First time to Disney- family of 7- advice needed

[mymadori1]

So I don't even know whether this is the right area to post this in, but I came upon this forum while researching various Disney World stuff. I am 36, and have never been to Disney World. Myself and my husband (age 42) are taking our five children as a surprise (we're telling them on Christmas) to Disney World January 8-12th. I am desperate for advice.

We have already paid for the flights and hotel, so what I really need advice on is what we need to do/not do with kids of this age and what our food options should be.

Here's the toughest part. My kids are from youngest to oldest 1 year old boy, 5 yo girl, 11 yo girl, 16 yo girl and 19 yo boy! I am trying to decide how best to fill our days while there, while being cost effective.

I believe the Harry Potter ride at Universal may be something we can't skip (my 16 year old daughter is a HUGE Harry Potter fan)...and WDW as well...

I am concerned about the best way to make sure all of the kids have fun.

Advice? I will happily take any and all advice you have.

 

[kreckl]

Where are you staying?
What do they like to do? Water parks? Adventurous rides? Shows?
There's a lot to learn but it's all good!

 

[metz72]

You have a little time between telling them and the trip so this might work for you. For our trips we have each person pick the one attraction they can't miss, the one restaurant they want to eat at and the one character they want to see. You could adjust it to be just one or two of those or pick different ones but this way everyone is guaranteed of something they want to do. Course we enjoy everyone's choices too

 

[mymadori1]

We are staying at the World Quest Resort in a 3 bedroom condo/apartment.

They do love water parks, but I didn't know if January would work for a Water Park in Florida. I live in Colorado and it certainly doesn't work here. ha!

I don't really know whether they like shows or not, because I can't think of one they've ever been to.

Having a large family, vacations have always been cost prohibitive, so most of our vacations have been camping, here local in Colorado, and once to Cancun. The beach is the only thing I've ever found that kids of all ages enjoyed.

I guess my biggest concern is how do you handle it there with little ones and older ones? Do you just let the older ones run off and meet them somewhere? Do the parents trade off hanging out with the older kids and the younger ones? Are the adult rides really far away from the kid ones? Sigh. I booked the vacation when I got a killer deal on the flights and the hotel, but now I am thinking I should have booked 4 more days than I did!

 

[mymadori1]

You have a little time between telling them and the trip so this might work for you. For our trips we have each person pick the one attraction they can't miss, the one restaurant they want to eat at and the one character they want to see. You could adjust it to be just one or two of those or pick different ones but this way everyone is guaranteed of something they want to do. Course we enjoy everyone's choices too

I like that idea- should work for at least the older ones.

 

[ChitownFamily]

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I believe the Harry Potter ride at Universal may be something we can't skip (my 16 year old daughter is a HUGE Harry Potter fan)...and WDW as well...



Advice? I will happily take any and all advice you have.

hi & welcome! Just making sure you know that Universal Studios is actually 2 separate theme parks & the Harry Potter Attractions are located in both parks. If you want to do both, you will need a park to park ticket. If you stay just in universal, you will be able to visit the newest attraction (diagon alley) You are not able to ride the hogwarts express train without a park to park ticket. (just an FYI) Hope this helps your planning!!

ETA: are you open to the idea of one parent taking the 2 younger kids for the day while the older 3 & a parent goes to universal? Universal is more of a thrill ride park & depending on your 5 year old- you might find it a waste of a ticket.the two littles could have a very nice relaxing day at the resort etc. great way to prevent burnout

 

[pooh4evr]

Are the 8th and 12th travel days? If so having 3 full days and 2 half days really limits some things. I know it is tempting to do both Universal and WDW but with a short trip I would stick with just 1. It is also more expensive to have to buy tickets to separate places. - I am assuming you know that Universal (harry potter) is a completely separate place from WDW. I think you need to decide one or the other- Disney World, or Universal. If you are set on doing both I would do 2 days at each (2 universal, and your 2 Disney days at Magic Kingdom) there is just too much to do in 5 days to fit in both. Fitting the 4 Disney parks into 5 days is tough enough. If you just do Disney- for your first day if it is a travel day go to Animal Kingdom or Studios, for you full days go to Magic kingdom and EPCOT, and if your last day (12th) finish with which ever park you have not done (HS, or AK) before going home.

 

[MandiC]

I agree with ChiTownFamily, it might be a good idea for one parent to go with the older ones to Universal and the other parent do a more kid-friendly park with the little ones. You could make it a rest/resort day with the little ones but with only 4 days I'd be more likely to do a park day myself. I know our next Disney trip will likely include my husband taking my older daughter, and possibly older son (depending on his height and interest at the time ) to Universal while my and the other kids do a day at a Disney park (I'm not that interested in Universal myself, second daughter has no interest in thrill rides).
I'd say most of Disney you can enjoy as a whole family and personally I'd try to do just that. Obviously there will be rides the little ones can't get on but you can do child swap.

 

[MandiC]

BTW- if you have one interested in Harry Potter she might also love the Sorcerer's game in Magic Kingdom. You get cards in a shop on Main Street and get to play the game throughout the park.

 

[mymadori1]

Thanks everyone, for the replies!

We get there Thursday really late evening, so Thursday is a waste. We have all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then monday we leave at 8:30 pm...so we have most of the day Monday too.

I am really wishing I would have made the trip longer in retrospect, but alas, I called the stupid airline and they want to charge a $75 change fee for every single ticket- and with six of us that's REALLY cost prohibitive.

My 5 year old is actually quite brave, and very tall for her age so maaaybe Universal wouldn't be a waste.

So can I really fit WDW and Epcot into one day?

Or should we do a two day WDW/Epcot/Animal Kingdom and a two day Universal with park hopper?

How long of a day do most of you spend at WDW? 8-10 hours?

 

[metz72]

I assume that by WDW you mean Magic Kingdom. While you can certainly go to both Epcot and Magic Kingdom in one day you won't be able to experience but a fraction of either in a 8 to 10 hour day. We have been at MK probably 8 full days over our trips and there are still things we haven't seen.

What other theme parks have you done before? We can maybe help give you some perspective on what the Disney/universal parks are like.

 

[mymadori1]

The only other amusement parks we've been to is Six Flags Elitch Gardens here in Denver and Knotts Berry Farm in California.

Are the Universal Parks each deserving of a whole day? Or would it be better to do two days at Magic Kingdom (Friday & Sunday), 1 at Epcot (Monday) and 1 at Universal with a park hopper to get to both (Saturday).

I double checked my reservations and our flight leaves at 9:30.

I don't know how early we need to get back to the airport for our flight (advice there would be appreciated too, because here in Denver, the airport is CRAZY and so we get there like 2 and a half hours early)...or how long it takes to get back to the airport.

 

[Bamagirl43]

This is what I would do:

MK - One full day plus the Monday partial day
EP- One full day
Universal - One full Day

I don't think I would even try for Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

This is a very busy schedule. Don't forget to breathe, look around and enjoy the magic. I would let the two older kids have some free time on their own, but enjoy shows, parades and meals together as well as some attractions.

 

[metz72]

I haven't been to Universal but the Six Flags by is like a county fair compared to the Magic Kingdom. Two days is good for the Magic Kingdom in my opinion and Epcot one. I cant weigh in on how many you need for Universal but if you need two for that I personally would give up the Epcot day for two at Universal.

That being said the first time we went to Magic Kingdom it was an unexpected surprise. We found out when we were down their that one of our friends daughters was working at Disney for the summer. She took us on her passes for just one day. We didn't see probably but 1/3 of the attractions and did the electric parade and Wishes and it was a truly magical day for us. Whatever you decide to do it will be good so don't stress too much about it.

 

[North of Mouse]

The only other amusement parks we've been to is Six Flags Elitch Gardens here in Denver and Knotts Berry Farm in California.

Are the Universal Parks each deserving of a whole day? Or would it be better to do two days at Magic Kingdom (Friday & Sunday), 1 at Epcot (Monday) and 1 at Universal with a park hopper to get to both (Saturday).

I double checked my reservations and our flight leaves at 9:30.

I don't know how early we need to get back to the airport for our flight (advice there would be appreciated too, because here in Denver, the airport is CRAZY and so we get there like 2 and a half hours early)...or how long it takes to get back to the airport.

You will just need to start planning another trip now!! There is 'no' way to fit everything you want to do in that short of a stay. It would be better to choose either WDW 'or' Universal - not both. You will just come away very frustrated and running yourself to death if you try to do both. Even 3 1/2 days at Disney is not near enough time, and if the weather is uncooperative it will be worse.

Guess you don't realize how large the parks are - the parks you mentioned are not anywhere as large as Disney parks.

Hope y'all do enjoy yourselves though, and see enough to be satisfied with your trip.

Not sure how far the airport is from where your are staying - assume you would be going straight to the airport from your designated park, but I would allow at least 2 hours (or more) to be safe - never know about traffic.

 

[mymadori1]

The only other amusement parks we've been to is Six Flags Elitch Gardens here in Denver and Knotts Berry Farm in California.

Are the Universal Parks each deserving of a whole day? Or would it be better to do two days at Magic Kingdom (Friday & Sunday), 1 at Epcot (Monday) and 1 at Universal with a park hopper to get to both (Saturday).

I double checked my reservations and our flight leaves at 9:30.

I don't know how early we need to get back to the airport for our flight (advice there would be appreciated too, because here in Denver, the airport is CRAZY and so we get there like 2 and a half hours early)...or how long it takes to get back to the airport.

 

[ryansstitch]

The only other amusement parks we've been to is Six Flags Elitch Gardens here in Denver and Knotts Berry Farm in California. Are the Universal Parks each deserving of a whole day? Or would it be better to do two days at Magic Kingdom (Friday & Sunday), 1 at Epcot (Monday) and 1 at Universal with a park hopper to get to both (Saturday). I double checked my reservations and our flight leaves at 9:30. I don't know how early we need to get back to the airport for our flight (advice there would be appreciated too, because here in Denver, the airport is CRAZY and so we get there like 2 and a half hours early)...or how long it takes to get back to the airport.

I didn't read all the prior posts, as I should have put myself to bed already! Universal parks are definitely both worth 2 days. I would not leave the small children out of universal, They have been my brothers favorite since he was about 2. It is more thrill ride centered, but there are preschool friendly areas like Seuss' landing and the cartoon themed area I can't recall the name of. We have traveled many times with kids of all ages and no one winds up bored. Even some of the more "kiddie" rides at wdw will likely still interest your older children. They've never seen them before, the rides genuinely are fun, and the shows are all quite good as well. I suspect that your kids will enjoy them. As someone else posted, you won't be able to see everything in 4 days. In fact, you would need at least twice that to see most of the parks. After 13 trips, there are still things I havent done yet. I can't help with airport info as I've only flown down twice. But a great place to start reviewing attractions in order to prioritize what you all want to do is to find each parks' map online, then search for a little info about eachs. At the disney parks, don't forget there are parades. If your family are parade watchers be aware that these can require a significant time investment too. My husband is NOT a parade watcher but does like to catch a few minutes of parades at wdw. Check out a few podcasts. 3 moms and the mouse or wdw today spring to minds good for planning with families. Good luck!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

This is what I would do:

MK - One full day plus the Monday partial day
EP- One full day
Universal - One full Day

I don't think I would even try for Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

This is a very busy schedule. Don't forget to breathe, look around and enjoy the magic. I would let the two older kids have some free time on their own, but enjoy shows, parades and meals together as well as some attractions.

I agree the above suggestion is probably your best option. You have limited time, even if you just stayed in WDW, but considering you want to go to Universal as well, you really don't want to over-extend yourself.

When you do go to Universal, focus on the Harry Potter areas (as mentioned by PP, you need a park hopper ticket to ride the Hogwart's Express). You should be able to see HP in one day, then pick some favourite attractions for the rest of your family. I would consider splitting up, take the older kids to the big roller coasters and take your youngest to Suess Landing.

For your Magic Kingdom/Epcot days, study the maps and have everyone pick one attraction they want to experience. That will help you get the most out of a short time. It kind of sounds like these parks are much bigger than you expected. I have spent 6 days at Universal and 30 days at WDW over 4 trips, and still have not seen/done everything!

I regard to your airport question, if you drive from World Quest Resort to Orlando airport, your are about half an hour away, if you take the toll road and don't get any bad traffic. I've never been at the airport late at night (always leave early afternoon) but I have never found it too busy. I do arrive 2 hours prior, but I like having plenty of extra time. You could probably get there 90 minutes before and be OK.

 

[pooh4evr]

It sounds like maybe you are confused- WDW is 4 theme parks 2 water parks and more. The theme parks are Magic Kingdom (castle) EPCOT (big ball) Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. The entirety of the Disney World property area is larger than Manhattan. Each park is HUGE, Six Flags does not compare at all.
Universal Studios is a separate place entirely- and about 15 minute (at least) from the Disney area.
If you want to do both parks you will want at least a 2 day ticket for Disney, and then another separate 2 day ticket for Universal. Trying to fit in more than 1 Disney park in 2 days is alot. If Universal is a must- 2 days at Magic Kingdom, and 2 days at Universal.

We usually do 8-10 days trips because of the size and amount of things to do.

When staying at a Disney hotel, the Magical Express picks you up 3 hours before your flight, I would leave your condo probably about then too. Security lines can be very long.

 

[LovesTimone]

So I don't even know whether this is the right area to post this in, but I came upon this forum while researching various Disney World stuff. I am 36, and have never been to Disney World. Myself and my husband (age 42) are taking our five children as a surprise (we're telling them on Christmas) to Disney World January 8-12th. I am desperate for advice.

We have already paid for the flights and hotel, so what I really need advice on is what we need to do/not do with kids of this age and what our food options should be.

Here's the toughest part. My kids are from youngest to oldest 1 year old boy, 5 yo girl, 11 yo girl, 16 yo girl and 19 yo boy! I am trying to decide how best to fill our days while there, while being cost effective.

I believe the Harry Potter ride at Universal may be something we can't skip (my 16 year old daughter is a HUGE Harry Potter fan)...and WDW as well...

I am concerned about the best way to make sure all of the kids have fun.

Advice? I will happily take any and all advice you have.

For your first trip I would re-think trying to hit both major parks - WDW ( Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studio and Animal Kingdom) -vs - Universal - Universal Studios & Island of Adventure - In this amount of time or if you are thinking about adding extra days, I would get on the phone and find out if possible.

Each of parks offers a lot and honestly you would not be able to make a dent in either one.

I would concentrate on only one, just the logistic of all that moving around and driving around would make me . I live in Orlando, make sure to bring your GPS or use waze on your phone for good directions. Everything is well marked, if you miss your turn or exit, there is another one right down the road,

For a 1st trip I would try to keep the family together, so that you can see everyone's reactions. For me that's what its all about... Those family moments.

There is rider swap so that both mom and dad can ride with the kids, and not miss out. This is something that we used a lot when our DD's were little and it worked out great.

I would have breakfast at the resort, lunch in the parks, and maybe a special dinner one night (character meal) and have dinner off site, Orlando has lots of great food choices.

For grocery items, you can order from Garden Grocer and they will deliver to your resort, Make sure to have plenty of sunscreen, and keep hydrated, lots of water, and snacks that will hold up, nothing that is going to melt.

On a personal note, I would stick with WDW, with the ages of your kiddos for the whole trip. Your kids are going to be so excited about the Christmas surprise, kids will surprise you with being happy for the chance to go. WDW has the best parades and fireworks