traveling with multiples!!

[KarlaG4Kids]

Welcome and take heart disneytriplets. Planning can be half the fun. There is so much to learn about WDW. Tell us a bit about the kind of trip you are wanting. Budget, medium, blow the whole wad? Number of days? There are so many choices you will be able to find the perfect fit for you, just give us any information that will help us help you!

 

[kritter]

Newbie here! So glad I found this thread! I have 2 year old triplets and I am starting to gather ideas for my first WDW trip with kids. We aren't going for another 2-1/2 years, however I am the trip planner for the five of us, my parents, brother and future sister-in-law (and potentially more children from us or my brother/sister-in-law) and I need to start getting ideas on where to stay, cost, etc so I can present the different options to everyone.

I would appreciate any help on resorts ideas with accommodations for all of us (either together or in separate rooms), ideas for traveling with 4-1/2 year old triplets (we will be flying from the Philadelphia Airport) or suggestions on special things to do with the kids while in WDW.

I am so excited and wish we could go sooner, but I'll have to settle for spending some time planning!

Thank you!

Denise

Denise, WELOCOME!!!!

I really like the DVC resorts....this way you have a kitchen, washer, etc.....Things to do character meals are great things and you can eat and the kids love the characters too so that is a great plus....
The parks are wonderful....the shows...so many things you will never be bored...
Monorail resorts are always convient but pricey..What time of year are you going????

 

[disneytriplets]

Hi KarlaG4Kids! Thanks for your help! Here is some info...

Trip: I'm thinking about a five night, six day trip in September 2008.

Budget: I definitely don't want to blow everything on this trip and I know my parents and brother will freak out if I present a trip plan that is too costly. So, I'd have to say budget to medium (though I'd personally lean more toward medium). I'd like to present several options for my group since they've never stayed at a WDW resort.

Room/Resort: My DH and I went to WDW in 1998 and stayed at Dixie Landings. We loved it, but there is no way the five of us will fit in one of those rooms. I'd like to have some type of kitchen so we can save a few $$ on meals, but I'm not sure the rooms/suites with kitchens will fit the groups budget. I think we could save a lot of $$ with a kitchen when feeding six adults and at least three children. I wouldn't mind sharing a suite with my parents (so they could enjoy more time with the grandkids and maybe babysit without having to wait with the kids in our room while we have time at the parks ). My brother said we should stay off site, but I'm afraid it will be very difficult to travel back and forth with so many people, parking and running back to the resort for an afternoon break/nap. Depending on how many children we have at time of travel, we might have to rent two or three vehicles just to drive to the parks.

One question, do the resort doors have locks/chains that are up high? My kids can already reach and turn door knob locks and dead bolts. In two years I'm sure they will be able to run out of the resort if they can reach the locks!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Welcome disneytriplets,

All Star Music now has "suites" available. They sleep either 6 or 8 (can't remember which) and have a kitchenette. Perhaps they have a regular room attached, or you could get a regular room nearby, so that all of your party can fit? Or get two. I believe they are priced in the $220 range per night (depending what season you go), roughly double what two regular value rooms would cost.

Another option would be to rent DVC points from a member (see DVC board here). You could get one of the bigger suites for all of you if you wanted (some sleep 12) and split the cost. That's a little trickier to maneuver but it can be done. You first have to figure out how many points you'd need on a point chart. Then watch for someone who's renting their points out. If you picked their home resort, you could book it at 11 months out. Not all of the DVC properties have the grand villas.

I have a friend who swears by getting a house. She can get one for as low as $600 for the week. You could all stay in a house together and have your own pool. That might work out well for babysitting purposes. And some of the houses aren't much farther out than somewhere like the All Stars are.

The locks on the doors in the resorts aren't up too high if I recall. I think they make them so younger (ie elementary) kids can work them also, probably in the event of an emergency or whatever. Maybe you could bring some of those plastic things to put over the doorknobs so they can't use the knobs. The doors themselves are pretty heavy.

The nice thing about planning a trip so far in advance is that you have lots of time to save $$ for it. Instead of buying things you might not really need, you are motivated to put it toward your trip instead!

Good luck, and remember, the planning is half the fun!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

OT - did anyone see on the news last night the woman who they thought was having twins, delivered them, and SURPRISE - another set of twins behind those!! QUADS!! I'm surprised that would happen today with ultrasounds. I don't know about anyone else, but I had weekly ultrasounds toward the end of my pregnancy. You'd think they'd have seen 16 arms and legs instead of 8, 4 heads instead of two, etc.

I know most of us have probably heard stories in the mall from older women who had twins before the days of ultrasounds - "I told the doctor there was another one in there, and they didn't believe me", LOL. Luckily, it doesn't happen too much today. Imagine??

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Anyone esle do anything partime and think it is worth it or have felt like I have???

I work part time, I'm in my 19th year at the same job. I'm a nurse, in charge of a cardiac unit in a large teaching hospital. For many years before kids I worked FT, but currently I work two 12 hr overnight shifts a week which works out well for everyone. I love what I do, and it's a large part of who I am. And I love being home for my kids, too. Of course, it's never ideal whether you work or don't work, but if you can find something that works for you, then great. It's nice to have that paycheck and/or benefits, and nothing wrong with doing something just because you enjoy it, either.

My husband's comany just closed unexpectedly, so he lost his job suddenly two months ago (right before our trip). We didn't really sweat it because we knew I could always pick up more hours if need be, and we still had benefits through my work. Luckily he found another job right away. Bottom line is, you never know what's going to happen. I think there are benefits to working part time if you want to and can manage childcare issues, but it's an individual choice each of us has to make. Do what you feel is right.

 

[llp479]

Well, we're back from WDW and our 4 day Wonder Cruise. We stayed at VWL for the first time for the two days before the crusie, after being DVC members since '98. The weather was quite chilly the first two days - low 60's. By the time we left BWV on Sunday it was in the upper 80's.

Girls celebrated their 12th birthday on the Wonder. It was the dress up night in Tritons, so it was very nice. Our servers were wonderful men, and did a great job in making it special. One thing kind of ticked me off, they only brought one cake! Since the girls' first birthday, we have always had two cakes! I have a good friend who is an identical twin, and this was her advice. Said it always bothered her when they were treated as a "unit" instead of individuals. Oh well, we'll make up for it at their family party this Sunday.

Parks weren't crowded, but we didn't spend much time in them this trip. We made sure to get up early on Saturday to get to the Animal Kingdom so we could ride Expedition Everest. We were there by 8:45 and were able to ride it twice. It's a cool ride and I recommend it. Not as flashy as some, but still great fun!

The cruise was great, and as soon as DH and I are both working again, we'll be planning another one. I think we will do a 7 day next time, as 4 days just wasn't enough.

Happy to come home to warm weather - finally! After wearing sandals for 10 days, my feet just can't bear to wear shoes and socks!

 

[Deesknee]

Welcome Disneytriplets! (edited to add ...I'm also a Denise)

I just found this thread myself. At least I don't remember coming across before.

I have 15yo triplets DS,DS,DD and a 2yo.DD

My teen trips have the foundest of memories with my mom coming along to WDW with us to "give us a hand" We all treasure these memories. DS#2 now says his gram should get to come with us with the 2yo also. He thinks it's not fair to the baby not to enjoy WDW with gram. Multiples are a blessing in so many ways. I used to love when people would say "better you than me" I love to respond "I agree!"


Glad to find everyone!

 

[roysbrew]

We have always done two cakes as well, sometimes it's just a cupcake in addition to a cake but they each get to choose. This year after attending a twin bday party where they sang Happy bday twice we also sang it twice. In past years their names were always garbled because everyone said a different name. I had to share my bday parties with my best friend in school (our bdays were a day apart and our moms did joint parties). My DM isn't a baker so the party cake was it. I always wanted to pick my own cake. People forget that even though twins share a bday (although I know a few sets born on different days) they are individuals.
I'm also surprised at how many people give them one present. At 4 they like different things (mine are B&G) Last year my DS cried for his present, someone added a pack of wrapped batteries so we gave him those, he was thrilled. People don't understand it's not what they get, it's having a little something that is yours. I was going to ask people skip gifts this year, but I thought they wouldn't understand that either. I tell people a box of crayons and coloring book or a book for each is plenty. Sorry for my off subject rant,
I'm glad you had a good trip.

 

[kritter]

Well, we're back from WDW and our 4 day Wonder Cruise. We stayed at VWL for the first time for the two days before the crusie, after being DVC members since '98. The weather was quite chilly the first two days - low 60's. By the time we left BWV on Sunday it was in the upper 80's.

Girls celebrated their 12th birthday on the Wonder. It was the dress up night in Tritons, so it was very nice. Our servers were wonderful men, and did a great job in making it special. One thing kind of ticked me off, they only brought one cake! Since the girls' first birthday, we have always had two cakes! I have a good friend who is an identical twin, and this was her advice. Said it always bothered her when they were treated as a "unit" instead of individuals. Oh well, we'll make up for it at their family party this Sunday.

Parks weren't crowded, but we didn't spend much time in them this trip. We made sure to get up early on Saturday to get to the Animal Kingdom so we could ride Expedition Everest. We were there by 8:45 and were able to ride it twice. It's a cool ride and I recommend it. Not as flashy as some, but still great fun!

The cruise was great, and as soon as DH and I are both working again, we'll be planning another one. I think we will do a 7 day next time, as 4 days just wasn't enough.

Happy to come home to warm weather - finally! After wearing sandals for 10 days, my feet just can't bear to wear shoes and socks!

oooh sounds like the cruise was wonderful tell us some more about it.......

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

Disneytriplets. When we first began taking our kids to WDW we couldn't afford to stay in hotels (we would have needed 2 rooms for the 6 of us). All of the options available for 6 people on site were really expensive. The first year we camped at Ft. Wilderness. It was great...but not for everybody. After that we had a condo in Kissimmee. We liked it a lot and it was not very far. About a 10-15 minute drive to the parks. The last time we went we had 13 people and we rented a private pool home (6 bedrooms). It was fantastic. We were able to cook a lot of meals and save money that way. We had a washer and dryer, convenient and very helpful. We had a private pool that we all loved. Again we were only 10-15 minutes from the parks. The only drawback we found was that it was more difficult because we all had to go everywhere together (and it isn't easy to leave the parks in the middle of the day for naps or rest). We had 2 vehicles but only my husband and I could drive since everybody else was under 25 and it was way expensive to rent cars when you are under 25. The price was so reasonable. We were able to stay for $14 per person per night. SO MUCH cheaper than any hotel. I would highly recommend it for a large group if you are on a budget and can work out the car situation. Now the suites that are available at the All Star resorts are a very good choice. It makes the transportation much easier. We may have to try something like that next time. No matter what works into your budget and choices you will have a great time. Just take your time and research research research...you will find the perfect match for your group.

 

[AshAlytwins]

llp...tell us more about your 4 day....we ar going on November 26th!!!!

 

[llp479]

llp...tell us more about your 4 day....we ar going on November 26th!!!!

We were a Cat 3 so we were able to board first, at 11:45. We had arrived at the cruise terminal around 10:30, and were given a group 2, so if you want to get on first, get there early. Only real advantage that I see, is you're able to find a spot on deck to plant yourself and all your carryons. You can now get your pagers for your children and their wrist bands right there while you wait to board. Apparently this is a new option according to our friends who have cruised 2 times previously with DCL. I also highly recommend registering online as opposed to waiting for crusie docs. Made the whole process much smoother. Cabin was ready around 1:30.

Parrot Cay was open for lunch, but we chose to go up to deck 9 and do the buffet. Food was wonderful! Even picky youngest dd was able to get mac 'n cheese! The Bahama Mama's they were selling weren't bad either.

DH was able to get almost 9 yr old dd moved up to the 10 -12 group so she was able to hang with the twins and our friend's son. Unfortunately, none of the kids were impressed with the activities for this age group. Our friends' 7 yr old ds seemed to enjoy the kids' club, however. TIP - even if your kids don't spend much time here, be sure to have them go during the graduation rehearsal. They get free t-shirts that are very nice!

I let the girls pretty much do what they wanted. However, this was never more than an hour or two at a time, and the rule was the three, or 4 if our friend's son was there, had to stay together. They loved being able to get ice cream whenever they wanted, and took advantage of it! Hey - it's vacation right?

Was not overly impressed with Nassau. Twins didn't get off the boat and watched Narnia in the theater while yougest dd and I went exploring. We had spent the morning by the Goofy pool which was great because we basically had the pool to ourselves. I had a pedicure, while the girls went back to the cabin to shower and get cleaned up. DH did a snorkling excursion which he doesn't recommend, and was back on the boat in the spa while I was offshore. DD and I spent all of 45 minutes on shore. There are a couple of threads on the cruise board that address the issues with Nassau. If we are ever there again, I'll either head over to Atlantis, or stay on the boat.

Castaway Cay - what can I say! OMG - the place is incredible! Plan on getting off the boat early so you can get a good seat at the family beach, under an umbrella! Even with TONS of sunscreen reapplied often, we all managed to get burned. We had two umbrellas because I'm really not supposed to do sun as I had melanoma several years ago, and I still got burned walking from the beach back to the boat! DH said the snorkling here was very nice! You get your towels as you exit the boat - something we managed to miss!

We did the Palo brunch on the day at sea. What a wonderful experience that was. We also did a wine tasting later in the day at Palo. Very enjoyable and quite relaxing.

My only other advice is if you need anything ASK! They truly want to make you happy. DD was upset because the mac'n cheese wasn't made with the Mickey shaped pasta. The final night of the cruise, they had Mickey shaped pasta with alfredo sauce, not cheese sauce. We asked our server, and VIOLA! DD was over the moon! Head server said we should have asked earlier in the week, as she could have had it for every meal!

Hope this helps. Be happy to answer any other questions anyone has!

PS - for DVC members, be sure to take your membership card with you. They have a model of the ship you can buy if your a DVC member, and the folks selling DVC onboard had free hats, luggage tags, and magnets for members.

 

[disneytriplets]

Thank you to KarlaG4Kids, Pea-n-Me and kritter for all your help and suggestions! I am going to start looking into all the info you gave me and come up with a few options for my family.

Thanks again!!!

 

[kritter]

We were a Cat 3 so we were able to board first, at 11:45. We had arrived at the cruise terminal around 10:30, and were given a group 2, so if you want to get on first, get there early. Only real advantage that I see, is you're able to find a spot on deck to plant yourself and all your carryons. You can now get your pagers for your children and their wrist bands right there while you wait to board. Apparently this is a new option according to our friends who have cruised 2 times previously with DCL. I also highly recommend registering online as opposed to waiting for crusie docs. Made the whole process much smoother. Cabin was ready around 1:30.

Parrot Cay was open for lunch, but we chose to go up to deck 9 and do the buffet. Food was wonderful! Even picky youngest dd was able to get mac 'n cheese! The Bahama Mama's they were selling weren't bad either.

DH was able to get almost 9 yr old dd moved up to the 10 -12 group so she was able to hang with the twins and our friend's son. Unfortunately, none of the kids were impressed with the activities for this age group. Our friends' 7 yr old ds seemed to enjoy the kids' club, however. TIP - even if your kids don't spend much time here, be sure to have them go during the graduation rehearsal. They get free t-shirts that are very nice!

I let the girls pretty much do what they wanted. However, this was never more than an hour or two at a time, and the rule was the three, or 4 if our friend's son was there, had to stay together. They loved being able to get ice cream whenever they wanted, and took advantage of it! Hey - it's vacation right?

Was not overly impressed with Nassau. Twins didn't get off the boat and watched Narnia in the theater while yougest dd and I went exploring. We had spent the morning by the Goofy pool which was great because we basically had the pool to ourselves. I had a pedicure, while the girls went back to the cabin to shower and get cleaned up. DH did a snorkling excursion which he doesn't recommend, and was back on the boat in the spa while I was offshore. DD and I spent all of 45 minutes on shore. There are a couple of threads on the cruise board that address the issues with Nassau. If we are ever there again, I'll either head over to Atlantis, or stay on the boat.

Castaway Cay - what can I say! OMG - the place is incredible! Plan on getting off the boat early so you can get a good seat at the family beach, under an umbrella! Even with TONS of sunscreen reapplied often, we all managed to get burned. We had two umbrellas because I'm really not supposed to do sun as I had melanoma several years ago, and I still got burned walking from the beach back to the boat! DH said the snorkling here was very nice! You get your towels as you exit the boat - something we managed to miss!

We did the Palo brunch on the day at sea. What a wonderful experience that was. We also did a wine tasting later in the day at Palo. Very enjoyable and quite relaxing.

My only other advice is if you need anything ASK! They truly want to make you happy. DD was upset because the mac'n cheese wasn't made with the Mickey shaped pasta. The final night of the cruise, they had Mickey shaped pasta with alfredo sauce, not cheese sauce. We asked our server, and VIOLA! DD was over the moon! Head server said we should have asked earlier in the week, as she could have had it for every meal!

Hope this helps. Be happy to answer any other questions anyone has!

PS - for DVC members, be sure to take your membership card with you. They have a model of the ship you can buy if your a DVC member, and the folks selling DVC onboard had free hats, luggage tags, and magnets for members.

omg !!! sounds soo magical...I can not wait till we go in OCT....

Tell me what time did you get off the boat for cc??
Also did you do Palo's???
What did you do at the spa???

 

[llp479]

We were off the boat at 9 for Castaway Cay. It was very important to me that we get an umbrella. I had melanoma when I was in my 20's, so I don't do sun.

We had brunch at Palo's. I had a pedicure at the spa, DH did the massage with the hot stones and said it was wonderful.

As DH and I were both unemployed at the time of the cruise, so I didn't want to go too crazy. Although I did go a bit nuts with the photos. They have a punch card type system, that is fully refundable if you don't buy all the pics. Worth looking into. My friend and I split the package of 10 between us, so it lowered our per picture cost by $5/each.

Thankfully, DH got a job today! Looks like we won't have to dip into our retirement funds after all! I've worked since the twins were 13 mos, and have always worked since my youngest was born. Looks like I'll be a SHM for now, which will be a bit of an adjustment for me. Maybe I'll finally have some time to get my scrapbooks current! I'm at least 4 Disney trips behind, not to mention the girls books!

Now, I can look into booking a 7 day for next year Spring Break

 

[kritter]

wow that is too bad about the job situtation..but happy for Dh that he got one...
The cruise sounds wonderful...I have one more question is it hard to find the location of the umbrellas on CC...and do you have to pay to use them???

I really am excited about our cruise...What type of cabin did you have???

If you have any pictures to share I would love to see them as I am sure others would tooo..!!! thanks for all of the great information...
Kristin

 

[llp479]

wow that is too bad about the job situtation..but happy for Dh that he got one...
The cruise sounds wonderful...I have one more question is it hard to find the location of the umbrellas on CC...and do you have to pay to use them???

I really am excited about our cruise...What type of cabin did you have???

If you have any pictures to share I would love to see them as I am sure others would tooo..!!! thanks for all of the great information...
Kristin

Umbrellas are all along the beach and you don't have to pay for them. There aren't too many, however, so you want to get there early. We were just past the snorkling area which was a great location, close to the food and restrooms.

We were in a Cat 3. We had originally planned on booking a Cat 4, but DH was concerned it wouldn't be enough room. He was correct. I don't think the 5 of us would have survived in a Cat 4. DH is 6'2" and the twins at 12 are over 5'3" already. Plus, one bathroom with 4 ladies wouldn't have cut it! My youngest princess spends more time in the bathroom getting ready than I do!

One thing I forgot to mention was how reasonable I thought things were. Adult beverages were in the $5 - 6 dollar range. Cheaper than bars here in Chi-town! T-shirts ranged from $19 - $44, the more expensive prices were for the polo type shirts. High quality beach towels were $20.

I've tried to post pics before, but without success. I'll see if DH can help when he gets back later today.

 

[#1Disfan]

We have always done two cakes as well, sometimes it's just a cupcake in addition to a cake but they each get to choose. This year after attending a twin bday party where they sang Happy bday twice we also sang it twice. In past years their names were always garbled because everyone said a different name. I had to share my bday parties with my best friend in school (our bdays were a day apart and our moms did joint parties). My DM isn't a baker so the party cake was it. I always wanted to pick my own cake. People forget that even though twins share a bday (although I know a few sets born on different days) they are individuals.
I'm also surprised at how many people give them one present. At 4 they like different things (mine are B&G) Last year my DS cried for his present, someone added a pack of wrapped batteries so we gave him those, he was thrilled. People don't understand it's not what they get, it's having a little something that is yours. I was going to ask people skip gifts this year, but I thought they wouldn't understand that either. I tell people a box of crayons and coloring book or a book for each is plenty. Sorry for my off subject rant,
I'm glad you had a good trip.

I am so glad that you wrote this...I am already having the exact same problem. It's nice to know that I am not the only one that is upset over this. My DH family did this to us this past Christmas...It bothered me so much!! My twins were only 6 months old but for every single niece and nephew on that side (a total of 8) they each got their own present. I'm afraid of what is going to happen when we turn one...I'm sure it will only be one present to share. If that is the case, my husband has said he is going to flip.

Anyway, it is good to hear someone else has the same problems.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to teach twin infants to swim? I have checked out some really good books from the library but they are more towards singles.

Another thing we are learning is how to eat table food. Any ideas on how to start that? We love Cheerios but not so fond of really anything else yet. I'm assuming it is just going to take time.

 

[llp479]

I am so glad that you wrote this...I am already having the exact same problem. It's nice to know that I am not the only one that is upset over this. My DH family did this to us this past Christmas...It bothered me so much!! My twins were only 6 months old but for every single niece and nephew on that side (a total of 8) they each got their own present. I'm afraid of what is going to happen when we turn one...I'm sure it will only be one present to share. If that is the case, my husband has said he is going to flip.

Anyway, it is good to hear someone else has the same problems.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to teach twin infants to swim? I have checked out some really good books from the library but they are more towards singles.

Another thing we are learning is how to eat table food. Any ideas on how to start that? We love Cheerios but not so fond of really anything else yet. I'm assuming it is just going to take time.

Sometimes my SIL would buy one big gift for both girls, but she still got them each something small. It's tough to get people to look at them as individuals, and not a unit.

As for the table food, one of the first things my girls ate was grilled cheese. I broke it up into real small pieces. Goldfish crackers were also a hit. My 16 mos old niece was here this weekend. She eats anything! SIL says her favorite thing is scrambled eggs, and mac n'cheese.

I used to get so aggrivated with the park district etc because all the programs for infants/toddlers required one adult per child. Left us out of many things, including the swimming, so I'm not much help there.