disney

we are planning a trip to disney next summer, and i have a few question just to mently prepare for the trip WAY WAY ahead of time...

1.) Tips for driving with 5 kids??(from NJ to FL)
2.) discounts for disney??
3.) do u think the twins are big enough to go they will be 2.5 by then?
4.) stay in disney or outside the park?
5.) any other idea on where do go & do?


Thanks so much this is a dream for me to bring my kids there. i never thought we'd be able to do it, but we decided to take all the income tax $$$ next year and have fun...and not worry about the small stuff...

i know it will be hard but if i start to prepare early enough i think i could handle it...

oh we are gonna go in august.. i think or do u think there is a better time that might cost less??

thanks again...

 

I have one big tip for you...MOUSESAVERS.COM!!! It will tell you all the discounts that are available at any given time. I have TONS of tips...too many to list here (2.5 is a great age...they enjoy it but are still FREE! ) PM me if you want to chat more... I would HIGHLY recommend staying on site-it keeps the "magic" alive and makes it very easy to come back to the hotel around mid-day for the Must-Have naps for all of you (especially in the summer). In my dream life, I would love to plan other people's Disney vacations..Just let me know details and I'll set ya up!! :lol:

PM me any time!!
Nicole

 

We just went in December and had a blast. At 2.5 the twins may not remember it, but they will still have fun. I can't help with the drive as we flew. Staying in the park is nice because you can use their bus service to and from the parks and not have to worry about your car, but it is a hassle to get a stroller, especially a double one, on/off and have to worry about the kids too, they buses do get crowded. We stayed in the park because we needed to use the Magical Express bus service to/from the airport since we were not renting a car. But you could definitely find a larger hotel room for cheaper staying off the park and you would still have just as much fun. When my family went when I was 17 we drove from MD, stayed the night at the SC/GA border and then drove the rest of the way the next day. We stopped in Daytona and St. Augustine on the way down and they were very nice stops. We stayed off of Disney and got a 2 bedroom suite for a lot less money and we had just as much fun doing that. So if money is a factor that is an alternative. And it would be easy since you would have a car.

Like PP suggested try mousesavers.com, it is a great website for tips/deals and you can sign up and get updates send to you via e-mail.

You will have a great time. There is so much to do down there that there is no way you can do it all in one trip. We are looking forward to going back again, but when the twins are a bit older.

 

We are going in June and I am so excited!! I haven't been in years and I can't wait to take my oldest DD. It is all she talks about. I don't have much advice yet, but I bought the book the Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World and it has so many tips and has really been helpful. I reccomend it!

 

QUOTE(Inlowtwins @ Apr 30 2007, 03:17 PM) [snapback]238740[/snapback]
We are going in June and I am so excited!! I haven't been in years and I can't wait to take my oldest DD. It is all she talks about. I don't have much advice yet, but I bought the book the Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World and it has so many tips and has really been helpful. I reccomend it!



Yes, that book is great. A friend sent it to us when we were planning our trip. Thanks Kimberly I had forgotten about that book.

 

thanks so much i will look into all this.. I need to prepare for this one i need to get every bit outta this trip don't know when we will be able to do this again.. every lil bit helps..i don't have to tell anyone that here...lol

 

As a southern native, I can tell you I would try very hard to avoid the summer months. The heat and humidity are very bad. We've been in October and December. October was still pretty warm especially if we had to wait in the sun for something, but it wasn't unbearable. Does NJ still have that teacher's convention holiday in November?

It is a great trip for kis under 3 - they are free and they still believe it's all real!

 

Another lover of Disney planning here! I planned our trip for a good two years before we went. We stayed on property at a value, booked through AAA for the best discount. The end of August might be good for you since they seem to be offering free dining the last couple years during that period. We loved the dining plan, made our reservations 180 days in advance and got exactly what we wanted. We were there for 9 days and stayed on property the whole time. I researched researched researched and educated myself as much as I could then let the pieces fall in as they would. We had a fantastic trip! The sites I found to be the most helpful were www.allearsnet.com, www.disboards.com, www.tourguidemike.com (this is a paid site). Feel free to ask away, we definitely have a ton of disney lovers here!

 

Congratulations on your upcoming trip plans ! For me, planning is one of my fav things to do as well. We just went in December and my twins were 2 1/2 and had a blast, especially in Magic Kingdom. We're going again in October to take advantage of the Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party, and to go trick-or-treating !! I've heard from a good source that its very fun and well worth it !
I agree with avoiding August if possible, if you can go during off-season its cheaper, and less crowded. We like to stay on property as well. The inclusive transportation is SO nice, one less thing to worry about.
I would definitely start off by checking out the websites mentioned !! Good luck and happy planning !!

 

I have only been once, with my dh and my brother's family and my one piece of advice to you is book any special dinners, etc. as soon as you can! I believe it's 180 days prior to your trip, more for some other events. We didn't know this so we were scrambling last minute for places to eat and missed a lot of cool shows, etc. because we hadn't booked in time.

Have fun! We can't wait until our girls are old enough to take them. :wavey:

 

I agree that the kids will have a blast. I would also avoid August though. We went last year at the end of May and it was already really hot there. We've also been in April, September and October. October is a beautiful time to go. The lines are shorter, the weather is better and it's just less crowded in general. We've also both stayed on property and off and with kids I would definitely stay on Disney property. One of the biggest perks of that was leaving the airport only wit my carry on bags and then having my luggage appear in my room later in the day. The meal plan also was a big plus! Just be prepared, you get a LOT of food.

 

On my computer at home, I've saved a list of Disney tips. I'll look for that later tonight. Two things from PPs that I definitely second: buy The Unofficial Guide to WDW, but also look for WDW for Kids. Both books made me feel like I knew what I was doing!

The meals can be huge. We took ziplock baggies, so we could save the fruit, bread, etc. for snacks - even just pack up unfinished pastries.

Just reading and thinking about ideas makes me want to go back!!

 

We took the girls to Disney for their first time right before they turned 2 and have been back 3 times since. I am assuming that total you have a family of 7 and disney would either make you get a 2 room suite or a couple rooms. We stay in rental houses off property. We got a 7 bedroom house for a fraction of what a hotel would cost plus had our own kitchen. You can also get Condos as well. The area we were in was Emerald Island. In your case you are driving so you will have your car and the parks are less than 5 miles away. We saved alot of money by eating b-fast in our house instead of eating in the park or going out.

We normally do a character meal (this time we did 2 the castle and a Mickey one) We also did the Playhouse Disney one but we were not too thrilled with that. The price of tickets is getting crazy there but if you go early enough your little ones are free.

 

QUOTE(traceyru @ Apr 30 2007, 05:13 PM) [snapback]238573[/snapback]
we are planning a trip to disney next summer, and i have a few question just to mently prepare for the trip WAY WAY ahead of time...

1.) Tips for driving with 5 kids??(from NJ to FL)
2.) discounts for disney??
3.) do u think the twins are big enough to go they will be 2.5 by then?
4.) stay in disney or outside the park?
5.) any other idea on where do go & do?
Thanks so much this is a dream for me to bring my kids there. i never thought we'd be able to do it, but we decided to take all the income tax $$$ next year and have fun...and not worry about the small stuff...

i know it will be hard but if i start to prepare early enough i think i could handle it...

oh we are gonna go in august.. i think or do u think there is a better time that might cost less??

thanks again...


im not sure if youve gone on the disney website...But if u havent definitly go there first..im in florida and b/c we're in florida we get special discounts....but they do have specials i see them in the parenting magazine's all the time...they have deals including hotel and park tickets...of course plan your trip around thier up times...so if the kids are easier to handle in the morning try to go to the park early so that you can ride rides and not have to wait too long in the lanes...remember ITS HOT HERE soo pack w/ that in mind...and just relax and enjoy the rest.....also if the babies are small enough even if they are 2 yrs old u can get them in the park for free...this way if they get grouchy..u could leave stamp your hand and go back to the park when the sun goes down...