Any advice appreciated

[Reader0108598]

Hi Everyone

Have only been to Disney once for my 55th Bday ...loved it!

I am taking my DS DIL DGD-3 DGS 6 months and the in laws are coming.

That is six adults 1 child & 1 infant. (I know I know) they are too young ,this is really about taking my family on vacation because I could never afford to before I can afford to now but not rich by any stretch of the imagination.


I am paying for all but one couple ...we have a family suite and two standards reserved through a TA at All Star Music. 5/8/15-5/15/15

I need to figure out flights- food/ Quick dinning ? Park tickets 5 days ? 2 days to chill.

I am planning for everyone.. What did I get myself into ???? lol

Any advice for this Gramma is so appreciated!

Reader

 

[bjscheel]

I assume you two are in one standard, inlaws in the other standard and the parents/kids in the suite. The family of four would fit fine in a standard if you are interested in saving money on the rooms, but if not, the suite will be nice too.

You can start with 5 day tickets and add more if you want when you're down there. Some rest days might be good for your group.

We have done the quick service dining before and it is nice in that the little kids won't want to sit through lots of table service meals. However, for many people the cost is more than you would spend out of pocket. We've quit buying the dining plans. We had a cc attached to our Magic Bands and it was just as convenient to charge all the meals that way.

Check easywdw.com calendar for best parks/each day. When the time comes (60 days out) work on planning some fastpasses. Make sure you are set up on the Disney website for the My Disney Experience to see your reservations and do fastpasses. I've always bought the package (rooms and tickets) directly from Disney so everything showed up automatically. I don't know how the travel agent involvement affects this.

A website like kayak.com will show you flight fares for several airlines at once. It won't show Southwest though, which is my airline of choice, so check them too. Prices change all the time, too!

Have fun and hang out on the Theme Parks board as well between now and then!

 

[Reader0108598]

BJscheel

Thank you so much for your advice, I realy do appreciate your thoughtful response.

Happy Holidays!

Reader

 

[mom2alix]

Sign up for the Mousesaver.com newsletter. They have a code for discounted tickets through Undercover Tourist which can save you money on the park tickets. The kids aren't too young. They won't remember the trip, but you'll remember them experiencing everything and it will be wonderful!

Be prepared for different reactions. When mine were small, DD LOVED the princesses and any "face" character, but she was shy around the plush characters. DS LOVED the plush characters and thought they were just giant teddy bears, but he screamed if any of the princesses came near because they were "strangers".

There are wonderful baby care centers at each park with areas for feeding and changing the baby.

Another good tip is to ship a box to yourself at the hotel with all those bulky things you'll use up during the trip, such as diapers, wipes, etc. Saves a ton of room in the luggage.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[Reader0108598]

Thank you mom2alix

That is what I needed... ship a box to ourselves!! great advice

I knew I was in the right place.

Reader

 

[dancin Disney style]

Personally, I don't see any need for the family to be in a suite. That is approx double the cost of a single room.

I would probably not book a dining plan but rather wing it and eat when and where you feel like. Being tied to ADR's can really take up a lot of time. With kids that young it most likely will be better to feed them on demand rather than have them wait or be confined to a TS restaurant. If you want to do TS meals I would book only a few special ones.

Make sure that the 3yo has a stroller to ride in. It will make a huge difference in stamina. My youngest needed a stroller in the parks when she was 6.....after 4 hours she was exhausted and wanted to go home. HOME...not back to the hotel. We put her in a stroller and she began having the time of her life.

Ticket wise go with base tickets and if you get there and need to add on, it's very easy to do. This way you don't spend money ahead of time on something you don't end up using. You might also want to go with 4 day tickets and use the other days to relax at the pool, visit other resorts or DTD. There again, if you buy 4 days and on the fly decide that you want to spend a 5th or 6th in the park it's easy to add on the days.

The one thing I tell all friends that are going to WDW.....you can't do it all in one trip, so don't even try. Slow down and enjoy it.

 

[Reader0108598]

dancin Disney style

I stayed at Pop Century my one and only stay ..how do the rooms compare to ASM ? Not sure what I need for my Son ,Dil & kids.

Thanks so much for your help!
Reader


Also Forgot to mention I have a step daughter that lives in Orlando (small apartment )could she help ticket wise because she is a florida resident?

 

[dancin Disney style]

dancin Disney style

I stayed at Pop Century my one and only stay ..how do the rooms compare to ASM ? Not sure what I need for my Son ,Dil & kids.

Thanks so much for your help!
Reader


Also Forgot to mention I have a step daughter that lives in Orlando (small apartment )could she help ticket wise because she is a florida resident?

I've stayed at all the values and all rooms are the same. The only difference is the decor. We've stay in a value room with 2 adults and our 2 kids that are 24 and 15....basically 4 adults. Never had any issues...even bathroom issues and both my kids are girls. Just my opinion, but the extra money that a suite will cost is better spent elsewhere. In particular when it's only 4 people and the kids are very young. If it's a situation of the kids needing to go to bed early and the adults want a place to hang out without keeping the little ones awake you could book connecting rooms.

FL resident tickets require ID for those that are using them. So no, she can't buy your tickets, sorry.

 

[Reader0108598]

dancin Disney style


Thank You !

Reader

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would not do the dinning plan. I would wing it.

As for tickets look at undercover tourist. They are very reliable and highly thought of on the boards. I use to get our tickets from them - that was until the Aunt and Uncle became CM and now we get them free! UCT usually has buy 4 days ticket and get the 5th day free.

Mouse Savers is a great site. Their newsletter comes out on the 15th of each months so hurry and sign up now.

I agree I would just do standard rooms the price would be a lot cheaper then the family suite.

 

[got2sammies]

First step.. Create an mde... If the others in your party have one already link them all together.. They need to give you permission to make fast passes when the time comes and when you book dining you can select them as your party for ADRS
You don't really need them in mde to book your ADRS.. It doesn't need names to make a reservation
Breathe
Now between now and 180 decide where you want to eat.. If your not on dining plan you can still have a couple of sit down dinners if you wish but book them early.. Even if your not sure book it! The you can make changes later
Rides-- 60 days in advance...

 

[kreckl]

How long ago did you go? Are you familiar with the parks? I would suggest carefully looking at them one at a time. Get familiar with the attractions and dining, as well as special shows ( each park has unique ones).

Decide which ones you are interested in doing- must do's at least. So when you look at crowd calendars you will be then deciding which parks on which days but you will already have an idea of which are at the top of your list.

You might find that you'll want to skip a park or spend significantly less time in one. Repeat favorite things in MK- that sort of thing.

I, too, would recommend making one sit down meal each day, at least for the adults.

What an exciting, kind thing you are doing!

 

[a1tinkfans]

Oh what a lucky family you have. Those memories will last a lifetime! I'd skip a dining plan. It takes up too much time, too much energy to plan and in a group its too hard to coordinate the time everyone wants, the food types etc etc. I'd say ship ahead for bkfst stuff or shop for that ( basics) then easy counter services for lunch and or easy pack abeles and dinner id say for the park days.. Wing it with maybe just 2 sit downs all together. As far as tix, undercover tourist using the mouse savers added discount is the best legit discount you ll get. Everyone's family wants/needs different things regarding accommodations. From our own family gatherings several times...we have those that insist deluxe, some will only pay mods and others want off site lol. So, knowing who wants what " privacy" space helps to get that figured as best for your group.
Wishing you... Pixie dust for luck, mountains of magical memories and a vacation filled with laughter!! enjoy

 

[dpswift]

If your plan is to treat the young family, I would disagree with the others and say go for the dining plan. Yes it is expensive, Yes you can do it cheaper out of pocket, however everyone would get 2 meals and a snack. I would be afraid that my guests would order the cheapest items because they are not paying.

Maybe it is just me but I feel that this is the ideal trip for a dining plan.

 

[Marionnette]

Thank you mom2alix

That is what I needed... ship a box to ourselves!! great advice

I knew I was in the right place.

Reader

Order those supplies from Amazon and have them sent to you at your resort. You will most likely meet their minimum cost for free shipping. Don't forget to order a roll of packing tape and use it to seal the box of unused supplies and souvenirs for shipping back to your home.

 

[Reader0108598]

Oh Wow Thanks everyone! Got a bit off track did not check back.
Hubby had surgery soooo that is taking up my free time.

Love all your advice and Thank you all!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Reader

 

[dsneprincess]

What fun! I will join in on the price of the suite not really being necessary at the young ages. When we travel with DS3, we were all in room at Pop Century. Once he was in bed after a full Disney day, elephants could have danced beside the bed & he would never have noticed! He is not a super heavy sleeper at home, but just completely worn out

We travel with a family who likes their ADRs. Their kids are much older. It always ends up that I walk the foyer, lobby, whatever trying to keep DS happy while we wait or the others eat, since he isn't hungry at that time (which is SO not enjoyable for Mom!) OR he falls asleep in the travel to the ADR & is either miserable or I am carrying him, since most restaurants won't allow strollers in. I just don't think they are worth it! I personally like to stop when & where the kid is hungry for as short a time as possible.

 

[martikus]

While i love staying onsite, with that many people maybe renting a house nearby would be cheaper? Would give you a living room to hang out in at night. Even with price of parking.

I would also make sure everyone knows they don't have to your together. Maybe all be at same park but let everyone split up by interests.

 

[StitchBuddy]

What a lovely gift you are giving them! I agree with the others about the room. Also, I would probably only do 4 days. Then you can rest between the parks. I would probably do 4 day park hoppers vs 5 days. Everyone will need to rest. Also, one thing we do is we make a reservation for a character meal on our day off from the parks. Many of the hotels offer character meals. We usually do 1 or 2 per trip. The Disney Dining Plans have just gotten tooooo expensive.