Magical Disney Vacation with Multiple Families
This post is all about a Disney vacation with multiple families.
Imagine 95-degree weather with a feels-like temp of 105, the sun beating down, no breeze to speak of, the smell of sunscreen and b.o., and a distinct feeling that you’re being herded like cattle to your death. That’s the typical scene on a July summer day in a ride queue at Disney World. Why do we keep doing this?!
Well, it’s like a woman’s memory of giving birth: We forget the bad and only remember the magical bits. Once we reach the front of the line, we are strapped into our favorite ride with giddy anticipation and butterflies; the force of 15Gs grabs our stomach as we are launched down the track of twists and turns while Aerosmith blares in our ears. Adrenaline takes over and erases the last hour of torturous waiting from our minds. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is our family’s favorite ride at Hollywood Studios and is always worth the wait!! These experiences are what keep bringing us back.
Disney Vacation with Multiple Families
Table of Contents:
Our Story
Sometimes, our friends become our closest family, and that’s precisely what the Woods are to us. Initially, the Woods were our friendly next-door neighbors with whom we barbecued on game days and co-hosted Halloween parties when we were in our 20s. As we all neared our 30s, we started having kids.
Then, Scott and I left Louisiana and moved to Panama City Beach, Florida in 2013. Our friendship remained strong despite the distance, and we stayed in close contact. Every year, the Woods travel to PCB and spend at least a week with us. This year, in July 2024, we (4 adults and 5 kids) made plans to travel from Panama City Beach to Disney World in Orlando!
One of my biggest motivations for buying into Disney Vacation Club was to share the Disney magic with my friends and family. Offering our loved ones a free place to stay for a magical Disney vacation is an incredible feeling. Our most recent trip to Disney World brought us “home” to the Riviera Resort. Join me while I share our Disney Vacation with multiple families.
Where to Stay
Riviera Resort Overview
Riviera is a European-inspired luxury resort. It’s our DVC home resort and my favorite place to stay on Disney property. Click here to learn more about Disney Vacation Club. We booked a 2-bedroom villa using our points (150 points total) for three nights. Riviera is on the Skyliner route, making it highly convenient for Epcot and Hollywood Studios, which was great for us since we had only planned to visit Hollywood.
Food
We preordered our groceries from Disney, checked into our villa, and sent the husbands down to La Boutique to pick them up. You can also have them delivered directly to your room. Having eggs, bacon, cereal, chips, cookies, and other treats always makes breakfast and snack time easy for our stay.
Le Petit Cafe delivers all the fancy coffee and treats you’ll need during your stay at Riviera. Also, if you’re looking for a great spot for afternoon cocktails, try Bar Riva. This open-air pool bar also serves upscale bar & grill food.
Riviera’s quick-service restaurant is Primo Piatto. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (7 a.m.- 11 p.m.) and has many delicious menu options. Topolino’s Terrace offers a character breakfast as well as French and Italian-inspired dinner cuisine. They have the best filet mignon on Disney property! And you can watch fireworks from the rooftop terrace. It’s magical!
Activities
Eventi Room
A few of the DVC resorts offer Community Halls. These indoor areas have board games, video games, crafts, ping pong, foosball, and movies. Each hall offers different activities, most of which are complimentary, with some crafts costing a small fee. Riviera’s hall is called the Eventi Room.
Fitness
If you’re a fitness nut, utilize the Athlétique Fitness Center during your stay. It’s a small gym, but it gets the job done. It’s available to guests 24 hours a day.
There is also an excellent running trail that takes you from Riviera Resort around through Caribbean Beach Resort. It’s about a 1.25-mile loop around the Barefoot Bay.
Pools
Riviera has two pool areas. The big family-friendly pool features a fun waterslide, plenty of poolside loungers, and an interactive splash pad for the littles. The Beau Soleil Pool has a quiet, more relaxing vibe, perfect for unwinding after a long park day.
Family-Friendly Pool
The Quiet Pool
S’mores & Movies
Nightly, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., Riviera offers marshmallow roasting by the campfire. The Mickey s’mores are worth the extra $$. Then, stick around for a Disney movie under the stars.
Sample Itinerary
For your reference, here’s the itinerary we put together for our annual trip. It includes our plans for other PCB activities, but I want to draw your attention specifically to our Disney days.
Non-Park Plans
Some Disney trips involve a lot of park days, and some are a bit more laid-back. On this trip, we only had one park day scheduled, so we filled our itinerary with some enjoyable non-park activities. I’ve already discussed crafts and games in the Eventi Room and, of course, tons of pool time, but what else is there to do besides the parks?
Resort Hopping
One of the most adventurous things to do is “Resort Hopping.” Decide which resorts you want to visit, make some dining reservations, and then plan your route using only the available Disney transportation.
For example, on our first night at Disney, we made some impromptu dinner reservations at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. We bused to Magic Kingdom from Riviera and then took the monorail to the Poly. (Remember to snack on some Dole Whip while at the Polynesian!)
The next day, we rode the Skyliner from the Riviera to the International Gateway at Epcot and strolled over to the Boardwalk to shop. Then, we went by boat to the Dolphin Hotel for snacks.
Disney resorts offer so much to see and do; every resort has its own vibe. Furthermore, don’t underestimate the fun you can have on the journey itself!
Disney Springs
For starters, you can easily spend an entire day at Disney Springs and still not experience everything, from hot air balloon and Amphicar rides to Cirque du Soleil, live music, and all the shopping and dining you want. We went in the afternoon, around 4:30 p.m., and planned for bowling at Splitsville, then dinner reservations at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’.
Disney Springs
Splitsville!
I expected a long wait for lanes at Splitsville since we didn’t reserve in advance and had 9 people, but there was no wait. So, if you arrive before 6 p.m., you probably don’t need to make lane reservations. We had the best experience at Splitsville.
The wait staff was extremely kind and attentive. We had two lanes right next to each other and were given about 1 hour and 30 minutes to bowl. We all had an unforgettable time, especially the kids!!
Orlando Attractions
It’s important to realize that there are many activities outside of the Orlando parks. I’ve compiled my favorite experiences in this 7 Magical Things to Do in Orlando Besides Theme Parks post. So, I won’t go into detail here. But you must check that post out next! During this multi-family Disney vacation, we stayed inside the “Disney Bubble.”
Hollywood Studios Park Day
It’s Disney Park Day! On my youngest daughter’s 9th birthday, we took the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios at 7:30 a.m., planning to stay from rope drop to the last show, Fantasmic! But, a scorching July summer day had us adjusting our afternoon.
Rope Drop
Our initial rope drop ride strategy had us starting at Rock-n-Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. However, on our walk over to Sunset Boulevard, a cast member informed us that Rock-n-Roller was currently down. So, we had to quickly change plans and decided to start the day with Rise of the Resistance. Which we were able to ride in less than 30 minutes! Then, we had to knock out Slinky Dog, which was also less than 30 minutes. Great start!!
More Rides & Lunch
After that, we had to divide and conquer, with five of us wanting to ride the Tower of Terror and the other four going on to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. We met back up for Toy Story Mania, and then it was time for our lunch reservation at Sci-Fi Dine-In.
Afternoon Rundown
By the time our bellies were full of milkshakes, we needed to enjoy a show (or two). After MuppetVision and Indiana Jones, Rock-n-Roller Coaster was finally back up and running. Our longest wait of the day was still the best ride of the trip! Then, onto our reservation at Oga’s Cantina, where we ran into some stormtroopers and enjoyed some cool drinks.
Itinerary Changes
So, after Oga’s, The Nelsons tapped out. The four of us returned to the hotel around 5 p.m. and went straight to The Beau Soleil Pool to relax. While the girls were swimming, I made a last-minute dinner reservation at Topolino’s Terrace. Dinner was spectacular, and we enjoyed the Epcot fireworks from our table.
The Woods stayed at the park, watched the Frozen show, rode the Millennium Falcon, and then met back up with us in the room after dinner. We spent the last night of our Multi-family Disney trip with Moms packing and Dads entertaining the kids with a night-time swim at the big pool.
Summary
So, even though we didn’t make the Fantasmic show, our Hollywood Studios park day, birthday celebration, and multi-family Disney vacation was a success!! Sometimes, plans change, and you have to leave room for adjustments. But everything turned out better than I envisioned!
Arranging a Disney vacation with multiple families can be stressful, but if you make plans and stay flexible, it can be an extraordinary experience. Being a Disney Vacation Club member made planning this trip easy and affordable for all of us. And if you need help packing for your next Disney trip, read my Guide to Disney Travel Essentials!
