Big families and Disney World

[DisneyMom5]

Hi! New here. Had to join after getting hooked on Des'swife's saga. (Love ya, mean it!)

DH and I are making our first trip with our 5 kids under 9. We have booked the FW cabins for 1/31-2/5/04. Everyone is very excited!



Any practical suggestions for:

a) 20 hr. drive



b) staying at the cabin



or c) Surviving the parks when the the kids outnumber us?



Looking forward to hearing your advice!

 

[nem75]

having 5 kids under the age of 7 myself i have a few ideas for you. for the trip have a tv/vcr with an ac/dc plug for the lighter outlet as well as several favorite movies (disney movies would be a great choice getting them excited about seeing their fav characters at wdw). this was worth every penny we spent on our 24 hour drive to ohio last year. also when in the parks and kids start gaining control , happens very quickly doesn't it , take a break and go back to your resort and relax for a few hours to rest and relax. above all, my husband and myself have had to tell ourselves countless times before a big trip with the crew to be 10 times more patience than we have at home and to use all the patience we have to deal with difficult situations. also take lots of portable snacks in the parks as sometimes the little ones will get hungry waiting in line and it helps to curb their appetite for a little while until you get to eat a full meal.

on the bright side, everywhere you go, you have a party. i love that about my large family. the memories will be awesome so have a great trip.

christy

 

[WhispyPixie]

We have 4 kids and the once great thing about traveling with a large family, is that you are always guarenteed to have fun!! I recommend filling fanny packs with small hand help games (NOT GAMEBOYS, too expensive if lost), pen and paper things, bubbles, trivia, stuff like that. You will have a blast. Also the TV in the car helps!! Have a great trip!

 

[mom2twinz3]

I have 5 kids as well. We always have a blast! I think that you have more fun with a larger family myself.

Like the previous poster says, bring some extra activities for them to do and you will be fine!

Mary

 

[momof4boys]

As you can see by the name, I am a mom to 4 all boys 9,6,4 and 16 mos. This will be our first trip with a toddler, which was a little stressful for me but I have been reasssured by those on the boards that it will be great. Remember, you handle it every day at home, wdw just needs a little more prep work.

I agree about the tv/vcr for the car. We used it this summer on a 12hr ride to the outer banks. We actually had 2 one for the back seat and one in the middle. The older 2 sat in the back and had PS2 hooked to that one and the younger 2 watched a movie in the middle. We borrowed one and bought the other. Dh also had the Cd player going in the front seat. Needless to say, it was a little overstimulating!

As for the parks, plan on bringing a strollers. 2 yrs ago we had one and rented a double in the parks. My oldest even fell asleep in the double one day in MK. No matter how old they are, they still get worn out from all the walking. I also drill into their heads what to do in case they get seperated from us. I show them what the CM looks like and what they are wearing. When my 4yr old got seperated from us in Epcot after Illuminations, he went right into a store and told the CM my name is ***** and I am lost. He even told him my name. When the CM saw a frantic woman running in his direction, he called my name and said Ihave *****. What a relief! Iguess all that nagging does sink in (and he was only 2 at the time).

Some may suggest using walkie talkies in case you and hubby want to seperate with the kids. We found them useless (too much interference). This time we plan on using cell phones.

Someone on the boards also gave me a great time saving idea. ( I cant remember your name right now but you know who you are). She suggested packing an outfit a day for each kid seperatly in a ziplock bag. This way in the AM each kid just grabs his/her bag and the outfit is already assembled.

Most of all remember to just watch the look on each of your kids faces as they take in all the magic. It's worth it.

Have a great time!
Regina

 

[DisneyMom5]

So glad to see others have done it and survived! LOL

Thanks!

 

[Belle5]

1.) Get there EARLY and get out for NAPS!
2.) Take days off in between parks if at all possible. (Rent a pontoon boat, swim, go to a beach, go to FW and do the campfire)
3.) Don't do the parks commando style--stop and smell the roses.
4.) Those of us with big families know what a bugger illness can be when it goes around a large family --so-- if we do buffets we try to be one of the first families seated for that meal (or we don't do buffets). We don't do the playground type attractions for the same reason we don't do McDonald playlands when we don't want to get sick. You get the idea.
5.) You will love the FW cabins. (We stayed there when we had 5 kids.) We put all the kiddos in the back room so DH and I could have adult time in the kitchen/murphy bed area of the cabin at night and nap time. Take the kids of the Swamp Trail if you have some extra time. Go to Crockett's Tavern and order appetizers, pizza and cold beverages one night. (This will be enhanced by watching the Davey Crockett Movies before you leave home or in the car.)

Belle5 mom of 6 boys ages 12 weeks to 17

 

[nuala]

5 kids!! Me too!! Mine are all a year apart and we have been going to Disney every year since the oldest was 3 mo. (Husband has a winter conference in Orlando, so we stay on site).
Snacks in the backpack.
Here is what works for us!
Go to the early entries at the park.
Break in the afternoon.
Buy the largest pass that doesn't expire, 7+4=11 days. That way you don't feel like you have to go the park everyday, and you leave with passes that never expire, and the biggest part of your next trip is paid. It makes it a no-brainer to go again.
Enjoy the little things like walking around Downtown Disney on your non-park days. Enjoy the Rainforest Cafe. At night you can go the Campfire program at Fort Wilderness. This is free. They have Chip and Dale with a sing-a-long around a campfire. After the campfire, they have free movies on a large, Drive-in type movie screen. You can buy a s'more package that includes everything, even the sticks. One package is enough for a family of seven. Only two sticks. The kit is only $5 and $.30 for each stick. The only thing that Disney doesn't hyperinflate.
Enjoy the afternoon nap.
We live in Michigan as well. We find that if we can leave by 4pm, and drive through the night, it works best for our family. The kids think it is only a 8 hour drive!! By doing this, we avoid going through the congested Cincinnati and Atlanta during daylight hours, and we can make the trip in as little as 18 hours.
We eat breakfast in the room, to save on time getting to the park in the am.
Have a great trip! We're leaving next week!



P.S. Walkie Talkies work great in WDW. The older ones don't but the newer ones have a 5 mile radius, and alot more channels.

 

[winniedapooh]

Checking in with 5 kids here as well. This will be our 4th trip with the cherubs since 97, we leave on Christmas Day-it is their Christmas present, shhh it is a surprise! Anyhow we do alos take them to the beach for a week and weekends during the summer as well as day trips and WDW and have found there are a lot of things that can help with a big family. What has helped us is the DVD player in the car, assigned seating, little snacks to bring with them in the carpet bag that I drag with me-hey you never know when you will need whatever, lol, their own Disney spending money-when it runs out they know that that is it, getting to the parks early-my kids are early risers so this is easy, and leaving mid day for naps or pool time or down time, Priority Seating-stress this as it is easier to have reservations than to wait in long lines for a table for 7, lots of funs pictures to remember your trip and the kids can make scrapbooks or show them around, lots of hand sanitizer or wipes, bring cold/flu/ and/or aspirin with you, when one gets sick they all get sick and that stuff is expensive down there at the resorts, but most of all bring your sense of humor and patience and prepare to have a lot of fun. You will be on vacation at the most magical place in the world. Pixie dust to you all.....