1 Hotel Room w/ A Toddler - How Did You Do It?

[CoP Luv]

We are trying to head to WDW and I would LOOOOOOVVVVEEE to stay onsite. I have on may occasions, but I am a true Disney dork that drank the Disney Kool-Aid who loves the music that is piped into the bushes, the gift shops, the terrible QS food, the THEMES!!! Love it all.

We are heading down there with a toddler and we are not too keen on one sleeping space. We took a trip earlier this year and shared a room in my in-laws condo and our toddler woke up EARLY when he heard us tossing and turning in bed. The room was very small so the pack n play was at the foot of our bed, but needless to say, we did not sleep well. It was also nice to be able to stay awake a little later and not have to tip-toe around the baby, since we had a condo.

We are nervous the lack of sleep would happen in Disney. I have looked into off-site accommodations that have a separate sleeping space since a 1 bedroom at any of the deluxes would be out of budget.

I have read countless threads on travelling to WDW with toddlers and most have said everyone crashes at the end of the night. Bedtime is usually at 8 PM and we are going during low season so parks are not going to be open much later, so we would try to not be up too late.

After all of that, how do you sleep in one shared sleeping space with a toddler? Do you sit in the dark each night? Is everyone truly tired that it's really not much of an issue?

Any extra thoughts??? Experiences??

 

[Hope Counts]

I haven't gone with a toddler but our 5 yr old niece stayed in our room (her parents and 2 sisters were in the adjoining room)
And yes honestly after a full day at the park we were all passed out early with no problems
all the walking as sun and fresh air wears you out!

 

[WuvEeyore]

Our DD was so tired, she was out like a light. Usually fell asleep on the bus on the way back. She barely budged when we changed her into her jammies and laid her in the pack n play. Then we crashed.

 

[columbusdizfan]

I'm hoping it goes like this for us... This gives me hope.

 

[nugov2]

How are they normally after a long day out and about? Mine as toddlers(still have one who is a toddler) would sleep terrible in a single hotel room. We do one night at the waterpark nearby and after all day of water fun they still have trouble sleeping in a new environment and just want to talk or bounce around. Plus even after all day at WDW I still wanted time to unwind after the kids were in bed(this was when the parks closed much later than 8). Do you have an experience like that to compare it to? We do much better in suites for short stays, but always do a house for long vacations. We found the theming in the homes to be much better than WDW too, but when onsite prekids stay deluxe. The deluxe theming is lame(even though they are decent accommodations). I like to be up early drinking coffee and watching tv or up later unwinding after a long day. That is our vacation style though and our experience with our kids as toddlers.

 

[baseballnut]

My 3yo DD won't fall asleep anywhere other than her bed, or maybe the car on a long trip. Not the stroller. Not even the couch. Never has. Yet after a long day in Disney -even after a nap!- going to sleep is not a problem. Just keep the lights out, some Disney Jr. on TV and they'll be passed out shortly. Then you can do whatever (if you still have energy) and your deep sleeper won't notice.

On our 5th and last night there last year, dd fell asleep in her dinner at the resort cafeteria at 630 pm. Carried her back to the room; she didn't wake up until 730 in the morning.

So, yes, Disney brings about a whole different kind of tired from anything else.

 

[jacknsally19]

So I have travelled twice to Disney 2x with a toddler and I have done a few other hotel trips. At Disney, I have found that staying at the Deluxes is great bc we would sit on the balcony / patio as my daughter is falling asleep (if there are distractions. She won't fall asleep especially at disney bc she is so excited). We usually would have tea or a glass of wine and relax until we are ready for bed. We both have iPads to use at night too in case we don't want to chat. I also have a tiny book light that I bring with me in case I need to look for something in the room. You could prob just use the light on your phone. My daughter can be a little restless away from home (me too actually) but this has made it successful for us. When not at Disney, we have always opted for hotels with suites / separate sleeping space.

So I am positive that this wouldn't be the most popular recommendation, but I would certainly recommend staying offsite if you can't afford / or don 't want to pay for a deluxe or a suite. Sleep is really important and if you aren't getting enough of it (as a family) everyone will be on edge for the entire trip.

 

[lucyddr]

I just wrote our experience up on the Twin Guide thread, but I will say that it is HARD! We were not the lucky people who's kids (two 20 month olds) went to bed gracefully. We tried everything, but ours just couldn't settle down and completely fell apart for over an hour each night.

We essentially sat in the dark praying they would fall asleep (tried putting them in our bed and snuggling them too...failed). By the time they were asleep, my husband would play on his phone and I just went on to bed. The nights were by far the worst parts of our trip.

We travel a lot with our two and have tried the whole balcony thing too. If your kid/kids are light sleepers, then it doesn't work. Ours wake up every time a door opens and closes...regardless of how perfectly you close it.

The ideal, if money is no object, is a suite... For us, it wasn't in our budget this time so we just dealt with it. It didn't ruin our trip, but I don't want you to assume this process is always easy.

Good luck!

 

[maxiesmom]

If you already know your toddler does not do well sharing a sleeping space with you, you have part of your answer. You either need to pay for a DVC unit or suite that has 2 separate rooms, or you need to stay off-site.

Disney is tiring enough on a good nights sleep. Don't put yourself in the position of being sleep deprived and trying to enjoy WDW.

Have you looked at Bonnet Creek? It is on Disney property, right next to the Caribbean Beach Resort. You could get a one bedroom unit for much much cheaper than anything comparable Disney offers.

 

[msmama]

I use my phone or kindle to read after my son goes to bed. Frankly, I'm too tired to be up moving around anyway, so I can use him as an excuse to get off my feet.

It's just the 2 of us so not a problem.

When my son was younger I'd get bedrails and he'd sleep in a big bed with me, no way would he have slept in a cramped pack and play.

 

[ssmurphy28]

We went right around our sons first birthday and stayed at AS Sports, so the rooms were pretty small. The nice thing, is that there was a curtain separating the sink area from the rest of the room, which is where we put his pack and play. At least that gave us some separation. I have seen some moderates and deluxe resorts have more solid doors there, which would provide even more separation. Usually, if we could get him to sleep, then we could stay up a bit and watch some TV.

One thing that works well for us, is using a sound machine. Turning on some white noise can drown out sounds from the other side of the room. This has always helped, our now two sons, fall asleep, no matter where we are.

 

[CoP Luv]

How are they normally after a long day out and about? Mine as toddlers(still have one who is a toddler) would sleep terrible in a single hotel room. We do one night at the waterpark nearby and after all day of water fun they still have trouble sleeping in a new environment and just want to talk or bounce around. Plus even after all day at WDW I still wanted time to unwind after the kids were in bed(this was when the parks closed much later than 8). Do you have an experience like that to compare it to? We do much better in suites for short stays, but always do a house for long vacations. We found the theming in the homes to be much better than WDW too, but when onsite prekids stay deluxe. The deluxe theming is lame(even though they are decent accommodations). I like to be up early drinking coffee and watching tv or up later unwinding after a long day. That is our vacation style though and our experience with our kids as toddlers.

This is what I am nervous about. Our toddler doesn't sleep well in new environments. It takes a few days to get used to a room. We have stayed in one room together for a few nights where our toddler is separated from us by a small wall so he doesn't see us. While I don't think we get the best sleep, it isn't terrible.

I am looking at Bonnet Creek and Caribe Royale (just because I can figure that is the hotel on Pricelne) as alternatives, but it is hard for me to make the jump offsite. Ideally, I would love to stay at WL (because I have never stayed and always waned to) or POR (love the quiet and boat ride). We will have a car regardless, so transportation isn't a factor, but when I can get a 1 bedroom for a fraction of a deluxe 1 bedroom is starting to sway me.

 

[katie111]

I believe the moderates & I think even the values have a curtain between the sleep area and the sink area. We would always put the pack n play in there by the sink. I have 3 kids so whoever was the youngest at the time would be in there. We also traveled during the offseason so I was able to keep their bedtimes as close to at home as possible. I would usually just lie down with the other kids and everyone would go to sleep. First night or two are never easy as the kids are so excited but then it usually becomes very easy. Once everyone is asleep I usually get up & get things ready for the next day or just lay in bed with the TV on low. Everyone usually wakes up early but that's fine as we like to commando style anyways & be there at rope drop.

 

[CoP Luv]

I believe the moderates & I think even the values have a curtain between the sleep area and the sink area. We would always put the pack n play in there by the sink. I have 3 kids so whoever was the youngest at the time would be in there. We also traveled during the offseason so I was able to keep their bedtimes as close to at home as possible.

One of my friends suggested this as well, so if we were to stay onsite, it would probably be at POR or POFQ (though the giant masks kind of freak me out). Do I sacrifice the space just to be in the bubble? DH could care less as this trip really is for me. All he needs is a fridge in the room, though he is strongly advocating a suite offsite (which is less expensive so a plus in his book), just to make sure we sleep.

 

[richmo]

You know how some hotel rooms have a narrow entrance (usually not much wider than the door), then a closet/bathroom/refrigerator, then it opens up to the full room? I don't remember how, but we put the pack and play in that area, strung up an extra sheet or blanket from the ceiling, which created a small, fairly dark area kind of separated from the rest of the room. Some rooms won't lend themselves to this, but it worked for us.

 

[etoiles]

I have read countless threads on travelling to WDW with toddlers and most have said everyone crashes at the end of the night. Bedtime is usually at 8 PM and we are going during low season so parks are not going to be open much later, so we would try to not be up too late.

After all of that, how do you sleep in one shared sleeping space with a toddler? Do you sit in the dark each night? Is everyone truly tired that it's really not much of an issue?

Any extra thoughts??? Experiences??

We also have a toddler (17 months) that is not an easy sleeper (hears sounds and wakes up, even with white noise machine, room is totally dark, etc...) and even though we have stayed on site before baby every time this time we are not.

We have tried hotel stays at other places with him and it just works better with separate rooms so we are staying at Bonnet Creek. We booked a two bedroom suite through a place recommended on here and it is about the same price as one value room at Pop.

Would I rather be on site? Yes, I would but I think we all will be happier if we get sleep each night.

Bonnet creek also reportedly has high chairs they will bring you too if your child is still using one.

I would say that you know your baby best and know if they will wake up or not, even though they are tired. I felt that way about our baby and so that is why we got a two bedroom suite at Bonnet Creek.

If you talk to the people on the offsite section of this board they made me feel much better about staying there so they would probably help you too!

 

[buzznina]

We have been going since our 1st DD was 6 months old and have had very good luck with them sleeping. I do not know if this helped, but from the very beginning we always had a musicle mobile or a lullaby cd playing (not a sound machine) everytime we put them down for naps or for the night. So, now at the hotel we will lay down with just a night light and once they fall asleep, DW and I can watch TV, play cards, plan the next day etc. We just do not turn on lights around the bed. Only once in awhile have they woken up, but they are back to sleep in no time. So we do not need seperate rooms, plus we really enjoy all being in one room. There have been some very memorable moments and Disney conversations when we were all laying in bed. It would have been a shame if we missed those moments

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Our sons both had their first trips at approx. 15-18 months old, and a second trip a year later. Most of those trips, we stayed at Coronado Springs and put the pack-n-play in the vanity area near the sink. Now that CSR has actual sliding doors to close off that area (that was done since they were little), it is really dark in there. One year we took a toddler air mattress and that didn't work as well, as my son would wake up and come wake me up.

I will say that even at home, we did not put our kids to bed extremely early and when at Disney, we kept them out late most of the time so by the time we got back to our room, they were zonked out or ready to be.

 

[Lupeix]

Have you considered renting DVC points?
That could make a 1 bedroom deluxe affordable.

We have a toddler, and for the happiness of everyone separate spaces are a must. He sleeps in our room in a travel toddler bed I take with me several places, but I can put him to bed early and stay up late with DH. We can also take turns getting up early if needed. I will love to stay onsite, but not at the cost of sleeping badly the whole trip.

Last year we stayed at the Sheraton Vistana and liked it, but will prefer to be closer to the parks. Next year will be staying at the Wyndham bonnet creek (which is on property), mostly because grandma and grandpa are coming with us and a 2 bedroom DVC is really out of our budget even renting points. But we will definitely go the DVC rental route if we were going for a 1 bedroom.

 

[antree]

Honestly, after a long day they will just pass out. We never enforced bed time while we were on vacation. At the end of the day my son went in the playpen, we got in bed turned the lights out and watched TV, he always fell asleep on his own after a short time, even if the light didn't go out. We never slept in because there is so much to do. We always had to wake our daughter and son in the morning. Just put your child in the playpen and go about your business, they should just relax and fall asleep. Don't talk to them or play with your child once they are down for the night and hopefully you will have an easy time just like we did.

I have to tell you a story..One night my son was lying down in the playpen we thought he was asleep, we were watching "Will and Grace" and Grace was saying to Karen, "I am going to kick your ***" she repeated a few times very slowly. All of a sudden we hear from the playpen, "I'm going to kick your ***" my son was only 18 mos at the time.. We couldn't stop laughing.

Now, I know some might say that's why they need their own space but your on vacation and things are different and you have to try and make due.
Good luck hope it works out