Disney for the whole family?



Sydnee is 6 in this photo.

I have been traveling with my family to Disney for more than a decade. My first trip as a parent was in 2003 when my eldest daughter was 4 and my son was 2.  I took my mom, my best friend and my sister with us to Disneyland.   At the time I was on active duty stationed in Washington, DC and my mom and sister lived in Montana so I didn't see them that often.  We had an amazing time and the Disney trips soon became a tradition.  Many of my friends ask me when is the best time to take the trip and who should go.

Is Nana too old for Disney?  Should we wait until the baby is older?  Are my teens going to be bored?

The short answer is MAYBE but probably not.  In today's blog I will give you pros and cons on these and some other frequently asked questions.

Lets start with some basic questions you should ask yourself.  Is this going to be a once in a lifetime trip?  What is the goal of this trip?  Do you enjoy spending time with a group of people when you are vacation?

Sydnee (18m) on my lap during the safari

If your answer to those questions makes you consider planning a large family trip or a big friends trip to Disney here are a couple things to consider.



What's the right age for Disney?  What's too old or too young?  The youngest child I have visited Disney with was less than a year.  My mother has visited three times this year and is in her 60s. 

This is right after she stopped crying, she wasn't always a
princess fan.  Luckily, big sister and Snow White knew what
to do.

Pros for taking younger kids:  The magic is very real when kids are younger.  Many of the rides allow you to wear babies or have small children on your lap.  There are non-ride activities for little ones.  Children 3 and under are free to get into the parks and eat off your plate free even at the buffet.  As kids get older school can complicate when you can go to the parks and school vacation periods increase crowds. 


Cons on taking younger children:  There is a ton of walking and your littles will get tired.  Some little kids will be terrified of the characters (some will not).  Smaller children will not be able to ride all the rides and will require parents to possibly ride solo or stay behind.  Children may need a nap mid-day. 

My X-Husband lives in Florida so the big kids love
visiting Disney and hanging with him. 

Skylar (17) loves 
character interactions 

Teenagers:  This is all up to your teenagers.  Disney has tons to do and my teenagers love it there.  They can ride alone, there is plenty of yummy snacks and Disney transport allows them to hop between resorts and parks.  Plus mine get to act goofy without worry that anyone they know seeing them.

Nanas, Pappas and elderly:  My mom doesn't ride trill rides and she has 2 metal hips and a replaced knee.  She loves the slower rides and spending time with her grandkids.  Disney has classic rides, shows and features that remind my mother of her youth. 








Tips to overcome the cons: 




Sydnee (6), G (5), and S (3)

Sydnee (4) playing in the
water by Dumbo

1.  We take a stroller and baby carrier.  My kids are happy to nap in the stroller or while we are wearing them.  We use the stroller to carry the additional supplies you need with a toddler/baby like a full diaper bag, snacks, and my nephew's favorite blankie.  The stroller also allows the kids to rest their legs and not put in as many miles.  Use the baby care centers in the parks, they are like the Ferrari of changing rooms, they have everything that you can need when it's time to feed or change your little one.


Me riding with my nephews after
parent swap.

2. My mom is happy to skip the coaster and hang with the stroller and anyone in it.  There are only a couple rides that are too fast or too scary for the kiddos.  Sydnee isn't a roller coaster fan but my 3 year old nephew is so sometimes she hangs out with nana and sometimes we use parent swap.  Parent swap allows you to stand in line once and then one parent rides while someone waits and then you swap out. 


My mom rocking her wheelchair.

3.  My mom's feet and back hurt after walking a couple days at the park so we get her a wheelchair.  She doesn't need one 100% of the time but it helps her get around better and Disney has plenty for rent (we know own one for other reasons but we used to rent).  This allows her to get around better and spend more time exploring the park. 


Behind the Seeds Tour.

Wonderland Tea Party

4.  Disney offers some great VIP tours that are designed for different age visitors.  The Behind the Seeds Tour is about $25 for 1.5 hours and tours the greenhouses and fisheries in Epcot.  My mom loved it and Sydnee enjoyed it, too.  Sydnee enjoyed attending the Wonderland Tea Party at the Grand Floridian, this is a kid only party.  She had team with Alice and the Hatter and my mom enjoyed some down time while Jacob and I did Tower of Terror and Rocking Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios. 


Should I go with a big group like my extended family or a group of friends?

This trip was my cousin's family of 4, my sister's family of 4, my family of 5,
my mom and my x-husband.

Pros of big groups: Big groups mean more people to share the fun and the memories.  If you are staying off property or are possibly renting a DVC villa a larger group can help bring down the cost of lodging.  If you have kids that are the same age or husbands that get along it can allow for groups to do their own thing increasing the magic.  My youngest loves hanging with my nephews or her cousins at the park.  My husband and brother-in-law (and sometimes my x-husband) can be seen at Epcot having a beer or two while the women and kids shop. 

Cons of big groups:  Big groups can make planning more difficult.  Getting dining reservations and fast passes are more difficult the larger the party.  The more people the more varied the interests so that opens the trip up to drama. 

Tips to overcome the cons: 

My standard party of 8

Talk, discuss, plan and remember that not everyone needs to do everything together. 

Talk to your travel agent or Disney reservation agent if you are having trouble making reservations for your group.  We travel most often as a party of 8, if I can't get reservations I try two parties of 4 or a party of 5 and party of 3 with reservations 5 minutes apart.  Then I ask the hostess to try and seat us together or near each other and have had great luck.  I split up Fast Passes so that everyone gets to ride what they want, for example Nana and my sister go to Disney Jr with the kids while the rest of us ride Tower of Terror. 

I am happy to stay at the same resort as the rest of the family and even to share a condo with my sister's family but I need my own space.  When we are off property I make sure to have a separate rental car so I'm not waiting on other people, that stresses me out.  If we are on property we can use Disney transport so that's not an issue.  My older kids enjoy the freedom to return to the resort when they want and take a mid-day nap, or to come to the parks later and stay until after fireworks, but I'm a morning person. 

We decrease stress by paying separately which Disney allows. 

Above Sydnee (6) and below
18 mo both at the Boneyard

I try and schedule a highlight for everyone so that each person has their own special piece of magic.  My daughter and nephews always request time to play in the Boneyard at Animal Kingdom so I make sure we make time for that every trip.  My husband and brother-in-law like to get a beer at Epcot so I make sure we have time to tour World Showcase and keep the kids busy during that.  My mom always loves to ride Living on the Land, so we do that.  And my sister loves character meals so we schedule those in, too. 

I just started planning a visit with my best friend and her extended family.  She has older parents who are early risers and wants a trip that doesn't feel over-scheduled.  To accommodate her we will only be doing one table service meal that features her daughter's favorite character and I will book our Fast Passes far apart during the day so we aren't rushed.  Her parents may not be up for the full day and they are all staying off property so I suggested they get two rental cars or use Uber so her parents don't get over tired and they aren't trying to pull their not tired middle schooler out of the parks early.




What are your thoughts on taking kids or going in big groups?