Trying to crunch the numbers...

[UberPlannerMom]

Well, it is finally time to crunch the numbers for our next disney trip. We go for each child's 3rd birthday so that means we will be heading down that week after thanksgiving but before the full scale Christmas invasion occurs for 2017. Only problem... ummm, money I guess. Or maybe I should say family size. Or how family size affects our lodgings and therefore the budget maybe...

We are a family of 7 but only 6 of us will be going (unless something accidentally changes in the next 18 months ). When we go we will be 2 adults, a 12 year old, a 6 year old, a 5 year old and an almost 3 year old. I know Disney doesn't consider a kid a body in the room until they are three but he will consider himself a body! He sleeps with his big brothers 50% of the time as it is because he is convinced he is their size! So, that leaves me some issues to ponder.

Here are what I think are the options:
Air BNB
Off site hotel
2 rooms at a value
family suite
5 person room at CBR or PO
2 bedroom suite at a deluxe

Am I missing any?

If I am not then here are my concerns:

Air BNB or offsite hotel- have to pay for parking, no access to dining plan (seriously my husband is the type that when he has to pay out of pocket on the spot thinks that one bottle of water for the whole family should last us the day because *money*), can't make meal reservations at one time (at least not as early), can't make early fastpass reservations

2 rooms at a value- we only have two adults. It's me and my husband, and he hates the idea of not being in the same room

family suite- costs more than just getting a 5 person room plus we would have to pay for the dining plan upgrade on top of the cost (assuming we managed free dining)

5 person room- could be a really tight fit! One bathroom... (of course if we stayed off site that could be the same thing as tight wad hubby might insist on just one room)

2 bedroom suite- even with just renting points this is soooooo expensive. Like, I think I could get 3 value rooms for the same price, plus if I read it correctly they don't service the rooms daily so I would need to be on full mommy duty and not even get out of picking up towels

Any input? If you were crunching numbers what kind of monetary value would you put on being able to book fastpasses in advance? Help! I am kind of floundering this time around!

 

[UberPlannerMom]

I guess you'd have to ask them for a pass once you pay the first time. Everytime I've gone through, I've never received any kind of pass to put on my dash. Maybe it's because I'm an AP and don't actually pay for parking each time.

If I remember right, when you pay to park they give you a receipt and so you just have to present the receipt at each parking area.

 

[jenos0524]

Not sure where you are from? also Not sure how much it would be to rent an RV in your area? Try looking up prices. then figure out gas costs and stay at Fort Wilderness... If you want to spread out some you can bring tents... This will allow you to save on Flights and still be able to get the ADRs at 180 +10 and the FP+ at 60 days out...

Other bonus is you would be a boat ride away from MK!

 

[Chernaboggles]

That is being a conundrum for me. To be completely honest I tend to be the person who just sucks it up every single time because I know I can. My husband, my kids... everything is the end of the world to them and it is always up to me to fix it.It's a bit of a martyr complex with me I think. I even feel guilty about riding a scooter because I know people hate them, never mind that without it I am very likely to come down with a flare so bad that I can't sit up much less walk, and can't hold a spoon much less the hand of a fussing baby. Dumb, right?

And by the by- the whole family is much better with late night's than early mornings. Thank goodness we are all the same that way!

If you already know you're going to be sucking it up and fixing everything for your family anyway, seems to me that stacking the deck in your favor ahead of time by selecting dining and hotel options that work best for YOU is definitely the way to go.

As for the scooter, here's the thing you need to remember: every single person at Disney World is constantly annoying other people...just by existing. He's too tall, her hat is too big, those kids are too loud, that couple is standing too close, that huge family is in front of us in line, that couple is somehow seated at a table for four while our family of four is still stuck waiting...most of the time, what's actually bothering people is that it's too hot, too crowded and they're tired. Nothing to be done about that, so lose the guilt and just try not to run anyone over, not even when it's really, really tempting.

 

[jrogue]

Personally, my family cannot put any monetary value on the peace of mind that comes with staying on property. Not only do you have the full access to the ADRs and FPs, but you also don't have to worry about making your way to the parks, food (if you do the dining plan), getting yourselves home once you are exhausted from the long days, traffic, etc. Staying on property saves us a lot of trouble and thinking, and vacation is all about relaxing and enjoying yourselves! I'd say make two scenarios (one on-property, one off) and see which works best for you and your family. If the on-property one does, then you can continue to play around with your options for where to stay.

 

[UberPlannerMom]

try not to run anyone over, not even when it's really, really tempting.

OK so, I am so careful about not running people over. I really, really am. Except for this one instance... My husband had had to seperate from me to take care of the baby and it was the end of the day. I had the 9 year old, 4 year old and 2 year old. It was that mad crush of nonmoving people waiting for the monorail and there was seriously no movement. All of a sudden this woman steps over me from behind, pushes my 9 year old out of the way and stands right between me and two of the little kids! I asked her to give my kids back and she ignored me. My 9 year old tried to get around her to the littles and she shoved him again. My next step? I told my 9 year old to get behind me and totally rammed that woman. Sorry but I was not going to lose my babies. She shot me a dirty look but apparently knew enough to keep her mouth shut and just moved away. I'd have probably used something that left a bruise if I hadn't been in the scooter! Hahaha!

Oh and I am going to take your advice and try to figure out or rather remember what works best for us. I am diving back into my pictures and writing out how things went and hopefully my son will finally write his trip report (9 months later, oops) and I will see what his perception was. Hopefully that will help.

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

Maybe it would to help slow down and think about what kind of vacation YOU want. The number one thing that ruins vacations anywhere, but especially at Disney, is STRESS. Any way you do it, a Disney vacation with 6 people is a big trip with a lot of emotional and financial investment. Stop crunching numbers for a second and rank the vacation options not by estimated cost, but by estimated stress level.

-If gift cards add to your stress and cash/credit adds to your husband's stress, then meal plan is high value for you.
-Since you prefer to use a car and will not be using Disney buses, Disney transportation is low value.

Think about the other aspects of the trip and assign value to each one based on what will make your trip easier and better for your specific family. DON'T "suck it up", "tough it out" or take on more work and responsibility for the sake of saving money if that's going to really burden you and/or your husband to the point you can't enjoy yourselves. It's tempting to make it all about the kids and husband, but what you need and want is VERY important if you're the one running the show day to day! If the Extra Magic Hours are in the morning, can you realistically get yourself, kids and husband up, dressed and ready to enter a park at 8am? Are your kids good at being night owls if the EHM are at night? Will you be taking breaks during the day, or doing the park warrior thing? How easy will it be to split up if one kid (or parent!) needs a nap? It's hard to assign value to intangibles like this, but it makes such a huge difference in how happy the trip is for everyone, especially you. [/QUOTE]

I agree with this.

 

[WDWDarling]

I guess you'd have to ask them for a pass once you pay the first time. Everytime I've gone through, I've never received any kind of pass to put on my dash. Maybe it's because I'm an AP and don't actually pay for parking each time.

You just show them your receipt so they can see that you already paid on that day and you're good to go.

 

[WDWDarling]

If I remember right, when you pay to park they give you a receipt and so you just have to present the receipt at each parking area.

Oops, just saw this. Yes, you're exactly right .

 

[UberPlannerMom]

Whew... so, our available options have changed a bit since we will now be a party of 7. Yep, I'm having another baby. When I tried to bring up how that changes our disney options my hubby kind of clammed up! Haha!

 

[RememberWhen]

Whew... so, our available options have changed a bit since we will now be a party of 7. Yep, I'm having another baby. When I tried to bring up how that changes our disney options my hubby kind of clammed up! Haha!

Congratulations! I love big families. Babies are so lovely, aren't they? I'm one of 6 and would love a dozen more kiddos, but it's just not in the cards. I'm super happy for you!
Also, everyone can make ADRs at 180 days whether they are on or off site, so the biggest issue with offsite timing is FP+. I hope you and your family have a magical trip!

 

[yensid67]

Hey 'MOM'...CONGRATULATIONS!
#1 thing to do is to STOP STRESSING! I know planning is a big part of the process, but not fun when it stresses you out!
#2 I have found a hotel, 1 room with 2 beds for 413.44. You will have to add a rollaway bed to the room. I went on otel.com and got the prices. I just made my reservations for December 2017 for 454.50 for 8 nights! The hotel is Clarion Lake Buena Vista. We have stayed there before and its a great place...3 pools, splash zone for the kids, a restaurant, a game room, bar and grille, a convenience store, a deli and ticket booth AND FREE SECURED PARKING. It's so close to Disney Springs that you could walk! They have a buffet breakfast that you can purchase for $9/day, the website says breakfast is included, but they lie(LOL) When I first heard your problem, my first reaction was a house rental. They offer the room you need and most with a private screened in pool and with a full kitchen you can save money on food...that should appeal to your husband! As far as FP's, that time of year is slower so getting FP's with off-site lodging should not be a problem! Check out otel.com and do a search for house rentals...I have found some for $99/night.
The main thing is right now, to stop and breathe! And decide with your Husband what type of lodging you want to search for. Just FYI...you can buy your Disney multi-day tickets now, they do not expire. orlandofuntickets.com is a great place to buy almost every ticket you will need. From Disney to Universal to Orlando Eye to Dinner shows, its a one stop shop for tickets. They are just about the same price as the park sites!(might be $1 more)

#3 MOST IMPORTANT Involve the kids to help plan(at least the older ones)
#4 DON"T STRESS OUT!!! I have been planning my 2017 trip since May 2013...it kept me outta trouble and definitely gave me time to research prices.

Hope you have a great trip and MAYBE we will be there at the same time!? Who knows!

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

Awww congrats! We're going to be a family of 6 this November! We're planning our trip for next August! Can't wait. We'll probably do either 2 rooms at Swan and Dolphin, POFQ or a 1 bedroom at BLT or something similar... Housing 6 bodies is tough in the "world". The planning and anticipation is part of the fun..... Try to sit back and enjoy... Especially now that you're pregnant try to continue to relax.

 

[KikoKea]

I know everyone wants to leave the parks and get back to their hotels as fast as possible, but if you can hang out for about 20 minutes, it will make dealing with the crowd, the scooter, and your kids much easier and safer. We never get in the middle of the crush, but wait and it is so much better. We watch the castle at MK, walk up close, and just enjoy the quiet park. If we really needed to leave and could not wait a few more minutes, we have left early and watched the MK fireworks from the boat dock area.

And, a bit of advice from someone older who's been married 34 years, had kids, and kept the home going during numerous deployments during DH's 28 yrs in the military: delegate work to the kids and tell your husband how to help. Seriously, men often do not have a clue unless you are up front and specific. If you are worn out and don't have fun, too, it's time to rethink your vacations.

 

[yensid67]

I know everyone wants to leave the parks and get back to their hotels as fast as possible, but if you can hang out for about 20 minutes, it will make dealing with the crowd, the scooter, and your kids much easier and safer. We never get in the middle of the crush, but wait and it is so much better. We watch the castle at MK, walk up close, and just enjoy the quiet park. If we really needed to leave and could not wait a few more minutes, we have left early and watched the MK fireworks from the boat dock area. Also I will add. the park 'doesn't' close when everyone is scrambling to the monorail. While the attractions close, MAIN STREET stays open for 1-2 hours after the mad rush for the exit! Like Kikokea says, this is the perfect time for you as a family to enjoy the quietness of the park, enjoy looking at the castle change colors as the music plays in the background. If you stay the official park close, you won't want to miss the Goodnight kiss. This is a special time when the announcement comes over the speakers that most do not hear because they are in the parking lot! The kiss is just a nice way to end a day at the Kingdom. I don't want to give away what happens, I want you surprised, So get the kids to grab and afternoon nap at the hotel and go back for late afternoon/evening, so you can stay as a family for the Goodnight Kiss. That will be an awesome memory.
I am pretty sure each park does a Goodnight Kiss in some way, someone can correct me if I am wrong!

 

[Mickey5150]

Another option to look at is the Disney Springs Hotels. They are considered "Official" DIsney World Hotels but don't get things like extra magic hours. They also have bus service to all the parks. The Doubletree is an all suite hotel and I would guess other hotels there have suites as well. They have a website that talks about all the hotels disneyspringshotels.com. I'm not sure of pricing but it is another option that is on DIsney property.