Another disney question... princesses, small budget, large family

[momto10blessings]

We won week long accommodations in orlando through a raffle. This trip will be in addition to our annual beach trip so we don't have a lot of money to spend. The boys in our family will be visiting lego land on their homeschool day. The girls want to go to the magic kingdom for the whole princess experince.

So, what can us girlies do at MK for free or dirt cheap? Admission for 1 day is really more than we have in our budget, but I want to do this before I blink and my girls are too old for this! They'll be ages 8,6,2,1.

What are must sees for little princesses?

What day of the week is best (m-f)? Least crowded days would be best for us. We'll be there mid-may.

 

 

Also, any tips for free/cheap things to do in orlando with a large family?

Thank you!

Edited February 7, 2016 by momto10blessings

[zoobie]

Look at easywdw for crowd calendars and decide. Usually Mondays are the worst. I believe they have a section on planning too. You can meet the princesses in the park. They are in different lines. Elsa and Anna's is the longest. You'll want to go there first. There are two others next door, usually Aurora, Cinderella, or Rapunzel. Ariel and Belle and Merida have their own locations around the park. Get there before it opens. They usually let people in before 9am, but even if not, get there and get through security. Look at maps online to familiarize yourself so you're not wasting time trying to navigate.

[zoobie]

Sweet Tomatoes restaurant with coupons (Google) is one of the cheapest places to eat around town. It's a salad/soup/potato bar. It's not great but not bad, especially for the price, and there are vegetables. Also soft serv to balance those out. 😉

[Kristie in Florida]

Dressing up like and meeting your favorite princess. I don't recommend the Bippiti Boppiti Boutique because it is so expensive. A dress from Walmart or whatever is fine. You don't need a special autograph book either, I don't remember how much they cost. But getting your favorite princess to sign their autograph is so cool. My daughter was starstruck and then when she could finally speak again she didn't shush about it for months.

 

You will be in lines for a long time so go knowing that you might not be able to do everything that you want. But it is pretty, there is lots to see. And definitely don't go on a Monday.

[Pink and Green Mom]

Is it possible to cancel your beach trip this year and opt for an Orlando vacation instead?  Could you take the money you would have spent on the beach vacation and use that for one day MK tickets for your family (those under 3 do not need tickets)?  You can drive from Orlando to the east coach beaches in a little over an hour, so you could do a day trip there once or even twice so you could still get some beach time in.  Add in a few lounge around the pool days (most accommodations have pools), and there is your week.

[Sdel]

Unfortunately you can take all day waiting in lines at MK to meet and greet princesses and miss rides, which with kids of that age, rides will take forever when you go through twice (ride swap).  Try to Fast Pass Anna and Elsa.  They are going to be in Epcot come May/June.  It is unclear if they are moving them from Magic Kingdom to Norway or adding them in addition to Magic Kingdom. 

 

If they are in Epcot by the time you go, it may be more economical to do Akershus princess meal (5 princesses) plus A&E right next door. 

 

Stefanie

[theelfqueen]

Consider going to a princess character meal at one of the resorts (hotels not in the parks) ... The one at Grand Floridian is fun. The kids get more time and more personal time with the characters and don't have to wait in line or use your fast passes for characters plus you don't need a park ticket to visit resorts, so you could do it a different day. Also the electric water pageant and the fireworks can be watched from the Polynesian without paying to enter the parks. Same for hitting the chip and dale campfire at Ft Wilderness campground ... Cheap and unique character experience.

[Dmmetler]

Check into a princess tea. You used to be able to do one at one of the hotels, so could do that without actually having park tickets, and if you want to meet princesses, that's a pretty good way to do it. It's expensive, but may end up costing less and be less frustrated with very young kids.

 

We got a small Disney notebook at Michael's for $1, and it worked fine for an autograph book. Do pick something at least the 5x8 or so size if you're going to meet non-princess characters, because they need more room to sign while wearing those padded gloves. Sharpies are good for character autographs (although glitter pens are nice for princesses, who actually can hold them). If you go to Epcot, the people in the different countries will write something in their native language in your book, too. I agree that if you can get the dining hall, Epcot is often better for princesses than MK. You can also pre-buy a set of pins on EBay for Pin trading.

 

For Legoland, take some Minifigs to trade with the "Model Citizens". I took a baseplate from the minifig single packs,and glued a pin on the back, so DD can just wear the minifig she's trading, like the employees do.

 

I don't think you're planning to go to Sea World, but for future reference, if kids do the conservation stations, the employees have trading cards of the Sea World species to give out, which is neat.

[AthenaRose]

Will it just be you and your four girls? If so, you might run into a logistical nightmare with getting you all on rides because Disney requires all kids under 7 to ride with someone over the age of 14. That's not an issue on all rides, but it's something worth taking into consideration.

[momto10blessings]

Is it possible to cancel your beach trip this year and opt for an Orlando vacation instead? Could you take the money you would have spent on the beach vacation and use that for one day MK tickets for your family (those under 3 do not need tickets)? You can drive from Orlando to the east coach beaches in a little over an hour, so you could do a day trip there once or even twice so you could still get some beach time in. Add in a few lounge around the pool days (most accommodations have pools), and there is your week.

No one wants to cancel the beach trip!

My boys aren't the slightest bit interested in going to Disney world. We go to several amusement parks each summer and all my older kids remember about our disney trip several years ago was that it was packed. The boys only asked to go to Lego land and I'm fine with that.

[momto10blessings]

Will it just be you and your four girls? If so, you might run into a logistical nightmare with getting you all on rides because Disney requires all kids under 7 to ride with someone over the age of 14. That's not an issue on all rides, but it's something worth taking into consideration.

Hmmm... I can always leave the 2 younger girls at the resort with my husband. But I will definitely have 2 girls by myself. My husband isn't interested in going. He would if I asked, but he's not a fan.

[momto10blessings]

Ugh. The more I research, the more I'm convinced that going to MK isn't worth the time or money.

[umsami]

If you're a member of another science museum, the Orlando Science Museum is excellent.  My younger kids especially love the orange picking activity in the basement.

 

I would do Disney with your older girls. 

 

You can go to the farmer's market in Winter Park on Saturday a.m.  It's a relatively easy walk to Rollins College if you'd like your kids to see a small liberal arts college, with a beautiful campus.  (Mr. Rogers went there. :))  Winter Park also has "Castle Park" which is this gigantic wooden castle play thing.

 

Definitely bring minifigures to trade at Legoland.  Also, wear bathing suits underneath clothes so you can enjoy the water park.

 

It will probably be a little warm, but you could check out Blue Springs Park for the manatees.

 

We have four kids and I don't find Sweet Tomatoes all that cheap, but my kids like it.  We do better at Cici's (pizza/pasta bar), Gator's on kids night or even sharing pizza at Mellow Mushroom.

[Murmer]

1900 Park Faire is at the Grand Floridian Resort, its a buffet but you meet Cinderella, the prince, the stepsisters and the stepmother...parking at the Grand Floridian Resort is free if you have a dining reservation.  It would probably cost you about 100 dollars for everyone to eat but that is the same cost as 1 person at MK.  Another option is to go to Epcot where they have Mulan, Belle, Aurora, Snow White, and Elsa and Anna are headed that way...its like 6 dollars cheaper per person to do a one day at Epcot.  If you want to see all the princesses (and spend the money) the sit down dining in Norway has all the classic princesses including Ariel.  So that could be a cheaper way to see princesses than MK.

[hellen]

If you're a member of another science museum, the Orlando Science Museum is excellent. My younger kids especially love the orange picking activity in the basement.

 

My kids love the orange picking thing too. It's a good science museum and worth a visit.

[zoobie]

Ugh. The more I research, the more I'm convinced that going to MK isn't worth the time or money.

I love Disney and go frequently. One day, alone with two babies in tow and two older kids not yet independent sounds pretty miserable to me. I'd take the two older ones and go on a day where we could be there before open to past closing. :)

[Starr]

In your situation I would take the older girls to one of the princess meals mentioned above. They will be delighted and it won't be stressful.

[Mom2Five]

Hi, I have not read the other posts so I'm sorry if this is repetitive. We are a family of 7 and we do Disney very, very cheap :). Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are always the best days to go. You can check out their black out days for the weekday select pass (even if you are not a FL resident). If the day is blacked out chances are that you do not want to go, because it will be crowded! Make sure you check the park hours for the days that you want to go, because they all vary by the day. Sometimes Magic Kingdom will close early.

Feel free to bring your own food, drinks and snacks. The bag checkers always laugh at us. We cannot afford to eat at Disney! We usually bring a whole cooler into the park. We sometimes leave around dinner time between parks and get a cheap pizza or fast food.

The Orlando hotels that we love for our budget are Celebration Suites (full kitchen, sleeps 6-8, $49 a night), Seralago, and Bahama Bay (great for longer stays but they do require a deposit and cleaning fee when you leave). I just saw that you won accomadations, but maybe that will help someone else out.

We buy souvenirs at Target :).

I would definitely make time for the parade. If you are able to do one or more parks, then do the character spot at epcot and knock out all the characters. You will probably want to do the princess hall at magic kingdom for the princess autographs.

 

I wanted to add that my kids ages are 9,8,6,2 and 1. I usually go with my dh...but you know how that is ;). It is def possible. We always walk to the park from the parking lot. Do Not take the tram. Oh, my. I was so cranky by the time that we folded up the double stroller, loaded everyone on and got up to the gate and then unloaded everyone, packed up the stroller again....shoot me. People look at me like I am crazy for walking and I look at them like they are crazy to take the tram. Lol. There is a baby station at all parks. I always make sure I go when we pass by it so I don't have to stop for changes. They also have free complimentary meds at first aid. Unfortunately nothing that good, but I did have to get Benadryl and Tylenol on the last trip. The rides would be totally doable as long as your older children are good riding by themselves. You could sit with the 2 and 1 year old. The only time it might be a problem is on the rides like Thunder Mountain etc where you couldn't take the younger two. If your main focus is on seeing the princesses though, it wouldn't be big deal to skip those rides.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Mom2Five

[Sdel]

1900 Park Faire is at the Grand Floridian Resort, its a buffet but you meet Cinderella, the prince, the stepsisters and the stepmother...parking at the Grand Floridian Resort is free if you have a dining reservation.  It would probably cost you about 100 dollars for everyone to eat but that is the same cost as 1 person at MK.  Another option is to go to Epcot where they have Mulan, Belle, Aurora, Snow White, and Elsa and Anna are headed that way...its like 6 dollars cheaper per person to do a one day at Epcot.  If you want to see all the princesses (and spend the money) the sit down dining in Norway has all the classic princesses including Ariel.  So that could be a cheaper way to see princesses than MK.

 

Park Faire is Alice in Wonderland themed for breakfast and lunch.  You have to do dinner to get Cinderella.

 

 

Stefanie

[Excelsior! Academy]

Ridemax!!! We've used it for multiple dl trips, once was on Christmas day. We never waited in a line longer than 15 minutes. It is fairly inexpensive and worth every penny!!!

 

 

 

https://ridemax.com/

Edited February 8, 2016 by Excelsior! Academy

[Ali in OR]

My in-laws live in Orlando. When we visited in 2008, we did spend a day in the MK, but we also went to Downtown Disney after church on Sunday. There is no fee to enter downtown disney, and frankly my girls were just as happy posing with the statues of Cinderella and Aurora outside the Disney store as they would have been meeting people dressed up as Cinderella and Aurora. There is also a Lego store with cool lego creations out front--not sure if those change periodically, but I remember a large Lego family with a dog and the dog had a hidden Mickey if you looked closely. We liked the Ghirardelli shop and you could split a Sundae or two as a special treat. If your kids don't beg you to buy everything they see you can have a good time for not too much money just at Downtown Disney.

[aggieamy]

Ugh. The more I research, the more I'm convinced that going to MK isn't worth the time or money.

 

DH and I went with our then 9 yo DD a few years ago.  It was the most miserable experience of our lives.  (And we travel a ton!)  We both left feeling like Mickey Mouse picked our pocket.  It was hot.  The lines were really long.  The rides were pretty mediocre.  It was so expensive.  The food was insane.  Souvenirs were ridiculous.  If you don't have your meals pre-booked you might not be able to find a place to eat.  That was horrible.  We were hungry and couldn't find a restaurant because they all required reservations and were completely booked up.  We still look back on it and shudder.  I could turn to DH right now and say "Remember when we almost starved to death at Disney" and he would know exactly what I meant.  We even went at a time when it wasn't too busy. 

 

*sigh*

 

We went as budget as we could and still spent as much as would have to fly our family of four out to London for the same amount of time.

 

If it were me and I had to do it again because I had a Princess loving kid then I would do Downtown Disney for free and book a meal at a restaurant to meet the princesses. 

[HomeAgain]

I would highly suggest checking out the Mouse For Less, Your First Visit, and Mousesavers sites.  The last has a list of free things to do in and around the parks. http://www.mousesavers.com/disney-freebies/

 

FWIW, I do think the princess thing is highly overblown at Disney.  That said, if you do go, pack lunches and snacks.  Eat at Be Your Guest for dessert in the early afternoon - not cheap, but a nice way to see the Beast's castle.  Turn the tables at the MK for them and make it less about the consumer experience, but the giving experience.  Kids get just as much of a kick out of it and don't leave feeling unsatisfied.  We pick up small Mickey stickers, glow sticks, etc. and while waiting in line pass them to the fussy kids.  We carry thank you cards for the staff that we write on who they were and what they did that was so outstanding.  Working at the parks is often a stressful job.  Bring water.  It will be your biggest expense.  We take Camelbaks to avoid having to carry cups around all day.

Our children do not really collect souvenirs.  Our rules for them are they have to be available only there, and remind you of the trip.  They may end up with a pin or two of their favorite rides/experiences plus a small toy (the youngest got his Mickey doll on his first trip).  We set a dollar amount  once they're old enough and give it to them in Disney Dollars (another nice souvenir if they don't spend it all).

I'd really suggest skipping the meet the princess lines.  Up close they're a bit disappointing, and it's a long, long time to wait.  Do the parades, do the castles, let them dress up.

[DawnM]

You definitely need to do your homework before you go.  Those who just show up and expect it to be like their local theme park will be disappointed.  You need to get magic bands and buy them well in advance to get the fast passes or the more popular fast passes will be gone.

 

If you want to eat at several sit down restaurants, you will need reservations well in advance as well.

 

Going for one day is way too expensive IMO.  We wouldn't feel we really could "afford" it unless we got at least a 4 day pass.

 

FWIW:  The last time we went, Be Our Guest was open to fast pass reservations only.  The time before that, they let us in.  So, if you really want BOG, you need to get a fast pass on your magic bands with it.

 

Disney used to be easier, but the visitors has gone up exponentially in the past 10 years, and they have to find ways to keep it manageable.

 

Honestly, I would opt to do a character meal and do Downtown Disney in your situation.

 

And do you know about Homeschool Days at Legoland?

 

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-cash-101/2009/05/05/how-to-get-back-2500-in-tuition-money

 

You do need 2 day in advance reservations, so note that, but we have done it before and it is so much cheaper than the other parks.   Go when it opens and leave when it closes and you will be able to get everything in.

 

Dawn

Edited February 8, 2016 by DawnM

[DawnM]

Ok, so aside from the $10 Legoland passes listed in my previous post ($25 per adult), here are a couple of other free/low cost things to do in Orlando:

 

Wycliffe Bible Translators has free tours, but they also have a low cost workshop:

 

https://www.wycliffe.org/discoverycenter/events-and-programs.html#section2

 

Seaworld has homeschool Days:

 

https://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-sandiego/educational-programs/home-school

 

I will post more as I find them.

 

I did find this website.  Not all are in Orlando and not all are year round, some have very specific HS dates, but it might be worth taking a look and seeing if anything will work for you:

 

 

https://sites.google.com/site/titus2homeschoolers/homeschool-days-and-field-trip-ideas

 

 

 

[FriedClams]

Totally second Sweet Tomatoes. e always eat there when we can. Cheap, good, can be healthy.

 

Honestly, I would not take the two younger kids if at all possible. 6 & 8 - they'll love it. Totally worth the cost. The other two won't remember and it'll add stress and cost.