Summer 2020 kids first WDW trip

agamble

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 17, 2011
We would like to take our kids to WDW next summer. Probably mid to late June. We live in CA about 5 to 6 hours from DLR, depending on LA traffic, and have visited DLR on many occasions. My DH and I visited WDW for 6 days in June 2008, before FP+ and MDE. A lot has changed since then. Our younger daughter will be a few months shy of 5, our son 7, and our older DD10. Based on current height and our other children, I expect out youngest to reach the 44" mark by next summer, though if she doesn't we're comfortable with rider swap. Unfortunately the school calendar is such that we can't squeeze the trip in before our oldest turns 10 in early June (I teach at their school).

I am considering 2 weeks in and near WDW. We have timeshare points we can use for a week at one of several resorts near, and I'm planning the first week on property, possibly with rented DVC. We would probably want to see Universal for a couple days as well during our off property stay. I'm thinking 8 day park hopper+ tickets with some rest days. Looking forward to the water parks. We could maybe do 10 days since it isn't much more and do some sleep in and pool days with park evenings. I know my husband will need some down time. My oldest not so much. LOL.

The biggest planning piece for me right now is choosing how many days on site and which weeks to visit. Even with DVC, point rentals on property means a smaller room costing more money (compared to our timeshare). I've considered Caribbean Beach rooms that sleep 5, assuming price doesn't skyrocket with the Skyliner. Or a cheaper DVC such as Boardwalk, Poly, or Wilderness. I realize those are deluxe, but with the studio layouts they don't seem much better than Caribbean Beach. Anyone have any help with such things? Based on this year's prices Caribbean would be somewhat cheaper than the cheapest studio for 5, but discounts may be less next summer with SWGE opening soon. Are Deluxe Suites roomy? Good value? Worth the little more per night? Or is it not worth dealing with renting points if the cost is comparable to say Caribbean Beach? Better to have control of your own reservations? How early do they need booking?

I'm concerned about FP+ and feel that we must spend part of our trip on site or we miss out on FP for popular rides. It seems that Pandora rides are hard to get. I expect SWGE to be hard as well. Though we may visit DL this fall and see it there first. Maybe I am worrying too much about FP+. I would consider PPO breakfasts and even a few late nights. Is it necessary to be on site to ride all the major rides without waiting 60+ min? I do like the idea of EMH too, but I know those parks also get busy fast.

Any other early planning tips? I feel pretty lost. Back in 2008 we had EMH every morning and night. I didn't pre plan anything except which park to visit based on EMH. The crowds were not too bad, also June, and we used paper FP. We napped every afternoon and were up early and late. That may not work with 3 kids. Please help.
 
If you can swing it, I’d look at a one bedroom DVC rental. That way you’d have a full kitchen and washer/dryer in the unit which would make your vacation far more comfortable! We are DVC owners and if you are ok with the distance, SSR and OKW are good options.

Good luck! I am hoping to bring extended family next summer so my two nieces (who will be 2 and 4 by then) and sister in law can experience WDW for the first time as well.
 
I wouldn't do anything nonrefundable yet. Just make a loose plan and start reading the WDW forums. There's talk of some changes coming to FP+ which could change how you want to approach things. EMH is so watered down now that they've added a bunch of offsite hotels to the mix that I'm not sure if it's worth it.

If you can save a lot by staying offsite, it might be worth that, but then adding a paid upsell or two for better park access.
 
If you can swing it, I’d look at a one bedroom DVC rental. That way you’d have a full kitchen and washer/dryer in the unit which would make your vacation far more comfortable! We are DVC owners and if you are ok with the distance, SSR and OKW are good options.

Good luck! I am hoping to bring extended family next summer so my two nieces (who will be 2 and 4 by then) and sister in law can experience WDW for the first time as well.
Although we could swing it, I'm not sure I would want to spend my vacation dollars that way. Also many of the one bedrooms won't sleep five. In this case we might be better staying at our timeshare for 2 weeks and paying for some early morning privileges. I guess I will need to crunch numbers when it comes closer and get an idea of costs.
I wouldn't do anything nonrefundable yet. Just make a loose plan and start reading the WDW forums. There's talk of some changes coming to FP+ which could change how you want to approach things. EMH is so watered down now that they've added a bunch of offsite hotels to the mix that I'm not sure if it's worth it.

If you can save a lot by staying offsite, it might be worth that, but then adding a paid upsell or two for better park access.

Yes, too early to book. I know I need to book at least 6 months out. How early would you recommend? That is the other thing about DVC points. They're not really refundable.

Changes to FP+ again? Just rumor for now?
 


I would be scoping out an inexpensive offsite location that's fully refundable. Then start watching for room or package discounts onsite. If you decide on a resort you must stay at and would be willing to pay full price for, then go ahead and book that too.

The potential changes to FP+ are pure rumor at this point, but originated with a fairly reliable source. Feel free to skim this if you have a few hours to waste (although with 3 kids I know that's doubtful!):

https://www.disboards.com/threads/paid-fp-options-coming-soon-to-wdw.3739005/
 
I would be scoping out an inexpensive offsite location that's fully refundable. Then start watching for room or package discounts onsite. If you decide on a resort you must stay at and would be willing to pay full price for, then go ahead and book that too.

The potential changes to FP+ are pure rumor at this point, but originated with a fairly reliable source. Feel free to skim this if you have a few hours to waste (although with 3 kids I know that's doubtful!):

https://www.disboards.com/threads/paid-fp-options-coming-soon-to-wdw.3739005/
Ok. I saw that thread before. You linked to it on the DL boards.

I guess this could be good or bad depending on prices and how it works.
 
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The perks for being on site are diminishing I feel. For a larger family, who already plans to be spending part of their time offsite, it might be worth it to explore spending your whole visit offsite and investing in special ticketed events that will get you special access. For example we are staying off site in December 2019, and SWGE is important to us. We plan on spending for whatever access will get us an edge, whether it's special ticketed access or tour access. We'll still come out cheaper than staying on property. And likely with less of a headache. I would wait and watch how things go over the next 6 months and decide how you want to proceed.
 


Re: renting DVC, I would get an idea of what kind of rooms and which resorts you're interested in and then head to the WDW resorts board to ask DVC owners how fast the rooms you want are likely to sell out (that is, assuming no one jumps in here). DVC owners can book 11 months out at their home resort, and the cheapest rooms go fast. You may be able to book OKW or SSR later, though--when I was looking for a studio at 9 months out they were still available at those resorts, but the "standard" (read: "cheapest") studios at more desirable DVC resorts (AKL, Boardwalk, etc.) were all gone.

I'm a huge fan of staying on property (it's just so convenient!) so I'm torn saying this, but...I can kind of see @Shughart's point about looking into your options for doing the whole trip off-site. If you're already going to deal with all the off-site business anyway (renting a car, etc.) and if you've got a family of five you've got to squeeze in somewhere...well, the rooms on-site aren't terribly big, even at the moderate and deluxe levels. If you rent DVC and get a one-bedroom it'll be a bit better, since the sleeping areas are separated into the bedroom and a pull-out sofa in the living room.
 
Re: renting DVC, I would get an idea of what kind of rooms and which resorts you're interested in and then head to the WDW resorts board to ask DVC owners how fast the rooms you want are likely to sell out (that is, assuming no one jumps in here). DVC owners can book 11 months out at their home resort, and the cheapest rooms go fast. You may be able to book OKW or SSR later, though--when I was looking for a studio at 9 months out they were still available at those resorts, but the "standard" (read: "cheapest") studios at more desirable DVC resorts (AKL, Boardwalk, etc.) were all gone.

I'm a huge fan of staying on property (it's just so convenient!) so I'm torn saying this, but...I can kind of see @Shughart's point about looking into your options for doing the whole trip off-site. If you're already going to deal with all the off-site business anyway (renting a car, etc.) and if you've got a family of five you've got to squeeze in somewhere...well, the rooms on-site aren't terribly big, even at the moderate and deluxe levels. If you rent DVC and get a one-bedroom it'll be a bit better, since the sleeping areas are separated into the bedroom and a pull-out sofa in the living room.
Thanks for your thoughts. It is a hard decision because of FP booking windows, but if I can get 2 weeks at a timeshare without having to pay anything extra I think that is the route we will go. If we aren't paying for a hotel we will have extra funds to splurge for some fun dining or even an extra hour event. And I like the idea of having a home base for 2 weeks and not having to move hotels. If we did stay onsite we would do that first and not rent a car until the second week.
 
I feel a little silly because I somehow forgot about the difference in FP+ booking windows. I don't think there's a wrong answer here, especially since as you say the savings could be put toward other things that would enhance your trip. Either way has its benefits.
 

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