Hi Cheryl,
Thanks for stopping by planDisney! I’m so happy you’re able to use your DVC membership to stay at the Grand Californian. What a great idea to gather your family for dinner. If you’re looking to accommodate a large party, you have two routes you can take.
The first option is to look into renting a conference room at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels for your celebration or reception. You can contact
Disney Meetings & Events, and they’ll help you plan all the details for hosting your special event at the resort.
The second option is to make dining reservations. Since you have a large group, you may have better luck making three or four reservations that split your party. You’ll need to recruit a few people in your group to make reservations for the same date and time (you cannot have overlapping reservations on your own My Disney Experience account). When you arrive, let the Cast Member at check-in know you’re a large group, and they will do their best to seat you all together or nearby.
Dining within the hotels can be challenging for large groups since these restaurants are very popular, but they’re still worth trying.
Here are some restaurants that are especially good for accommodating larger parties:
*
Jazz Kitchen (Downtown Disney)
*
Naples Ristorante e Bar (Downtown Disney)
*
Paseo (Downtown Disney)
*
Din Tai Fung (Downtown Disney – very popular, so large-party reservations may be more challenging)
I wanted to share one other tip with you, Cheryl. As a fellow DVC member, I love using the membership perks to make the most of my vacations. Check the DVC website to see your
Member Benefits, such as the 10% discount at many of the restaurants listed above. There are even a few spots where you can save 15%. If you’re visiting Disneyland, be sure to stop by the
Member Lounge, Star View Station, located on the second floor of Star Wars Launch Bay. I love popping in to rest my feet and grab a snack. If you’re in Disney California Adventure Park, you can visit the Golden Vine House, which is a Disney Vacation Club Welcome Home Center. I love stopping by there because they often have goodies for members. On my last visit, I was able to pick up a DVC water bottle!
I hope this was helpful, Cheryl! Don’t hesitate to come back with more questions. We here at planDisney are always happy to sprinkle a little extra pixie dust on your next Disney adventure.
Happy dining!
—Melinda