Ever been to DLR with 6 Kids?

[chabelita545]

Call us crazy, but next summer my DH and I will be taking our two boys and 4 of their cousins to DLR. The kids will be 15, 15, 13, 13, 12 and almost 9. (The oldest and youngest are girls, the rest boys.) We've visited DLR together once before, but their parents had come along, and this time my DH and I will be the only adults. This is new territory for me, so I'm looking for travel, hotel, DLR, budget, safety and sanity tips from people who have visited DLR before with this many kids and just 2 adults.

(I'm planning on having the older teens and adults carry cell phones. Everyone but the youngest has a cell phone, however, I'm worried about the younger ones losing theirs - or playing on them when they should be enjoying time at DLR with their cousins. I bet everyone will want to bring their phones. Not sure if we should let them or not. We also plan to have the whole group wear matching shirts each day so we can easily spot one another.)

Looking forward to hearing your advice and suggestions as we begin to plan our trip! Thank you!

 

[momof2n2]

I'm hoping to go next June with DH & our 6 kids for 8 nights. Our ages will be 14, 12, 10, 9, 5, 2.
We hope to grab a rental property near by & spend four days in the parks, one day at the beach, one day chilling, one day ????.

I'm looking forward to all the planning!

 

[Chelsea524]

We took cousins last year, for a total of 6 kids. Our group had 17, 15, 13, 9, 6, 6. We let the older 3 break off from us most of the time, with checking in by phone every hour or so. They took the 9 yr old with them some times as well. It really worked out great. We got a 2 bedroom suite at staybridge, which was perfect for us and included breakfast.
Overall it was a great trip. I didn't see my older boys as much as I would have liked, but they loved it.

 

[momof2n2]

We took cousins last year, for a total of 6 kids. Our group had 17, 15, 13, 9, 6, 6. We let the older 3 break off from us most of the time, with checking in by phone every hour or so. They took the 9 yr old with them some times as well. It really worked out great. We got a 2 bedroom suite at staybridge, which was perfect for us and included breakfast. Overall it was a great trip. I didn't see my older boys as much as I would have liked, but they loved it.

Hey! Staybridge is the hotel we'll go with if I don't find rental I like. Did you drive? It looks a bit far to walk.

 

[Malcon10t]

I've done it numerous times. I had 4 kids, and took a bunch of friends.

Hotel ideas would be Residence Inn Maingate, It has a 2 bedroom suite and a penthouse suite that would work (and give Mom and Dad some privacy!)

Just make rules and stick to them. My rules were usually they had to stay within the confines of the parks (no leaving to DTD) they had to check in regularly, etc... Big thing, make sure everyone charges phones regularly, and no one separating with out a cell. (If their cell died, they have to stay with someone with an active phone.)

 

[bakerudall]

That sounds like a fun group! I have six kids, but only two of them are that old. You group will be a hungry one, so Staybridge is probably a good idea. They have fully stocked kitchens, BBQ grills, free breakfast, and free dinners on some weeknights. You would probably have to use the ART shuttle there.

If you want to be within walking distance, Desert Inn and Suites, the previously-mentioned Ramada Inn Maingate, and a couple others have multi-bedroom/multi-bathroom suites with mini-fridge and microwave.

 

[Malcon10t]

I've done it numerous times. I had 4 kids, and took a bunch of friends.

Hotel ideas would be Residence Inn Maingate, It has a 2 bedroom suite and a penthouse suite that would work (and give Mom and Dad some privacy!)

I wanted to add, the rooms have full kitchens, they have a hot breakfast each morning, which is great with teens, free parking, a 24 hour pool (great for getting back late and taking a quick dip), an on-site market, and give them a grocery list by 9am, it will be delivered and put away in your room by mid-afternoon.

 

[chabelita545]

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm an early riser when it comes to DL and I'm wondering how that will go herding 8 people each morning. I'll probably have half the kids shower at night.

Wish we could stay onsite and take advantage of the nice pools, but it's out of the budget. Are any of the previously mentioned hotels nice enough that you'd enjoy spending a day mid-trip completely outside of the parks? I'm thinking of scheduling one lazy morning/relax by the pool/early to bed day. We've stayed at the HOJO before (very nice, great pool, but would need two rooms $$$) and at the Desert Inn and Suites (cheaper, spacious, closer to DL, but not a place I'd want to hang out at all day.)

 

[NiceOneSimba]

When I took high school students, my rules were very similar to Malcon10t's:

1) Had to be in a park (no going back to the motel and no DTD)
2) No solo touring
3) Had to text if they were parkhopping
4) We met up in person every 3 hours or so.
5) We would have some experiences as a whole group. These were negotiable, but everyone HAD to do them together. Everyone got to pick one. We rode Matterhorn, Tower of Terror, Heimlich's Choo Choo Train and a few others as a group.

I honestly wouldn't hesitate to let the kids go off in pairs or groups of threes--and yes. Maybe for 2-3 hours at a time. It's a great chance for everyone to get to do some things the others might not be as interested in!

 

[melissajean2000]

Just for reference, we went to DL many times in my youth, and we were always aloud to be in the park unattended for periods of time in groups of 2 or 3. It was a great experience, we all had a lot of fun that way. Enjoy, sounds like a great time!

 

[peterpanandwendy]

I also went at that age and my sister and I were allowed to break from the group and do our own thing and it was awesome! We did meals together as a family, and shows/parades... So we would meet together for Aladdin, then have dinner, then meet back for fantasmic or whatever in the evening. My sister and I were able to be goofy and really connect... It was great! I'm also pretty antisocial, and HATE group settings. I had vacationing as a group because of the constant arguing about where to eat, when to rest, what to ride, I never get my turn BS.

 

[chabelita545]

I also went at that age and my sister and I were allowed to break from the group and do our own thing and it was awesome! We did meals together as a family, and shows/parades... So we would meet together for Aladdin, then have dinner, then meet back for fantasmic or whatever in the evening. My sister and I were able to be goofy and really connect... It was great! I'm also pretty antisocial, and HATE group settings. I had vacationing as a group because of the constant arguing about where to eat, when to rest, what to ride, I never get my turn BS.

My nieces and nephews are invited because my sons ONLY want to go to DL if their cousins can come, too. We said we'd take them all if the kids can raise the money for their own airfare and park tickets. They immediately started planning how to earn the money. They had a great time in 2011, and we have some wonderful memories of that trip (when their parents also came). The kids have all grown up in the same town and love being together. That being said, like siblings, they do sometimes argue and fight, so I am glad that we'll be able to split up in different groups. It'll be the first time we've split up in the parks, for more than just one ride, without an adult being with each group. It'll be weird for me and my hubby, but I guess it's time.

I tend to take a gazillion photographs when in DL. No one likes posing for pictures but they LOVE looking through the scrapbooks later. At the end of each day, I'll have to make sure they all send me the pics they take of each other on their cell phones.