Hey there, Lauren!
It's so nice to have you with us at planDisney!
Your plans for a big multi-family vacation to Walt Disney World Resort sound simply awesome! I welcome you and the other families to ask us questions as you make your plans. We're happy to share all the lessons learned we gained from our own family vacations at Walt Disney World Resort .
My best suggestion for a cool together-but-separate vacation vibe is to check out the
Deluxe Villas. These villas can offer the comforts of home and the convenience of at-home amenities that help make vacation time more enjoyable. You'll see that Disney refers to the villas as "A Home Base with Extra Space," and I think that's a perfectly apt description.
If you look through the Resort list in the link I provided, you can find 1 Bedroom Villas and 2 Bedroom Villas that feature roomy living room spaces for hanging out and relaxing, bedrooms that are separate, washer and dryer appliances, and kitchens equipped with lots of what you need to prepare your own meals if you choose.
Deluxe Villa Resorts can also offer recreation spaces that could be ideal for the "together" portion of your together-but-separate stay such as
campfire locations, pools,
Community Halls, and exercise and fitness areas.
Over the years, we've enjoyed vacation stays at many of the Deluxe Villas, including Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Disney's Old Key West Resort, and Disney's BoardWalk Villas. Honestly, I love each of these Resorts for different reasons, and I would book a return stay at any one of them faster than Mickey can say "See ya real soon!"
Lauren, if you have questions about your plans or would like first-hand insights on the Deluxe Villas to help decide which Resorts might be a best fit for your multi-family venture, come back and ask away here at planDisney!
Wishing you a fantastic and fun stay at Walt Disney World Resort!
Jerry