Lots of questions about going to DLP with 8 people

[GinRob]

Hi!

Im not new here, but havent posted or even looked around in forever. So Im kind of starting over with my questions.

we are a military family living in Germany and want to take a trip to Disney.. we will most likely drive when we go, but have considered taking the train.

have some questions.

1. is there a hotel on site that has rooms for all 8 of us? how about a place to stay that doesnt cost a fortune and is close by with transportation to the park?

2. Our kids are 17, 16, 14, 10, 6 and 5 what would be the best (cheapest) way to get tickets? I read something about kids under 7 getting the free passes, but will that be a good deal when we have to pay for so many adult passes? Im also not sure if we will be able to get back there, so would just tickets for a few days be a better deal for us?

3. we also want to take a trip into Paris but would rather leave our car near Disney and not drive it into Paris.. how hard will this be? there is a nearby train station right?

realistically, is there any way for us to take this trip without it costing us thousands of dollars?? I really want to do this for my kids before we have to go back to the states, but Im afraid it wont be in our budget..

thanks for any help

Ginger

 

[A Small World]

There arent any rooms on site which will accomodate 8 people but you could book 2 rooms in one of the cheaper on site hotels- Santa fe or Cheyenne. Your other option would be to look at the Explorers hotel- offsite but close by with free shuttle bus. They have rooms which accomodate 8 people- see Hotel FAQ thread for more info.
There is also info on the FAQ thread about some budget hotels nearby but again you would probably need 2 rooms.
There are also some apartments nearby which I dont really know much about but they may accomodate you all together = Im sure someone else will give you more info on these.

If you intend spending any more than 3 days in the park it is worth getting annual passes. Im not sure when the under 7s free offer ends though- think it may be April 08.

Its really easy to take a trip into Paris (definitely dont take your car). There is a station on site which has trains into Paris- takes about 30-40 minutes.

 

[Cyrano]

Another option off-site for your large party would be Explorer's Hotel. They have the provision of a bunk room

Annual passports would definitely be worth pricing

 

[Ware Bears]

Even if you miss out on the chance of the free kids APs you would still qualify for the family discount (20% discount on 5 passports provided you are same family at same address). If you buy the Dream APs you would still qualify for Extra Magic Hours even if you stayed off-site plus discounts for shopping/dining/free parking.

Have a look here and here.

If you have a look in the Hotel FAQ sticky there are several links which will give you an idea of what to expect to pay for off-site hotels.