Help me obi-wan kenobi

[BIGDOG]

HELP ME OBI-WAN KENOBI

It’s been 8 years since the family and I have visited Disney World. Not sure if I’m just getting too old for the trip planning or maybe Disney has just made things more difficult to figure out.

We are adopting our 4 foster children whom have been in our home for 3yrs; things should be finalized by the fall of 2017. Other then local water park trips with us they have never been anywhere; never mind to Disney or Universal.
With my 4 birth children and the 4 new additions along with my saint of a wife who keeps it all sorted out, our family alone is at 10 people. Then we have 8 others who want to join the adoption celebration so looks like a party of 18 everywhere we go..

Here is my problem I can’t decide on where to stay; our favorite resort the Caribbean beach resort is under construction so that’s out. The lack of rooms at the other moderates is so thin we are forced to stay at a value resort plus the fact we will need 5 rooms.

We have allotted 9 nights 5 @ Disney and 4 @ Universal
Are choices are August, September, October, November or December.
18 Airline tickets is a massive cost, 5 and 4 day park tickets are even more. Room nights seem cheaper up North at Cabana Bay but then you miss the Disney magic?

Anyone have any suggestions?????

[1DisneyNut]

Rent a house off site. You can get one with enough room for everybody if that is what you would like and you can get them with their own pool in the back yard. Plus you will have the full amenities of a home such as a full kitchen. and washer and dryer.

[faline]

I'd suggest contacting Magical Journeys and letting them help figure out your best option(s). Renting a house off-site is a nice option but I'm not sure what your transportation costs to and from the parks might be given the size of your party.

[Genie1953]

I totally agree with Faline....let Magical Journeys guide you. They are experts!

[VWL Mom]

Have you considered the Cabins at FW? That might be an option for you. With 18 people the ability to fix some of your meals might appeal to you. I agree with contacting MJ, they're always up to date on rates and packages.

[Goofeygal]

The down side to staying off site with so many cars is the price of parking per day.

[BrerGnat]

Art of Animation Suites. You will need 3 total (each sleeps 6).

Go in early December if you can. Better chance of low crowds and good weather.

Use the Official Ticket Center for tickets. They are an Intercot sponsor (link to the left) and you will get a small discount there. They also sell Universal tickets.

As for Universal, Cabana Bay is amazing so definitely stay there. The family suites are great there. Highly recommend.

I would not stay in Cabana Bay for the Disney portion. It's too far.

There are also a number of timeshare type places JUST outside Disney gates. Wyndham Bonnet Creek, Sheraton Vistana Villas, etc. You get much more bang for your buck but lose out on the on property benefits, so you have to weigh how important those are. And then you would need rental cars, so that's another expense.

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[BIGDOG]

Thank you all for the suggestions I think turning this over to a travel expert is the way to go. I can't bring myself to staying off site. The transportation cost for this group would be too confusing and rather costly. There are 6 Disney first timers in this group, I want them to experience the full dose of Disney magic. In my opinion 2 of the biggest perks for the little ones is the Magical express and the wake up call from Mickey in the morning. They are still doing wake up calls right?

[BIGDOG]

So you are saying between August and the end of 2017 early December will be the least crowded at Disney World?

[Cinderelley]

Are the 8 extra people going with you ok sharing rooms or do they want their own rooms? How old are all the children? Old enough to have their own hotel rooms?

Have you considered a dvc rental since you want to stay onsite? Maybe a 2 or 3 bedroom one for your immediate family if the kids are too young to be on their own in a hotel room.
If they are old enough, I would suggest 3 rooms in a row at Pop Century, maybe even connecting. I did that for our family reunion trip, and we really loved it. 4 kids in each room and one room for you and the wife to have down time.
There are some rooms at Port Orleans that allow you to have 5 guests in a room, but that doesn't give you and the Mrs your own space.
The family suites at Art of Animation only hold 6 people and are pretty expensive. I don't think they are worth it for your situation, unless you are just dying to stay there.

[Cinderelley]

oh and you aren't old. Disney has made it harder.

[disneycutie165]

The down side to staying off site with so many cars is the price of parking per day.

And the Orlando traffic... :blowup:

[texas211]

10 people? 8 kids? I'd recommend a hotel with a good bar. So the values are out.

Depending on kid size, two rooms like at POR that have the slide out bed can host 5 each, and get adjoining rooms.

Else, double villa. Pricey though. I have a friend with a family of 8, that's what they do.

As long as the legal occupancy is high enough, you could always slap down some inflatables to make it more comfortable.

Offsite, I've gotten the double room suites at Doubletree (I just like a lot of space), and I think they had adjoining capabilities. Check w/ Hilton.

FYI, timeshares that are renting out space are usually pretty cheap and some of them can hold quite a few folks.

Good luck, may the force be with you. And possibly a good 21 year old scotch. Congrats on the new additions. Don't forget the "Our First Time" pins when you get to the parks.