Disney for the large family

[iamamamaX5]

We have decided that January 2012 will be our magic month. Since we're currently pregnant with #5, I was wondering if anyone had advice on planning a trip for a large family. Our kids will range from almost 2 to 10 so we would like to make it enjoyable for everyone. What is must see/must do? What would you pass on?

We have completely immersed ourselves in Disney info and I have to say, I'm grateful we have 2 years to plan.

 

[irisesareblue]

I love your username!

A few questions for you:

Will you be driving down to Florida?

Will you be staying on-site or off-site? (Maybe considering a villa off-site with a kitchen perhaps???)

Personally, I would check into an off-site villa (although you will need a car). That way, you will have some peace & quiet resulting from the separate bedrooms for the children..... You can find large villas for under $200.00 per night. Then purchase tickets through the mousesaver newsletter link for Disney park tickets (sign up for the newsletter at www.mousesavers.com ). The newsletter comes the 15th of each month and has a link to Disney ticket specials. The good news is that little ones under 3 are free!

Have fun planning! These boards are the best!

 

[tone.def]

yay babies! i have just one right now!!!

Have you thought of staying in a family suite at All Star Music? I find there are so many benefits to staying on-site... Extra Magic Hours, Disney's Magical Express, Disney's Complimentary Transportation, Package Delivery, Charging privledges, Disney Dining Plan - and more magic all around - you never leave it and the time and money saved in not driving somewhere in Kissimmee is so valuable. The Family Suites are less than $200 most nights.

 

[iamamamaX5]

I love your username!

A few questions for you:

Will you be driving down to Florida?

Will you be staying on-site or off-site? (Maybe considering a villa off-site with a kitchen perhaps???)

Thanks! We will definitely be flying...the thought of driving with 5 kids makes me want to throw up a little. lol We are still trying to figure out if we should stay on site or off site. Price-wise I think it would be more cost efficient to stay off site and rent a vehicle. Then we can also have that freedom to do our own thing as well.

 

[iamamamaX5]

yay babies! i have just one right now!!!

Have you thought of staying in a family suite at All Star Music? I find there are so many benefits to staying on-site... Extra Magic Hours, Disney's Magical Express, Disney's Complimentary Transportation, Package Delivery, Charging privledges, Disney Dining Plan - and more magic all around - you never leave it and the time and money saved in not driving somewhere in Kissimmee is so valuable. The Family Suites are less than $200 most nights.

I'll look into All Star Music! Thanks for the suggestion! We would love the perks of staying on-site without the price. Checking prices through the Disney site gave me a heart stopping price for a 2 bedroom villa so we are definitely going to be shopping around.

 

[LSmith]

My vote would be for a villa off-site. By villa I mean full house not condo style. We have rented 4 times from vrbo.com and have stayed on site 4 times. We much prefer off-site with an entire house and private pool for much less than $200 a night.

One house in particular we have stayed at that I would recommend very highly was a big 4 bedroom, super clean, nicely furnished, very good quality kitchen utensils, good customer service, private 30 foot pool, games room, bbq and approx. $125 a night which is an excellent price. You can pm me (or anyone else for that matter) for the address so the self moderators on this site don't have a cow.

It is so nice to be able to come back to a house with a pool and relax without crowds.

It can be very scary using vrbo when you have to give a down payment to some stranger but we have been very lucky.

We are hoping to use them again this year. Unfortunately last time we went to Florida we had to rent another house as the week we wanted was taken.

Good luck in whatever you decide. Really, you can't lose when it comes to Disney.

 

[iamamamaX5]

My vote would be for a villa off-site. By villa I mean full house not condo style. We have rented 4 times from vrbo.com and have stayed on site 4 times. We much prefer off-site with an entire house and private pool for much less than $200 a night.

Thank you so much for the link! I am in awe looking at some of the houses on there. I think this will be the route we go and if you would like to PM me with the address of the house you use, I would really appreciate it!

 

[irisesareblue]

Iamamama, once you're about a year out, start checking the rental car websites - the rates fluctuate and unlike other things (like airline tickets) you can often cancel and make another reservation at a lower price.

Are you in a position where you might be able to fly out of a US airport? If so, investigate the prices from that US airport as well as your Canadian departure point - sometimes it can be very cost effective!

 

[Cdn Gal]

Congrats! I would definitely try to stay off site and rent a car. Check out Mousesavers for codes for car rentals. I would also recommend going with Dollar car rental and becoming a member. (it's free) This way you skip the lines and get your car alot faster. The last think that you would want to do is after a flight is stay in a long line with 5 kids! Check out Bonnet Creek. It's five min. away so you could quickly leave the parks and be back in the resort if anybody has a 'meltdown' and needs a nap. (and no, I'm not talking about DH either!) I would bring breakfast stuff with you for the am to save $$, and snacks too. Trust me, it's nice to come back at around 1pm, take a break, grab something to eat, go for a swim, etc., and then go back into the parks later on. It's a short jaunt away! All the best, hope you have a wonderful time. You came to the right place though- these boards are AMAZING for great info!

 

[iamamamaX5]

One house in particular we have stayed at that I would recommend very highly was a big 4 bedroom, super clean, nicely furnished, very good quality kitchen utensils, good customer service, private 30 foot pool, games room, bbq and approx. $125 a night which is an excellent price. You can pm me (or anyone else for that matter) for the address so the self moderators on this site don't have a cow.

I wanted to thank you for the PM with the link to the house but I don't have enough posts to PM yet. I'm so glad I was sent to this forum because already we have had so much help!! Thank you all!

 

[momlee4]

If you want to stay on-site, getting 2 adjoining rooms at the value resorts is cheaper than a family suite. That might be another option.

In 2008, we stayed in a 3 bedroom condo at Windsor Hills that could sleep 7. It was beautiful and spacious. We have didn't have our own pool, but the main one at the resort was fantastic, and in January, you may not be swimming too much anyways. I think the cost after CAA discount was around $100/ night.

Have fun planning!

 

[polyhm83]

When my kids were little we loved the cabins at fort wilderness. The kids would fit in the bedroom, bunk beds, a double bed and a pack and play, then there is a full size murphy bed in the livingroom. Full kitchen, and a large deck.
I liked the idea of privacy and if the kids were a little noisy there is no one above or below to worry about. Another option is to rent points from a DVC member for a 2 bedroom villa, it is alot cheaper than from disney. Check the dvc boards on this site. Have fun planning.

 

[tgropp]

Since you are going in January, try looking at renting DVC points from someone. The points for during the week are 26 so if you were staying Sun through Fri and pay $10/point. That would work out to approx $1,300 tax included, for 5 nights of staying in a 2 BR, 1,200 sq foot condo at Old Key West. No packing the car each morning, if one of the children get cranky, hop on the bus and have a rest in the afternoon, you can buy the meal plan for approx $45 adult and $11 child a day and the benefits are endless. Spending a little extra money to stay onsite can make or break your vacation as having 5 children at WDW can be VERT demanding

 

[momdad4kids]

Hey great to see people with more kids than us! we went last march break with 4 from ages 6 to 10,stayed on site at POP in adjoining rooms.Im not sure what yours are like but loading 4 kids in a van and driving into WDW in the morning with 2 so hyper they cant contain themselves and 2 more fist fighting in the back isnt my cup of tea .The bus system is awsome and the perks of staying onsite in my humble opinion far out weigh any savings from staying off especially if this is your fist trip.Using the dining plan and the magic express you really dont even need a van. this last trip we didnt rent one but had always had one before and yes it would have been handy but it saved a few dollars and really after it was all said and done there was maybe once it would have been nice when going to disney downtown. OH GET THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO WDWD !!!! its packed with great info about crowd levels and times what rides kids like ect .Give yourselves plenty of time and use fast pass even if the crowd levels are lo,im guessing in january they will be.If you go with the dining plan USE YOUR snack credits ,we were frugal with ours and ended up last day trying to use them up,for some reason if the kids were home theyd eat 24/7 on junk but there they were far from bored I think and thinking about eating was really the last thing on their minds,lol
Anyway thats just my 2 cents worth ,no matter what you'll have an amazing time ,good luck!!!!.