traveling Disney with twins

[cinderkay]

I am a mother of a 4 yr. old Princess and 2 yr. old twin princes! We are taking our first trip to Disney as a family in October. My DD has waited paitiently for her trip to see Cinderella so that the boys could come along too.
Now what to expect?? We have grandparents traveling with us and I am seeking any and all advice on making our trip smooth. Are there discounts out there for multiples? Do I have to pay extra for one twin who makes 5 instead of 4 in our room? 50 lb. Double stroller or two umbrella strollers? I am trying to work out as many problems as possible before we go. I am a Planner/ list maker at heart! I am sure there are mothers of multiples out there with a wealth of info. Thanks!

 

[TJA]

I am a mother of twin girls and we have taken our girls to WDW 3 times so far (7 mos. old, 13 mos. old, 18 mos. old). My next trip they will be 2 yrs old, just like yours! I can tell you from previous experience, we would never go to WDW without our double stroller from home. Yes, it is big and bulky, but the pros outweigh the cons by a longshot in our opinion. The seats recline so our girls can comfortably nap right in the stroller, they both have snack trays for food & cups, canopies protect them from the sun and give them shade to nap in, there is a lot of storage underneath the stroller for our bag and necessities, and our girls are comfortable in the stroller as they are familiar with it and used to it.

I have not found discounts in WDW for twins. One thing to remember is your twins can eat at buffets and character meals for free. Age 3 is when restaurants start charging for kids.

I noticed you mentioned Cinderella. You might want to make a PS (reservation) for a character meal where she is. I believe she is at the Castle at MK and also 1900 Park at GF.

Hopefully others can help you with room sizes and charges (we are a family of 4). One thing I can recommend to you is staying at a resort close to MK, possibly a monorail resort if your budget allows. You can roll your stroller right on and off the monorail to the parks with your twins right in it. If you take a bus, you have to unload your stroller and fold it up, carry your kids, etc. We stayed at Contemporary when our twins were 13 mos old and had the best trip of our lives. There is a walking path there between MK and the resort. It takes about 10 minutes to walk. So we would walk over to MK at night just to watch Wishes. It was so easy and convenient, lots of fun. Poly and GF are also monorail resorts.

Enjoy your 1st trip to WDW!

 

[Loops]

We took our twin boys to Disney when they turned 1 and our daughter was 4 1/2. Since there were 5 of us and we were on a budget the only reasonable priced resort that would sleep the 5 of us was Port Orleans. I think some of the deluxes might accomodate 5. You can also get joining rooms at a value for about the same price as 1 room at Port Orleans.

We brought our DuoGlider from home. It was difficult at times getting everyone on the bus and the stroller. A few times we came across some nice people that felt sorry for us and gave us a hand getting the stroller on the bus. I like the DuoGlider opposed to 2 umbrella strollers because of the large storage basket. We are going to Disney next months and now I'm trying to figure out the stroller situation. We are traveling with family this time but we are staying in different resorts so we will be on our own getting on and off the buses.

Since you have grandparent's staying with you that is great....2 extra pairs of hands. It was just my husband and I with the 3 kids and somehow we managed it.

 

[rgribik]

We have twin boys(almost 2) and 3 girls. This April will be the boys 3rd time to Dis(the girls have gone tons of times). We have never found any discounts for twins. As for the room,Port Orleans is a great resort that allows 5 to a room. I think the rule for the others is 4 to a room plus a baby under 2(not sure on the baby age). We only took my Mom once for help, and we have always managed. My rule is take it easy and expect some problems. I know lots of people love big double strollers, my vote is for two singles. We just found it easier to move through the crowds with 2 strollers and I hate trying to get on the bus with the big stroller. Everyone says they need the big basket, but remember everything you pack you eventually have to carry. I use backpacks, so we can just put them on when we need to. I also travel light, after years of overpacking, I found I didn't need half of the stuff I thought I did. You are lucky to have help going. You can give each adult a child to be in charge of---we are outnumbered by our kids. But we love Disney and always make it fun.

 

[cinderkay]

Wow! Thanks everyone for all of this information. i feel like I have so many questions and this is a great resource. I definately like the idea of using the monarail if we can swing those resorts. Just the thought of not having to unpack and fold the stroller makes me smile. I think the boys would do better with a stroller that reclines and we have onle single from my daughter but not another. Maybe it would be worth it to borrow another from my sister! Although my boys never stop eating! We may need to storage for snacks alone!
Do you all fly to Disney or drive. That is the debate my husband and I are having now. We can get a good rate but anything times five adds up. Tnaks for all the info!!!!!

 

[Loops]

We are flying with our 2 year old twins and 6 year old daughter. We are flying from Allentown, PA to Sanford Intntl (45 minutes from Disney). We are flying Transmeridian and airfare for the 5 of us is $980...which is a great rate.

 

[Carrie Ellis]

Hi I am a mother of two sets of twins! We went last September and the kids were 3,3,8,8. We bought a RV and camped at Fort Wilderness. Now we are going again this October! yippee! I love love love FW for kids plus the boat from the marina heads to MK with only one stop at the WL. This was wonderful on the nights back from MK!

FW has playgrounds, petting zoo, campfire everynight and an outdoor disney movie every night (weather permitting). If you should be interested in FW and do not have a RV...they do have cabins that hold up to 6 people. The cabins have a full kitchen!!

Now! Having twins twice I do not like double stroller when I am with my husband. I like having 2 light weight strollers. That way he can take one and I can take one. If we want to split up for example "stores", it is easier on me or him to not be left with a double. Plus weaving in and out of crowds is easier! Just my 2 cents! Oh and if you don't have oner, buy a stroller rain cover before you leave. These saved our lives a couple of times when we came off a ride and it had rained!! Plus I did not need ponchos for them either because the covers have side vents and the kids just sit under them while it rains. We just kept on going with our ponchos on!

Right now you will not have to buy a park pass or pay for buffets for your twins so enjoy it while you can!! ha! I am buying 6 now!!!

Good Luck!!

 

[my3kids]

You won't pay extra for the 5th person. When my twins (and older singleton) were younger we stayed in the Ft. Wilderness cabins which were great for young families. We could put the children to bed and still have the whole living area, kitchen and our bed(murphy) with no disturbing the little ones. It was also nice that I didn't have to worry about the kids bothering next door neighbors.

 

[rgribik]

We have done both lots of times. Coming from PA it is a 2 day drive for us. Driving allows us to overpack and bring all the things we think we need, but it is long and boring and everyone gets tired sitting for 2 days. We fly when we can(air fare times 7) because we like to get where we are going and have as much time on vacation as possible. A 2 and 1/2 hour flight is easy and no problem since we don't leave Disney once we get there. We never had any problem with the kids on a plane, personally I hate to fly, but getting to Disney is more important than my phobia. My husband would vote for flying every time. Have fun!

 

[Jennyvelaz]

I recommend doing a twins search and spending at least 48 continuous hours inputting the wealth of knowledge for mothers of multiples going to Disney!!! It would be cool for a "multiples" board here for the Dis!
Our first trip we stayed at the Poly for the monorail! After going a couple of times here's my input...
1) Rent a car!!! (or drive if you choose). One can get sick, need a pharmacy trip, and least you do not have to pack swimmies, diapers, etc.
2) Bring two umbrella strollers and bind them together. They sell back netting for the extras but you can't leave them on the strollers anyway (your doubleglider...) When you get on a ride or show you need a "quick dropoff" and need not to worry about valuables to be taken. The double side by side works fine. Granted you can rent in the parks but it can get costly and it is other areas, like the boardwalk or walking to and from the buses, that it is most needed.
3)Use a backpack with front and easy access pockets.
4) Chef Mickeys on the first night for a "warmup" with the characters. They'll see that it will be fun with them with the napkins and singing!

 

[cinderkay]

We are considering FW now for our trip because of the space and the KITCHEN! I think we can save money on making our oun food some instead of eating out all the time. i am not sure how much of a vacation it will be for me if I have to get everyone through a resturant ordeal every night. My daughter is also allergic to MILK. Which eliminates alot of meals from a resturant.
Is there such a thing as an umbrella stroller that reclines? Our double is not a side by side but it is rather long, but I think they will need somethign that can lay back. I think we may have to shove the umbrella stroller under the double so my Daughter can have a place to rest as well. Or the grandparents can take someone seperately to an attraction/ride.
I am glad to hear that the boys will be free. I thought that wa sthe case but my husband starting doing the "Budget" and was wanting to know for sure. So I came to the source! Maybe I can get some plane tickets out of the deal if he subtracts thier passes and buffett prices. Our plane trip would only be @ 1 1/2 hrs. compared to a 14 hr drive from VA. I still can't decide if the money is worth the sanity!
Thanks again for all the info. it is nice to know that so many people can make it to Disney successfully with twins and more. If Carrie can do it with two sets of twins I suddenly have much more confidence in myself!
Paulal

 

[Carrie Ellis]

CinderKay!

Let me tell you, I just do not know any better! I wonder what it is like to have a singleton! ha! Yes you can make it and have a great time! Many umbrellas lean back enough for a nap. Mine has a strap that snaps and unsnaps from behind for reclining. Look for one that has a canopy and basket but stay light weight! You can buy umbrella stroller connectors and rain covers at TRU or Burlington Coat factory. Take it slow and give the kids a mid-day break.

If you drive bring a TV! We drove from VA. We live in Spotsylvania. I like to start off early and have the kids sleep for at least 4 hours before breakfast. We left at 4am and arrived at FW at 6:30pm but we were pulling a RV.

If you ever have a question you can PM me!

 

[ladyelle]

Hi, I am also a mother of multiples - twins 7, and triplets 5. Our first trip to Disney was when they were 4 and 6. We went by ourselves without any help and we had alot of fun. It took alot of planning but it worked. I don't think we could have managed them all alone if we went when they were smaller.
The key to our success was hours of planning and enjoying the moment. We did not try to do and see everything. We did what we could and spent the remainder of time relaxing at the resort pool, eating at character meals,etc.

I would highly encourage you to stay at a monorail resort. We stayed at the Polynesian and it was very convenient. We spent over half of our resort time at the Magic Kingdom. The resort is beautiful and very relaxing.

We drove to Disney from Michigan. My kids are used to a 7-8 hour car ride to grandma's house so they are pretty good about driving. We brought along lots of Dinsey videos for them to watch on the way. Driving enabled us to bring everything we needed and make a couple of grocery stops.

Chef Mickey was a huge success as well. The kids loved it.

Have a great time planning.

 

[rgribik]

Hats off to you Carrie Ellis and ladyelle, I thought one set of twins after 3 singles was a ton of work(love them to death though). Yes, the key is planning and when we do drive we use a tv with lots of videos. Even when the kids were babies the songs and pictures seemed to keep them in a trance.
Go at your kids pace, and take some breaks.

We have had many umbrella strollers that have reclined in different ways. Check Toys R US and Burlington Coat. I now have two lite riders that have trays in front and I like those.

Have fun with your twins, mine are a laugh a minute! My oldest dd says we look like a circus train where ever we go!

 

[TerriBelle]

We have DD 11, Twin boys 7 - Our 1st trip with "the boys" was when they were 2 and our daughter was 6. We have been traveling to disney ever since. What worked best for us -

1) FLY! - We love being there after around 3 hours versus 2 days!
2) 2 Strollers - I never liked the double strollers. We had both the front/back and the side-by-side but we always used two umbrella strollers. For us this worked best. I'm not a big stroller lover anyway - our boys stopped using the strollers at 4 (almost 5).
3) DVC - Look into renting points from a member. If you get a 1BR you would have a kitchen and laundry.

 

[TJA]

I really liked someone's idea about having a separate board for parents of multiples! Gosh, I thought I had it a little rough with 2 yr old twin girls, but after reading about you people with other children besides, wow! Anyway, I mentioned above that we couldn't make it in WDW without our Graco duo glider. Keep in mind my girls were under 2 yrs old for those 3 trips. I think it was almost a necessity at that age to have our big comfy stroller. We are taking it again in a couple of months, but I'm beginning to understand how umbrellas might work as kids get older. Right now, I don't know any different, so I'm sticking with my double. Also, we don't have other children, so we never need to split up in the parks.

If FW doesn't work out for you, give CR a try. We stayed in a north wing room with a bay view and loved it. We watched the EWP from our room every night and were only a minute away from the tower (Chef Mickey's!!) and the walkway to MK. The monorail was truly a life-saver. We also stayed at Poly and loved it there too. It can be fairly expensive to stay at Poly, though.

 

[asktriplets]

hi.

you'll have such a great time! we went with our 3 2y.o.s in nov. with our parents, and we're doing it again in just over a month!!!!

just a thought on the strollers...

whatever you take, make sure the kids are used to them/it! we bought 3 new umbrella strollers (combi brand...reclines, comes with sun shade and weather shield...very nice) and my kids didn't like them much. they are used to their cushy triplet stroller or wagon and couldn't seem to get comfortable in them. i think the other problem was that they were used to going out with just me, so they KNEW that they were only allowed out when i said so. on this trip, with my dh and i and both sets of our parents, they were in and out, being carried and walked.....i think there were TOO many options and they got overwhelmed, kwim?

i will say, though, that the foldup umbrella strollers were nice for the buses and boats (we stayed in a cabin at FW). we used the connectors (from babies r us) when dh and i went out alone and it worked fine.

this trip, we're splurging at the poly and bringing our triplet stroller and the umbrella strollers....

the cabin was nice, and i LOVED the extra bedroom for naps and night time. the kitchen, which i thought would be a huge plus, was not quite the hit i thought it would be...my kids didn't eat as much of the "home cooked" food as i would have thought. we ate lots of pbj and cereal (ah, the whims of 2 year olds, huh?) of course, the full sized fridge was a big help with all of the milk that my kids drink! we drove, and let me tell you, having our van right outside our cabin door was GREAT for getting us to and from most of the parks without having to deal with the hassle of the internal and external buses at FW.

transportation to and from MK was a pain from FW!! taking the van, we still had to park at the TTC and ride the monorail. the other option was taking an internal bus to the ferry, then boating over. i though for sure the kids would think it all so exciting and fun, but it was 30-45 mins. no matter how we went, and when the kids were tired, the transportation seemed MUCH longer! plus, we came back every day for naps (sadly, my kids didn't want to nap in strollers), so it was 1-1 1/2 hrs. to/from the parks in the AM and PM. when you're working on a toddler schedule and you only have 3-4 "good" hours at a time in the morning and afternoon, this transportation can really take a chunk out of the day!....not sure if this has been anyone else's experience, but wanted to pass this info. along, just in case...

also, you're going with grandparents, right? one day in epcot, we split up and let each couple take a child for the afternoon. how wonderful for the kids (and adults) to get one-on-one time to do whatever their little heart desired...we just followed their lead with no schedule...

hope some of this helped....

have a great time!

oh, be sure to ask if the grandparents will babysit one night while you guys go out and ride the "big kid" rides. we're planning on my parents babysitting on the night that MGM has the extra magic hours...dinner, then 3 hours extra to ride RnR and ToT over and over and over again!

 

[cinderkay]

I have to say I think I am getting adicted to this message board! I am staying up late just to see what you guys have to say not only about Disney but just the multiples life!!!
I have some really good information to go with as far as resorts I think I heading towards FW but I really like the idea of the monorail. If you stay at a resort without the monorail can you drive over to the GF and walk into MK from there or ride the monorail or do you have to be staying there? I think the monorail might be worth saving the money on the flight and driving. We are looking into going in late september or early Oct. Should I already have everything planned by now?
I have never actually planned such a big vacation by myself to somewehre we haven't been to before(as a family). Usually we head to the local beach for the week and I have been donig that all my life. So, that said...where do I call to make the actual reservations?
I have been looking online at some unmbrella strollers and I think I might go ahead and invest in some new strollers. I really liked the idea of having a set of parents or grandparents take the kids for a day or afternoon for some one-on-one time. Our daughter often gets to go to grandparents house by herself or out to fun events with family members while the boys are left home. While it is a help to have only two but I would like for the boys to get some on-on-one time as well. Maybe they will be potty trained by then, HA! That would make thing a lot easier.
Paula

 

[rgribik]

Me again, I'm addicted too! We go to the Disney web site, have used travel agents, I've noticed lots of people use online travel services(Dreams Unlimited). The CR(central reservation) number is 1-407-WDisney (there is an 800# floating somewhere on the boards). If you book yourself and need 2 rooms you have to call, the Dis web site won't book 2 rooms for you. Late Sept. early Oct. is a great time to go(We've tried just about every month). I'm a planner, I would be doing it as soon as I knew I was going. Remember,if you want special restaurant seating(charater meals) you can do it in advance. Especially, Cindy's, I think that is 90 days to the day you want to go. I started calling 2 minutes ahead so the number was in my phone and just kept redailing(I was lucky last year and got my day). I have noticed on the boards, people are not getting in at Cindy's this year. We also look at wdwig.com alot. They have menus and all kinds of info. After we go in April, we will probally come home and try to figure out when we can go again! Happy Planning!!