NEW thread: HELPFUL tips for large families of 5+ for WDW vacations

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'd like this thread to be friendly--so please no bashing.


Let's keep this to legitimate ways (no cramming too many people into a room "illegally" values get 4, deluxe get 4 or 5, DVC studios and 1BR's get 4, and so on and so forth).


How do you "budget" for your family of 5 or more.

We are growing--but not their yet.

Our first trip with 5 will be a cruise next year and we will be getting an connecting stateroom to accomodate our clan (we thought just 2 was cramped on our honeymoon--so joyfully look forward to the room of 2 cabins).

For Disney I expect to be trying to convince hubby to finally splurge on DVC. We will definitely do mod or better if we go before baby is 3 (probably make sure we hit a trip just before he or she hits 3 to save money).

Also we are Florida residents--so we are able to take advantage of seasonal passes and value season as well as Florida Resident Rates on resort rooms.

We get Seasonal passes for a year at a time and then take breaks opting to not renew...It is cheaper for us than the multi-day passes offered.


What do you do to be able to take your large family to see the mouse?

Only request: Please be kind to other posters and please make sure your suggestions meet occupancy restrictions.

 

[wrldpossibility]

Well, we are a family of 5, but our youngest is not yet 3. We have a trip planned for this Dec (and he'll only be 2), but we still got two rooms at POR. One room is just too cramped for a long period of time. One or two night is ok, but no more. Our youngest has a harder time sleeping away from home, and makes everyone miserable if in close quarters. So we're already paying for the full family of 5 experience.

Next time, we may rent DVC points and get a villa, but when I did the math this time, it was still quite a bit more expensive than 2 POR rooms (I think the fact that our dates extended over 2 weekends, and we don't want to move resorts made a difference in DVC points). Anyway, I don't understand people complaining about their family of 5+ costing more...of course it does. But after some consideration, we decided we would rather have our DS2 than stay in deluxe.

Now, when our kids are older, and everyone sleeps well, I would consider the deluxe rooms that fit 5. Looking forward to that!

 

[pweyl36]

We like to rent off site. you can get a 4bedroom house,2 1/2 bath with pool
for around $800 for the week. and yes we feel the magic

 

[minniebeth]

We are huge WDW fans and we just love going there for our vacations.
We have been blessed enough to be able to stay at moderate and deluxe resorts but now that our kids are older, well, they just cost more. Add on cost of living, rising prices of groceries and gas, and rising WDW costs, well, it is just getting harder to do. We work hard through the year saving, cutting costs where we can. Now that AllStars has family suites, we would certainly consider staying there or even doing 2 rms. at another value. (We are fam.of 5) We do not do a dining plan, we do smaller meals, many times sharing, more often. We bring a lot of our own things for breakfasts and snacks. The kids save their money throughout the year for souvenirs, we do not buy them for them. (Well, ok, maybe a few pins, because I love them too.)
Mostly, it sounds kind of strange, but in keeping of the magic of Disney, I believe in good "karma". We are always kind, caring, considerate and generous to people, even when it is hard, and it is amazing how things fall into place for us just when we would love a little pixie dust ourselves.

 

[sully7]

We have four kids full time and my stepdaughter part time! So we really can't fit in one room anywhere!

This trip its just the 4 kids and DH and me. We thought long and hard about where to stay. We wanted to be on site.

We decided that the cabins at FW were the best choice. Alot of privacy compared to a value and we could cook our own meals, thus saving even more. While that doesn't sound like a relaxing time it would be cheaper! however Walt was looking kindly on us and now we have Free Dining!!! That is something we would not even consider if we had to pay!

Next trip we will probably rent a house offsite and do some of those other Florida things, too.

Why do people think that a family with more than 4 people is so odd? That lady on TV with the 15+ kids might be odd but 3 or 4 kids... that's normal!

Enjoy all the kids and smile!

 

[glass slipper girl]

We will be a family of 5 by our next trip. Baby #3 is due in about 7 weeks. We usually stay deluxe so we won't change that for a while but DH and I are both tall (5'10" and 6'4") and we will have 3 boys. I expect they will all be really tall too (my Dad is 6'3", FIL is 6'4" so we have "tall man" genes ). That means once they get older, we're going to be too cramped in a deluxe room. At that point I'm sure we'll be doing either a DVC villa or 2 rooms in a mod. By then I'd be willing to consider a house off site too. Right now, with them so little and still doing the "stroller thing" I prefer the convenience of being onsite.

We do a good job of budgeting already. DH and I agreed when we got married that we would not vacation if we didn't have the money to do it with cash. So we save for it, take advantage of discounts, cut corners on little things at home etc. We are not souvineer people so that helps. Each trip we buy a Christmas ornament (tradition for when we travel anywhere), the kids each get a tee shirt and a pin or two and that's about it. The kids each get $20 before we leave home and they can spend that on whatever they want. Ice cream, a plush animal, light spinners etc. It's their choice and they understand now that when it's gone, it's gone. The last 2 trips they've both become very picky about what they spend their money on and actually each came home with a little left over. That has stemmed the "gimmies" and "buy me's" on our trips.

 

[HeatherC]

We're also a family of 5 and have found that we save a TON of money by staying offiste and renting a car. This Feb. we are staying at Bonnet Creek in a 2 bedroom villa with jacuzzi and full kitchen for $100 a night!!! Since it is right next door to the Caribbean Beach Resort, to me that's close enough "onsite". So we are staying for 12 nights for $1200 over President's Week. We would never be able to do that in a Disney resort...even renting points from DVC. We love villas because we don't have to get dressed in the mornings to go get breakfast...there are a couple of bedrooms with tv's for the kids. We can stay up after the kids go to sleep and we are really just as close to the parks as any Disney resort. Something to consider for larger families.

Another big savings is if you can travel non-prime weeks. We have gotten amazing airfare, hotel and car rental rates by going off season. Now that all three kids are in school, this is harder to do.

We also by the passes with greatest number of days that we can afford at the time...non-expiring....which lasts us a couple of trips.

I also have an Amex card that we use the membership rewards points for free Seaworld tickets each year. This saves us a couple hundred dollars as well.

We love to travel and go away a lot. But ...most times it is only when I find a really good deal. I never have someone book my trip for me....I always seem to find a better rate on my own.

Hope this is helpful to you.

HeatherC

 

[mjkacmom]

We're a family of 7, and the twins are already 3, so we're planning on staying at the Dolphin in May - 2 rooms, of course - but we're used to that. Staying off-site wouldn't work because of the different age ranges (4, 4, 6, 9, 10) - we want to be able to split up. We will probably keep food in the room for breakfast and snacks, do character lunches instead of dinners, and eat counter-service as much as possible.

 

[rt2dz]

Something for us, we do no more than one breakfast "out". The rest are all in-room, continental style, from food we buy at the grocery store. Then we tend to "combine" meals. Either a late lunch or an early dinner. We fill with snacks.

Since we go every year for 10 days, we buy an AP every other year. We did a trip in September, then May. This year we're doing a trip in December then next October. This also helps to get a discounts on rooms, when available and at World of Disney store. Other minor discounts help too.

Combining those two things, we buy a DDE card. Last year on just the May trip, we saved the cost of the card and a childs AP cost with our 20% discount.

 

[gbrogers]

We are a family 5, and we really enjoy the FW Cabins. The boat ride to MK is great. And at the end of the day, it is nice to be able to put the kids in the bedroom and stay up with my DW to talk about the day and to plan out the next. It also seems fairly easy to get the discounts (AP and other codes) for the cabins.

Here is an interesting idea that falls into the category of "Ideas that I might not ever pursue". I have read on DIS of people reserving/paying for a campsite at FW in addition to their offsite reservation. This allows them to take advantage of the EMHs and to get free parking at the different parks. I'm not sure if the added costs are worth the benefits.

 

[tb3175]

does anyone think that the dinning plan is a good deal for families with small children? I have 3 year old twins. They typically share meals at resturants and still have left overs. I'm not sure if this would be a good purchase for our family. I also have dd (8) and ds (9). Any feedback would be helpful.

 

[grlpwrd]

Family of 7 here

We have stayed off-site. For our travels, in general, we stay in a rented home or get 2 hotel rooms.

I also plan to get a camper or trailer. We had a 5th wheel before, but sold it and I think that would make it nicer for all of us.

 

[Tinker53]

First to Lisa loves pooh- Thanks for starting a new thread for large families that is a lot more friendly.

We are a family of 6 and are staying off site. got a get-a-way from a friend with a time share. We will be staying in a condo that sleeps 8 for just about 500 for the week. With 4 boys ages (7,9,12,13) We would not be able to stay on site, And do all the stuff we want to do. Eating at the condo when we can and like Rtzdz we plan on doing the late lunch or early dinner and using snacks in between and sharing what we can.

But everyone does what works best for there families no matter the size.

Take care to all and have a happy vacations

 

[masters58]

We like to rent off site. you can get a 4bedroom house,2 1/2 bath with pool
for around $800 for the week. and yes we feel the magic

have any websites to recommend? We are a family of 5 and are wanting to do Disney again in 6 months--just got back! Thanks!

 

[pweyl36]

have any websites to recommend? We are a family of 5 and are wanting to do Disney again in 6 months--just got back! Thanks!

Try tuscan-ridge.com , there is only one owner and the place is wonderful.

 

[Reese]

We are a family of eight. We have two connecting rooms at ASMo (DH loves the gigantic Disney characters). We did use the dining plan last time we went and loved it. This way our food was already paid for and it was one less thing for us to worry about. Were going again in Jan since it will be a lot cheaper than waiting another year as we had originally planned. This way are kids will be 14, 9, 7, 6, 2 and 8 months. This way two are still free and our 9 year old is still a child.

I really enjoyed the dining plan even though I know it's not the most economical way to go but it was the most worry free way. We took the kids to character meals and that saved us from having to wait in line to meet the characters.

 

[llp479]

Family of 5 with dds 12, 12, and 9. We bought into DVC when youngest dd was 18 mos. We always eat breakfast in the room, and at least 3 dinners too. If we do a character meal it's usually breakfast, taking the latest seating. That way we skip lunch and just do dinner.

We also bought the AP's with the DVC $100 discount. We try to get at least two trips in per one AP. With the AP we are able to get the Disney Dining Experience card which gets us 20% off at most of the restaurants. This is a HUGE savings, even after you figure in the $60 cost for us. There are also numerous other perks with the AP that can help save, like the 10% off at WOD.

Downside to DVC, now we will only stay at timeshares when we travel. I'm so used to being able to cook and wash, that I can't stand to be in two regular hotel rooms. Plus, this way we have room for another relative or two to tag along.

It's hard to be a family of 5 and travel. Many of the hotels no longer even have adjoining rooms. Kind of ironic when all you keep hearing in the media these days is that 3 is the new 2, when it comes to having children. Certainly is that way in our neighborhood.

 

[Deesknee]

We are dvc owners, so we usually stay there. Although, at times we spend the weekends at ASMo. When we do we rent a refrig.

Most of my $ savings ideas have already been stated. We are a family of 6.
We cook most breakfasts. Go back to the hotel for sandwiches and a swim. Then back to the park, where we usually do a character meal or we do rent a car so we go to a fast food restaurant like McDonalds.

I usually make or purchase sale "souveniers" before we leave home. The 3 teens use money they have saved if they really want something while we are there. Our 3 year old doesn't know the difference, she's just happy to get something.
Some things I have made are luggage tags, activity books, photo pages, tshirts, pillow cases. I've purchased items on clearance or at really good prices and put them away for as long as a year then pack them for our trip.

I freeze water bottles and take them to the park. We have our own stroller, so I just carry them in there. Late in the day they have melted but are still cold.

 

[Dimap]

Very interesting thread. We are a family of six and this year we have decided to take up two different timeshare offers that have been extended to us. We will be staying at a 2 bedroom villa at Marriott Horizons for 4 nights ($199) - and then moving onto Vistana Villages for 3 nights in a 2 bedroom ($239) - they give us some park tickets and character breakfasts too! All we owe them is a 90 minute timeshare presentation each. Although we aren't going to buy right now, in the future...you never know.

I have read some posts about the timeshare thing and wasting your time on vacation etc. WE really don't mind. I enjoy seeing places and my husband has no problelm handling the sales people (I just sit back and watch). I know some people use every minute of their vacation at the parks and such, but we are planning time to hang out at the hotel anyway. Now we are just trying to decide if we want to take our kids with us or let them entertain the 4 little guys while we take a "break".

Anyway, this is how we are able to afford it this year!


Pam :

 

[cyfyguy]

My solution to saving fat piles of cash with my family of five was rather straightforward. But they caught me sneaking off to the airport and made me take them along after all.

So we used these steps to pinch a few pennies:

We used a regional airline- that helped (the sale fare wasn't cheaper than a major carrier, just easier to get)

Also, we agreed that we wouldn't 'shop for the trip' inside the three week mark- instead we'd buy this or that at a premium onsite if we forgot something.

Truth is, the amount of stuff we failed to pack that we _truely_ couldn't live without was small (Q-TIPS!!!) so I felt we saved cash by not buying crap that doesn't get unpacked or goes unused. It also helped us focus on the essentials.

We stay at FW w DSs 12,10,4, and enjoy it.