April trip... What do I need?

[lolobug]

Hello Dislovers!
We are headed to the World somewhere between the 15th and the 26th of April! There will be four of us, DH and myself, as well as DD (6) and DD (4). We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge.
First off, is the stroller issue. DD(4) will get tired and want to be carried, she always does. The problem is when DD(4) is in a stroller (especially at night) DD(6) is going to be complaining about walking! Thoughts? I know the 6 year old is old enough to walk but understand, it will be an issue.
Second, what should I pack for April in FL? I am planning on clothing that wicks away sweat, loads of sunscreen and bathing suits. Do I need sweatshirts? Wind breakers? Thoughts?
Also, what do you bring into the parks? The last time we went, we traveled with our BOB Duallie and had a big squishy cooler with food and a backpack with supplies (park maps, hand sanitizer, quarters and pennies for the machines, extra clothes, etc). If we are traveling with a much smaller stroller what stays and what goes?
Thanks!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Sometimes it gets chilly at night, so I would bring at least something long sleeved for sure.

Your kids could always switch off with the stroller, right?

Even my 8 yr old hopped into the stroller when I was holding DS, lol.

We typically are able to carry everything in a backpack.

April is the best time to go! We love it! Enjoy!

 

[Thing 1]

Sharing a stroller, with you setting rules may work for you. Also consider if a boogie board would fit on your stroller. It will allow the 6 year old to at least grab a ride sometimes. Another option is to rent a double from the park as needed or rent a double from off site though I really doubt you would need that all the time. By age four, we simply did not carry extra things into the park. WE had Either a small cross body bag or cargo pants to carry needed epi pens and used phone as camera and carried that in pockets. It will mostly be warm to very warm in April but we never travel without a light jacket and maybe a light pair of pants. Shorts and bathing suits would make up most of your clothes.

 

[skuttle]

We were at WDW Easter week this past year (also at WL!), so early April. We went swimming almost every day. A couple of nights while swimming it was a little chilly due to the wind, but not bad. We wore shorts and T-shirts the entire time. Didn't even bring pants or a jacket based on the forecasts we looked at before. I think it hit the 90s during our trip.

Our youngest two are 18 months apart (one will be 5 in January and the other turned 3 in August). We still bring our double stroller to WDW since we still have it and have the room to bring it. It avoids the inevitable complaining that would happen if only one was in a stroller. They haven't used a stroller around home in a very long time (at least a year), but both of them used it often at WDW during our last trip right before Christmas. We often made them sit just because it was easier to get around the park that way, and it helped them not get so tired so quickly.

We never carry much into the parks. We brought a bag with a few bottles of water, extra clothes, and sunscreen that fit at the bottom of our stroller. In my cross-body bag I carried the camera, hand sanitizer, wallet, and cell phone/charger. And we had a wet wipes thing that strapped to the stroller. That was it.

 

[Stacyleigh1999]

We are going to be there April 15-23rd with our 6 and 4 yr old girls and our 2 yr old boy! We plan on renting a double and they can switch off. My 6yr old will complain of being tired.

 

[SweetMissy]

We went April 2013 and swore we would never go that close to summer again....then went the following May 2014. No, we'll never go when it's that hot again. It was 90+ degrees the whole time....too hot for us! We personally didn't need something warmer at night but I guess it can get chilly some nights. At that age, we rented a double stroller. Just to be safe, I would if I were you or you could just have them take turns. Have fun!

 

[lolobug]

Thank you, everyone!

 

[Tigerlily125]

we rent a double stroller from orlando stroller rentals when we go. my 5 year old fit last year -- hoping she still does this year!

 

[Babydreamz]

April is an awesome time to go. We will be there 23rd to 30th. Bring a hoodie or sweater in case it gets chilly at night.

Also look into those stroller boards that hook on the back so that your 6y.o. can hop on for a ride. Or even switch off and sit while your 4y.o. hops on the board.
We have the Joovy Bumprider and its great cause its universal and will fit on most strollers.

 

[kohlby]

We had two trips with a 6 and 3 year old. (One also had a baby, who was in the sling the whole time. The other had a 9 year old). The first 6 and 3 situation had a huge 6 year old. Our stroller only was up to 50lbs, so we prepared him for not using the stroller. We told him we would stay in the parks as long as everyone acted like they could handle it. My kid who hated walking and complained all the time about it suddenly had no issues and didn't need the stroller at all - and our touring would have been tough on most adults that trip. The other 6 and 3 year old trip had both kids under 50lbs, so either could fit in our stroller. The 6 year old didn't expect to sit in the stroller, since she thought it was for little kids. However, if the 3 year old was walking, we would offer it to her. Having one single stroller worked well. The only thing we made sure we were prepared for was night. If you don't think one parent can easily carry the 4 year old at night, then I'd get a double.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

hopefully you know the Wilderness Lodge has huge construction going on through 2017. Apart from that, we are using a double stroller for our April trip. DD4 can sit/stand and DD 1 can almost fully recline. We have the Joovy ultralight. It has a small basket that you can barely get to. We are bringing along our Jansport Big Student back pack. It weighs nothing, lays flat as a shirt, and expands so huge. We can fit DD's potty chair in the big part. We found a new travel potty that uses bags, has a seat that goes down over the bag, and twists up or down for height adjustment, graco twisting travel potty, i already put it in the biggest compartment and it is lost in there. When DD4 is not in the stroller we put the backpack on the seat. If we dont want to bring it along, we tie it to the stroller backwards so the pouches are inward facing. We are planning on packing as light as possible. Last trip, in October i thought i packed well, but it was too much, and overwhelming to feel like you are in your room and wanting to hurry up to go do things and you can't find what you are looking for... and DH is like where's my socks! So this trip i'm going to simplify as much as possible. I wanted to do like one bag for each person so their stuff is all in there, but then some things dont fit here, are put there, forgotten where.., and odds and ends put here and there, plus a few things combined in a bag incase they lose a bag..anyways, pack light, try to organize ahead of time. If your stroller's handles are able to do it, put the backpack on the stroller handles. Our Joovy cant do that, but we can tie it on or put it on the seat. have a great time! only 3 months!

 

[JessieH]

We are going in March for our first time! With a 4 and 7 year old. I know that the older will complain about being tired of walking and dad will end up carrying him out of the park...we are planning long days. Rented a double stroller from kingdom strollers. Price wasn't much different.

 

[lolobug]

We are going in March for our first time! With a 4 and 7 year old. I know that the older will complain about being tired of walking and dad will end up carrying him out of the park...we are planning long days. Rented a double stroller from kingdom strollers. Price wasn't much different.

So you are renting a double for your 4 and 7 year old? I'm thinking of doing the same.

 

[lolobug]

Thank you all for your input

 

[lolobug]

What kind of shoes do we wear in April? Sneakers? Sandals?