Hi Rachel!
Welcome to planDisney!
First, let me say kudos to you for trying to make those
advanced dining reservations early! With a group that size, my suggestion would be to split your party into two or three smaller groups. To do so, you will need one or two others to use their My Disney Experience accounts to make the reservations. Try searching for a party of five and a party of six. If that does not work, try two parties of four and a party of three.
If you can find reservations with 10 or 15 minutes of each other, make them and when you get to the restaurant, speak with a Cast Member. Explain that your groups are together and ask if they can seat you together. Although they may not be able to do so, Cast Members may be able to make some magic happen. Just remember that parties of six or more are automatically charged a gratuity.
When searching, also try searching the entire restaurant list. There may be restaurants with availability located at resort hotels close to the theme parks. From Magic Kingdom, for example, you could walk to Disney's Contemporary Resort and dine at
The Wave... of American Flavors or
California Grill. Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is also within walking distance of Magic Kingdom. There, you might find some availability at the
Grand Floridian Cafe or
Narcoossee's.
On our last visit, we also dined at Sanaa on a day we were visiting Disney's Animal Kingdom. Since it is located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village, you could catch bus transportation to Disney's Animal Kingdom, explore for a few hours, then hop on bus transportation to the resort hotel to dine at Sanaa. We were lucky enough to get a window table on our most recent visit and adored catching a glimpse of the animals while dining!
Regarding resorts, yes! There are definitely resorts that could accommodate a family your size. You all could do separate rooms, but they may not be near each other. You can request them to be in close proximity. Or, you could try a three-bedroom villa. Just search
vacation packages. And, you can always
contact a Cast Member for assistance. The three-bedroom villas at Disney's Riviera Resort are stunning!
Given your arrival date, I am worried about availability, so start making those reservations now. Once you have booked a vacation package, be sure to link that confirmation number in My Disney Experience so that you can make
Disney Park Pass system reservations for everyone in your group. Check the
theme park availability calendar prior to booking your trip because there may not be park pass availability on the days of your visit. Currently, every Guest must have a park reservation to enter a theme park.
Rachel, happy planning!
Magic and memories,
Donyell