How to do Disney "big" family style?

[The6Mousketeers]

So, as we all know, Disney isn't real super large family friendly. We still madly love the place though.

We have 4 dc. I desperately want to go back to Disney this December. It will have been two years since we've been and after this year is over, we need a break.

Here's our problem. THe last time we went, the youngest was considered an infant so free, and the other three were all children. Now, my oldest will be considered an adult rolleyes and the other 3 are all children. So it's going to be a TON more expensive. To top it off, there are no dining or room promos for December (yet...).

I called and it looks like staying at the ASMu Family suite is going to cost us over 5K with dining and tickets. We've never paid that much to go to Disney and always had dining, park hoppers and stayed at a Moderate.

Please help me figure out how we can make this trip work.

 

[The6Mousketeers]

No larger families with advice?

 

[Perditamarie]

Well, I will try to start the ball rolling;

* are 2 value rooms cheaper than a suite?

* can you go during free dining late Aug - early Oct?

* do you have Disney Visa? Are there any offers from them?

* are cabins comparable in price to Fam Suites? Maybe a better value at cabins to have use of a kitchen.

* keep eyes peeled for fall promo offers.....sign up for mousesavers.com newsletter.

* are there any ap room rates for when you want to visit...may be worth 1 family member getting an ap ... run the #'s

* check into renting DVC points for lodging...and access to a kitchen!

 

[DisneyDreams4P&B]

I just planned a Grand Gathering for our family of 11 and it came in at $6k. It included airfare for 6 (the other 5 are driving from GA) from Boston and 1 ASMu Suite, 1 preferred room for 8 nights, MYW Base tickets for 6 adults 4 children (11th is infant) and we got the free dining, so it can be done on a budget.

I would:

1. Pick the Value Season if possible
2. Go during Free Dining
3. (You didn't say if it was included in your budget) Shop around for airfare. Southwest, AirTran & Jet Blue always have specials
4. Consider shortening your trip. A 5 night vacation still gives you a nice vacation but shaving off 2 days for a family of 6 can save you a huge amount of money.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

How about getting a condo off-site?

Do you belong to AAA?

Have you priced out if it makes more financial sense to buy the dining plan or pay out of pocket? For my family, 5 considered adults and 2 children, it's cheaper for us to pay for our own meals. Look at allearsnet for menus/prices.

 

[fortcampers]

We have the same issue---we have 4 kids ages 19, 17, 13 and 9. So now we have 5 "adults" and 1 child price tickets to buy. The first time we went the now Nickelodeon Suites were owned by someone else and we got a bargain at $99 a night for a family suite and we all fit. The 2nd time we went with my parents and we had 2 rooms and kids divided between the rooms. The last time we took our camper. Now gas had been high in price so we were deciding whether to keep the reservation at Ft. Wilderness or get a condo/house, etc. I know how nice it is to stay "onsite" and get the free transportation and free parking, but, you may want to consider renting a 2/3 bedroom condo or house. Our kids are old enough to rent 2 hotel rooms and put the older kids by themselves, but even at $99 a night, it would be about $200 a night----way more than we could ever spend. Have you considered renting an RV and staying at Ft. Wilderness? I don't know how far you have to drive there, but it may be another option. Going to Disney with our large family is always an issue--I feel for you!

 

[The6Mousketeers]

Thank you all for the advice!

We cannot go any earlier. I am in school until December.

I have looked into some houses but without dividing it among another family, it's almost as expensive. (unless I am looking in the wrong place? I looked on VRBO)

I have not looked into an RV but we are about a 14 hour drive so I'm not sure how pricey that would be between rental and gas?

I really hope some promo comes along. Sigh. It's the double room charge that's killing me. And my 10 yr old dd, who eats like a bird, being charged as an adult. Ugh.

Thanks again!

 

[delmar411]

we have 4 kids as well. The 3 younger are 'children' and the oldest is an 'adult'. This is how we do WDW.

We bought DVC ~ if I'm going to pay fortune for on-site rooms then I'm going to have a 2bedroom condo w/ ful lkitchen and washer/dryer to stay in

we buy annual passes ~ $100 discount for DVC members

go at least 2x/yr for 10days each to maximize ticket savings

we have done the dining plan and not done the dining plan. I found that if I plan to spend more time relaxing and just puttering around that the dining plan is a waste as I can cook meals in the villa instead.

The basic dining plan is not for us as we don't do sit downs each day but we did do the quick service plan that worked out pretty well. Still a ton of food but at least we could eat on the run. It was $1056 for 3 adults and 3 children for 9nights. DVC members and those with annual passes do not have a ticket buying requirement.

For any sit downs we do choose to do, I used the Disney Dining Exp card that gave us 20% off the total (costs $60-70 range for the card). It auto adds an 18% tip so the easy way to come up with a total is to add everything up and disc it 2%. That card is now called Tables In Wonderland and includes disc off alcohol too.

It's good for 13mths so if you make 2 trips the savings do add up.


Total approx cost for a trips if we got the dining plan, some extra for other food, DVC room (including maint fees), and DVC APs...is just shy of 450 per day (114 of that is the dining plan) or 75 per day per person

w/o the dining plan and adding in grocery delivery is about 390 per day or 65 per day per person.

 

[Colleen27]

Don't give up on promos! Historically there is usually an offer available for December unless you're traveling over Christmas, and with the current state of the economy, Disney is likely to offer a better deal than usual. Look for the announcement in mid-August.

As far as renting an RV goes, there is a company that rents them in FL so you don't have to worry about gas or rental fees for your travel time. If you ask over on the camping board, I'm sure someone will have the link on hand, but it sounded like a pretty cool deal and was a fair bit cheaper than the cabins (about $70/night cheaper, IIRC). They deliver and set-up the RV for you, and pick it up at the end of your stay. However, that $70/night difference is based on rack rate for the cabin, and I don't think you're likely to be paying rack rate for your stay. I'm not sure how discounts work with the camp site, but since the site rental is so small, the cabin could work out to be cheaper if they come out with another 4/3 or similar package.

With a 10yo, you might want to do the math on whether the dining plan makes sense compared to how you'd eat if paying OOP. With teens, they might be getting so much out of it that they make up for their light-eating sibling, but on the other hand, you might find out you could do better OOP, especially if you stay in a cabin or RV and have access to a kitchen.

 

[mjkacmom]

We rented points for a 2 bedroom BCV, and the next time, I'm thinking about renting a 3 bedroom townhome at windsor hills, based on reviews here, averaging about $100 a night, I believe? We did the DDP last time, but we can do better paying OOP, and only eating at a few TS restaurants. We have so many great restaurants at home, and have many at home that are so much better than those at WDW.

 

[DisneyDreams4P&B]

http://www.campatthefort.com/public/rates.asp

This is the site that comes VERY highly recommended on the Camping Thread.

They are $135.00 a night - no hidden fees( you do have to pay the camp ground fee). This gives you more cooking options then the ASMu Family Suite.

FW is a great place for your kids age range. You will be surprised how much $$ you save making your own breakfast& lunch or dinner.

 

[wehavesix]

We travel with a large group every trip too. We have 6 kids but 2 of them are adults now and pay for their own food and tickets now. Still, it's not cheap with 4 kids still dependent on us.

We joined DVC a couple of years ago. It's not cheaper now but in the long run, I believe it will be after just a few more trips. Like someone else mentioned, DVC members have a reduced rate on annual passes which makes them much more affordable if you can do at least 10 days in a year's time. We buy them every other year and time our trips so that we go within 12 months while the APs are valid. We also enjoy having a 2 bedroom with kitchen and w/d. We eat breakfast and lunch in the villa. Usually we will have dinner out, sometimes off property but mostly we like eating on property.

We are leaving for our 3rd trip this year on Saturday. We drive down (14 hours too) so travel costs are fairly low. Our APs are still good from our trip last June so no tickets to buy this time. And we are using DVC points for our villa at Wilderness Lodge. Another plus to driving is that we can easily go off property for restaurants, supermarkets, and shopping. With the AP, we get some added discounts on room rates at times and at WoD for all our Disney shopping. Considering that so much of the expense was paid months ago, we almost feel like this trip is a bargain.

We never do the dining plan because we have never seen it as a good deal for us. My 11 year old is a picky eater who prefers the kids' menu. We would have to pay an adult price for him even though he in no way eats that much. DH and I have decided to try splitting an entree and ordering 2 dinner salads on this trip to see if we think it's enough food. I have a feeling we will both find it to be enough for us. This is for health reasons but will help with the bottom line too.

I'll bet there will be some bargains in upcoming months that might make things a little more affordable.

 

[srwarden1928]

I would drop the dining plan, the hoppers, and the water parks. That should save you some $$$. I dont blame you for wanting the suite rather than two rooms so you can supervise all the kids better. Have a magical trip.

 

[momxx5]

Our "big" family of 7 stay at the FW Cabins. We love it there.