Too many choices - going out of my mind!

[turnerx6]

Im not sure what to do! We are SO new to all of this DW talk..I don't even understand half of the abriviations you all are using! lol

Heres the scoop;

We are visiting DW the last week of Oct. for my b-day, our dd's angel day anniversary and possibly halloween.

My dh and I are bringing our dd's (ages at time of trip will be 5, 2 and 11 months) and we are also paying for my parents to join us! So there will be 4 adults and 3 little ones..

We plan on flying which is a whole different set of problems. I HATE flying, especially with 3 little ones! Plus we are leaving from TX and my parents are leaving from KS.

We want to stay probably for 6 days 5 nights.

We planned on doing the value resort - thinking our kids could care less about the room itself...with my parents having their own room as well. But people have mentioned villas as well??? If we went that route, which villa would you recommend??? I saw that some of them you can walk to the magic kingdom? Is that right?

I also saw about staying off site - and renting a car - in our case two cars?? Yikes...then what about carseats for the little ones?? I dont know - that might not even be worth all the hassle!

And what about a stroller? Should we bring our own double stroller or get one there?

What about the dining plan? We have heard good and bad things so now im scared....LOL

ANY TIPS AT ALL WOULD BE GREAT!

 

[mjkacmom]

I strongly suggest getting a guidebook - Unofficial Guide and/or Passporter. From your questions, I can see you are early in the planning stages (values and villas are at complete opposite ends of the lodging). With the ages of your kids, I would stay onsite, especially with grandparents, because you can split up if someone needs a nap. All of your kids will probably need strollers, and I wouldn't recommend disney strollers for the 2 youngest (not napable - plus about $31 a day). I'd bring what you use at home, because you will also need it in the airport.

The 2 bedroom villas are in deluxe resorts, and are $$$$$$. If you do go with that option, I suggest renting points from DVC members (there is a spot on these boards). The dining plan is great if you are definitely planning 1 table service meal each day. Sometimes it's easier with little ones just to eat mostly at counter service. If you do the dining plan, you will want to make your ADR's well in advance, especially character meals (well, even if paying OOP, you will want to do this as well).

 

[turnerx6]

What does "renting points" mean as far as the villas go?????

We just got the 2010 guidebook - DH has it at work with him right now! lol So its doing me a lot of good huh!?! LOL

 

[laughinplace199]

There are villas which are part of Disney's Vacation Club (timeshare). You can rent these through Disney (which is on the expensive side) or you can rent through a member (which would be much more affordable). There's a DVC Rental board on the Dis you might want to check out. We have 3 kids and my parents often vacation with us. We get a 2 BR villa, which sleeps 8, plus 1 baby under 3 yrs old. There is a full kitchen, a living room, and a washer & dryer. The villas are very convenient for a larger family. There are villas at the Contemporary (BLT), Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Board Walk, Wilderness Lodge, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs.

We use car seats on the plane, so when we rent a car, we already have our carseats. Not everyone uses car seats on the plane though and you don't need to rent a car if you stay on site. We just like having a car because we can come and go when we want and don't have to risk waiting for buses with tired kids. If you stay off-site, I recommend renting a car. Off-site hotels sometimes have shuttles to WDW, but they don't always run as frequently as WDW buses. My IL's sayed off-site and the buses only ran every few hours.

I would bring your own double stroller for the two littlest ones. The Disney rentals are hard plastic and do not recline. They're fine for older toddlers/preschoolers, but not ideal for babies. Your oldest may get tired from walking and you could always rent a single if needed for her.

We don't do the DDP, so I can't comment on that one.

I know it can be overwhelming at first, but you'll get tons of good advice here. Just keep asking questions, do your homework, and you'll have a wonderful trip!