All opinions please...

[Bellerella]

Hi everyone,
This will be our first trip to WDW. We are going 12/10-17th and staying at the Polynesian. We have 2 kids, DD who will be 4 3/4 and DS who will be 2 weeks shy of 2.

So...any and all suggestions you have would be much appreciated.

We did decide to buy a new side by side double stroller to take with us, as opposed to renting one, so we'd have it in the airports and to go back to the resort each night.

But any special tips you can think of would really be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[katie111]

Wewent 6 months ago with our 2.4 and 3.5 year olds. My biggest tip would be to get your kids to bed at their normal bedtime. I know this means forgoing late dinners and much of the nighttime activites but it is well worth it. One night we stayed up late to see a parade at MK and our next day was completely ruined. Had to take our hysterical daughter out of Chef Mickey's before we even got seated. It was awful & we definitely learned our lesson. Disney is exhausting & overwhelming enough without having tired kids. Also our kids were so excited every morning so they woke up earlier than normal.

Another tip would be to follow their lead. My kids favorite thing was the hotel pool. By 1 or 2 every day they would want to leave the parks & go swimming. Once we started following what they wanted to do we all had a much better time. Also, give them time to explore what interests them rather than just dragging them from ride to ride. For example, we thought they would hate the Epcot WS but they loved it. They loved looking in the stores, climbing up & down steps, seeing the various shows, etc. Just don't plan too much & you'll have a great time.

 

[Love the Mouse]

We went in May of this year when DD was 2 weeks shy of her 2nd birthday and we thought that we would let her nap in her stroller (she didn't)...she stayed up late to see fireworks. She was completely off her scheduled bedtime of 7:30pm. She was so overstimulated and so tired that it was a miserable trip. She was just a miserable child the whole time and we swore that we wouldn't go back till she was a little older.

Fast forward to September of this year...we go again, against DH's better judgement. We got up early and out to the parks when they opened or at least close to it.

We took her on all of the kiddie rides, let her run around Pooh's play area in MK, and each and every day we stopped what we were doing and went back to the room for a nap. We all napped for about 2-3 hours, got up and ready to go back and eat dinner and see fireworks, parades, etc.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!! She had fun, she was pleasant. What a joy to see Disney through her eyes for the "first" time. That had actually been her 5th trip, but all of the other times she had been so little that it really didn't click. But this time, what a joy!

I realized that being in the parks, being around all of those people, rides, characters...it was really too much for her. We needed to get her out of the parks and have "quiet time" back in the room.

That would be my biggest suggestion. I am one for staying on schedule, but in when in Disney and on vacation, I think things have to be altered, if just for a bit.

After we got home, it didn't take long to get her back on schedule and into her routine. She still looks at those pictures and gets excited to Mickey and Minnie.

Michaela

 

[ajcolorado]

Here are a few tips for enjoying your stay at the Polynesian resort:

1. Stop by the Island Guide desk located just at the entrance. Island Guides
will answer any questions you might have about the Polynesian islands. Be
sure to ask the Island Guide for the schedule of children's activities --
they run programs on lei and bracelet making, as well as other arts and
crafts.

2. There is a short Polynesian ceremony that welcomes the night, with an
authentic Polynesian dancer performing a traditional fire-knife dance, and
lighting the torches leading into the resort's Great Ceremonial House on
some nights at the Polynesian. Check with the Guest Services desk for the
days and time.

3. The Electric Water Pageant is a floating nighttime parade with
beautifully lit floats visible from the Polynesian resort. This might be
nice for your arrival day. For more information see:
www.buildabettermousetrip.com/activity-electricwaterpageant.html

4. You can ask to ride in the front of the monorail, although you may have
to wait until the next monorail. It is a neat experience.

5. Get a dinner reservation for Ohana, if available. This is a favorite of our family.

 

[mikkiwikki]

Wewent 6 months ago with our 2.4 and 3.5 year olds. My biggest tip would be to get your kids to bed at their normal bedtime. I know this means forgoing late dinners and much of the nighttime activites but it is well worth it. One night we stayed up late to see a parade at MK and our next day was completely ruined. Had to take our hysterical daughter out of Chef Mickey's before we even got seated. It was awful & we definitely learned our lesson. Disney is exhausting & overwhelming enough without having tired kids. Also our kids were so excited every morning so they woke up earlier than normal.

Another tip would be to follow their lead. My kids favorite thing was the hotel pool. By 1 or 2 every day they would want to leave the parks & go swimming.

I would TOTALLY concur with Katie111 - We never stayed up for the fireworks...it just wasnt worth it...the one time my dd 2yo missed her nap - she absolutely threw her first hysterical tantrum right in the middle of LTT.

After that we had the kids in bed every night at 8pm. Some would call us party poopers, but I really feel strongly that rest is so important to a childs health and well being. And I also agree that WDW is of course highly stimulating. To expect any child to go for 14 hours taking it all in is just asking for disaster. We learned our lesson.

And - regarding the pool - yes I read once that 2-7 yos were surveyed about the favorite part of their vacation ...9 times out of ten - the response is the pool. I always tried to keep that in mind on our trip.

 

[Bellerella]

Thank you everyone for your replies, definitely wont ditch naptimes...they are too important. We have a whole week (and I know that isn't really a lot of time) but I think we can definitely spare the few hours for naptime, in order to make everyone happy.

We do have an ADR for Ohana...but thanks for the rep there....glad to know I made a good decision...lol!

As far as the pool goes...it'll be December...will it really be warm enough to swim in December?

Of course we're from NY...so it'll probably feel like a 100 degrees after leaving mountains of snow behind...haha!

Thanks for the tips, keep 'em coming!

 

[katie111]

It will be warm enough, at least for the kids. We went last January & it was chilly when you got out of the pools but it was warm when you stayed under the water. And the hot tub was great, the kids loved putting their feet in it.

One thing we did before we left was to show the kids the Disney website. I showed them pcitures of all the rides, characters, and the hotel. They loved this and asked to look at it almost every day before we left. Young kids like to feel comfortable in their surroundings, so I think seeing everything ahead of time made them a lot more comfortable when we arrived.

Also, when we went my DD 3.5 was no longer napping but my DS 2.5 still was. When my son would nap, I would take my daughter & do something with just the 2 of us. One day we went to lunch, a couple days to the pool, and one day we walked over to MGM (we were staying at the BW) and DH and DS just met us there later. We had some great special times and it allowed my DS to have a quiet room to sleep in.

 

[monorailsilver]

When we went in August 2005, my kids were just shy of 4 1/2 & 22 months.

Pre-kids & growing up we always went back to the resort for a rest.

We brought breakfast & ate it in our room since our kids are slow eaters. We took turns taking showers while they were eating & whent they were done or nearly done (we'd take it with us) we'd go to the park.

We left the park around noon each day. Sometimes we'd have lunch in the park & other times we didn't & ate at the Poly.

Our kids napped (as did dh) for 2-3 hours each day (my dd didn't nap anymore but we made her sleep). When they woke up we either went in the pool for an hour or we'd go back to the park (sometimes they slept until 5) & watched the fireworks & do more rides.

I can tell you my kids were great. They didn't whine other then normal kid's daily whine fest. They loved the fireworks.

The first park day we didn't have our dd nap & she fell asleep by the time we got to Mexico & we ate at the Fountain View cafe (I think). So we let her nap & she woke up an hour later. I didn't like that so the next day we made sure she napped.

We'd be back to our room by 10:30 each night & I had their jammies all ready on the bed for them & we just had to put them in them.

BTW, the Poly is where I primarily stay & I love it for the ease with kids & getting to my 2 favorite parks.

Also when you get there ask for a bottom floor (if you desire) this way you & your dh can sit outside while the kids nap. My dh & I did this. We took turns doing laundry, going to get drinks, dh played video games while he was supposed to be checking on the laundry!