Hi John and welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel. I love that you are “plotting” a 2019 Walt Disney World vacation…I think that’s exactly how my husband would describe my schemes to visit Disney as often as possible!
Connecting rooms are available at many of the Walt Disney World resorts, but please remember that requests for a connecting room cannot be guaranteed. A good option for your group might be two
Pirate Rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, where you have the added convenience of a pull-down bed for the 5-year old in addition to two double beds in each room. These rooms have a little more floor space than value resort rooms, which would be great since you’ll have the crib and lots of gear. With a party of eight, two rooms at really any resort should work, so I encourage you to take a look at dining options, pools, and transportation options, as those are all crucial with a larger group. The Walt Disney World Reservations Cast Members at (407) 939-1936 are wonderful at explaining your options, plus they can speak to price and availability.
When I travel with a larger group, we usually choose to stay in a 2-bedroom villa, which gives us a kitchen for meals and lots of space to hang out together. We loved Disney’s Old Key West Resort because of the tropical theme and added space, but there are plenty of villas to choose from.
As for the Free Dining promotion, we don’t have any information for 2019 yet. For 2018, there were many rooms that were excluded from the promotion, but I suggest going ahead and making a reservation for your group – you can always modify it when Free Dining is announced.
I hope that helps get you started with your plotting, John. Please come back and see us if you have any further questions!
Happy Disney Dreaming,
Robyn