charts as some of the others that are closer to parks.

 

[GoBears 1980]

If you can't find what you need/want onsite, look at the Villas of Grand Cypress. They have scheduled shuttles as part of the resort fee and it is a marvelous property.

 

[JennyDrake]

This may not fit what you are asking but......I would go with MULTIPLE rooms at a value or moderate resort. This would be the most affordable AND have the most bathrooms AND offer privacy.

 

[minnie mum]

I agree that you would need a 2 BR villa to meet your needs. Costs vary considerably between the various resorts, however. And availability can be difficult if you are going at a popular time of year.

Have a look at the DVC forums. Here's a link to one of them:http://www.disboards.com/forums/dvc-rent-trade.29/

 

[thr33boys]

I think the SSR treehouse would be a perfect room configuration for you. You can all fit in one room and everyone will still have separate sleeping quarters.

Each couple would have their own room with a pack n play, decide between the 6 year old and the 2 3 year olds who gets the bunk beds and who gets the sofa pull out....or perhaps alternate each night for fun or if something works one night, then go with it. You would also have full kitchen facilities along with 2 bathrooms and a washer/dryer if needed. The only downside is it not being conducive to having strollers, you really would need a vehicle and they are pricey. However, they can be booked through Disney. Hopefully, a promo will be available if they are eligible.

 

[Nancyg56]

I would look at a value or moderate. 9 people is a lot, so two rooms might be better., especiall since you have two babies. They can be kept seperate from each other during naps or rests. You can ask for connecting rooms if you like.

 

[crisi]

I'd also go for two rooms at a moderate. Not being in the same rather small place when traveling with friends and children is often a good idea - nothing like travel to remind you that your friends raise their kids WRONG. Plus a DVC rental will be final and needs to be made far in advance - and too often there are horror stories about the other family deciding not to go a few months out. Two rooms in a moderate will give you maximum flexibility and privacy.

(And I'm fondest of Port Orleans Riverside, but I like Carribean Beach Resort as well).

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I agree that two rooms would be ideal, but the OP didn't want two rooms because her husband's conference won't pay for two rooms. Not sure how much the conference will agree to pay (or how much he can take off his taxes if that's what he's doing) but those villas won't come cheap.