Grand Gathering Questions

[GoldenDreams]

Hi All,

We are in the early planning stages of a family vacation for 8 people. We are leaning toward 2-3 adjoining/adjacent rooms at a moderate resort. But everything is on the table including a split stay between a deluxe and a value/moderate. We probably would not stay at a villa or cabin unless it was somehow cheaper than 2 rooms at a moderate.

I've been reading that a party of 8 or more qualifies as a Grand Gathering. Is this something that you can use even if you book with Magical Journeys, or do you have to do everything through Disney?

Also, I am assuming there is a cost associated with any special dinners or tours offered to a Grand Gathering. Is that correct? The kids ino our party range in age from 5 to 9, so anything we do would need to appeal to them. Is there anything in particular that you would recommend?

Thanks for any advice you can give me. I have been put in charge of research due to all the great help I'll get from you all. Thanks!! :mickey:

[yjgirl32]

We did a grand gathering in Sept of 09. Kathy from MJ helped us out a lot. We only did the one grand gathering experience- the safari tour with the dinner at Tusker House. It was fun- the safari wasn't what I expected- they didn't go any slower- gave us a little more detail about the animals but not a whole bunch. Good luck with your planning.

[pixiesmimi]

We decided not to do any extra grand gathering activities because we were told that they are prone to cancel the events at any time because of lack of participation or whatever. We are still booked as a grand gathering with our rooms so we can have connecting rooms though.