Gay Uncle's first trip to WDW

[OH 6]

We're planning our first trip to WDW with our Best Friends (CSPs) and their new baby boy - he'll be a year old when we go.

We've been to WDW lots of times pre-baby - but know it will be completely different with the little one. The parents and us all need a vacation and know that we can do WDW at our own pace and will be managable in October with the weather and crowds.

As the gay uncles we want it to be a good trip and contribute where we can to the planning.

Does anyone have any suggestions? (other than to just stay home).

 

[ILuvDVC2]

I can relate to your situation as I've taken my nieces and nephews several times, but the youngest one we've ever taken was three at the time and that was a challenge. I can't say I can advise you on exactly what you'll need to do to plan for having a 1-year old at WDW, other than to say expect to spend a LOT of time in Fantasyland and at character greets!

The child-swap ride strategy for the adults actually helps a lot, because that way each parent can take turns riding an attraction that the little one can't go on due to the restrictions. Just ask the cast member at the start of the queue to get a child swap pass, and once it's time to ride the ride, one parent/uncle stays with the child while the other goes on the ride, then they swap places and the other parent/uncle gets to get right on the attraction.

We found that following the plan of getting to a park early in the day and staying until early afternoon worked best, because we'd go back to the resort for a nap and pool time before dinner. That was nice for both the kids and the adults and it helped us keep our sanity. This way if we wanted to go back to a park at night, we could and the kids could stay up with us (for the most part... we did wake them to watch the fireworks a couple times).

In addition, there are wonderful baby-sitting services that you should look into for an evening (or two) so the adults can enjoy a night out without the baby. That could be a tough sell if mommy or daddy don't want to leave the baby with a "stranger" while on vacation, so do the research first.

Have fun!

 

[OKW Lover]

Good suggestions so far. I'd add that anything you can do to give the parents a break from the child-care responsibilities will probably be a good thing. Maybe mind the child while the parents go out for a nice meal and private time some night

 

[OH 6]

Great suggestions, both! Thanks!! I had heard about the baby swap, but didn't know how it worked. We'll have to do that.

We too wondered about their willingness to resort to a babysitter...dad seems very unsure at the idea. Mom is OK with it, plus there's the possibility of bringing grandma who is more than happy to sit - she loves this grandbaby.

Keep the suggestions coming - I'm wondering about the shows/show type attractions now - can we ask to sit at the end of a row so they can make a quick exit if he gets really fussy?? They do that at Church every Sunday.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Have done Disney with a little one numerous times. Be sure to know where the baby care places are in each park. EPCOTs is the nicest, but each of them has a place to warm food and bottles, a limited selection of baby food and formula, diapers, OTCs to purchase, clean highchairs, baby changing facilities and the like.

Do what baby wants to do. You'll be surprised how much the little ones really enjoy the parks. They take in all the things you and I might miss. They are just as happy with music as they are with an attraction.

Yes, do have an exit strategy for any shows that may be too long or uninteresting for the baby.
Have some toys that baby is not familiar with to use when you are desperate to keep the child from crying.
Have a wonderful time. You'll truly enjoy Disney through the eyes of a child.

 

[PghLybrt]

We did Disney with my best friend this year for his little girls 1st birthday. Do fantasy land early in the morning. The lines are much more manageable. Be prepared to ride “It’s a small world” many times. I think that was her favorite ride.

The sitter. We used one and it was great. She was the nicest girl and she was simply adored. No problems there and we got a nice adult night out. (ok if truth be told we went to Universal Horror nights).

Characters, I guess depends on the kid. She was just not that into them so not standing in those lines saved us a lot of time!

 

[OH 6]

Great Suggestions! Thanks!! Keep em comin if you have any more.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Do kids that age like petting farms?

They have a nice one at Fort Wilderness and at DAK.

I agree 100% with the getting up early and going back to the room for a nap idea! Heck, even without kids thats a great game plan!

 

[NHdisneylover]

Hi Guys

Rio was 10 months old on our first trip and he truly loved his time at the world (as did his almost three year old big sister).

As previously mentioned, the baby care centers are great. Especially if the little one gets overstimulated and needs a chance to unwide.

Have parents pack some swim diapers and then put your nephew in them to run in the fountains throughout the parks (the little ones that squirt up water, Donald's boat, etc.) These are VERY fun for kids that age.

Childswap is a great thing. However, for rides you can fastpass or which have short liens it is even better to leave one or two adults with the little one playing in a fountain, at toontown park, etc while the other ones ride and then swap--that way the little one also has fun.
Be prepared to spend lots of time with characters. Also be prepared to totally avoid them--many kids this small are frightened by them and others are too young to even care yet.

Plan on being at the parks for park open (fewer crowds and nearly every toddler is at his best in the early part of the day). Maybe plan each evening to be for 2-3 individuals while the other(s) stay back with kiddo (give mom and Dad a night out, then you two and then one of you with mom, one with dad, etc. also--obviously if Grandma comes along even better).

Get off the beaten path and enjoy the "small" things with the little guy. They tend to be the most fun for this age. Some of our kids' favourite things as toddlers:
The aforementioned spray/foutnain type attractions
Toon Park
Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground (play WITH him)
Train
Small World (the music is a big thing at that age)
Labrynth bushes in UK pavillion
Model train in Germany pavillion
Animal trails in AK
"Shakey" bridge in AK
LIttle play area at exit to Splash mountain

DS (9 now) NEEDS my computer so I will think about it and post more later

 

[OH 6]

Mike - we took him to the zoo this weekend when we visited them for Easter, but at 6 months wasn't quite ready for the petting zoo. He does like petting their cat so maybe he'll be up for Ft Wilderness by then...

Thanks Hadley! Great tips!!

I just called and booked the room at Saratoga - no trouble getting the week leading in to Halloween...so the weather will not be really HOT...plus we can do a 'Not So Scary' at the MK one night in his costume.

Any restaurants to avoid? We do like to go to O'hana, LeCelier, Chef Mickeys, San Angel, Cindy's - they should all be fine right? I wondered about the Biergarten at Germany...but it always seems very noisy - is that a good or bad thing with travelling with a little one?

 

[jkCT]

Mike - we took him to the zoo this weekend when we visited them for Easter, but at 6 months wasn't quite ready for the petting zoo. He does like petting their cat so maybe he'll be up for Ft Wilderness by then...

Thanks Hadley! Great tips!!

I just called and booked the room at Saratoga - no trouble getting the week leading in to Halloween...so the weather will not be really HOT...plus we can do a 'Not So Scary' at the MK one night in his costume.

Any restaurants to avoid? We do like to go to O'hana, LeCelier, Chef Mickeys, San Angel, Cindy's - they should all be fine right? I wondered about the Biergarten at Germany...but it always seems very noisy - is that a good or bad thing with travelling with a little one?

Noisy is usually better early in the day. Noisy dinner + tired baby = cranky everyone. Be prepared with things to do- crayons, little toys, etc. and dinner will be more fun no matter where you eat.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I think Biergarten is a good choice. Buffets can be nice because food comes ASAP and if someone does have to walk around with a cranky baby that person can get HOT food off the line when they come back to eat (so Beirgarten and Chef Mickeys are particularly good).
The boats and volcano at San Angel should help keep him occupied at and the breads at Le Ceillier are likely to be good for him to chew on (ask to be near the fireplace if possilbe--babies like to watch flames
I don't have much expereince with Ohana (just been there once--and I know everyone loves it but it was very blah for us).
Coral Reef would be another good one (fun to watch the fish). The only place I can think of to really avoid would be Teppanyaki Grill (no need to risk burned fingers!).

Rio was GREAT about falling asleep on slow rides and then napping in the stroller at that age (it woked better for us than returning to the room as when we tried to do that he would fall asleep on the bus and then awaken as we tried to get off the bus and not sleep again. IF he is a good stroller napper that can be a FABULOUS time to do lots of childswapping and get in the grown up time Rides we could always count on Rio to fall asleep on were (if ypour nephew is breastfed these are also great places to nurse--sorry if that is TMI ):
TTA
C.O.P.
Ellen's Energy Adventure
American Adventure
Spaceship Earth

Also, almost all toddlers LOVE music. Things like Off Kilter, British Invasion, etc. should be great for him.

The toy store in the UK Pavillion has a train table and castle toy set up which little ones adore playing with.

Don't forget lots of sunscreen on the little guy and to make sure he is drinnking plenty of fluids!

Oh yeah, have a BLAST!

 

[wallyb]

Can't find where you said you were staying -
But this little story may come in handy-
I have a friend Barbara who scraped up enough money to take
her 3 nephews to WDW - halfway through the second day - in the Magic Kingdom -
Babs still in overdrive - With stars in her eyes and pixie dust in her veins -
wanting to make sure the kids saw everything and had a blast -
the nephews decide they'd prefer to go back to THE HOTEL POOL!
Babs was crushed.

 

[ILuvDVC2]

I have a friend Barbara who scraped up enough money to take her 3 nephews to WDW - halfway through the second day - in the Magic Kingdom - Babs still in overdrive - With stars in her eyes and pixie dust in her veins - wanting to make sure the kids saw everything and had a blast - the nephews decide they'd prefer to go back to THE HOTEL POOL!
Babs was crushed.

Replace "Babs" with "Steve" and I could tell almost the same story! It's very common that the kids enjoy the resort pools more than the time they spend in the parks. That's why I now plan pool time every day when I have the nieces/nephews along so they get their fix!

 

[wallyb]

Replace "Babs" with "Steve" and I could tell almost the same story! It's very common that the kids enjoy the resort pools more than the time they spend in the parks. That's why I now plan pool time every day when I have the nieces/nephews along so they get their fix!

Little Ingrates!

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

You are going to have SO MUCH FUN! One little hint that I would offer is to take a small pump bottle of Febreze with you -- it's amazing what that stuff can do.

 

[OH 6]

We now have Granny coming to sit with the little man - which is good for all

I was able to get ADRs for Lunch at LeCelier + Dinner at O'hana.

We're doing MNSSHP on the 28th - got the tickets today in the mail!

Any CMs going to be around that we should look up and say Hi? I'm always looking for a good CM to be my Scout when I'm finally ready to return to the Company.

 

[ConcKahuna]

Any CMs going to be around that we should look up and say Hi? I'm always looking for a good CM to be my Scout when I'm finally ready to return to the Company.

You should definitly stop by and say hi some morning!

Mike's good to visit too, and he has alcohol

 

[M4travels]

Mike's good to visit too, and he has alcohol

Agreed! We had a great visit with Mike in September....I'm sure it wasn't JUST the drinks.....

Michael

 

[OH 6]

Leaving tomorrow! Can't wait!! Of course, panic is about to ensue since packing has not yet begun...at least for the Uncles....not sure where the CSPs and Granny are with prep yet - we touch base tonight on the phone to confirm travel times, etc.

I'll have the PC and free access at our Home Away from Home ... you CMs can PM us with your where abouts if you want and we'll see if we can stop by...here's a pic of us and CSPs so you know who we are