Large Family Logistics

[MomTo6+more]

The last time we were at Disney was about 7 years ago for my son's Make-A-Wish trip. There were a lot of things I didn't have to figure out because it was done for us. (My name was MomTo4+more then.) We are planning to go back in November 2018. I am planning super early because I stay so busy with two toddler and three older kids still at home. We are weighing the pros and cons of staying at Disney or in a VRBO. We are planning to fly down from Milwaukee, so staying at Disney would mean we wouldn't need a rental car. But a VRBO gives us a full kitchen. And yet, a kitchen means more work for me!

I am looking for ideas and wisdom regarding Disney with a larger family. We know we will have one of our teenagers, 10 year old, and two 3 year olds with me and my husband. Another teen might go depending on her performance schedule and school. And we will probably have an infant or two by then because we are a foster family. Does Disney count infants in the number of people in a room?

Three of our children have special needs such as sickle cell disease, chronic kidney disease, asthma, food allergies, and cochlear implants. I will need to learn about ways to navigate Disney with these needs too.

Basically, any advice you have, I can use it.

Thanks!

 

[Nancyg56]

WOW! I see why you are starting to plan now, you have a lot to manage.

As far as number per room, Disney is strict. You can have one infant under threee per room and that infant will not count. Not two. Just the one.

Children 3 and over count in the room number, tickets, and dining. Children under three need to be counted when you make your ADR's, but you willnto be required to pay for their seats. They can "eat off of your plate" but what that really means is you do not need to pay for food from a buffet or AYCTE meal, and they are not charged for the experience. Anyone 3 and over is charged.

As far as food borne allergies, you cannot beat Disney. The chefs are knowledgeable and conscientious.

As to the rest of the special considerations you have, I suggest that you head over to DISabilities forum. Those folks will be able to provide assistance and suggestions. They have plenty of experience with the services and assistance Disney offers.

Only you can decide what works best in regards to lodging. I like onsite aand figure the benefits of not dealing with transportation is worth the cost, but only you can determine if the benefits outweigh the cost. I think that since you are starting early, some folks amy be able to come up with options that work for you.

 

[happymommy]

My son has food allergies, and in all our Disney trips, he has never had any reactions (he was allergic to the point of anaphylaxis to milk, plus he's allergic to eggs).

With asthma, if you stay at a Disney resort, request a VIP cleaning of the room. My son also has asthma, and we would bring a portable nebulizer, as with travel it often flared up badly. When we did the VIP cleaning, he only needed it once that trip (he's outgrown it thankfully, but we still have meds just in case).

WIth a large family, staying on site will be more convenient. I'm not sure of your budget, but renting points for a DVC 2 bedroom villa would be really nice. You can also look at redweek. I've rented from there many times.

Other option is two rooms, request them connecting, and even call and explain your situation to see if for medical reasons they can assist you.

 

[shellyj]

We are a family of 5 but we generally travel as a group of 15-20 people. I am also a former foster parent and I have a son with autism.
If you haven't already, check out the prices of renting DVC points for a 2 bedroom at Animal Kingdom Lodge or a 3 bedroom Old Key West. Or any combination, but those two tend to be the cheapest at the times we travel. You'll get a full kitchen. I don't cook much on vacation, but we do a lot of sandwiches and it's really nice to have the full size fridge. We use the pull out couches for the kids so it serves as an extra bedroom. You also get a washer and dryer in the room which is so awesome. You can pack way less which is especially helpful if you fly. We've used the on-site laundromats, too, and they're fine, but it's so so so nice to have them in the room and do a load while you watch tv or read before bed. Or while you soak in the big tub!

We always rent through Dave's DVC. Animal Kingdom Lodge is my very favorite place. It is so impressive and we've had the absolute best service. We especially like Jambo House but if you are looking at the 2 bedrooms, Kidani is slightly bigger and gives you an extra bathroom. If you are flying down and staying off-site make sure you figure the cost of the rental car and daily parking into your numbers.

If you can manage staying on-site, it really is a fantastic experience. We love the bus system. I know some people complain, but we've rarely had a wait that seemed excessive. The drivers have all been very kind. We really take advantage of the extra magic hours. One grown up stays with the youngest, who we try to keep on sleep schedule as much as possible, and the other takes the other kids for as long as they will last! The pools are wonderful.

There are lots of take out restaurants that will deliver to the Disney resorts, you just have to meet them out front. Very easy.

A lot of this you will already know from reading, but here's my thoughts

There is a Target nearby that has a full grocery store and in-town prices. That's my favorite place to get groceries. They also have a HUGE souvenir section. We have also ordered from Garden Grocer, and the service was great. Their prices are very high, though, so if you have a car - or price an uber, I have no idea what they charge - it's well worth the time to get to the Target on your first or second day. I save up all my "free" gift cards from buying diapers, paper towels, etc and use them for groceries when we get in town.

Disney is AWESOME about helping out families with special needs. On our first park day we go straight to Guest Services to get the DAS card and a stroller tag so it can go anywhere a wheelchair can. The DAS card is a lifesaver if you have a kid who gets sensory overload in some of the lines. It's not a cut-the-line card anymore, it's a place saver, which I think is very fair and I am so grateful for it.

Disney restaurants are great with food issues. I usually bring in my own food for my little one and there has never been a problem. They've also been very accommodating allowing us to bring his stroller in and wheel it up to a table.

Print out park and hotel maps ahead of time and plan your days. I plan down to the minute even though we never stick to it. But I have a plan in mind, I know my escape routes if E needs to get away. I know where the calmer, cooler, less crowded rides are so we can take a break while the others do a thrill ride.

Mickey's Backyard BBQ is a great character meal experience for special needs because it's all picnic table seating under a huge pavilion. There is room to move or scoot out for a break when needed. We did it in 2014 and really looking forward to doing it again next year.

Plan plan plan then be ready to be flexible

 

[Lvsdisney]

Staying on site definitely has its benefits, though it's obviously more expensive than a house. One of the benefits, depending on the age of the teenagers (and trust worthiness!) is that they can hop a bus and go wherever on property without having to bug you guys. If you go back to the hotel with the little ones and they want to stay at the park, they can. I think being able to allow them that bit of freedom is nice.

I know PP mentioned DVC rentals which I think is your best option for the size of the group. Another option is Fort Wilderness. A cabin (up to 6 people and 1 infant) if you have the originally mentioned group.

And I just want to say you @MomTo6+more and @shellyj are amazing! I have my heart open to fostering, at least when my kids are a little older.

 

[mamaofsix]

Why, hello, fellow mom of six! We have also been foster parents, and 4 of our children are adopted (some with special needs). I'm going to go rogue here, and say that with this many children you really can't beat staying OFF Disney. Last year we went to Florida with our 6 kids and my parents. For the same price as staying at a Disney World villa for ONE NIGHT, we stayed at an off-site villa (at the Windsor Palms resort) for an ENTIRE WEEK. We were 5 minutes drive from the World. Our house was 3,000 square feet, had 5 bedrooms, a full kitchen and living room, 4 bathrooms and a huge games room for the kids. And the best part: our own personal swimming pool and hot tub.

We drove down from Canada instead of flying, since our big vehicle is really handy to us when we travel. My parents flew down and their rental vehicle was very cheap. Rental vehicles in Orlando are so affordable.

The reason we like staying off Disney so much is that bringing 6 kids through the parks is incredibly tiring (but also fun!). We really appreciated having our huge house to go back to, spread out and relax. Cramming ourselves into small hotel rooms always means that we don't get a good night's sleep = grumpy kids. The house was PERFECT. And it saved a lot of money being able to cook meals ourselves - or even just to order some pizzas (off Disney is probably half the price of pizzas on Disney).

Even though we LOVE Disney World, our kids have told us that probably their favourite parts of our trip were the days we didn't go to the World. We spent a beautiful day relaxing at Cocoa Beach. And another going to the dine-in movie theatre at Disney Springs. Also, just a lot of time spent splashing in our pool or the resort pool. For budget, fun, and logistics, I will likely never stay on Disney property with our brood again. Off Disney all the way!!

All the best as you plan

 

[mom25kiddos]

We are a family of 7 and have done both on site and off site, and while there is something cool about being onsite (we were at the GF), we find being off-site just suits us better. All of us get tired of counter service food, and instead of getting lunch somewhere being a treat it becomes a bit of a pain (and sticker shock!). I also have little interest in booking our meals months ahead and committing to what time i want to have dinner in six months lol! I like to be able to have a fridge full of food and pack a lot of snacks or lunch to take with us. Then we don't have to buy so much at the park. Also, staying off site means we can go to restaurants outside the park for dinner and it isn't so $$. I find the kitchen to be a huge help-and I love to eat out, but eating out three meals a day with 7 of us loses the appeal after a few days. I would rather eat a meal or two a day at the condo/pack a lunch and have one nice meal out, then it is a treat. Sometimes DH and I will feed the kids dinner, put them to bed and he will go and get take out somewhere and we can have a nice dinner just us. I just feel like there are more options, more flexibility, and less $$-plus I think we eat better-having the kids eat their usual breakfast makes for a better start to the day rather than trying to negotiate with a hungry preschooler what they want for breakfast at a restaurant.

We have always found amazing accommodations off-site, and we like some non-Disney stuff too. All the best with your planning-i do love to hear about other large families on here

 

[DisneyOma]

The last time we were at Disney was about 7 years ago for my son's Make-A-Wish trip. There were a lot of things I didn't have to figure out because it was done for us. (My name was MomTo4+more then.) We are planning to go back in November 2018. I am planning super early because I stay so busy with two toddler and three older kids still at home. We are weighing the pros and cons of staying at Disney or in a VRBO. We are planning to fly down from Milwaukee, so staying at Disney would mean we wouldn't need a rental car. But a VRBO gives us a full kitchen. And yet, a kitchen means more work for me!

I am looking for ideas and wisdom regarding Disney with a larger family. We know we will have one of our teenagers, 10 year old, and two 3 year olds with me and my husband. Another teen might go depending on her performance schedule and school. And we will probably have an infant or two by then because we are a foster family. Does Disney count infants in the number of people in a room?

Three of our children have special needs such as sickle cell disease, chronic kidney disease, asthma, food allergies, and cochlear implants. I will need to learn about ways to navigate Disney with these needs too.

Basically, any advice you have, I can use it.

Thanks!

Check out the disAbilities forum, if you haven't already, for info to help with the special needs issues.