So in exactly one week my entire extended family will be vacationing at Disney World for a week. It will be me, my hubby, and our 3 kids (9, 4.5, & 15 mos), my parents, my brother, my in-laws and my neice (9)...so that's 11 people. BIG GROUP!!! It's our first "whole" family vacation. We have been talking about doing this for years! And it has finally come to fruition. :)
So here is where I need help. I've been to Disney twice; once as a teenager and then about 6 years ago, when my oldest was just 3. So much has changed!!! Any tips, tricks, secrets that any of you mamas could share to help make this experience as smooth, stress-free, and memorable as possible?! Anything you wish you would have done, but didn't? Anything you did, but wish you hadn't wasted time/money on?
We already have the Bippity Boppity Boutique reserved for my 4.5 year old princess. And the Wild Africa Safari trek reserved for my 9 year old daughter and neice. We also have a character breakfast reserved for the Akershus Royal Banquet in Epcot. A friend of mine mentioned that we should tell the staff that we are celebrating a family reunion to get added/special benefits. Any suggestions or tips for things like that?
Thanks in advance mamas. I'm so excited, but so stressed out because I want to make this a magical memorable experience for everyone!
PS - We still haven't told the kids yet!!! Ever see the Disney commercials on TV, where the parents don't tell the kids until the last possible moment and then video tape it? Yup. We're trying to pull that off! Any suggestions on how or when to break it to them would also be greatly appreciated!!! (Hubby wants to do it in the hotel the morning before (we are staying at the airport because the flight is first thing). While that would be great because we can control the setting and actually video record it, I want to wait until they figure it out for themselves, whether that ends up being in the airport as we board the plane or when we land. We just can't agree!!!)
We had a FABULOUS time! Of course, it wasn't without the almost daily arguments/whining/cranky attitude, but that goes with the territory in traveling to a theme park in Florida in the middle of August with 11 people of varying ages.
We split up into several groups quite often to allow the older kids ride the rides, the middle "princess" get autographs and photos, and the grandparents tag along just for the experience.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Bibbidy Boppidy Boutique. Worth every single over-priced penny to see her face as she was transformed into a real Disney princess. Also HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Wild Africa Trek for the older kids. They had a blast. Definitely worth the extra money!
The "surprise" announcement didn't go over as we had planned/hoped. I think it had something to do with the 5 am wake-up call when they were informed. It was kind of "Oh, Disney. Ok." LOL. Once we got to the airport, the reality sunk in, and all I heard about all day was when will we be there? Are we there yet? How much longer? Can we go now? LOL.
Super-super-fun vacation!!!
Thanks for all your tips mamas. I used a lot of them !!! :)
I'm so jealous! Have fun!! My comment on telling the kids would be to tell them right before you actually leave the house. I think you'll get a much. Bigger reaction espcially if they have no idea that everyone is even taking a vacation. At the hotel,they will know something is up. Just a thought. I can't wait until I can go back to Disney, it's been 25 years!
An awesome website you need to go to. I can't type all the tips I've learned cause it would take too long but here's the site
www.allears.net it has tips for all things disney including menus for restaurants and prices.
But one fun thing my kids an I did was start Disney pin trading.
Go on Ebay and get a lot of 50-60 pins and get a lanyard seperate them out , and then when you go into the parks the cast members ( thats what they call people that work there) have lanyards and you can trade pins with them for ones that you think are cool , two trades per cast member per day. and they can't refuse a trade. Its so much fun to find pins in a set and complete them. My kids really got into it. they were just turned 5 and 8 when we went. They had a blast trading and the cast with the green lanyards only trade with kids.
ps we are going to do the not telling them where we are going thing on our next trip.
We went to disney in May - we (my husband and two daughters) all wore Mickey or Minnie shirts. You could provide the children with a Disney Shirt or Ears when they wake up the morning before you head to the airport?
Our best investment was the meal plan. We never had to check our bank balance becuase the food was always taken off of our meal plan. We noted that each meal - even breakfast - for the four of us was never cheaper than $40. Kids meals are pretty big - you might be able to get your youngest two to share. We ended up eating our girls' leftovers most of the time because they couldn't eat the whole plate (and they are big eaters).
My family did a similar vacation about 4 years ago & had a blast! My parents, sister, BIL, nephew, husband & our 2 kids all in one giant house was soooo much fun!
I don't know if you guys have rented a big house to share or are all in hotel rooms, but I would advise you get breakfast stuff (cereal, milk, pop tarts, etc.) & snacks to have wherever you're lodging. It'll save a ton of time & money.
As far as parks go, MGM Studios was definitely our least favorite with our favorite being almost a tie between Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom. We did Sea World one day & were more impressed with the ride side than the show side of things.
One thing I would definitely say is that you guys don't all have to stay in a group of 11 people the whole time. You'll get sick of each other & end up arguing. We all did the 1st day together at Magic Kingdom, then just DH, DS, DD & I did MGM studios the next day. Then sis, BIL & nephew went with us to EPCOT, then we all went to Sea World, then we all went to Animal Kingdom, then my parents came with us on the last day back to Magic Kingdom (or something similar) to kind of break it up a bit. We went in October so we spent the extra money on Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party instead of the character meals & had a blast.
We had tickets to go to one park every day & kept our kids busy because they had never been before & also so they never had an opportunity to whine. I told them if I heard even one time either of them saying, "I want to go to the house & swim in the pool" I was never taking them back to Florida as long as they lived, lol. It worked though, neither of them complained pretty much the entire week!!
it's a LOT of walking for little feet. miles. a stroller can be helpful, but also a pain... you can't take them on the train, you can't take them in line, and you can't go inside most buildings with them. so really, you are only going to use it for walking from one part of the park to another. SO... my recommendation is bring a baby carrier for your 15 month old so she (he?) can be held hands free in line and inside rides and stores. it's more practical for naps too, so you don't have to just sit for an hour or two and do nothing-- they can nap in the carrier while you have fun. (i made a simple mei tai in an hour or two-- just a rectangle with straps and is my very favorite carrier ever--i've tried all of them. my daughter lived in the mei tai when we went to disney. she was two months old. but it works great for her now too, and she's almost two. also love the t-shirt slings i made by just cutting off the sleeves and neck off two t-shirts to make a tube that slips over your head and one shoulder. use two to spread the weight evenly) also a leash would be a good idea-- that's around the age they start running away...
for safety reasons, put a little sticker or tag or something in your kids shoes or backpack with your name and cell phone number so if they get lost they can give it to an employee and they can find you more easily.
if you have kids that are too young/short to ride they let you all wait in line together and switch off watching the little one when you get up to the ride so you don't have to split up or not get to ride it. i forget what it's called... but it was great for space mountain and a few others like that.
i personally think waiting for hours in line to meet cinderella, mickey, etc is a big waste of time and money. you paid for the rides, not a picture and fake signature. but some would shoot me for saying so, do what you like... one recommendation i've heard if you really want to meet the characters is to do the character breakfasts. you can meet all the characters and not wait in long lines...
also. you can buy souveniers and mickey dolls lots cheaper off property-- at wal mart and souvenier shops. or online later. disney stores are a ripoff, and then you have to carry them around all day at the park too.
the parades are a great time to ride your favorite rides without long lines. the fireworks are too, but i wouldn't miss the fireworks-- they are the some of the best. the parades, on the other hand, are kind of... well....let's just say i think going five times in a row on splash mountain is better.
in the bibbidy bobbity botique they put some sort of glue product in your girl's hair-- her hair will stay for more than a week with the princess bun and hair do. at the end they say bibbidy bobbity boo with a magic wand that has glitter that sprinkles all over her. bring her favorite dress up to wear for it (unless you want to spend $50-200 on a dress there. the dresses they have there are really nice, but verrry expensive!!)
i'm not sure why, maybe to make the rides seem more fun, but waiting in line is very boring. i don't know why they don't have interesting things to read or games to play while in line. so get a mental list of all the "i spy" and other games or things you can do while waiting, or else you will have a miserable day. the rides are only a few minutes long, you will spend most of the time standing in line.... just prepare for that so it's not a shock.
I agree with the others. Split your group up for park touring. There is no way to make 11 people of varying ages and interests happy if you try to stay in one group. That is a recipe for disaster. It's hard enough to keep everyone happy on the same attraction schedule in a family of 4. Agree to meet up at certain times for table service meals, swimming breaks, or shows.
We went and my in-laws came for a few days although they stayed at a different hotel. I would suggest meeting up for dinner and maybe breakfast. That is a big group to tour with IMO. Also, we found my kids could move at a much faster pace than my in-laws.
Just remember you will be here in FL during the hottest and most humid weather of the year. Pick up a spray bottle at the dollar store and fill it with waiter so you can spray yourself during the day. It will be hot at the parks but Disney also has alot of fans with mist blowing on the longer lines. You did good about making reservations in advance as the restaurants book up quickly. You can bring snacks to the park so tht sometimes you can eat a late breakfast and not have to eat a full lunch but have a nice dinner. Saves money also. Pbj sandwiches are a great idea cause they don't go bad if you pack them, fruit as well. Whoever you stay you will be near a public or walmart so don't spend all your money at the resorts in buying necessities.
11 people are alot of people to travel around with but with their help it can
be a fun time for all. Just remember that the hot weather can make the kids and older folks cranky, and you can also bring your own water bottles. Fll them up at the water fountains cause they are all filtered water.
I would wait to let the kids try to figure out where they are going as they get off the plane or as they wait to see wher ethe plane is going. Just make sure you hav your camera ready for anything.
Have a great trip to the happiest place on earth!
skip the luau thing it was the biggest waste of about $40 bucks per person we ever spent there. Make your reservations now for dinners / breakfasts that you want to do. I would wait until you get off the plane to tell the kids. disney has characters at the orlando airport sometimes. that would be spectacular footage on the camcorder. take some stuff to keep in the room. peanut butter and jelly and bread, some fruit like apples and oranges. coordinate where and when your meeting everyone. don't try to take all 11 people together all the time. the first argument will start ten minutes in and will affect everyone for the rest of the trip. take the kids back to the hotel mid day (when its the hottest) for a short swim and nap time then back out to the parks. stagger your meals so your eating a bigger meal early on at like 3ish places won't be quite as crowded and you will get in faster. buy some rain ponchos at your nearest dollar tree don't spend $15 a pc on them at disney world. buy your diapers etc at the walmart in florida rather than trying to pack and bring them. bring a couple little toys in the bag that you can use in the hotel room while mom and dad are showering. rent a bigger car than you think you will need. bring a portable dvd player on the plane and make sure you bring earphones so the grouchy person in the next row won't complain about the noise.
Im excited for you and the whole family! Sounds like so much fun. We took our daughter and grand daughter to Disneyland a few months ago and had a great time. Grand daughter was 3 1/2 or more,, and we actually told her a few weeks ahead of time and she was really excited. She was able to sit and look at books and flyers on the park and see pictures online of rides and the streets/castle and such so she knew what to expect more. We made sure she watched the Disney movies so the charcaters would make more sense to her when she saw them. It really helped to prepare her and build her excitement. You might think about this instead of just springing it on them the day they go. I dont know, maybe your kids will be thrilled to learn of the fun at the last minute, but I really felt the couple weeks of planning and talking was half the fun for our grand daughter. Which ever way you choose, Im sure youll have a blast!
