Hi Brittany! I celebrated my daughter's Sweet 16 at Walt Disney World last August. She also brought a few of her best friends and we had a blast! After much research, we ended up selecting a Lion King Suite at
Disney's Art of Animation Resort. It worked out great as I was able to stay in the bedroom and the giddy girls were able to stay in the remainder of the suite. The capacity for the suite is six guests and if I'm counting your party size correctly, you are at nine. One suite will not work for you, but two suites certainly would. With a party your size, you will have to look at (at least) two rooms no matter where you stay. Depending on your budget, you could also consider a Disney Villa for 9 but those rates can be quite expensive.
You can
research resorts further on this page. The value resorts will accommodate four people in the standard rooms. Most standard moderate rooms also accommodate four but there are some that will accommodate five. The deluxe standard rooms mostly accommodate five people. Your decision will come down to budget and your preference on resort theme. If you need any additional help with a resort selection, please let us know more about your budget/theme preference and we can help you further.
As for time of year, I'm thinking you need to consider the school schedule. This was a major consideration for us as well so that is why we decided to go in August. However, if you are planning your celebration for a long weekend, you may have more flexibility. If that is the case, I would try and choose a weekend close to the actual birthday.
Please let us know if you need additional help planning your celebration!