Multi-Fam Mickey Bound!
- Feb 28, 2016
- 9 min read
Some might call me a Disney fanatic. I just like to think I enjoy “The Happiest Place On Earth” just as much as the next person. My love for all things Disney started many years ago as a young girl when I dreamed of one day visiting this magical place. Like a lot of people, this was a financial impossibility at the time. As I got older some great opportunities lined up to allow me to travel on a single parent’s budget with my two children in tow. Ever since then, I’ve made every effort to visit at least once every other year.
Last summer, was one of my best vacations ever. I have family that owns a timeshare that allows you to trade into Disney DVC properties. For those that don’t know DVC properties are Disney timeshare accommodations. They are large condo rooms with full kitchens, one to three bedrooms with full living rooms and pull out couches. It is the ultimate travel space and amenities especially for large families or for those with the need to have privacy among your travel party.
I had only stayed on property once before when my son attended the Disney College Program (post to come). This was the first time we could take full advantage of the lusted after Disney magic bands. These unique items ship for free in a fancy box with everyone’s name engraved in each band when you stay at a Disney owned property. It is a part of the Disney experience that gets you hype for the vacation to come. They are customizable. You can decorate these bands with special wraps and charms making them an additional souvenir. You can purchase these bands separately if staying offsite. I highly suggest purchasing online at Disneystore.com using discounted gift cards (check out my book for details).
There a few options to reserving one of these luxury rooms. First you can purchase a deed direct from Disney Vacation Club. This will have the best access to all the available properties owned by Disney all over the world. DVC also allows you to trade points for Disney cruises and Adventures by Disney vacations. Next is the way I reserved our room, which is through RCI timeshare. This is option is a bit tricky and can be very difficult to achieve. RCI has access to trade into several of the Disney properties but due to popularity there is a small window of availability. It takes a lot of phone calls and long waits to find an available space to trade into and they are usually very high in trade in points. DVC points can also be purchased from resale and rental sites. This is a better option but may not include all the amenities available direct through DVC. Lastly you can purchase direct through Disney website. These type of accommodations are considered luxury or deluxe resorts. Be sure to look for deals and discounts if purchasing direct. This option is far from cost saving.
This trip was very special. I was able to put my travel consulting skills to work in the best way. I happened to find out some friends were planning to vacation on the exact same days as we were and we had also invited another family to share our vacation with. I proposed we all book our flights together to save money. I was able to arrange and manage a group flight for 14 adults and 2 babies under 2.
Group airfare bookings are great because you can pay for your flight in installments through your agent/group leader. Most, if not all airlines offer group bookings. There is usually a minimum requirement of at least 10 persons. All airlines have their own specific policies. A down payment is required and restrictions on forms of payment may be enforced. Airfare and accommodations are usually the highest price paid for a vacation. Being able to book as a group is a great advantage for those where paying installments is easier on the budget. Contact me if you’d like more information or would like to set up a group flight.
Our flight was with Southwest. We were also able to use discounted gift cards to save a little on our flight. Be very aware of airlines guidelines on the usage of gift cards before you purchase.
We began our planning in early January for our trip in mid-June. Along the way, I educated and directed the group on money saving tips to save on their entire vacation. Many of these money saving ideas are explained in my new book, Just Ask Kiky. I was able to save over $900 using these techniques for this particular vacation. Every month we focused on details about special and free things to do in the parks and surrounding areas in Orlando. I also made sure to highlight some details on getting through the airport fast and efficiently with large families, how to pack for small children and some preparation techniques to ensure that the vacation runs as smoothly as possible.
The next step was to organize everyone. I made a schedule to remind each family of when payments were due, secure accommodations and tickets, and any other necessities requirements for our trip. Three of the families had small children in need of strollers. There are two options available; first you can bring your own stroller and check it at the gate of your flight or you can rent a stroller in Orlando. Disney and the tourism of the area think of everything. Stroller rental is very easy and affordable. Two of the families chose a company, Kingdom Strollers, that delivered to their resort before we arrived. The stroller rental companies also have extended services of grocery delivery. This is great especially if you don’t want to rent a car.
Checking a stroller at the gate is very easy also. We put our baby in the stroller until we arrived at the gate. We got the checked tag at the desk at the gate. When we were about ready to board, we stored the stroller in a stroller bag with the attached tag and left it at the front of the entrance to the plane. The baggage crew took it from there. Once we landed, our stroller was waiting for us right outside the plane door.
I also made sure everyone created a My Disney Experience account. This is your lifeline when on a Disney park vacation. It connects your ticket or magic band to everything from your onsite room, reservations, fast passes and you can even link your credit card to it. My Disney Experience can be accessed online or via an app on your phone. You can view your Memory Maker pictures through your My Disney Experience account also. It makes it easy to connect with your travel party. This is also a convenient way to utilize all the amenities of a Disney Vacation at one source.
We stayed in Boardwalk Villas on Disney property. It was amazing. I’ve often stayed in resorts off-site in Orlando. This was such a treat. Disney hotels and resorts are truly an all-inclusive experience. We had a resort room so we had a full kitchen, washer/dryer and plenty of room with privacy. Many of the conveniences include being within walking distance of 2 parks, the Boardwalk shopping and dining area, themed pools and access to extra magic hours in the parks. The concierge services were wonderful. They willingly provided us with storing our bags until our rooms were ready, information inquiries and any all assistance needed. Staying on site with Disney also includes transportation starting from the airport. You don’t need to rent a car if staying at a Disney property. This feature is not well executed by other entertainment companies in the area. Disney does do an excellent job at service and accommodating.
Boardwalk Villas was very convenient for our party. We took a day to play in the pool and walk around the boardwalk area. They played movies in the pool area and we had our own waterslide. The clown face that adorns the slide can look a little creepy. We enjoyed sliding down the slide anyway. Along the boardwalk area there are restaurants and a man-made beach. You can’t swim in the water but the sand is good for building sand castles. At dusk they play movies on the beach and have live entertainment. We were able to navigate the resort area with ease. Our magic bands were a big help. They are waterproof and they are used as room keys. No worries about losing them or getting damaged.
We were also able to take advantage of the Disney dining plan. For those that are not aware, Disney offers three dining plan options. This allows you to experience a stress free vacation where your meals are paid in advance. You are required to make ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) to many of the popular locations. There are many benefits to the dining plan. If you choose certain locations to dine, this can save you money. Combine this with my money saving techniques and you’ll get the best bang for the buck. There are websites that can calculate the price of your dining choices and compare it to using the dining plan to see if this would be a good option for your visit. The key to the plan are the dining reservations. Disney is a preplanned vacation. You MUST prepare to be able to get the most out of your vacation. If staying on site you have the advantage of being able to make reservations 190 days before you travel. If staying off site your availability to make reservations reduces down to 180 days. And yes restaurants do fill up fast that far in advance. If you want that most sought after dining, it is best advised to make the reservation as soon as your reservation time opens up.
We were able to take advantage of some the most popular dining with character choices like Be Our Guest and Cinderella’s Royal Table. Both pricey meals but well worth the experience. We were able to take advantage of the, new at the time, pre order from the menu for Be Our Guest. The only thing is we forgot what we order by the time we got there. If you choose to do this, make sure you copy down what you order especially if with a large group. Cinderella’s Royal Table was excellent; the food was surprisingly really good. You expect a level of “theme park” taste but Disney knows how to do dining right. We thoroughly enjoyed our dining and the princess experience. Each princess spent ample time with all the children at our table. Plenty of picture taking moments.
Another first time experience was the Disney Memory Maker photo package. This package allows you to take an unlimited number of photos with Disney photographers all over all of the parks with online access and sharing. It’s cheaper to buy in advance and recently Disney has offered some deals with the purchase of an annual pass. In less than a year the features of this package have upgraded. We liked to be able to take as many pictures as we liked in all four parks. We shared the package among three families. It worked out great. I think we had well over 500 photos and a few videos that Disney creates for a few of the rides like Mine Train. You can also edit the photos with features like adding in Disney characters and props. Recently the service has been upgraded to use with an app that allows you to instantly share photos with your loved ones. If you love to take photos and don’t want to worry about carrying an expensive camera around, this may be the photo package for you. In Disney fashion, it carries a whopping price tag of $149 pre-purchased 10 days before use and $169 regularly. This is definitely a convenience amenity. You do get what you pay for. I would advise, if you decide to purchase, you take advantage of every chance available for photo opportunities. There are enough to make this package worth your while.
One of the highlights of the trip was when I was able to secure a spot in line for one of the families traveling with us for the Jedi Training, It was Star Wars weekend and this family had never been to Disney or Florida as a family before. It is an instructional training session on how to be a Jedi. Young participants get to try out their lifesaver skills and meet Star Wars characters. This was a special treat that their children will remember forever! Disney is now building a Star Wars land in Hollywood Studios. This will replace the annual Star Wars event that we were able to attend on our visit. Jedi Training will still be a part of festivities in this park. The Star Wars themed firework show has now become a staple in that park along with a few other events that were previously reserved for the special weekends. This park is taking on a complete overhaul and has a huge amount of surprises to look forward to over the next few years.
Disney is a pre-planning vacation. I confirmed reservations and planned our days 6 months prior to travel. This can be overwhelming for the average traveler. As a travel consultant I welcome the opportunity to help others plan their vacation with the least amount of stress as possible. My goal for our June trip was to focus on educating each family in our group of their desired options and create a list of experiences they could easily navigate without the hassle of trying to figure it out for themselves.
Feel free to contact me regarding booking and travel plans for your next vacation
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