Just back from WL with DD6 and DD2: Planned vs. What happened

[Elmo888]

I've read some posts here about what to plan with small kids, what works, etc., so I thought that I would post what worked and didn't work.

I will preface this with stating that we haven't ever taken a family vacation. This was the first time on a plane for both girls and the first time in a hotel room with them. So, some of you might have a better idea of what to expect.

First, the resort. We stayed at WL because of its proximity to MK and the resort factor.

What went right: The resort is beautiful. It is a lovely place to hang out and the pool was great. DD6 loved the slide. The boat to MK was great. We rolled the stroller right onto the boat. We went to MK 5 times (twice on 2 days, once on another day), and this aspect was nice.

What went wrong: SLEEPING! If I could do it again, I would stay some place with 2 rooms. The kids are tweaked and off-schedule, and they couldn't sleep easily in the same room. The rooms are SMALL with a pack and play that you are trying to dodge. Plus, DH would go down to the bar, while I stayed behind to put the kids down. He didn't want to go to bed early or lie in bed watching tv (which is what I tried to do with the tv on mute on the closed-caption channels, but sometimes, I had to turn it off), I thought before our trip that we would sit on the balcony while the kids fell asleep, but we didn't have wine or beer and there were some football games that he wanted to watch. It was difficult and frustrating, and I wasn't spending much time with him. Most nights, the girls wouldn't fall asleep until 10 pm. Next time, I'm looking into FW or the All-Star Suites or renting DVC. I wonder if older kids have an easier time. We went back for naps every day, but they were still tired. Out of 6 full days, DD6 (who will be 7 next month) napped 4 days. And on one of the days that she didn't nap, she slept until 8:30 or 9, which is quite unusual for her. On that day, we skipped the morning at the parks and hung out and swam. Be careful with the swimming, though. It isn't the same as resting!

TIP for Epcot: If you like to drink and eat your way around World Showcase, do the Kidcot Funstops. DD6 really enjoyed these. Kids get a mask that they can color and receive a stamp and cutout at each country. If your child is taking too much time on the coloring, remind her/him that she/he can color more at the next country. You can get drinks and shop in between. Some of the Funstops are in shops, so you can shop while they color. Also, look for characters (check the map). We saw Alice in Wonderland walking down the street in the UK. DH and DD6 followed her into the toy shop in the UK where they also found Pooh and Tigger. It was a nice treat on our first day. It was around 6:30 or 7 pm, so no one was there looking for characters or in line. On another day, while DD6 was at the Funstop in Morocco with DH, I went walking around and found a character greeting area with Jasmine and Aladdin. Again, it was 6:30 pm or 7 and empty.

TIP for Characters: Do the character meals! It will save you so much precious time! When we saw characters at the parks with huge lines, I just said to DD6 "we just saw him/her at breakfast" or "we will see him/her at breakfast on Wednesday". DD6 took this explanation and was fine, for the most part.

TIP for mornings without breakfast ADR: I would wake up a little earlier than everyone else, shower, dress, partial makeup, and go get CS breakfast to eat in the room. This worked out very well and was easier than the one day that we all went to Roaring Forks for CS breakfast. It saved time, and it was easier than trying to find a table, coordinate baby/stroller, etc.

Day 1 (Day of arrival)
Our plane came in at noon, and I had an ADR at WCC for 5:30. This didn't work. We were at the resort by 2, and everyone was hungry. I asked if we could eat at WCC, and there was just a 15 minute wait, probably because they were finishing the lunch crowd. We ate, and everyone was happy. Next time, I'll make the ADR for 2 to 3 hours after our plane lands. DH took a nap, and I took both girls swimming. DD2 just would not settle down and nap. Everything was new and exciting.

Day 2 (first full day)
Planned: Day at Epcot, no ADRs, return to resort for naps.
What happened: DD6 first ride was Soarin'. First ride ever. Big mistake. She was excited, but that ride spoiled her. She hated it and didn't want to ride anything dark after that. We purposely went to Epcot because we knew that it would be a let down, but we should have started with an easy ride, like the new Nemo ride, with familiar characters. We went back for naps and were in our resort by 2. DH and DD2 napped while DD6 and I swam. We went back to Epcot in the evening. DDs didn't get to sleep until 10 (we were back in the hotel by 9).

Day 3
Planned: CRT breakfast at 8:30, day at MK, return for naps, evening at MK.
What happened: This went very well. CRT breakfast is well done, we arrived for our breakfast early (leave your resort 1 hour before ADR), and we were done by 9 am, which was park opening. We were back by 1:30 or 2 for naps. DH, DD6 and DD2 napped. We went back to MK in the evening. Again, no one asleep before 10.

Day 4
Planned: Day at MGM, nap, Epcot with ADR at 4:45 at Alfredos.
What happened: Well, DD6 was tired, so I said that we could sleep in. She was still up by 7 am, so the planned sleep in didn't work. I think that we all napped this day. It was difficult to get to Alfredos by 4:30 or so because we couldn't seem to get back to the resort for naps before 1:30. It seemed best to leave the resort an hour before the ADR, so we had to leave by 3:45. Next time, I'll make ADRs for 5:30 and just plan on giving the girls a snack after the nap.

Day 5
Planned: Chef Mickey's breakfast at 8:30. Day and evening at MK with afternoon nap.
What happened: CRASH! DD6 did not want to get up in the morning. She was cranky all morning. We were back by 2, and everyone napped. Since we didn't have a dinner ADR, we let DD6 sleep until 5. She's 6 years old and took a 2 1/2 to 3 hour nap. She was much better that evening.

Day 6
Planned: Day at AK, afternoon nap, ADR at 5:30 at Le Cellier at Epcot.
What happened: DD6 was much better, but still some crankiness if she didn't get her way. It is like they can't focus. I could tell her 20 times that we are going to Epcot for dinner at 5:30, and she would ask 50 times if we could go to The Living Seas or ride Journey to the Imagination or whatever. DH head did explode, and mine almost did. Ugh.

Day 7
Planned: This was open, but after Day 6 at AK, we wanted to go back. ADR at Crystal Palace at MK at 5:30.
What happened: Everyone slept in. I think that DD6 slept until 8:30 or 9. So, we hung out at the resort, swam, and had lunch at the resort. DD6 didn't nap, so, after a short rest, DH took DD6 to the MK. Since they were gone, DD2 had a good, long nap and I had some time to myself. It was nice. We met them at MK later for dinner.

Day 8, last day, day of departure
We were up early to pack, check out, and be at AK by 9. Everyone was tired, and no one wanted to get up. We had a full day at AK, back to the resort by 3:15 to catch ME for 6:30 flight. It was a long day, and DD2 was super crank on the plane. Next time, I'll make the flight for earlier in the day.

Moral of the story: Even with naps, little kids can get very tired. I mean, I've been to WDW and I know that it is tiring, but I thought with the naps, they would be fine. It was just too difficult for them to get to sleep at night. My other frustrating issue was the pace. In my head, I knew that there would be a slower pace and we would miss things. I know that you can't see everything in one trip. I still was frustrated by going back for the nap and how much time it took out of touring, but you can't avoid it.

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

Thanks for the report. We have our first stay at WL actually a one bedroom at VWL this May and we're very excited. Thank you for the tips. Naps do take a lot of time out of the touring plan and I'm wondering just how much we'll get done but got to have the naps just like you wrote - a necessary evil I guess!

Thanks again - it sounds like you did have a good time.

 

[Elmo888]

I'm sure that you will fare much better with a 1 bedroom villa. That would have solved a lot of our problems! Hopefully, everyone will sleep well.

We did have a good time. I re-read my post, and it sounds like I'm complaining. I'm not. It was just traveling with kids that was difficult, more difficult that I imagined. I guess that I thought that a slow trip would be walking around the park, looking around, taking it easy, and soaking things in. Instead, I felt like we had to rush to rides because we had to accomplish something before we had to go back for naps or go back for bedtime.

DD6 loved WDW, and she didn't want to leave. She loved the characters, getting autographs (retractable Sharpies are great!), and the MK. It was neat relieving my childhood MK experiences with her. She loved It's a Small World, as I did as a child. It was the first ride to which DD2 actually reacted happily. The character meals were perfect and magical. Even if the food wasn't wonderful (it was at Crystal Palace!), the character interaction is so well done that it is completely worth it. DD2 loved the princesses. It was so sweet how they reacted to and interacted with her.

We did have a great time. It was just tiring.

 

[susykt4]

Our last trip (Jan 2006) DD was 5 and DS 3. Neither EVER napped at home so we had great luck with going to the parks at opening, staying until between 3 and 6pm (depending on park), back to resort for dinner and possibly a swim and in bed by 8pm (bedtime at home.) We did not do the dining plan and only made one ADR for a character meal. We never got to see fireworks or nighttime shows BUT the kids were ready to sleep and then ready to wake up and hit the parks.

I certainly agree with how INCREDIBLY BORING it was to hang out quietly in the room, ESPECIALLY at 8pm! We stayed in a tiny room at Pop Century and the best we could hope for was lying in bed watching tv with very low volume until we were ready to sleep.

We also went a year earlier when DS was 2 and still napping and it totally stunk having to go back to the room every day. Maybe in a year or two when your kids are no longer napping you will have better luck. Especially if you have an extra room! That's my ultimate dream! We're doing a repeat of the Pop in bed at 8 in a few weeks. Ugh. I'm gonna bring more reading material this trip!

 

[akrake]

My kids have gone to wdw alot...the first time, when I only had two, they were 3 & 5...we didn't go back for naps...not enough time...the 3 yr old just slept in the stroller.

Later, when we had 3 children, we still didn't go back for naps...and we stayed out really late....I think the super tiredness helped them to fall alseep as soon as their heads hit the pillows!

The only time the kids dad took the older two back was when my youngest daughter was an infant and I was just too tired to go back out to epcot for a late night...she was 6 weeks old and I still didn't have all my energy back.

My last trip is linked below. We didn't come back for naps bc it would have been too hard to navigate, but we all went to bed early...I was ready for it!

Your report was probably really accurate for kids being cranky...they are at that age.... but it does get better.

ps...did you find the older one was MORE cranky than the baby? That's been my experience...my 7 yr old was a bear compared to the 3 yr old!!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Sorry you had such a rough time with the sleeping arrangements. We have been lucky in that our kids will sleep with the tv on. We are also so tired at the end of the day that the last thing me or dh wants to do is go down to the bar! We have noticed though that sometimes the kids are cranky but last trip we had a great time because for once I did not schedule any breakfast ADRs. We got up and ready when we felt like it. It made such a huge difference! The kids were happy and ready to go. We don't worry too much about getting to park openings. If it happens then great but we have learned that waking up and rushing small children makes for a long unpleasant morning. Sometimes it takes a few trips to find your groove so to speak. It took me until our last trip(#5) to get it! We had a great time and everyone was happy! I hope your next trip is a little easier for you!

 

[hollyb]

Sorry you had such a hard time. But I am wondering why for a first time vacation you would expect so much out of your children? They are very young and it seems like you just pushed pushed pushed. Who can blame your 6 year old for having a melt down. Heck I would have too.

 

[disneymomej]

Sorry you had such a difficult time with sleeping! When we went last feb. with DD4 and DS2, we also stayed at WL (and loved it!) We had a room with the bunk beds, which the kiddos just loved. They would quickly jump into their bunks excited! DH and I would just sit out on the balcony and watch the river and pool, and we were able to see the ELP go by as well. Our problem is that we could not get DS2 to nap, not even once. He was so tightly wound by the end of the trip.

This time we are staying at the pofq. I am nervous because there is no balcony and I am not sure if the kids will fall asleep with us in the room. I guess we shall see.

 

[JKMJ441724]

I'm so jeolous. I want to stay at WL for my next trip. My kids are begging me to go back to the World this year.

 

[dsnymomof4]

OP, I didn't take your post as complaining. I think it illustrates that no matter how much you plan, you have to just go with the flow. I think you planned the best you could - you built in afternoon naps, made your adrs, etc., but you just don't know until you're there, what it's going to be like. I think you show that it's important to be flexible. And, yes, I agree that even though it is a vacation, it is indeed tiring, if not exhausting! Glad you had a good time!

 

[DVCJones]

Last year DH and I took out then 3DD and 1DD for 7 days at WDW. I also struggled with the question...to go back and nap, or not to go back and nap. I played it by ear on the first "park day" I was lucky my kids took naps in the stroller. I took our own stroller so they would be more comfortable. They napped for about an hour after lunch. It worked out so well that this became the plan for the whole trip. During their nap, my DH and I took turns riding the bigger rides or we would find a shady spot and rest and have an mickey bar. It was great! After their nap, we would resume all activities. We usually had an ADR for dinner and the kids did great in the restaurants. After dinner we would continue doing rides and things until about 9 or 10. The kids were so tired by the end of the day, they fell asleep quickly. We were tired too by that time and went to bed at the same time most nights. We did sit out on the porch a couple of nights.

Looking back, I think the short nap in the middle of the day gave the kids enough energy to get through the rest of the day, but not too much to keep them from sleeping at night. I liked it because I didn't feel like we wasted time traveling back and forth to our room at the Boardwalk. My DH and I enjoyed our "alone time" while they were sleeping.

We will try and do this again in April. I hope it works as well this year.

I know this only will work if one has children who can/will nap in a stroller. Having a child who is older makes it hard. I can't picture a 6 yo trying to get comfy in a stroller

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

OP, I didn't take your post as complaining. I think it illustrates that no matter how much you plan, you have to just go with the flow. I think you planned the best you could - you built in afternoon naps, made your adrs, etc., but you just don't know until you're there, what it's going to be like. I think you show that it's important to be flexible. And, yes, I agree that even though it is a vacation, it is indeed tiring, if not exhausting! Glad you had a good time!

I totally agree with you. I'm now planning our kids' first wdw trip and I'm reading all the books. I think she did the best she could too - she did what the books and the dis suggests and thats what I'm doing to - make your ADRs and build that nap into the itinerary. Who knows how the kids will react we won't know until we're there. We had to make 7 ADRs as we're on the DDP and staying 7 nights so we may have to cancel some ADRs if the kids are just too tired. I'm still on the fence about the DDP as to whether its worth it for us. It is IF we go to all our ADRs. But thats another thread.

 

[karibritt01]

Last year we took DS8 and DD3 to WDW for the first time. My kids are night owls, so we planned our days around PM EMH. (Hey... it works for us! ) They would sleep each day until @ 10. We would take our time getting ready, and eat lunch at the resort CS before going into the parks, or go to the pool for a bit. We were never in the park before 1PM. We would do rides and such all afternoon. Our ADRs were always around 6, so that gave our kids a good hour of down time while we ate. After dinner, they got their 2nd wind, and we would go the rest of the night. They did great, and we hardly had any fussing or problems. Usually they would wind down pretty good on the bus ride back to the resort. We gave them a quick bath, then put them on the bed with a little snack and the Disney cartton channel (90 something... not listed on the TV channel listing.) They would lie down to watch, and be asleep within minutes! We found this was the easiest way to get them to sleep, because if we turned the lights out and layed down, they would talk, whine, or fight over the covers! If they were still and watching cartoons, we won the battle! As soon as the kids drifted off, DH and I would check the weather channel for the next day, and tweak our plans for the next day.

 

[eliza61]

First, the resort. We stayed at WL because of its proximity to MK and the resort factor.


What went wrong: SLEEPING! If I could do it again, I would stay some place with 2 rooms. The kids are tweaked and off-schedule, and they couldn't sleep easily in the same room. The rooms are SMALL with a pack and play that you are trying to dodge. Plus, DH would go down to the bar, while I stayed behind to put the kids down. He didn't want to go to bed early or lie in bed watching tv (which is what I tried to do with the tv on mute on the closed-caption channels, but sometimes, I had to turn it off), I thought before our trip that we would sit on the balcony while the kids fell asleep, but we didn't have wine or beer and there were some football games that he wanted to watch. It was difficult and frustrating, and I wasn't spending much time with him. Most nights, the girls wouldn't fall asleep until 10 pm. Next time, I'm looking into FW or the All-Star Suites or renting DVC. I wonder if older kids have an easier time. We went back for naps every day, but they were still tired. Out of 6 full days, DD6 (who will be 7 next month) napped 4 days. And on one of the days that she didn't nap, she slept until 8:30 or 9, which is quite unusual for her. On that day, we skipped the morning at the parks and hung out and swam. Be careful with the swimming, though. It isn't the same as resting!
.

Glad you had a great time and enjoyed WL. If you go back consider one of the villas. I tell you were are spoiled now, we love the space of a 1 bedroom. One thing I always tell friends on their first trip to WDW especially with young kids. Make a plan, then make a backup plan, then make a backup for the backup. You just never know how they are going to react. One year my sons sleep really well at night and we were able to get a lot of touring done the very next year, they stayed up all night and we were lucky to get through 1/2 a day without them getting really cranky and tired. Tell Hubby, next time you'll be sure to bring a couple of beers but under no circumstances do you get abandoned! Everyone sinks and swims together.

 

[ndgqmiller]

A poster on another site put it a good way"there are two camps one who naps and one who doesn't" We are the camp that doesn't nap. We were in Disney in October for 9 days. Our kids were ds9, dd6, and dd2. We read all the books and boards that said take naps. My husband suggest we try just going the first few days and see how our youngest does. She did great. We just worked it to where either we started the day early and got back earky or started a little later and came back later (stayed for fireworks) There was one day dh and I were a little tired so we headed back to hotel. It was a lot of work, back on bus, back to room, settle in, dd2 would not settle down. Finally when she did it was time for our adrs at Coral Reef. I'm not saying that dd2 was great the whole time, she napped everyday stroller. You're post was great!

 

[toesmom]

It made me think of some ideas that have worked for us in the past.

As for the quiet room at night, we bring a small fan which I always set up near the kids' pillows so they are not bothered by noise from the TV or from my dh and I talking.

We always bring stroller for little one to nap. It's almost impossible for me to get little one to sleep for a nap without the stroller especially in hotel room. Some people bring a pack and play, I bring 1 stroller for park use (Maclaren) and another specifically for sleeping (peg classic).

A happy baby makes for a happy family which makes for an easy vacation with toddlers. I think naps are sort of vital to this happiness at least in our family.

We do the nap in the hotel room, but that is specifically because we are lucky enough to own DVC so we come back every year so we are not in a rush to see and do everything.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

We don't plan ANYTHING on the first day. The second day is b-fast at CM' followed by a resort day and an ADR somewhere for dinner. The third day is usually MK. We go for 6 nights and only hit 2 parks, maybe 3. The first time we went with the DK's we hit MK bright and early the second day and the kids were HORRIBLE the entire day.

As far as sleeping, we don't do "naps' but we do come back to the resort to swimming and then quiet time. They don't have to sleep, they can just lie in bed and watch TV, DH usually naps, I take a book and find somewhere outside to smoke. We kinda don't stick to their bedtimes while on vacation, we all stay up till 10ish. When we all turn in for the evening its usually DH and me who fall asleep first. We fall asleep with the TV on, luckily for us, it doesn't bother the DKs.

 

[ilovepooh]

Thanks for the tips. I've heard naps are a must. Our plan to take it easy, and whatever we don't see, we'll see the next year. I'm getting it into my head that we won't get to do everything we did before DS.

 

[kribit]

We didn't go back to the room to nap either, however, dd and ds (4) sleep in the car so we used that avenue daily. DH and I had an hour or so of driving around time to unwind and chat while the kids slept. I know people don't typically want to be in a car an hour per day, but it really did help the napping situation. Of course, if your kiddos don't sleep in the car it wouldn't work.

I didn't find the pools relaxing either. Jockeying for chairs and pool space isn't all that relaxing. We used the pool once (and I didn't even swim).

 

[Elmo888]

Sorry you had such a hard time. But I am wondering why for a first time vacation you would expect so much out of your children? They are very young and it seems like you just pushed pushed pushed. Who can blame your 6 year old for having a melt down. Heck I would have too.

That's my point. I thought that I wasn't expecting that much, but, apparently, I was. DD6 has a lot of stamina, and she didn't exactly have a meltdown. It was just a day that she was super tired and a super crank. I call it her "wall", and it seems to happen on Wednesdays during school. Coincidently (or not), it was a Wednesday this time, too. She has been walking a lot and was fine in that arena. I was prepared to get a stroller for her if it came to that, but she had better stamina than DH. She never complained about all of the walking. It was just the lack of sleep that wore her out.

And, to akrake, DD6 was much more cranky that DD2. You are right! I don't know if it is because she isn't in a stroller or just that she can express her needs and disappointments better than DD2. DD6 was the "lowest common denominator", and, if we didn't have a morning ADR, we seemed to wait until she woke up (we only had 2 morning ADRs).

DD2 won't nap in a stroller, so that was out. We could tell when DD2 was starting to crank, and that's when we went back for a nap. Maybe if we pushed her, she would have napped in the stroller. I don't know. We are a family of nappers. I nap once or twice a week, and DH usually naps both days on the weekends.

We use a noise machine every day for DD2 (one of those that play rain, etc.), and we brought it with us. Even with that, DD2 would often fall asleep after DD6.

I like the rec of skipping one or two parks. I could do without MGM (although they were both so cute at the Playhouse Disney show!), and DD6 could do without Epcot. I probably shouldn't have planned so many ADRs (2) there, but DH and I enjoy evenings there. The Funstops entertained her, though, and we only spent one morning there. Maybe we should have skipped the morning. The rest were evenings for dinner, so it wasn't a lot of time. Once she knew what to expect at evenings at Epcot, she was fine.

I also think that I would skip the dining plan next time. I thought TS meals were a good idea because they could sit and rest, but, in hindsight, it made me feel pressure to get to the ADRs. I wouldn't have considered canceling as another poster suggested because of the dining plan. That was my pressure, though. I seemed to adjust in other arena, but not in this.

And for the record, DH seems to have a different view than I do. He thought everything was fine.

These are all great ideas. Keep them coming! I'm hoping to go back in 3 years, so they still won't be very old.