Newbie planning first trip to WDW - family of 5 roadtrippin

[msquoted]

Hi everyone! I am brand new to Disboards and this is the first WDW my husband and I have ever planned, the first time going as adults, and the first time for our three boys.

A little bit about us: DH and are are HS sweethearts and did get to go to WDW both our freshman and senior years of HS with band and chorus. We were dating by our senior year and did get to spend an entire day just the two of us between MK and Epcot - even scoring last minute dinner reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table (DH was a romantic even at 17yrs. old ) Ever since going in HS, we've wanted to go back. We thought about doing a WDW honeymoon but money was just too tight (got married at 20yrs. old and paid everything ourselves).

We plan trips with the kids quite a bit but they are usually weekend getaways to Chicago or St. Louis. The longest and most elaborate family trip we've planned thus far has been a 4 day 3 night stay at Great Wold Lodge in Wisconsin Dells.

Last year we flexed our vacation planning/adventure muscles a little more by planning a trip for our 10yr wedding anniversary- the honeymoon we never had. We (just the two of us) flew out to NYC and took a cross-country train trip on the California Zephyr to San Francisco. It was such an amazing experience and we planned the entire thing ourselves. I guess, after planning that trip and having it turn out so well, we've gained enough confidence to take the "Disney Plunge" that we've been waiting for.

The Cast:
Me: I have a strange mix between being an OCD planner but also loving spontaneous "let's see where this road goes" type of days. I am a birth doula and teach childbirth classes, so vacations have to be planned out at least 8-9 months in advance so I don't take any clients during that time.

DH: He is so very good at budgeting and it is his planning and forethought that is even making this trip possible. We are basically a one-income family (with me making money on the side) and I am so impressed with his money management skills. He is the one who brought up that maybe now we could finally go!

Here is DH and I enjoying our cross-country train trip this past summer:

DS1: 9rs old (will be 10yr when we go) and really into science and Star Wars. He loves to make people laugh and is very witty.

Ds2: 7yrs old and loves animals- I can't wait to take him to Animal Kingdom!

DS3: 4yrs old (turns 5 next month) really looks up to his brothers and wants to do things with them. He also loves Star Wars, Animals and I think will also get a kick out of anything Dinosaur.

Here are my three boys in their Halloween costumes:

The Rough Plan Right Now
Friday August 8th - wake up, tell the kids we are going to Walt Disney World, leave. Stopping at Chattanooga, tn for the night.
Saturday August 9th - finish up the last leg of the trip and arrive at our Windsor Palms condo
Sunday August 10th- Epcot
Monday August 11th- DHS
Tuesday August 12th- MK
Wednesday August 13th - Rest Day
Thursday August 14th - AK
Friday August 15th - MK again
Saturday/Sunday August 16-17th - head back home stopping in Chattanooga again.

 

[msquoted]

Wow- it is really hard to keep this trip a secret! I just want to talk about the planning and my excitement with so many people

DH and I went back and forth between whether we should tell the kids or whether we should make it a surprise. Ultimately, we decided to surprise them with it for a couple reasons.

1. We thought it would be fun! I can't wait to see the kids' faces when we tell them, "Guess what? We are going to Walt Disney World! Get in the car!!!"

2. We didn't want the possibility of having to dissappoint them if for some reason our plans needed to change. I know it is just part of life, but really it makes things so much easier if they don't know about our plans too far in advance. I don't even tell them that we are planning to go see a movie at the movie theater until we are getting ready to go

3. No, "Is it August yet?" , "How much longer until August?", "Are we going to Disney today?" for months and months. Or the not being able to sleep the night before. While I think that part of the fun of a trip could be the excited anticipation leading up to it (and hope to involve them in the planning for a WDW in the future) I think this could definitely be a plus in keeping it a surprise.

Since we are driving and telling them before we leave, they will still have time to read about the parks, look at the maps, and pick some of their favorite things to do at each park.

 

[msquoted]

We do need to this trip to be budget-conscience and initially thought we would pack lunches most of the days. After thinking about it more, I was getting a little disappointed that we wouldn't be eating more at the parks. To me, I do think of food as part of the "experience" of almost anywhere we go. So, after talking with DH, we've made a few changes to the plan. We will be having breakfast and dinner at "home" in the condo everyday.

Day 1: Epcot - lunch at Tangierine Cafe also wanting to get School Bread in Norway.
Day 2: DHS - lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe (got our ADR yesterday)
Day 3 - MK - we will pack a quick lunch but we do plan on getting Dole Whip Floats
Day 4- Break Day
Day 5 - AK - lunch at Flame Tree BBQ
Day 6 - MK - Grabbing some waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hallow for lunch.

We will still be packing lots of snacks and our own drinks, so when we order CS meals we might ask for just the sandwiches and skip the sides, or split some of the meals. This new plan only has us packing lunch one day and it is the day when we won't really want to spend a whole bunch of time eating.

 

[TheDeputysWife]

After reading your post it made me even more excited to go to WDW! Your kids are going to be thrilled! My family is also going the same week you guys are. And I'm like you, I want to talk to everyone about our trip. I also have been to WDW but it was from a sr. band trip.

We are driving as well, starting from NE Ohio and planning on stopping somewhere in Georgia for the night. I'm not sure if you have done this but you can order personalized maps for free from the WDW website. I'm planning on giving these to DS to help pass the time on the drive. I've also found some really great tips on here about buying things like glowsticks at the Dollar Store or Walmart and packing them for night time in the parks.

I have no idea how well I will be able to keep it a secret for 5 more months! It seems like its forever away!

 

[msquoted]

After reading your post it made me even more excited to go to WDW! Your kids are going to be thrilled! My family is also going the same week you guys are. And I'm like you, I want to talk to everyone about our trip. I also have been to WDW but it was from a sr. band trip.

We are driving as well, starting from NE Ohio and planning on stopping somewhere in Georgia for the night. I'm not sure if you have done this but you can order personalized maps for free from the WDW website. I'm planning on giving these to DS to help pass the time on the drive. I've also found some really great tips on here about buying things like glowsticks at the Dollar Store or Walmart and packing them for night time in the parks.

I have no idea how well I will be able to keep it a secret for 5 more months! It seems like its forever away!

We must be reading the same blogs!

I was thinking about getting a Rubbermaid bucket, hiding it in our closet, and slowly but surely adding things to it for the trip. Glowsticks, coloring books, Disney merch (t-shirts, mickey ears, etc.).

I was looking at the personalized maps as well. Do they put your name on it or just mark the sites that you want to do?

I also have a "secret" Pinterest board and I have found Pinterest to be a treasure trove of Disney tips!

 

[TheDeputysWife]

We must be reading the same blogs!


I was looking at the personalized maps as well. Do they put your name on it or just mark the sites that you want to do?

I also have a "secret" Pinterest board and I have found Pinterest to be a treasure trove of Disney tips!

I just received our maps this week. They come in a really nice envelope with a letter addressed to my family explaining a little about our trip to WDW and some tips. I ordered all 4 park maps with the characters on them. They are printed on both sides so MK and EP on one paper and AK and HS on the other, as well as a full WDW map on the back of the letter they sent. They are really nice big maps and thick paper.

Each map has our family's name printed above the list of attractions. They have the attractions I selected, ones they suggest, and some other fun things to do. The maps also came with a sheet of stickers to mark your favorite and must do attractions.

My Pinterest is covered with Disney tips as well!

 

[msquoted]

We did a little re-arranging to our trip to accommodate a Disney YES Individual Enrollment class. Unfortunately, the class that we wanted to do was on our "break" day. Now, we have a couple different choices.

Right now our idea is:

Sun - AK
Mon - DHS (with an ADR already made for 50'S Prime Time Cafe)
Tues- MK
Wed - EPCOT (this is the day of our class)
Thurs - Rest Day
Fri - MK

We have the class at Epcot and the ADR made at DHS (which I guess I could try to change) but other than that, the days can get switched around. We are not doing hopper passes. I am a little nervous about having four straight days of parks before a rest, but I do like the idea of going to each of the parks when the crowds are supposed to be lowest. What to do, what to do?

 

[msquoted]

Crossing my fingers and anxiously awaiting being able to purchase our tickets - really hoping the Youth Education class we want to get in doesn't fill up before then!