Mexican actress and host Jacqueline (Jacky) Bracamontes recently vacationed at Walt Disney World Resort with her husband, Martin Fuentes, and their five daughters: Jacqueline, Carolina, Renata and twins Emilia and Paula, ages six, five, three and one, respectively. The family visited Magic Kingdom Park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs.
Although the age difference between their five princesas is small, planning a vacation to our magical kingdom can have its challenges.
“We have five children all wanting to go to different attractions and do different things. The oldest one wants to go to [The Twilight Zone] Tower of Terror [at Disney’s Hollywood Studios], but the other ones can’t,” Jacky said. “Where we go to eat is another thing that we need to think about. One of our solutions is that we, the parents, decide and the girls adapt to our decisions. We balance their likes and needs. When one of them falls asleep, then we go to the attractions that the oldest ones can go to. Then, we go to the ones that all in the family can do.”
If you are traveling with a big family or with kids of different ages like Jacky and Martin, here are additional tips to help you plan your vacation at Walt Disney World Resort:
- Take advantage of Rider Switch. This allows one adult to experience the attraction with the older children, while the second adult waits with the younger children. After the first half of the family has experienced the attraction, the adults switch without having to wait in line a second time.
- Divide and conquer! While the younger children ride attractions suitable for them such as Dumbo The Flying Elephant at Magic Kingdom Park or watch shows like “Finding Nemo – The Musical” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the older children can drop into Splash Mountain or board Expedition Everest with another member of their family
- Stay inside the magic! There are a lot of benefits that our familias get when they stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. One of them is the convenience of going to a theme park in the morning and then going to your room to take a nap via resort transportation. Another benefit is the Extra Magic Hours. You can enjoy time in the theme parks before they open to regular guests or stay after hours. Both are a great way to maximize your stay with the little and not so little ones.
- Plan FastPass+ selections for the entire family! FastPass+ allows your family to save time in the lines while they experience the attractions and entertainment of their choice. FastPass+ selections can be made as early as 30 days in advance with the purchase of a ticket or Annual Pass, or up to 60 days prior to check-in at a Disney Resort hotel, Disney Springs Area Hotels or select nearby hotels.
What other tips do you have? Share them with us!