Going with 3 young ones.

[MissyG]

We took are oldest child to Disney World for her 3rd Birthday. Well my silly question now is we are trying to plan a trip and we are going with a 6 year old, a 2 year old and a baby. It was so easy when we just had one young child. I really want to take the family every 2 to 3 years. But now that we are a family of 5 I am kinda scared and not sure where to begin the planning.
Any places great to stay with a large family. I just need some help and advice on where I need to start. I want to stay on Disney property. Thank you for any advice you have.

 

[stphnbogert]

Well it depends on your financial restraints. But I would in my opinion pick a resort close to the parks. That way you limit your use of the buses. Carrying around 3 children can definitely be a hassle. But to book at a resort monorail and just take the monorail from epcot and mk would be easy with transportation.

 

[Nemo14]

We took are oldest child to Disney World for her 3rd Birthday. Well my silly question now is we are trying to plan a trip and we are going with a 6 year old, a 2 year old and a baby. It was so easy when we just had one young child. I really want to take the family every 2 to 3 years. But now that we are a family of 5 I am kinda scared and not sure where to begin the planning.
Any places great to stay with a large family. I just need some help and advice on where I need to start. I want to stay on Disney property. Thank you for any advice you have.

I would recommend that you talk to one of our Kingdom Konsultants Disney travel agents. They can answer all your questions, make all your reservations, and find the best deals for you at no cost to you.

 

[Master Yoda]

Hi Missy! I am Richard with Kingdom Konsultants. I am also a parent of 3 so I am quite familiar with dealing with the dreaded "party of 5". If you like you can PM or email me your information (travel dates, budget, etc) and I will be more than happy to go through your options and find out what will suit you best. We do not charge for our services (we are paid a commission by Disney) and there of course is no commitment to book with us. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

[daliseurat]

Your room shouldn't be a huge problem as the 2 and 6 year old most likely will share a double bed, and the baby would sleep in a crib/pac-n-play. So you really should have no issue just getting a double room.

The real problem is getting 3 kids of those various ages from place to place. And you may have issues with naps and such, which will mean having two strollers or a double stroller, and a 6 year old who may complain about not having a stroller.

So, depending on finances, you may really consider those monorail hotels, or you may prefer to drive yourself to avoid the busses. In which case, you CAN get better deals off site.

The good news is that you don't have to buy tickets for 2 kids and in many cases they won't charge you for the 2 year old at the buffets. At least that was my experience.

Good luck!

 

[daria4282]

We are a family of 5 and our children are 2,2,and 14 months. It is managable. We went last year with our 17 month old twins and 5 month old. We had a lot of fun even with the kids and all their gear!

 

[slappy magoo]

Welcome to the boards, Missy.

I'm not going to be presumptuous, and I'm not going to be too much of a shill, but you may want to look into information about the Disney Vacation Club, Disney's version of a timeshare program. It's not cheap, and it is considered like buying a chunk of real estate so you'll be dealing with maintenance fees each year, even after paying for your initial investment. But you will get accommodations comparable to other Disney deluxe resorts and paying much less in the long term to do so. And by being creative with how you choose to use your membership, you can store up the "points" you're afforded that go to your room, and go every 2 or three years.

There are one bedroom units in the Bay Lake Tower (Contemporary resort, on the monorail line) and the Villas at the Animal Kingdom Lodge that sleep 5, they have a bedroom, a pullout sleeper sofa and a pullout sleeper chair.

 

[slappy magoo]

Double post, sorry.

 

[BizEmom]

Right now you can stay almost anywhere since the 2 yr old and the baby won't count toward the room total for fire code purposes. You can do 3 kids of those ages in a room with a pack-n-play at a Value resort, a Moderate or a Deluxe. Budget and Convenience can be your deciding factors. Once your baby is 3 or older, there are certain rooms that can accommodate a family of 5, but I prefer 2 rooms at a Value to one room at a Mod or Deluxe.

As you probably know, your children have free entrance into the parks until they are 3, so it would save $ to go before your middle child's bday.

Each day when you head to/back from a park, you will likely have a stroller, a diaper bag, and of course the 2 young ones to try to get onto & off of your mode of transportation. It is doable on a bus, but whether or not this is overwhelming is very personal. If it is, you many prefer to be in a monorail resort, or even to rent a car.

 

[bmarkelon]

We just went on a trip in October w/ our 6, 3 and infant. Not bad at all, totally manageable as long as you set realistic expectations. DVC is definitely good advice for your family size and plan of trips every couple years. But it sounds like you should get away with a cheaper trip while they are so little. We just bought at the BLT. Perfect resort for a young family since you can walk to MK. I would try polynesian or contemporary to take advantage of the monorail. Character meals are a must, not the greatest food but stress free since the kiddos are occupied. Hit the pool plenty,th e kids love it and it's necessary downtime.
I could go on and on. Have a blast, we always manage it!

 

[bmarkelon]

Oh and, hit up the garden grocer for delivered groceries. Awesome!