How to Take a Toddler to the "World" by Yourself

[Kaleigh]

Hello everyone! (Or if this goes anything like my PTR, "hi Hallie") I am Kaleigh, and I just got back from my trip Oct 15-19 that I took alone with my daughter, Veronica. Why would I tackle the world with only a toddler in tow? If you would like the full story with details, check out my PTR, but here is the short version:
DH (James) and I= Big Disney Fans= Visit at least once a year for 8 years

Veronica= Will be 2 in Jan, has stayed with grandparents during previous trips

Planned 1st Veronica trip= Sept 2010, Crazy planned out Poly/Beach split stay cancelled 6 weeks out due to James being sent to Iraq for 6 months.
Planned 1st Veronica trip (again)= WDW Today Reunion (Dec), going with my parents so they can watch her while I am at meets, Caribbean Beach
The Realization= I don't want to miss anything on V's first trip... Maybe I should take her first by myself...

And that is how this trip came to be.


Getting There
Arriving/Introduction to the Magic
Lunch at Sassagoula Floatworks

 

[tyandskyesmom]

I saw this...went back and read your pre-trip report...and now cannot wait to see how you guys fared by yourselves!

Tyler (now 11 but 3 or 4 at the time) and I went by ourselves and it was one of the best trips...that trip is want really sold me on Disney being the best vacation spot for families!!! Our two trips before the last one were just me and the kids...hubby at home on his own vacation...and we love it...Disney makes it so easy!

 

[Kaleigh]

Hi to my one reader so far! Thanks for commenting!

Travel Day- So, the day we were leaving, Veronica had a dance performance that evening at the county fair at 6:00, and the plan was to drive about 4 hours after, spend the night and drive the rest of the way in the morning. And, the plan actually worked pretty well. Here she is before the performance.

We were in and out of there and she didn't cry! Got on the road, stopped to eat at a Huddle House and made it to the hotel in one piece.
Okay, so first tip for taking a toddler, and this is for any trip really...

Tip 1: If you are stopping somewhere that does not have bell services, try to pack your stuff in the same bag. Especially if you have a dog.

Our dog, Annie, was to be boarded at the new Best Friends Kennel on Disney property, so she was spending that night at the hotel and let me tell you, it is difficult to walk a leashed dog and a toddler up the stairs while carrying 2 bags. If I had thought clearly, I would have begged for a ground floor that night, but we made it okay. For next time though, would definitely have a small bag with just our nighties and one change of clothes so I wouldn't have to lug all that around.

The next morning, we were up fairly early, ate the hotel breakfast and got on the road. The GPS said we would get there around 12:30 and I was excited. Unfortunately, one stupid oversight cost me almost an hour as I passed the I-4 exit because I saw no Disney World sign and ended up out by the airport and paid an extra $5 at least in tolls. (Does Florida have any roads that are not tolls?!) But, soon I saw the sign

and was home!
So, next tip:

Tip 2- Don't rely only on your GPS. Look at some directions and have a really good idea about which turns are important because in Florida, mistakes cost $$$. (and babies get fussy as you get fussy)

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

Hi You are home can't wait for more on theTR

 

[cdsmom]

Subscribing

Can't wait to hear the details of your trip since I am always tempted to go alone with my DS3. DH enjoys the World as well but not like my addiction!

Anyway, we have a trip coming up early December and so excited for it! However, our 1st corgi Maxwell (something we have in common ) recently got diagnosed with Lymphoma and not sure if he'll be sick around that time. DH and I tried discussing our plans but unable to since it's too hard. I'm sure if it reaches that point he'll most likely have me and DS3 go without him.

Sorry, don't mean to put a damper on your TR but looks like I may be in the same boat as you so I'll be taking notes.

 

[mareeld86]

Signing in cant wait to read more!!

 

[ArthurIhde]

thanks for your tips

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Oohhh...I forgot you were driving. While you're closer than we are, I have thought about driving with just me and the kids. Pre-kids, it would not have bothered me at all to jump in the car and drive 1200 miles alone...with the kids, it terrifies me on one hand and sounds like a lot of fun on the other...granted my kids are older than yours so it would be easier, probably. I still am holding it open for that option for our August 2011 trip though becasue airfare from Chicago to Orlando has not been that great lately...but we would so much rather fly!

Looks like you are off to a great start...your daughter looks so cute in her dance costume...Skye has been dancing since she was 3...we now have a collection of 4 costumes with four more coming this spring (she is in three dance groups with her age group (ballet, tap, and jazz) and was asked to join the competition team this year (they are dancing at DISNEYLAND in 2012!!!!))...she loves it!

 

[Kaleigh]

Subscribing

Can't wait to hear the details of your trip since I am always tempted to go alone with my DS3. DH enjoys the World as well but not like my addiction!

Anyway, we have a trip coming up early December and so excited for it! However, our 1st corgi Maxwell (something we have in common ) recently got diagnosed with Lymphoma and not sure if he'll be sick around that time. DH and I tried discussing our plans but unable to since it's too hard. I'm sure if it reaches that point he'll most likely have me and DS3 go without him.

Sorry, don't mean to put a damper on your TR but looks like I may be in the same boat as you so I'll be taking notes.

Oh, I am so sorry about your corgi. Ours had a lump a few years ago and we were terrified. It turned out to be benign, but I can't barely imagine what you are going through. I hope my report can help you plan a little bit. Thank you for reading and commenting.

Signing in cant wait to read more!!

Thank you for reading and commenting. Nice to meet you last night!

thanks for your tips

You are welcome. I have many more coming! Thanks for reading!

Oohhh...I forgot you were driving. While you're closer than we are, I have thought about driving with just me and the kids. Pre-kids, it would not have bothered me at all to jump in the car and drive 1200 miles alone...with the kids, it terrifies me on one hand and sounds like a lot of fun on the other...granted my kids are older than yours so it would be easier, probably. I still am holding it open for that option for our August 2011 trip though becasue airfare from Chicago to Orlando has not been that great lately...but we would so much rather fly!

Looks like you are off to a great start...your daughter looks so cute in her dance costume...Skye has been dancing since she was 3...we now have a collection of 4 costumes with four more coming this spring (she is in three dance groups with her age group (ballet, tap, and jazz) and was asked to join the competition team this year (they are dancing at DISNEYLAND in 2012!!!!))...she loves it!

Driving 7-8 hours is not too bad. DH and I have driven further, but I feel your pain in the airfare category. Thank you for the remarks about V. I think she is cute too. I hope she likes dancing as she gets older. I did it as a kid and it was so much fun. Thanks for sticking around!

Hi You are home can't wait for more on theTR

Hallie! Glad you are on board again!

 

[Luv Donald Duck]

Subscribing! Can't wait to see how your daughter did on this trip. We are thinking of taking our daughter at 21 months but are not sure if it will be worth it or not.

 

[Kaleigh]

So now that we are on property, the first order of business is to drop Annie off at the new pet care center. It opened at the first of September and is beautiful. It is right across the street from the entrance to Port Orleans Riverside. We were staying at French Quarter, so the plan was to visit her daily. The reason I decided to board her here was because the prices at my local vet to have her inside were similar to this, plus I would have had to pay for at least 1 extra day because of travel. It ended up being around 30 a night for an inside room 34 square feet with 2 walks a day. I felt okay with that. It is crazy to think that the first time DH and I visited Disney, we paid 30 a night for our hotel room through priceline off property. Checkin went smoothly, and Annie was whisked away, relieving a ton of stress for me. You can visit your dog anytime, and they have a very nice dog park out back and separate fenced walking trail. I would recommend this place wholeheartedly.
Quick pic of my fur baby (the booties are from when we lived in North Dakota)

Now that Annie was taken care of, the next step was to go get my annual pass from the Shades of Green in case I needed it for checkin since I had an annual pass discount. The discount for the pass is basically no tax, so it was 489. While at Shades of Green, Veronica spotted the Mickey Mouse statue they had in the lobby and went berserk. She had to go sit by it and pat it, and of course, Momma had to take a picture.

I was starving by this point as was Veronica, so I was waffling about possibly stopping at the Poly for lunch, but decided to press on and eat at the POFQ food court after I checked in. We arrived, parked and walked up. There was the cutest little old man in a Mardi Gras hat and sash opening the door for people and he took notice of Veronica and gave her a doubloon after fussing over her for a bit. We had not been able to do online checkin because of the system being down for the days leading up to our vacation, so I had to wait in the normal line. Never again!

Tip 3- Do online checkin! It is free, quick and helps you bypass the line.
Only 1 guy went through the online checkin line in the entire 20 minutes or so I was there. I could have saved at least 15 minutes this way.

After finally getting to a desk clerk, checkin went fine. He gave Veronica a roll of Mickey stickers and a "first time" button. My request of ground floor had not been met, but he said my room was "right next door" and that if it didn't work for me to let him know. This was actually one of the reasons I had picked POFQ, its size. I knew I didn't want to be trekking long distances to the bus stop, parking lots and main building. That turned out to be a good idea.

Tip 4- Pick as small a resort as you can afford.
Research where the bus stops/parking lots are located because sometimes they can be far from rooms. (Like the parking lot at the Boardwalk) Request a room close to whatever mode of transportation you will be using.

Next up, lunch! A dining review of Sassagoula Floatworks with pics.

 

[Kaleigh]

Subscribing! Can't wait to see how your daughter did on this trip. We are thinking of taking our daughter at 21 months but are not sure if it will be worth it or not.

Thank you for reading and posting! As for how worth it the trip was, I think it depends on how familiar you are with WDW/ how often you have been and if you are willing to let the trip be about your child. You will see what I mean as I continue.

 

[pinkxray]

Joining in.

Your dd is so cute. I love the picture in her dance costume.

It is so nice that you were able to have your dog so close. We live in CT and there is no way I am driving down or flying with our two German Shepherds. They stay with grandma.

Looking forward to more

 

[mousetravel]

Joining in on your TR! Can't wait to hear more!

I love to read mom/daughter trip TR's. Me & my DD love to take mom/daughter trips. We never tried it when she was younger though. And we always drive, too! Can't wait till she can start helping me drive because it's about 9 1/2 hours for us!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Love V's Mickey shirt! Skye would love it too! And Skye just grew out of those shoes...they have some very similar taste...

On-line check in scares me becasie I almost always dislike where we are put and want to change it...I am still debating on it for our next trip!

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

Great update. Love pofq.

 

[Kaleigh]

Joining in.

Your dd is so cute. I love the picture in her dance costume.

It is so nice that you were able to have your dog so close. We live in CT and there is no way I am driving down or flying with our two German Shepherds. They stay with grandma.

Looking forward to more

Our dog has stayed with Grandma in the past, but for some reason the grandparents are less patient than they used to be. And it adds 4 hours each way to our drive. Thanks for reading and posting!

Joining in on your TR! Can't wait to hear more!

I love to read mom/daughter trip TR's. Me & my DD love to take mom/daughter trips. We never tried it when she was younger though. And we always drive, too! Can't wait till she can start helping me drive because it's about 9 1/2 hours for us!

Thanks for joining! Yeah, I think we will do more mother/daughter trips after this. It is certainly a special time.

Love V's Mickey shirt! Skye would love it too! And Skye just grew out of those shoes...they have some very similar taste...

On-line check in scares me becasie I almost always dislike where we are put and want to change it...I am still debating on it for our next trip!

I don't think checking in online prevents you from changing your room if you have a problem with it. I think it is totally worth the time you save in line. And we love those shoes too. She got so many complements on them. Thanks to my mother for buying them.

Great update. Love pofq.

I love POFQ after this trip. Before, the masks always freaked me out.

 

[Kaleigh]

After checking in, V and I are starving and so I decide to get lunch for us at the food court in POFQ. There was practically no one there (it was around 1:30 on a Friday afternoon). After checking out the options, I decided to go with a shrimp poboy that came with homemade chips.

Now, I am from Louisiana and have had some amazing poboys in my day, but this was really good. The shrimp aren't just breaded with flour, they have a touch of spice to them. The tomatoes and lettuce were plentiful, and the bread was a french baguette. The sauce was sort of like a spicy ranch, but not too spicy and not thick like mayo. The chips were not hot because they were not cooked fresh, but they were very tasty and had a sprinkle of some spice on them. Veronica ate almost all of my chips.

It was so funny, as we walked into the food court, V kept saying "wow" because of all the decorations and everything. All of the workers were just talking to her and smiling at her. One guy got her a balloon. During our meal, 3 managers and the chef came to our table to make sure everything was good. I complemented the chef on the poboy, and one of them made sure a dining room attendant brought us a high chair. (I did not know where they were, so V was standing on her chair as is her fashion) It was just a great Disney experience, and I think this is my favorite food court on Disney property. I did not try the gumbo and jambalaya this time, but I will in the future. AND, it is the only moderate food court that takes Tables in Wonderland so if you have that card, you can eat for 20 percent off (and of course, no gratuity) So, another tip,

Tip 5- The food court at POFQ is a great dining option. They offer items that are rare on property like beignets, poboys and gumbo and do them properly. Plus, it is the only moderate where you can use TIW without paying grat.

Next up, our room and first park!

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

Great update ooo did that lunch look yummy!

 

[Oglet]

Great update ooo did that lunch look yummy!

I have to agree! I wan't it right now