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Written by Kelly Collins

My family has wonderful memories of taking trips with our extended family and it’s made for some fun-filled multi-generational experiences. We live a good distance from our families so we’ve combined our vacations with family get-togethers. We’ve met at the Walt Disney World Resort several times and have also taken a Disney cruise with my parents. My parents and in-laws have been thrilled to watch their grandchildren’s eyes light up at the sight of Mickey Mouse. They’ve competed against my kids on Toy Story Mania. They’ve been able to hear screams and laughter on Space Mountain. They’ve held my children through the parades and fireworks. I’ve been able to see our parents’ joy in watching their grandchildren have the time of their lives.

While going on a multigenerational trip can be enjoyable, it is also different from planning a trip with just your own family. There are several things to consider when you start to think about taking a vacation with your extended family. Before planning our trips, we always think about timing. Walt Disney World Resort has so many different events throughout the year and you can satisfy everyone in your group. As much as I hate to say it, my father isn’t a huge Disney fan. He doesn’t really enjoy amusement parks at all but he likes a Disney vacation because of the events. He is a big wine connoisseur, so the Epcot Food & Wine Festival is always a great time for us to go. He also really appreciates the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival because he is a Master Gardener. On one of our trips, we celebrated my mom’s birthday on our first day in the parks and my daughter’s birthday on our last day. It was really special. So consider what might appeal to your particular family members when deciding on the best time to visit the Walt Disney World Resort.

Another thing to think about is where you’ll stay. We’ve gone with a large group of relatives including my parents, my siblings and their families. We’ve stayed on Disney’s property and we’ve stayed off-site as well. There are benefits to both. Obviously, it’s less expensive to stay off Disney property but the convenience of being on-site is a big pull for us. On one trip we reserved six rooms at the Port Orleans-Riverside and they were able to get us rooms next to each other but that may not always be the case. On a more recent trip, we got connecting rooms with my in-laws at the Boardwalk Inn. It was really nice to let the kids go back and forth between the rooms. My brother-in-law and his family stayed at the Port Orleans-French Quarter on the same trip. So you don’t always have to stay at the same resort. Find the best fit for your family when it comes to accommodations.

Planning your schedule is another big part of organizing a multi-generational trip. Keep in mind that you have people of different ages with varying schedules and it influences how you’ll want to tour the parks. Something we usually do is schedule a few things together like table service meals and then allow for some flexibility so if some want to go back to the resort for a nap or a swim, they have that freedom. We’ve met up for breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table and gone to the Polynesian Luau as a group. One benefit that we’ve experienced with going with my parents and in-laws is that they’ve watched our children so that we could get away for dinner. On one trip we went California Grill with my husband’s brother and his wife. They had never been so we introduced them to a great dining experience, which included watching the fireworks over Cinderella Castle and we even saw a proposal take place. My husband and I really like to fit a lot into our Disney vacations so we realize that we need to slow down and not plan as much when our parents are with us. Take some time to enjoy the pool or go shopping. Discussing what’s important for each family member before you go is a good idea. Maybe have everyone decide on one thing that they’d really like to do. Walt Disney World Resort is so vast that it’s impossible to do everything that you want on one trip. Talking about a plan before you go can help alleviate stress and keep expectations realistic.

Something else to consider when preparing for a trip with different generations is their mobility and physical limitations. My father and father-in-law both have issues with walking long distances so we’ve rented Electric Conveyance Vehicles (ECVs), which are motorized seated scooters. They can be rented at the Theme Parks and Downtown Disney. They are daily rentals and they must be returned to same place where they were picked up. The problem that we encountered with my dad when renting from Disney is that he still had a hard time walking to the buses after we’d dropped off the ECVs. On our last trip together, we rented ECVs from an outside company and they delivered them to our hotel. It was really convenient. The bus wait can sometimes be longer, especially when there are multiple people with ECVs waiting to board. One reason we stayed at the Boardwalk Inn on our last trip with my in-laws was so that we could walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios if we wanted to. Thinking about the varying ages in your group and planning ahead can help your vacation be less stressful.

The memories that we’ve made with my parents and in-laws while vacationing are priceless. Hopefully, my children will treasure the time that they’ve been able to spend with their grandparents. I know that I will always cherish those special moments.

Kelly is a former Floridian who now resides in New Hampshire with her amazing husband, creative daughter and three busy sons. They have many happy memories of Walt Disney World Resort.

Written by Kelly Collins

As the busy mom of four children, I’ve been lucky to be able to spend time with some of my best friends and rejuvenate my spirit. Over the years, I’ve joined some of my high school friends and my sisters for girls’ weekends. The fact that I live in New Hampshire and can get away to sunny Florida during the frigid winter is a real bonus. Historically, we’ve met at the beach and enjoyed walking, laughing and eating delectable food. There are usually some yummy beverages involved as well.

In 2012, my friend Charlene and I discussed participating in a runDisney 5K instead of meeting at the beach. We certainly knew that we could get in better shape, but the fact that we could run through a part of Walt Disney World Resort made it even more enticing. Charlene and I have spent a great deal of time with our husbands and then our children at Walt Disney World Resort through the years.

Several of us started the Couch-to-5K program to prepare for the 2013 Disney Royal Family 5K. We’d update one another through texts and tried to motivate each other. It was great to have a support system. Although I don’t really consider myself a runner, I did my best and improved my time. I was motivated because I was going to be attending my first 5K and I wanted to be ready.

A group of us met at Walt Disney World Resort in February 2013 to attend the 5K and have our girls’ weekend. Although it wasn’t my best time, I completed my first 5K!

Having had such a good experience in 2013, we decided to sign up for the 2014 Cinderella Royal Family 5K. I was able to convince my mom to come with me this time. I told her how impressed I was with the variation in ages the previous year. Although she wasn’t a runner, she was taking walks in her neighborhood almost daily. She was concerned about the being able to maintain the 16-minute per mile pace that runDisney recommends. I tried to reassure her that I didn’t think it would be a problem as she really walked at a decent pace. It’s just an opinion, but based on what I saw, I think that runDisney allows more time for the 5K than the half marathon or the 10K.

In February, I traveled to meet my mom where she lives North Florida and we drove down to Orlando together. We met Charlene and my sister at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. When we arrived, they greeted us with a glass of sparkling wine and cupcakes to start the festivities. Let girls’ weekend begin!

When we entered the Expo area, there was a wall with all of the participants of the events for the weekend. This was really a nice touch. It was fun to find our names amongst the sea of runners. We headed to pick up our race numbers, packets and shirts. This was really easy and there was no wait. After that, we explored the exhibitors’ booths where there was a plethora of running accessories. I was so impressed at how many women seemed to have businesses centered on running. I bought my mom some bling for her running shoes and a shirt for myself that said, “are my kids still chasing me?” There was so much to see and we could certainly have spent more time and money but decided to head to our resort.

Disney’s Old Key West Resort was perfect for our group. Charlene is a DVC member and had reserved a Grand Villa. Two more of my high school friends and a mutual friend joined us at the villa to get the party going. We decided to cook pasta and eat in so we could relax. We knew we would have to be up early so we didn’t stay up very late but were able to enjoy each other’s company for a little while.

That 4:30 a.m. wake-up call came very quickly. We were all up with our tiaras on and ready at the bus stop at about 5:00 a.m. If you’re interested in attending a runDisney event, I really recommend staying on property, as the traffic going into the race area gets very congested. We just hopped on the bus and bypassed the cars trying to get into Epcot’s parking lot.

A really fun thing about runDisney races is the costumes that you see. People are so creative and it always makes me wish that I were able to sew. As we were waiting for the race to start, we had lots of time to admire the various portrayals of characters. Loud music blared and that really pumped us up, which was necessary since it was so early.

We were in the last corral. Although I could have put myself in an earlier corral based on my time, the point of this experience wasn’t to beat my own record. It was to be present in this adventure with people that I cared about. I stayed in back with my mom, my friend who’s had two hip surgeries and our mutual friend. It wasn’t about making it to the finish line in record time; it was about starting the journey in the first place. We enjoyed chatting (and dancing) our way around Epcot’s World Showcase. There are stops along the way where you can have photos taken with different characters but the lines tend to be long, especially if you are in a later corral. We just really enjoyed ourselves. It was more fun than work.

The four of us ran across that finish line together arm-in-arm. No, we weren’t the fastest or even close to the front. Maybe we didn’t go a huge distance compared to many that weekend. From someone on the outside looking in, it may not have seemed like much. But, for us, it was an accomplishment. I was beside a grandmother of 15 grandchildren who was afraid she’d be swept from the race, a woman who’s body had betrayed her far too young, and a woman who’d just completed her first 5K. They were all winners to me!

After finishing, we met up to head back to Old Key West Resort. There was only a short wait for the bus. We showered and drove to Downtown Disney for a celebratory lunch. Going to Bongos is a tradition of ours so we went there and had some great food, beverages, and lots of laughs. For some, the weekend might continue with other races. For us, we were done with racing and just had fabulous, quality time together. This included a spa day, some retail therapy, and more delicious cuisine. We even made it out to Jellyrolls on Saturday night where we sang along to some silly songs and laughed… a lot.

We came together that weekend, united in love and friendship. We left feeling refreshed. We’d like to do this again sometime in the future. Unfortunately, the 2015 Disney Princess 5K sold out very quickly this year so we weren’t able to register for the upcoming race. 2015 may not be the year, but my personal goal is to participate in a 10K at some point. My mom has also had major health issues in the last two months so I look forward to eventually walking across another runDisney finish line with her. I’m hoping that this dream becomes a reality and am thankful that runDisney can give me the opportunity to make a wish come true. One thing is certain; we will continue to have fun together!

Kelly is a former Floridian who now lives in New Hampshire with her amazing husband, creative daughter and three busy sons. They have many happy memories of Walt Disney World Resort.

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Tag: Kelly Collins

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