Disney with a 2 & 4 year olds. Questions.

[LeesaD]

We will be going to Disney World for the first time in August 2011. It will be my husband, 2 sons and me. My sons will be just turning 4 and 2. Both of their birthdays are in the beginning of August.

One of my questions is will it be worth it to get the Water Park Fun and More added on to our tickets. Is there enough at the water parks and or Quest for a 2 year old to make it worth it?

Do you have any tips, things I should be aware of, advice... anything for a newbie to Disney? I have never gone before and my husband has only gone once when he was very young. I'm SO beyond excited about our trip but yet also nervous about our kids being young. (We plan on going to Disney every other summer at least with hopes of going every summer.)

I feel like I don't know exactly where to begin even. It all is a bit overwhelming but so very exciting. Heck, this website is even overwhelming.

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

First off, WELCOME!!!

Have you purchased a guidebook yet? It's the best place to start. Personally, I would recommend the Passporter. It is very concise and has great information. It is also in a format that you can read, set it down, and pick back up easy (great for parents of toddlers) vs. the craziness of the Unofficial guide. I love that book, but I'm feeling overwhelmed reading it and I've been to WDW lots!

Go through a guide book and mark up the attractions you are interested in. Once you make that list, you can guesstimate how many park days you'll need. Set your budget and figure out where you want to stay - on property, off, dining plan, paying out of pocket, drive, public transportation, etc.

Keep a list of questions to ask here and start keeping everything in a localized place. You'll start to see all of your info come together.

allears.net has a great listing of sample menus and prices to help you set you meal budget. If you fly, you can take Disney's Magical Express from Orlando MCO to your on property Disney hotel free of charge.

There is a lot of things to do to make the most out of your upcoming trip and you are going to find a lot of great ideas on here. You are starting at the right time in your planning. You'll be able to keep an eye out for rumors of deals, attractions refurbishings, etc. Be aware that the Magic Kingdom will be going through a major remodel when you are there. Fantasyland is being reworked and Toontown will be levelled.

Keep an eye out on mousesavers.com too. They are really good at posting the best ways to save on your vacation. Have you created a profile on the Disney website yet? Ordered a vacation DVD? Occasionally Disney will send out PIN codes to registered guests on the site that can save you money too.

Start slow and take your time. I don't think you can start booking in 2011 yet, and you won't have to worry about booking your dinner reservation until 180 days out. You've got lots of time!

Again, welcome, and good luck in your search!

 

[SpoiledDisFam]

Congrats on getting to go!
I went last June and my DD was 2 1/2yo, we chose not to do the Water parks with her because she hadn't had swim lessons yet. We figured the pool at the resort was enough for her and the older kids. We had previously done the WP & M option but we didn't use it all. If you really want to do that one day, IMHO, I would buy a single day admission.
On our next trip she will be almost 4 and I think that I am going to pass on that again for the next trip.

Have fun planning!!!

 

[Perditamarie]

I agree w/pp...wait for the Waterparks. We have found the pools to be very enjoyable, and like that we don't have to plan a day for it...we go to the pool just about every day, as it fits in with our touring breaks. We also want the kids to be really strong swimmers before we set them loose on a waterpark...no fun for us otherwise, between vigilant supervision and wondering every second they are out of your sight. Also, how much gear would you need to pack up to bring with you?

The kids will have so much fun at the parks and resort pool they won't know they are missing anything! Save the WPs for when they are older and ready for something "new" ...especially as you plan on visiting so much in the future. They would probably consider the squirty fountains at Epcot and DTD a fabulous waterpark!!

BTW, Welcome to the DIS!!!! Along with this site, I love to read the Unofficial Guide to deepen my knowledge about WDW!!

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

we just returned from a trip in october with our 4 yr old and 2 yr old. we also choose to skip the water parks. we stayed at movies and the pool we only had time for once in 8 days. the kids loved it! i love tl, but figured at this age they couldnt really enjoy it as much as i would. plus it was cheaper to go without. i didnt want to have to worry about the whole pool/swimming/water park aspect. plus if youre only there for a short stay, youre cutting into prime park time! this upcoming trip were still not going. perhaps next trip when they can both swim safely on their own and are a bit taller for the slides and such!

 

[BizziBee]

WOW can I relate! I am going to WDW leaving this Friday for a 2 day car drive then 5 days on site at ASMo. My son just turned 2 on the 14th of Jan and today my DD turned 4! I was at the parks when I was 5 months pg, like I am now, and my DD was 19 months at the time. I am really excited to see WDW through their eyes!

 

[PrncessA]

We just went on our first trip in September and our kids were 4 and 2 as well. If you want to know how our trip went I am writing a trip report about it. The link is in my signature.

As for the water parks option I am very glad we didn't try and fit it into our vaction and we won't be adding it until the kids are old enough to meet all the height requirments and can brave the slides alone. Our kids were more than thrilled with the pool at the resort and could have spend the entire vacation there.

 

[mjkacmom]

Another skip the waterpark vote. We went when my 2 oldest were 2 and 4, and I actually had to drag them away from the hotel pool to go to the parks! And after a couple of hours, they begged to go back to the pool! Which was fine - we were there on DH's company's dime, since he had a conference.

Although they now have no memory of the trip, we do.

 

[Megkel]

Hey! We just got back from a trip in October and our daughter was 3. We are now going back in Feb and she will be 4 so I hope I can help you out.

We didn't do the water parks. We did go to the pool once but we were happy spending all our time in the parks. Kelsey did like the pool at the hotel but was so excited with everything else going on she only asked to go once.

Kelsey is not the bravest kid, but she is more mature for her age. She didn't like the characters but has gotten over it and wants to see them this trip. Her favorite rides were Philhar Magic and the tea cups. She HATED it's a Bug's Life and refused to go on any other 3D movies afterward. She did Pirates of the Caribbean and Snow White (which was scary) and didn't like them. However she was willing to go on other rides. In Animal Kingdom she LOVED the safari ride. She is a huge animal fan and loved all the animals.

We had a hard time getting her to sit down for lunch and dinner. We had the dinning plan and made sure to eat early.

I hope you have a good trip, and not too stressed over it!

 

[treehugnmama]

wow I can't believe all the "skip the water park" votes!!!

I took my kids at 2 and 4 and again at 3 and 5 and we are going again at 3 and 5 in 4 weeks.

We loved the waterparks. we have been to both blizzard beach and typhoon lagoon. We preferred typhoon lagoon but really enjoyed blizzard beach as well. Both trips it was one of fav parts of the trip.


There was a ton for them to do....it was low key and as relaxing as you can get with a two and 4 year old



We are hoping that it is warm enough in march to go again.

remember you can always not get the waterpark and more option but add it on when you decide to go if you do....thats what caa told me anyways.

have a great trip

 

[everylastbreath]

I vote skip um.. Long lines, height requirements, stay at a hotel with a waterslide like the boardwalk or beach club.

 

[jstouder]

We skipped the water park. Our son who is 2 was quite content swimming in the WL pool. I would wait until they are older. Since this is your first trip I would focus on visiting the parks.

 

[Goofdad]

We went with our 2 yr old daughter.
and had a great vacation.

1. Many people said she was too young, so we had NO expectations. We did not power tour through the parks. We did not expect to see every big ride and in fact, we saw very few rides.

2. She was more interested in Characters and Playgrounds than rides (though Small World was her favorite then). Character Meals were a huge hit.

3. She was thrilled with the Resort pools. We didn't need a water park, the pools were a water park for her and still relaxing for us. The staple advice of "go back to the resort pool mid-day for lunch and rest" worked great for us. She'd usually end up napping and we'd have a nice lunch.

4. Over the course of one week, we watched our little girl go from being shy and scared of characters to running up to and hugging/kissing/talking to them. It was very cool to see her grow.

5. Second to characters were fireworks and parades. She could not get enough of 'em.

Between Characters, Fireworks, Parades, Resort pools, a few rides, and the entire atmosphere that is Disney (monorails, palm trees, and pixie dust) it was wonderful for her and us.
It was the first time I had ever gone to Disney and even cared about Characters... all I ever cared about was rides.
This is where I realized that Disney will be a different adventure for my children each time we go... as they grow, DisneyWorld will provide a different type/flavor vacation for them right thru adulthood.
Our next trip is coming up soon, and our 2 year old is now 4 (to go along with a baby brother). This time it's Princesses, Shows, Fireworks/Parades and all the kiddie-rides (Dumbo, BuzzLightyear, Aladdin's Carpets, Philharmagic, etc).
It will be a while before we ever get to Aerosmith's Roller Coaster, Space Mountain, and Tower of Terror... but I'm not worried and I don't feel that we're missing out. The kids will be ready for all that someday, but until then I'm enjoying where they are at now.

P.S. The family/baby changing facilities in Disney are amazing. The one we used in AnimalKingdom was like an Oasis of cleanliness, rest, and reprieve with couches and TVs for your family to recoup in. I assume they are like this in all parks.

 

[monorailsilver]

I wouldn't do a water park either. I still haven't with my kids (my oldest was 7 the last time we went).

She finally learned how to swim the previous year or two & I didn't think she was ready. She was AOK with the Poly slide so my dh & I would take turns sitting in the hot tub area waiting for her to come down & watch her climb back up the stairs.

My other 2 at the time were 5 & 2. The 5 year old just taught himself to swim that summer & I didn't feel very comfortable going to a water park knowing he wasn't a great swimmer at that time.

And then there was my 2 year old so if we went, one of us would have to stay with her while the other took the 2 kids on slides, etc.. & really had to watch them.

I do plan on going to a water park when we go again in 2 years (yay I can finally say 2 years) because my oldest will be 10 & she is fish these days & my son will be just shy of 8 & is a fish in the low end, swimming to the bottom of the pool & hopefully this year he will be jumping off into the deep end (he only does low end jumping).

And my youngest will be 6 & she was just starting to dunk her head fully underwater & thinks she can swim (maybe this year?).

So no I would just let them swim at the hotel pool this way you can relax a bit (well not really but it is more calm).

 

[LeesaD]

Thank you all so much for replying to my questions. I've decided that we will not be getting the water park tickets since they won't be able to swim. I wouldn't want to waste that amount of money to only be there for a few hours in the kiddie pool. We'll just stick to our hotel pool.