Help with planning with 2 toddlers

[TJ6306]

Hi I am planning on going to Disney in the middle of August '10. I am trying to firgure out the best options for us. I would like any input or help. My father is also comming with us but he wants his own room.

My children will be 2 and 3 when we go. As of right now they both nap from like 10-noon everyday and still go to bed around 630pm everynight. I think the only thing that may be done is maybe no nap but still in bed by like 630-7ish. They wont make it any longer, trust me we;ve tried. So now here's my question in this, do we rent a house, stay in Disney or stay off site. The only pros of staying on is the transportation is easy correct? If we stay in a house that would be good as my husband and I dont want to go to bed with them at 7pm. I was also looking at like a room with a living room as well as a bedroom for this reason. But I dont want to spend a fortune either. I wouldnt mind paying almost $200 for us but I dont think my father would want to spend this so maybe a hotel near us cheaper?

Flying do I take there carseats? I have all Britax carseats so I know they will be ok on the plane but in the same aspect they are heavy carseats to carry along. Do I take my double stroller or just rent one? What about a pack in play both my children still sleep in a crib and I think they will need too there. I have tried and my children wont sleep in our bed, they think its fun time.

Now which parks do you think most appeal to toddlers other than MK? I was thinking maybe Universal, AK, Sea world, and epoct. We plan on going for a week so I figured 5 of those days parks and such. I havent been to Disney since I was younger and I dont remember what would be best. Are hooper passes really worth it?

My biggest concern is the hotel right now. I dont know what to do with 2 toddlers who I know will be in bed early and I my husband and I would go crazy going to bed with them if we shared just a room.

Any help would be great. Also if you answer with a hotel could you type as I am not up with the lingo on this board yet. Also any websites for planning the flight or hotel would be nice as well.

 

[kevschickee]

My kids are 3 and 2 and we are leaving in less than 2 weeks (YAYYYY) here is what we are doing.

No car seats I rented the cares harnesses from ebay
We are staying at the All Stars Movies. I wanted to use the buses
We are doing all of the parks with an extra day in MK

As for naps they really don't take them any more and are asleep by 8:30.

 

[Macduffy]

Hi I am planning on going to Disney in the middle of August '10. I am trying to firgure out the best options for us. I would like any input or help. My father is also comming with us but he wants his own room.

My children will be 2 and 3 when we go. As of right now they both nap from like 10-noon everyday and still go to bed around 630pm everynight. I think the only thing that may be done is maybe no nap but still in bed by like 630-7ish. They wont make it any longer, trust me we;ve tried. So now here's my question in this, do we rent a house, stay in Disney or stay off site. The only pros of staying on is the transportation is easy correct? If we stay in a house that would be good as my husband and I dont want to go to bed with them at 7pm. I was also looking at like a room with a living room as well as a bedroom for this reason. But I dont want to spend a fortune either. I wouldnt mind paying almost $200 for us but I dont think my father would want to spend this so maybe a hotel near us cheaper?

Flying do I take there carseats? I have all Britax carseats so I know they will be ok on the plane but in the same aspect they are heavy carseats to carry along. Do I take my double stroller or just rent one? What about a pack in play both my children still sleep in a crib and I think they will need too there. I have tried and my children wont sleep in our bed, they think its fun time.

Now which parks do you think most appeal to toddlers other than MK? I was thinking maybe Universal, AK, Sea world, and epoct. We plan on going for a week so I figured 5 of those days parks and such. I havent been to Disney since I was younger and I dont remember what would be best. Are hooper passes really worth it?

My biggest concern is the hotel right now. I dont know what to do with 2 toddlers who I know will be in bed early and I my husband and I would go crazy going to bed with them if we shared just a room.

Any help would be great. Also if you answer with a hotel could you type as I am not up with the lingo on this board yet. Also any websites for planning the flight or hotel would be nice as well.

I went with a 4 and 20 month old. We went back everyday for 3 hours for nap and downtime. Being on Disney property was perfect b/c it was quick and I felt I could stretch the park time a bit because I knew we were only 10 minutes from the hotel. The boys were okay sleeping in the same room and once asleep DH and I could watch TV quietly (if we didn't fall asleep with them LOL).

I would take a seat for the 2 year old if they are squirmy or active. If not go with CARES. I NEEDED a seat LOL. I brought a Cosco Serena, a light, cheap seat approved for flying.

With kids that young I'd bring my own strollers. Walks from the buses (or where the trams leave you) can still be quite long to the stroller rental place. They'll also come in handy if you are staying on site and need it to walk around the resort or to your room after the bus.

DON'T get a hopper. Not worth it with your nap/bedtime schedule. Your time at the parks will be more limited then you think. It took us 3 days to see MK so we did 1 day of Epcot and 1 day of DHS and 1 of AK. It was great. We missed little of what we wanted we to do.

My advice is to stay on site. With travel time, nap time and meal time you will have limited park time so you don't want to waste time with extra driving or meal preparation and cleaning up the kitchen in a condo. Staying on site really does add more magic to kids at this age. When mine are older I'll look off site but for now "atmosphere" means a lot to them and it worth it.

They'll have SO much fun!

Good Luck!

 

[kevschickee]

I wanted to add I am renting a double jogger stroller from A babies best friend

 

[aidtrismommy]

Maybe rent points from a DVC member so you can stay in a 1 bedroom villa. That's what we do every year and if you stay at Old Key West or Saratoga Springs, you can expect to be in the $200 range per night depending on the time of year. You can put the kids to bed in the bedroom or put them to bed in the living room. You can also do laundry and you will have a full kitchen. This is the only way we now travel. Your dad can rent points for a studio there for maybe $100 ish depending. It is really ideal. Go to the DVC board and check it out. I will also be renting a toddler bed from A baby's best friend this time around for one of my boys. Sharing beds does NOT work for them. Definately bring your own strollers (i have a nice double, but singles are fine too)

 

[TJ6306]

Thank you. I am trying to look online(orbitz, priceline, and hotwire) to see what would be the best way to go.

Kev- I live in Norton, MA not to far from you did you use Logan or TF Green? I am finding it to be cheaper at Logan.

 

[TJ6306]

What is DVC? Thanks

 

[kevschickee]

Thank you. I am trying to look online(orbitz, priceline, and hotwire) to see what would be the best way to go.

Kev- I live in Norton, MA not to far from you did you use Logan or TF Green? I am finding it to be cheaper at Logan.

Yes we are going from Logan because that is where I found a direct flight out of. We are going with delta because I didn't want to go with South West and have a chance of being split up on the plane. We did a Delta package and got free dining because it was extended. Less that 2 weeks awya!!!

 

[Fall1]

We are leaving from Logan in 2 weeks!! We'll be there with two 2 year olds. We rented a 1 bedroom with someone's DVC points. We are bringing car seats on the plane and renting a car. Can't wait!!

 

[aidtrismommy]

Are we all from MA on this thread?? DVC are Disney Vacation Club points. When you go to the dvc board, you should look for the points chart which tells you how many points you will need to book a certain resort during a certain time of the year. Old Key West and Saratoga are the least expensive right now. Then you will post a thread or look around for somebody that has that amount of points for rent. Then you will enter into a contract with them, pay them, and they will make the reservations, etc.

 

[ppan77]

I would definitely look into staying in a villa at WDW! You would have enough room to put babies to bed and still hang out with hubby in the family area. I highly recommend two umbrella strollers. Made it easier when one was asleep or one didn't/couldnt ride a ride. I would take the baby into a gift shop while the others rode around. It is also easier to maneuver around the crowds. I would spend atleast two days at MK. We like DHS next, especially with Playhouse Disney and TSM. Just make sure you hit DHS first thing in the morning for the Toy Story Ride. And finally FAST PASS every ride you can!! Little ones arent great at waiting. Remember you can get another fast pass once your FIRST time on your current fast pass expires.

 

[ktlm]

We took DD when she was 2 years 10 months and again when she was 3. Other than MK, her absolute favorite park on both trips was Epcot and still is today. At 2, she hated AK, but at 3, she liked it. I'm not sure whether she likes DHS or AK better. At DHS, she liked Toy Story Mania, meeting Buzz and Woody and the Cars, the Little Mermaid show; the Beauty and the Beast show and Muppets 3-D. She is a show kid. If your kids don't like to sit through shows, you probably won't spend that much time at DHS. We did not take the carseat. We never left WDW property and relied the whole time on Disney transportation. I have been to Universal pre-DD, and while I loved it, I think it appeals much more to older kids. Univeral is thrill ride heavy. There are a few things for the really little ones, but I think you will find much more to occupy them at that age at the Disney parks. I don't know what to tell you about nap and bedtime, as I have a night owl. She didn't like to leave the parks either- you could count on her never going to sleep if you made her leave- so she just crawled in her stroller in the afternoon and went to sleep for a while and we stayed at the parks pretty much open to close. As far as sleep arrangements, we just asked the resort for bedrails and she slept in the bed. She was so tired by the end of the day at WDW that she went right to sleep (if she wasn't already asleep by the time we made it to the room)-- she has been in her own twin bed since about a week after her 2nd birthday though. My DD would never sleep in a pack-n-play as a baby- I think she found them uncomfortable.

 

[TJ6306]

What is DHS? Thanks.

 

[ktlm]

Sorry-- DHS is Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM).

 

[JenniK1135]

I'm going in 3 weeks with twin 3 year olds and an 18 month old. (Clearly, I've lost my mind.)

Anyway, we decided to stay at Bay Lake Tower because it's walking distance to the Magic Kingdom, where we expect to spend most of our time. It's very expensive, but you might be able to get it cheaper by renting points from a Vacation Club member. We got a 1 bedroom but I'm now wishing we had gotten 2. Like you, our kids go to bed early (7-8 depending on if they've napped or not.) And we don't want to go to bed with them. We can put all three in the bedroom - twins in the king sized bed and baby in a pack n play, but really we don't want to be stuck on a pull-out couch for a week with them in the nicest bed! And we can't put them in the living room to bed or we'll be stuck in the bedroom all night without being able to get drinks from the kitchen, etc. Our current plan is to put them down in the bedroom and then move the twins to the living room when we go to bed. Who knows how that will work out.

Re: the pack n play, my understanding is that disney hotels have them and you just request one. Even though your 3 year old is still in a crib, I doubt s/he will be at 4, so you probably just need 1 at most.

Staying off site will be nice when they are older, but for now since we anticipate daily naps, we didn't want to lose 30 minutes to an hour loading them in and out of a rented minivan each way in the middle of the day.

We are not taking carseats since ours are also Britaxes and they are huge and we couldn't figure out how we'd manage to lug 3 carseats, 3 little kids, and our luggage and carry-ons through the airport. We'll ride the Magic Express shuttle bus to and from the airport and never leave the World. I thought of renting a van and carseats but rented carseats made me shudder - who knows how many times they've been puked and pooped and peed in without a thorough cleaning.

We decided to rent a double jogger stroller from OrlandoStrollerRentals.com. More comfy for the kids, easier to push, and cheaper than the park ones.

We are only doing disney parks. I think my kids would like sea world but without a car, it's not worth the hassle. We'll go there next time. We're going for 7 days and I am planning a day at Epcot, Studios, and Animal Kingdom, and 2 at Magic Kingdom. We have one more day when the kids can choose at the end, and one when we probably just will relax at the hotel or be on our way home and not have time to hit a park.

Hope this helps!

 

[bankgirl05]

JenniK: Here is a link that gives you all of the DisAbbreviations and then some... I found it sooo helpful.


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2159728

 

[Big Kid]

Agree with the posters above about the convenience of staying onsite, particularly with daily naps on the schedule.

If you find that Bay Lake Towers is outside of your budget, or find that the risk (however slight) of renting a reservation from a Disney Vacation Club member makes you uncomfortable, then I would take a look at the Family Suites at Disney's All Star Music Resort. The Family Suites are two hotel rooms connected, with one of them being converted to a living room/kitchenette. Your dad could stay in a nearby studio room of his own.

 

[frtchr]

I would definitely recommend staying onsite. It's so convenient for naps and early bedtimes. We were at WDW in March with our DD2 and DS6 months. It was a family trip, and we stayed at a suite at the GF. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) We rented two cribs from ABBF, and that worked incredibly well. We're going again in December. We're staying at the WL Villas, and we'll definitely be back at the room for an afternoon nap and early bedtime. DS goes to bed at 7:00 and DD is right behind at 7:30. We take two single strollers as I find them easier to navigate than a double stroller. DS will be in a car seat on the plane, and DD will be in a CARES harness. It's DD's fourth trip, and we're totally excited to see what she's into this time and compare to the other times we have been.

Hope you have a magical trip!

 

[canoe86]

We will also be going in three weeks, with kis....11, 7, 3, and 1. We've also been to WDW when the older kids were younger.

Having three kids in car seats is tough, but we purchased a back pack harness type things........that the car seat is attached to and then you can carry it backpack fashion. As I said, 3 kids is another story.

We've always stayed on WDW property, this year at BLV, previously at WL. WDW creates some problems for families with a lot of kids, and younger kids. I mean, who wants to go to bed early some nights and who wants to be jammed in a llittle tiny room. We have stayed in suites at WL , but that can be cost prohibitive. The DVC Villas are a great alternative because you get a kitchen area and washer and dryer. The way I figure it, the extra cost is off set a bit. Plus, they are cheaper than getting 2 rooms. Others on here know more about them than I do, but that is our solutin this year.

A great thing about staying on, and especially for us with smaller kids, is you can go back for a nap. We figure we will be at MK most often, so picked a close resort. I would suppose when the kids get older, we may branch out a bit. But when you are close, it is very easy to get back for a afternoon rest. We have our older kids helping to get EVERYONE down for a rest. Then, you can head out again.

We throw bed times out the window but have a plan for any late meltdowns. You know, its Disney, it isn't like everyone is on a normal schedule or normal day. We also split up our days so that we have at least 2 seperate parks. This way, there is some down time either traveling or eating or back to the resort for a rest.

We eat early. Or as early as we can. If we can only get a ADR late at a restaurant we want to eat at, we go someplace else. Sure, we miss a thing or two but life is much easier eating early.

I think I mentioned this...Nap everyday.

Also, we get up and get going early. NO delay. Then, as you know, the kids are ready to go. and by afternoon, tired.

Oh, and we always get the park hopper and try to limit out time in each one.