When taking your family of 5 to Disney, there are special considerations that you need to know about before visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth. It can sometimes feel like the world of family travel was built for 4, but Disney does an excellent job of accommodating families of all sizes. Just a little preparation and you will be on your way to a magical family getaway.
Ticket Prices Vary By Age
If you are a family with 3 children or more, there is a good chance that you will have kids that fall into different ticket age ranges. These are important to know when pricing out your vacation and also when determining when to go. They are as follows:
- 10 and up : Adult tickets
- 3 – 9: Child tickets
- under 3: free!
Depending on the time of year and length of ticket, the price from adult to child can range from just a few dollars to over $20, but kids under 3 never need a ticket. Keep this in mind when setting trip dates, as going right before a third birthday can save you hundreds.
Transportation
The more people in your party, the more you will need to plan for transportation. If you are staying on site Disney transportation will get you most places, but if you are going off site or to a hard to get to resort you may need other options. Most ride sharing vehicles will not accommodate 5 guests, so you will need to have a plan ahead of time on how you will get around if you do not have a vehicle.
I find it great that there is so much free transportation to on site guests that will accommodate any party size. We have taken many trips where we only used Disney transportation. Many times the boats, busses, monorail, and gondolas are just as fun for kids as the rides in the parks.
Ride Configurations
While some rides will accommodate everyone in you family in one vehicle, many will not. There will be times when you will have to split up your group so you will want to think in advance how you will tackle this.
Disney’s policy on kids riding in their own ride vehicle is that they must be 7 or older to be in a seat without an adult. Depending on the particular ride vehicle you may be able to split up into groups of 3 and 2 on something like the Haunted Mansion, but on others they will limit 2 to a seat.
This means that if you 2 parents and have kids age 10, 6, and 5 for example- the 10 year old will have to ride alone (or sometimes with a stranger). This may not be a big deal to some kids, but others may not be comfortable so it is best to have these conversations before you get to the park so that everyone is on the same page.
Rider swap will also be available if one (or more) child is under the height limit for a particular ride. Just let the cast member know before you enter the line and they will allow one parent to wait with the child that will not be riding, and then they will be able to “swap” out after the first group completes their ride.
Hotel Accommodations
One of the first decisions you will need to make for your trip is if you will be staying on property in a Disney hotel, or off property.
Disney has a hard line on the amount of guests that can be accommodated in each hotel room. Only certain hotels and room categories will sleep five in “on site” Disney Resorts. The most affordable rooms that fit this need will fill up quickly, so check out your hotel options as soon as possible if you are interested in staying on property.
If you want to know my top picks check out My Top 5 Disney Hotels For Family of 5 2021.
Ready To Take Your Family of 5 to Disney?
Get ready for a magical time. What keeps us going back again and again is that Disney creates a magical experience for each member of our family. Regardless of age, there is always something to look forward to and something new to discover.
Happy Planning!
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