Hello, Katelynn, and welcome to planDisney! Golly, it sounds like you have quite the fun trip in the works. There's nothing better than sharing the magic of a Disneyland vacation with the ones you love. Let's talk about hotel room reservations!
You can make reservations for Disneyland Resort hotel rooms online or by phone. Each reservation will need to be booked as a separate transaction. I suggest
browsing the options online to figure out which hotel you'd like to stay at and which types of rooms you might want to book. There are many different options that can sleep varying numbers of adults. I'd suggest indicating 8 Adults in your search to see some of the larger capacity rooms. The multi-bedroom suites or connecting suites might work well for your group.
Once you have an idea of the rooms you're interested in, it might be easiest to
call the Walt Disney Travel Company and make your reservations. That way, you can speak with a Cast Member while booking each room and link the reservations all together. You can also ask to make a note requesting that the rooms be close together, although that will depend on availability and isn't guaranteed. If you prefer to book online, you can still call the phone line after to link the reservations.
Each
Disneyland Resort hotel offers something special, and they all have a few things in common – comfortable accommodations, fantastic pool areas, on-site dining options, easy access to the theme parks, immersive theming, helpful Cast Members, and more. You really can't go wrong with any of them. There are also
activities exclusively for Resort hotel Guests that you can check into for your group as well. The hotel tours are a lot of fun – just make sure to sign up at the Front Desk as reservations are required.
You might also want to consider Character Dining.
Goofy's Kitchen would be a good option with a large party – you'll probably have the best luck booking two reservations for eight Guests each. The experience is an all-you-care-to-enjoy buffet, so everyone can indulge in the foods they like most. It's a lot of fun being visited by Disney pals throughout the meal!
Having been to Disneyland a few times as part of a large group, I recommend having one person in charge of planning major parts of the day – are there experiences like meals, shows, or certain attractions that you want to do all together? Is there a central point where everyone may want to meet at certain points during the day? Will everyone be using the
Lightning Lane Multi Pass? Having one person to coordinate these questions may help get everyone on the same page. You may also want to ask each person what their top experiences would be, and think about splitting into smaller groups. For example, there may be people who want to sleep in, others who wish to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and others who want to get a jumpstart on the day right as the park opens.
Katelynn, I hope you and your group have the most amazing time at the Disneyland Resort. If you think of any other questions between now and your trip, please reach out – we're always happy to help here at planDisney!
Your pal,
Kriss