Hi Tara!
Welcome to planDisney! Visiting the
Walt Disney World Resort with extended family and friends is always more magical! We often travel as a large party, and with four kids, we are a big group all on our own!
Tara, Disney does not offer a way to guarantee your rooms will be together. Disney will always do their best, and you can submit a request, but you should always be prepared to be in separate locations at the resort. Let’s talk about a few scenarios and what you should do.
First, you’ll need to book your rooms as two separate reservations with separate reservation numbers. If you have already tried to book, you’ve probably realized you can’t book two rooms as a single reservation. After you have booked both rooms, you will need to
call the Walt Disney World Travel Company with both reservation numbers and ask them to add the code that denotes you are a group traveling together. This will signal the room assignment team that you are a single party and they will do their best to keep you together.
If you are a larger family with children, and need connecting or adjoining rooms to accommodate all the kids, Disney does prioritize these situations. If they see one adult with kids assigned to one room, and another adult with the other kids in the other room, they try to make sure these types of situations get connecting rooms before groups with more adults. We had to do this on one trip with my husband and two kids in one room while I was with two of the kids in another. We were very grateful to receive our requested connecting rooms so we could stay together as one family!
If you don’t require connecting rooms, and are just hoping to be near your friends and family, you will still call to put in a request. In my experience, we are almost always placed in the same general area of the resort. We may not be immediately next door to one another, but usually just a few doors away, and it has never been an issue for us. We are always prepared that our request might not be granted, but happy when it is!
If you have a big group, Tara, you may also wish to explore options for larger families such as
Disney’s Deluxe Villa Accommodations. Many families enjoy the 2 Bedroom Villas that sleep 8 to 9, and have a full kitchen as well as a washer and dryer right in your room! While harder to find, 3 Bedroom Villas that accommodate up to 12 Guests are also available. These rooms are part of
Disney Vacation Club, but you don't need to be a Member to book them! You’d be able to stay together and even save a little money by eating some of your meals in your room. On our most recent trip we ate breakfast in our room most days, and even a few dinners, and when dining with 6 people, that savings really adds up!
I hope this helps as you make your plans and reservations, Tara. Please let us know what other questions you have as your trip approaches, especially for traveling with a larger party. We can offer tips and tricks to make the most of your time in the parks, how to make
Advanced Dining Reservations for large parties, and more! Just let us know what we can help with!
Happy Planning!
Kate