If you are vising Walt Disney World with a group of 5 or more adults, you may be wondering what options are available for you at a Disney World resort. Most standard rooms at Walt Disney World have 2 queen beds, which is only enough room for 4 adults. You could always choose to get adjoining rooms, which is offered at any of the resorts in Disney. However, it is sometimes more fun to stay as a big group in the same room, especially if you are traveling as a large family.
There is also always the option of booking an Airbnb off of Disney property. It is true that this will likely be cheaper than trying to find accommodations on property for that many people. However, leaving the Disney bubble to return to your Airbnb each day would definitely ruin the magic of your trip. You face parking fees, wasted time in traffic/the car, less flexibility during the day, loss of extra magic hours, and having to go out into the "real world" rather than stay in the Disney magic. Therefore, I highly recommend staying at a Disney resort.
Thankfully, Disney has thought of everything and does not let large groups go unnoticed. Here, I will lay out the options at Walt Disney World, for accommodations that are best suited for larger groups traveling together.
1) Family Suites
The most affordable option for larger groups is booking a family suite. These are offered at two of the Value resorts in Disney World: All-Stars Music and Art of Animation. While the price per night for one of the family suites is typically much higher than a standard Value room, keep in mind that it will likely end up be cheaper after you split the price amongst your group. If you are okay with "Value" resort amenities, then the family suite is the way to go. It is affordable, you are still on Disney property, and you are all able to stay together in the same suite. However, it will be on par with your normal Value resort experience.
All-Star Music
This is the cheapest family suite available at Disney World, and in the long run I think it looks better than the family suite at Art of Animation. It can accommodate up to 6 adults and on average costs around $300 per night, depending on what time of year you are going and if there are any discounts being run by Disney on your dates. The All-Star Music family suite offers 3 queen size beds, 2 full bathrooms, and a kitchenette. As with any visit to the All-Stars resorts, you are limited to just the food court for dining, and you will have to rely solely on the bus system to get around the Disney World property. The pool is also your average Value resort pool. However, all in all, I think this is a great deal and is a top contender for best place to stay with a large group.
Art of Animation
The second family suite offered at Disney World is located in Art of Animation. There are a couple of advantages to staying at Art of Animation. First, it is a Skyliner resort. It will be extremely convenient to reach Hollywood Studios or Epcot from this resort. Also, the theming of the suites is much more advanced than at All-Star Music. At Art of Animation, you have a choice between 3 differently themed suites: a Finding Nemo suite, a Cars suite, or a Lion King suite. While these 2 items may make Art of Animation seem like a no brainer, there are a couple negatives that I think gives All-Star Music a slight edge.
First, the suites at Art of Animation only have 1 queen bed, 1 double size sleeper sofa, and 1 double size table bed. The website claims that will sleep 6 adults, but I think a double sized bed would be a tight fit for 2 adults. Second, the kitchenette in the Art of Animation suite is a lot smaller than All-Star Music. While that is not a huge issue for me (you know I advocate for eating at Disney restaurants while in Disney World) some families do prefer to cook their meals and a small kitchen could be frustrating. Third, the suites at Art of Animation cost on average around $500 per night.
With smaller beds and a smaller kitchenette for $200 more per night, I cannot see Art of Animation making more sense than a family suite at All-Star Music. This would only make more sense if you were a couple traveling with 4 children, who would fit 2 to a double bed. Therefore, out of the two Value resort family suites at Disney World, my pick would go to All-Star Music.
2) Villas
If you are looking for a more Deluxe resort experience while staying at Disney World, you may choose to forego the family suites at the Value resorts and choose to stay in a villa at one of the Deluxe resorts. This comes with Deluxe perks, like Table Service restaurants on site, better pools, and Extra Magic Hours on select evenings. The villas are targeted towards vacation club members but can also be used by normal Disney guests. Another perk of booking a villa is that it is equipped with a washer and dryer. If you need to do some laundry mid-trip, you can use the machine in your own villa rather than the communal laundry room.
Most resorts have an option of a 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, or 3 bedroom villa depending on how many people you are trying to accommodate. The 1 bedroom villas are only suited for up to 5 adults, offering 1 king bed, 1 queen sized bed, and 1 single sized bed. This type of villa only has 1 bathroom, which you will note is less than the family suites at the Value resorts. There are only two resorts that offer 2 bathrooms in a 1 bedroom villa- Kidani at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Bay Lake at the Contemporary. I think it would be pretty difficult for 5 people to get ready in 1 bathroom.
If traveling with any more than 5 people, you would have to book at least a 2 bedroom villa, which would offer 1 king bed, 3 queen sized beds, and 1 single sized bed. This type of villa does guarantee at least 2 bathrooms. Disney states that this type of villa will accommodate up to 9 people.
The cheapest villa option is at Old Key West. The 1 bedroom villa will cost you are $600 per night and the 2 bedroom villa will cost you around $1,000 per night. There are also villas offered at the Riviera, Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House and Kidani), the Contemporary, the Wilderness Lodge.
In order to pick which Deluxe resort to book a villa at, you may wish to look at resort amenities. Different resorts offer different dining options. Also, the pools at some resorts may look more attractive to you. Additionally, there may be certain activities at a resort that stand out to you, or you may be interested in staying at a monorail or Skyliner resort, rather than just relying on the busses for transportation.
3) Club Level Suites
Most Deluxe and Moderate resorts offer club level suites which are larger than the standard room and therefore can accommodate 5-6 people rather than the normal 4 guests. Some resorts also offer 2-bedroom club level suites which can accommodate 8-10 people.
Club level rooms come with extra amenities as well, including heath club access, access to a club level lounge stocked with snacks and drinks, and special concierge service. In the club level lounge, each day you will receive a complimentary continental breakfast, snacks and water bottles/other drinks throughout the day, hors d'oeuvres at dinner time, and evening desserts, wine and beer. I personally don't know if these extras warrant the higher price tag of a club level room, since you will likely not be hanging around the resort enough to fully take advantage of the "complimentary" extras.
You can find club level suites at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Floridian, the Contemporary, the Beach Club, the Yacht Club, and the Boardwalk Inn. The only Moderate resort to offer club level suites is Coronado Springs.
As you can see, you have various different options to choose from when traveling to Disney World with a large group. As with any trip to Disney, which option you choose will depend on cost, amenities offered at a particular resort, and transportation methods offered at a particular resort. I hope this post helps you see your options and is handy in deciding which option is best for your group!
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