First time to Disney- family of 7- advice needed

[mymadori1]

Well, y'all convinced me. I called Frontier and begged, pleaded and whined....escalated up two levels...and got the change fees cut in half.

My new schedule is 6 days/nights- Thursday night to Wednesday night.

Hopefully that makes this whole trip more do-able.

So now...

2 days at MK
1 day at Epcott
2 days at Universal and 1 day where....?

I've been trying to do as much research as possible. I have heard of a MagicBand, but don't know how/why to get one.

That Garden Grocer sounds like a FABULOUS idea! With a family of our size, and a trip of 6 full days, there's just no way we can afford to eat out every meal. The resort we're staying at has a free continental breakfast, so thank goodness for that. And of course, the last thing I want to do on vacation is grocery shop.

Is it reasonable to go to MK after breakfast, stay until lunch, then go back to the resort for lunch, then return to MK until dinnertime? I don't know how much of a nightmare parking is and whether it's worth that?

 

[ryansstitch]

Well, y'all convinced me. I called Frontier and begged, pleaded and whined....escalated up two levels...and got the change fees cut in half. My new schedule is 6 days/nights- Thursday night to Wednesday night. Hopefully that makes this whole trip more do-able. So now... 2 days at MK 1 day at Epcott 2 days at Universal and 1 day where....? I've been trying to do as much research as possible. I have heard of a MagicBand, but don't know how/why to get one. That Garden Grocer sounds like a FABULOUS idea! With a family of our size, and a trip of 6 full days, there's just no way we can afford to eat out every meal. The resort we're staying at has a free continental breakfast, so thank goodness for that. And of course, the last thing I want to do on vacation is grocery shop. Is it reasonable to go to MK after breakfast, stay until lunch, then go back to the resort for lunch, then return to MK until dinnertime? I don't know how much of a nightmare parking is and whether it's worth that?

Glad you were able to get more time. One suggestion though, if your children are more action oriented, ie bored very easily when not actively engaged, with such a short visit, skip Epcot and try Hollywood studios instead. Tbh, epcot is great, but as far as the quantity of attractions kids love, it comes up short in comparison. If you can fit both epcot and Hollywood studios, maybe. With your spare day, I'd try animal kingdom, and if you finish early, hop to epcot for a late afternoon/dinner visit. Just mho!

 

[ryansstitch]

Well, y'all convinced me. I called Frontier and begged, pleaded and whined....escalated up two levels...and got the change fees cut in half. My new schedule is 6 days/nights- Thursday night to Wednesday night. Hopefully that makes this whole trip more do-able. So now... 2 days at MK 1 day at Epcott 2 days at Universal and 1 day where....? I've been trying to do as much research as possible. I have heard of a MagicBand, but don't know how/why to get one. That Garden Grocer sounds like a FABULOUS idea! With a family of our size, and a trip of 6 full days, there's just no way we can afford to eat out every meal. The resort we're staying at has a free continental breakfast, so thank goodness for that. And of course, the last thing I want to do on vacation is grocery shop. Is it reasonable to go to MK after breakfast, stay until lunch, then go back to the resort for lunch, then return to MK until dinnertime? I don't know how much of a nightmare parking is and whether it's worth that?

Another thing, not sure what your family's priorities are for budget, but if I recall Garden grocer is a great service, but definitely pricier than the local grocery stores. And there are lots in the area, including publix, aldi, and I believe a piggly wiggly and Kroger. I imagine with 7 kids , the added expense of convenience can really add up. However, if you all really, really don't want to grocery shop, it may be worthwhile for you. Aldi has been a budget saver for us, and we're just 2 adults and a baby who barely eats solids! Great for inexpensive snacks and granola bars while on vacation.

 

[cuteepi2003]

Our children are 16, 6, & 4. We have never ran into the problem of entertaining all of them. They are SO amazed in Disney World!

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

For keeping track, try pairing buddy's. Have a younger with a younger and two middles. This will help with extra eyes, and the middles will be interest related. In exchange for the trip, the rule is do interest related things in pairs. Parents and older kids will split the needs of the little ones, rider swap and even one dress while the other prepares a meal, pack lunch help organize dinner.

As parents we don't have to give our kids the works, we can help them best by sharing responsibility to have a nice time, share needs and accountability to each person have a nice time as a whole, no selfish request, or it's the last trip.

Reward the helpfulness with whatever works for you. Maybe cash, maybe their choice in eating, or gift cards.
Everyone is responsible for the rest having a nice time as can be and no downers.

Downers do happen, but easier to get through when there is accountability.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

I've been trying to do as much research as possible. I have heard of a MagicBand, but don't know how/why to get one.

Is it reasonable to go to MK after breakfast, stay until lunch, then go back to the resort for lunch, then return to MK until dinnertime? I don't know how much of a nightmare parking is and whether it's worth that?

A MagicBand is a wristband you can wear. You can use it for park entry (if linked to your ticket), Disney resort guests can charge merchandise/food to the band (room charge) and you can also scan your PhotoPass photos to it (you may want to check into Memory Maker if you would like to pre-pay for photos). As an off-site guest, you have to pay for each band. I believe they are $12.95, so it may be too costly for a large family. The bands really don't provide that much convenience for an off-site guest. It just means you have to carry your park tickets, PhotoPass card, and wallet, if you don't have a MagicBand. You would buy them in WDW at one of the merchandise locations and your tickets would be linked to it when you buy (or in DTD if you want to buy them before you get to the park).

Your second question about going back to your resort for lunch - I personally would not do it because you are taking a lot of time out of your day to do it, since you are using an off site resort. The parking lot is actually very organized, but there is a time commitment to do it. You need to get the boat/monorail back to the TTC, take a tram back to your car, then drive back to your resort. I expect you need at least an hour just to do that. If you do leave for lunch, make sure you keep your parking receipt so you don't have to pay a second time that day.

 

[pooh4evr]

Since you will be going in January I would not leave the parks, the operating hours are shortened already and taking 3 or more hours out in the middle of the day really cuts down your touring time.

Eat at the hotel in the morning, take snacks for lunch then have a decent dinner back at the hotel or a restaurant

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I think it may be a good idea for you to get a guidebook. There is sooooo much to a Disney/Central Florida vacation. I think Passporter is a good one for newbies. The Unofficial Guide is like the Disney Bible, but it's so dense that it can be overwhelming.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I think it may be a good idea for you to get a guidebook. There is sooooo much to a Disney/Central Florida vacation. I think Passporter is a good one for newbies. The Unofficial Guide is like the Disney Bible, but it's so dense that it can be overwhelming.

I absolutely agree. OP sounds pretty confused; getting a good guide book and reading it cover to cover will be very helpful.

 

[Raenstoirm]

W 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!

First there are no "kiddie" rides in WDW and only a handful of rides the whole family can't enjoy (IE the 1 year old can't go on). Off the top of my head, there are 4 at Animal Kingdom, 4 at Epcot, 6 at Magic, and 3 at hollywood. Baby can go on everything else and there is nothing that the adults can't go on. My husband and I are expecting twins and have gone to WDW twice a year for years just adults. We even honeymooned there and have ridden just about everything tons of times. Universal is more what you think of in terms of kiddie rides vs adult rides.

Is it reasonable to go to MK after breakfast, stay until lunch, then go back to the resort for lunch, then return to MK until dinnertime? I don't know how much of a nightmare parking is and whether it's worth that?

No, not at all. Well unless you want to give up 3-4 hours in the middle of the day. WDW is the size of manhattan (actually a bit bigger I think). This is not a normal amusement park. Going back the resort would be a total waste unless you plan on staying out till midnight and getting to the parks at rope drop (8 or 9 am).


Not to put a damper on your trip, but you picked a bit of a tough weekend to go. It is marathon weekend so roads will be closed and parts of the parks will be off limits at times and there will be many more people than are normal there in January. I have always avoided WDW like the plague during race weekends, so I can't comment on the specifics of what you need to take into account. The events go from the 7th-11th. I would spend the weekend at Universal just to avoid the craziness at WDW personally.

I also have to advise you buy a guide book. Disney is not what you expect and you are going to be a bit shell shocked if you don't know what you are getting into. It is not uncommon to walk 10 miles in a day. One trip we had a 16 mile day! I wear a pedometer so that is not an estimate. Last trip I was pregnant (with twins no less) and slow and needed a lot of breaks and we averaged 8 miles a day despite that.

 

[tzolkin]

Are you really set on doing universal?

I am just thinking from a cost perspective that will add a huge amount to your trip. Once you get past a 3/4 day ticket for Disney, each additional day only costs an extra $10. A one day park-to-park ticket for Universal is $136.

So, for your family of 6 doing one day at Universal will cost over $800 vs. $60 to do a day at Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios at Disney.

If you are set on Universal (which I can understand coming from such a distance you want to do as much as possible), you will just have to look for other ways to save money.


Food is a good place. My family usually brings a backpack full of snacks (yes, many people don't realize that Disney allows outside food) each day and then just purchases one meal per person in the parks. Also, we only drink water while in the parks (free!). We have other drinks back at the hotel, but don't like carrying drinks and good all day.

I would definitely suggest that it would be worth it to make a quick grocery run. Perhaps one adult could go on arrival night while the other is getting the family settled into the hotel?


As for kid vs. grown-up rides, almost everything appeals to all ages. I have one child who is significantly older (now a HS junior) than my younger two and we usually always all stay together all day. She actually used to say that she was glad to have them along because they gave her an excuse to do all of the "little kid" things that she really loved.

I second the suggestion to let everyone pick out their "must dos". Before our first trip we went though each park map (online or you can get the free customized ones, but you will probably have to order now to get them in time). Each person picked one thing that they really wanted to do in each park (we made sure we all picked something different). That will also help with the age spread you have because no one can complain that you are doing all of one type of attraction. Hit everyone's top attractions and everyone is happy. Whatever else you do beyond your list is a bonus.

I know the planning on this site can seem overwhelming, but you will have a great trip. Yes, having a plan and being prepared will make it run more smoothly, but there is no way to follow ALL of the advise without stressing that your trip will be a disaster. Take time to enjoy the moments, allow yourself to be flexible, and it will be wonderful.

 

[LovesTimone]

Well, y'all convinced me. I called Frontier and begged, pleaded and whined....escalated up two levels...and got the change fees cut in half.

My new schedule is 6 days/nights- Thursday night to Wednesday night.

Hopefully that makes this whole trip more do-able.

So now...

2 days at MK
1 day at Epcott
2 days at Universal and 1 day where....? - If you are budgeting I would cut this out and put the money into more days at WDW, and do park hopper, and a special meal. As someone stated you are going to be spending over 800.00 dollars for 1 day park to park, not sure what the added cost will be for a 2 day.

I've been trying to do as much research as possible. I have heard of a MagicBand, but don't know how/why to get one.

That Garden Grocer sounds like a FABULOUS idea! With a family of our size, and a trip of 6 full days, there's just no way we can afford to eat out every meal. The resort we're staying at has a free continental breakfast, so thank goodness for that. And of course, the last thing I want to do on vacation is grocery shop. - When you say Continental breakfast, make sure you know what is on that breakfast offering, it might just be some bagels, Danish, juice and coffee, Which will not stay with you very long, and so you really want to eat the same thing every morning. There are lots of cheap breakfast places, Golden Corral is cheap, and while basic, you should be able to fill up so that you can go for a while.


Is it reasonable to go to MK after breakfast, stay until lunch, then go back to the resort for lunch, then return to MK until dinnertime?[/COLOR]QUOTE]January no I would not do this the park hours are cut down quite a bit, and as you are staying off site you don't have extra magic hours.

I don't know how much of a nightmare parking is and whether it's worth that? Driving time ... parking alone will take up time, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes based on where you park, riding the tram, then getting into the transportation station, and either riding the monorail or steamboat over to the park, then going through security. So is not a short process to get into the parks.

Here are some other suggestions,

Breakfast - Cereal / milk, instant oatmeal, pop tarts, on the go - some granola bar, cereal bars, breakfast cookies.

Lunch- Most QS ( Quick Serve) restaurants do have plenty of offerings that you can share for instance DH and I have share a chicken finger basket, and it was more than enough for lunch. I would check out the menus here and over on all ears for current menus and pricing.

Dinner - I would plan for one special meal, a character buffet, maybe go later around 3 so that you still get the lunch price, for a 1st trip I would consider this a must do. Then the rest off site. Panera, Sweet tomatoes( there are coupon all the time for this like 25.00 dollars for 4 so for your family 50.00 for buffet that is healthy and good would be a great value), Pizza, you also could order to go from somewhere like Olive Garden, get a pan of spaghetti and meatballs ( make sure to get extra sauce) salad and bread sticks come with it and it would be more than enough for your family.

Snacks - Bring along - apples, granola bars, hard candy, micro wave pop corn and stuff to make PB & J in the room.

 

[mymadori1]

First there are no "kiddie" rides in WDW and only a handful of rides the whole family can't enjoy (IE the 1 year old can't go on). Off the top of my head, there are 4 at Animal Kingdom, 4 at Epcot, 6 at Magic, and 3 at hollywood. Baby can go on everything else and there is nothing that the adults can't go on. My husband and I are expecting twins and have gone to WDW twice a year for years just adults. We even honeymooned there and have ridden just about everything tons of times. Universal is more what you think of in terms of kiddie rides vs adult rides.

Not to put a damper on your trip, but you picked a bit of a tough weekend to go. It is marathon weekend so roads will be closed and parts of the parks will be off limits at times and there will be many more people than are normal there in January. I have always avoided WDW like the plague during race weekends, so I can't comment on the specifics of what you need to take into account. The events go from the 7th-11th. I would spend the weekend at Universal just to avoid the craziness at WDW personally.

For the first paragraph...YAY! It makes me very happy to think that the family may actually WANT to stay together rather than the older kids complaining about having to hang out in kiddie land.

For the second paragraph...BOO and SERIOUSLY!? The one thing I knew before I planned this trip was that i needed to pick a good time to go. I went to not one, not two but at least FOUR different websites with crowd calendars and this week was shown as a very very slow week on all of them? I cannot tell you just how disappointed it makes me to hear that I picked a terrible week for crowds. It was the one thing I felt fairly confident I'd gotten right. :-(

 

[mini22]

I would not worry about the marathon.We were there last week during a marathon and had no idea it was going on until the day after when we happened to overheard a conversation about it. If you are concerned find out which park is involved and choose another park for that day. I can't speak about traffic as we stayed onsite and used Disney transportation and had no issues with it.I also strongly suggest NOT leaving the park for lunch. It is a huge time killer! As someone mentioned, Disney does allow you to bring food into the parks.I have seen many people do it. Don't worry when security is checking your bags as they are not checking for food. Just don't take anything in glass containers or liquor.Only you can decide if it is worth the extra to go to Universal and Disney World. It definitely would be cheaper to just do Disney. Price it out and decide for yourself. You can easily find out ticket prices online. Do as much research as you can.The more prepared you are the more you will enjoy your trip.

 

[Raenstoirm]

For the second paragraph...BOO and SERIOUSLY!? The one thing I knew before I planned this trip was that i needed to pick a good time to go. I went to not one, not two but at least FOUR different websites with crowd calendars and this week was shown as a very very slow week on all of them? I cannot tell you just how disappointed it makes me to hear that I picked a terrible week for crowds. It was the one thing I felt fairly confident I'd gotten right. :-(

Disney has special events to draw crowds all year round, so don't feel like you made a huge mistake. I think your only issue will be the actual marathon day. If you stick to MK or AK that day, based on the maps, you should be fine since the race starts at the crack of dawn and runs through those parks first. By the time you get there, all the race stuff should be gone. Road closures might be your only issue. Here is the dis write-up about the race and the maps. The marathon map actually gives you a good idea about the size of WDW.

Marathon weekend

And here is the official site
Run Disney

 

[mymadori1]

Thank you everyone for putting me at ease. I had planned to be at Universal Saturday anyway, but was hoping for Epcot or Hollywood Studios on Sunday. It sounds like if I go a bit later, I should be fine. Seeing as though it's a marathon and the website says it starts at 5:30 a.m., I would expect it would be wrapping up by maybe 11 am Maybe that's just a day we hang out at the resort a bit later.

Sigh. I usually am a great planner. Heck it's what I do for a living (I'm a Program Manager for a large telecom company)... but man. This is intense.

I am trying not to go nuts on cost, but in all honesty, we're not really strapped or anything. I just don't want to be stupid about it. I don't think we'll skip Universal just because I know my older kids will really love it- especially the Harry Potter stuff.

So far, I think I'm doing okay. For the Round Trip flights for 7 from Denver, mini van rental for a week, 6 night stay at Worldquest (3 bedroom 2 bath condo), 4 day Disney tickets, memory maker and magic bands(I ordered from disney store because I really wanted them)...I am up to $4950.

I need to add in another $1,050... So that'll put me at $6k all in for a family of 7...plus food and souvenirs.

That said, I'm telling most of my family to give them money for Christmas so they can buy their own souvenirs, since the trip is exactly 2 weeks after Christmas.

I am getting so excited! Not so much for the trip itself, but for exactly 5 weeks from now...on Christmas Day...where I get to surprise them and tell them we're going. It's going to be AWESOME.

I even have to call the bosses at both my daughter (16) and my son's (19) work to clue them into our trip and get their time off approved without my kids knowing. I so should have went before they were old enough to both be working.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Right outside of the tollbooth for parking at magic kingdom is a Hess gas station that has a nice café. You can get hotdogs 2 for $1. made to order subs. Pizza by the slice or a whole pizza for as little as $9. they are about 10 -15 tables inside to sit at. This would be cheaper and easier than driving all the way back to your resort.

Oh by the way it is $15 a day to park at a Disney resort and $22 a day at Universal.