Resort and trip input needed

[bethwc101]

I am helping plan a Disney trip for two kids aged 5&7.

Eight days total with down days in between parks. These kids have never been to any sort of theme park, zoo, or even seen fireworks before. But they are very into fast cars, dirt bikes, etc.

There will be five people in total three adults and two children. I was thinking maybe doing a DVC Point rental and staying in a studio at Boardwalk.
We would probably only be doing two Park days. Maybe three. We are planning on doing a full day at Magic Kingdom and maybe a full day of Epcot in Hollywood Studios or one day and park hop the two.
We will also be doing a day of Legoland and a day of SeaWorld. Epcot because the girl loves elsa and the boy loves star wars.

I am wondering with the limited days we are actually spending at Disney if it will be worth staying on property. It would be about $100 less per night to stay in a timeshare two bedroom suite with a full kitchen and free breakfast everyday.
If we stay at a timeshare we would also be getting a rental car. If we stay on property we would use Disney transportation for our Disney days, and then just Uber to the other parks and move hotels

 

[NJlauren]

A few things to note, Star Wars is in HS, not Epcot. So decided if you’ll split the days or do 3 park days.

And Uber to and from LEGOLAND will not be cheap. For 5 people you’ll need an Uber XL so figure 60-100 each way. Takes about an hour give or take to get there.

Personally for 2 park days LEGOLAND and sea world I would do offsite, we rent a full house, 4 bedrooms and get a car, house is 200-300 a night.

Now I prefer on site but it depends on the trip and for what you’re describing I’m not sure the on-site benefits are worth it.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

If I were you, I'd split your stay up and do off property first with legoland and seaworld with a car rental and then move to disney for the remainder of the trip. There's no sense in paying to stay at Disney with a premium. Plus Ubering to legoland is big $ since it's easily over an hour away. I'd devote your first two days to LL/SW, then drop your car off and head to Disney. If you want to save more $, you can definitely avoid staying on property but there are some perks to being onsite but you're not going to utilize them, you might be better off staying else where. We like onsite for ease of transportation, early theme park entry and extended evening hours (now deluxe resorts only). Also, staying at the Boardwalk, the ability to walk/boat to DHS/Epcot is a BIG perk. We really like that resort area a lot.

 

[CynBeth]

Honestly I would add more days to Disney so you can do at least one day at each park and not have rest days. Also, I would just stay on Disney property and drive if you have a car or get a rental to Legoland one day and Sea World the other day . You can sign up for free to be an Alamo Insider which offers discounts. It is so easy to get it at the airport.

 

[_19disnA]

With 3 adults/2 children and wanting to visit various places, I would look to rent a nearby home and you would have FAR more room then staying at any hotel and probably for a lot less money. If flying, rent a big enough car so you have room for luggage and can easily travel to the various destinations.

 

[disney-inspired]

I am helping plan a Disney trip for two kids aged 5&7.

Eight days total with down days in between parks. These kids have never been to any sort of theme park, zoo, or even seen fireworks before. But they are very into fast cars, dirt bikes, etc.

There will be five people in total three adults and two children. I was thinking maybe doing a DVC Point rental and staying in a studio at Boardwalk.
We would probably only be doing two Park days. Maybe three. We are planning on doing a full day at Magic Kingdom and maybe a full day of Epcot in Hollywood Studios or one day and park hop the two.
We will also be doing a day of Legoland and a day of SeaWorld. Epcot because the girl loves elsa and the boy loves star wars.

I am wondering with the limited days we are actually spending at Disney if it will be worth staying on property. It would be about $100 less per night to stay in a timeshare two bedroom suite with a full kitchen and free breakfast everyday.
If we stay at a timeshare we would also be getting a rental car. If we stay on property we would use Disney transportation for our Disney days, and then just Uber to the other parks and move hotels

The studios at Beach Club villas is too small for 5 people. I just came back from 7 day trip and we only had 3 people.
The are getting refurbished but until that's done, the pull out couches are not very comfy. I would check out Swan or Dolphin if you want to be central to all parks. Or maybe stay in a good neighbor hotel with a suite or 2 rooms or you could move over to a moderate (I love Port Orleans Riverside) as they have rooms that can sleep 5.

I do think you could add on another parks day too.

Are you for sure renting a car? b/c getting an uber/lyft could get expensive to go to Sea World and Legoland for 5 people.

 

[focusondisney]

The studios at Beach Club villas is too small for 5 people. I just came back from 7 day trip and we only had 3 people.
The are getting refurbished but until that's done, the pull out couches are not very comfy.

She said Boardwalk villas, not Beach Club. Still the same size, but not sure about the couch situation there.

 

[focusondisney]

We are planning on doing a full day at Magic Kingdom and maybe a full day of Epcot in Hollywood Studios or one day and park hop the two.

Just FYI, if you decide to park hop, you have to pay for however many days are on your ticket. You can’t get a 2 day ticket but only pay to hop for 1 of the days.

 

[disney-inspired]

She said Boardwalk villas, not Beach Club. Still the same size, but not sure about the couch situation there.

I swear I always confuse the two even though I know they distinctly different.
But yes, studios are tiny.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I would not pay Disney premium like that when you’re spending only 2 days in the parks and doing other stuff in the area. I would also not put 5 people and all their luggage in a room that small.

These kids have never done a theme park but they are gonna cover everything they want to do in MK, EP & DHS in 2 days? Sure it’s possible (theoretically but DHS has a serious ride break down issue with ROTR at the center of that issue) but that might be asking a lot of those kids, those parks cover a lot of space. Maybe you or the parents have been to the parks and understand how much walking and standing that will involve? Because obviously then you know what they’re facing. (I just caution because people who have never been before tend to drastically underestimate the size of these parks and how physically taxing standing in lines is.)

If you’re gonna do it make sure you understand the outfit’s cancellation policy, some dvc rentals have nasty cancellation policies, many are non refundable so it may necessitate buying a travel insurance policy that covers the cost of the timeshare rental.

 

[kboo]

(I just caution because people who have never been before tend to drastically underestimate the size of these parks and how physically taxing standing in lines is.)

I have dear friends who are going to Tampa for a weekend and who are planning to do one day at HS because they are big Star Wars fans.

 

[gottalovepluto]

We are planning on doing a full day at Magic Kingdom and maybe a full day of Epcot in Hollywood Studios or one day and park hop the two.

Epcot and Hollywood Stidios are two separate theme parks. Easy to hop between because you don’t need a bus- but still they’re separated by a 20-30 minute boat ride, Skyliner ride or walk…

 

[gottalovepluto]

I have dear friends who are going to Tampa for a weekend and who are planning to do one day at HS because they are big Star Wars fans.

May the Force be with them

 

[bethwc101]

A few things to note, Star Wars is in HS, not Epcot. So decided if you’ll split the days or do 3 park days.

And Uber to and from LEGOLAND will not be cheap. For 5 people you’ll need an Uber XL so figure 60-100 each way. Takes about an hour give or take to get there.

Personally for 2 park days LEGOLAND and sea world I would do offsite, we rent a full house, 4 bedrooms and get a car, house is 200-300 a night.

Now I prefer on site but it depends on the trip and for what you’re describing I’m not sure the on-site benefits are worth it.

I think I phrased that poorly. The purpose of the Hollywood Studios day is for Galaxy's edge. Epcot is for the princess stuff. Because we're going to do the princess dining there too.

I thought of the house idea as well, but VRBO and Airbnb seem to be blowing up online with horrible host reviews and outrageous cleaning fees and demands which is why we didn't really consider that option

 

[bethwc101]

I would not pay Disney premium like that when you’re spending only 2 days in the parks and doing other stuff in the area. I would also not put 5 people and all their luggage in a room that small.

These kids have never done a theme park but they are gonna cover everything they want to do in MK, EP & DHS in 2 days? Sure it’s possible (theoretically but DHS has a serious ride break down issue with ROTR at the center of that issue) but that might be asking a lot of those kids, those parks cover a lot of space. Maybe you or the parents have been to the parks and understand how much walking and standing that will involve? Because obviously then you know what they’re facing. (I just caution because people who have never been before tend to drastically underestimate the size of these parks and how physically taxing standing in lines is.)

If you’re gonna do it make sure you understand the outfit’s cancellation policy, some dvc rentals have nasty cancellation policies, many are non refundable so it may necessitate buying a travel insurance policy that covers the cost of the timeshare rental.

So the problem is these kids know absolutely nothing about Disneyland or Disney world. They don't even really know it exists. When he gets his kids for the summer he's going to start showing them ride videos and stuff, but they haven't seen most the Disney movies anyway. So they're not going to know a lot of the characters. And we don't know if they're going to be terrified of the teacups or rocking out on Space Mountain because they've never been to any sort of theme park or Carnival or fair in their life.

Which is why Epcot is pretty much going to be Frozen and Nemo because they know those movies, but nobody is betting on them being really interested in doing anything else. And Hollywood Studios will be Toy Story and Galaxy's Edge and that's it. And they might not even go on the rides and galaxies edge.

The adults have all done Disney so aren't terribly worried about missing out on attractions comma it's more about just making a good trip for the kids with out overwhelming them and avoiding meltdowns from exhaustion

These kids think riding a bus and the monorail would be the rides. Literally one of the down days we're just going to go ride all the Disney transportation because that's a whole new thing for them. They've never even been on a school bus before. And I think they've only been in a swimming pool once.

 

[CarolynFH]

I'm not sure of the dates of your trip, but in addition to VRBO and Airbnb, you can rent houses via Windsor Hills, or rent timeshare condos via the operators' websites - for instance, Wyndham, Marriott, Sheraton Vistana timeshares all do cash rentals via their websites. For more ideas, check out the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board.

 

[focusondisney]

So the problem is these kids know absolutely nothing about Disneyland or Disney world. They don't even really know it exists. When he gets his kids for the summer he's going to start showing them ride videos and stuff, but they haven't seen most the Disney movies anyway. So they're not going to know a lot of the characters. And we don't know if they're going to be terrified of the teacups or rocking out on Space Mountain because they've never been to any sort of theme park or Carnival or fair in their life.

Which is why Epcot is pretty much going to be Frozen and Nemo because they know those movies, but nobody is betting on them being really interested in doing anything else. And Hollywood Studios will be Toy Story and Galaxy's Edge and that's it. And they might not even go on the rides and galaxies edge.

The adults have all done Disney so aren't terribly worried about missing out on attractions comma it's more about just making a good trip for the kids with out overwhelming them and avoiding meltdowns from exhaustion

These kids think riding a bus and the monorail would be the rides. Literally one of the down days we're just going to go ride all the Disney transportation because that's a whole new thing for them. They've never even been on a school bus before. And I think they've only been in a swimming pool once.

Just my opinion, but I don’t think they have to know the Disney movies or characters to enjoy most of the attractions. Buzz Lightyear @ MK & Toy Story Mania are just video games they’ll almost certainly enjoy. Most of the MK rides are pretty tame with a lot to look at. Soarin, 3 Caballeros, the short 3 D movies in the imagination pavilion & Remy @ Epcot are all worth doing & I wouldn’t really rule them out thinking the kids wouldn’t be interested.

If they haven’t been in pools before, maybe the values or a moderate with themed pools would be especially fun & memorable for them. Good luck, hope they enjoy the trip.

 

[Counting Stars]

These kids have never been to any sort of theme park, zoo, or even seen fireworks before. But they are very into fast cars, dirt bikes, etc.... the problem is these kids know absolutely nothing about Disneyland or Disney world. They don't even really know it exists.....These kids think riding a bus and the monorail would be the rides.... Literally one of the down days we're just going to go ride all the Disney transportation because that's a whole new thing for them. They've never even been on a school bus before. And I think they've only been in a swimming pool once.

Maybe I am misunderstanding your posts, but it sounds like these children have been disconnected from television, and groups of kids and typical kid outings. I am wondering if starting out on a smaller scale might be more successful- Do things locally first to get a sense of how the kids enjoy the outings. Go to the zoo, take the kids to a movie, go to a local carnival during the summer, find a public pool and go swimming. I would want to expose the kids to day trips at local entertainment venues before taking on Disneyworld, SeaWorld and Legoland and hoping it all works. I love Disney but it can be pretty overwhelming for those who are familiar.
My apologies if I have gotten the wrong impression....

 

[NJlauren]

I think I phrased that poorly. The purpose of the Hollywood Studios day is for Galaxy's edge. Epcot is for the princess stuff. Because we're going to do the princess dining there too.

I thought of the house idea as well, but VRBO and Airbnb seem to be blowing up online with horrible host reviews and outrageous cleaning fees and demands which is why we didn't really consider that option

Fair point! I also hate Airbnb and Vrbo, and rent in Orlando via a friends company. So I do feel this problem!

 

[TinkAgainU]

When you say the adults are okay making sure this is low stress for the kids - I have faith it'll work out. The "big name" rides might be overwhelming, but be sure you know how the ILL and G+ work, so if they have a favorite idea or two you can try to accommodate. I've not been to Galaxy's Edge at HS at night (only the one in California) - in California it is nice in the daytime, but Really Amazing at night. If they like transportation, be sure to do the People Movers at night in Magic Kingdom if you can, and maybe the Walt Disney World Railroad. If they enjoy all the simple stuff, that is still a lot of cool memories Even I loved the Skyliner last trip!