My two DD's grew up going to Disney World. It truly is a magical place. We had a timeshare and it made mornings very easy having the kitchen.

Before the timeshare, we stayed at the Polynesian. Any of the onsite resorts are great. Depends on the theme you are looking for.

I have heard the cruises are fun and when we were boarding our cruise last month out of NYC, we saw a ship with Mickey's ears so I am assuming they go out of NY which is a plus for those who are within driving distance.

There are so many options that it would be difficult to advise without knowing your budget. Just know that there is something for all budgets.

I would not rule out booking a timeshare type facility. You can get two apartments. The facility themselves have nice amenities. There is always a shuttle right outside the door to get you to Disney.

You are smart to start planning now for Christmas as Disney books up quickly.

We have not been for years and the way things are done is completely different. Wristbands get you into your room and also if you want to purchase anything in the park.

My hair stylist just treated her whole extended family to a Disney trip. She used a Disney planner who talked her through all the options and booked almost everything ahead. Her group also included young to old. She booked certain things for the teens that others would not be interested in. She said there was no way she could have coordinated twelve people without the help of the Disney planner.

If your kids are girls, something my DD"s didn't do but is popular is the Bippity Boppity Boo makeover.

Thank you so much eld. We have thought of a planner and I am sure that would be the best way to go, especially since we have no experience. Also, a timeshare type facility sounds great. One of our adults started the conversation with the cruise Idea but I think the girls would enjoy Disney World more but not sure. Hoping more would chime in but your thoughts have helped start the process.

Disney World without question. It will still be magical for them at thier ages.

I've done the Disney Cruise and it is fun with kids, but it will be more fun in a couple of years when they are old enough to say; " go swim, meet me back here in 2 (or 8) hours."

I would bite the bullet and stay within the resort. All of the Disney hotels are excellent and you can find different price points. The one in Wild Kingdom is great if you like to wake up to giraffes outside your window.

I haven't been on the cruise, but if you go to DW, stay at one of their resorts and buy the pass where you go in and out as many times as you want. We got their meal plan last time and it wasn't worth it for us, since we don't usually eat 3 meals a day. Do book your meals at the sit down restaurants. We really enjoyed the Crystal Palace and the tavern (can't think of the name). We have been just the two of us right after DW opened. With our two boys twice. Just us for our 25th. With oldest son and wife and their 3 kids (3,5, and 7 at the time) We stayed at an off site motel once and did not enjoy it as much.

We have been mostly in the summer, but the last time we went in October, All are good. If you stay in the on site resorts, there are early openings for resort guests. If you go in summer, go early to a resort, come out and go to the pools or one of there water parks, and then go back at night.

The luau at the Polynesian was great (we went the time when it was just us, no kids).

Disney Word, absolutely! Our kids loved our trips there and still talk about them. Staying at one of the Disney Resorts gets you into a DW park an hour earlier, with free shuttles back and forth. We planned our days there around who was open to us early each day. We've stayed at the Polynesian Village, Animal Kingdom and their Contemporary Resort. One helpful hint: there is an updated annual users guide book to DW that you can buy online (try Amazon). It gives you great helpful hints as to what to do and when at each park to avoid the longest lines, etc. We carried ours with us and used it extensively.

I just looked quick on Amazon at the guide books and there are a few. Any recommendations for one of those and I would definitely purchase one.

Just remember that Christmas is VERY busy at DW - they have to close the park in mid-morning almost every day. That means tens of thousands of people EVERYWHERE.

Think about giving the trip as a Christmas gift, but going in a slower season. I'm sure a little internet research will tell you when the slower times are.

Donna

We were thinking about that Donna and your idea of it being a gift and going at another time is great. We are in the midwest where last night is was 28 below and although that set a record we have a long winter so going somewhere warm sometime in the winter would be great. We also need to work around school and busy work schedules for some. We are just beginning to plan but all of this helps for sure. Sorry but we have soooooooo many questions. What would be an adequate time to stay - 3 days or longer? Want to make it worthwhile. Also, if anyone has a ball park figure for 8 people say staying in a hotel on site for 3 days or so that would be great. I know it is hard to give exact and we do not necessarily have a tight budget but just curious. We will also be flying down so that will need to be factored in later.

I just ordered the Guide Book that bergenia27 suggested so thank you and also to LynnNM for suggesting a guide book. I knew you guys would be helpful. I have pretty much already decided to skip the cruise for this time, so am going to concentrate on plans for Disney World.

I would plan a minimum of 3 days to enjoy the Parks. Magic Kingdom and Epcot are musts. MAgic Kingdom can easily fill 2 days. Animal Kingdom is not a must if you have access to a good zoo. You also just might want to enjoy a pool day, the resorts really are wonderful.

The link below will help figuring out some of the costs...prices do change, so just use this link for estimating.

Disney

Having done both (multiple times), I vote cruise:

- On the cruise you'll find plenty of activities for family members of all ages.

- The older family members can choose to be as active /as relaxed as they choose.

- Christmas is not the time to go to Disney World. The crowds are unbearable. On the other hand, if you meant "sometime around Christmas" to include the early weeks of December or mid-January ... Disney World is much more empty, and you'll be able to partake in the rides, etc.

- Of course, the cruise will be a premium price over Christmas. If you could cruise at the above-mentioned slow times, you'd pay much less.

We have not done a Disney Cruise, but did many visits to Disney World when the children were younger and right up to college. We stayed inside the park and sometimes outside, depending on if we were going to another place. We all really enjoyed those vacations and still talk about them! I think you should talk to a travel agent if you have never been before. Happy planning.

The last time we went we stayed nine nights and had a 10 day pass to the parks.

I feel like a semi-expert on DW, lol. Of course I went as a child several times, but have taken MANY trips there in the past 10 years, mostly bc of sporting events my kids were in at Disney’s Wide World of Sports venues. Anyway...for the type of trip you are doing, all first timers and multi-generational...definitely stay on site. Not only is it more “magical” for the children (lots of “hidden mickeys” in the rooms and resort properties,) but so much easier logistically! An older person can just take a quick monorail or boat ride back to the hotel to rest if the others are still going strong. There definitely is a big difference between the highest and lowest priced Disney resorts! I’ve stayed at the Grand Floridian, the Contemporary, and the Caribbean Beach resort. The Grand Floridian was by far the nicest. We stayed there when my parents took us & the kids (the kids first time.) It was magical, really, for them. Dd was 4 and truly felt like a princess staying there, lol. The Contemporary was nice, too, but not quite as nice as GF. Both, plus the Polynesian, are on the monorail which means no buses to monorail station...you go straight to park. Caribbean was fine, I guess...I stayed there for cheer competitions a couple of years. Rooms were not that great, but the tropical setting was pretty. You had to take Disney shuttles to monorail station, but the buses are frequent & if you don’t really care if your room is small they are less expensive.

I have not done a Disney Cruise, but a friend has done both. She said the cruise was great...but NOT better than DW for young kids. She recommends it for families with slightly older kids who love Disney but want a different experience.

I second using a Disney travel agent. There are travel agents who specialize in just Disney 24/7. There are also websites completely devoted to Disney trips. Warning...they can be a bit frightening if you are new to Disney stuff...these people are really into Disney and use all sorts of abbreviations and lingo! I’d just let your agent handle all of your dining reservations (if you want meals with characters, which is a very big thing, you need to make these a precise # of months in advance.) Not worth the stress of doing yourself, agent can do it for free. I used Marvelous Mouse Travels which I think is nationwide. You literally can tell them your budget & when you want to go...and they can give you options, and explain all of the crazy details (like FastPasses, which still confuse me but are essential!) Good luck & have a blast! When we went that first trip when the kids were little it was right after New Years. The GF still had some decor up and oh my, it looked so gorgeous! Christmas really seems like a lovely time to be there!

I do not see how the two are even comparable. DW is all about the rides. We had a multi-day multi-park pass and loved the other parks too. Animal Kingdom, A water park, Epcot. I can see how a cruise would have all the Disney Magic--but that is about it. We did not stay in the park. We rented a condo in Kissimmee. Having the kitchen was fabulous. Our funds sound MUCH more limited than any of the posters here. We went mid-October. It is worth taking kids out of school to avoid the crowds. It was enough of a bore waiting in the lines we did and I am pretty sure against Disney standards the parks were not BUSY.

Yes. you need to decide what is important to you for the ages going. For the ages you listed, I would vote for DW. As you can see, we have been as twenty somethings, parents with little kids, parents with teens, older adults, and grandparents. Each trip was different. The common thread was that we enjoyed the trips better when we went ahead and booked the resorts in Disney World. It was worth what extra, if any, for the perks and time savings.