new member, first time at Disney

[nkdelgado]

Hello everyone,
This is my very first time on this board and my first post. We are a family of 5 (2 adults, 12 y/o, 8 y/o & 5 y/o girls). I am trying to plan our first vacation to Disney and honestly am finding it very overwhelming. I am not sure where to even start.
We would like to do both the resort and a cruise, but have been told that we would be wasting our time because we wouldn't get to see everything.

Here are our priorities...
A) My 5 y/o is princess obsessed. We would love to see them, Tinkerbell if possible.
B) My 12 y/o will love the rides.
C) My 8 y/o is very energetic and likes "hands-on" types of things.
D) My husband & I would like to have some alone time and relaxation (if there is such a thing on a vacation with children.
E) We would love not to have to break into the kids college fund for a weeks vacation.

Is this even possible, or am I kidding myself that Disney can meet all of our needs/desires?

I should probably mention that we are forced to cruise during spring break schedules, so I am expecting more expensive prices and larger crowds.

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated, even if it is to tell me I need a reality check.

Thanks,
Kelly

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi Kelly, and welcome.

Your family matches up pretty well with mine!

OK, for starters: Disney is offering Free Dining from August 16- October 3. That means that, if you pay full price for a resort, you would get a table service meal, a counter service meal and a "snack" (which could be a muffin or something similar) for each person for each night of your trip. That represents a savings of $140 per night. We LOVED the meal plan!
Take a look here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneypackages.htm#freedining

As to lodging: THere aren't a TON of places on site that accomodate a family of 5. The ones we most considered were:

- Port Orleans Riverside. One of your kids would sleep on a trundle bed--I believe it's made for a child under 5' tall. (That pretty much eliminated my 5'2" son.)

- Family Suites at All Star Music. They took 2 rooms and converted them into a suite.

- Cabin at Fort Wildnerness. The thought of a campground didn't appeal to me personally.

- A deluxe. Many, including those on the monorail sleep5. (And the convenience of that monorail can't be overstated!!!!) The Contemporary is probably among the cheapest, though we chose, and LOVE, the Polynesian.

Take a look at the fact sheets at www.allears.net

 

[Aliceacc]

OK, I don't feel like doing schoolwork, so I priced out a few options for your family. Each included reservations from 8/19- 8/26 (I figured airfare would be cheaper midweek), 8 day parkhopper tickets for your family, and free dining.

Here's what I got:

Port Orleans Riverside: $2797.86

Fort Wilderness Cabin: $3514.38

Polynesian: $4223.20

Of course, there are lots of other choices, but that should give you a ballpark idea to get you started.

 

[nkdelgado]

Thanks so much. I think I left out that we are looking for Spring Break of 2010. When will those prices come out?

Also, what is your opinion on doing the resort and the cruise line? Is that pushing it?

 

[GhostLady]

Hello fellow Hoosier,

To answer your question about whether doing the cruise and WDW is to much, I think it depends on how long you are planning to stay.

I have not been on the cruise and haven't even looked into it so I don't know much about that but I would suggest at least a week for just WDW. We took our first family trip last Nov. (during a slow time) and we stayed for 8 nights. We did get to do/see most of the things we wanted but in order to do it, we had to visit the parks several days in a row without a break and that was very difficult. We ended up wasting one day from our tickets because we just couldn't go another day. This year I am planning less park days and more breaks. We are only doing 5 park days this year but if it were my first trip, I would want more. I am only planning 2 park days in a row with a day to rest, swim and just enjoy the resort in between the next two days. If I were going during a peak time like spring break, I would plan more park days because you won't be able to see/do as much each day. I personally wouldn't do the cruise and WDW for a 1st visit unless I were staying for more than 2 weeks but that's just me. Hopefully someone else has done this and will let you know. Hope this helps some. Enjoy your trip, whatever you decide.

 

[Aliceacc]

Sorry, I missed the part about Spring break!

To be honest, the Disney/Cruise I took was in the late '80's, before Disney had its own cruise line; they just paired us up with a cruise as a package. So, while I LOVE cruising, I don't know anything about the current stuff.

But in my mind, they're 2 separate vacations. Last year, we were in WDW for a full week, and it wasn't nearly enough time!! So we're heading back this year.

Personally, I would do WDW one year, then save and plan on the cruise another year.

Keep in mind that Spring Break this year was incredibly (as in I-think-they-broke-attendance-records) crowded. So plan on getting less done on any given day than you might be able to do over the summer.

 

[Fabinva]

My husband and I took the kids to parks and cruise for their first visit, we did 5.5 days at the parks followed by a 3day cruise. Trying to see as much as we could in all four parks left us exhausted by the time we boarded cruise, we had reservations for the second cruise day early morning and none of us wanted to go but was too late to cancel. We visited right after Thanksgiving and it was very crowded at the parks, guessing spring will be about same if not more.
While we enjoyed our vacation it was a lot to do at the parks and on board cruise. We now prefer to either do the parks or the cruise separate.
Spring break is more expensive, you may want to consider staying off site, we did this past January and while I missed the Disney hotels I found it to be more relaxing.
We rented a TH with a splash pool and the kids loved having their own room with a TV, we also saved money by having breakfast or dinner at the TH. We drove there so transportation to and from parks was not an issue for us.

 

[RMulieri]

Just a little info to keep in perspective. I have been to disney over 21 times and still have not " seen and done it all" HAve I seen alot? yes. Have I seen what I wanted to within reason? yes. But even if you stay a month you simply will not do everything.The trick is getting yourself some info and finding what is interesting to you and priorities. With kids in tow everything does take alot longer. My Dh and I did 10x as much as we did once we took our 4 yr old. Disney is a large, magical place. Breathe.Relax. Enjoy

 

[3mickeymom]

The people on this site really know their stuff!! You will get so much great info here. Planning and gathering the info is half the fun. Would love to do a cruise and a resort too-so magical!! So far, we go budget, drive to florida, stay offsite and cook some meals in our condo. We are a family of five as well, but have traveled with as many as eight. There are lots of ways to experience Disney, that's why people keep going back again and again. But your first trip is always extra special. You have already done the right thing by seeking pre vacation info here.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Now that THATs taken care of.....

Get ready to get ADDICTED to the DIS. Some really wonderful people here and they are SO full of information, so ASK away!


Have fun planning!!! Pixie Dust your way!

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I know it can be overwhelming!

My best advice to you is to make friends with a Disney nut.

In my neighborhood, I am one of several Disney nuts, and I am regularly grilled for information at the bus stop

We're everywhere, just look for people wearing disney tee shirts, carrying disney credit cards, and our cars are usually festooned with disney stickers.

Also, we walk around whistling "zippidie doo dah"...

 

[verlee]

The rates for next year come out in Aug. After you book I would suggest keeping an eye on this board and Mousesavers.com for specials. I doubt there will be too much of a deal during spring break but you never know.

I think the best thing you can do for your trip is get information! All kinds of it.
You will be there when it is busy and you will need to know what you are doing or you won't see much. I don't mean that to sound scarey. I just mean that if you know to get there early, use fast passes for must do rides, avoid MK on Sat., make reservations for table service meals ect... then you can beat the crowds.
Most people do not have this info and they wander aimlessly.... then wonder why they did not see anything and spent so much money.
Read this site, ask questions... you will be well prepared.

Our first trip with the family was in Jan. I was on this site gathering info for months prior. It was fun and exciting to plan! We got down there and we were all sick. The plans I had made did not work any more. But all the info I had learned here allowed us to go with the flow. It was the best vacation we have had with our family and want to go back this coming spring again!

Beware though, this site is addictive.

 

[EthansMom]

Welcome to the DIS!

I think WDW and a cruise sounds like a lot of fun.... BUT most families need at least 5 or 6 days for WDW alone. And I'd recommend a 7 day cruise because it takes a day or so to get settled in to the cruise experience and then the last day or so is spent packing up/preparing to get off the ship, so I wouldn't want to do a short cruise with a family. (BTW, my family LOVES both WDW and cruises.)

My advice...

For WDW, we love Port Orleans Riverside. It's the least expensive option for a family of 5 (two double beds and a trundle bed). You could ask over on the Resorts board for information about how comfy the trundle bed is.

For a cruise, I can't say enought great things about Royal Caribbean. But I'm not aware of any regular cabins on RCCL that can accomodate a family of 5. I think my SIL told me that Carnival has regular cabins that can house a family of 5.

For cost, the Disney Cruise Line is supposed to be great, but is one of the more expensive cruise lines. Consider booking one of the other cruiselines to save $$$$$$.

Personally, after all of the work of walking around at WDW, I could really take the relaxation of a cruise (though we never have gone back-to-back like that). So, if I was booking WDW and a cruise, I would do WDW first and THEN the cruise.

If you decide to spend all of Spring Break at WDW and cruise a different time, look at other ports along the East Coast other than Florida. We cruise out of NYC/NJ... it's much easier because we can drive to the port and they go down to the Caribbean.

Good Luck!

 

[JerseyMamaBear]

welcome

Not sure if it was mentioned but what about staying at the family suites at all star music? I have heard wonderful things about them and find the prices reasonable.

 

[sherreis]

First of all, welcome to the DIS and you're newest addiction.

We took our boys for their first trip when they were 6 and 10 and we went for a week. I wouldn't want to have taken time away from the parks at that point - there is so much to take in. I just asked DS13 if he would've wanted to split it by WDW and cruise and he said "no" and that he is really glad he had the week at WDW.

Have fun planning!

 

[3boymthr]

Just to say all the things you want to do ARE possible, except possibly the not breaking the bank and even that is relative. What's breaking the bank for you may be very reasonable for me. You may be exhausted but you will be able to do the four things you listed. At WDW you can get a night out or two or three without the kids. There are baby sitters who will come to your room or you can book a night for the kids at one of the disney kid's clubs (i.e. neverland club, sandcastle club, etc.) For example at the Sandcastle club (at the BC resort) the kids get fed and stay to play for a minumum of 2 hours while you and DH head over the Boardwalk for some drinks and music at Jellyrolls or head to the Yachtsman for a nice steak (BTW you don't have to be staying at a particular resort to book a night at the club). Your 5yo can meet tinkerbell, 12yo can ride the rides (not all but you didn't say all) and there are hands on activities for your 8 yo (Kidcot fun spots and the AK Discover Club come to mind or maybe Kim Possible). The trick to doing all these activities is planning and know what you want to do ahead of time and where it is and how much time to allow for each activity.

If price is your biggest concern start with mousesavers.com. They have great info on discounts, etc.

Then come back here for the details on the rest of it also possibly check out a guidebook. I liked the UG and Passporter. UG has more info but passporter is easier to read and understand.

HTH

 

[Karenj2]

Welcome!!

I love this place! I found it while researching our land/sea (or technically for us, sea/land) trip for our 5th anniversary, and I've been back (off and on - mostly on) ever since.

One thing I have to suggest - if you can swing it any other time, I really suggest NOT going during spring break! That's when everyone else and their mother goes... We went during spring break when I was a kid, and it was crowded then! From what I've heard, it's even worse now. That can cause much crankiness on the parts of both you and your kids...

The good news is (if you still decide to go then), Disney World will be around for a LONG time, so if you miss stuff this first year, you can go again some other time! (And by finding this site, you can learn all the "tricks of the trade" that can help you get there more often- we have a whole Budget Board for that!!)

I'd also highly recommend Tour Guide Mike (www.tourguidemike.com) - for the cost of a Birnbaum guidebook, it has some invaluable tips (like when to go to which park, how to avoid the lines, etc.). The years we've used it, we barely waited in line for rides - the years we haven't - we've had 60+ minute waits, and we go in late summer!

Anyway, good luck on your research!

 

[wide receiver]

As a family we have been to the WDW only twice, but I have to tell you next time we go (either fall 09 or spring break 2010), we are going to try renting points from a Disney Vacation Club. DVC has rooms that maybe more comfortable for your family size, more of a condo set up. For a value view one bedroom at Animal Kingdom you would pay about $2500 for a week. If you want a better view it goes up from there. The points chart showed a one bedroom could sleep 5. Any DVC people out there know if its possible to rent points at spring break?

Here is a link....

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml