TWo Family Trip - recommendations Please!

[hoviatt]

I am traveling to Disneyworld for our 2006 vacation ( The week after Thanksgiving ).. My family has been to Disneyland twice, but never Disneyworld. We have booked with another family, and will have a total of 8 in our party. I have two boys, 5 & 7, and they have two girls who are also 5 & 7. Any suggestions / recommendations for a trip of this nature... I have read alot of good posts, and I know there are some seasoned Disney travelers out there... I want this to be an awesome trip for all of us, so I am looking for any and all advice.

 

[goofiecrazy]

Take your time in all the parks cause you might not get it all done at one time.When in Epcot while in the countries you can get the kids a passport book for 10 bucks and every country has a spot where you can get stamped and they write a message in their language..plus they can make a mask and each country will stamp it as well. Start at Mexico and work your way around that way.WHen u end in Canada they give a prize for getting all the stamps in ur passport..We got a cartoon pic of the characters last year as our prize for finishing.
They also offer a pirate cruise for kids from like 4-10 and they get lunch and look for treasure.That runs from the hotles round MK.Try the movie over at Fort Wilderness thats free.Visit the other resorts and look around. Do at least one character meal while there.Chef Mickeys and the Donalds Breakfastsouris in AK is pretty good. If u do table service meals do them at lunch time it wont be as much $$ as if it was diner time. Its still the same food but the prices are cheaper and always get the fasspass!! Theres plenty more to do there and have fun and take it easy..

 

[goofiecrazy]

Dont be scared to get a stroller if needed cause there is plenty of walking andthey might tired..If u have a umbrella stroller bring it with u..

 

[hoviatt]

"They also offer a pirate cruise for kids from like 4-10 and they get lunch and look for treasure.That runs from the hotles round "

Does the cruise involve the adults too, or is it only for the kids... Thanks for the advice. Anymore is welcome!!!!

 

[Mom to Jordan]

Plan some time alone. Even best of friends needs some apart time on vacations. We have traveled with my sister's family and we do not even stay in the same resort. We plan some days together and others alone. We are going next year with our best freinds and while we will stay at the same resort and spend A lot of time together, we already have planned for each couple to take a night out alone, and the girls to do the GF tea while the boys go to ESPN. They like to sleep late and we are always at the park opening. We will go early, they catch us later.
TALK, TALK TALK.. Know what each of you want out of the trip. Discuss rules for the kids, and how much money each will have to spend. If one set of the kids has unlimited spending rules and the other set very limit...trouble will follow.

Enjoy planning and have fun!!!!!!!

Jordan's mom

 

[MrsPete]

I think Mom to Jordon has said the most important thing: Discuss your expectations ahead of time! Little things can cause rifts between families:

What's an appropriate bedtime for kids on vacation?
How many souveniers?
How early will you get up in the mornings?
Are you commando types or drift-along-and-see-what-happens types?
Are WDW meals something to be swallowed in a hurry on the way to the next ride, or are they an event to themselves to be savored and enjoyed?
Do you order dessert with your meals? Every meal?
How does everyone feel about splitting up the group?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but it's better to talk about them ahead of time. We're all read various posts about people who vacationed with other families -- even relatives -- only to discover that one family wanted to sleep in while the other wanted to get a jump on the parks. Some families butt heads over whether to allow teens to have "just one" beer in the room. Others disagree over whether souveneirs are bought along the way or all on the last day of the trip. Lay out your expectations honestly, and you'll have a great time.

By the way, your kids are the perfect age for such a trip!
One hint: With four kids to watch, I suggest matching tees (in an unusual color).

 

[hoviatt]

I love the idea of the matching shirts..... Thanks a bunch!!!

 

[taramarie]

I went with my best friend and her family last summer. WE HAD A BLAST! We talked about the trip daily before we went and planned things ahead of time so there was no...well what do you want to do today. The best advice I saw on here so far was spend some time apart! We love each other...but that trip was hard on us being together all day and then connected rooms. We spent our middle day apart and we all had time to refresh! The kids acted like they hadn't seen each other in weeks! LOL

It was a great experience, I would do it again! I think having someone there you know is great...even if it is just a fellow DISer and you meet for dinner!

Good Luck!

Tara

 

[DVCJEN]

Plan some time alone. Even best of friends needs some apart time on vacations. We have traveled with my sister's family and we do not even stay in the same resort. We plan some days together and others alone. We are going next year with our best freinds and while we will stay at the same resort and spend A lot of time together, we already have planned for each couple to take a night out alone, and the girls to do the GF tea while the boys go to ESPN. They like to sleep late and we are always at the park opening. We will go early, they catch us later.
TALK, TALK TALK.. Know what each of you want out of the trip. Discuss rules for the kids, and how much money each will have to spend. If one set of the kids has unlimited spending rules and the other set very limit...trouble will follow.

Enjoy planning and have fun!!!!!!!

Jordan's mom

Great advice!!! Every family is different and need alone time!

 

[hoviatt]

Our two families are getting ready to sit down and start discussing the trip... a bit premature maybe, but we think about our trip day in and day out, and we want to start putting some of our ideas on paper... with the two seperate families, and the differences that will occur, does anyone have any suggestions on how to approach this. I am working of a calendar right now, that breaks down each day of our trip into time segments... are there any other tools out there to help plan our trip? Anything else that has worked well for you? Thanks for all the help, and I enjoy this site, good fun reading.

 

[MrsTomMorrow]

My family will also be at WDW the week after Thanksgiving! Be sure to go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party one night. The cost is seperate from regular admission, but worth it! You get a free family picture, hot cocoa & cookies, it snows on main street, and an extra long parade. Very fun!

As for a calendar, you can download Magical Gatherings to your computer-it let's you plan your schedule, and even send polls and emails to the other family. Good luck and have fun!