5 nights or 7???

[mb_uh]

I want to thank all you that have given me such great advice about my situation with my baby. Since we have decided to take him we are really trying to make sure our visit is a pleasurable for everyone as possible.

We are taking a 18 month old boy (2/7/09), a 5 year old girl, and a 7 year old boy. We are going in late July (we are used to heat so that is not an issue) and can not miss school because of work.

We orginally planned to stay 7 nights but think that may be too long with all three. We are not going to commando park but will visit each- not sure abou park hopper or water parks. We currenly have booked a 5 night stay at WL with GC and 2 nights at POR not worried about switching but whether the kids will just be overwhelmed and ready to go home? The extra days do not cost that much but since we are flying we will be stuck if they want to go home early?

Would you stay for 7 nights or just do 5 if money was not an issue? What are your experiences with three kids?

 

[carolinagirl121]

Always plan in a rest day mid-week. We found that B (and us) REALLY needed a re-charge day. That may mean just hanging out at the pool and the resort all day. Also, doing a couple of half days at the park would have been nice. If cost was no object, I would stay longer and spread out your park time and plan for more downtime. I would have really liked to spend several days at MK because there is so much babies can ride and it would have been great to split the time of day's up.

 

[badblackpug]

We do 10 days. Remember the 1st day and the last day are half days at best with travel. I don't think 7 days is too long, especially if you plan to be more leisurely. We are not commando people either. My suggestion is to take it at the kids pace. If they are tired rest, if they are hungry, eat, if they are ready to go, go! We also schedule a "down day" in the middle of the trip. The kids swim while we do laundry. We have a nice dinner and shop at DTD in the evening.

 

[LJRJR]

I like to take shorter vacations, my children are 5, 7 and 9 and we have gone since my youngest was an infant. I find that 5 nights would leave me with a happy memory of my vacation, and 7 nights made both my husband and I stressed out and wanting for the vacation to end. We have stayed for 6 nights, but we would arrive in Orlando at 6 pm, which gave us the opportunity to get a late dinner at the resort and rest up for the next day. We always take our trips at our own pace, I dont plan anything out, other than our dinners.

 

[monkey30]

We did 8 the last time we were there and it was perfect. I agree with the otehr have some down time, or do what we did, Dh took the 2 older ones to Epcot and I stayed back one morning they came back we spent about 4 hrs at the resort hanging in the pool and such and then went back to Epcot, really broke up the day and we did not kill the kids feet!

We also did a few go to the park in the am and leave about 3:30 and relax for the evening. It was a nice slow paced vacation. My sons are 7, 4.5 and 2 mths while we were there.

 

[tzolkin]

We prefer to stay longer.

We're paying the same for transportation, the tickets are the same price, and we are frugal about food, so for us the added cost is mainly just the extra nights in the hotel.

Staying longer allows us to take a more relaxed approach to the parks. We go for about 3-4 hours in the morning (usually EMH rope drop), return to the resort for a nap/break until about 5, and then go to a park from about 5-8. In my mind (warped Disney logic? ) the extra days after 3 are "free", so I don't feel the pressure to be in the parks all day to "get our money's worth". If the kids and DH nap for 5 hours, if DS pukes at the bus stop right before we board, or if the kids want to ride the monorail back and forth between MK and Epcot it doesn't bother me.


We have three kids and our last two trips have been 9 days (but part of a 3 week vacation visiting family) and 12 days (no parks first or last day). We have never had any issues with our three kids. Our youngest was a bit older than yours (just shy of 2) for our first trip.

We like park hoppers for the flexibility-- we usually plan what park to hit for rope drop/EMH and let the kids decide what they want to do after our nap. We also like the option of leaving if one park is crowded or if we just want to do something else. But many others prefer staying in one park all day.


Unless the parents are really stressed/yelling/etc or the kids are horribly ill, I really can't imagine any child wanting to leave after just a few days at Disney. We do get a bit overwhelmed with the crowds and heat, which is why a several hour break at the resort is necessary for us. Everyone in our family benefits from turning out the lights, turning up the AC, and taking a nap. There are also other things to do: sit on a bench and enjoy some ice cream, swim at the resort, let the kids play on the playground, etc.

 

[bear_mom]

Our first trip with a 4 and 7 year old was 5 nights long. Dh wasn't too thrilled with the idea of a trip to Disney World and we thought 5 nights would be plenty of time. On day 4 dh had me call our travel agent to see how much it would be to extend our vacation. Way too much so we didn't.

Our trips are now 8 nights long and we like that amount of time. There is SOOO much to see and do. Especially if you want to go at a slower pace. We are rope drop people and then head back to our resort after dinner putting the kids to bed early. I still find that before our trip I wonder how we are going to fill 9 days. But once we get there, the time fills up fast.

Emily

 

[Poohs#1fan]

We went with our then 20 month old last May and we stayed for 10 days. It was nice to know we had plenty of time, so we didn't have to rush. We did everything at her speed, so that meant some days just a park in the morning and then a nap in the room and the pool. It was very relaxing for all of us. I don't feel like you can count the first and last days when you travel with kids. Good luck!

 

[DrummerBoy523]

I want to thank all you that have given me such great advice about my situation with my baby. Since we have decided to take him we are really trying to make sure our visit is a pleasurable for everyone as possible.

We are taking a 18 month old boy (2/7/09), a 5 year old girl, and a 7 year old boy. We are going in late July (we are used to heat so that is not an issue) and can not miss school because of work.

We orginally planned to stay 7 nights but think that may be too long with all three. We are not going to commando park but will visit each- not sure abou park hopper or water parks. We currenly have booked a 5 night stay at WL with GC and 2 nights at POR not worried about switching but whether the kids will just be overwhelmed and ready to go home? The extra days do not cost that much but since we are flying we will be stuck if they want to go home early?

Would you stay for 7 nights or just do 5 if money was not an issue? What are your experiences with three kids?

I'd go for 7 nights which gives you some leeway if you want to take a day off and relax at the pool, etc.

Your situation is similar to ours - we have a DS2.5 and a DS7 going this time. We usually fly in on Sun and fly home on Sat which is 6 nights. That gives us 5 full days for the parks which we usually use one day as an EMH early morning and pool afternoon day. Your kids will not be burned out - I think they will love it - just take it easy in the parks as you have said you plan to. Just build in rest time each day and remember your 18month should drink lots and lots of water.

I'd also get the kids accustomed to wearing sunglasses - even the 18mo, and hats as well. It will really help with the heat and glare.

Tom Sawyer island is a great place to let the kids go crazy for 30-45 mins - plus you can buy snacks there I believe. Look for the paint brushes!

Have fun and IMO, stay the extra nights. It will give you more options and opportunity for resting and you wont feel the need to rush through the parks. I'd also go with hopper options but sans water parks.

 

[TLCdisneyfan]

I agree with pp's that if you take extra time, you can feel comfortable building rest time into the vacation. But also think about down time when you get home. We hate to get home on a Sunday night, b/c we need a day to get back into the regular pace at home and shake off the travel fatigue.

 

[cassandrap83]

We stayed 7 nights 8 days last time. We had a 3 1/2yr old & a 2 1/2yr old. We went during the exhausting heat of September. It was a wonderful time, but we decided that any future trips would only be 5 nights. 7 nights was just too much with the young kids & extreme heat.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

If you are not going commando, you will need 7 days to see everything, and even that will not be enough. The longer the trip, the more down time you can allow yourself. With only 5 nights, you will find yourself scrambling a lot more than you think you will, or even wish to do...

 

[Cerfin]

We are trying to decide wether to stay 4 or five nights. If we cut our trip short by 1 day we can save almost $1000. We already have 3 days worth of hopper passes and 4 complimentary tickets, so we would only need to buy a one day pass for our 8 year old if we stay 4 nights. The price of the tickets go up a lot if we have to buy the extra day. Not to mention the cost of the hotel.
What do you think will we be disappointed if we cut the trip short???

 

[Razorback]

I always want to stay longer no matter how long we are there. However like most people money is an issue. We can never afford to stay as long as I want.

If transportation, food and tickets are not an issue then i would say stay 7 days....but I agree with others that you have to have a variety of things to do. Downtown Disney, resort hopping, swimming and my boys favorite...the game room.

On the flips side...if you stay 5 days I can guarantee that you will want to come back to WDW because you may feel like you did not get to do everything you wanted. That argument does not work on me because I am addicted to Disney and I will always want to go back no matter how long or short our trip is.

 

[Yensid_MD]

We favor a longer stay with less stress to get things accomplished each day. We have gone with children as young as you mention. It is nice to be able to head back to the hotel for the youngest member to take a nap or just rest. We never try and do all in one trip as we always know we will eventually go back. Our next trip will hopefully be in 2011

 

[Perditamarie]

I am with the 7 day crowd too. However, I think doing a split stay is a pain, especially with gear and stuff for a family of 5....you never feel settled in your room as you are always anticipating the move. I would pick one resort and stay put. Also, w/a split stay you are kind of w/o a room until after 3, which is tedious if you love your pool time, and who doesn't in July!!!

Happy planning!

 

[cel_disney]

We are trying to decide wether to stay 4 or five nights. If we cut our trip short by 1 day we can save almost $1000. We already have 3 days worth of hopper passes and 4 complimentary tickets, so we would only need to buy a one day pass for our 8 year old if we stay 4 nights. The price of the tickets go up a lot if we have to buy the extra day. Not to mention the cost of the hotel.
What do you think will we be disappointed if we cut the trip short???

I think you should go with the 4 days at the parks but still a 5 day trip! spend a day at downtown disney or just hanging by the pool!!! You really dont need to go to the parks every day while you are there!

To the OP - I think 7 days FOR SURE!! We traveled with our DS at 1, 2, and 3 - and the more time the better - it really allows for you to be more relaxed!!

 

[StuckInKS]

I want to thank all you that have given me such great advice about my situation with my baby. Since we have decided to take him we are really trying to make sure our visit is a pleasurable for everyone as possible.

We are taking a 18 month old boy (2/7/09), a 5 year old girl, and a 7 year old boy. We are going in late July (we are used to heat so that is not an issue) and can not miss school because of work.

We orginally planned to stay 7 nights but think that may be too long with all three. We are not going to commando park but will visit each- not sure abou park hopper or water parks. We currenly have booked a 5 night stay at WL with GC and 2 nights at POR not worried about switching but whether the kids will just be overwhelmed and ready to go home? The extra days do not cost that much but since we are flying we will be stuck if they want to go home early?

Would you stay for 7 nights or just do 5 if money was not an issue? What are your experiences with three kids?

We went for 5 nights last year with 4 kids ages 16 mos to 6 years and it was not enough time. We didn't even get to Epcot until 10 pm the first night, because we had to stop at Walmart and stock up on neccessities after driving in from Clearwater/St. Pete (we had 5 days at the beach first.) Then we spend 3 days at MK and one more very rainy day at Epcot. We didn't even make it to AK and DHS. I want to do seven nights this time, but I will be 6-7 months pregnant and worried about being out all day for that many days, esp if it is hot. While we are planning on early May, my mom mentioned tonight that she wants to take my adopted sisters two oldest and that my Aunt called to ask about our trip because she wants to take her grandkids when we go because my cousin (the kids' mom) only wants to go in December (she wants to take the girls to the beach, too.) My cousin won't let her kids go until school is out and my adopted sisters oldest is in middle school and may have to take tests during the last week or two. Sooo, now we may have to move it back a month, which means I will be farther along in my pregnancy and it will be that much hotter in FL. We do go slow and we don't start until afternoon (though that may change if we are travelling with others,) but that is still alot of walking in the Florida sun for a big ol pregnant lady. Decisions, decisions!

 

[miprender]

We are trying to decide wether to stay 4 or five nights. If we cut our trip short by 1 day we can save almost $1000. We already have 3 days worth of hopper passes and 4 complimentary tickets, so we would only need to buy a one day pass for our 8 year old if we stay 4 nights. The price of the tickets go up a lot if we have to buy the extra day. Not to mention the cost of the hotel.
What do you think will we be disappointed if we cut the trip short???

That seem awfully high. Where are you staying or is it due to your airline tickets. I find the longer we stay the less expensive per day it is.

To the OP:
We have been twice with little ones and are returning next month and we always stay 10 days. If I could I would love to spend longer but school/work won't allow it. We find the children are fine and we don't feel rushed with the shorter vacation.

 

[happymommy]

I agree about staying longer. You can take breaks, and you'll go at the pace that the kids decide. Our first trip we stayed 11 nights, and it was so great! We took our time, relaxed, enjoyed it all. We kept our regular bedtimes, especially for my DD who wasn't even 3 yet, so it made for happy rested kids.

I also agree - see if you can change and NOT do a split stay. Packing up a whole family and moving resorts will leave you without a room or your things for a day. Plus then you have to settle in again, and only for 2 nights. With kids, that is a pain. Get them unpacked and settled in, and they'll fell more comfortable as well. With 3 kids, I'd even say look into a DVC villa if you can. Our first stay, we had a one bedroom villa at the Boardwalk, and it was so great to have the space!