Doing Disney! by Liimu
Hey everyone,
I know folks may think we’re crazy for how often we travel to Disney with our four kids. But it’s really fun! Here are some of my tips for how to enjoy Disney with LOTS of kids:
- Drive. Yep, I said it. It’s MUCH cheaper, and as long as you give yourself ample time to get there, it’s not bad at all. We left on Saturday and took until Monday to get here, stopping first in Rocky Mount, NC and then again right at the border of Florida in Kingsland, GA. I was able to find rooms for less than $50 a night that included breakfast (pays for itself) and we booked two rooms – hubby and the middle girls in one room, the oldest and the baby with me in the second room. We learned the hard way to book early so we could be assured of a pack and play. That alone can be the deciding factor as to whether we have a good night’s sleep. Also, if you have a van equipped with entertainment system, you might want to hold off on renting (or buying) a couple movies until right before you go. That keeps my kids happy for the entire drive. Two words. Red. Box.
- Spend where it counts. We go cheap on the way down, but we don’t scrimp when we get here. We make sure we have a big enough place so we’re not on top of each other (usually a 2 or 3-bedroom suite) and with a kitchen, so we can save money cooking if we want to. (Though we seldom do, except breakfast. If I have to cook, it’s not really a vacation.)
- Do your research. I make sure the places we stay have a decent pool. (Wyndham Reunion Resort in Orlando has an AWESOME water park that rivals some of the best.) My kids are water babies so they can stay at the pool all day, if I let them. If your kids like wii or foozball, you’ll find that you may want to check in advance to make sure their game room is up to snuff. Maybe your kids are more into planned activities. You can often download or request the activity schedule in advance.
- Have fun! You want to make sure you have fun stuff to do. Maybe you want to take advantage of a kids’ club so you and hubby get alone time, maybe you need a really good fitness center, maybe you want an in-room massage (or maybe all of the above…heh heh). Either way, prioritizing your own fun is just as important as prioritizing the activities for your kids. Happy parents make for happy kids.
Having a big family doesn’t have to mean waiting until the kids are out of the house before you can afford to something besides visiting the grandparents. With a little planning, you can have fun whether you have one kid or ten! Do you have more tips to share? Post a comment and let me know!
Tags: big family vacations, Disney with kids, traveling with kids, vacations with kids
