Just one night b4 and after a cruise...1st timers!

[AlwaysMouseTime]

Hi! Post #1 for me...wahoo!! .

This year, DH and I are bringing DS3 on DCL. Because I'm a freak and worry about every type of weather emergency under the sun (hey, I'm from MN...we get blizzards in May) I built an extra day onto each side of our cruise. However, I don't want to go anywhere near WDW parks with a stroller or dealing with naps and diapers (hopefully he will be potty trained by then, but who knows with a little boy)...

I'm considering staying at the Hyatt at MCO when we arrive on saturday, but what is a good activity to do in Orlando with a 3 year old? I have made 13 trips to Orlando, but have always visited either WDW or the studios!

Also, thinking about staying on site for the night after we return from the cruise, but yet again, not visiting the parks. Am I nuts for wanting to just stay on site and not go to the parks? BC is our "home" but maybe if we aren't visiting the parks, location will be less important and we can try something new. OR, maybe we should just stay on site for both before and after..I was just thinking the Hyatt for before for the ease of hopping on the bus from the airport....or is it just as convenient from the resorts? Any thoughts for me?

 

[emilymad]

I think it would depending on what time you are arriving at MCO. I don't think I would want to be stuck at the airport for a ton of extra hours.

We always fly in a day early and stay at WDW but we don't always go into the parks. There is so much to do at the resorts or going to to Disney Springs for a few hours.

We take Magical Express to the resort and then pay for DCL transportation. DCL is very convenient but not super fast. You will not be the first people on the ship. We see this as a positive since there is less wait checking in at the terminal and the cabins are usually ready by the time we get on board.

 

[PandL]

We added 2 nights before our cruise and stayed at the Beach Club. We didn't even think about the parks. We had such a blast relaxing and hanging out at the pool. It might have been one of our favorite times of the trip. We walked to the Boardwalk and did the activities. It was nice not having a schedule and really put us in the mood to relax before we got on the cruise. We flew so I really appreciated not having to mess with renting a car. Maybe since Beach Club is your "home" resort you might want to consider trying one of the others with a lot of amenities? Both my husband and I decided we would never plan a trip to Disney again without a couple of "down" days to relax and enjoy the resort.

 

[lanejudy]

I would only stay at the Hyatt MCO if arriving late afternoon/evening, meaning limited time to do much before bedtime. I think a WDW resort-only stay will have plenty to keep a 3-yr-old busy! Especially since it's only 1 day/night, then cruise, then another day/night. Presumably he loves the pool or water play. Several resorts have playgrounds (always a highlight for DD no matter where we go!), surrey bikes or boats or fishing, there are usually plenty of activities planned near the pool each afternoon, movies and campfire at night.

As to which resort -- think of your family's likes. Would your son be thrilled with the larger-than-life aspect of the All Stars? Or CBR has a terrific waterplay area for little ones. Port Orleans has the boat ride to DTD if you are willing to leave the resort. If he's into animals you could try a night at AKL. I'd probably avoid the MK and Epcot area resorts simply due to the proximity to the parks, but nothing wrong with those if one is a favorite (or an "I always wanted to stay at X") -- your son isn't going to know he's right outside an amusement park, he'll be thrilled with what you present to him as fun.

Enjoy your cruise and park-less vacation!

 

[AlwaysMouseTime]

We added 2 nights before our cruise and stayed at the Beach Club. We didn't even think about the parks. We had such a blast relaxing and hanging out at the pool. It might have been one of our favorite times of the trip. We walked to the Boardwalk and did the activities. It was nice not having a schedule and really put us in the mood to relax before we got on the cruise. We flew so I really appreciated not having to mess with renting a car. Maybe since Beach Club is your "home" resort you might want to consider trying one of the others with a lot of amenities? Both my husband and I decided we would never plan a trip to Disney again without a couple of "down" days to relax and enjoy the resort.

Kind of exactly what my thoughts were! We love BC, but we have only stayed with park tickets- might be nice to just be able to enjoy Stormalong Bay, and we never have been to BW to just walk around!

 

[AlwaysMouseTime]

I would only stay at the Hyatt MCO if arriving late afternoon/evening, meaning limited time to do much before bedtime. I think a WDW resort-only stay will have plenty to keep a 3-yr-old busy! Especially since it's only 1 day/night, then cruise, then another day/night. Presumably he loves the pool or water play. Several resorts have playgrounds (always a highlight for DD no matter where we go!), surrey bikes or boats or fishing, there are usually plenty of activities planned near the pool each afternoon, movies and campfire at night.

As to which resort -- think of your family's likes. Would your son be thrilled with the larger-than-life aspect of the All Stars? Or CBR has a terrific waterplay area for little ones. Port Orleans has the boat ride to DTD if you are willing to leave the resort. If he's into animals you could try a night at AKL. I'd probably avoid the MK and Epcot area resorts simply due to the proximity to the parks, but nothing wrong with those if one is a favorite (or an "I always wanted to stay at X") -- your son isn't going to know he's right outside an amusement park, he'll be thrilled with what you present to him as fun.

Enjoy your cruise and park-less vacation!

Also my thoughts!! I was thinking AKL because he would LOVE it...but have also wanted to stay at Port Orleans because everyone seems to LOVE it.. it might come down to choosing one or the other from a hat! Since we will actually be spending more time at our hotel, I'm less inclined to do a value resort and more mod/deluxe... I've done CS.....don't need to do that one again. In my head, at the moment, my thoughts are either AKL OR Port Orleans...but that might change...and DH might have other ideas. The awesome thing about having a fellow Dork as a spouse...there isn't any argument about whether or not to go to Disney

 

[fab1976]

We are doing a night before and a night after our 7 day cruise in January. We have an 8 year old and a 2.5 year old. I was going to stay at the Hyatt the night after the cruise, but with the 2.5 year old I just don't see there being enough to entertain her for the entire day. I haven't booked a resort for that night yet, but I'm either going to do Animal Kingdom Lodge or Port Orleans French Quarter for its proximity to Disney Springs. Lots to walk around and see there, and just going around the resort will be something to do. Heck, we may even make a trip and go for a ride on the monorail! So many things to do that aren't in the parks. For our night before we are booked at Art of Animation. Another resort with lots to look at and explore! Our "home" when we go to WDW is Wilderness Lodge for its location to Magic Kingdom. These other ones I probably wouldn't stay at for a WDW vacation because of their location. I figure it's a chance to try somewhere new! It's killing me not going to the Kingdom at least, but being Canadian it is 35% on top of the $100ish cost and just not going to happen for less than a day there! The resorts are fun though, and we always enjoyed Downtown Disney, looking forward to checking out what's new with the new name!

 

[AAAG]

I took a 1.5 and 4 year old to Gatorland in Orlando. I didn't think it was that great, but they enjoyed it. It was close to the airport, and we did the whole place in about 3 hrs. To me, it's not worth paying admission to any of the WDW parks with a 3 year old because my kids at that age would not have stood in line very long for rides ets. Also to get your money's worth, you need to stay all day, and it's a long day for a young kid.
I have also just taken my kids to a local playground for a few hours. They were so thrilled to be able to play at a park in the middle of winter that they had a ball. It was free, and they burned off their energy.