Category — k. Special Circumstances at Walt Disney World

WALT DISNEY WORLD BEDS AND SLEEPING SPACES

Larger families simply seeking the best Walt Disney World resort option for their family size should see   

• Large Families Looking for Value Pricing at Walt Disney World
• Large Families Looking for Deluxe Accommodations at Walt Disney World or
• The Most Comfortable Place to Stay at Walt Disney World (for suites)

However, as a recent email-er reminded me, many families figuring out where to stay at Walt Disney World are concerned not only with the capacity of rooms but also bed sizes, and how beds are distributed among rooms.   

This way, Aunt Eileen isn’t forced to sleep in a bunk bed, in the same room as her niece…unless that’s the plan going in!   

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Disney’s latest discount plan is out.

It is another buy some nights and tickets and get some more free deal, but a little more complicated than such offers in the past, because the deal varies depending on where you stay.

If you are staying in anything other than a Value resort, if you buy 4 nights and 4 days worth of tickets, you get three more nights, and three more days of tickets, free.

If you are staying in a Value resort, you have to buy 5 nights and 5 days worth of tickets, and get for that two nights and two days of tickets free.

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BOOK NOW TO SAVE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS 

Those looking to take advantage of Disney’s current dining promotion should book soon, as it is currently available only to those who book by September 26th. 

The promotion, if booked by then, applies to most dates from September 27th through December 17th. (The days around Thanksgiving—Wednesday November 25th through Saturday November 28th —are excluded.)

TWO TYPES OF FREE DINING PLANS

The promotion provides one of two dining plan variants for free for those who book an otherwise undiscounted trip of at least 3 nights in a Disney World Resort.  (See Where to Stay.)

Those who stay in anything other than a value resort get the basic dining plan, which provides, per night of your reservation, and for every person three and older on your reservation, a snack, “counter service” meal (think cafeteria), and a “table service” meal.  (Think waiters.)

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OVERVIEW

Disney Vacation Club members often rent the “points” which they are granted as members of DVC to non-vacation club members.

At a going rate of around $12 per point, this perfectly legitimate and Disney-approved approach can greatly reduce the cost of a Walt Disney World visit.

It can make sense for those either looking for a 4-person deluxe room (who would target a DVC Studio—see this for more on the DVC resorts and their room types).

It also makes sense for large families targeting an 8, 9 or 12 person DVC room to fit their family at bargain prices. (See both this and this for more on large families.)

To read the rest of this article, click here.

DVC RESORT ROOM OPTIONS, CONTINUED

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One Bedroom Villas also mostly sleep 4.

However, most One Bedrooms at the Villas at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Bay Lake Towers  sleep 5.  All these One Bedroom Villas have a private bedroom with a king bed; one bathroom (5 person AK and Bay Lake Villas have two bathrooms), a washer and dryer, and a combined full kitchen/dining/living room.

The couch in the living room folds out into a bed for two more, and in the 5 person villas, a chair unfolds into a bed for another person. For first time visitors the value of the kitchen and extra space is small, as you will be spending little time in your room, and eating few meals other than breakfasts there.

Moreover, in all the villas except for those at Disney’s Old Key West Resort, the living room area is so small that it becomes essentially unusable when the chairs are turned into beds.

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OVERVIEW

The Disney Vacation Club Resorts at Walt Disney World are time-share resorts whose rooms can also be reserved like any other Disney World resort hotel rooms.

Moreover, the rooms at these resorts can also be gained (usually at a huge cost saving) by privately renting “points” from Disney Vacation Club members. See this for how.

For most first time family visitors, the Disney Vacation Club Resorts are worth considering only under a few circumstances:

• Large families—especially those aimed at a Deluxe property—who are not willing to bet on actually getting connecting rooms. (You can request connecting rooms at WDW, but getting them is not guaranteed.) See both this and this for more on large families. “Villas” which can sleep 8, 9 and 12 people are available.
• Families aimed at a deluxe hotel, but who can only pull it off through the cost savings of renting DVC points. See this for more on renting DVC points
• Families who for one reason or another have targeted a resort with which a DVC property is paired, can’t get into it, but can get into the DVC resort

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