23 days to go and having doubts!

[Jchiz2012]

So, here I sit 23 days out, FP+ and ADRs booked and now I'm second guessing my plans! Talk me down! So, it's me, DH and DS2, its DS first trip and DH and I's first together. We have only 3 nights at ASMo, two day hoppers. Plan is explore hotel and DS arrival day, MK next morning with BOG early entry breakfast ADR, all day at MK with a nap break in the middle. Planning to see all parades and fireworks this day. Next day back to MK in the morning, half day there, then nap break. Head to EPCOT that afternoon, Figment is my favorite, DS and DH love Nemo, watch Illuminations that night. So, my doubts are, is it a waste to have PH just for a half day at EPCOT? Would we be better off to drop PH and and an extra day and visit a 3rd park on arrival day? Can you even change tickets once you get them? Or should we not visit MK at all the 2nd day? Maybe do AK and EPCOT instead? I keep telling myself not to try and squeeze everything into such a short trip! We plan on a trip to WDW every two years, so we don't have to do it all in one shot! Anyways no one in my family gets my all consuming Disney obsession so I resort to the DIS to calm my nerves, help me out?

 

[ajasmom]

Please note these are just my thoughts and I don't know how your son would handle this but going back will take approx 2 hours travel time not including the actual nap. Would he nap on the stroller so the adults could enjoy some unintrrupted park time even if you relaxed and people watched in a quiet area and enjoyed a snack for two hours it would still save the travel time that could add up to a few hours In Only 2 days. As for you park hopper. I think Your son would enjoy MK the most so maybe 1 1/2 days there is best.

 

[rainboots]

Agree w/PP. Nap in the stroller. Time for you & DH to relax & take it all in.

Honestly, if it were me, I would stick w/ 2 full days at MK & skip the others, but I am likely in the minority. You could do fireworks one nt & MSEP the other & take advantage of shorter lines during the other...

 

[Jchiz2012]

Please note these are just my thoughts and I don't know how your son would handle this but going back will take approx 2 hours travel time not including the actual nap. Would he nap on the stroller so the adults could enjoy some unintrrupted park time even if you relaxed and people watched in a quiet area and enjoyed a snack for two hours it would still save the travel time that could add up to a few hours In Only 2 days. As for you park hopper. I think Your son would enjoy MK the most so maybe 1 1/2 days there is best.

I thought about the travel time and he may nap in the stroller, he has on long walks before. I also considering the option of skipping the nap even if he doesn't fall asleep in the stroller. Especially on our first MK day as hours are only 9-8 that day. Thank you for your input!

 

[LaurenT]

What you have is fine. There's no way to get it all in with such a short trip, you'll do more next time.
I agree with PP that if your son will nap in the stroller, I wouldn't schlep back to the hotel - we were lucky when dd was a toddler because she was perfectly happy in the stroller.
Other than that ... My advice is not to ask advice at this point. You're going to get a dozen different opinions and it will leave you more confused than ever. I, myself, would likely have done it a little differently ... But there is absolutely nothing wrong with your plan. You'll have a great time!

 

[GPC0321]

I wouldn't sweat it. Once you get there, some of your plans are bound to fly out the window anyway, especially with the little one. Just go! Have fun! Don't THINK so much! You're going to Disney World!!!!! Wheeeeeee!!!!!

 

[Jchiz2012]

Thank you all, I think a reminder to relax, go with the flow and enjoy is just what I needed.

 

[Disneytam]

If you just go with the mind set to have fun, and go with the flow you will be fine. Our first trip with our just turned four year old son many years ago had a complete wrench thrown in it when the very first day at MK he took one look at Mickey Mouse and started crying. These were not tears of joy but shear terror! He was terrified of them all except the "face" ones (Snow White, Belle etc.). Back then they roamed the parks a lot more than now and we always had to be on the look out to avoid them. We all laugh at it now but we just had to change plans and go with it! Now the dark rides and coasters he loved including Splash Mt. and I thought they would scare him. Have fun on your first of I'm sure many Disney adventures.

 

[TinkPearl]

As a Mom who's been going to Disney *almost* every year since my 2 sons were infants, I would skip that nap break and let them nap in the stroller. We never went back to the resort in the middle of the day and all worked out great! Also, I would skip PH and visit on arrival day.

 

[kandb]

I would either spend 2 full days at MK or 1 full day at MK and 1 full day at Epcot. I wouldn't pay for hoppers for that short of time, it's not worth it.

 

[indyannamom]

If you decide to try to have your son nap in the stroller, and he can't settle down, you could take him on a monorail ride and see if that puts him out. It's a bit darker, often cooler (which could be an issue in Jan but not so much as the summer), and the ride motion always our DD to sleep. It's free, and a change if pace, and even if you just did one loop around you'd only be out 30 minutes...hopefully he'd stay asleep for you when you get back off at MK.

 

[Jchiz2012]

I would either spend 2 full days at MK or 1 full day at MK and 1 full day at Epcot. I wouldn't pay for hoppers for that short of time, it's not worth it.

I've already bought PH tickets, I can't change them now can I?

 

[kathy884]

My niece at your son's age was a total delight to take to both the MK and Epcot. And was in a wonderful mood all day at the parks and didn't even bother with a nap. Per my brother, though, she wasn't napping at home either -- had given that up.

Now for my son (and FYI he was adopted from Russia and we were warned that places like Disney might be too much stimulation for him for a while, but decided to go anyway to meet up with extended family), thought the castle and little touches in the MK were really cool, but found characters and rides to be a bit too much. Epcot was similar too. We ended up spending three hours each day at the Disney theme parks on our mini trip when he was two. The biggest hits for him were the swimming pool (so we did a lot of pool time when the parks seemed too overwhelming -- split up with the rest of the family group) and also spent lots of time riding the Disney transportation around. His delight with the monorail and little boats made that tons of fun and we checked out various resorts on the monorail and Wilderness Lodge. The only park per se that was a HUGE hit with him was SeaWorld. And I knew it would be as from little on he has always been fascinated with marine mammals and fish. On our three theme park days we just did a few hours at the MK in the morning, a few hours at Epcot in the morning, and a full day at SeaWorld with no nap (He was a total joy to take there). The MK and Epcot were a waste of money for us. I think we are the exception rather than the rule here though, as it sounds like most little ones like the Disney parks.

When traveling with little ones, though, it's probably a good idea to keep a flexible mindset and think of the trip as a bit of an experiment.

 

[DisneyCAL]

You're 23 days out! I wouldn't change anything other than maybe figuring out a nap situation in park instead of out. Just make the best with what you have, go with the flow, and know you won't see and do everything in two days. But you'll definitely come away with some fun memories and have learned some things for your next trip. At this point keep the PH, you may find you want to switch it up midday, you never know. Have a great trip!

 

[ktlm]

DD was 2 on her first trip and she loved MK and EPCOT. They are still her favorite parks now that she is age 9 (we go every year). It is also easy to travel between those parks with the monorail- and for kids- the monorail is like another fun ride (or sometimes a great stroller nap place). I think your plan is fine for a very short trip like your trip. For us, EPCOT is a 2 day park, but at least you will get a taste of it. Plus, I'm sure your son is not going to spend time in all the lines for Princesses throughout WS like my DD wanted to do as a preschooler, so that will help.

You will probably want more time at MK than just one day at his age. 2 year olds don't move the fastest and you want to give him time to smell the roses and enjoy things. If you can add another park day that would be great and we would probably do 2 days MK and 1 day EPCOT- or a day and a half MK and a day and a half EPCOT (plus with a hopper if you got tired of those you could try a third), but if that isn't in the budget I think your plan is great.


Stroller naps worked best for DD. We tried the afternoon break once when she was 2 and it did not go well. Stroller naps were easy for us. Since your DS will fall asleep in the stroller, hopefully that will work for you. If he will nap in the stroller, that will be the way to go for a short trip. DH and I would take turns riding the bigger rides while she napped. That is not as easy now because you can't just grab a FP that kicks in an hour or so later when you think we will probably go to sleep, but it is still worth a try.

Figment and Nemo have often closed at 7:00 p.m. at EPCOT, but I think with Soarin down, Disney plans to keep them open until 9. Don't forget the boat ride in Mexico and Living with the Land. Those were 2 of DDs absolute favorite rides when she was 2. The fact she loved Living with the Land caught us off guard, but since then, everyone else we know that has taken 2 or 3 year olds has said their kids loved it too. It is something about those greenhouses!!!

Just be prepared to be flexible.

Have a wonderful first trip! DD's first trip at age 2, is one of my absolute favorites. Everything was new and magical to her!

 

[Jchiz2012]

Such great advice, thank you everyone! I'm really thinking we will probably skip the nap break, especially on our MK day! And I'm gonna remember to relax and be flexible most of all!!

 

[kandb]

I've already bought PH tickets, I can't change them now can I?

Sorry, I am not sure. Have a great trip!

 

[Micca]

I see you're feeling more confident about your plans. Keep the PH unless it's a budget killer. You never know what might sound like a good idea at the spur of the moment. Have a blast!

 

[mumumouse]

Yes, it is a waste of time to use park hoppers. I did a four day trip once and we park hopped. My daughter was older, maybe 9. It was fun and I agree that the transportation between the parks is part of the fun, but your child is too young to do this. Spend your time in one park at a time. Go slower. I also agree with the stroller idea, although I have never used a stroller w/my youngest at Disney. I know, sounds crazy even to me. I think the first trip, when she was five, my daughter's boyfriend carried her around. She was always an amazing walker and did not want to get in a stroller. I see kids napping all over in the strollers though. Sorry I am somewhat new to the boards. Your child is 2? You need min. 2 days in MK. AK closes early and can easily be a half day park. I just am not sure I would park hop with such a young child. Don't feel bad about the second guessing. I go every year and in planning for this year, it is blowing my mind. We will be there 5 and 1/2 days, 6 nights. Not sure if you can change the hopper tickets. If you can't don't get down about it, just enjoy. I think you are getting great advice from everyone. I did take my older daughter when she was only 1. I was younger and crazier then. Now my youngest is 14. We have gone every year since she was 5. My husband thinks I am crazy. Enjoy your time together at Disney. You might ask about the tix since you have not "activated" them yet. I just know they are non transferable between people. The only problem is the darn fastpasses.

 

[Bete]

I'm not a fan of park hopper especially when the parks don't have late hours. Your wasting too much time getting in and out of the parks twice.

If you want more park time than get 3 regular park day tickets and skip the park hopping. This will get you more time in the parks.

Make sure everyone is well rested before the trip. Have everything ready ahead of time; so, you can really relax before you start your trip.