We Might Be Crazy

[LvnTigger6]

Hi, my name is Melissa and we are thinking of a trip to WDW in June. We have a 7-year old daughter and almost 3-year old triplets. We're going before their birthday to take advantage of not having to have a ticket for them this time.

Anyway, we're worried we might be crazy. (We're pretty sure we are anyway and adding this vacation to it only confirms it! )

Anyway, those of you that have taken young kiddos there what have your experiences been like.

I think for a family of our size we are going to stay off-site where we have a little more room and access to a kitchen etc. We are looking into several different places and haven't decided on one for sure just yet. Any suggestions there would be appreciated.

We are worried on spending this time and money on the trip and it being a bust.

So share we me if you don't mind your tales of your trips with smaller kids.

Thanks!

Melissa

 

[1010tf]

Hi, my name is Melissa and we are thinking of a trip to WDW in June. We have a 7-year old daughter and almost 3-year old triplets. We're going before their birthday to take advantage of not having to have a ticket for them this time.

Anyway, we're worried we might be crazy. (We're pretty sure we are anyway and adding this vacation to it only confirms it! )

Anyway, those of you that have taken young kiddos there what have your experiences been like.

I think for a family of our size we are going to stay off-site where we have a little more room and access to a kitchen etc. We are looking into several different places and haven't decided on one for sure just yet. Any suggestions there would be appreciated.

We are worried on spending this time and money on the trip and it being a bust.

So share we me if you don't mind your tales of your trips with smaller kids.

Thanks!

Melissa

Welcome to the DIS!! 3 yr old triplets must be a handful in itself. At Disney, you may consider a resort with monorail access to make it easier to return to the rooms. Time of year is a factor too.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Well, yeah, you might be crazy!

Seriously, I have 4 kids--no triplets, but I'm used to travelling with a herd. There are too many of you to sleep in a standard room, and I wouldn't recommend it--you'd be tripping all over each other. There are several options, depending on your budget:

All Stars has family suites that sleep 6 and include a kitchen area.

Fort Wilderness cabins also sleep 6 and have kitchen facilities.

Renting DVC points or otherwise staying DVC allows for full kitchen, some have 2 bathrooms, and laundry facilities. As you can see, we own DVC--it really does feel like a home rather than a hotel room.

Staying off-site allows a wide range of options. Our next trip (July) we're doing a week of DVC and a week off-site. Obviously, off-site means a car rental, unless you're driving down. We're renting a 4BR home in Windsor Hills, which is a really nice, new development just a couple miles off property. We'll have our own pool (great for quick dips) as well as full access to many community amenities. There are a dozen or so developments within a real easy drive of WDW--that's important for daily nap/swim breaks. There are many more developments further out, too.

There are grocery delivery services, whether you're on-site or off.

As far as taking trips with younger children--it can be great. The important thing to remember is that what's important to you, might not be important to them. Go at their pace, respect their feelings, and take a daily break. I can't stress that enough! In your particular case, you might want to consider having the family split up, and one parent take the little guys back for a nap, whiel the other parent stays in the park with the oldest. We do this a lot (my kids are currently 13, 11, 5, and 3 on Thursday). Dh and I alternate on going back. it gives the older kids a chance to do "big kid" stuff. Not only do they appreciate that, but I find they're much more tolerant of the little kid stuff, becaus ethey know they aren't going to get gypped out of the more adult rides.

I hope that helps. I'd be happy to answer specific questions.

 

[BigMike10]

to receive their newsletter for great tips and discounts,especially on car rentals. We have stayed offsite at Vistana, Vistana Villages, and Vista Cay. All were great although Vista Cay is closer to Universal. We rented a car. We have always traveled with at least 6 so it is cheaper and roomier. We food shop, eat in our condo sometimes, and eat offsite sometimes. We have a wonderful vacation and have never felt cheated out of Disney magic,there is plenty to go around. Enjoy the planning,get the planning DVD from Disney. We watch it even when we aren't planning a trip to Disney.

I think the idea of letting the older child spend some time at the parks with an adult is a great tip. However, you choose to arrange this time would probably make her feel very special. Have a wonderful time.

 

[ranthony]

And good for you for even having the energy and desire to consider this trip!

I have 3 yo twins and a DS 7. On our last trip my kids were twins (almost 3) and DS 6.

We stayed on-site because we could cut costs in the following ways.
For example...

1. No parking fees
2. Minimal food costs for the little ones (we ate mostly buffets and the little ones are free!)

Although we had 2 adults and 3 kids (one less than you) we did have 2 strollers and we went between Christmas and New Years. It can be done and you'll make some wonderful memories. Just go at the pace of your kids.

 

[disneymurtagh]

The first time I brought my DD down she was 4 and my DS was just under 3. They remember that vacation today, which is 2 years later. They can tell me specific details about the trip and the things we did. Oh and let me tell you, they smiled from ear to ear when we were there. It is not crazy, it's a great family experience.

As far as where to stay, I am a big proponent to staying on property. You get the extended magic hours and the free transportation. No car seats to worry about, no long walks from the parking lot and no parking fee. All Star has rooms that sleep 6 that are very nice, and once you add in all you save staying on property they are just as competitive as staying off, just alot easier.

 

[erinmomof2]

If you want to stay offsite you could try themagicrentals.com. They have condos in Windsor Hills and they have kids rooms decorated Disney. The price is $115 a night, for 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. I think they sleep 8. You also have your own splash pool. I haven't stayed here before but we are planning to book one of the princess villas for our next trip. It's nice because you have space and still have that disney feel.

I hope you find what your looking for. I'm sure where ever you stay you'll have a great time.

Erin

 

[bellebud]

i'd vote for staying on-site. w/ 4 kids, it's bound to happen that 1 is being too fussy to stay at a park, or not feel well, etc. Instead of it ending the day for everyone, 1 parent can take that child and another back to the room, and 1 parent can stay at the park w/ 2 kids. I like someone's suggestion of big kid time w/ your 7yo - that will be easier to accomplish by staying on-site. maybe 1 parent taking the 7yo for fireworks or nighttime swimming, while the other parent puts the little ones to bed. I'd also vote for renting points for a villa - w/ that many kids, a washer/dryer in the room would be very helpful. have fun deciding!!

 

[LvnTigger6]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. I'm waiting for my Disney Vacation DVD to get here in the mail. Still researching the costs etc. To stay on site is soooo expensive (over $2,000) and I just don't know if we want to do that. We can geta close off-site place for $700. Still researching though so no concrete plans there.

We are driving down (going to break it up over a couple of days) so we'll have our van.

We have taken our girls on vacation since they were 4-months old. We did a trip to San Antonio when they were 11-months. A cabin in Branson for a week last year, they travel well. My dh is just worried on how much they will enjoy it. I keep telling him...hello it's DISNEY WORLD!!!!!

Thanks again!

 

[Mickeypooh99]

The first time I took my boys they were 1 and 2 years old. I only have two, but they were young. We stayed offsite, and have been ever since. We love windsor hills. We also like having the kitchen, multiple bathrooms, and washing machine. It comes in very handy.

Going back to the room for rests wasn't a problem for us. Windsor hills is very close to disney, and also my boys fell asleep in the stroller most days so we didn't even return to our condo. We had both been to disney many times before, so we didn't worry about seeing and doing everything while we were there. We knew we would be going back again, so that helped.

I'm so glad we took them then. We have the best pictures from that trip. Plus the fact that they were free was great. We saved a bunch of money on food. My husband and I would order food for ourselves and the boys would share with us. We are planning their 4th trip this fall. It is much more expensive buying tickets for everyone. Also my 8 year old eats more than I do so food is more expensive now.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

If you're looking off-site, my recommendation would be a townhouse at Windsor Hills. Very close to WDW, and you can get one with a splash pool. That's a 10x10 pool--not real big, but perfect for a quick dip for the little ones. Also, if the little ones napped, you could let your older DD swim in that pool and you'd be right there. And no lugging strollers and crap up stairs like in a condo! Not knocking condos generally, I just figure with 3 2yos, you're likely to have a lot of gear.

I love having kitchen facilities for quick meals, and plan to do a fair amount of diners as well. A nice thing for you would be, not having to worry about sitting through expensive meals with a child or three that eats 2 bites, says they're done, and wants to walk around! So much cheaper and easier to prepare and serve something simple that you know they'll like! And for the record, we do very simple family meals on vacation--spaghetti, frozen pizza, etc.

And did I mention laundry facilities? I complain about laundry a lot (hello, 4 kids!), but it was so easy to throw in a load every day or so--you pack less and it's so much easier if you have a kid emergency.

 

[MyZoeJane]

For us, the convenience of staying on property is TOO GREAT to neglect. Definately stay at an All Stars in a suite (All Stars Movies is our fave). You might pay a little bit more than you would for a suite offsite, but what you'd save in car rental and parking fees will make up for that. Not to mention the ability to use DME (Disney's Magical Express) to get yourselves and your luggage to and from the airport!) It is SO convenient to leave your room and walk right to a bus stop that will drop you off right at the parks. The pools there are lots of fun.

IMO, driving and the extra time it takes to get to and fromt he parks will be too exhausting with those little buggers. As far as stollers go, unless you have a triple that collapses nicely, I'd probably rent a double and let the three little kids all sit in it. I think there'd be room?

We took our daughter twice when she was three because it was such an awesome age for her to be there! My main tips for travelling with children that age:

1. Plan to go to the parks at park opening (get there early) and then plan to leave to go back to your hotel for a few hours after lunch. When we did this, DD got a chance to cool off in the pool and nap for an hour or two, then awoke feeling refreshed and ready to hit the parks again... She would easily make it to park closing with that break during the hottest part of the day. Staying on site made going back to our resort in the middle of the day a piece of cake.

2. Get Park Hopper Tickets! Splitting the day between two parks kept it interesting for DD and we were able to choose parks based on how busy they would likely be in the morning versus evening. To do this required a subscription to Tour Guide Mike's site, but in the five trips we've made using his "Best Days", we have NEVER been disappointed! Seriously, if you're willing to put the time into learning to navigate his site, the information you will glean will MAKE your vacation. (Can I have my free subscription now, Mike? LOL)

3. Buy toys and souvies IN ADVANCE. Hit up the sales at the Disney Store or hit the dollar stores for Disney related items and bring them with you! You could go broke buying trinkets for that many kids at WDW! I would wrap little Disney things and stash them in my suitcase, and when DD was napping or with her daddy at the pool, I would leave one out on the bed and when she woke up I would tell her Tinkerbell left her a surprise! She'd carry it around happily all day and wouldn't ever ask for me to buy her anything else at the parks!

4. Have a game plan and know how to use Fastpass and Child Swap. Bring water and handheld battery operated fans for the kids to carry to minimize the miserable heat you will undoubtedly encounter that time of year!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

MyZoeJane--I have to respectfully disagree. The OP is driving down, so ME and a rental car are not relevant. With AAA, you can park free--and the membership cost would more than pay for itself, if you got it for this reason alone. (they also do discounted tickets, so worth considering in any case).

A lot of people get hung up on being on-site, when there are off-site places that are actually closer to certain parks than on-site. Not to mention a ton cheaper. At All-Stars, you're going to be schlepping all that stuff upstairs (maybe), and still have less room than you'd get in an off-site condo. the off-site accomodations frequently include Disney-themed bedrooms. You can get a place with a games room (foosball, pool), Playstation with games, access to a free DVD collection--tons of stuff.

I'm not trying to pick on you or say on-site isn't great--I love it, too. But it's not the be-all, end-all a lot of people here seem to think it is. In the past few months, I've done a TON of research on off-site places, and I've been so impressed, I'm seriously considering selling my DVC--and I just got BLT for Christmas!

 

[MyZoeJane]

MyZoeJane--I have to respectfully disagree. The OP is driving down, so ME and a rental car are not relevant. With AAA, you can park free--and the membership cost would more than pay for itself, if you got it for this reason alone. (they also do discounted tickets, so worth considering in any case).

A lot of people get hung up on being on-site, when there are off-site places that are actually closer to certain parks than on-site. Not to mention a ton cheaper. At All-Stars, you're going to be schlepping all that stuff upstairs (maybe), and still have less room than you'd get in an off-site condo. the off-site accomodations frequently include Disney-themed bedrooms. You can get a place with a games room (foosball, pool), Playstation with games, access to a free DVD collection--tons of stuff.

I'm not trying to pick on you or say on-site isn't great--I love it, too. But it's not the be-all, end-all a lot of people here seem to think it is. In the past few months, I've done a TON of research on off-site places, and I've been so impressed, I'm seriously considering selling my DVC--and I just got BLT for Christmas!

Whoops! I didn't read carefully enough to make a mental note about the fact they are driving! If they're going to have a car anyway, then I guess staying offsite wouldn't be a big deal and DME is a moot point! I can't imagine having to drive myself around that unfamiliar area, I guess. For me, it would be more hassle than it's worth. I suppose my attachment to staying on site stems from my inability to imagine going to Disney and not remaining immersed in the Disney experience the whole time...

Though, you have to admit there will be schlepping stuff from place to place wherever you stay, wont there? And where are stairs required? I've always used the elevator, which I'd likely have to use at any hotel, wouldn't I?

Though I have to ask... who finds time to watch movies and play Playstation at WDW?! I wouldn't have the time, though I fully admit, my vacationing style is likely to be very different from most. I guess I've got a routine that works for me and I couldn't imagine changing it. Probably not such a good thing, huh? It's just I'm so happy with my game plan just as it is and for me, staying offsite would mean leaving the magic, even if only for a little while.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I can appreciate that you have a very different perspective--having only 1 child (for now), you could stay in any hotel. Not so true with a much larger family! Last trip, we stayed in a 1BR at AKL, which I assume is roughly equivalent to an AS Suite, and we were tripping over each other. So, I personally would recommend off-site versus that.

Also, having 4, I've encountered probably every vacation "problem" you can imagine--from losing conciousness to throwing up to DD wetting her pants as a "chicken exit" technique from stuff that scared her (turns out, it was the noise level that bothered her--we didn't see that coming). As a result, a vacation requires slightly less planning than the invasion of Pearl Harbor.

As far as the extra amenities with a rental house, even I'm surprised that my kids like to spend time just chilling. Even at Disney! YMMD, but mine really like taking it easy. Also, they have different sleep patterns, so the early riser being able to watch cartoons without disturbing the later sleepers is nice. Seriously, one time at Sesame Place, the kids opted to stay at the hotel pool rather than go back into the park!?!?!

Oh, and we're going for 2 weeks this summer. Last August, we were there 9 days. A big expense for us is airfare, so I do fewer, longer trips. I'm envious of the people who can go at the drop of a hat, but it just doesn't work for us.

P.S. If you stay in a townhouse or home, there's a garage and driveway to park in. You would have to schlep out of a park, but once you were back, you're talking 40 feet to carry a sleeping child to their bed.

Again, not picking on you. If you have a system that works, there's no reason to change it (although #2 might give you a surprise or two along the way, you never know!)

 

[Leajess99]

MyZoeJane--I have to respectfully disagree. The OP is driving down, so ME and a rental car are not relevant. With AAA, you can park free--and the membership cost would more than pay for itself, if you got it for this reason alone. (they also do discounted tickets, so worth considering in any case).

A lot of people get hung up on being on-site, when there are off-site places that are actually closer to certain parks than on-site. Not to mention a ton cheaper. At All-Stars, you're going to be schlepping all that stuff upstairs (maybe), and still have less room than you'd get in an off-site condo. the off-site accomodations frequently include Disney-themed bedrooms. You can get a place with a games room (foosball, pool), Playstation with games, access to a free DVD collection--tons of stuff.

I'm not trying to pick on you or say on-site isn't great--I love it, too. But it's not the be-all, end-all a lot of people here seem to think it is. In the past few months, I've done a TON of research on off-site places, and I've been so impressed, I'm seriously considering selling my DVC--and I just got BLT for Christmas!

We did stay at Orbit One last October and I loved it but still want to stay on site. It was easier being able to do laundry and was much cheaper for the late decision we made. This time we are trying POR though.

 

[PA Princess]

We have four children (4, 8, 12, and 13) and we have made 10 trips in 10 years with kids of all ages and stayed both an and off site.

I wonder what would make the trip a bust for you? That would make it possible to make more specific recommendations...what exactly do you want in your vacation.

We have loved on site because it is conevenient as far as transportation. Disney is a maze of highways and roads and navigating that on a first trip would add more stress than I would want.

I would also not relish taking 3 young kids in and out of car seats. My young ones have always loved taking the Disney transportation whether it was a monorail, ferry, or a bus - to them that added to vacation fun.

When we are on site our whole trip is usually more focused on being together as a family because there are no other things for us to take care of...for example, on the bus we talk about what we did at the parks, etc. If we were driving, my focus would on navigation. Just one example, but you get the idea. Our time as a family is more centered and focused than what we share in every day life where there are a million things going on - that is a plus for us most trips (not everyone wants that on vacation).

Something else you get at a hotel (whether on or off site) is someone else to do the work - make beds, straighten rooms, empty the trash, clean the bathroom. As the parents of 4 kids, the work is non stop and to be able to take a break from some of that while on vacation - truly priceless.

I get the idea of having a washer (we have rented homes for other vacations like the beach, the mountains, etc.), but really - how nice to have a break from those domestic chores. The laundry will wait until you get home, why do it on vacation? Enjoy the trip.

You are still traveling with 4 kids, so there will be work involved, but to be able to lift some of those responsibilities and just focus on having fun together - that is what I relish most about our Disney trips.