Advice needed from parents with young children....

[movie77]

Hi there. We have a DD 3 and DS about to turn 2. DDs been to WDW 3 times and DS 2.

A couple things come to mind:

1. be prepared to go slow

2. do early quick service lunch before lines and tables become scarce 11:00 - 11:30 is best

3. try the play areas like Honey I shrunk the kids at MGM (I still call it that) and the Bone Yard at AK

 

[jngwright]

Hi from another twin mom!

You have received a lot if really good advice here. I know that you are planning MK only, so my advice would be to schedule character meals rather than stand in long character meet and greet lines. Plus, the buffets are nice since you don't have to wait, order, wait, eat, wait..
'Ohana, Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare will enable you to see a lot of characters!

Regarding the plane, I agree with arriving early. This was the most stressful part for us. Getting stollers, kids, bags, etc through security was sweat inducing that first time. My single piece of advice is to WEAR EASILY REMOVEABLE SHOES!Seriously!
Personally, I would not put my 3 year olds in car seats on the plane. I would never let them run all over the plane; but they are old enough to remain in their seats. My kids had their own little backpacks that I loaded with new things to keep them entertained. And, GUM! They had their first experience with sugarless gum in prep for the flight. It helps their ears at take off and landing.

Have an awesome, wonderful trip!!!

 

[mecllap]

Having gum available, or hard candies to suck on, can be helpful, if they won't pull it out and stick it in their hair (vaseline is good for getting it out if that happens). If you can get them to use "Earplanes" (from pharmacy section), they can be a great help for the flight (but they need to stay in the whole time -- they can still hear you).

 

[Reginak]

Everything that has been written has been great but there are a couple of things that I didn't see.
First of all, there is a small playground on the far side of Splash Mountain for kids that aren't tall enough to ride.
Secondly, my son loved the lights in the concrete in Future World at Epcot. We would just sit and watch as he tried to catch the light. He also loved the miniature train in Germany and watching all of the water fountains. We got more magic out of simple things on that trip than all of the rides put together.

Also, when Cruella de Ville scared him (she said that she would come and kidnap his puppy dog when we got home!). I reassured him that Mickey Mouse makes all the bad guys be nice at Disney World and that they have to promise not to hurt anyone or they can't come in the parks. That also helped when my husband insisted that we ride the Haunted Mansion.

This was my favorite trip of all - I hope that it is yours, too!

Regina

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Another parent of twins!!

I took my 3 kids on our first trip when my son was 7 and the girls were 5. I tried to plan for outdoor rides in the mornings, and indoor rides in the afternoon, when the sun was the hottest.

If certain character meets are a must (princesses etc), then find the best place to meet them beforehand and plan appropriately. World Showcase in Epcot the lines seem a lot shorter for the more popular characters.

Take advantage of the Kidcot fun stops at Epcot. Good time for a rest and some colouring. Just remember they are colouring with Sharpies, so bring a box of baby wipes if they get ink on their skin and/or clothes. Also, the Sharpies are great for writing your cell phone number on your childrens' arm, in case they get lost.

Pick out only 1 or 2 rides a day that are "must sees", and the rest play it by ear.

 

[raenyny]

I have 4 children ages 12, 6, 4, 3 We go every year since my 12 year old was 3 I agree with the person who said do the character meals ...we do that and then just way to the characters in the park rather than wait on line...those lines can be torture and take away from park time....we also don't rush anything, we take our time in the mornings and go with how the kids are feeling some days we start at the pool and then go to the park in the afternoon when it seems like time is up and you know your kids so you will know when this is we get back on the bus and go back to the hotel...if we start out late my kids generally make it till fireworks without a meltdown if we start out too early we need a nap and pool time before dinner

 

[ddoconnell]

Great advice so far....love the airport ideas!

We always, always, always did a character breakfast at Chef Mickey's when the kids were little. It is a non-threatening way to see the characters and get those treasured pictures. Waiting in line to find that your little pirate or princess is terrified of Tigger is horrible!! The breakfast buffet is a wonderful way to start the first day! (Sometimes the kids insist on doing it even now! )

Best advice I ever got was keep in mind that this is for the kids. You know their cues of when they are tired or done for the day. Naps are your best friend, whether in the stroller, a show or at the resort, make sure they get plenty of rest (and you too!) so that this will be great for everyone!

Most important: have a magical time!!

 

[quandrea]

It happened to us in August 2010 ... yes we were headed directly back to Canada ... the boys had to get out of the stroller and we were told that since the boys could walk, they needed to go through the scanner on their own, one at a time. (This was not the full body scanner, just the regular old one.) Try explaining that to a 16 month old who isn't really talking yet! (Fortunately, we were five adults, 3 kids, so we just sent 3 adults through, then the three kids, then the 2 other adults.) In the commotion we ended up losing the rainshield for the double stroller ... but I guess it could have been worse - neither of the kids set off the scanner! In 6 flights with babies/toddlers (all between Toronto (YYZ) and Orlando (MCO) - this was the first time it happended ... at least we'll be better prepared if it happens again on our next trip in December.

We leave Wed. I wonder if this will happen to us. We have 18m old twins. Security is tough, but we have it down to a science--dh takes the stroller, I hold the babies and go through. Getting them to walk through will be interesting.

 

[hot_mama]

The best advice anyone ever gave me was to plan for downtime. Plan to go back to your room midday for a nap or even a quick swim in the pool. Also, give yourself a day or two to rest midweek. My family loves "pool days". My DD is 8 now and we still plan for downtime. The parks are awesome and tons of fun, but are exhausting.

I agree...mid day nap or swim (or shop while husband and kids swim or nap) is a priceless tip! Also, since you will be able to rest in the afternoons (the heat of the day and most crowdes) you should definately take advantage of the extra magic hours(especialy the morning ones). It is worth it and you can get some great pics of the castle before it gets too crowded.

Another tip that helps us is we like to eat lunch at the resorts. You can take the monorail from mk and have a great quick lunch at the contemporary, not have to worry about finding a seat and not eating the same burger or chicken strips that is at most of the park quick service places.

Lastly, about the strollers, they are a great idea, but we found that the simple little umbrella strollers were the way to go if you are using disney transportation. They are much smaller and easier to get on the busses and monorail and such, and take far less time loading too.

Our first trip was when my youngest had just turned 3 and we loved it so much! Some of our best memories are from that trip! Have a magical time making your memories!

 

[newyorkmike]

Reading this reminded me of one more in the airport preparation category ... your children will likely need to go through the "people scanner" at security on their own. A bit of strategy can be useful here - send one parent, then both kids, then the other parent. (I only mention this because even the 16 month olds were required to walk on their own through the scanner at MCO on our flight home ...)

My wife has carried our son through the scanners as recently as this past President's day weekend and he turns 3 in April. I don't think he would mind walking through the scanners, but he could be just as inclined to start playing with it or begin a game of hide and seek. Let's just say he is an explorer!