Going in Sept with 18 month-old twins

[ndjen04]

Sporadic reader/lurker - first time poster...

Anyway, my husband and I are heading back to WDW in September with our twin girls who will be 18 (almost 19) months old at the time. Last time we were there was September 2011, so lots to learn about FP+, magic bands, and all that has changed since then (new Fantasyland!!). PLUS the added fun of planning with two toddlers, so we are seeking any/all advice (or luck!!). Here's where we are so far with the planning - feel free to add any helpful tips or tell us we're completely crazy:

Booked Poly for the last week of September - hopeful for a room discount to come out, but budgeting for the current price just in case. Skipping the dining plan this time around with the understanding that flexibility will be key with the girls.

That said - I still want to book a few ADRs when our 180 day mark hits next week. Thinking 'Ohana for the character breakfast, BOG, Kona Cafe (DH has been craving the coffee rubbed pork since 2011!) among a few others.

Planning to order diapers, etc. ahead of time and have them shipped to the hotel.

Bringing our double umbrella stroller for the airport, but considering renting the City double from one of the offsite rental places since it looks as though it will be more comfy for the girls in the parks.

Definitely want to do the Halloween party - thinking we'll have a slow rest day that day and head to the park late afternoon after naps.

Overall, our plan is to take it easy, not push the girls too much, go with the flow. Which will be a complete 180 from how we usually spend our time in WDW. Past trips were filled to the brim with dining reservations, full days of park hopping, non-stop attractions, etc. (we once rode Star Tours 10 times in a row so DH could be the rebel spy...) So this will probably be a nice change of pace for us, too. Thankfully the girls are pretty easy going and love to be out-and-about now. We have gotten pretty good at gauging when they've had enough of something, need a nap, or a change of scenery.

That said, I think our easy-going trip will need lots of pre-planning ;-) . Any suggestions welcome. TIA!!

 

[Klayfish]

Father of 3 kids here, including a set of twins. We took them when the twins were about to turn 1, then when they were about 3 (then more, but that's getting beyond the scope of your questions). We stay offsite, as it's so much better for our large family. We also don't eat at WDW restaurants. We pack our own food and bring it in to the parks. So I can't help you with the ADR part.

As for general thoughts. Yes, if you're staying on site and don't have access to a car, have any supplies you'd need delivered to your room. Diapers, foods, etc... Have a good bag that can carry everything. We never rented a stroller, always brought our own. For the twins, at that age, we had a "nice" umbrella type. It wasn't the $15 Walmart special, but it wasn't the $200 "fancy" one either. Just a nice side by side with a canopy, and storage underneath. With the twins riding in it, there was enough weight in it so that we could hang our bag over the handle bars. That made life easier, as we didn't need to carry it. Or we stuck it underneath.

We have never really been planners, before we had kids, when they were babies, or even now...oldest turns 13 this weekend and the twins are 9. Back in the days when our twins were babies, FP+ was still paper, so we did spur of the moment planning. Wake up in the morning and decide what park to go to. But now with FP+ the way it is, we do plan out what park we'll be in that day. You have to do that to get your 3 FP+ for that day. But beyond that, nothing is "planned". We do our 3 FP+ and then decide what to do next, depending on a lot of factors...how tired the kids are, lines, etc... We always have park hopper, so we may decide to head to another park if we want. At that age, just be prepared to be flexible. If the twins are tired and cranky, either find a way to get them to nap in the stroller, or be prepared to call it a day. You won't get to do the rides you and DH were used to doing. It'll be a VERY different experience than when it was just the two of you. I won't lie, our first trip with the twins wasn't our favorite. It wasn't bad, but as I said, you can't do rides you normally would (unless you do ride swap), the twins won't understand much of what's going on, they may get cranky, etc... It's not a bad trip by any stretch, it's fun to watch them explore, but don't go into it with the expectation that the trip will be anything like the one you took in 2011. It won't be.

 

[brockash]

Sporadic reader/lurker - first time poster...

Anyway, my husband and I are heading back to WDW in September with our twin girls who will be 18 (almost 19) months old at the time. Last time we were there was September 2011, so lots to learn about FP+, magic bands, and all that has changed since then (new Fantasyland!!). PLUS the added fun of planning with two toddlers, so we are seeking any/all advice (or luck!!). Here's where we are so far with the planning - feel free to add any helpful tips or tell us we're completely crazy:

Booked Poly for the last week of September - hopeful for a room discount to come out, but budgeting for the current price just in case. Skipping the dining plan this time around with the understanding that flexibility will be key with the girls.

That said - I still want to book a few ADRs when our 180 day mark hits next week. Thinking 'Ohana for the character breakfast, BOG, Kona Cafe (DH has been craving the coffee rubbed pork since 2011!) among a few others.

Planning to order diapers, etc. ahead of time and have them shipped to the hotel.

Bringing our double umbrella stroller for the airport, but considering renting the City double from one of the offsite rental places since it looks as though it will be more comfy for the girls in the parks.

Definitely want to do the Halloween party - thinking we'll have a slow rest day that day and head to the park late afternoon after naps.

Overall, our plan is to take it easy, not push the girls too much, go with the flow. Which will be a complete 180 from how we usually spend our time in WDW. Past trips were filled to the brim with dining reservations, full days of park hopping, non-stop attractions, etc. (we once rode Star Tours 10 times in a row so DH could be the rebel spy...) So this will probably be a nice change of pace for us, too. Thankfully the girls are pretty easy going and love to be out-and-about now. We have gotten pretty good at gauging when they've had enough of something, need a nap, or a change of scenery.

That said, I think our easy-going trip will need lots of pre-planning ;-) . Any suggestions welcome. TIA!!

I'd def. rent the double citi mini...it worked great when we used it and at those ages, I'm sure someone will be napping at some point. I'd also say that for us, especially when we had younger kids, park hopping was just not worth it for us. It was just too much work to pack everything up leave a park and unpack, enter another one etc. We found that there's plenty to do to hold our attention at each park for at least a full day. Good luck...you guys will have lots of fun and make lots of memories, but you already know it's going to be a lot of work.

 

[ndjen04]

Father of 3 kids here, including a set of twins. We took them when the twins were about to turn 1, then when they were about 3 (then more, but that's getting beyond the scope of your questions). We stay offsite, as it's so much better for our large family. We also don't eat at WDW restaurants. We pack our own food and bring it in to the parks. So I can't help you with the ADR part.

As for general thoughts. Yes, if you're staying on site and don't have access to a car, have any supplies you'd need delivered to your room. Diapers, foods, etc... Have a good bag that can carry everything. We never rented a stroller, always brought our own. For the twins, at that age, we had a "nice" umbrella type. It wasn't the $15 Walmart special, but it wasn't the $200 "fancy" one either. Just a nice side by side with a canopy, and storage underneath. With the twins riding in it, there was enough weight in it so that we could hang our bag over the handle bars. That made life easier, as we didn't need to carry it. Or we stuck it underneath.

We have never really been planners, before we had kids, when they were babies, or even now...oldest turns 13 this weekend and the twins are 9. Back in the days when our twins were babies, FP+ was still paper, so we did spur of the moment planning. Wake up in the morning and decide what park to go to. But now with FP+ the way it is, we do plan out what park we'll be in that day. You have to do that to get your 3 FP+ for that day. But beyond that, nothing is "planned". We do our 3 FP+ and then decide what to do next, depending on a lot of factors...how tired the kids are, lines, etc... We always have park hopper, so we may decide to head to another park if we want. At that age, just be prepared to be flexible. If the twins are tired and cranky, either find a way to get them to nap in the stroller, or be prepared to call it a day. You won't get to do the rides you and DH were used to doing. It'll be a VERY different experience than when it was just the two of you. I won't lie, our first trip with the twins wasn't our favorite. It wasn't bad, but as I said, you can't do rides you normally would (unless you do ride swap), the twins won't understand much of what's going on, they may get cranky, etc... It's not a bad trip by any stretch, it's fun to watch them explore, but don't go into it with the expectation that the trip will be anything like the one you took in 2011. It won't be.

Thank you!

Our umbrella double stroller doesn't have much in the way of storage and it doesn't recline very well, which are the primary reasons for leaning toward the rental. Otherwise I love it for how small it folds which I figure will work great for the bus. If only I had the best of both worlds.

Definitely need to search for a good bag. Adding it to the list.

Yes, flexibility will be the theme of the trip. Which should be a nice change for us. Here's hoping!

 

[ndjen04]

I'd def. rent the double citi mini...it worked great when we used it and at those ages, I'm sure someone will be napping at some point. I'd also say that for us, especially when we had younger kids, park hopping was just not worth it for us. It was just too much work to pack everything up leave a park and unpack, enter another one etc. We found that there's plenty to do to hold our attention at each park for at least a full day. Good luck...you guys will have lots of fun and make lots of memories, but you already know it's going to be a lot of work.

Thanks! I'm not sure how much park hopping we'll do. But I'd like to have the option. That way we can spend some time at one park in the morning, head back to the room for a nap in the afternoon and try another park at night. We'll certainly play it by ear

 

[Klayfish]

Certainly do whatever is best for your kids, but if your current umbrella stroller doesn't work the way you want it, I would recommend just buying one that does. You can get deals on Amazon, WalMart or even Craigslist. Unless your visit is only 2 or 3 days, it'll be cheaper than renting. When the trip is over, if it's a useful stroller to you, keep it. If it isn't, either throw it out, donate it, or sell it. I know it sounds like a pain, but for our last trip that we had the kids in a stroller, we wanted to try out a double wide jogging stroller. No way I was going to pay rental prices. So we looked at the WDW area Craigslist and found a nice used one for $50. The seller met us right near our rented condo, it was perfect. We used it (turns out our kids didn't want to use it much anyway) for two weeks. Then at the end of the trip, I threw it back up on Craigslist and sold it to another vacationer looking for a stroller. Sold it to her for $40, and met her right at the TTC in MK. There's nothing "wrong" with renting, I think it's just a lot of spent money, when there are better ways to do it.

 

[VeronicaZS]

On our 1st trip our twins were 1 week shy of turning 3 (yay, no tickets). The fancy rented stroller was a God send and so convenient to have it dropped and picked up at the hotel. They come with a rain protector which came in very handy on our first trip but never used on our second trip, you never know with the weather. That reminds me that I also put cheap ponchos in the stroller, I didn't even need to take them out when folding up the stroller.

I would save any ADRs for breakfast or dinner, I found my boy's schedule was totally off and they got hungry at unexpected times during the day. Our fancy stroller was packed with all sorts of goodies (apple slices, bananas, peanut butter sandwiches, crackers, fishies, granola bars) that I had delivered to the hotel that I could easily whip out at the first sign of a melt down. I also packed back up outfits in zip lock bags, one hot day I let them get soaked in Casey's splash area. They had a blast and I didn't have to stress because I had a change of clothes.

We had fun on our first trip but it was a bit stressful. We had exponentially more fun on our last trip when the twins were almost 5 and are really looking forward to our next trip in November. It sounds like you already have a realistic expectation of what you will be able to accomplish which is probably the most important tip.

 

[kimfirstdisneytrip]

The take it easy/go with the flow approach will work well with young children. That is half the battle. We had our 3 FP's for each day, and an ADR, which were our "must do" priorities for each day, and then I had a separate "would like to do if we can" rough schedule, because pre-planning is really helpful. We had a 3 and 6 year old, and ended up doing a lot more than I thought we would.

Smart to bring a double stroller. Necessity. Best thing you will have with you.

The way you are planning to do MNSSHP sounds like it has the best chance of working. We opted not to do the party and because of that we didn't do mid-day rest at the resort. Kids held up pretty well all day (they don't nap anymore) and were zonked by evening. I think there was 1 or 2 days they did take a quick snooze in the stroller and that was enough to keep them going at the Park.

Use Rider Swap.

Good luck!!

 

[ndjen04]

Certainly do whatever is best for your kids, but if your current umbrella stroller doesn't work the way you want it, I would recommend just buying one that does. You can get deals on Amazon, WalMart or even Craigslist. Unless your visit is only 2 or 3 days, it'll be cheaper than renting. When the trip is over, if it's a useful stroller to you, keep it. If it isn't, either throw it out, donate it, or sell it. I know it sounds like a pain, but for our last trip that we had the kids in a stroller, we wanted to try out a double wide jogging stroller. No way I was going to pay rental prices. So we looked at the WDW area Craigslist and found a nice used one for $50. The seller met us right near our rented condo, it was perfect. We used it (turns out our kids didn't want to use it much anyway) for two weeks. Then at the end of the trip, I threw it back up on Craigslist and sold it to another vacationer looking for a stroller. Sold it to her for $40, and met her right at the TTC in MK. There's nothing "wrong" with renting, I think it's just a lot of spent money, when there are better ways to do it.

Thanks - I hadn't thought of that. Will do a bit of looking around. We bought the umbrella stroller we have because my husband does daycare pick up on his own. Once we switched from the carrier style car seats, he needed a way to get them out to the car since they don't walk yet. (We drop off together so I'm an extra set of hands). So I hadn't considered features for longer use (storage, reclining, etc). Though we have been using it more and more on the weekends instead of our larger tandem stroller so maybe selling this one and getting a better one for the trip wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[ndjen04]

On our 1st trip our twins were 1 week shy of turning 3 (yay, no tickets). The fancy rented stroller was a God send and so convenient to have it dropped and picked up at the hotel. They come with a rain protector which came in very handy on our first trip but never used on our second trip, you never know with the weather. That reminds me that I also put cheap ponchos in the stroller, I didn't even need to take them out when folding up the stroller.

I would save any ADRs for breakfast or dinner, I found my boy's schedule was totally off and they got hungry at unexpected times during the day. Our fancy stroller was packed with all sorts of goodies (apple slices, bananas, peanut butter sandwiches, crackers, fishies, granola bars) that I had delivered to the hotel that I could easily whip out at the first sign of a melt down. I also packed back up outfits in zip lock bags, one hot day I let them get soaked in Casey's splash area. They had a blast and I didn't have to stress because I had a change of clothes.

We had fun on our first trip but it was a bit stressful. We had exponentially more fun on our last trip when the twins were almost 5 and are really looking forward to our next trip in November. It sounds like you already have a realistic expectation of what you will be able to accomplish which is probably the most important tip.

Ponchos - adding to the list! And good thing kids' clothes are small. Already trying to figure out how much to pack and am erring on the side of "more is always better"

 

[ravenanne]

A good tip I got from the boards that worked great for us and saved time in the morning: have each kid's outfit pre-packed and labeled in Ziploc bags. When we took DD last Oct she was about 13 months and getting everyone ready in the morning was much easier when her outfit was ready to go. With twins, it will make prep time MUCH easier on you both!

 

[ndjen04]

A good tip I got from the boards that worked great for us and saved time in the morning: have each kid's outfit pre-packed and labeled in Ziploc bags. When we took DD last Oct she was about 13 months and getting everyone ready in the morning was much easier when her outfit was ready to go. With twins, it will make prep time MUCH easier on you both!

Great idea! When it was just the two of us, I used to organize the suitcase by outfit to avoid any wardrobe indecision on my part each day. This will be great for the little ones - and having the bag for spare clothes to bring to the parks, too.

 

[ravenanne]

Great idea! When it was just the two of us, I used to organize the suitcase by outfit to avoid any wardrobe indecision on my part each day. This will be great for the little ones - and having the bag for spare clothes to bring to the parks, too.

Also, hit up a dollar store(Dollar Tree is the best). I grabbed Ziploc bags of various sizes, hand wipes, glow sticks, ponchos, all kinds of great little things you never think to pack. The mini packs of tissues and hand wipes are AWESOME for the parks. I could quickly wipe down high chairs and tables.

 

[KalamityJane]

Look into renting a Tula or Kinderpack or 2 for when you are waiting in lines. Seriously priceless for that age. Keeps them in one spot and not squirming out of your arms.

 

[ndjen04]

Look into renting a Tula or Kinderpack or 2 for when you are waiting in lines. Seriously priceless for that age. Keeps them in one spot and not squirming out of your arms.

I'm debating bringing one of our Ergo carriers. My husband is not a fan of wearing them, but I figure he can hold one and I can wear the other. I thought it might be nice either for the lines or just so they could have a change of perspective rather than being in the stroller the whole time.

 

[KalamityJane]

I'm debating bringing one of our Ergo carriers. My husband is not a fan of wearing them, but I figure he can hold one and I can wear the other. I thought it might be nice either for the lines or just so they could have a change of perspective rather than being in the stroller the whole time.

Totally do it. I cannot stress how amazing they are in lines.

 

[tj4ua]

We took our twins at 7 months last May....
ERGO carriers are what i think nectar of gods probably looks like. (we also use these for football games and any other large event where a stroller is impractical/not allowed). You will want carriers for lines, and even some rides. I wasn't a fan of wearing them either (i think most husbands start that way). But i quickly learned OMG this is the best thing ever.

City Mini double stroller, im probably biased but its simply the best option out there for the parks/buses. Quick fold, sturdy, easy to push ample storage.

We flew and actually brought all the diapers/wipes etc needed for 8 days. There was one checked bag that was nothing but baby stuff (southwest take advantage of free bags)
As for the parks -
Plan Shade time.. we failed miserably at this and the kids were annoyed and hot.
Try to keep their schedule normalized - we failed here too and one night we had one or the other up all night.. Miserable for parents.
Nap times (fussy i dont want to go to sleep times)
Go on the carousal of progress, space ship earth, the american pavilion show at epcot, basically any dark area you will sit for 10+ minutes. Kids will be asleep by the time its over and you can put them in the stroller for a bit.


Character meals.. for what ever reason the female characters really really love little girls. At multiple restaurants we had characters make second and third trips by our table to see our daughter. Keep your cameras ready at all times.


Have fun.. its really amazing watching your kids see the characters they see on TV come to life,

 

[ndjen04]

We took our twins at 7 months last May....
ERGO carriers are what i think nectar of gods probably looks like. (we also use these for football games and any other large event where a stroller is impractical/not allowed). You will want carriers for lines, and even some rides. I wasn't a fan of wearing them either (i think most husbands start that way). But i quickly learned OMG this is the best thing ever.

City Mini double stroller, im probably biased but its simply the best option out there for the parks/buses. Quick fold, sturdy, easy to push ample storage.

We flew and actually brought all the diapers/wipes etc needed for 8 days. There was one checked bag that was nothing but baby stuff (southwest take advantage of free bags)
As for the parks -
Plan Shade time.. we failed miserably at this and the kids were annoyed and hot.
Try to keep their schedule normalized - we failed here too and one night we had one or the other up all night.. Miserable for parents.
Nap times (fussy i dont want to go to sleep times)
Go on the carousal of progress, space ship earth, the american pavilion show at epcot, basically any dark area you will sit for 10+ minutes. Kids will be asleep by the time its over and you can put them in the stroller for a bit.


Character meals.. for what ever reason the female characters really really love little girls. At multiple restaurants we had characters make second and third trips by our table to see our daughter. Keep your cameras ready at all times.


Have fun.. its really amazing watching your kids see the characters they see on TV come to life,

Great tips - thanks!

Maybe once Spring finally arrives, I can convince my husband to give wearing them another try. Regardless, I'm definitely bringing at least one of the carriers so I can wear one. I'm sold!

I keep going back and forth on bringing the diapers, etc. and ordering from Garden Grocer or one of those places. I guess it will really depend on how full the suitcases are on the way down. Hoping to get everything into two checked bags and a carry on (am I crazy?!) plus the diaper bag. That said, I suppose the room taken up by the diapers on the way down can be filled with souvenirs on the way back ;-) We're flying JetBlue and paid for the fare with one checked bag each.

In the past couple days, CRT has made its way onto the ADR wish list, too.

 

[mom25kiddos]

We don't have twins, but do have five kids, and the three 'littles' as we call them are each 16 mos apart-so can somewhat appreciate the challenges. For us, we are in the bring our own stroller camp because we use it at the airport for containment. like right up to the gate. Without it we have kids running in different directions and they out number us, so it just turns into mayhem. We have a city mini and it is awesome. Worth the investment if you can, or find a used one. We also buy airplane seats for that age (even though they are free) and put them in their car seats-just so much more manageable, but everyone's kids are different (and we have a long flight). I think you have an awesome attitude of going with the flow and because of that, you guys will have a great time. Ours have never been a 'once in a lifetime' trip so we don't worry about seeing it all and doing it all, we worry about enjoying our time together, and when it starts to be not so fun, we high tail it out of there and hit the pool!

 

[ndjen04]

We don't have twins, but do have five kids, and the three 'littles' as we call them are each 16 mos apart-so can somewhat appreciate the challenges. For us, we are in the bring our own stroller camp because we use it at the airport for containment. like right up to the gate. Without it we have kids running in different directions and they out number us, so it just turns into mayhem. We have a city mini and it is awesome. Worth the investment if you can, or find a used one. We also buy airplane seats for that age (even though they are free) and put them in their car seats-just so much more manageable, but everyone's kids are different (and we have a long flight). I think you have an awesome attitude of going with the flow and because of that, you guys will have a great time. Ours have never been a 'once in a lifetime' trip so we don't worry about seeing it all and doing it all, we worry about enjoying our time together, and when it starts to be not so fun, we high tail it out of there and hit the pool!

The last line is exactly how we feel! We are a Disney family through-and-through and know that we will be back. And at this age - the trip is more for us than it is for them anyway, right?