Few questions I hope someone would answer.

[doulacandice]

We are planning on going early 2008 and we have 4 kids.. I have a few questions I'm hoping someone would answer for me

Is it worth it as a family to book at the All star resorts? I'm assuming it won't be cheaper then going outside Disney.

What about the dining package? Is that worth the money? I'm thinking meals are $$ and we would get a good deal.

Did you bring your own stroller? I have a double stroller I am debating on taking. I know you can rent them at WDW but how much are they?? What about getting the the shuttle buses or monorails? Would they have a spot for such a big stroller? Does the WDW strollers recline back for when they nap? Do they have spots under it for diaper bags or backpacks?

Do they search bags at WDW?? Can I bring in snacks and bottled water with no problem?

Also when you go to ride rides what would you do with your stroller and belongings? Would they let babies (like 8 mo old) get on the boat type rides as long as mom/dad holds them??


Thanks so much in advance for answering my questions!! This board is the best!

 

[DVCLiz]

We are planning on going early 2008 and we have 4 kids.. I have a few questions I'm hoping someone would answer for me

Is it worth it as a family to book at the All star resorts? I'm assuming it won't be cheaper then going outside Disney.

What about the dining package? Is that worth the money? I'm thinking meals are $$ and we would get a good deal.

Did you bring your own stroller? I have a double stroller I am debating on taking. I know you can rent them at WDW but how much are they?? What about getting the the shuttle buses or monorails? Would they have a spot for such a big stroller? Does the WDW strollers recline back for when they nap? Do they have spots under it for diaper bags or backpacks?

Do they search bags at WDW?? Can I bring in snacks and bottled water with no problem?

Also when you go to ride rides what would you do with your stroller and belongings? Would they let babies (like 8 mo old) get on the boat type rides as long as mom/dad holds them??


Thanks so much in advance for answering my questions!! This board is the best!

Hi, Candice - I just have a few answers, but I knwo others will answer what I can't!!

I think it would be totally worth it to stay onsite - no, it won't be any cheaper at the values than offsite would be, but the experience is great and the free transportation will be very useful to you.

Yes, they do check bags, but you should be fine to bring in snacks and drinks.

There is a stroller parking area outside all attractions. You can leave your stroller and belongings there while you ride. BUT - take anything you don't want someone to be tempted by inside with you, like cameras, shopping, etc. You can take bags of stuff into almost all attractions and have them at your feet. I carry a Disney backpack with me and always bring it into all rides and attractions.

Your baby can go on almost everything - all of the "float" rides will be fine for her to be on your lap, as will the shows. Someone with more recent experience can tell you which rides to watch out for - the obvious being height restricted rides like coasters, etc.

Have a great trip!!!!!

 

[lmk]

Hi there - with regards to your stroller question. We rented a double stroller (side by side type) and did have some trouble on the monorail. We could only get on certain cars and then priority was given to people in wheelchairs so it involved some long waits at times. The strollers at the Disney resorts do not recline and are not padded. They do have room for bags on top of the canopy and also a small area for drinks etc at the back of the stroller. You can rent double strollers (back to back kind) from A Baby's Best Friend - we have found them to be excellent for baby rental needs.

 

[ldo]

9 and under are very inexpensive, and under 3 is free. If you get the meal plan--go nuts on character meals, etc. But make sure to call ahead and make your reservations--they book up months in advance. The character meal alone is usually $12-15 for kids. You also get a counter service with beverage and snack each day--a great deal for kids. I don't think you can stay at ASSports--you can have 4 + 1 child under 3--you have 2 kids under 3. If you are talking about ASSports suites, this would work well for your family.
Yes, you can take water bottles, snacks and small amounts of food into parks (a PBJ sandwich or two, etc.). I use a small soft-sided lunch bag.
I taek my stroller---$10-15 a day adds up. Also, I take stuff in a backpack and just leave it in the stroller while on rides--I make sure to take out tickets, car keys, $ and camera and take them on the ride with me.

 

[bzzymom]

Hi!


My kids now 10 (DS) and 3 (DD) and I have stayed on-site every time we have taken them (at least 10 times). We feel it is more convienant to stay on site, and use the other benefits like the extra magic hours and dining plan. We have used the dining plan a couple times and liked it. It is not for everybody though. We enjoy eating at the sit down restaurants in epcot and it is cheaper for us to use the dining plan. Children 3-9 have a lower price than the adult plan, and the kids 2 and under can eat from an adults plate. Buffet's and family style dining works really nice with kids with the dining plan.

I took my regular stroller the first time I took DS when he was 2.5 and carried it off and on the bus. It was OK, but kind of a pain, but I liked the ability to have him in the stroller while we were waiting for the bus. The next year when I went, he was 3.5 and I took an umbrella stroller for the airports and DTD and then I rented the stroller in the parks. I liked this much better, and I continued to rent the park strollers until DS was 6 years old and could walk all the time.

Then when he was 7.5, I took DD for the first time...she was 11 months. The strollers don't really lay back. It was fine because she was so little, she was leaning back anyway. I used my previous strategy and took umbrella stroller and rented the stroller at the parks as well. It worked out really nice. We went again when she was 19 months and it worked well again. Then we booked a trip when she was 2.5. By that time, she liked to run around and I chose to take a stroller for home. I bought one from Walmart that had a basket underneath and folded up easily like an umbrella stroller would. I spent around $25 for it. I figured that it was less of a hassel as the big stroller, and cheaper than renting at the parks. It worked out perfectly for us. We were very happy we had that stroller.

If you choose to bring a stroller from home, it should be lightweight and easy to put up and down for the bus. You will be holding on to it on the bus as well.

As far as rides, there are many rides that you can take the baby on. When you do, there are stroller parking areas by the rides. I have left the diaper bag on the stroller with out a problem. We don't leave cameras or anything like that in there. Also, one thing to be aware of, there are lots of strollers and the cast members move the strollers around. There is a good chance that your stroller will be moved around. To help me locate my stroller, I "mark it" by wrapping purple ribbon from home around the handle. If you are renting a disney stroller you can do this as well. It will help you find yours out of the other 50 stollers that look just like it.

I hope this helps.

 

[dallasdisneymommy]

I don't have four kids, but I have three, and we've been to WDW as a family four times so far. Anything I choose I generally choose because it makes our trip easier, with three kids I'm less concerned about costs and more concerned with ease of travel and general enjoyment of our vacation. So, with that being said, here are my opinions:

We always, always stay on site. I don't want the hassle of renting a car, grabbing all our luggage, loading and unloading car seats, driving to the parks, parking, etc. etc. I like the ease of coming off the airplane, boarding Disney's Magical Express to the resort, and letting their transportation system (as much as people complain about it, it's still darn convenient) do the work.

We've never done the dining plan. My kids are still pretty small (6, 4 and 10 months) and fairly light and picky eaters, so it just never really seemed like something we would be interested in. We usually stay at a Disney Vacation Club resort and eat our light breakfast in the room, then have one big meal at the parks each day with a snack at night. I can see how the plan would be advantageous for a big family of bigger eaters, but we're just not there yet.

We took our own double stroller when the kids were small (almost 2 and almost 4) and were very glad we did. It was worth it to us to be able to put them in a stroller no matter where we were going, be it to the bus stop, into the parks, back to the bus stop after a long day, or just walking around the Boardwalk. It reclined, they napped in it, and I wouldn't have done it any other way. It allowed us to get everywhere we wanted with minimal hassle and time. Loading and unloading them from the buses was a bit of a pain, but not that big a deal and we definitely were glad we did it.

Now that they're older, we just rent the ones at the parks. We get a length of stay ticket at the beginning of our trip so that we can bypass the long wait lines every morning. Even though they can walk by themselves for long periods of time, they still get tired, and it's nice for them to be able to rest. We still take our own stroller for our baby, and will continue to do this until he isn't napping anymore.

I don't take copious amounts of snacks or water into the parks with me, because I don't really want to haul them around. But I've needed to take things for the baby (purified water, crackers), and I've never had a problem getting them in when they searched my bags.

There are so many rides your baby will be able to ride! Don't worry about this. Also, utilize baby swap when you ride the bigger rides, it rocks!

Have a great trip!

 

[Elmo888]

We are planning on going early 2008 and we have 4 kids.. I have a few questions I'm hoping someone would answer for me

Is it worth it as a family to book at the All star resorts? I'm assuming it won't be cheaper then going outside Disney.

What about the dining package? Is that worth the money? I'm thinking meals are $$ and we would get a good deal.

Did you bring your own stroller? I have a double stroller I am debating on taking. I know you can rent them at WDW but how much are they?? What about getting the the shuttle buses or monorails? Would they have a spot for such a big stroller? Does the WDW strollers recline back for when they nap? Do they have spots under it for diaper bags or backpacks?

Do they search bags at WDW?? Can I bring in snacks and bottled water with no problem?

Also when you go to ride rides what would you do with your stroller and belongings? Would they let babies (like 8 mo old) get on the boat type rides as long as mom/dad holds them??


Thanks so much in advance for answering my questions!! This board is the best!

I am a big fan of staying onsite, so I would stay at the All Star resorts. It just immerses you in the Disney experience. Have you checked out the All Star Music Family Suites?

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1072409

The Disney Dining Plan (DDP) is only a good deal if you plan to eat one table service (TS) meal per day. If you plan on only eating counter service (CS), which is Disney for "fast food", then it isn't worth it. If you decide to go with DDP, choose your restaurants and make your reservations now. I crunched the numbers with 2 adults and 2 children, and, as another poster stated, mainly because of the prices of the children's buffets, it is a good deal.

Bring your own double stroller. There is a lot of walking outside the parks, and the rented strollers stay in the parks. You will be happy to have your stroller instead of carrying your babies from the bus stop to the resort room when everyone is tired.

Yes, they search bags, and yes, you can bring snacks and water.

Park the stroller and take your valuables with you. I had two bags - one small bag that I wore across my body with valuables (camera, cell phone, cc, money, etc.) and one backpack (diapers, wipes, rain ponchos, snacks, etc.) that I hung on the stroller or put in the stroller basket. I left the backpack on the stroller when we went to attractions.

I think that babies can go on any ride without a height restriction. And read about the baby swap...

http://www.allears.net/pl/infant.htm#toosmall

Have a great trip!

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's a picture of the MK double stroller from allearsnet.com

They are made of a firm plastic and don't recline. While they are really good for older toddlers and up, they wound not work for an infant.
Allearsnet has a page about strollers. Here's a link to the DIS site's page about strollers.

You do need to be able to fold your stroller before you get on the bus. After you are on, someone in your party will have to hold it. For the monorail, if there is space, it can stay unfolded, but if it's busy, you may/will be asked to fold it. The doors on the wheelchair accessible monorail cars open wider, so those may be the only monorail cars that an open double stroller will fit in. If you fold it, the stroller will fit in any monorail car. People with wheelchairs don't have that option, so they get precedence over people with strollers.

Here is also a link to the DIS site page of hints for touring with children. It includes a link to the height calculator - if you enter a height of 1 inch, it will give a list of all the height requirements.
This link has information from the DIS site for baby swap. Someone already posted a link to the allearsnet baby swap info, but it's sometimes useful to compare the same info from different places.

You also want to have something to carry the baby (sling or something) since strollers are not allowed in most lines or attractions.

 

[disneynewbee]

I have 3 kids and am expecting my 4th we will be making our first trip with #4 in 2008 when the baby is 4 months old.

Is it worth it as a family to book at the All star resorts? Since you will need 2 rooms it probably won't be cheaper but if you can get the discount rates it should be about the same price. My dh will not entertain the idea of staying off site because he feels like staying at a Disney hotel is part of the experience.
What about the dining package? Is that worth the money? If your kids are all young enough to qualify for the kid price I would say it is worth it if you want to experience the character meals. In my case my oldest dd is an adult in Disneys eyes and it makes it not worth it for us since she eats very little.
Did you bring your own stroller? we bring our own double stroller and we use the buses. You have to fold it up on the buses so it is a little inconvenient but we have to have our stroller. Ours is a combi side by side so it folds very compact I wouldn't want to take a bigger double on the buses since there is not alot of space to put it. Dh would sit ours under the seat or hold it strait up between his legs, not all doubles fold so compact though. I don't know how much the rental ones are but I am pretty sure they do not recline so they probably won't work if you have a real young child. Also remember that if you have more than one little one and they are tired it can be a long walk back to your room at night from the bus without a stroller, that is one reason I like to have my own.
Do they search bags at WDW?? they do, but I've never seeen them give a parent with little children a problem with water and small snacks
Also when you go to ride rides what would you do with your stroller and belongings? There is stroller parking almost everywhere we would park the stroller and leave it. We would carry anything of value onto the ride and leave the rest in the stroller. Would they let babies (like 8 mo old) get on the boat type rides as long as mom/dad holds them?? yes babies can get on lots of rides at disney.

 

[Rylee]

We are planning on going early 2008 and we have 4 kids.. I have a few questions I'm hoping someone would answer for me

Is it worth it as a family to book at the All star resorts? I'm assuming it won't be cheaper then going outside Disney.

What about the dining package? Is that worth the money? I'm thinking meals are $$ and we would get a good deal.

Did you bring your own stroller? I have a double stroller I am debating on taking. I know you can rent them at WDW but how much are they?? What about getting the the shuttle buses or monorails? Would they have a spot for such a big stroller? Does the WDW strollers recline back for when they nap? Do they have spots under it for diaper bags or backpacks?



Do they search bags at WDW?? Can I bring in snacks and bottled water with no problem?

Also when you go to ride rides what would you do with your stroller and belongings? Would they let babies (like 8 mo old) get on the boat type rides as long as mom/dad holds them??


Thanks so much in advance for answering my questions!! This board is the best!

Is it worth it as a family to book at the All star resorts? I'm assuming it won't be cheaper then going outside Disney.

It is absolutely worth it, IMO.

• The convenience is worth it alone. You can easily go back to the resort in the afternoons for a break, nap time or a swim.
• You won't have the expense of renting a car or paying for parking at the theme parks.
• Plus, you get to escape the reality of the outside world and be surrounded by Disney magic.
• You can take advantage of the extra parks hours, too.
• You are able to book a package including the Dining Plan.
• If needed or desired, you can easily split up for a couple of hours... if the little ones are tired, Mom can hang at the hotel, while Dad takes the 2 older kids to see some attractions.

Watch for discount codes or try AAA.

What about the dining package? Is that worth the money? I'm thinking meals are $$ and we would get a good deal.

We like the dining Plan (DP) and with the ages of your children, I think it would definitely be worth it for your family. Go to the allears site and read a few menus and check prices. The DP would cost your family about $96 X the number of nights you are staying. If you choose to use it, be sure and schedule advance dining reservations (ADR) well in advance. Even if you choose not to do the dining plan, but want to eat at Table Service (TS) restaurants a few times while at Disney, you should make ADR's.

Did you bring your own stroller?

When my children were younger we would bring a stroller AND rent one at times. (You will want your stroller at the resort.) My husband always takes care of the stroller rental, so I don't know the details, but you can rent one for X amount of days, (I think they give you a receipt to show) and this eliminates the need to stand in line each time and also, I believe there is a slight discount on the price when renting and paying all at once -vs- renting separately each day. If you visit more than one park per day, you don't need to pay again, just show your receipt. If you rent a Disney stroller, bring something to tie on the stroller (like a bright red ribbon) and you'll be able to spot "yours" easily. I think with an 8 month old, you'll probably want your own stroller, but I'm not sure a double stroller will be easy to manipulate on the buses (or trams used in parking lots, if driving your own car). Perhaps you could bring a light-weight, single stroller from home for the baby and rent a single stroller in the parks for your 2 year old.

 

[powellrj]

I am going to be different!

Staying at the all-stars.... It depends on how you travel. If you plan on spending most of your trip in the parks and will not have a car, hands down stay on-site. If you already have a car or know you will be renting one anyway and like to hang out, swim and have down time, you would be better off renting a house or a condo. They tend to be cheaper and you get your own pool, washer and dryer and kitchen plus several bedrooms. If you are thinking about off-site check out the Orlando board. They have lots of great options of off-site. We do both depending on what kind of a vacation we want. The all-stars are pretty basic but if a room and free transportation is what you want, they are perfect!

Dining plan. With the ages of your kids, you can't go wrong. Its around $11 0r $12 a day and thats the cost of one character breakfast. If you plan on eating at least one table service meal a day with your kids, its already paid for itself because you also get a counter service meal and a snack! Its when the kids turn 10 and are now considered adults that it gets expensive!

I don't know about strollers because we never used them.

Bringing food in isn't a problem. They allow small soft sided coolers that you can store in the lockers. Just make sure you don't bring in glass or alcohol and you will be fine.

 

[kerry34]

I have never stayed at All stars but I have stayed at the Polynesian. We have five kids. I loved staying there but I am also fine with staying offsite. You really need to weigh both pros and cons of both to make a decision. The nice thing with staying onsite is obviously the dining plan (if your kids are big eaters it is a great deal) because it takes the worry out of meals. The transportation is nice also. If you are not planning on renting a car then the choice is obvious. There is also the "magic" factor. Some people feel there is more magic staying onsite rather than off. We stayed offsite in a pool home in windsor hills for our last trip. My kids said they enjoyed it as much as staying onsite and in some ways more. The pros of renting a home are much more room, your own kitchen, your own pool, and more privacy. Also having 4 bathrooms was great because it made getting ready to go very easy in the morning. IMO there are pros and cons to each and you really have to look at what are the most important things for your family. Good luck in whatever you decide....it is disney so you will have a ball either way!!