I have less than a month to go until my WDW vacation. After much discussion with my family about who is going (mom, dad, sister, her kids, in-laws) it turns out it is just going to be my husband and our kids. I have never been to Disney with kids so this should be interesting. My kids are 3 and 2 year old twins. I think the biggest issue is going to be getting through the airport with all of our stuff. We are staying off-site so I need to have my kids car seats, plus I would prefer for them to have a safer seat on the plane. Plus, at $20.00 a bag I want to try to fit as much in carry-on for free. Here is our itinerary:
November 26th- Fly to FL. Got a good deal on airfare for $45.00 each way. Then we are going to check into the hotel at the airport, since we aren’t getting in until late.
November 27th- Get our rental car and check into our house. We got a good deal on a vacation home and rental car. $850.00 for a three bedroom home and a mini-van.
November 28th- No real plans. This day is up to my husband. Maybe one of the parks.
November 29th- Magic Kingdom. We have an ADR for the Crystal Palacefor lunch. I think the kids will enjoy the characters.
November 30th- Epcot. We have an ADR for the Princess Storybook Breakfast. This should be cute. My oldest loves princesses.
December 1st- Hollywood Studios. I haven’t figured out if we are going to do Fantasmic yet, my kids might be a little scared. Also, haven’t decided if I want to do the Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom
December 2nd- No real plans. I have an appointment for my oldest to get her hair done at the boutique and I scheduled dinner arrangements at T-Rex in downtownDisney, but that’s from when my nephews were coming. Do you think it would be a place little girls would enjoy? Any other suggestions?
December 3rd- Animal Kingdom. We also have an ADR for Chef Mickey’s but not until 9:00 pm. Depending on how much we see the characters or if my kids are even into the characters, we might cancel this one.
December 4th- Run back to any place we might want to see again early in the morning, then check out and head back home.
As you can tell, I am not a big planner. My husband hates to have his days scheduled, so the meals were pretty much all I could do. You HAVE to book them in advance so I had no choice :o)
Do you have any tips or suggestions for traveling with little ones?
Wow, JJ - less than a month! You must be very excited! :) I think you did a great thing by getting some ADRs even though you were probably hesitant since your DH does not like to have his day planned out. My DH was the same way and was extremely grateful when we had ADRs set up for our first trip ;)
I am in awe of the deal that you got on airfare - I'm from NJ too and we always pay quite a bit to fly to WDW. Since we've been going during Easter week the last few years, make that QUITE a bit! LOL Good for you!!
Concerning Fantasmic - it's a great show with lots of different special effects including fireworks and fire on the lake (that will be quenched, so don't worry! LOL) - so be aware if your children are fearful of these types of things. I was also concerned about the villains b/c a portion of the show has a heavy emphasis on them. My girls were 5 and 2-1/2 when they first saw Fantasmic. We had watched the Disney planning video and my oldest just HAD to see it LOL I talked to both of them and 'warned' them that Mickey was going to have to deal with the bad guys but he's always the winner b/c he's so good. And I talked a LOT about what I like to call "Mickey Magic" throughout the whole trip - anything that might have been a bit scary or overwhelming or dark or loud, I reminded them that it was all Mickey Magic and he would never scare us or hurt us :) This worked for my youngest during Fantasmic and the Haunted Mansion too :D
I'm assuming you're bringing your own strollers? That will definitely help navigating through the airport (and to/fro parks and parking lot areas).
Don't pack those bags too much - they'll be too heavy to tote around. There's 4 of us and while I like how that allows us to bring an "extra" carry-on (one for each of them), I know that they really can't carry the big stuff (even though they're 11 and almost 9 now) and yours probably won't be able to carry anything at all. So think ahead. Does your vacation home have a washer/dryer? If so, pack lightly; you can wash and re-use outfits and save room for souven-ears instead.
Before you get to the parks, look ahead on AllEars or in a Disney guide book (you can even borrow one from your local library if you don't want to purchase one) to see which attractions might be best suited for your family. Some have height restrictions but you will find that the majority of rides/attractions at Disney parks are family friendly and suitable for most ages/heights. Here's AllEars page for height restrictions: http://allears.net/tp/rr.htm . Having an idea of what you really want to see/do before you get to the park, cuts down on wasted "what should we do now?" time spent in the park :D
I'm a big fan of getting to the parks early for park opening. Most people like to sleep in on their vacations so by getting there early, you can beat the crowds. So by the time you start noticing long lines and throngs of people in your way, you'll probably be ready for lunch or a break and will have seen/done so much already.
Mid-day breaks are important for us and were especially so when the girls were younger. We stay onsite so it's easy for us to hop on a bus and head back to the resort for a swim/snack/nap. As you'll have your own transportation with us, you can still do this too. We still like to do this and then head out for dinner and more fun in the evening.
However, just as many people do not like to stop mid-day and like to go for as long as they can without a break. Even with older kids, we have really not been able to do this - we just really look forward to that little down time. If you decide to go for it, I would just advise that with 3 little ones follow their cues. If they're not happy, do not push them even if you didn't get to see/do that one thing you really wanted to. The melt down that will follow is soo not worth it (trust me LOL).
You can still find ways to have a break and refresh yourselves without leaving the parks - just stopping and enjoying a Mickey ice cream bar on a park bench can be just the thing. My youngest gets super cranky when she's hungry so stopping for a quick snack anywhere really refreshes the whole group and keeps us happy. Having lunch and taking your time eating (maybe giving the little ones an opportunity to nap in their strollers?) can be nice. Stopping to catch the entertainment that seems to just pop up throughout the parks is fun too.
There are also places for your little ones to just play and work off any energy they may have. To name a few, in MK: Pooh's Playful Spot (right opposite the Pooh ride in Fantasyland); Toontown Park in Toontown near Mickey's house; Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland. At the Animal Kingdom, the Boneyard in Dinoland. In Hollywood Studios - Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. In Epcot, ImageWorks after the Journey into Imagination with Figment attraction in the Imagination Pavillion at Future World.
I'm sure you'll get some more great tips from some of our other board members :)
Val, Co-CL Disney Vacations º0º
WDW Trips: April 72, June 85, June 91 - offsite; May 03 - VWL, Nov 04 - BCV, May 05 - VWL, March 06 - VWL, Nov 06 - VWL, Easter 07 - BCV, Easter 08 - Saratoga, Jan 09 - VWL, Easter 09 - AKLV, Easter 10 - AKL/BCV
Oooohhhhh, you must be getting so excited to go!!!! We've travelled to DW twice now with my daughter who was 18 months on our last trip. I think the best thing to do in WDW is follow your kids cues for what they want to make the trip as enjoyable as possible.
For us, the playgrounds in the parks (Winnie the Pooh's Thoughtful Spot and Donald's Boat at MK / The Boneyard at AK / Honey I Shrunk the Kids set at HS / and the fountains and Viking boat in Epcot) were saviors for us!!!!!! She adored the freedom I gave her there and I'm sure your LO's would too. If they get sick of the stroller and lines find one of the spots for a refresher. Be sure to bring a change of clothes or swimsuit if you plan to let them splash around (I know it will be cooler when you're there so maybe you won't want them getting wet at all) but if you decide prepare for kids who are soaking wet (I even brought water shoes into the parks each day because I'm paranoid about wet shoes or bare feet causing problems.
Most days Gabriella napped in her stroller in the parks (or on a booth at lunchtime) but we still returned to the hotel to swim everyday. This is really important to my DH and Gabriella loved that time too!!! I don't think we would have made it through the evenings without a break.
As far as Fantasmic goes ... I didn't do it this year and not because of the fear factor. There is a very long line to wait in to get into Fantasmic and then you have to wait 30-60 minutes in the theatre for the show to begin and I just know Gabriella couldn't have handled that kind of waiting. At a year and a half she's just not capable of that.
I am not sure what airport you fly out of, but if Southwest has flights out of it try to book you airfare the day they announce their flights. I did this for our trip to Disney & was able to get RT airfare for 5 for $596 from BWI to MCO. I called SW & found out when they were releasing their flights. The guy gave me the day & said keep checking, so I did. It paid off. Just a thought. Plus SW does not charge for checked bags.
Have you checked to see if your rental car comes with GPS? If not, you may want to print some driving directions before leaving off Mapquest.com. If you're staying close to Disney property, you should be able to find your way around (signs are posted everywhere), but if your vacation villa is a way out, I recommend having a few maps and directions handy, including one for the Celebration hospital. I sincerely hope you don't have to go there while on vacation but it's always best to be prepared just in case. I HIGHLY recommend doing Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! If you only visit the MK for the party, you'll save yourself quite a bit of money and won't have a lot of crowds to contend with. Party tickets are typically half the cost of regular day admission. And party guests are allowed into the park around 4/4:30pm - even though the party doesn't officially begin until 7pm. It is a ton of fun - we go every year!
T-Rex at Downtown Disney is a lot of fun for both girls and boys. Just be forewarned that it is extremely loud. Don't try to carry on too many conversations at this location without having to yell across the table. The food is also surprisingly pricey, however, you get a lot of it and it is very good. I ordered the quesadilla appetizer on our last visit and I could have shared it with my husband. So it's definitely a location where you can share meals. 9:00pm is pretty late for dinner, especially for your little ones who may be ready for bed by then. Animal Kingdom closes earlier than other parks, so an early dinner (if you can lock in an ADR) elsewhere may be best for you and your family. I recommend Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney's Wilderness Lodge. They have fantastic food, but the best part is the entertainment. Your servers kind of put on a show throughout your meal, so it's a lot of fun for everyone. If characters are a must, try booking an earlier dinner at 1900 Park Fare at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. They serve up a huge variety of American food and typically, these characters show up at this location: Cinderella and Prince Charming - and other Cinderella characters.
As for traveling with little ones, I recommend the following:
1. Pack each day's clothes (including undies) into large gallon-sized zip lock bags. Write the day of the week on the bag with a sharpie marker. You'll make extra room in your suitcases, it will save you time each day getting the kids dressed, and it will be fun for them too.
2. To save money and get your children excited for the vacation, have a project day where you help them make their own Disney autograph books! Stop by Michael's or a nearby craft store, pick up a blank journal or book, Disney stickers of their favorite characters, glue, embellishments, etc... They'll have a blast making them, and they will be completely custom - no one else will have a book like theirs!
3. Purchase these items before leaving home: Batteries, sun block, Film, Rain Ponchos, and a first-aid kit, including a thermometer. Purchase rain ponchos, regardless of the weather conditions. They are great to throw on during a water ride so everyone is dry and comfy when you get off the attraction. They also work great in keeping your personal items dry should you visit Sea World, etc...
4. To save possible extra luggage fees, and to save you some stress once you are on vacation, send some items to your villa (if possible) ahead of time. Call the owner or owner company and see if you can send a box or two of items before you leave. Pack it with whatever you like - anything to save you from carrying extra bags on your travel day. Just be prepared to ship it back at the end of your vacation.
5. Pack zip lock bags.... several. Fill one with quarters for Florida's toll roads. Save the others to fill with wet socks or small items at the parks. And if the weather is warm or hot, grab a few wash cloths from your villa, get them damp, and seal them in a zip lock bag. Take them into the parks with you to cool down. They also work great to wipe down ice cream faces in a jiffy. :)
6. Your children will most likely need a pick-me-up snack by mid morning to early afternoon. Pack a few boxes of non-perishable snacks into your checked luggage (like Nutra Grain Bars, granola bars, dried fruit, etc...). Then take them with you into the parks.
Let me know if you have any questions - and have a wonderful family vacation!!! Disney Vacation Planning Made Easy! www.easybreezyplanning.com "Have you found your laughing place?"
