Need tips for Disney with 6 kids! We are outnumbered 3 to 1!

[SerinaEmily]

My Dh and I are taking my 3 kids and his 3 kids to Disney in August and I need help figuring out how to keep everyone happy and organized.

Their ages are:

12 year old girl
11 year old boy
10 year old boy
9 year old girl
6 year old girl
5 year old girl

If you've travelled with a group of kids, what advice do you have for planning a successful vacation?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I wouldn't think of it as being outnumbered first of all.

I think the kids will surprise you, they want to get up and out as much as you do. They will probably be quite a bit of help.

One spot to consider is how to get dressed quickly. One trick that's popular on the DIS is to use ziplock bags. Put a complete outfit (or even two coordinating outfits) in each bag. The ziplocs will help keep clothes from being wrinkled, too. Another simple strategy is to bring mostly coodinating outfits for the whole week like: denim/khaki, white socks, shirs of various colors for the boys. Gray or dark colored jacket/sweatshirt is good because it will hide dirt and you can wear it all week.

The second thing that I suggest is to drill the kids on the airport routine. Make sure they know to take theri shoes off, etc. Simplify what they have on their person - like avoiding having change in their pocket. That's a second issue - keep it simple. I see some folk with kids that have a a whole clutter of toys withthem - including that stuffed animal that you child would be devastated to lose. For little kids, I suggest a magnetic drawing board - magnadoodle, I thikn it's called. They are about $10 and make no mess. For the older kids, maybe a Nintendo DS for each.

 

[3floridarays]

If you've travelled with a group of kids, what advice do you have for planning a successful vacation?

Step 1: RUN!!!

Step 2: HIDE!!!

Step 3: If the kids find you, refer to Step 1.

 

[fers31]

Make sure you bring Alice to help with everything.

 

[dd50]

Have every one decided what one ride they want to do. I have went with 5 and they were from 2 to 16 so I think you will not have a problem.

Decide where you want to eat before or at least 2 places that you all can agree on for your meals.

When they were young we started at one side of the park and finished on the other. We didn't go from one side and back again.

 

[kbheap]

My sister and I go with 5 kids often. You guys can do it. Ziplocs are the best packing stategy. Pack the outfits in ziplocs. It is faster getting dressed. Put undies, shoes, socks everything for the day in the ziploc. I agree with the PP, ask each of them what is one thing they are looking forward to in each park you are going to. Make a point of doing at least that while you are there. That way each kid knows they will get to their picked item and then get to do lots of other things as well.

I would also let the older ones know up front that they will not be able to ride big rides nonstop. That will be no fun for the little ones. Also let the little ones know that their will be some down time for rests while the older ones get to ride with one of you.

Most important, remember to have fun. DW is a stressful place and many, many breakdowns happen there.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Our tendancy is to see WDW as a whole. While some rides, such as most fastpass attractions are a priority, mostly we see variety as the priority. We aren't nutso about trying to do EVERY attraction, but we more or less try to go on each thing once, and everyone knows that's the game plan. If we get to an attractionand the line is very long, we know to skip it and come back. I'd never promise a child that we were going to go on ride X first thing this morning; ride X may very well be shut down this morning or have a VERY long line. I think using that mentality prevents anyone from saying we didn't do 'their' ride, or did 'their' ride second. It's all good, and we've having fun.

Conversely, realize that you can't see EVERYTHING. That's okay, you can plana second visit in the future and see it then. Like we may not see CoP on every visit, but when we do see it, we enjoy it. Part of what makes WDW fun is that every visit is slightly different. For example, there's about 80 different table service restaurants alone, not counting poolside dining or bars It would take you nearly a month to eat at each place just once. Then I think it would probably take another month or so to eat each quick serve place once. It would take you over two weeks to spend just one night in each Disney resort.

You can easily happen by an aquarium at feeding time, catch Leota blinking, greet a character you've never seen before, and so much more. So we really try to avoid the mentality having a list of must dos, and more have a very soft list of higher priority attractions, lower priority attractions, and a few attractions we mostly skip. Though we do talk about our favorites between trips.

It sounds like you kids will mostly be tall enough to go on most of the attractions, though they may be too scared. If you are going to split up for that purpose, it doesn't mean the only options for the little ones is to sit and do nothing. It may be helpful for them to have quiet time, but equally Disney also often provides secondary entertainment. Near BTMRR/Splash MTn is a little playground. Characters often appear near there. There's penny press machines to scout, gift shops, ride photos to peek at, restrooms, snacks, parades or singers, interesting birds, little theming details, fountains, beautiful landscaping, other guests.

 

[mjkacmom]

LOL - I'm very used to it! Use the buddy system - it really helps in not losing kids. Have a plan before you go to the park, to eliminate arguments about what you're doing next. Feel free to split up the group. For cs meals (and I'm going to get flamed), have a couple kids scout out a table, a couple more get straws, napkins, and condiments, and a couple in line with you to carry. Have a little notebook to write down what everyone wants before getting in line. Take regular scheduled potty breaks, and "everyone has to try."

For showers, have a plan - I assume you will have use of 2 bathrooms (we actually do this every night in our one shower house). Make sure some of the kids have cellphones - we really used them in the park.

 

[mjkacmom]

Make sure you bring Alice to help with everything.

LOL - the kids love the Brady Bunch, and want an Alice (but not as much as I want an Alice!!!!!).

 

[frkymcky]

Step 1: RUN!!!

Step 2: HIDE!!!

Step 3: If the kids find you, refer to Step 1.

I have tried hiding from just 2 kids, they always seem to find me. I guess I am not good at hiding!

 

[RocketCityMama]

My Dh and I are taking my 3 kids and his 3 kids to Disney in August and I need help figuring out how to keep everyone happy and organized.

Their ages are:

12 year old girl
11 year old boy
10 year old boy
9 year old girl
6 year old girl
5 year old girl

If you've travelled with a group of kids, what advice do you have for planning a successful vacation?

Buddy system for sure for the kids, I would put the kids like this;

12 yr old and 5 yr old girls
11 yr old and 10 yr old - boys
9 yr old and 6 yr old - girls

then of course you and dad can figure out which one of you wants to be in "charge" of each group specifically, like if one group needs to use the restroom, while the others wait with the other parent.

I agree with other posters, figure out which ride/event each kid really wants the most, work with that, and then have fun with the rest of the rides. If you know for ex. one wants to ride TSM, be there at ROPE DROP, everyone go together and get it done, less wait times and no one crying at the end of the day you didn't get to ride it.

Good luck and Have fun!

 

[mama4]

You can do it! My sister and I have taken our kids together a few times. Last time their ages were 10 (girl), 8 (girl), 7( boy), 6 (boy), 5 (boy), 4 (boy) and 1 (girl). We probably didn't get to ride as many rides as the families with 2 kids do but we had fun being together and soaking up the atmosphere!

 

[FLbronco]

We go on a regular basis with 5 kids ages 1, 2, 4, 6 & 16. The biggest thing to extend the day and make everything more enjoyable is down time with naps for the little ones. Get to the park before it opens otherwise this plan can be wasteful of your time. Our 6 year old still takes a nap when we go to WDW. 2-4 or 3-5 p.m. is great. It gets you away from the parks during peak times, get dinner in a more relaxed atmosphere or gear up for dinner reservations. You can go back to the parks around 6 or 7 for parades, fireworks and more rides. The younger ride lines get a lot shorter in the late night. We have stayed past midnight on occassioin with all of them because we had rested during the day (with no crabby kids at the end). Yes they are tired, but not whiny. It makes for long and fun days.

Getting out early to the parks requires the organization in some of the other posts. If you don't use the ziplock bags (we have not done that very often) the key is to get clothes laid out the night before. Have the kids pick whatever snacks you are taking into the park the night before. Do as much as possible before you go to sleep, so all you are doing in the morning is getting dressed, breakfast and out the door. Breakfast while traveling to the parks is always a good idea when leaving early.

Getting to the parks early also gets you the best parking spots if you are driving. I would encourage using your own vehicle if possible so as to get out of the parks when you need to vs. waiting on Disney transportation.

Use baby swaps for the bigger kid rides when available! The older ones will love it as they will get to ride twice as much. The baby swap is usually good for three people. Ask the fast pass Cast Member.

Finally as mentioned by a prior poster, let the kids pick the 1 or 2 things that they just can not miss. This way they all get to have some input and take part in some of the schedule.

Have a great trip!

 

[CSJLJJK7]

My wife and I have 8, but we did two trips when we had 6 one DL and one DW. The best advice I can give you is to prepare to split up sometimes. DW and I were adamant that we were going to stay together during the first trip and it was miserable. The older kids were always wanting to do something different than what the younger kids did. We either had to listen to the older ones whine about riding IASW or the younger ones whine about waiting for the older ones to get off of EE or ToT. The next go round we split up for part of the day and it was much, much less stressful. It went against my first instinct as it was a "family" vacation, but it worked out so much better. Now we even take 3-4 smaller vacations per year grouping the kids by age and taking smaller groups of 2-3. I don't like it, but it is our reality. Good luck, you will be fine. Adult beverages help as well.

 

[Baltazar]

Wow, you're a saint ...

Idle hands are the devil's tools ... don't stand around trying to decide what to or you're done for.

Buddy system is a great idea.

For daily plans, make sure you have a plan B just in case.

Plan C, D and E couldn't hurt.

 

[elizablake]

If you've travelled with a group of kids, what advice do you have for planning a successful vacation?

Benadryl and duct tape.

We traveled with 4 (ages 11,10,7,5) and survived. I would think about renting a double stroller for the 6 and 5 year old. That was they don't get tired (aka cranky) and make the day more challenging. I would get up early, shower and get everything ready for the day before waking the kids up. I labeled things like water bottles with permanent marker so there was no confusion about what belonged to who. When we had to sit or wait for a long period of time, assigned seating was key to peacefulness since the 10 and 7year old bicker. We gave each kid an equal amount of spending money so we didn't constantly hear "Can I have that?". Once their money for the day was gone, it was gone. We took long breaks at the pool in the afternoon and evenings to keep the kids from going stir crazy. We packed snacks each day because someone was constantly hungry. We made all the kids go to the bathroom when we stopped for a break. Otherwise, you will visit every bathroom in DW. Don't be afraid to split up if the situation calls for it. The younger ones may want to meet characters, while the older ones ride EE. Take advantage of rider swap if the 5 year old is not tall enough. That was the older kids will get to ride again.

My best advice to you is to talk to each kid before the trip and find out what they are interested in doing. Then make a step by step plan (maybe use Ridemax). We talked to the kids on the way to Disney and explained that everyone was going to get to do the rides they wanted but we already decided what order to ride them in so there is no point in discussing it. There were times that DH and I didn't have an exact itinerary planned but the kids thought we did. We managed to make it the entire week without a single disagreement about what to ride next.

Have fun and take lots of photos.

 

[SerinaEmily]

You guys are awesome! I love the idea of carrying around a notepad to take counter service orders! And eating on route to the parks makes a whole lot of sense too instead of trying to force food into them in the hotel room and then rushing to the busses and having them be bored waiting in line and riding the bus. Since we were planning on doing pop tarts and granola bars in the hotel room in the morning and then an early lunch anyway I'm going to have them eat their pop tarts while walking to and waiting for the bus .. genius!
I've always done and loved the baggie system on previous trips with just my 3 .. I have to figure out a way to do this again with all of the kids .. I'll have to get my stepkids clothes ahead of time from their mother's house so I can repack them in ziplocs so the mornings will go smoother .. its going to be crazy enough trying to get to the parks for rope drop without wasting 20 minutes finding the parts to everyones outfits every morning.
I was also figuring as far as a buddy system went when we are all together that I'll have to assign everyone their buddy so they know when we go to get on a ride who they are sitting with. I figured though that I would be buddies with my youngest (6), DH would be buddies with his youngest (5) then the boys would be buddies (11 and 10) and the girls would be buddies (12 and 9). That way when we are all waiting in line and its time to sit on the ride there won't be arguments .. everyone will have to know where their buddy is. Unless we split up .. in which case we've already decided it would be DH with the boys (and possibly the 12 year old if she is interested) doing the bigger rides while I do more of the kiddie stuff the little girls, my 9 year old (who isn't a big thrill fan) and possibly the 12 year old if she would rather stay and help with the little kids than go on the bigger rids with the boys. When we split up we will have a different buddy system but it should still work.
We will definitely be sitting down with all the kids before the trip and explaining that they have to understand we will not be doing each of their #1 choice all of the time .. that sometimes they will just have to sit through something that isn't their favorite .. but that everyone will get to do their favorite things and that we already have it all planned out .. I like that idea too .,. so they don't think its up for negotiation .. everything will get done and seen based on the schedule we have decided on ahead of time .. maybe I will even give them all copies of the itineray so they know what we are doing every day and in what order so they don't start panicking in the middle of the day when they think of something they just HAVE to do .. they can see where abouts in the schedule it is.

Thank you guys SO much .. it's so helpful and reassuring reading other peoples experiences!

 

[Virtucomp]

For each park that you go to you should have a place to meet if you get lost.
I'm sure you'll be watching the littlest ones but just in case have a park icon to meet at if you just can't find each other.

There are some good threads on this board about putting a tag on your kids so if they do get lost the CM will have a quick way to find you.

For the older kids splitting off cell phones work in the park so you can get in touch when you need them.

Have fun and don't be too ridged on the group staying together.

 

[BeachClub1292]

I alway thought they were cruel but with 6 kids and two little ones I have one word for the little ones "leashes"

Were going on a trip with 5 kids in October 13yo, 6yo and NB boys and 3yo, 1yo girls but we have there parents, grandparents and me(uncle) so were 1to1 I couldn't imagine 3to1 good luck

 

[justskip70003]

my tip...

dont take them