Thank you all for your replies! We are planning on Thurs- Tues so technically 5 days at the parks, Tuesday we would be leaving to come home.
I wasn't thinking of a stroller, my sons are 4 and 7. Do you think we should get one? They haven't been in a stroller in quite sometime, but I can now understand that if walking gets tiring. Are they too big for a stroller?
As for dining... my boys do not eat a lot. My 4 year old has an egg allergy, so we have to be very careful of what he eats when we're on the run. When does Disney offer
free dining plan and which plan do they offer? I was thinking the 3 meals per day, but I'm reading that 2 is definitely enough. My boys are early risers and I know that we would be up early every day, so breakfast is definitely a must. I definitely want to do the character meals, I'm just not sure when we're going yet. I was thinking Memorial Day weekend because we're off that Monday, but I don't want to go at a crowded time. I don't mind pulling my 1st grader from school, that's not a big deal. We're not Star Wars fans so that convention or whatever it is will not appeal to us. I would think it would attract more people, so maybe we should steer clear of that week.
As for the resort...thanks for your take on the Value resorts. My husband is not the type to want to walk around all day, so that is why I kind of have a feeling that we will be spending more time at the hotel pool and such. I want to stay at a resort where the kids will enjoy the pool, maybe with a slide.
Thanks for the barber shop tip, I'll add that to my list of things we must do.
I just don't even know where to start, there's so much info out there...book now for this meal, do this, do that...I don't mind the planning, but there's wayyyyyy too much info, I don't know where to begin! Thanks so much for all of your input.
Like someone said, we've only scratched the surface. The free dining is normally offered during late August through September. Sometimes they extend it until November. However, as someone said and I mentioned, the dining plan includes so much food, that it becomes too much, especially with little ones who don't eat much. I would personally never pay for it because we could get away with so much less food. I would say, had we not had it, we would most likely share a good bit of our meals for counter services and for dinner. The portions are huge and we just can't eat that much. In fact, even on free dining, we do that. For example, Sci Fi Diner (A must do at Hollywood Studios--an indoor outside drive in theater with the tables in cars and old B movie clips playing), the meal comes with a milkshake if you want. Pair that with the huge portions, and it is so filling that you want to share! Additioanlly, you could bring some breakfast like cereal and milk and have the boys eat before you leave for the park. Then you are down to paying for only 2 meals. Obviously if you do the buffets you can't share but I tell you, the portions are quite big!
We stayed at PO FG and liked the pool. Go on here and find the threads for the various resorts. THe Port Orleans one is full of information and pictures. It gives you a good idea of what it would be like. I will tell you that I didn't feel that the moderate was that different from the values except for this--the moderates had slides and umbrellas for shade. I guess if you are cheap, they figure you can burn
! With that said, and if price was not an option, I would say that the deluxe hotels are hard to beat. If you are on the monorail system and plan on staying in the resort a lot, it would be nice. Our favorite is the polynesian. I could see lounging in their beautiful lobby with a drink or by the Tiki Bar
ah, the life of the rich! But like I state before, we have never been able to justify paying almost 3 times the cost of a value room. We could take almost 3 vacations for one stay at the Deluxe. Again, check out the various threads to get a good idea of which resort you like. For the boys, I think Port Orlean French Quarter is good--themeing and smaller property thus not as much walking; We checked out Carribean Beach and liked the pirate themed pool with slide and the beachy feel. However, it was spread out and having lived in FL, not as much as a draw for us. See what others think for your age boys.
Regarding the stroller. I personally wouldn't take one because it is another thing to deal with and sometimes, it is a mass of strollers that you have to park and then extricate your stroller from. At all rides, they have to be left outside so you have to park it or at the Land at Epcot, none are allowed in the pavilion. And, navigating around with a stroller can be a bit cumbersome. If your son hasn't used one, i wouldn't bother. My 5 year old, provided we fed her regularly when she seemed to be hitting the wall, kept up with us until the bitter end at midnight. Terrible Disney parents? Sure, but let me tell you, she did not complain and there are many things that are sit down that will give your son a chance to recoup. Furthermore, if your husband is not a stay at the park all day, then rest is coming anyways. I'm telling you, I would avoid the stroller like a plague unless you foresee your son needing a nap. (But he can always snooze in the hall of Presidents!!!)
Bottom line is that you just have to figure out your family and how you see it all going down. Do some research, figure what is best for you. Know that if you are staying on property and taking the bus back to your resort, you have to allow for about 30 minutes per way. So you could come and go but at a time cost. Same with the dining and the strolling. All of us have our different opinions but it is based on how our family works.
May I give you a few hints which I wish I had known the first year I did this with young ones?
If you drive, you may want to consider booking through
AAA and getting their diamond parking pass. Then, instead of taking the bus (except for Magic Kingdom because you have to then transfer from the transportation center), drive. What we found is that, with the diamond parking, we are so close in the parking lot that we can leave the park, get into our car and drive back to the resort probably before the first bus is loaded for that resort. This is especially true at the end of the night. The fact is, these buses often take a while to come and then they are loaded to capacity and then some. OFtne that means you are standing and or trying to hold a sleeping child while standing as the days of people giving up their seats seems to have passed. I just remember how miserable it was with two exhausted kids and the interminable wait for the bus along with the crowded conditions.
Plan your lunches!!! This is paramount! Look at the menus of all the restaurants in relation to the map. The first year my child wanted a hamburger kids meal in Epcot. So we headed for the American pavilion (All the way back in the park). After a very long walk, we found no hamburger. What? America didn't have hamburgers? Nope PB& J and maybe chicken nuggets. When all was said and done, and a far piece away, we found that Morrocco had hamburgers. Had we looked ahead of time, we would have saved much time, gnashing of teeth and even crying as we were trying to attain this illusive hamburger. Same thing at MK. My kids wanted two different things--knowing where to head or in advance, the plan for what your kids can eat will save you so much time. We spent over an hour the first year in MK just trying to find the food that the kids liked and they aren't picky. Most of these restaurants for lunch has a 2 to 3 item kids menu. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. You will thank yourself and your poor kids will not get exhausted from running around trying to find the hamburger.
We take backpacks in but there are lockers. If you don't have a stroller, you may consider bringing things you may need and placing them in a locker versus toting them. That way you can enjoy your day without being laden with too much.
That's it for now. I promise you, if you plan as much as possible but are flexible, it will be a better vacation. Especially with the little ones, it will save all of you heartache. I even make a little laminated list with our reservations, confirmation numbers and even our lunch restaurant for the day. It helps keep things running smoothly. Also, planning will get you even more excited about your trip.
I've looked a lot at the website easywdw.com to get an idea of what crowds will be like. His crowd calendar is pretty accurate. Keep in Mind that Star Wars Weekends will be help Friday Saturday and Sunday over Memorial Day(actually it starts mid May - mid June) If you aren't interested in the Star Wars Festivities, I would suggest going to Hollywood Studios during the week. I believe their is a room discount currently out for your time frame, though I am not sure if Memorial Day is blocked out. You can check out what is available here:
