Disney World is magical. It is also expensive.
And when you are traveling with a big family, those Disney expenses can multiply quickly. Six park tickets. Six meals. Six snacks. Six drinks. Six sets of Lightning Lane decisions. Six people who may or may not agree on what they want to do next. 😂
As a family of six, we have learned that the key to doing Disney World with a big family isn’t necessarily spending more. It is having a strategy.
We love Disney World, and we have visited multiple times as a family. Over the years, we’ve figured out a few ways to save money, save time, and—perhaps most importantly—keep everyone happy throughout a long Disney park day.
You don’t have to do every single thing at Disney to have an amazing trip. In fact, I think some of our best Disney days have come from having a loose plan, knowing where our money is best spent, and giving everyone opportunities to rest and recharge.
Here are some of my favorite Disney World tips for big families.
1. Consider Renting DVC Points for a Larger On-Property Villa
One of my favorite options for larger families is renting Disney Vacation Club points.
We have used the DVC Rental Store to stay in Disney Vacation Club accommodations for significantly less than what you might pay for a comparable Disney resort room booked directly through Disney.
This can be especially helpful for families of five or six because DVC properties offer accommodations that are designed for larger groups.
Instead of squeezing everyone into a traditional hotel room, you can find villas with separate bedrooms, living spaces, multiple bathrooms, and—depending on the size of the villa—a full kitchen.
And that kitchen can be a huge money saver.
Having a full kitchen means you can bring in groceries and prepare breakfast, snacks, sandwiches, or even some meals yourselves.
Think about the cost of feeding six people for breakfast every morning. Even something as simple as having cereal, fruit, yogurt, or breakfast sandwiches in your villa can save a surprising amount over the course of a week.
And you’re still getting the benefit of staying on Disney property.
For our family, this is one of those areas where I am happy to be “bougie where it matters and budget where it doesn’t.”
If the choice is between spending more on a standard room just because it’s Disney or getting a larger villa with more space and a kitchen, I know which one I’m choosing.
2. Don’t Assume the Disney Dining Plan Will Save You Money
The Disney Dining Plan can sound like a great deal, especially when you’re feeding a large family.
But don’t automatically assume that buying the dining plan means you’re saving money.
Do the math first.
Think about how your family actually eats.
Are you big breakfast eaters? Do your kids snack constantly? Do you prefer table-service restaurants? Would you normally purchase the same number of meals included with the plan?
For our family, there was only one time when we chose to use the Disney Dining Plan, and it was because two of our children were young enough to qualify for the free dining promotion.
That changed the math for us.
We also got strategic about how we used the quick-service meals.
Rather than thinking of each meal credit as belonging to one specific person, we looked at how we could stretch the food across our family.
With six people, portions can often be shared, and we were able to use our quick-service meals strategically to stretch the dining plan across additional meals and days.
That’s an important distinction:
A dining plan isn’t automatically a money-saving strategy. It is only a good deal if the numbers work for your family.
Before purchasing one, price out what you would realistically spend on food without it.
3. Bring a Backpack Full of Snacks
This one is simple, but it can save a LOT of money with four kids.
We bring a backpack filled with snacks into the parks.
Think:
- Granola bars
- Crackers
- Fruit snacks
- Pretzels
- Goldfish
- Protein bars
- Applesauce pouches
- Small bags of chips
- Water bottles
Disney allows guests to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverages into the parks, with some restrictions.
The snacks aren’t necessarily meant to replace every Disney treat. We still absolutely buy Mickey-shaped snacks and other fun things!
But if everyone gets hungry while you’re standing in a 45-minute queue, you don’t have to immediately spend $40 on snacks for six people.
It also helps with the inevitable:
“Mom, I’m HUNGRY.”
You know the one.
Having snacks readily available can keep kids happy while you wait for rides, travel between parks, or decide where you’re eating next.
4. Use the Play Disney Parks App While You’re Waiting in Line
Long queues are one of the hardest parts of Disney World with kids.
Even kids who are excited to ride the attraction can eventually reach their limit when they’ve been standing in line for an hour.
This is where the Play Disney Parks app can be really helpful.
The app includes interactive experiences and games that are designed to work with different areas and attractions around Disney parks.
Instead of four kids asking, “How much longer?” every three minutes, they can play games together and interact with the Disney environment around them.
It’s one of those little things that can make a surprisingly big difference.
And because you’re already waiting in line, you’re not giving up valuable park time to do it.
5. Use Mobile Ordering Whenever You Can
If you are going to eat at a quick-service restaurant, use Mobile Food & Beverage Ordering through the My Disney Experience app.
This is one of my biggest Disney time-saving tips.
You don’t want to spend 20–30 minutes of your park day standing in a food line with six hungry people.
Instead, place your order ahead of time.
One of our favorite strategies is to order food before getting on a ride.
For example:
You’re getting ready to get in line for an attraction.
You know you’re going to be hungry afterward.
Place your mobile food order while you’re waiting.
Then, when you get off the ride, head straight to the restaurant, tap that you’re ready for your order, and pick up your food.
You just turned the time you would have spent waiting in a food line into time you spent enjoying an attraction.
With a large family, those little time savings really add up.
6. Rope Drop a Popular Attraction
Here’s another way that a little strategy can potentially save a lot of money.
If there is a particularly popular attraction that your family really wants to experience, consider using Early Theme Park Entry and rope drop to get there early.
For Disney Resort guests, Early Theme Park Entry allows eligible guests to enter the parks before the official opening time.
That means you can use those first few minutes of the day to tackle one of your highest-priority attractions.
Why does this matter for a large family?
Because Lightning Lane purchases can add up quickly when you’re buying them for six people.
If you can experience one of your family’s must-do attractions early in the morning without purchasing a Lightning Lane for everyone, that can potentially save a significant amount of money.
We don’t necessarily try to rope drop everything.
Instead, I would identify one or two attractions that are worth getting there early for and build your morning around those.
7. If You’re Buying Lightning Lane, Have a Strategy
If you decide that Lightning Lane is worth the cost for your family, don’t just purchase things randomly.
Have a strategy.
Before your trip, make a list of the attractions your family cares about most.
Then prioritize.
Ask yourselves:
- What rides are must-dos?
- Which attractions typically have the longest waits?
- Which rides are we willing to skip if we can’t get them?
- Which attractions can we experience during Early Entry or at another lower-wait time?
- Which rides are worth using Lightning Lane for?
This is especially important with a large family because you’re multiplying the cost of Lightning Lane across everyone.
If you are going to spend the money, make sure you’re spending it on the attractions that matter most to your family.
And remember: your Disney vacation doesn’t have to look like someone else’s.
You don’t have to ride every attraction.
You don’t have to maximize every minute.
You don’t have to purchase every add-on.
8. Schedule One Table-Service Meal During Your Park Day
This is one of my favorite tips for keeping a big family happy.
Build a real break into your park day.
Disney World days can be exhausting. You’re walking miles, standing in lines, carrying bags, dealing with Florida heat, and trying to keep everyone’s energy up.
Eventually, somebody is going to melt down.
And it might not be one of the kids. 😉
We like to schedule a table-service meal in the early afternoon.
Not right at noon when everyone else is trying to eat.
Instead, we aim for after the lunch rush but before the dinner rush.
For us, this meal serves multiple purposes:
- We get out of the heat.
- Everyone gets to sit down.
- We can hydrate.
- We can eat a substantial meal.
- The kids get a chance to reset.
- We get a break from walking.
- Everyone comes out with more energy for the second half of the day.
Think of it less as “taking time away from the parks” and more as recharging so you can enjoy the parks longer.
With a big family, I think this can be a game changer.
9. Don’t Try to Do Everything in One Day
This might be the hardest Disney advice for parents.
You don’t have to do everything.
There will always be another attraction.
Another character.
Another snack.
Another restaurant.
Another show.
Another Disney vacation.
Especially when you’re traveling with four kids, trying to squeeze every possible experience into one day can leave everyone exhausted and frustrated.
Instead, choose your priorities.
Maybe your kids have three rides they absolutely want to do.
Maybe you want to eat at one particular restaurant.
Maybe your family loves meeting characters.
Maybe your priority is simply being together and enjoying the atmosphere.
Build your day around those things.
Everything else is a bonus.
10. Let Your Kids Have Some Ownership Over the Day
One of the best ways we’ve found to keep everyone happy is to let our kids have some say in what we do.
With four kids, everyone isn’t going to want to ride the same thing all the time.
And that’s okay.
Give each child an opportunity to choose something.
Maybe one child gets to pick the first ride.
Another gets to choose the snack.
Another gets to choose where you eat.
Another gets to pick what you do before leaving the park.
It gives kids a sense of ownership over the trip and helps prevent the feeling that they’re simply being dragged from attraction to attraction.
Our Biggest Disney World Tip for Large Families
After visiting Disney World multiple times as a family of six, our biggest lesson is this:
Don’t confuse spending more money with having a better Disney vacation.
Sometimes the best Disney strategies are the ones that cost less.
Renting DVC points can give you more space and a kitchen.
Cooking some meals can reduce your food costs.
Bringing snacks keeps everyone fueled without constant snack purchases.
Mobile ordering saves precious park time.
Rope dropping a popular attraction can potentially save you from buying a Lightning Lane.
And scheduling a table-service meal can keep everyone from completely burning out.
The goal isn’t to squeeze every possible attraction, meal, and experience into your vacation.
The goal is to create a Disney trip that your family actually enjoys.
Because at the end of the day, the thing I want most isn’t a perfect Disney itinerary.
It’s the memories.
The pictures.
The inside jokes.
The kids talking about their favorite ride for months afterward.
And hopefully, everyone leaving the park tired—but still happy.
More Disney World Tips Coming Soon
We have learned so much from traveling to Disney World with our family of six, and I have plenty more tips to share.
I’ll be sharing more Disney-focused posts covering things like how we plan our park days, our favorite Disney resorts, how we use points and miles to reduce the cost of Disney trips, our favorite Disney restaurants, and the strategies we’ve learned from visiting Disney multiple times as a family.
So if you’re planning a Disney World vacation with a large family, stick around.
I’ve got plenty more Disney magic—and money-saving strategies—to share.
