Question about Grand Gatherings

[cspenc28]

So next summer my DH's family is planning a trip to WDW. It'll be DH & me, MIL, FIL, BIL, 2 SILs their husbands and 5 kids, ages 12, 7, 6, 3 & 1, total 9 adults, well technically 10 since the 12 year old will be counted at an adult and 4 kids, once of which will be free. My questions are:
1-Do we all have to stay in the same hotel? I (hopefully) will be pregnant and would like to stay in a MK or Epcot hotel as I would like to get back quickly in case I need a nap, and my one SIL will have 3 small children and wants them to nap during the day. The rest would rather not spend the money on a deluxe hotel.
2-Can we choose to have a dining plan, if they choose not to?
3-What are the advantages of making our reservations as a Grand Gathering?
Thanks in advance for any questions.

[diz_girl]

I recently saw an announcement that they weren't doing Grand Gatherings after January 2012. Not sure why, but it usually bils down to money, so they probably weren't profitable enough, if at all.

1 - In any case, nothing says that you all have to stay at the same resort. A more affordable way to do a Deluxe is to get a room in the South Wing at the CR. The rooms sleep 5 and they are lower in price than any other Deluxe resort rooms, except those at WL or AKL that only sleep 4. But you still are very close to the MK and have monorail access, so when you visit MK or EPCOT, your SIL can get back to the resort pretty easily and doesn't even have to take the kids out of their strollers to get there, as the strollers roll on/off the monorail.

Since you are going in the summer, Value season starts mid-July, so rates aren't horrible if you go then. Rates get just a little better starting in mid-August.

2 - If someone chooses the Dining Plan, everyone staying in the same room must be on the plan. But it doesn't need to apply to the entire reservation.

3 - With Grand Gatherings, you were able to attend special breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts or other events. They were pricey, but suposedly very nice.

[cspenc28]

You know, I do remember seeing that, but I forgot all about it. I'll have to do some research and see what I find. I'm not even sure my in law's even want to stay on property, DH and I figure we'll do some research and try to convince them. Regardless of what they are doing, the two of us will be staying on property.

Thanks!

[Buttercup]

We are going at the end of January (my family, and both of my sister's families). There will be a total of 11 of us going.
We tried to book as 3 separate reservations, but one of my sisters let it slip out that we are all going as a group and then the CM she was speaking to insisted that she must be transferred over to the Grand Gathering department. :confused:
Anyway, in the past I know there were additional deals (like fireworks cruises and similar) for Grand Gathering groups only, but I think those are being discontinued. The only thing they told my sister was that in their reservations system, if you are travelling with a group of 8 or more you're automatically considered a Grand Gathering and another computer system needs to be used to book you.

With all that being said, we DID want to all be at the same resort, so that is maybe why the Grand Gathering reservation was required.