How many park days for a 5 night trip w/ babies?

[twinsouvenirs]

We did a four night split stay this Sept and only went to Epcot once. Did no other parks. We have twin 1 yr olds who will be about 17 mo for our feb GFV stay... The weather will be cooler so we may get less pool time, if any. I think we'll do the MK because I think there are rides we can do w/babies there but I am thinking there will still be plenty do do at the DVC resorts. This past trip we did long gorgeous morning walks around SSR, Downtown Disney, Boardwalk, shopping, pool, cupcake quest, Hoop De Doo....

So is a one day solo park ticket enough or should I really just get two day tickets? When we went just the two of us before the girls were born (9 mo prior actually) we spent two days and did a blitz, we skipped AK but we had park hoppers.

Dh loves DHS but we are thinking of spreading out the visits per park to ensure we don't get sick of them (since we'll be visiting for the forseeable future). I'd also like his next trip there to be for Star Wars Weekend.

Any thoughts/reflections? Anyone who does this?

 

[bobbiwoz]

Can a 17 month old sit safely in a bike seat? February should have good weather for bike riding around FW, visiting the stables there, seeing whatever animals they still have in the barnyard. It's been a long time....our kids are 39 & 36...but we enjoyed riding them around on bikes...or with them when old enough.

 

[hakepb]

You're supposed to go to the parks every day, because the kids are free admission don't wait until you have to pay for them to go

Personally, I can't imagine not doing the parks, but at this age, the main thing is doing whatever keeps the parents happy.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

We definitely like the part where they are free--but there is a reason they are free; they aren't really designed for babies At EPCOT I think the only ride we could go on with them was Nemo.

We tend to just enjoy the relaxation and immersion

I have to see if there is an easy reference to what in the MK you can do with an infant. DH is not a huge park buff.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We definitely like the part where they are free--but there is a reason they are free; they aren't really designed for babies At EPCOT I think the only ride we could go on with them was Nemo.

We tend to just enjoy the relaxation and immersion

I have to see if there is an easy reference to what in the MK you can do with an infant. DH is not a huge park buff.

But with DVC you can go for an hour or two to a park, head back to the resort for something to eat, a nap, a swim and then go to another park for an hour or two.

At Epcot you can also do the Mexican boat ride. Take them on the Land boat ride. Plus there are so many activities in the World Showcase, like the Japanese drummers, the musical groups, characters.

 

[doctornick]

We definitely like the part where they are free--but there is a reason they are free; they aren't really designed for babies At EPCOT I think the only ride we could go on with them was Nemo.

At Epcot with infants you could do Nemo, Spaceship Earth, Energy, Living with the Land, Imagination and Mexico in terms of rides. And you can take them to the films -- Circle of Life especially, but I think that the Circlevision ones might be interesting to see.

MK has a lot they could do Peter Pan, Pooh, Little Mermaid, IASW, POTC, HM, Peoplemover, Jungle Cruise, Buzz. They are allowed on the spinners, I think, you would just need to hold them. Same with the teacups (you don't have to spin them if you don't want). HM and POTC might be scary for some kids; you know your children so use your discretion. And of course there's the shows.

DAK and DHS don't have as much to do with youngsters, though there is the Disney Jr stuff in DHS and off course animals in DAK (including the petting zoo at Rafiki's).

Personally, I find it odd to go to WDW and not go to the parks most days, but everyone is different and enjoy different things. The "resort" stuff is nice, but not unique unlike the parks. Since your kids are older this visit -- and free -- I'd think about doing maybe 3 days in the parks. Have fun!

 

[crisi]

Every day - but they will be shorter days than before you had kids - possibly broken into two parts.

 

[amym2]

But with DVC you can go for an hour or two to a park, head back to the resort for something to eat, a nap, a swim and then go to another park for an hour or two.

At Epcot you can also do the Mexican boat ride. Take them on the Land boat ride. Plus there are so many activities in the World Showcase, like the Japanese drummers, the musical groups, characters.

But unless you have an AP, you are still paying for tickets, and it seems like a waste to buy two day tickets and only go to the parks for a few hours. Plus with what you suggest, they would have to pay for the park hopper.

We love DVC because we can spend more time at the resorts, but if we are paying for tickets we want to get the most out of that money. Our last trip we spent 5 nights at WDW and only did Typhoon Lagoon and Legoland.

OP, I do think there will be plenty to do at MK, as others have mentioned. You might consider AK as well. Even though EP is our favorite, since you did it last time I'd probably skip it. And DHS will probably be better once your girls are preschool age and into Disney Jr shows.

At 17mos, our kids were hard to contain in strollers. They weren't happy just being pushed around, they wanted to be moving themselves. So while it might sound lovely to take long walks, the reality might be more of you chasing two active toddlers. Just something to keep in mind!

 

[RachaelA]

We definitely like the part where they are free--but there is a reason they are free; they aren't really designed for babies At EPCOT I think the only ride we could go on with them was Nemo.

We tend to just enjoy the relaxation and immersion

I have to see if there is an easy reference to what in the MK you can do with an infant. DH is not a huge park buff.

Um... yes they are designed for babies. They are designed for people of all ages. The list of things to do with babies is pretty much neverending. DD had been on two trips by 18 months old with a total of 17 park days and we still didn't get to do everything that I know she would have enjoyed. Not once was she ever bored. Its Disney....

Plus they are free. Why not take advantage of that?

Epcot has Nemo, Living with the Land, Figment, all the Worldshowcase stuff, boat ride in Mexico, Spaceship Earth, Ellen. All the different stuff at the end of the rides like at Figment. All the stuff to do at Innoventions. Fountains to play in. An insane amount of characters to meet. DD and I spent well over 45 minutes taking pictures at the end of Test Track while DH rode it.

 

[crisi]

But unless you have an AP, you are still paying for tickets, and it seems like a waste to buy two day tickets and only go to the parks for a few hours. Plus with what you suggest, they would have to pay for the park hopper.

For a lot of kids though - a few hours in the parks is about what they can handle. Get them in at rope drop (9am) and they are ready for lunch and a nap by 11. You are back to the parks around 3pm, but they need to be fed at 5 pm and are ready for bed by 7.

But it completely depends on the kid - and kids who are one way at home might turn out to be completely different when traveling - kids who always need naps run on adrenaline, kids who never need naps are cranky in a few hours from over stimulation and need to be taken out of the parks.

The best thing to do is assume you are only going to get in a few hours of good park time in a day.

My kids at a young age LOVED Animal Kingdom - the safari ride could be done as many times as we were willing to stand in line. Festival of the Lion King was another favorite. The whole family has always enjoyed Epcot - again, even from a young age (though as a teenager, my son thinks the best part is fish and chips) We've never been a DHS family though.

 

[Kidanifan08]

17/18 months is a tough age. It's hard to know what the kids will be into at that age. In many cases, they are amazed by seeing things, which all of the parks have to offer. But, they still are high maintenance with naps, snacks, etc. which is tough to do outside the room. And then there are the unpredictable (and un-diagnosable) tantrums that only can be resolved with a dark, quiet room and a soft bed.

I agree with others, that all 4 of the parks have something to offer for the little ones. We long for the days when we could just casually tour the parks with our two year old and not do anything besides look at things and shop. Now, at age 7, our main focus is hitting rides. We were lucky to have a boy who would easily nap in the stroller at the parks, so we could just keep checking things out during nap time.

Feb is a tough time to go, since you can't count on swimming weather. Personally, I would want the option to go to the parks, just to watch street performers, stage shows, and spend time taking in all of the wonderful details of WDW.

The hard part is swallowing the cost of tickets. This may be a time to consider buying a non-expiration ticket to use at your discretion. You could even get a multi-day (5-10 day) NE with PH and water parks and have entitlements for then next 3-5 years (or longer). It is a pricey option, but may give you some flexibility during these awkward years with your young children.

Alternatively, if you know you will be back within the 12 months after your Feb trip, get an AP and then you can do what you want. A DVC AP would be less than an NE 7-10 day ticket, and if you see yourself visiting WDW for >/= 10 days, it may be worth the expense.

Have a great time! One of our favorite trips was in of Feb!!

 

[twinsouvenirs]

wish I had read this before we went to Epcot!!!!


I am now sold on MK, and I personally really want to go to AK

 

[Pirate Granny]

Do NOT even consider taking those babies into a Star Wars Weekend. I was there opening weekend this year with DGS 4 yrs old, who actually stays in a stroller...what a nightmare, hot, crowded, had to get a place to watch the parade 90 minutes before and stand waiting in the hot sun...he loved it, but we were there 4 hours and zero rides/shows except that parade. Oh yea and a very cute picture from a photo pass person with DGS fighting Darth Vader..priceless. I have a plan for the family trip next June. I will go with the BIG stroller and get there early and get a spot 2 hours before the parade in the Shade (I now know where), park the stroller lengthwise on the curb and sit next to it. Hubby will bring the two boys up 30 minutes before the parade, settle the boys on the curb(who will be 5 and 8), and have hubby repark the stroller somewhere behind us out of the way. Let hubby enjoy himself and you take the twins for a walk or find a zero entry pool or splash pad that they can play in. We walked over to BWV and swam to cool off after the parade. DGS loved the clown pool and slide!

 

[Docmom]

My DDs liked meeting the characters when they were toddlers. I know some kids are scared of them so you have to know how yours will react but there are a lot of character meet and greet options at MK. Kids that age tend to like the parades too. Definitely MK for kid friendly rides.