Planning way ahead

[samesizedfeet]

Hello all,

First time poster so please be gentle with me

We're starting to plan now for our first ever Disney trip with my nieces and nephews. We're hoping to do it in 2009 or maybe 2010 (dependent on when we're allowed the kids for a fortnight)

So I have a zillion novice type questions and don't even really know where to start.

THere will be 4 adults and 6 children who's ages will range from 3-12

So far we've established that due to fussy eaters and adult/child ratio we're going to be better off in a villa. I've had a quick look around and see that it is possible to get 6+ bedroomed villas but wondered if anyone else had experience of this and whether we'd be better in two villas close to each other (my personal opinion is this totally negates the family holiday if we're split up).

And when it comes to car hire should it be easy to find an MPV to fit 10 (plus luggage for to/from airport) or should we be budgeting for two vehicles?


Thanks for any help in advance.

I'll be back with a multitude of newbie questions about the parks and stuff once I get my head round holidaying with 6 children

Zoe

 

[natalielongstaff]

Welcome to the boards Zoe

ive never stayed in a villa so i can't answer your question, as for the car ....to my mind having two cars would give you more flexibility but would be the more expensive option

good luck with your trip planning.

 

[ARE WE THERE YET]

I would definitely stay in 1 villa, especially for when kids use the pool etc. and as there are only 4 adults to 6 children. At least that way one of you might get the ocassional rest!!! The bigger villas have 3-4 bathrooms so will be plenty of room and facilities.

You can get a 12 seater van, which are large, so as long as you have someone happy to drive it. Price wise it won't make too much diffrence if you had that or 2 cars.

Good luck planning and 6 kids - you are very brave!!

 

[Cyrano]

Welcome to UK TP. The folks here are very helpful.
I'd agree a villa would be perfect for your party

 

[irenep]

Hi, and welcome

When we travelled with BA holidays 2 years ago we were given a 5 bedroom villa - there were only 5 of us! (had booked a smaller one) It was HUGE . I am sure you would be able to find a bigger one if the kids can't share.

Not sure about the van hire but I would have thought 2 cars will give you more flexibility as you might not want to do everything together e.g kids get tired/want time off to rest

 

[sandshal]

Hi and welcome!

The guys on here are really helpful and you've definately come to the right place!

From experience, one villa's good, provided you all get on really well, otherwise make sure you've got plenty of space for the odd moment of privacy when things become tense.

Definately go for 2 vehicles rather than 1 .... I guarantee you will not all want to do the same things at the same time every day, although if your combined budget can stretch to it, a 10-12 seater plus one smaller car may be an option.

Have fun planning .... it's all part of the holiday

Sharon

 

[Jakey Rowling]

Definitely two cars for comfort and flexibility.
With kids who knows what might happen, not everyone might be fit or able to go to the parks.

Pay considerable attention to how you can use the villa space, not just the number of bedrooms.

Space around the pool, seats around the pool, dining arrangements and seating arrangements for the evening.

Many villas offer to sleep xx, but they cannot accommodate that amount during the day.

 

[ymann68]

did you ever consider a rental house. I know in the Davenport area of Florida there is a lot of homes with pools for rent. It is a close drive to Disney only 5 to 10 minutes with traffic.

 

[samesizedfeet]

We've really only just started looking into the nitty gritty of how it'll work with so many of us.

I've had a scout around a few sites and the one thing that did strike me actually was the villas that sleep 10/12 people but the dining table only have 6 chairs!!

I've had a look at a few posts and definitely think one villa is the way to go - and with laundry facilities we might get away with not a huge amount of luggage on the way out.

Hadn't thought about wanting to do different things when it came to the cars. That will probably be me pretending to pop out to the shops for milk and "getting lost" for the day.

The thought of 6 children for a fortnight is making my head hurt already!! But we'll probably only be able to afford to do it the one time and the two sets of kids match well in ages so that they should be able to amuse each other or have someone else to entertain them if there's arguing.

The eldest two will be 11 but the youngest one will be just turned 3 - so any tips for stuff to take for toddlers that we won't necessarily get in the States or are more expensive out there.

Cheers

Zoe

 

[Jakey Rowling]

We've really only just started looking into the nitty gritty of how it'll work with so many of us.

I've had a scout around a few sites and the one thing that did strike me actually was the villas that sleep 10/12 people but the dining table only have 6 chairs!!

I've had a look at a few posts and definitely think one villa is the way to go - and with laundry facilities we might get away with not a huge amount of luggage on the way out.

Hadn't thought about wanting to do different things when it came to the cars. That will probably be me pretending to pop out to the shops for milk and "getting lost" for the day.

The thought of 6 children for a fortnight is making my head hurt already!! But we'll probably only be able to afford to do it the one time and the two sets of kids match well in ages so that they should be able to amuse each other or have someone else to entertain them if there's arguing.

The eldest two will be 11 but the youngest one will be just turned 3 - so any tips for stuff to take for toddlers that we won't necessarily get in the States or are more expensive out there.

Cheers

Zoe

Many villas also have a breakfast nook usually for 4 but it's separate from the dining table so it can be a problem.
You will also find most villas do not have comfortable seating by the pool for more than 6 so also consider this. Its not just a case of getting more chairs, there is often not the space.

The pool is a great place to occupy the kids, plenty of decent cheap pool toys can be bought there.
Find a local video/dvd rental place. Great for the evenings when kids are tired

I'd look for a 2nd sitting room if I were you so you can maybe split the kids by age for films, games etc. Maybe have some adult time if it suits.
Take some board games for them

Never went with kids in nappy stage so can't comment.
Some folk take food/cereal, personally I never bother but we accept you pay a premium.

 

[WiganTony]

The only downside to hiring 2 cars would be having to pay two lots of parking fees at the parks i.e. $22 instead of $11.

However, the upside as already mentioned, is that given the range in ages of the children, it may well be prudent to have two cars so that the younger ones could leave the parks earlier if needed (bearing in mind that some parks are open until 10pm).

In addition, I suspect that any van with 10 seats would have quite limited luggage space, whereas an intermediate car should comfortably fit three or four cases in the trunk.