Our Trip to Disney World: How to Navigate the Happiest Place on Earth with Large Families
“Wouldn’t it be fun to plan a trip to Disney World with BOTH of our families?”
...this, my friends, is how chaos starts.
What could possibly go wrong when visiting the happiest place on Earth with our somewhat hesitant husbands and combined NINE angelic children?
“This will be great!” we said. “Let’s start planning!”
Turns out, Disney World and the affiliated resorts don’t necessarily cater to large combined FRamilies (friend-families)--but after tons of research and a little trial and error, we were able to enjoy a magical vacation.
HOW TO PLAN
Disney can be a little... Overwhelming. From park tickets to fast passes, we were feeling a bit lost. Though we’d both been to Disney before, going with 14 people only added to the chaos, and we were having a hard time deciding on the most basic things, like, “how many days should we go?” “Which parks should we visit?” and, “are park hoppers worth it?”
ENLIST THE HELP OF A DISNEY PLANNER
Did you know that there are travel agents who specialize in Disney vacations? I didn’t. We enlisted the help of Mary Helen Law of Mouse Counselors to help us plan and navigate our trip. She told us when and where to buy our tickets, got up early to make our breakfast and Fast Pass reservations, and best of all-- her services are FREE! (And, even if they weren’t, she would’ve been worth whatever the price would’ve been!) She made everything so easy and painless, and sorted through our 1 trillion questions about Disney in general.
KNOW WHEN TO GO
As if Disney World isn’t overwhelming enough, add sweltering weather and large crowds and things can get a little hairy. We knew that we couldn’t handle the Orlando heat and that our large group meant that we’d prefer lighter park days, so we checked out the many crowd calendars available online. Of course, you have classes to contend with if your children are school-aged, but we chose the lightest week in November (the week before Thanksgiving) for cool weather and light crowds. Plus, the park is decorated for Christmas, which only added to the magic.
BUY YOUR TICKETS
You’ll need to buy your park tickets around 30-65days before your trip. There are a few ways to save money here:
Using a cash back credit card
Seeing if there are any “points deals” offered by your credit card for Disney perks
Buying Disney Gift Cards at Sam’s Club, Costco, or “clubs”, which can be purchased at around 3-5% off retail price.
PRO TIP: When buying these, you get the best bang for your buck on the low-dollar cards. This means that you’ll have to buy a trillion $25 gift cards and manually link them together at DisneyGiftCard.com, but when it saves money, it’s worth it!
WHERE TO STAY
While we have plenty of friends who prefer to stay only at Disney hotels, we’ve found that with large families, it’s more economical and comfortable to stay elsewhere.
We need ample space to spread out, separate rooms for our precious children (lest they inflict harm on each other at the end of a fun-filled day), kitchens, and, most importantly, LAUNDRY.
We looked at Airbnbs, VRBOs, resorts and the stand-out option was Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek, a vacation club resort. We opted for two 2-bedroom deluxe suites (one for each family) and they truly exceeded our expectations.
Each unit was about 1250 square feet and had:
two bedrooms (one with two double beds and one with a king)
two bathrooms
pull-out sofa
large common room and dining area
master bathroom large enough to fit not one but TWO pack n’ plays!
kitchen, fully-stocked with everything you’d need (perfect for saving money by eating meals at “home”)
LAUNDRY-- (because it is physically impossible to pack enough clean clothes for a trip lasting longer than three days)
balcony
Access to pools, arcades, gardens
Instacart and UberEats delivery
Although not an official Disney Resort, Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek IS on Disney property, and is located less than 10 minutes from all 4 parks. Though you have to pay for Disney parking, it was worth it to us to have our cars to be able to go back-and-forth if necessary (spoiler alert: it was necessary) and we didn’t have to cram our strollers and gear on to a shuttle bus.
It’s no doubt that this property was built with families in mind, which is why we loved it. It was nice to have a home base to come back to for naps, family meals, and even down time by the pool.
Pro tip: there’s an amazing spot in one of the towers to watch Magic Kingdom fireworks if you’re just too exhausted to go to the park itself.
Vacation clubs have certainly evolved over the years, and we were so happy with our experience.
Note: Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek generously hosted us, but all opinions are 100% our own, and we would absolutely stay there again!
DECODE FAST PASSES, RESERVATIONS, AND TIMELINES
Nothing makes our heads spin quite like having to schedule fast passes, reservations, and an overall timeline for our trip. We couldn’t have done either of these without having both Mary Helen and the My Disney Experience App. Here are our best tips for navigating the nitty-gritty of Disney: DOWNLOAD THE APP.
The My Disney Experience app has all things Disney in one place. It’s where you can make reservations, track wait times for rides, and book fast passes.
BUY THE DANG MAGIC BANDS
Magic bands start at $15 (unless you’re staying on property, and then they’re included in your stay). They’re like little watches that each member of your party (over age 3) wears throughout their stay. It serves as your ticket to the park, holds all of your fast passes, and, if you’re staying on-property, can charge your room for purchases to more easily pay for things within the park. We opted for these because it was WAY easier than having individual cards to sort though for each person at each ride.
PRO TIP: tape the band shut once placed on your wrist, as they have a tendency to come off.
MAKE A GAME PLAN
Disney World is insanely large, and unless you are planning a month-long visit, there’s just no way to see and do everything. Familiarize yourself with the parks you’ll be visiting, the height requirements for riders, and make a list of all your “must dos.” Prioritize the things that your family will enjoy most. Will you do one park a day? Opt for a “park hopper” pass? This is another place that Mary Helen stepped in, letting us know that some parks close early for special parties, and making suggestions about where to spend our days and where to watch fireworks and special shows at night.
BOOK DINING AND FAST PASSES EARLY
Dining
You can start making your dining reservations 180 days before your trip. If you’re staying on-property, you get the added perk of being able to book all of your dining reservations at once. But, if you’re staying off property, you’ll need to wake up early each day to book your table. By then, you’ll want to know exactly what parks you are visiting on each day, and what restaurant(s) will be the best fit for your family. (More on our favorite spots later.) Early dining reservations can mean early access to parks, which is a perk for those staying off-property.
Fast Passes
Fast passes, which allow you to schedule a window of time to bypass the main line for a ride or attraction, are a must. You can book up to 3 per person, per day, and optimizing these passes is key to planning a vacation that isn’t filled with waiting in long lines all day.
If you aren’t staying at a WDW Resort, you can book your FastPasses 30 days before your trip. In the past, we’ve gotten up at 7am for 4-5 days straight in an effort to book the passes I want, but this time, Mary Helen did EVERYTHING. Honestly, we can’t imagine planning this trip without her.
If you aren’t able to get the dining reservations or fast passes you want, don’t panic! Keep checking back, as people swap and cancel plans all the time. The closer you get to your trip date, the more available reservations and fast passes will pop up.
The day-of, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your app so that you can drop fast passes as-needed, and pick up others. We found that we were able to ride everything that we wanted this way!
MAKE A TIMELINE
Honestly, this was the most overwhelming part of planning. Knowing what time to arrive at the park, where to be at what time, and capitalizing on seasonal attractions made my head spin. Another reason Mary Helen was amazing-- she did this for us! It made the day so much more manageable and calm.
WHAT TO PACK
Ponchos - rain showers are common in Florida
Inexpensive Shower Curtain to cover stroller in rain
Stroller, or rent one here (pro tip: do not rent from Disney, unless you want your kids sitting on hard, uncomfortable plastic all day)
Cooler filled with ice packs and not loose ice
Bandaids and Mole Skin- it’s a lot of walking and blisters are a bummer
Magic bands, ID, and wallet
Jacket
Flip flops for water rides
Tylenol
PORTABLE CHARGERS (the Disney App eats through your phone battery)
Glow Sticks/Dollar Store Souvenirs (there are tons of trinkets your kids will want to buy, so it’s the perfect opportunity to whip out some “new fun things” you bought for a fraction of the price)
Sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and chapstick
Sunglasses
Ponytail Holders
Water bottles
Headphones- Disney can be loud and a bit of a sensory overload, and headphones are a great way to help with stroller naps or just the feeling of being overwhelmed.
WHAT TO EAT
Disney has no shortage of food options, but with large families, that can add up quickly. Our best tips:
Pack a picnic - well-timed stroller meals and picnics are key. We brought a cooler filled with goodies (no loose ice or glass), -- including sandwiches, juice boxes, snacks, and treats.
Quick-service meals - Most quick service meal and snack locations in the parks offer complementary cups of water. They also offer mobile ordering. Order your meals through the app, and skip the lines. This was a nice option when dealing with exhausted and hangry toddlers.
Smart snacks - Reusable popcorn buckets are $12 and allow guests to load up on popcorn refills for only $2 for the duration of your visit. This was our go-to snack!
Allergy-Friendly - To be honest, I wasn’t super impressed with the labeling of allergy-friendly options at most restaurants and food kiosks. That said, some items were surprisingly allergy-friendly (the popcorn was dairy and soy free!), but we brought along plenty of snacks to make sure that our kiddos weren’t left out.
Pro tip: many kids meals are large enough to feed an adult and include a drink!
Don’t Forget About Fireworks
As we all know, one of the greatest things about Disney is their fireworks show. However, the crowds (no matter what time of year you go) are always insane. Mary Helen gave us the best tip for beating the crowds at Magic Kingdom, though, and we’re ready to let y’all in on the secret, too!
About 20-30 minutes before the show starts, cast members will begin taping off walkways for the show, so that guests can continue to walk through the park. Stay close to these cast members and stand directly BEHIND where they tape-- ensuring that no one will be standing right in front of you (because cast members keep the walkways clear throughout the show.) With that said, we’d recommend arriving 45 minutes to an hour before the show starts to account for potty breaks, popcorn refills, and the like.
Firework shows are the perfect time to whip out glow sticks and light up toys that you’ve brought from the Dollar Store back home. Rather than buying each of your kids $25 trinkets, crack your cheap-o finds open and feel like Mom of the Year!
So, there you have it! Our trip to Disney World with two large families. Let us know your thoughts and tips and the comments below!
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