Going to WDW in 3 weeks and havent started planning!

[mpritc1019]

We just decided to take our 5 and 3 year old boy to WDW. My wife and I went 15 years ago but I know so much has changed.
Can you help me with some last minute planning?
We are staying at house a couple of miles away because I just don't see my boys and us being able to share a room at the resort. Is that a huge mistake? It is 2500 sq feet and so much cheaper!
Any other pointers you can offer would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance.

 

[chabs]

We always stay on property for the convenience, so I can't really tell you if you're making a mistake or not by staying off property. If you're planning on eating at any of the table service restaurants, I would make some reservations now. We just planned a last minute trip for February and that's the first thing that I did. I would bring your own stroller too-stroller rentals in the park has gone sky high from what I've read.

 

[disneydad74]

My wife and i have taken our 10 and 7 year old boys for the last 2 years and stayed on site. We have found there to be plenty of space at the resorts and found the transportation to be very beneficial to get to where we wanted to go without fighting traffic.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

While we always stay onsite, I don't think that you are making a mistake. You are on vacation and you need to stay where your family will be most comfortable. That said, I do have a little advice for you.

I would go to allearsnet.com and check out the menus for places to eat. If you are planning to dine at Disney for table service meals, you need to get them booked ASAP. You can also find out the menus for counter service meals here.

Next, get the park hours and plan your days as to where you are going each day. Are you getting park hopper passes? If not just plan one park per day. No big deal. We always get hoppers, but you can make it without them.

The biggest tips that I have are to get to the park before it opens and take advantage of fast pass, even if you think you wont need it.

You also need to get park maps or get a list of attractions and see what you and your children would want to put on your "must do" list.

I always love to read the book The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. That book has so much information in it that is so helpful and would really help you since it has been a while since you have been.

 

[Hoolie1]

Good for you. Planning when going on a vacation is overated. I realize so many people on here plan and plan and then plan some more but you have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. They are not going to go with the plan no matter what you think. Trust me, you will see the parents in the park that are screaming at the kids "we've been here since 9:00 this morning and still haven't seen this or this". Vacation is about the adults relaxing and getting to spend some time together with the family as a whole. Take a relaxing stroll through Animal Kingdom pushing the stroller while the kids ride and stop to look at all the small exhibits they have while you make your way back to Africa for Kilamonjaro Safaris. If the kids get tired go back to the house and let them take a nap and then if everyone feels like it go to Epcot that night and stroll the World Showcase before watching the Illuminations.

Staying at WDW Resort has it's advantages and staying off site has it's advantages. We live in a subdivision that has many short term rentals in it and many of the people are there to go enjoy all of the theme parks near by.

A 5yr old and a 3yr old are not going to be able to keep up from rope drop to fireworks in any park. Go with the flow and feel each day out as you are going.

The house your staying in probably has it's own private pool and is heated.
+1. It has a kitchen, you are not forced to eat every meal at WDW. +1. 2500 sq ft of room to let two toddlers blow off steam vs. 400 sq ft (if your lucky) at a hotel room. +infinity.

The only plans I would make is dinner reservations and that is only if your really wanting Table Service or Character Dining in the park or at any of the resorts.

 

[HeatherC]

We are total offsiters with 3 kids. Just makes it more relaxing for us to be able to spread out. So I don't think you are making a mistake.

We started going to Disney when our kids were 5, 3 and 1 and have always had a blast.

Heres some tips that worked for us:

1. Be at the park when it opens. Seriously, you can see half the park before most of the people arrive. Then if the kids are tired in the afternoon, you can leave and still feel like you got a full day in.

2. We planned a couple character lunches. It was a great break mid-day for the little ones. It also recharged everyone so we could actually stay longer in the parks.

3. Bring healthy snacks in and feed the kids constantly. Seriously, it keeps their moods much happier and gives them something to do while they are being carted around or waiting in line. It also avoids waiting in lines to get them something.

4. If you can...schedule a couple on/off days. Our kids did not like touring every day. They still don't and the oldest is 13. So we went for 10 days and did the parks every other day. We were able to go longer each day and then they got to hang out and play in the pool on other days. Disney is stimulus overload and if the kids aren't having fun, no one is having fun.

Hope this helps!

Have an awesome time!!!

 

[kksmom92]

We are total offsiters with 3 kids. Just makes it more relaxing for us to be able to spread out. So I don't think you are making a mistake.

We started going to Disney when our kids were 5, 3 and 1 and have always had a blast.

Heres some tips that worked for us:

1. Be at the park when it opens. Seriously, you can see half the park before most of the people arrive. Then if the kids are tired in the afternoon, you can leave and still feel like you got a full day in.

2. We planned a couple character lunches. It was a great break mid-day for the little ones. It also recharged everyone so we could actually stay longer in the parks.

3. Bring healthy snacks in and feed the kids constantly. Seriously, it keeps their moods much happier and gives them something to do while they are being carted around or waiting in line. It also avoids waiting in lines to get them something.

4. If you can...schedule a couple on/off days. Our kids did not like touring every day. They still don't and the oldest is 13. So we went for 10 days and did the parks every other day. We were able to go longer each day and then they got to hang out and play in the pool on other days. Disney is stimulus overload and if the kids aren't having fun, no one is having fun.

Hope this helps!

Have an awesome time!!!

I have to agree with Heather! Our kids were 3 & 5 last year as well and we always tend to get there at rope drop due to we could get everything we wanted to in the day done before lunch! Then we would drive back to our rental (we also stay off site) and have lunch, let the kids swim and relax and then head back around supper time and enjoy the rest of the night. That way we miss the bussiest time there.

I'm not sure how your kids do, but we still bring umbrella strollers for both kids. It's much easier for us because we don't have to worry about one of the straying away and then we can walk at our pace versus their pace.

For us what worked great was we brought our own snacks to the park, but put them in a clear zip-loc bag. That way we didn't have to wait in the long lines to have them search our bags.. we could just lift them up and since they were clear we got to walk right on through the area where people w/out bags walk through. Don't forget to bring waters for all of you to drink too!

 

[njsmama]

Okay, here is my 2 cents worth.
I don't think you have to plan alot. I do, but I don't have to. I just enjoy it!

I do, however, think that if you want to have table service meals, you need to book those, um, a long time ago, lol. Seriously, go to allears.net and look at the menus, pick out the places you want to eat and write them down.

Then look at what parks you would like to go to each day....Since you are staying off property you can't to the EMH hours, so I would stay away from the parks that offer those on a given day. Make a dining reservation for the park you think you will be in, or a nearby resort. That way you won't be in Magic Kingdom and have a reservation at Hollywood studios for example.

If you decide you don't want to eat at the reserved restaurant when it comes close to ressie time, just cancel it, no big deal.

Of course, if you don't plan on eating table service meals, then don't worry about making ressies. Then you will have more freedom to come and go as you please. I would still look at the park hours for your upcoming trip and plan to stay away from the parks that have extra magic hours each day. That way you will experience less wait time, fewer crowds etc.

Have a great trip!

 

[mpritc1019]

Thanks so much for the help all! We are getting really excited and Jan 30th is coming up quickly. We haven't even made the reservation for the house yet. Talk about flying by the seat of our pants! We are having a hard time getting most of the rental homes to call us back believe it or not.

 

[ScarlettinWonderland]

Staying on site is sooo much fun and you save money on gas/car rental because the buses take you everywhere. It's so nice not having to drive and deal with parking and you get dropped off right in front.

I'm going in 2 weeks!

 

[lynnc1265]

I would recommend, especially with kids, that you consult Tour Guide Mike's Least Crowded Parks advice for the time of our stay. It will cost you a little bit, but will save you some headaches. Even though it was just DH and I last year, I found out (after the fact) that we went to the totally wrong parks on the totally wrong days. We would have had a much more enjoyable trip had we had some advice beforehand. We will be there from 1/30-2/6 as well, so we'll see you in the parks! It will be hard to pick you out among all of the other exhausted parents, but hopefully Tour Guide Mike will have you looking less harried than most

 

[jessica29]

THe list could be exaustive. Read the boards and you will learn alot!



General
1.Make restaurant reservations nowat all parks if you will do a table service.

2. Be farmiliar with which days spectromagic parade is at MK and which day the fatasmic show is at hollywood studios. These are popular shows but they only do them on select days. If you do not have a hopper go to them on these days to see the shows.(Some people plan which parks they go to for various days before arrival this is once reason to do so if you choose.)

3. Look at maps before park arrival to refresh your memory.

4. Read up on what a fast pass is and utilize them on all rides that take them. They are free

5. Take your own snacks and water. Cups of Ice water is free there.




Magic Kingdom
1.I would suggest doing a character breakfast(winnie the pooh characters) at crystal palace on the day you go to MK so you can get early entrance (8:05 reservation). The dissers rave about this and you get to see main street almost empty which is amazing I hear. I have never done and will do this on my next trip.

2.I also know they have some sort of pirate experiece for boys at the Magic Kingdom. I cannot not thinik of the name but it seems they would enjoy this. They do pirate makeup etc. I have girls so I don't pay too much attention to this. Maybe another disser can enlighten you.

3. You will find character meet and greets at the town hall.

4. Don't miss Tom sawyer Island the boys will love it!

Hollywood
1. Go to toy story first or get a FP right away

In my opinion I would stay on property if only doing disney. I think it is easier. for many reasons, transportation being #1. Traffic is crazy and so are the exits in my opinion. Also, remember parking is 14.00 a day I think. The parking lots are also a long haul vs. bus pickup. Just my 2 cents though I know some will disagree with me. I have sayed at a awesome timeshare by downtown disney but I felt I was missing something. thought the rooms had advantages and it was like 2,000 square feet. I choose to stay on site. when on vacation I do not like to drive and I like my maid service and the resorts are amazing.

 

[nemofans]

 

[Lglchick]

Just a suggestion, in case you can't get that house rented:
After doing some research, we found that the Fort Wilderness cabins should be perfect for our family of 5 (me, DH, DD21, DS9, DS6). I understand they cost a little more than the other resorts, but we think it's going to be worth it for our family.
First bonus - it has more square footage than the other rooms available to families of 5 or more.
Second bonus - everyone will have a bed and no one will have to sleep on a trundle or day bed (there's an actual bedroom with a full size bed and bunkbeds, then a hide-away bed in the living area).
Third bonus - there's a complete kitchen, so you won't have to worry about spoilage of any food you may bring and you can cook some of your own meals - if you can't get those precious ADRs. Oh, and you won't even have to clean it! The mousekeepers do it! That's probably the biggest bonus, for me anyway.
Fourth bonus - it's on site which will allow you to take advantage of the Magical Express from the airport (if you're flying in) and the important EMH, and you won't have to rent a car, unless you want/need to. If you do rent a car, you'll have a parking spot right outside the door.
Just a suggestion!

 

[Goopy]

1.I would suggest doing a character breakfast(winnie the pooh characters) at crystal palace on the day you go to MK so you can get early entrance (8:05 reservation). The dissers rave about this and you get to see main street almost empty which is amazing I hear. I have never done and will do this on my next trip.

Isn't Cyrstal Palace down for refub until mid Feb?

 

[ilonmc]

The 2500 sf of space sounds good. You would have to rent a big DVC timeshare to get that much space and probably more money. But the convenience of staying on property is great. You might also try Tourguide Mike's website. For $20 its money well spent. Have fun!

 

[sdemore]

We just decided to take our 5 and 3 year old boy to WDW. My wife and I went 15 years ago but I know so much has changed.
Can you help me with some last minute planning?
We are staying at house a couple of miles away because I just don't see my boys and us being able to share a room at the resort. Is that a huge mistake? It is 2500 sq feet and so much cheaper!
Any other pointers you can offer would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance.

Wow! We leave in 11 days and I've been planning for 5 years.

Just don't try to do everything-relax and enjoy the expressions on your boys' faces. There also is alot to be said for staying at a place that puts your children in a room separate from yours! Have a magical time

 

[jessica29]

Isn't Cyrstal Palace down for refub until mid Feb?

You could be right my trip is in march so I did not pay any attention to that