Traveling to Disney with 5 or more people

Families are all different, and they come in a variety of sizes and types.  Unfortunately when it comes to traveling (anywhere, not just Disney) the typical hotel room sleeps 4.  Many might want to do Disney with 5 or more people.  What are your options when your group is more than 4?  Whether it’s 1 or 2 parents with more than 2 kids, a trip where Grandma is coming along, or just a group of friends who wants to travel together, you still have some great choices when it comes to doing Disney with 5 or more people.  Here are some of my top tips.

How to plan a trip to Disney with 5 or more people:

Know what your Resort Options are

Be aware of which resorts can accommodate your party!  Many resorts have suites and rooms to hold more than 4, but not all do.  Many of the ones with villas or suites are DVC (Disney Vacation Club).  Disney will often sell these rooms if they don’t go to members, but they may be harder to get.

It may end up being more economical to get 2 standard rooms.  This generally works better for families with multiple adults because you can split up the kids and have some stay with mom and dad, and some stay with grandma and grandpa, for example.  Some standard rooms have connecting doors, and you can request to be next to/nearby the room (though it’s worth noting that Disney will not guarantee you adjoining/adjacent rooms.  They just do the best they can to honor your request).

Disney resort rooms to sleep up to 5 people:

• Caribbean Beach resort (2 queen beds and a twin Murphy bed)
• Port Orleans Riverside (2 queen beds and a twin Murphy bed)
• Animal Kingdom Lodge 1 bedroom villa (King bed, queen sleeper sofa, twin sleeper chair)
• Beach and Yacht Club (2 queens and a twin daybed)
• Boardwalk standard room (2 queens and a twin daybed)
• Contemporary Resort (2 queens and a twin daybed)
• Grand Floridian standard room (2 queen beds and a twin daybed)
• Polynesian standard room or studio (2 queens and a twin daybed)
• Wilderness Lodge Villas studio (1 queen, 1 full sleeper sofa, and 1 twin murphy bed)
• Old Key West 1 bedroom villa (King bed, queen sleeper sofa)

Disney resort rooms to sleep up to 6 people:

• Art of Animation suite (1 queen, 1 twin sleeper chair, 1 double sleeper sofa, and 1 twin sleeper ottoman)
• All-Star Music suite (1 queen, 1 double Murphy table bed, and 1 double sleeper sofa)
• Cabins at Fort Wilderness (1 double bed, bunk beds, pull-down bed)
• Coronado Springs junior suite or 1 bedroom suite (2 queen beds and 1 queen sleeper sofa)
• Wilderness Lodge deluxe rooms club level (2 queen beds and 1 queen sleeper sofa)

Disney resort rooms to sleep up to 8 people:

• Wilderness Lodge 2 bedroom villas (1 king, 2 queens, and a queen sleeper sofa)
• Saratoga Springs 2 bedroom villa (1 king, 2 queens, and 1 queen sleeper sofa)
• Beach Club 2 bedroom villa (1 king, 1 queen, and 2 queen sleeper sofas)
• Boardwalk 2 bedroom villas (1 king, 1 queen, and 2 queen sleeper sofas)
• Wilderness Lodge Copper Creek cabin (1 king, 1 queen, 1 queen sleeper sofa, 1 twin pull down, 1 twin sleeper chair)
• Polynesian Bungalow (1 king, 1 queen, 1 queen sleeper sofa, 2 twin pull downs)

Disney resort rooms to sleep up to 9 people:

• Saratoga Springs treehouses (2 queens, 1 bunk bed, 1 twin sleeper chair, and 1 queen sleeper sofa)
• Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary resort 2 bedroom villa (1 king, 2 queens, 1 queen sleeper sofa and 1 twin sleeper chair)
• Animal Kingdom Lodge 2 bedroom villas (1 king, 1 queen, 2 queen sleeper sofas, 1 twin sleeper chair)
• Old Key West 2 bedroom villas (1 king, 2 queens, 1 queen sleeper sofa and 1 twin sleeper chair)
• Grand Floridian 2 bedroom villa (1 king, 1 queen, 2 queen sleeper sofas, 1 twin sleeper chair)

Disney resort rooms to sleep up to 10 people:

• Copper Creek at Wilderness Lodge Grand Villa (1 king, 4 queens)

Disney resort rooms to sleep up to 12 people:

• Animal Kingdom Lodge Grand Villa at Jambo House (1 king bed, 4 queen beds, 1 queen sleeper sofa)
• Boardwalk Grand Villa (1 king bed, 4 queen beds, 1 queen sleeper sofa)
• Grand Floridian Grand Villa (1 king bed, 4 queen beds, 1 queen sleeper sofa)
• Old Key West Grand Villa (1 king bed, 4 queen beds, 1 queen sleeper sofa)
• Saratoga Springs Grand Villa (1 king bed, 4 queen beds, 1 queen sleeper sofa)

Disney resort rooms to sleep up to 14 people:

• Animal Kingdom Lodge Grand Villa at Kidani Village (1 king bed, 4 queen beds, 2 queen sleeper sofas)
• Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary resort Grand Villa (1 king bed, 4 queen beds, 2 queen sleeper sofas)

Use a Travel Agent

Whoa, that’s a lot of options.  And at a huge range of prices.  How do you know which one is best for you?  The best way to handle it is to let someone else help you figure it out.  And that’s where using a travel agent who specializes in Disney comes in.  I’m a travel agent and happy to help people plan their dream Disney trips FOR FREE!  We can figure out not just which resort is right for you, but how many days you should stay, where to eat, etc.  If you’re interested in learning more or booking with me, please send me an email at [email protected].

Coordinate on My Disney Experience

My Disney Experience is what you use to book your dining reservations, fastpasses, view photos, etc.  You sign up using an email address, and you can create everyone in your party under one account.  However, if you are traveling with other people who might already have their own accounts (like from past trips) you want to make sure that you are friends with them on My Disney Experience.  That way you can share your plans and also include them in your plans when you do go to book things.

With older groups, don’t be afraid to split up

This may not apply if you only have one or two adults and several younger kids, but if you have teenagers, several families traveling together, or are just a large group of friends I always advise people to be willing to split up.  Odds are not everyone is interested in the same rides/attractions, and you don’t want people in your group to be miserable doing something they don’t want to be doing.  I’ve been there – I’ve had the grumpy companion who complained the whole time we were waiting on line and doing an attraction and it makes it miserable for everyone.

Plan some time together and some time apart and you’re sure to appreciate your time together in a large group that much more.

Choose buffets or family style meals

When you dine out with large groups, it can take a long time for everyone to decide what they want, for the server to take your orders, bring the food, and then the check.  This can take a large chunk out of your day in the theme parks!  One solution: choose mostly buffets or family style meals.

There are a lot of benefits to these meals with large groups.  To begin with, on a buffet there are plenty of options so everyone can usually find something they like.  Many of the buffets are character meals, which means an extra opportunity to meet some of your favorites, especially if there are a lot of kids in your group.  Family style meals are great for a variety of items that get passed around the table as well.  Another benefit is that if you have multiple families or people paying, it’s much easier to split the check at a buffet or family style meal.

Here are some of my favorite buffets and family style restaurants that I recommend:

• 1900 Park Fare
• Boma – Flavors of Africa
• Chef Mickey’s
• Crystal Palace
• Garden Grill
• Hollywood and Vine
• Liberty Tree Tavern
• Ohana
• Whispering Canyon Cafe

Search for smaller dining reservations

It might be difficult to find tables for bigger groups.  I’m traveling with a group of 8 this February and even with making reservations at our 180 day mark, there wasn’t always availability for a party of 8 at the places we wanted.  However, we were able to find two tables of 4 at the same time.  We are flexible and okay if we are not seated near each other for every meal.  If an extremely popular restaurant is on your list, like Be Our Guest, this method may help secure a table for you!

It also helps to be open to dining at more “off” times.  Lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table is easier to get than dinner.  A 4:30 dinner reservation at Be Our Guest will be easier to snag than a 6:30pm reservation.  In general, the more flexible that you can be, the better.

This may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to planning a Disney trip for your large group!  Everyone’s trips will be different, so for more personalized recommendations I really recommend that you email me at [email protected].  And let me know in the comments any other questions or issues that have come up in your planning!

Were these tips useful? Make sure to also take a look at Best Disney dining for large groups and Tips for Planning a Disney trip (when you don’t know where to start).

Have you even been to Disney with a large group?  How many people were you with?

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