DisneyKates
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 23, 2015
SO... By the time my son turns 5 (he's 2 in the picture on my avatar) he will have been to Disney 5 times. We are a little obsessed, but have found it is by far the BEST vacation option for our family. Everyone is entertained. Everyone relaxes. Everyone reconnects. It's just so.good. Here are the things I would encourage you to consider in no particular order - except the order that they came to my mind.
1) Expect AT LEAST one melt down per child per day. Disney is hot and overwhelming. If you assume this going in, allow the kids to have their "I can't take this right now" moment without stressing it you will have a better experience. Z always has one or two doozies of a meltdown each trip. We get down on his level, let him express his frustration, and when necessary leave the park. We also push water and snacks like crazy. He needs something to eat between each meal and to have a kids water bottle full with ice water at all times. (To this end I suggest packing a kids insulated water bottle and dish soap so you can clean it out each night. Kids=backwash. eww!)
2) When Z was really little (3 and under) we let him set the pace. In fact, in many ways we still do this. If he wanted to spend an hour in the dumbo play area when we had a FP for little mermaid we rescheduled the FP. It helped SO MUCH. Every park has a playground except HS these days. I would strongly encourage you to let the kids have time in the playground every day. Makes a HUGE difference because.....
3) Kiddos under 5 cannot walk the parks both because it can be a safety issue and because they will simply wear out. However, they need a ton of exercise. Such a strange reality! Strollers are mandatory - a seat for every tiny backside. EX: If you have 5 kids you need 2 double strollers and 1 single. Even my niece who is 7 will sometimes ride in a stroller if a seat is available. For any kiddo who naps they can absolutely nap in the strollers - works best if you pack a misting fan that you can use to help them stay cool while they sleep. I strongly encourage stroller rentals in most cases (we have brought our own stroller, but next time will rent a larger jogging stroller because Z is such a big dude these days). The stroller gives you a place to strap in a kiddo in meltdown, or keep tabs on your "Runner" if you've got a kid who likes to play "chase" in public locations. Side note - my sister teaches kindergarten and she often says if you are in Disney and you have a "runner" you must put a leash on that kiddo. The tiny backpacks are a godsend in this category. It looks strange but safety is paramount.
4) The ADRs depend on the Kid. We've done 2 a day before but we have to be totally prepared (most vacations I will only do 2 sit down dinners every other day). It helps if 1 of the 2 is a buffet because that doesn't delay eating - bonus points if there are characters to meet. We love to go out to eat which means that Z has had lots of practice at home. There are other kids I know who would struggle to handle 1 per day because they never go out to eat and thus don't really know the "rules" of dining out. This is particularly an issue for tiny people who really really need to move their bodies all.the.time. I would suggest packing toys, games, etc. that the kids haven't seen before to entertain them while they wait. We like to go to the Dollar Tree or something similar to pick up novelty items like little bubbles to blow while waiting for parades, books for coloring, little "guys" - my son loves the $4 playmobile or lego mystery packs - or toys from home you pull out of rotation to have set aside as a "new" things when you are in Disney. Other people use "tinkerbell gifts" that are left in the room each morning as the new thing for the kiddo to play with on that day of the trip.
5) Z hates fireworks (but LOVED the electric light parade). He really really wants to like fireworks but they are so loud and surprising that even at 4 he can't quite do it. On our last trip we really wanted to see Wishes (good thing since it was the last time!!! What?!?!) so we packed an Ipad and his headphones. He watched a movie while we watched the fireworks. However.....
6) We always respect the bedtime. On our first trip (mid-june - super hot - we didn't take breaks mid day and were fine) we made sure he was in bed at his normal bedtime at least every other night (the bedtime routine starts at 7:30 and Z is in bed lights out by 8pm). It was super hard to miss the evening activities, but we kept in mind that we will be able to go back to those when he is older. It was more important that he got all the sleep he needed because no one - not even the grownups - are their best selves when they don't sleep. What shocked me about this plan was that I got the best quality sleep of any vacation I'd taken in years that week. Between the walking and early to bed I came home happy and well rested. It.Was.AWESOME. Truly. We also chose a night mid trip where we headed back to the room at 3 or 4pm, took a dip in the pool, ordered a Pizza to the room, watched a movie and went to bed early. It was my favorite memory of the trip. I thought it would kill me to leave the parks (it kinda did although this was our waterpark day) but that night in the room made everyone so happy and relaxed. We all needed a break from the over-stimulation.
7) Think about who the kids are and plan around them. These things work for us, because they respect who Z is and who we are as a family. Some podcasters I like say "do less, enjoy more". For Disney with tiny people I agree wholeheartedly. If the parents are still getting up with the kids in the middle of the night (this was true for us on our first 2 trips) they will also need a slower pace.
I strongly encourage you to search "Disney with Toddlers" and read what you find. There are a couple of excellent posts with information, but I'm not clear on what I can post here so I'm not going to list links. I am also happy to talk with you over e-mail if you like. Just PM me and I'll send you my email list.
This will be such a great trip and the memories are going to be totally worth it. Don't panic if things don't go according to plan, instead focus on the moment when a child sees their first "hidden mickey" or becomes obsessed with some small Disney detail that you might've missed.
1) Expect AT LEAST one melt down per child per day. Disney is hot and overwhelming. If you assume this going in, allow the kids to have their "I can't take this right now" moment without stressing it you will have a better experience. Z always has one or two doozies of a meltdown each trip. We get down on his level, let him express his frustration, and when necessary leave the park. We also push water and snacks like crazy. He needs something to eat between each meal and to have a kids water bottle full with ice water at all times. (To this end I suggest packing a kids insulated water bottle and dish soap so you can clean it out each night. Kids=backwash. eww!)
2) When Z was really little (3 and under) we let him set the pace. In fact, in many ways we still do this. If he wanted to spend an hour in the dumbo play area when we had a FP for little mermaid we rescheduled the FP. It helped SO MUCH. Every park has a playground except HS these days. I would strongly encourage you to let the kids have time in the playground every day. Makes a HUGE difference because.....
3) Kiddos under 5 cannot walk the parks both because it can be a safety issue and because they will simply wear out. However, they need a ton of exercise. Such a strange reality! Strollers are mandatory - a seat for every tiny backside. EX: If you have 5 kids you need 2 double strollers and 1 single. Even my niece who is 7 will sometimes ride in a stroller if a seat is available. For any kiddo who naps they can absolutely nap in the strollers - works best if you pack a misting fan that you can use to help them stay cool while they sleep. I strongly encourage stroller rentals in most cases (we have brought our own stroller, but next time will rent a larger jogging stroller because Z is such a big dude these days). The stroller gives you a place to strap in a kiddo in meltdown, or keep tabs on your "Runner" if you've got a kid who likes to play "chase" in public locations. Side note - my sister teaches kindergarten and she often says if you are in Disney and you have a "runner" you must put a leash on that kiddo. The tiny backpacks are a godsend in this category. It looks strange but safety is paramount.
4) The ADRs depend on the Kid. We've done 2 a day before but we have to be totally prepared (most vacations I will only do 2 sit down dinners every other day). It helps if 1 of the 2 is a buffet because that doesn't delay eating - bonus points if there are characters to meet. We love to go out to eat which means that Z has had lots of practice at home. There are other kids I know who would struggle to handle 1 per day because they never go out to eat and thus don't really know the "rules" of dining out. This is particularly an issue for tiny people who really really need to move their bodies all.the.time. I would suggest packing toys, games, etc. that the kids haven't seen before to entertain them while they wait. We like to go to the Dollar Tree or something similar to pick up novelty items like little bubbles to blow while waiting for parades, books for coloring, little "guys" - my son loves the $4 playmobile or lego mystery packs - or toys from home you pull out of rotation to have set aside as a "new" things when you are in Disney. Other people use "tinkerbell gifts" that are left in the room each morning as the new thing for the kiddo to play with on that day of the trip.
5) Z hates fireworks (but LOVED the electric light parade). He really really wants to like fireworks but they are so loud and surprising that even at 4 he can't quite do it. On our last trip we really wanted to see Wishes (good thing since it was the last time!!! What?!?!) so we packed an Ipad and his headphones. He watched a movie while we watched the fireworks. However.....
6) We always respect the bedtime. On our first trip (mid-june - super hot - we didn't take breaks mid day and were fine) we made sure he was in bed at his normal bedtime at least every other night (the bedtime routine starts at 7:30 and Z is in bed lights out by 8pm). It was super hard to miss the evening activities, but we kept in mind that we will be able to go back to those when he is older. It was more important that he got all the sleep he needed because no one - not even the grownups - are their best selves when they don't sleep. What shocked me about this plan was that I got the best quality sleep of any vacation I'd taken in years that week. Between the walking and early to bed I came home happy and well rested. It.Was.AWESOME. Truly. We also chose a night mid trip where we headed back to the room at 3 or 4pm, took a dip in the pool, ordered a Pizza to the room, watched a movie and went to bed early. It was my favorite memory of the trip. I thought it would kill me to leave the parks (it kinda did although this was our waterpark day) but that night in the room made everyone so happy and relaxed. We all needed a break from the over-stimulation.
7) Think about who the kids are and plan around them. These things work for us, because they respect who Z is and who we are as a family. Some podcasters I like say "do less, enjoy more". For Disney with tiny people I agree wholeheartedly. If the parents are still getting up with the kids in the middle of the night (this was true for us on our first 2 trips) they will also need a slower pace.
I strongly encourage you to search "Disney with Toddlers" and read what you find. There are a couple of excellent posts with information, but I'm not clear on what I can post here so I'm not going to list links. I am also happy to talk with you over e-mail if you like. Just PM me and I'll send you my email list.
This will be such a great trip and the memories are going to be totally worth it. Don't panic if things don't go according to plan, instead focus on the moment when a child sees their first "hidden mickey" or becomes obsessed with some small Disney detail that you might've missed.
But mostly excited! 
So close!!!
How long are you staying? Is it another solo trip? I'm so sad I won't be able to see you!
I officially extended my trip to come in on Saturday the 19th instead of Sunday and I have you to thank! This change actually saved me 10,000 miles since I'd planned on using miles to book my flights (also done!). So not only do I get an extra day at Disney, save miles doing so, but we can hang now, too!!! 
