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[DanelleHenk]

Morning all,

We are planning a family trip in Oct 2008. We have 11 people so far. When should we book? We all want to pay separately, but should we book together? My family and my parents want to stay at a Deluxe and my sister wants to stay at a Moderate. Will that be a problem?

Thanks!
Danelle

[OffKilter_Lynn]

You don't have to book together, but to ensure the resort and room category that everyone wants, you may want to make a reservation now to guarantee your choice. A small deposit will hold your choice, and if any specials come out at a later date, your package can be modified to take advantage of the special.

October is a great month to visit - the Food & Wine Festival and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are tons of fun!

It is definitely not a problem to book different resorts for each family! Requests can be made to keep your room locations together if you're at the same resort.

While you're deciding room arrangements, keep dining options in mind, especially if your group wants to eat some meals together. The popularity of the dining plan has made some reservations hard to come by, even more so for larger parties.

Happy planning!

[Sheila Gallant-Halloran]

Ditto re: putting down deposit and having specials applied if and when they come up. Ditto move sooner rather than later.

But it certainly couldn't hurt (and will likely help you a whole bunch) to work with a travel agent that specializes in Disney vacations. If you have more than 8 family members going, you can get a grand gatherings number to link all of the reservations - which will make everything go much easier, and ease dining ADRs as well (should the group want to try and eat together at some points).

I just booked a gg for a family of 10. They chose to all stay at the same resort, and with a grand gatherings, the resort is blocking off space for them together. Disney will do their best to put them as close together as possible for a gg, but other requests for putting together are given lower priority (try to meet requests, but won't ever guarantee). Actual room assignments don't occur until 5 days before check in, but with the blocked off space, you're ensured you'll all be on the same floor and more-than-likely in adjoining rooms (although it's possible one might be across the hall).

Go the grand gatherings route, and book with a travel agent who'll help you! You can also book special experiences (dining, cruises, etc.) that you couldn't without it.