First Family Trip to WDW - 19/08/13 - 2/09/13

[minirock]

Hi All,

Complete surprise for Wife and Kids, they do not know yet!!
Kids - 5 year Old, 2 Year Old and 5 Month old (at time of travel). All Boys.
All booked for Disney Florida, staying at POFQ for 2 weeks, Flying from Heathrow with BA, indirect via Miami.
14 Day Disney Pass and free QSDP.
Disney Magical Express also booked.

Reason for choosing POFQ was. Hope I made right choice here.

1. Free QSDP on the moderate resort.
2. Smaller resort with small kids
3. Good Bus transport (less busy, first stop / drop off etc)
4. Kids will love the Pool (Dragon Slide)
5. Boat Option into Downtown Disney.

My Wife and I have been before, but not with the Kids.
We will be taking over our Phil and Ted Double pushchair, for Baby and 2 Year Old.

Any Tips?

1. I understand my 2 Year Old, whilst he will enjoy the disney magic and the smallers rides (especially water parks and hotel pool), is probably too young to remember much about this trip. And the 5 Month Old, will just be coming along for the ride.

2. I also understand the trip there and back, well, will be hell.

3. I also know that whole days in the parks will be a no go with the young kids, probably splitting up days, with a Morning trip to MK, then back to hotel for Pool and maybe another trip out to AK PM for example. Doing a small part of the park each trip.

I am very excited, also need to release the surprise to the family.
Any advice on how and when (how long before trip) to do this?

Thanks All.

 

[zippy99]

Welcome! You are in the right place for advice!

My children are teens and I never visited when they were young so hard to give tips on that matter - but I am sure someone else will help

I loved French Quarter for all the reasons you said - not too big! and the beignets are to die for! - great choice!

We are also flying BA on 19/08 via Miami (Dept 9.45am - arrive 17.20 in Orlando) - May see you on the flight!

Happy planning!

 

[queendisney]

Hi All,

Complete surprise for Wife and Kids, they do not know yet!!
Kids - 5 year Old, 2 Year Old and 5 Month old (at time of travel). All Boys.
All booked for Disney Florida, staying at POFQ for 2 weeks, Flying from Heathrow with BA, indirect via Miami.
14 Day Disney Pass and free QSDP.
Disney Magical Express also booked.

Reason for choosing POFQ was. Hope I made right choice here.

1. Free QSDP on the moderate resort.
2. Smaller resort with small kids
3. Good Bus transport (less busy, first stop / drop off etc)
4. Kids will love the Pool (Dragon Slide)
5. Boat Option into Downtown Disney.

My Wife and I have been before, but not with the Kids.
We will be taking over our Phil and Ted Double pushchair, for Baby and 2 Year Old.

Any Tips?

1. I understand my 2 Year Old, whilst he will enjoy the disney magic and the smallers rides (especially water parks and hotel pool), is probably too young to remember much about this trip. And the 5 Month Old, will just be coming along for the ride.

2. I also understand the trip there and back, well, will be hell.

3. I also know that whole days in the parks will be a no go with the young kids, probably splitting up days, with a Morning trip to MK, then back to hotel for Pool and maybe another trip out to AK PM for example. Doing a small part of the park each trip.

I am very excited, also need to release the surprise to the family.
Any advice on how and when (how long before trip) to do this?

Thanks All.

Think you've got it sussed
Not sure about when to release the surprise but I know for sure that I would NEVER be able to not say anything and would let on by about the first week after booking
By the way, the bus from POFQ doesn't always go there first, in some instances which for the life of me I can't remember it goes to Riverside first (I think one of them is DTD as that sort of rings a bell) then goes on to French Quarter. Sometimes if its busy they don't share buses at all and they put on individual resort buses. I remember that clearly as one day the line from the MK to Riverside was prob the longest of them all and the FQ bus had about 10 people in it so we hopped across and caught that bus and walked the 10 mins to Riverside! Beat most of the line home by ages.

By the way Welcome to the forum

 

[Ciorsdah]

What a lovely surprise! I bet they will LOVE it!

I remember being taked to WDW as a child and being totally amazed at everything, and I mean everything! Don't be surprised if your 2 year old spends ages looking over the bridges into the water or is mesermised by some detail - what they see isn't always what we see as adults!

I dont have any small children at all, but I would say to you to enjoy every moment and try your best not to get pulled into the rushing here, there and everywhere.

I've read elsewhere that some parents find taking a small toy into the park to entertain their child whilst standing in line has helped keep the wee one from a meltdown.

Take LOADS of pictures. My parents took so may pictures of me duringm y first visit, that whilst I can't remember it, I can look back the pictures and see how happy I was and how much fun I was having - which is just as good as memories

Biggest tip of all: ENJOY YOURSELVES!

 

[minirock]

Welcome! You are in the right place for advice!

My children are teens and I never visited when they were young so hard to give tips on that matter - but I am sure someone else will help

I loved French Quarter for all the reasons you said - not too big! and the beignets are to die for! - great choice!

We are also flying BA on 19/08 via Miami (Dept 9.45am - arrive 17.20 in Orlando) - May see you on the flight!

Happy planning!

I am on the 11.15am - arrive 20.00 in Orlando. So won't see you!
Are you staying French Quarter this time?

 

[minirock]

What a lovely surprise! I bet they will LOVE it!

I remember being taked to WDW as a child and being totally amazed at everything, and I mean everything! Don't be surprised if your 2 year old spends ages looking over the bridges into the water or is mesermised by some detail - what they see isn't always what we see as adults!

I dont have any small children at all, but I would say to you to enjoy every moment and try your best not to get pulled into the rushing here, there and everywhere.

I've read elsewhere that some parents find taking a small toy into the park to entertain their child whilst standing in line has helped keep the wee one from a meltdown.

Take LOADS of pictures. My parents took so may pictures of me duringm y first visit, that whilst I can't remember it, I can look back the pictures and see how happy I was and how much fun I was having - which is just as good as memories

Biggest tip of all: ENJOY YOURSELVES!

Will be taking lots of Pictures / Video, also toys to keep them amused.

 

[minirock]

Think you've got it sussed
Not sure about when to release the surprise but I know for sure that I would NEVER be able to not say anything and would let on by about the first week after booking
By the way, the bus from POFQ doesn't always go there first, in some instances which for the life of me I can't remember it goes to Riverside first (I think one of them is DTD as that sort of rings a bell) then goes on to French Quarter. Sometimes if its busy they don't share buses at all and they put on individual resort buses. I remember that clearly as one day the line from the MK to Riverside was prob the longest of them all and the FQ bus had about 10 people in it so we hopped across and caught that bus and walked the 10 mins to Riverside! Beat most of the line home by ages.

By the way Welcome to the forum

Yes, the surprise is hard to keep, booked back in Jan, and have got past the initial excitement.
Not sure whether to release surprise as either.

1. In next couple of weeks, as Baby due to be born (5 months at time or Disney Holiday), and have it as a present from the baby to the kids.

2. Birthday treat, as all family's birthdays are May/June.

3. Or, on the morning of departure!!

 

[Tinkerpeas hubby]

Yes, the surprise is hard to keep, booked back in Jan, and have got past the initial excitement.
Not sure whether to release surprise as either.

1. In next couple of weeks, as Baby due to be born (5 months at time or Disney Holiday), and have it as a present from the baby to the kids.

2. Birthday treat, as all family's birthdays are May/June.

3. Or, on the morning of departure!!

Well I for 1 would not surprise the wife morning of she would kill me! Lol, and she LOVES surprises!
We actually surprised our 3 boys on our last trip morning of, we had told that we was taking them away for a few days on a surprise trip to either Alton towers or lego land they had a 30 day countdown chart so they got to get excited about " something" the morning of it was our sons 10th birthday and we got him a cake that said surprise were going to Disney world on it, we stopped off at McDonald's (original plan was Frankie and bennys but when we got their it was freezing so the only place was McDonald's across the rd) we brought a few presents for the journey like a new back pack and wallet with dollars in a slanky for the plane and sunglasses etc, we got them to light the cake after they opened some of their presents, they all blew out the candles and then one of our twins read the cake, and then looked at us ......it was an amazing moment when he realised and the others clicked shortly after, we then had at least 10 mins of crying and screaming it was brilliant!

So surprising the kids on the day worked perfect! We had jet this secrete for over 13 months!!!! ( never thought the wife would manage haha.
But if I surprised my wife like that she would melt down rushing around trying to make sure all her summer stuff fit etc and then freaking when she didn't have everything she wanted.
So make sure she has enough time between being surprised and flying to Disney to sort out her own clothes etc for the trip

 

[janeyb]

Hi there,

What a great surprise for everyone. If you do plan on leaving it until the last minute bear in mind all the things that you'll have to think about for the baby.

I am off to POFQ with my family in May (DH, DD's and new baby). When this was booked I had planned on BF the baby however she was born with lots of digestive problems, one being Lactose Intolerance and is now on prescription formula. We will either have to purchase a Steriliser from Walmart or, probably the best option, a microwave for £40 and take along the microwave steriliser. We have checked with POFQ and it is fine for us to do this. Just something else to think about if formula feeding.

We have taken both the other girls from the age of 12 months and to be honest they just go with the flow and we just take the day as it comes, as long as they have a pushchair then they're fine! The baby centres at the parks are great as well. Although we usually stay at AKL, this time we have chosen POFQ for the reasons you have as well as the option of walking along the river in the evening with the pushchair and for me to use the boat to DTD on my own with the baby whilst my husband takes the other two swimming for hours at a time!!!

The other things that I have bought for this trip with the baby being so young are;

Snoozeshade - from Jojo Maman Bebe. I saw a lady with one last week and she told me it was the best thing she'd bought. I bought one straight away and it's been amazing. My baby gets really distracted when out and about and desperate to get to sleep and since I bought this she goes out like a light. Not only has it UPF 50 protection which will help against the strong sun, but it's made of mesh which will keep the mozzies at bay, especially next to the river. You may already have something like this because I know that Phil and Teds do a sunshade.

I also bought some yellow coil bands from Jojo Maman Bebe (£5 each) which are deet free and the children just pop them on wrists to keep mozzies away. I am going to put it on the baby's ankle. I'll let you know if they work!

Also I guess you already have, however have you booked your plane seats yet? The advantage of travelling with a baby is you save on having to pay extra to sit together as there are only so many skycots for the babies and at certain points on the plane, so you have to sit in a certain place. The BA ones are great, however they are first come, first serve and when we booked and went to chose seats, half were gone already.

The other thing that you may consider would be taking two umberella strollers. We took the Phil and Teds and never did again. The Umbrella strollers were so much easier on the buses when they were crowded plus the eldest that was underneath was able to recline and sleep easier (which was invaluable) as the bottom of the P&T's wasn't that comfortable. You could take along a buggy board to put on the back of one for your 5 year old who will get tired in the parks. Also I have read that sometimes the more expensive strollers go 'missing' at Disney (although I don't know how true that is).

I always tie a really bright pink and green spotty ribbon to the strollers and it makes it so much easier to spot them amongst the many that are in strollers parks outside rides. The other thing I always take is a waterproof cover for the heavy, short, sharp showers and leave it on when we go leave them for a long time. It have saved many a wet bottom and miserable child when returning to them later on!!

Hope some of this helps a little. Hope the surprise goes well, let us know how you do it. We did our first surprise trip for the children last year, the biggest surprise of all was arriving in WDW as a family of 4 and leaving as a family of 5!!!!!!!! Thats' the magic of Disney I guess!!!!!

 

[joolz1910]

We told our children about an hour before we were due to check-in for our flight. I think I would tell your wife before that though!

I would prepay for the photopass as you will get some great family photos.

P20 suncream as it only needs to be applied once.

Shade-a-babe.

Bulkhead seats on plane.

Happy planning!

 

[WiganTony]

With small children, it may be worth checking out the various busy days guides/crowd calendars to see which parks will be least busy on any particular day, then try and head there.

Also, familiarise yourself with the Fastpass system - it can save you plenty of time, again important with youngsters who may get bored standing in a queue for a long time. As I recall, Peter Pan in Magic Kingdom is the ride with a lot of children queuing - definitely one for a Fastpass here!!

When we visited last August, we only waited for more than 20 minutes once in one of the Disney theme parks using the above guides and Fastpasses.

If you are considering booking any character meals, I would suggest booking a breakfast or early lunch as again young children may start flagging around lunchtime or may fall asleep early evening - just as you are about to go into the restaurant!!!

When we first took our daughter, she was age 7, and every time we went into a park we showed her the cast members in their outfits and told her if she ever lost us to either find the nearest cast member, go to a ride entrance or into a shop and tell a cast membmer she was lost, then we could hopefully find her fairly quickly. We also made up some cards with our mobile numbers on them so that she could give the number to a cast member to contact us. Fortunately this never happened, but better safe than sorry.

If your children want to collect autographs, make sure you have quite a chunky pen for the characters to get hold of.

Also some freebies in Disney to look out for - Chip & Dales Campfire singalong at Fort Wilderness and Outdoor/Poolside Movies at the resorts - details here.

Most importantly, make sure you keep your camera/recorder charged up to capture those memories - they really are priceless.

Hope you have a fantastic time.

 

[orangetiggs]

We traveled with our twins at 23 months and then again just before three and they do remember! Its crazy what they do remember and they go so much out of it

We are taking them back this november for their forth birthday

We love pofq, we stayed there when i was pregnant and had a holiday there before twins were born and i loved it

 

[minirock]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Great to hear positive and useful info.

Was expecting to hear lots of 'there too young', 'wait a few years' etc.

I think it may be useful to tell the wife in advance.
When the baby is born, in the next week or so (and is healthy), I will get him added to flight and we can then pre-book our seats.

Thanks all

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Bulk head seat require that everything be stowed over head as you won't have a seat infront of you to store your things.

Remember AK closes early usually 5p.m. unless there are EMH then its 7 p.m.

I would at least give your DW at least a couple weeks notice so she has time to prepare.

You will have to let us know how you plan to surprise her. I would be interested to see how it all works out!

 

[Laurafoster]

We have been lucky enough to take my daughter several times. Her first trip was at 5months, then at 18months and 24months.

Each time she has been she has loved it - even at 5months. Now she remembers lots from her last trip. We show her photos/video alot so that helps.

We are taking her on her next trip in Sept which will be my sons first trip

Enjoy your planning.