Options for large families

[littleacceb]

Hi, everyone. Trying to plan a trip for my blended family for July 2022. We are two adults and five children currently between 13 and 6.

I really really would rather be onsite, not least because the big kids would have greater flexibility to come and go as they please, but also the immersive experience and perks of the big anniversary celebrations.

I'm starting on Disneypackages.co.uk and literally all they're offering is Riviera and Grand Flo. I'm not really in the market for a £40k holiday

Is this because of the size of our group, or trying to book too far in advance, or am I simply looking in the wrong place all together? A package seems the best bet for the perks currently being offered, but should I be looking at something like DVC points rental instead?

Thank you for reading

[loves2plan]

It's because of the size of your party as there aren't many places that will sleep 7 people, other than 2 bed villas at some of the DVC resorts. OKW is usually the best value but doesn't go on sale until around 11 months in advance. Renting DVC points is an option, but does carry risk as you usually have to pay in full when you book and the cancellation terms are very strict.
Your best option at the moment is probably to look at getting 2 rooms at a resort, and then you can ask Disney to link them so you can have interconnecting rooms. Rooms at value resorts are around £2422 for 2 weeks in July, so that would be £4844 for 2 rooms. You'd get the $200 gift card and dining credit for each room too, worth $1404 in total.
The rooms at All Star Movies don't look too appealing on the Disney site, but they have been refurbished and look 100% better now - Disney are just slow to update the images for some reason.
Pop Century is a bit more expensive, but you do have access to the Skyliner from there too.
Art of Animation is slightly more again, but has amazing theming.
Don't worry - you definitely don't need to try and find £40k for all of you to stay onsite. Just search for rooms for 4 people and double that for the room cost, then add on the tickets

[ginnyfish]

Would two connected hotel rooms work for you? That way you would get double the gift cards too.

[mushumadness]

Two adults four kids here
We don’t fit into Disney rooms either

[littleacceb]

Thank you so much! We'd certainly be happy with two connecting rooms - the biggest boys are responsible enough to have a room, while my daughter and possibly younger could happily sleep in with us.

I'm wondering why the two room option isn't coming up via the searches. Is that something one has to ring for?

I do prefer the idea of Pop and AofA just for the variety of dining within the one restaurant (for when we're feeling super lazy - I had a solo trip to All Star Sports in 2019 and got really bored of the menu very quickly) or the absolute ideal would really be Beach/Yacht/Boardwalk for the pools combined with Epcot access.

[KarenG]

Originally Posted by littleacceb

Thank you so much! We'd certainly be happy with two connecting rooms - the biggest boys are responsible enough to have a room, while my daughter and possibly younger could happily sleep in with us.

I'm wondering why the two room option isn't coming up via the searches. Is that something one has to ring for?

I do prefer the idea of Pop and AofA just for the variety of dining within the one restaurant (for when we're feeling super lazy - I had a solo trip to All Star Sports in 2019 and got really bored of the menu very quickly) or the absolute ideal would really be Beach/Yacht/Boardwalk for the pools combined with Epcot access.

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I love the location of Beach/Yacht/BW too.

As others have said a party of 7 pushes you into high priced onsite accommodation unless you’re happy to book two separate rooms.

For the area above you could also consider Swan / Dolphin which tend to be MUCH cheaper (you’ll need two rooms and watch for resort / parking fees to understand the true cost) or renting points for a two bed DVC villa (really a condo). That would give you more space and facilities but it will still be quite pricey for a fortnight. Did you have a budget in mind? I can look up points needed to give you a rough idea if it helps

[JessBlu]

Just search the two rooms separately.

[sprocket]

You will need to book 2 rooms separately and request them to be linked and interconnecting rooms. Remember you will need to book 1 adult per room as a child isnt allowed to book a room.

Also if you book any package like dining credits, these will be split between the 2 bookings and not pooled into 1 large credits bundle. If there are gift cards on the offer, you will get double.

You could phone for Disney to help, which they will, but if you book online, you could also get double Quidco.

Originally Posted by littleacceb

I'm wondering why the two room option isn't coming up via the searches. Is that something one has to ring for?

See more...

[loves2plan]

Originally Posted by littleacceb

Thank you so much! We'd certainly be happy with two connecting rooms - the biggest boys are responsible enough to have a room, while my daughter and possibly younger could happily sleep in with us.

I'm wondering why the two room option isn't coming up via the searches. Is that something one has to ring for?

I do prefer the idea of Pop and AofA just for the variety of dining within the one restaurant (for when we're feeling super lazy - I had a solo trip to All Star Sports in 2019 and got really bored of the menu very quickly) or the absolute ideal would really be Beach/Yacht/Boardwalk for the pools combined with Epcot access.

See more...

Disney's system isn't set up to book 2 rooms at the same time, either online or over the phone. You basically need to make 2 separate bookings, but the bonus of this is that you get the gift card twice which will help towards food. You can link both bookings to your MDE account, and then ask Disney to link them for connecting rooms. You will have to book an adult in each room when you do it: so 1 room with you and 3 children and 1 room with your partner and 2 children. How you use the space when you get there though is up to you - it's just a booking thing.
If budget allows, then definitely look at the Epcot resorts. Pop and CBr are good for access with the Skyliner, and another option that might be worth looking at is 2 rooms at the Swan/Dolphin. You won't get the dining credit and gift cards there, but the saving on the room price over the Epcot resorts usually more than offsets that

[Michyloulou]

We’re a family of 2ad, 4 children (technically 3 adults & 3 children since our eldest is now 18!). I’ve often wondered why WDTC don’t have an option of booking more than 1 room, or catering for large families on their website. It just seems a very strange over-sight to me for a global company.
I can see the benefits of doubling up on the $200 gift cards & dining credit.