Help find flaws in my plans

[leebee]

Have you looked at GearFusion for transport to/from MCO? Best $100 I ever spent when we went with DD/SIL/LittleGuy last May. They met us at MCO, handled our luggage, took us straight to our hotel. For 5 of us, it was pretty much a wash between GearFusion and Mears- and there was no waiting for the bus to fill up!

 

[OrbitAsh]

You’ve already mapped things out really thoughtfully, but honestly the biggest flaw in the plan is the drive. A 15–18 hour haul with a 7-year-old and a toddler is going to drain everyone before the trip even starts, and doing rope drop the next morning would feel brutal. Flying removes two wasted travel days and preserves everyone’s energy for the parks. Mears Connect is absolutely worth the cost in your situation—no car seats to haul, no stress, and predictable timing. Lynx isn’t realistic with kids, luggage, or vacation time, and rideshare becomes complicated the moment car seats enter the picture. POR is a great choice, especially for your dates, and your park lineup looks solid. If you need to free up budget to make flying feasible, I’d adjust the resort or drop a park day before I’d force the long drive. Your overall plan is good—you just need to protect your energy so the vacation actually feels like a vacation.

 

[mamaanna]

Have you looked at GearFusion for transport to/from MCO? Best $100 I ever spent when we went with DD/SIL/LittleGuy last May. They met us at MCO, handled our luggage, took us straight to our hotel. For 5 of us, it was pretty much a wash between GearFusion and Mears- and there was no waiting for the bus to fill up!

I hadn't looked at GearFusion before now, appreciate the suggestion! Unfortunately it looks like either our dates are "in season" or their rates have gone up, but R/T would be like $240, and that's if we bring our own car seats.

 

[RN_Mama_inFL]

I agree with everyone else saying to fly!!

And wanted to add- for me, I would want the MK day to be sooner in the vacation. Because of your children’s ages and it’s the most quintessential Disney, and it has the most things for your whole family to do compared to the other parks. So I wouldn’t want to wait until Day 4.

Other than that, it all sounds good! Also recommend looking into renting DVC. You can get your deluxe resort while paying about as much as a moderate!

 

[HeiHei2018]

I would suggest downgrading to AllStars if that saves enough money to pay for flights. DD didn’t find the slide at our moderate resort exciting enough to spend the extra money. But she loved the decorations at AllStars.

 

[mamaanna]

I agree with everyone else saying to fly!!

And wanted to add- for me, I would want the MK day to be sooner in the vacation. Because of your children’s ages and it’s the most quintessential Disney, and it has the most things for your whole family to do compared to the other parks. So I wouldn’t want to wait until Day 4.

Other than that, it all sounds good! Also recommend looking into renting DVC. You can get your deluxe resort while paying about as much as a moderate!

Any tips for renting DVC points? I've looked into it for previous trips and it never worked out for me.

 

[RN_Mama_inFL]

Any tips for renting DVC points? I've looked into it for previous trips and it never worked out for me.

There’s multiple sites that act as a middle man between the DVC owner and the renter. There should be a contract so both parties are protected. I don’t know if I’m allowed to mention them. Sometimes it can be hard to get the exact dates or resort you want but if you’re flexible it can be worth it. Only negative for me is you pay for the whole stay upfront in order to book.

 

[mamaanna]

There’s multiple sites that act as a middle man between the DVC owner and the renter. There should be a contract so both parties are protected. I don’t know if I’m allowed to mention them. Sometimes it can be hard to get the exact dates or resort you want but if you’re flexible it can be worth it. Only negative for me is you pay for the whole stay upfront in order to book.

I've checked out two different sites, one that has a typically male name in it, and the other one is very straightforward in what they are renting. Maybe that's my issue, I haven't been able to be as flexible with my dates to use the rentals.

 

[piglet1979]

We have driving several times over the years. Starting when the kids were 4 and 5. We are from Northeast Ohio so it is about an 18 hour drive without stops. When the kids were younger we would drive straight through. It was rough on DH as he did most of the driving. By the time we got to Disney, he slept the rest of the day until the next morning. Later on we started stopping at Kingsland, Georgia on the way down (the last exit before Florida) to stay the night. Kids got to swim and get some energy out and we got a good nights sleep before drive the rest of the way. We stop on the way home in Beckley, WVa. After a week at Disney we were too tired to make all the way home.

When the kids went this last time with the marching band, they took a bus with the band and DH and I flew. It was so much better and more relaxed. Though neither of us are great flyers. He stresses a ton until the plan takes off and I have horrible anxiety when the plane is in the air. I will take the 2 hours of anxiety with every bump along the way with flying rather then the drive.

 

[Miffy]

As a PP mentioned, the end of May can be as hot as anytime in June. In fact, sometimes the beginning of May can be brutally hot at WDW. Just something to consider. Check out last year's temps and see what you think. Because I'd be surprised if your dates in May were the same price as dates in June.

As for renting DVC points, although it may seem like a wonderful idea, keep in mind that if you needed to cancel the reservation or leave the trip early for any reason, you'd still be paying for the entire stay.* If either of these problems occurred and you booked your resort direct through Disney, they'd be very accommodating. I've left trips early a couple of times and Disney did not charge me for the nights I wasn't there.

I personally would not want to spend two 15-hour-plus driving days, but maybe your family is okay with it. The drive home would be the worst part for me. And rope-dropping the day after arrival will be tough.

*In the case of some DVC rental agencies, if you canceled early enough, you'd get a % of your money back. Even this seems too risky to me, but plenty of people rent DVC points regularly, so not everyone feels this way!