k. Special Circumstances

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Large Families    Tight Budgets    Travel Challenges    Military Families

OVERVIEW

This page summarizes Walt Disney World recommendations for four types of families with special circumstances:

• Large Families
• Families on a Tight Budget
• Families with Difficult Transportation Challenges, and
• Military Families.

For each family type, links are provided to additional pages with more detail and specifics.

Families with unique physical, health or other challenges should review PassPorter’s Open Mouse for Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line: Easy Access Vacations for Travelers with Extra Challenges.

LARGE FAMILIES

A large family is more than 5 for those who otherwise would stay at the Polynesian and most other deluxe resorts, or more than 4 for those who would be thinking Pop Century, other value resorts, or most moderates.

(Large Military Families: review the Military Families section.)

The problem with large families at Walt Disney World is that Disney will not guarantee connecting or adjoining, or nearby rooms.

Given that, see Large Families for answers to where large families should stay.

FAMILIES ON A TIGHT BUDGET

The key to making a tight budget work: don’t shorten your stay–stay in a less expensive hotel instead!

Families on a tight budget ideally should save for another year. If impossible, do the following four things, in order, until you reach a budget you can afford.

1. Consider driving—it is almost always cheaper than flying. TOTAL SAVINGS: ASSUME $500, until your own figures illuminate the potential more specifically.
2. Eliminate dinner at the Rainforest Café, and the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues. Replace them with meals at the counter service of your hotel, saving about $200. TOTAL SAVINGS SO FAR: $700
3. Eliminate Cirque du Soleil, saving about $325. TOTAL SAVINGS SO FAR: $1,025
4. Eliminate one day from your trip—ideally the last Saturday night–saving about $230-$360 in room, food and show costs.See Families with Difficult Transportation Challenges for instructions in how to modify your itinerary. TOTAL SAVINGS: $1,255 to $1,385, or 22-24% of a trip that started with a $1500 transportation budget.

See Families on a Tight Budget for more details

FAMILIES WITH DIFFICULT TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES

Some families will have difficulty arriving early Saturday afternoon, and/or departing Sunday afternoon. The best answer is to take a vacation a day or two longer to allow for the full recommended time on site, following the basic itinerary as is.

If you can’t take a longer vacation, you can skip the first Saturday night in Orlando (losing because of this your much-needed off day on Thursday), the second Saturday night in Orlando (losing your morning off that day, and depending on your travel plans, a few hours in the Magic Kingdom, plus the Gospel Brunch Sunday) or both.

If your plans allow you to skip only one night, skip the second Saturday night if you can arrange to depart Orlando in the late afternoon or evening, as the full off day on Thursday is much more valuable than what you will lose on the second Saturday and Sunday.

See Families with Difficult Transportation Challenges for details and changes to the basic itinerary from shortening your trip.

MILITARY FAMILIES

 
The general advice for first time visitors to Walt Disney World provided on this site applies equally to military families.

However, military families have access to deals and discounts that other families don’t, and also have access to Shades of Green.

See Military Families at Walt Disney World for links to details and advice about these options.

Last updated 2/10

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