Preparing for a Large Family Trip to Disney World

For many families with young children, a trip to Disney World is at the top of their holiday wish list. If we’re honest, many people without children would love to head out to Disney World to see their favourite characters, take tours and go on all of the rides. For most of us, this kind of big trip is a once in a lifetime experience, but that’s especially true for large families, for whom travel is more expensive, more stressful and something that needs to be considered carefully.

If you are travelling with more than two children, things can be tough. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have the time of your life at Disney World. It’ll be a dream come true for all of your children, and it’s a great chance to spend some quality time together.

It just means that you need to take a little more time to plan and prepare. If you are considering a trip to Disney world with a larger than average family, here are some things that you might want to consider.

Create a Budget

All families need to prepare a budget for any trip. This helps you to make important decisions, like where to stay and what to do while you are there. But it also means that you don’t risk overspending and putting yourself under financial strain to be able to enjoy your trip. Yes, it’s a once in a lifetime experience, and you should enjoy it, but not at the expense of a comfortable family life when you get home. When you create a budget for a big trip like this, there’s a lot to think about.

Travel Costs

Your flights may be included with the cost of your accommodation, depending on whether you book a package deal, or keep things separate. But even if flights are covered, there are other costs to think about.

You’ll need to get to the airport before you fly for a start. As a larger family, you might find taking your vehicle more convenient than using public transport, in which case you’ll need to budget for fuel and airport parking. Other options include getting a taxi (make sure you can book a minibus) or asking someone for a lift.

Then, there’s transport when you arrive. Is travel to the park included in your package deal? Are you staying off-site? In which case, you’ll need to think about travelling to the park. You might also need transport around the parks. There are shuttle buses, but you might need to prebook, and car hire is another option.

Shopping

Budget for any holiday shopping that you need to do and be sure to include everything from sunscreen to clothes and toiletries.

Your Package

Your holiday package itself will be your biggest expense. But if you take the time to research different options and book in advance, you can save a lot of money. Make sure you consider accommodation, flights, on-site transport, food, and anything else that you’d like included on your trip to Disney Florida and check out the following link for some great options from Ocean Florida: https://www.ocean-florida.co.uk/disney-world/. Ocean Florida has a range of different options and can help you to plan your large family trip while sticking to your budget.

Spending Money

When you book, make sure you know what is included in your package. This will help you to budget for spending money. Make sure you include enough for food, drinks, souvenirs, and activities.

Research Before Booking

Before you book, make sure you do plenty of research, especially when it comes to where to stay. Staying at a Disney hotel can be more convenient, especially for a large family. But staying off-site will typically be cheaper.

For cheaper accommodation, you should explore these best holiday websites for great offers on hotels, apartments, and other accommodations off-site. You can really save a lot of money by taking advantage of these sites. Just be sure to compare prices and read reviews online before booking.

If you decide to stay off-site make sure you know how far away you’ll be, what kind of rooms are available for large families, where you’ll be able to eat and what facilities are available. You might also want to look for accommodation with some cooking facilities so that you can eat in your rooms.

Know What Your Priorities Are

Trips to Disney are expensive, but they are also action-packed. There’s so much to do, and it can be hard to fit it all in if you are only there for a week. It’s even harder when you have multiple children at different ages and with different tastes, who all want to do different things.

Spend some time with your children looking at everything that you can do, looking at all of the theme parks and water parks and deciding what you want to do the most. Let each member of your party choose one thing that they want to do more than anything else and plan the rest of your time around these priorities.

Try to create a plan that includes things you must do, things you’d like to do, and things that you wouldn’t mind if you missed out on. Then, plan your days carefully. This way you can make sure each day is filled with activities near to each other to save you time and help you to make the most of your trip.

Make Sure Older Kids Get Some Privacy

If you are travelling with teenagers, making sure they can have some privacy, and that they get to do some more grown-up things, can help to keep them happy. Staying in an off-site villa can be a great idea as you won’t have to worry about squeezing into one room.

Give the Kids Spending Money

It’s easy to get carried away, and once you arrive you might find it hard to stick to your carefully prepared budgets. Giving your children spending money can be a great way to stick to things, and to give them a little freedom and the chance to make their own choices.

Prepare for Long Days on Your Feet

Planning your days carefully will help you to ensure you aren’t having to walk too far between activities, but there will still be a lot of time walking around and standing in queues.

This can be hard for young children. Taking a stroller or baby carrier is a good idea for very young kids, but for older children it can be a good idea to take them on long walks beforehand to strengthen their legs and help them get used to it.

Pack the Essentials

Things like reusable water bottles, which you can get refilled while you are in the park will save you money while you are there. You should also make sure you take waterproofs and comfortable shoes, as well as your clothes and toiletries.

Another great way to save some cash is taking autograph books with you, so the kids don’t need to buy them from the Disney shop.

Think About Safety

Disney World is big, busy, and loud. As careful as you are, it’s easy to lose a member of your party. Make sure you have safety plans in place before you start enjoying your first day in the parks. Designate a meeting place in every theme park or water park you plan to visit and make sure all of your family know how to get to it. Wristbands or temporary tattoos with your contact details printed on them can also be effective.

Book Dinner Reservations Before You Travel

In many restaurants on-site and in the surrounding area, you’ll need to book a table if there are six or more of you. It can be helpful to try to book before you travel, at least for the first few days.

A trip to Disney World is a fantastic experience, and because there’s so much to see and do, it can be ideal for a big family. No one will be bored, you won’t have to worry about pleasing all ages, and you’ll create a fantastic family memory.