Now is the time to bring the whole family out to Walt Disney World.

With restrictions easing up and the parks revitalizing, it’s a great time to gather with all of your family members for an amazing time.

Of course, any trip that has multiple age groups can have it’s advantages and disadvantages – knowing how to plan the trip so everyone enjoys it is key! Here are some of our top tips for a successful, multi-generational Disney trip!

Book your next magical family adventure through our friends at Get Away Today! They are truly the Disney experts and can make planning your trip a breeze for both Disneyland and Disney World. You can browse their website or call 1-855-GET-AWAY. Make sure you tell them Magical Family Travel Guide sent you or use the code MFTG for $10 off a Southern California

Plan Together

It’s a big mistake to let one person take the reins on such a big trip. There is too much to do and too many ways to do it. Leaving family in the dark, even with the best intentions can have disastrous results. I

t creates unfair expectations and too much uncertainty about how plans will turn out. The more you can get others in the family involved on plans the better you can set your goals and increase the chance of a successful Disney vacation.

Divide the trip into different sections – lodging, meals, transportation, park planning, etc. Get everyone’s input on what they’d like to be involved in and divvy up the tasks from there!

It might be a good idea to send out a survey to everyone beforehand to start with planning. A few things to include:

• Budget for the trip
• Meal expectations (eat out for every meal? Bring food into the park?)
• MUST-DO activities/rides
• Special accomodations/situations
• Ages of everyone going

When you first start planning, it can be a good idea to give everyone a general overview of how much an average Disney trip costs. You don’t want someone thinking it will only cost a couple hundred bucks, only to realize at the end they are expected to pay a lot more!

Time Apart

Although most of the appeal of a multigenerational family vacation to Disney World is how much time you will all spend together, you’ll need time apart. Trust us on this one.

Some members will want to split off for a while and do other things when no consensus is reached. That needs to be okay and there needs to be a plan for it. That goes for teens who want to explore and grandparents who want a rest. It’s also a good opportunity for grandparents to watch the kids so mom and dad can have a date night.

A good time to split up can be mealtimes. It can be hard to get reservations for a large group of people, so you might want to split into smaller groups for meal time.

Setting expectations upfront can help prevent hurt feelings and misunderstandings. You also shouldn’t just expect grandparents to want to be the babysitters. They want to enjoy the trip, too, so make sure everyone makes their wants and wishes known upfront.

It can be smart to have a designated person in charge of each group, too. If you have small children, each child NEEDS to have someone specifically designated to keeping an eye out on them!

Connect Reservations

If your reservations are not the same, you will need to connect them through your Disney accounts. This is really important, as it allows you to make sure you have the same park reservations, meal reservations, FastPass reservations, etc.

It can be a little tricky to do this. If you book through Get Away Today, I highly recommend using their FREE Concierge service to help with this! We had issues with this with our upcoming trip, and they were so helpful!

Make an Itinerary

Having a schedule for your trip can really be helpful so everyone knows what times they need to be places, when fast passes are scheduled, when you plan to watch the fireworks, etc.

Of course, you need to be flexible and allow for changes. But having a general idea of how the trip will go can make life a lot easier for everyone!

Rent DVC Points

When you get the whole family together you will need special accommodations. You can get standard adjoining rooms. However, a Disney villa will suit you better. You don’t have to be a member of Disney Vacation Club to get a good price on vacation villas. You can rent points from members. It’s totally above board and it gets you a good deal. It also helps out members who want to recoup some of their membership costs when they are unable to use their points.

Choosing the right resort may have as much to do with the cost of the points you rent as location. Consider cheaper accommodations if it will allow you to stay an extra night or two. Otherwise, base your decision on convenience. Stay close to a transportation hub like The Beach Club or Riviera resorts for Skyliners to EPCOT and Disney Hollywood Studios. For Magic Kingdom, consider staying at Bay Lake Tower, Polynesian Village, or the Fort Wilderness cabins.

You could also consider renting an AirBnb for the trip or staying at another nearby lodge. Get Away Today is a great place to book your trip and find the best deals on lodging on and off site.

We do think that staying on site can be really beneficial, especially when traveling with a large group of people!

Train for the Trip

With a range of ages and fitness levels, you should plan your multigenerational family vacation with caution. Don’t over plan the vacation. Take kids out to walk so they can prepare for what it will be like walking around in the parks all stay. Adults should try and up their physical activity as well.

Everyone should build their endurance levels and try to find their limits before the trip. It will help you to plan better and pace your trip appropriately.

Book your next magical family adventure through our friends at Get Away Today! They are truly the Disney experts and can make planning your trip a breeze for both Disneyland and Disney World. You can browse their website or call 1-855-GET-AWAY. Make sure you tell them Magical Family Travel Guide sent you or use the code MFTG for $10 off a Southern California

More Posts You Might Enjoy:

• First Time in Disney World: 5 Mistakes To Avoid Making
• The Best Age for Disneyland: The Ultimate Guide to Help You Decide
• Five Walt Disney World Secrets You Might Not Know

The post Multigenerational Family Vacation to Disney – Tips for Success! appeared first on Magical Family Travel Guide.

When Forrest and I were still dating, I was invited to go to a nearby resort called Snowbird with his aunt and uncle’s family. Even though his aunt and uncle are super nice, and I had met them a few times previous to that, I was super nervous! One of the main things I remember about that trip is that Forrest wouldn’t kiss or hug me in front of anyone. I was convinced he didn’t like me (and if you talked to me at all during our relationship, I was always convinced he was on the verge of breaking up with me. He wasn’t. I know. I was crazy.) It was still a fun trip though, and I have fond memories of it!

The next year, Forrest and I were married, and we were invited up again for a few days. I had found out I was pregnant a week or so before, no one knew, and my morning (aka, all day) sickness was already rearing it’s ugly head. As such, I mainly just wanted to lay in our room and do nothing. Of course, because no one knew I was pregnant, I had to put on my best face (hard for me to do – I don’t hide my emotions well). Still, it ended up being fun. We played shuffle board, ate ate a yummy restaurant, and enjoyed the lovely mountains of Utah.

The next few years, we were not in Utah during the summer and weren’t able to come. However, this year, we were invited up again. We had a great time, minus that I got altitude sickness (I blame anemia.) Fortunately, about a month and half later, we were invited to come review the Snowbird Resort, and it was probably our best trip yet!

Having gone in late September and the middle of July, I have to say, I prefer September! It was a little cooler, and the leaves were starting to turn colors. Jack is getting old enough to really enjoy different activities, and we had a great time as a family. Since we’ve gone to Snowbird Ski Resort several times (ironically, never to ski), I feel like we’ve gotten to know it pretty well, and I”m really excited to share this little guide to Snowbird for anyone who’s going there. It’s really a great place for a staycation if you are here in Utah!

Snowbird Lodging

Until our most recent visit, we stayed at the Iron Blosam Lodge. It’s a timeshare lodge, and I’m not entirely sure about the details on how to rent one of the rooms/condos there from a current timeshare holder. With that said, we always have enjoyed our stay there. There are many different room sizes, and all the ones we’ve been in have had a full kitchen, pull out beds, and balconies. The only downside is that there doesn’t seem to be air conditioning! They have an outdoor pool, an indoor (adult only) spa and hot tub, plenty of board games to rent, a pool room, shuffle board, tennis courts, and access to everything that Snowbird has to offer.

Now, in September, we had a bit different of an experience. We were given a two night stay in the Cliff Lodge, which is, I believe, the nicest place to stay in Snowbird.

While it wasn’t the fanciest place we’ve ever stayed,the rooms were cozy, the employees were friendly and helpful, and it was a pretty fun place to be. I’ll admit, it was a bit confusing to navigate at times (it took us about 20 minutes to find our room!), but once we figured out the layout, it was a great place to stay.

Our room had two queen beds, a mini fridge, and a nice bathroom. Something we thought was kind of funny was that there was a huge window from the shower to the bed area (with a curtain you could pull across.) We didn’t get the point of it! However, the beds were very comfortable, we had a great view, and there were plenty of channels on the television.

The Cliff Lodge had a lot of different accommodations for both those staying at the Lodge, and people who were just visiting Snowbird. There were plenty of dining options (more on that in the next section), two pools (though one was closed while we were there), exercise facilities, and the Cliff Spa. I was able to spend a bit of time in the Cliff Spa, and it sure was relaxing. It does cost a bit of money (I believe it was $15 a day or so, and some features cost more), but it was a nice place to go at night just to relax for a bit. Guests at the Cliff Lodge can also take part in daily exercise classes  for free (typically something like yoga or pilates.) I was really sad I didn’t have a chance to do any of these.

Snowbird Dining

So, here’s the thing. There are lots of dining options at Snowbird — fast casual, fancy restaurants, and everything in between. Unfortunately, all of it is rather pricey. There aren’t any fast food places you can go(unless you want to drive back down the canyon, which, if your car has issues getting up to Snowbird, isn’t really an option). We brought food for our breakfasts and lunch while we were there, which, personally, I think is a good idea if you need to save that money.

With that said, we did splurge and go out to dinner both nights we were up there (not part of the resort review — we paid for them both ourselves.) Since we were there during Oktoberfest, we felt it was our duty to buy a brat as well, which was good. Even if the food was more than we typically like to pay when we eat out, everything we had was delicious, and the service was great as well.

The first restaurant we went to was El Chanate:

This restaurant is located in the Cliff Lodge, and I really enjoyed everything about this restaurant. Even though it was a Friday evening, we were seated immediately. Our first glasses of water had no ice, which was a kind of weird, but I didn’t really care, because we were sitting on the patio. Who could be upset about no ice when you are looking at this?

Our waiter brought out some delicious chips and salsa, which Jack was very excited about. I’m kind of picky about chips and salsa, and I felt like what they offered was great. It had a bit of spice to it, but it wasn’t so bad that I felt like my mouth was on fire. The chips were lightly salted and fresh — you could tell they didn’t just pour them out of a bowl.

The menu had tons of different options (which is great, but bad for an indecisive person like me!) Fortunately, Forrest and I looked at the menu beforehand and knew that we were going to order the Asada Burrito.

The burrito was delicious — one thing I don’t usually love about burritos at restaurants is that they typically use thick tortillas, and the inside is filled with cheese and greasiness. Not this one. While we had the option to “smother” it, we decided not too, and it was a healthy, delicious burrito. The tortilla was thin, and all the ingredients were fresh and cooked perfectly. It even had peas in it! It came with a side of refried beans and rice, and it was more than enough for Forrest and I to share.

They did offer a kid’s menu (at about $10 per meal), but since Jack couldn’t have the drink that came with it, we just asked if we could order a small taco on the side. I think it was about $4. Jack wasn’t really that excited about dinner that night though. However, it was a good taco — it actually felt like they put effort into making it (which can’t always be said when we get tacos from restaurants.) I thought the chicken in it was cooked very well.

Overall, we really enjoyed El Chanate. In fact, I liked it so much, I wanted to go back the next night (even though we didn’t.) There was a lot of wild life out there though, so if you don’t like squirrels running around you, then I might opt to sit inside. This furry friend was at the table next to us:

The next evening, we decided to go to the Aerie, which was also in the Cliff Lodge.

This was definitely a fine dining place. It overlooked all of Snowbird, which was beautiful, and it was on the 10th floor (I believe) of the Aerie. We were once again sat down immediately at a table that was really close to the window, which was pretty cool. There was a beautiful view.

Our waiter came out right away to make some recommendations on meals. We had previously decided what we wanted to get, so that process was pretty simple. While we waited for meals, we were given a little mini appetizer (I’m sure there’s some fancy name…but I don’t know what would be). I can’t even remember what it was, but it was basically just a little piece of meat. We were also given two different kinds of rolls, which I loved. I was absolutely starving at that point, so I probably ate way too many. But they were worth it.

Forrest and I shared chicken and bacon sandwich with french fries. I appreciated that they split the meal into two plates, and it was very filling for both of us.

The chicken was very juicy, and it was topped with a scallion aioli, lettuce, tomato, and onions, all on top of a brioche bun. I loveee brioche, so that was a fun surprise. The french fries were delicious as well. They were thick and had a lot of flavor. There wasn’t one that was too soggy or too crunchy — they were all really cooked perfectly.

We let Jack choose what he wanted for dinner, and he decided on spaghetti (his current favorite.) I was impressed with the quantity of food he was given, and I felt like the meatballs were seasoned really well. He doesn’t really complain about his food, and he did seem to enjoy it. I was a little annoyed that they forgot to bring out the carrot and celery, and his dessert, but that’s okay!

The Aerie was definitely a tasty, high quality restaurant. We felt like the service was really good, and our food was tasty as well. Plus, they always kept our water glasses full! I did feel like our table was really close to the people next to us, but that was just a minor issue. It really didn’t affect much.

While these were the only places we ate at during our trip, I’m confident that most restaurants are good at Snowbird. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed anywhere you go!

Oh, and if you need some snacks, the vending machine in the Snowbird Center is great!

What to Do In Snowbird

Snowbird has a lot of activities — both paid and free. Obviously, since it’s in the mountain, there are a lot of great little hikes. We always enjoy a little hike that goes to a little deck, where you can overlook the area. It’s really a lovely, peaceful place to be.

If you want to get the most bang for your buck, getting an all day activity pass is probably the way to go. It’s a little bit expensive, but it’s cheaper than buying a couple different activities. The activities pass included (unlimited) rides on the Alpine Slide, the Alpine Coaster, the Peruvian Chairlift, the Tram, climbing wall, bounce house, and a bunch of other things.

Jack really loved the alpine slide. He thought it was probably the coolest thing ever. Forrest really enjoyed going on the bungee jumping-esque “ride.” It made me a little bit nervous, but he seemed to think it was a lot of fun!

I think if there’s one thing you have to do while you are at Snowbird, it’s to ride either the Peruvian Ski Lift, or the Aerial Tram. You really get to see a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains, and it’s so peaceful.

We went on the Tram during our July visit, but we decided to try out the Peruvian chair lift this time. While I was really nervous about taking Jack on it, he did a great job. It was a bit chilly on the ride down, since the wind was blowing toward us, so I would definitely be a jacket. However, the cold air was worth it for these views:

We really enjoy going to Snowbird. It’s an excellent family vacation location. I will say, that if your car doesn’t have a lot of power, it may have issues getting up there. We had to pull over several times because our car was overheating. But, that’s obviously not Snowbird’s fault…just something to keep in mind! Whether you are going for a little staycation, or coming from out of town, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

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