Having second thoughts

[amyup]

We had planned a trip to DL in November and now I'm having second thoughts.

We just got back from a trip to Lake Tahoe and it didn't go so well. My husband had to work day and night before the trip, the drive was horrible (and the drive to DL is longer), my DS4 had toilet issues (doen't DL have automatic toilets?), my DS 18 months slept all day and stayed up late/got up early so we were exhausted.

I don't even want to go anymore. Should we just wait a few years?

I would wait a few weeks and then see how you feel. Just getting back from a vacation that didn't go as planned makes you want to stay home forever. My 20 month old was a terror on our plane trip back from WDW. I immediately called Virgin airlines to try and cancel our trip to Australia. Luckily, it would have cost us more than the tix to cancel so I didn't and all went well 4 months later. He was fantastic on the plane.

As for thinking they might be too young....I believe you are never too young for a trip to Disneyland. But my 2 younger boys have been to DL since they were 6 months and have loved it.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

aahhh... first i want to give you a hug..that sounds like you all had a rough trip.

Sometimes the idea of a vacation, is not the reality of it.

Honestly, maybe you should wait til next spring? Just think, you can save up the money you have already put aside. You can plan what works for your little family. I think a challenging aspect of this board is that we see others do something and think oh great i want to do that, but perhaps we are not meant to have that particular experience..perhaps one of our own design is waiting for us to plan and discover.

It would be fun for you to plan a trip in the future, the baby would be bigger. You prepare your son slowly for the big trip. And it could be a time when Your husband is not exhausted. Who knows..you might even be able to break the trip up into two days staying at a little place along the way..then everyone gets there happy and rested.

Remember... getting there... is important..because life is not a destination..it's a journey. *big hugs* ..may your family have many safe and happy journeys in the future.

SleeplessKnight, that was a lovely post you made..and so true.

First off, thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it. Second (and much more importantly), I think you make a great point about planning what works for your own family or group. Sharing our positive and negative experiences is what makes these boards so great, but it's important to realize that we each bring our own perspective to it.

In trip planning, especially for those who don't visit the DLR all the time, I think it's important to know what the parks have to offer and which of those many offerings is right for you. It's important to know what you want to do and the best way to experience your must sees, knowing that how you tour the park may be different from me.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

You can cover the sensor with your hand if you don't have something to stick on it. DS5 used to have issues with those too.

DD2 had tons of fun even tho she couldn't ride some of the big rides. DS4 (at the time) had a BLAST. It made any 'trouble' worth it. I'd say our biggest 'issue' was DD2 was SO READY to be potty trained but I held off because she decided she was ready RIGHT befor ethe trip. um no. lol

So there was the effort of changing a big girl who wanted to use the potty. Other htan that it was gold. The sleeping arrangements were so much better when we realized they couldn't share a bed and SLEEP. They were so exhausted tho, they plopped. They still woke up early but they were a good natural alarm for us and we all got up, ready, had time to eat breakfast and got to the parks at opening (which we LOVE).

Honestly, I wouldn't wait. You deserve a GOOD trip after your last one. But if you think you'll be stressing until you go..maybe call it off for a few months. You could make it potty training incentive for your 18 month old? That'd put you at a year or two right?

 

[laura&fam]

Thanks for all your opinions and ideas, it has given me stuff to think about.

Our plan was to go when each of our kids were 5. We do have three kids, we took our DD9 when she 5 and she loved it and can still remember it. It is hard to have 3 kids, especially for the drive (how many times did I hear "he/she is touching me" on our trip) but our oldest is so much better than the other two.

Our DS4 turns 5 in October and he has gotten much worse on the toilet thing. We used to be able to cover the sensor with the toilet, but now he won't get near an automatic toilet for anything.

We still have our reservations and I'll wait a bit to decide, but a scheduling conflict also came up so we are looking at going in the spring and going for an extra day or two (that way if we have to haul DS4 back to the hotel to pee or walk halfway across the park to a non auto flush it won't be such a big deal). Our kids will be just a little older, we can save up longer, we can forget the bad parts of our last trip, it's sounding like a good idea.

Thanks again for all of your thoughts. It was good to hear other people have kids with toilet issues too, he's the only one I know.

 

[nunzia]

I think you should go. Yes, the little one can't ride many rides and will not remember, but YOU will remember and seeing the little one light up with all the sights is worth it! Also, why make the 4 yo wait? Perfect time for Disney (of course anytime is perfect time...you have to indoctrinate them young, you know) We took our grandkids last May, aged from 7 to 18 months and it was great! When they see Mickey and the Princesses..priceless. I agree with the stroller and stay onsite if possible. We were saved many a melt down by being able to bip over to the Grand for a nap and swim. Going when they are real little just makes the next trip and the next even better..no fear factor and they are looking forward to things they loved and things they were too young to do. Don't negate the fun of little things. My DGS just loved the wishing well and we spent quite a bit of time there and one DGD just loved the idea of walking through the castle. As others have said..DL is whole different animal than a trip to Tahoe.

 

[ballarinamom]

DD watches out Disney videos and looks at the photos constantly. For her, she thinks she remembers her trips crystal clear. I know she remembers the video and pics clearly. Either way, when we ask her where she wants to go for vacation (of cruises and carribean) she always answers Disney first. She says it's the happiest place on earth!

 

[pinktink83]

We waited to take our kids to DL until they were 5 and 4 years old. It was a PERFECT age imo. I wouldnt go any younger. Even at those ages we had to leave the park daily for naptime at the hotel for 3 hours.