Fearing Disaster...

[12_Ears_Dad]

Back-Story: 6 kids plus my Wife and I are planning on WDW trip July 11-18.

Kids ages: DD 13, DS 9, DS 6, DS 5,
DD 3, DS 1

Staying: off property

First I know we are insane. No need to remind me there.

The problem is we want this to be a family vacation. "Family" being the big word there. The dilemma is, with such a diversified age group, is how to keep everyone from being split up for the majority of the time. Even with fast passes. Now don't get me wrong, I understand that there are plenty of family activities we can do as a group at WDW, but it seems we would be doing those things only occasionally.

So any of you that have been through this and understand the issues please we could use your insite.

 

[DrummerAlly]

Depending on the kids themselves, I think you really might be fine. This said, I only have two young children, so go ahead and take this with a grain of salt...

I don't think the issue you'll run into is finding enough activities (rides and shows) that everyone can do, as activities with no age or height restriction actually make up the majority of things at WDW. I think the key might be to prepare the oldest kids that they are on the touring schedule of the youngest ones if you want to minimize the amount of time you're split up. Most of the rides and shows can be enjoyed by everyone if the littlest ones tolerate those activities well (i.e. Haunted Mansion has no height restrictions and can be enjoyed by everyone, assuming the littlest ones aren't frightened by it). I would identify the rides and shows that your oldest ones want to do that the littlest ones can't ahead of time and plan to make that the "split up" time and let your littlest ones rest. If everyone's clear on the expectations I think you'd be okay.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Honestly, I think you'll be fine. We did a multi-generational, 6-person trip in May. The key was to know ahead of time who-could-do-what, keeping height restrictions and personal preferences in mind, and develop a touring plan based on that. With a plan pre-set, following it was a breeze (we departed from it when circumstances dictated, but it was nice not to have the bulk of the planning done ahead, so I didn't have to engage in any high-level thought while on vacation!) and we spent 90% of the time together.

As an example: when we toured Adventureland, Liberty Square and Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom (the afternoon and evening of our arrival day), the plan looked something like this:

1 - Swiss Family Treehouse
2 - Jungle Cruise w/FP+
3 - Enchanted Tiki Room
4 - Pirates of the Caribbean
5 - "Thrill ride/tall enough" crowd (3 adults and 1 child) on Splash Mountain w/ FP+ -- "Non-thrill-riders" (1 adult and 1 child) visiting the nearby Aladdin's Magic Carpets w/FP+, Aladdin meet-and-greet and/or Adventureland "7 Seas" Scavenger Hunt
6 - "Thrill ride/tall enough" crowd on Big Thunder w/ FP+ -- "Non-thrill-riders" grabbing Dole Whips for the group and reserving a 4th FP+ for Haunted Mansion
7 - Rendevous in Liberty Square to enjoy our Dole Whips together
8 - Country Bear Jamboree
9 - Hall of Presidents
10 - Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern
11 - Haunted Mansion
12 Begin non-headliners in Fantasyland - its a small world, Mickey's Philharmagic, etc. (reserving Tom Sawyer Island and/or Liberty Belle for another day)...

As you can see, this touring plan (which we covered between 2pm and 8:30pm) had us separated for only 30 minutes! The vast majority of attractions in every park are suitable for all ages, and for those that aren't, there's almost always a small-child or motion-sickness-proof option nearby. I don't think you'll have much trouble keeping everybody happy. (The biggest advice I can offer in that regard is to make sure that EVERYBODY gets a nap every afternoon, so no one is melting down by the end of the day, and everyone is "up and at 'em" for rope drop arrivals in the morning. All you'll "miss" between 1pm and 4pm is the worst heat and crowds of the day!)

FWIW, here are what we sometimes use as the "split up" alternatives in each park (with the child-friendly alternative in bold):

Magic Kingdom: Space Mountain/PeopleMover, Barnstormer/Casey's Splash Zone or Pete's Silly Sideshow, Splash/Aladdin M&G, Enchanted Tiki Room, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Adventureland Scavenger Hunt or Splash Moutain play area, BTMRR/Liberty Belle, Tom Sawyer Island or Country Bear Jamboree

Epcot: Mission:Space/Mission:Space play area (between the attraction exit and gift shop -- get in the queue with the rest of the family and take the "chicken exit" just before boarding the ride vehicle), Test Track/Innoventions West or Character Spot, Soarin'/Living with the Land or Circle of Life film

HS: Sunset Blvd. attractions (Tower of Terror, Rock'n'Rollercoaster) / Animation Courtyard attractions (Character M&Gs, Disney Jr. show, Little Mermaid show, TSMM if arriving at rope drop), Star Tours/Jedi Training Academy Show or whatever film preview is showing in the auditorium nearby

AK: Dinosaur/Triceratop Spin or The Boneyard play area, Expedition Everest or Kali River Rapids/Maharajah Jungle Trek or Rafiki's Planet Watch

 

[sgtmgd]

Honestly, I think you'll be fine. We did a multi-generational, 6-person trip in May. The key was to know ahead of time who-could-do-what, keeping height restrictions and personal preferences in mind, and develop a touring plan based on that. With a plan pre-set, following it was easy-peasy and we spent 90% of the time together.

As an example: when we toured Adventureland, Liberty Square and Frontierland, the plan looked something like this:

1 - Swiss Family Treehouse
2 - Jungle Cruise w/FP+
3 - Enchanted Tiki Room
4 - Pirates of the Caribbean
5 - "Thrill ride/tall enough" crowd (3 adults and 1 child) on Splash Mountain w/ FP+ -- "Non-thrill-riders" (1 adult and 1 child) visiting the nearby Aladdin's Magic Carpets w/FP+, Aladdin meet-and-greet and/or Adventureland "7 Seas" Scavenger Hunt
6 - "Thrill ride/tall enough" crowd on Big Thunder w/ FP+ -- "Non-thrill-riders" grabbing Dole Whips for the group and reserving a 4th FP+ for Haunted Mansion
7 - Rendevous in Liberty Square to enjoy our Dole Whips together
8 - Country Bear Jamboree
9 - Hall of Presidents
10 - Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern
11 - Haunted Mansion
12 Begin Fantasyland (reserving Tom Sawyer Island and/or Liberty Belle for another day)...

As you can see, this touring plan (which we covered between 2pm and 8:30pm) had us separated for only 30 minutes! The vast majority of attractions in every park are suitable for all ages, and for those that aren't, there's almost always a small-child or motion-sickness-proof option nearby. I don't think you'll have much trouble keeping everybody happy. (The biggest advice I can offer in that regard is to make sure that EVERYBODY gets a nap every afternoon, so no one is melting down by the end of the day, and everyone is "up and at 'em" for rope drop arrivals in the morning. All you'll "miss" between 1pm and 4pm is the worst heat and crowds of the day!)

Now that's a plan!

 

[John C. Shepherd]

I have to agree that is a plan!!!!

In all honesty you will be fine, the kids will be captivated by everything.