Just back - ideas for traveling with large family

[TiffanyK]

We just got back and I thought I'd share a few things. Hope these thought/ideas help somebody! We have 4 dc, ranging in age from 13 months to 11 years. We had a fantastic time. This was our second trip to WDW.

We drove and this worked out well except for trying to find a place to stay the first night. We ended up in a pretty dirty motel. Oh well, we survived.

The week before Thanksgiving week is a great week to go! We had very few crowds. We were at MK monday and wednesday and Epcot on tuesday. On wednesday we had some rain in the morning but managed to stay dry. The crowds were really thin. Virtually no wait for anything. And the weather overall was great. Better than when we went in Sept.

We stayed at Doubletree Guest Suites. This was perfect for us. We were able to get a $99 rate. There was plenty of room to spread out. We could walk to Downtown Disney. We drove to the parks and that was easy because there wasn't a lot of traffic. The Doubletree has a microwave and refrigerator which were both handy.

We were able to eat lunch and dinner for under $25 for all of us in the parks everyday. We split food and drank cups of water. We didn't go hungry and had some fun snacks too.

Dixie cups are almost as great a thing to pack as ziplock bags! I used them while driving down and in the parks to give the kids crackers, cereal, cookies to munch. We also carried them in the parks and used them so we only carried one water bottle and weren't sharing germs. And I used them several times to split up snacks that we bought in the parks. My 13 month old liked playing with a couple of them in the car too.

Those are my random thoughts for now Hope they help somebody. We had a great trip!

 

[jenfmomof4]

Please tell me more about your stay at the DoubleTree Suites at Downtown Disney. We will be there with our 4 children plus grandparents and sister, bil and baby in 2 weeks. We have 3 rooms reserved so each family will have their own room. I have heard so many sour stories about the double tree that we are starting to be a little worried. Did you have any issues with the cleanliness, friendliness of staff, etc. Any details would be appreciated. Would it do any good to ask for a recently renovated room?

Our children are 6,6,5, and 9 months. Any tips on getting around the parks with this many little ones?

Thanks,

Jen

 

[TiffanyK]

Jen,

I was a little concerned about the Doubletree too after reading some reviews on this board, but we found that it was very nice. It was clean and had a lot of space. Some things were a little worn but it didn't effect anything but the look of it (I'm remembering some chipped paint on the metal coffee table) It did seem like hot water wasn't always real quick to come to the shower but it did get hot and the faucet in the bathroom had the hot and cold switched. Those seemed minor to me. The room was clean, the staff were very nice, the location is great and we had a great view on the 7th floor of Downtown Disney and we could even see Epcot a little bit.

We ordered a pizza one night from the hotel and it wasn't very good - but it was room service and we didn't have to go out to get anything! Next time I think I'd order from a restaurant and have it delivered.

I thought Doubletree was very nice for the price and the space. It's hard to find something at Disney for larger families.

As far as getting around with the little ones - we had an umbrella stroller for the baby. Our 5 year old did get tired sometimes and my dh would give him a ride on his shoulders. You might want to rent a double stroller for your 6 and 5 year olds. They could take turns or they might all be able to fit in - those are pretty big.

You'll have a great time!

 

[Pembo]

Dixie Cups! What a good idea. I'm headed to put them in my bag right now! Thanks for the tip!

 

[jenfmomof4]

Thanks TiffanyK.

A few more questions. Do you think that Downtown Disney is within reasonable walking distance with a stroller and kids or should we use the rental car.

Also does the Doubletree have hairdryers in the bathroom?

Thanks!

 

[TiffanyK]

I thought that walking to downtown disney was very easy. No further than walking anywhere in the parks.

I think the hairdryer is just outside the bathroom in a "hallway" with the closet, mirrors and drawers.

HTH

 

[jenfmomof4]

Thanks Tiffany. You've been a great help. Glad to know our decision ot go with the Doubletree wasn't a bad choice. Thanks so much.

Jen