Disney (Orlando) May 09. Many Questions

[Miracle07]

Hi Everyone

My husband and I will be traveling to Disney with our son who will be close to turning 2 by the time we go. We own a Time Share (SVV) so we wont be staying on any Disney resort. Here are my questions:

1. Will my son (who will be close to 2) be able to ride on some rides? Like Dumbo ect.
2. Other than Magic Kingdom and Sea world (shamo) where else should we take him? Someone suggested Animal Kingdom, but isn’t that really for adults?
3. Can we bring our own lunch and drinks into Disney? I don’t want to spend a ton of money on lunch.
4. Where is the best place for me to get tickets? I went on line to Disney and they are selling for $70 something per person. My son will go in free.
5. Do I need to bring a copy of my son’s birth certificate for proof of age at the gate?
6. Can we do the lazy river with him?
7. What non-Disney outings can we go to on rainy days?
8. What is the weather like in May?
9. And finally, is it crowded in May?

Can you tell it’s our first time going? We are very excited and we’re already starting to count down. 9 more months … hey it’s better than a year right. Any response advice / tips would also be appreciated

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Let's see

Your son, depending on his height will be able to ride most rides in all the parks. At 2, there were only about 5-6 rides in ALL of WDW that she couldn't ride.

Ticket prices are pricey if you buy 1 day tickets. Buy length of stay tickets and you will save a lot of money. We find all the parks appropriate for the kiddos. At 2, DD wasn't that thrilled by Epcot but that's a matter of opinion. Some littles ones love it.

Yes, you can bring food and drinks into Disney. You can't bring a hard plastic cooler of food...but you can bring food.

You will not need a birth cert. That being said, when we travel, we always take a copy just in case.

Yes, you can take him on the lazy river (he'll need a life jacket)

There are plenty of things to do in the rain. Throw on a poncho and do what you will normally do!

I have never been in May, I have had friends go in May (including one this May). When she went, it was hot and pretty crowded (she goes yearly at different times and she said that she was surprised at the crowd levels)

 

[AUDramaQueen]

We've been when my DD was 2 and when DS was 2. They had a ball and actually weren't really afraid of anything unless it was too loud.

1. Your son can ride anything that doesn't have a hight restriction, which is quite a lot of stuff. Plus don't forget all the shows!

2. Does you son like animals? Then he will love Animal Kingdom. Not sure why anyone would say i was for adults only. They have the safari and a few nature walks where you can view animals. Plus they have Lion King show and the Nemo show which are great! Hollywood studios has Playhouse Disney Live and Toy Story Midway Mania. Epcot has the Seas with Nemo and Friends. And my kids loved Living with the Land Do you have to narrow it down to 2?

3. We have always brought snacks and water bottles in with no problem. I have heard others brining in small coolers, but I can't speak personally about that.

4.I have heard good things about mapleleaf.com for tickets, but have not used them myself.

5. My DS was a big 2 year old, but we never were asked and didn't bring any prrof. If it would give you piece of mind, then bring it.

6. Yes, you can do the lazy river at the water parks with him.

7. Not sure about this one. We head to the parks even on rainy days.

8. The beginning of May isn't too bad. Toward Memorial Day it starts to get more humid and hotter.

9. Like the weather it's not too bad until Memorial Day when kids start to get out of school. You will still have a bit of crowds cause Disney always seems to be busy now. We try to get to the parks as close as possible to opening and you can usually get a lot down with little waiting.

You'll have a blast and find out all kinds or things on these boards. Good luck and happy planning!

 

[Miracle07]

So I cant bring a 'Hard Plastic' cooler, but I can bring a soft fabric cooler on wheel?

We have a life jacket for him at home, do I need to bring that or can I rent one for him?

 

[ScotsMinnie]

Hi Everyone
Done this two times now with kids a similar age so thought I would pass on some experience!

My husband and I will be traveling to Disney with our son who will be close to turning 2 by the time we go. We own a Time Share (SVV) so we wont be staying on any Disney resort. Here are my questions:

1. Will my son (who will be close to 2) be able to ride on some rides? Like Dumbo ect.
He will and he will love it! My DD liked most things we took her on but not the 3d shows - those scared her.
2. Other than Magic Kingdom and Sea world (shamo) where else should we take him? Someone suggested Animal Kingdom, but isn’t that really for adults?
Animal Kingdom is great for little ones as there is so much to see. the safari is great - lots of animals to see. The 2 walking trails are also good for little ones. My DD loved digging for Dino bones at the Boneyard. I would also say Epcot is good. Not a huge amounts of rides but for grown ups there are so many must sees. Little ones can do the Epcot Funstops at the big rides while you do a baby swap. They colour in little bits of card which attach to a lanyard - a different one at every stop.
3. Can we bring our own lunch and drinks into Disney? I don’t want to spend a ton of money on lunch.
I tend to bring plenty of snacks and you can bring in food for little ones. I would also recemmend bringing in plenty of water. We half fill bottles and freeze with the the lids off. In the morning we top them up so they stay cool all day.
4. Where is the best place for me to get tickets? I went on line to Disney and they are selling for $70 something per person. My son will go in free.
We buy ours before we go but we are based in the Uk so it is cheaper that way for us. Don't know about the US, sorry!
5. Do I need to bring a copy of my son’s birth certificate for proof of age at the gate?
I wouldn't have thought so but don't know for sure.
6. Can we do the lazy river with him?
yup!
7. What non-Disney outings can we go to on rainy days?
Maybe we are just hardy but we would still go tot he parks on rainy days. In May you can maybe expect to see some rain most days but the showers pass quickly. We just pop on out ponchos and get on with it. We have a good raincover for our stroller so little one stays dry anyway.
8. What is the weather like in May?
Great but I would imagone you may see rain most days but as I have said it won't be for long - wait in a doorway!
9. And finally, is it crowded in May?
Not sure! We usually go in early June and its reletively quiet!

Can you tell it’s our first time going? We are very excited and we’re already starting to count down. 9 more months … hey it’s better than a year right. Any response advice / tips would also be appreciated

I would do a lot of research on here first. I got such good advice on here before we went. Have fun!
Lx

 

[Miracle07]

you guys are AWESOME! Fast response, great adivce. I'm so glad I was pointed here.

 

[happymommy]

We took our kids when my DD was 2 (DS was 4).

They LOVED Epcot! It is bigger, so seems less crowded. Basically, they just had fun no matter what we were doing. Also, Animal Kingdom they loved, but I agree the Bugs 3D show was a bit scary for them. The animals are so fun to see, it is great!

I would personally focus on one type of park, either do Disney or Seaworld - Disney is so big and there is so much to see and do. We still have never taken our kids to the waterparks, since the pools at the resorts were always enough (I know you're not staying at a Disney resort, but for a little one any pool is usually enough). I would buy your tickets directly through Disney - you can get the length of stay tickets at the parks, so no need to buy ahead of time. It is much more cost effective to get the length of stay tickets, and I highly recommend getting the park hopping option! We have always used this, as we can (for example) go to the Magic Kingdom early in the morning, then when it gets a bit crowded, go over to Epcot (where we much prefer the counter service food, especially in Future World). Plus, the monorail ride over there is fun for the little kids!

I used to always bring a backpack (definitely with a change of clothes for the kids) with some snacks in it. Also a small soft sided cooler with juices. No coolers on wheels allowed I think. As for water, any counter service place that has fountain drinks will give you ice water for free. So I don't bother bringing in water.

Definitely I'd bring your own stroller.

You don't need any proof of your son's age.

There is so much that you can all do together, as the PP's have said, very few rides and attractions are limited for your family. You can do fun things such as Winnie the Pooh (so cute!), the Teacups (don't spin me please!), the list goes on and on.

May should be fine, towards the end of the month it does get much more crowded and hot though. The beginning of the month is better for crowds.

 

[Miracle07]

I'm back with another question. I heard (thru this forum) about Grocer.com
But when I get there, I cant really find a grocery store when I click on Grocery it points me to a different website. I would like to order groceries and have them waiting for us so it's one less trip we'd have to make. Any adivce? We are staying at Shearton Vistana Villiage

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I'm back with another question. I heard (thru this forum) about Grocer.com
But when I get there, I cant really find a grocery store when I click on Grocery it points me to a different website. I would like to order groceries and have them waiting for us so it's one less trip we'd have to make. Any adivce? We are staying at Shearton Vistana Villiage

It's gardengrocer.com