Is this really worth the headache!!!!!!

[jdsm]

SlightlyGoofy,
I work at O'Bleness! Who's your sis?

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

My sister is Cindy Montle. She used to be a Carr. She is not working there now as she is having trouble with carpal tunnel. I believe she worked in Radiology in medical records.

Slightly Goofy

 

[jdsm]

Goofy,
Small world indeed! I know her. I've worked there 10 years, my mother has worked there 20+ years and my husband use to work there. It may be easier if you Email me. It should be listed in my profile.

 

[LisaRay]

Others have mentioned the Ohio codes if you could get one of the moderate resorts for $89 or $99 that would save you a total of $180 over the 6 nites.

This may sound crazy but this is part of the reason we like to have nonpark days to lay around the pool and do nothing. The most expensive part about wdw is getting there and buying those passes. So once we've spent all that $$ whats another night or two of hotel bill to just swim and relax? This way when we look at our grand total we can say that it was $2000 for 8 days instead of 6. Somehow it makes it seem more worth it. After driving or flying all that way I want to stay as long as possible even if I can't afford to go to the parks each day.

So if you stayed at a moderate for about $100 a nite you could either shave the $180 off your total cost or you could still spend it and add another nite or two (without passes) with your savings it would at least make a longer vacation for you with the same $$ spent?? hope this made some sense to you?

 

[connie s.]

Before any other plans are changed and your headache gets worse you
should know that Raptor is at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, not Kings
Island.

Also, please check height requirements on a lot of these coasters such as Raptor
have a 52" requirement. There are a lot of good coasters at Kings Island, I
personally like the new Son of Beast. but your son may have to grow a little!

Why don't you surf the web with him and find a park in Ohio that fits the BILL ($).
Ohio has some great amusement parks and there are a few in neighboring states
that would be great for a child your age. Kennywood in Penn. comes to mind. It's
a family owned park and there are a lot of rides that are just his size. Now be
forewarned it is not Disney, but it does have a lot of home town charm. Maybe
by looking around he'll decide that Disney is the place to go, making that
$2,000.00 a bargain for a good time.

Have a great vacation wherever you end up going and remember to take
that Disney magic with you.

 

[wheatenwalker]

Our first trip to WDW my kids were 6 and 8. I wouldnt take a child younger than this. Its expensive, its a lot of walking and many rides are beyond their enjoyment. I would wait until hes older. Do the cheap vacations now, if thats what he wants to do. WDW isnt going anywhere and I think that you will enjoy it more when hes older and you arent so stressed. Just my opinion!

 

[jdsm]

The "runaway reptar" (from rugrats) roller coaster is in Kings Island. It is a suspended kids coaster. I'm not sure of the height requirement. It may be too much for a toddler. They also have "nickelodean central" which has Rugrats, Blues Clues and Wild Thornberry's activities.

 

[ceecee]

Yep, runaway reptar is at King's Island....our neighbor's son loved it and the wild thornberrys!!! My husband's bank usually gives us tickets, so we'll go then, my daughter likes the Rugrats and it's less than an hour drive. Still looking forward to Disney!

 

[ZachnElli]

I have to disagree with some saying kids won't enjoy Disney under age 6 or so. I'm taking my 2 and 6 year olds this July and it is their 2nd time! My dd was only 1 year when we first took her and she loved it! She'd get up in the morning and crawl into the stroller and yell "GO!" My then 4 year old ds loved it too and they both are extrememly excited about going in 6 weeks! All kids are different, so some may not be ready, but some definitely are, maybe it's in my kids' genes, both dh and I love WDW!

 

[frost5000]

I know a lot of people go a little overboard when it comes to Disney. It's supposed to be the ultimate vacation for your kids - and there's a lot of pressure to make it perfect. We took our kids when they were 4 and 6 (father in law insisted that if we didn't go when they were "young" we'd miss the "magic"). It was a BIG financial burden, but we thought we'd somehow be messing up parenting if we didn't. The kids HATED it. Even though we went during "slow" season, the lines seemed long to them, Epcot was to long a walk to enjoy, we never did see Mickey, etc... They were near breaking point by the third day - we cut our trip short and did some smaller, less overwhelming things on our last day. My younger son doesn't even remember the trip now. I'm planning on taking the kids again - 10 and 11 yrs. old. THEY WANT to go and ride rides and see Epcot and animal kingdom, and now they can swim so we can do the water park!! Do yourself a favor, take your child where he wants to go, and save Disney - and your money - for when he can enjoy it!!

 

[mainey-mouse]

Well, now that I have gotten my mind around $2000 being ALOT for 6 days at WDW (life is really more expensive up here than I thought) I have this to say....

If you are planning a once in a lifetime trip to Disney - wait a couple years. Otherwise, if you do this regularily, I guess, you don't have to always do what your kids most prefer - you get to pick sometimes too, so go ahead with your trip.

We just got back with a 4 and 7 year old. I have to echo Chicklet's sentiment. The 4 year old did not get his money's worth out of it. He had a good time - but he really missed his Nintendo back home. He got tired of just going places so often. He just didn't get the whole point of it - just doesn't understand the "now or never" aspect. He was ready for most of the rides - but Disney rides really aren't the be-all-and-end-all of rides. My kids see better yearly at Wonderland (Toronto). The Disney rides with the themeing and all - really my husband and I appreciated that more than the kids. This was as we expected. We chose this year to go, because we wanted to catch the older one in that phase where she knows the characters aren't real - but has to remind herself of that - where she can just have fun. Really didn't want to have to hear the world "lame" in reference to any expereince we were spending thousands of dollars on for her. I don't think we can count on this perspective holding out until the year she is 10 and her brother is 7. So we took the unappreciative 4 year old perspective over the unappreciative 10 year old perspective. We probably will go back when the 4 year old is 7, so he gets his chance.

The 7 year old really clicked in. She missed pets and friends, and told us that next time a week vacation would be long enough (we did 7 days in Orlando and 4 at St. Petes). But, she had an idea of what Disney was, really got into character signatures, pressed penny collecting, character meals. She wants us to take her to DisneyLAND now (not!). At 7, she appreciated that she was somewhere special that not all her friends had been too. I think that collecting thing they get into around that age really spices up the experience up for them. She's not telling everyone who will listen about the Disney rides she went on (afterall, they all do Wonderland too, and really there is no comparison from a thrill perspective) but she is showing everyone who will look her pressed penny collector book and her book of autographs. The special expereince at Disney for her was "finding" the characters and pressed penny machines. The 4 year old was into the pennies after his sister introduced him to it. He also has his autograph book - but some characters he just decided he didn't want. Maybe they were a littel scary (Pooh?). I just think he didn't really get it.

 

[Disneydenise]

I think that every family has a different perspective of what vacations are. I don't think that $2000. is that much for a week. I live an hour from the Jersey shore where a house for a week is easily $2000 and that is a house. You shlep eveything there and the waits for a dinner is atleast 1 hour. That is why you make half of them yourself. To me that isn't vacation that is a change of location. My children are 15 and 17 now and they love going to DW every summer I thought that they would get tired of it by now but they want to go back. I will say that if I had heard one complaint about something being lame that would be the last time I took a vacation with the offended member. My children have grown up with this as our family vacation and they would probably like to have a friend with them but so far they haven't asked . We haven't made them go to character meals in years and we stopped getting pictures etc. with the character a few years ago. When they went with their 8th grade classes for the year end trip they had a great time at 6 flags but they both think that they are just rides and nothing to compare to Disney. The themeing of the rides isn't lost on all teens, my children have found that that is just as interesting and it makes the ride better. They both think the new Imagination lacks more than just a few Figments, so all in all, I think that Disney has done a world of wonder for my family. My DS is 15 and he is a good kid. I do have to say that I am amazed that he chose to do DW again this summer. They both want to go to Europe but with college on the horizon they will have to save some of that themselves. So we do go to Epcot and we do the countries and the kids now talk to the kids working there about where they are from. I think it is a very inexpensive culture enrichment with a pool thrown in for good measure. I would never think of going to a morrocan restaurant at home but we are going in DW. There is alot more to a Disney Vacation then a bunch of rides and a few cute characters.

 

[Humpbacks1962]

I agree with all the posts making reference to other sites where the kids younger than 6 will have as much fun as in Disney.

I took my little one for the first time when he was 3 1/2. I never realized how many villains each story had! Disney can be very scary for the little peanuts.

All the walking can be overwhelming. Kids napping when you want to go in a ride or attraction can be overbearing to a parent too. Let's not even mention having to take diaper change breaks. Many children are obviously exhausted and worn out. the parents worry about the expense of the trip so they push the screaming kids along. Many times the little ones would be even more delighted just splashing water in their backyards!

So, I think a parent should really play this by ear. If you think your kid can handle it, then by all means, take him! But you could put away that money and have a longer vacation when he is just a little older and can handle the trip better.

Wanda

 

[MalificentMe]

We all go to Disney for a fun filled, sometimes relaxing family vacation. One that our kids and ourselves can remember always. As the mastercard commercials say "Priceless." Break out the cash and cards and lets have a blast!!!!

 

[Vicky Fla]

We took our kids to Disney when they were very young. My oldest didn't need a stroller but the other 2 children did. It was a little stressful! The 2 youngest ones got very cranky because it was hot or they were hungy. It seemed it was alway's something. We were stopping for food or for bathroom breaks, or worring that they would stray when they got out of the strollers, etc. . Even with all the stress I made sure I took them every year. I guess it was more for me because I loved Disney. As they got older we had a blast!! It wasn't so stressful anymore. They could play at the arcade and we wouldn't worry. If I had it to do all over and was back in my 20s I would still take them, I just couldn't handle it being in my early 40s now, having to stroll little ones. ( I was alway's worring about them even though Disney is a Safe place) That's just me!!It's an individual thing. As far as the money. You need to plan. Don't go if you can't have a good time. Little things may come up and you will want some extra money. Save a little every month and then pick a month and a year. Then go and have some fun! I have gotten by on $2000 for 4 or 5 days at Disney, but with a discounted room. We now go to Univesal instead of Disney. It's all still magical!

Vicky

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Spending time with your children is what is magically, not especially where you are. There is enough at DW for everyone to be happy and the key is not to stress out. If it is going to stress you out when you return because of the bills and such it is not worth it IMHO.

Our budget for our September trip is $1500 for 10 days and that includes 2 days down (we are driving) and 2 days back home. I would not be surprised to find that we come home with a few bucks left over. We have AP's and this will be our 3rd trip on them so they are already paid for.

I was tickled at your not being able to handle things at 40 that you did at 20. As much as I love my grands I will not take them to DW by myself because I can barely take care of myself. Now if their parents want to come also and I just get to enjoy watching their amazed faces I am all for that!!1

Slightly Goofy

 

[2boys'mom]

I think it really depends on your kids. We took our 5yo and our 2yo this April. They had a wonderful time. But they enjoyed some unexpected things the most. The 5yo loved the WL pool and slide. They both loved the birds and ducks at WL. The boats, the monorail were great. The petting zoo at FW. The charcter meals were hits, too. All of this you could do and not buy the passes. I think that my 5yo really had a great time. Last year he would have been scared of a lot. But I felt that I wanted him to be young enough to like Dumbo and Pooh and Mickey Mouse. To be honest, he knows some of the Disney stories and charcters, but I have not let him watch some of the scarier movies. The hardest part of the whole trip is going to the parks. It is so tiring. We took 4 days to do MK; the kids napped for 2-3 hours every day. If we get an airfare sale, I could see going to WL for a weekend and not going to a park. If you want to wait a year or two, I think he would still be young enough to enjoy the younger attractions. I hope to go again in 2-3 years, but I must admit I'd like to go again in the fall. We are scaling down our beach trip because of the cost of the WDW vacation. We are going to a cheaper hotel for less time and driving. Good luck!

 

[goofymom/pop]

hello fellow Ohioan....Ok here goes my two cents....my son was three his first trip and he loved every minute of it. GOOOOOO!!! But first check with CRO about Ohio discounts for residents only. Last I called they had loads of rooms left on a certain code...email me for it. If All stars are booked they offered moderate for 89 a night which is still cheaper than what you are paying.....better yet check out floridatravelonline.com and see what the HIFS rates are for Sept....I just got back from there and loved it......the kids eat free all day, everyone eats free at breakfast, you get three rooms and a huge bathroom. The pool area is great, the hotel very pretty and best yet....it was closer to DTD than All Stars are. Our rate was$110.00 per night and it was worth way more. I would stay there again in August if I didnt get the 49 per night deal at All Stars. If your driving you may be surprised to find Ohios gas prices are some of the highest you will encounter. We paid less in May on Disney property for gas then here at home. So you will be saving by driving instead of flying, plus no rental, and you can pack pop and snacks.....we are driving in August to save $$$$$. If you have questions about HIFS email me, I went with my son , sister and her two youngest. Let me tell you ....if two women can find their way around the world, you can do it too!!!! It was soooooo close, and the rooms are great. Especially the bunks for the kids with their own tv and ninetendo 64.....need I say more. We bought one adult combo meal at the food court and got 4 free kids meals with it. You cant beat that for saving money. And if you are leaving a little late and returning late, go buy the adult pizza combo, get the kids pizza combos free, refrigerate them (fridge, micro,coffee maker included, and safe) and heat them up later that night when your too pooped to go out for food....ok enough already....anyhow....email me for information if you want


cindy
cpg5553@cs.com

 

[jbthi]

All children like different things at different ages. I am so glad we took our grandchildren last June. Their ages were 2,8 and 10. Out 2 year old granddaughter had more fun than anyone! Her very favorite thing was Tyhoon Lagoon. She also talks about the "school bus" she got to go on from Old Key West.

When we got home she would give us big hugs and want to know when we were going back to DW. We are going back in a 2BR this Nov. atBWV.

We had our doubts about taking a child this age but I am so thankful we did it.

 

[Maleficent2]

I am sorry I have to respectfully disagree with everyone that says you should wait until your child is "OLD" enough to enjoy it.Our DS has been going to Disney since he was 10 months old and has loved each and every trip!The next being better than the last each time.This was his sixth trip to WDW.

yes there are rides he could not do when he was younger but then he did not have to have a ticket to get in either and there was plently of other things to do.

He is only 39 1/2 inches now and we did everything we could this trip including SPLASH MOUNTAIN-Big Thunder MTN.-Kali River all of which he loved. and yes before I get slammed about Splash and Thunder we did these on e-night a very nice CM let him do Splash and he sat between me and my DH...afterall he was only 1/2 short.No problem a BTM did not even measure him.


Go have fun and enjoy.

by the way we did 7 days/6nights at the Swan meals,tickets,souvies & airfare all for under $2000.00 to be exact $1928.00

If you want to learn how to really save money come visit us on the rewards board we will be happy to show you the ropes!



Mal