Let's turn around. Magic Kingdom is open till 1AM! 3/23 Some Final Thoughts

[shan23877]

I've really enjoyed reading your TR, and I think you guys did great taking a little guy to WDW.

Heading over to check out the PTR now, and looking forward to the next trip!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Stellar work, Andy!

Thanks for letting us come along on your trip, I've already headed over to the PTR and can't wait to hear more! I'm assuming there will be baby pictures over there shortly

 

[khertz]

Can't believe this TR is over!! Seems like we were just planning our November trips...

As far as doing Disney with a toddler goes, I’ve seen arguments for and against it. Personally, I’m glad we took him and I’d do it again. Everything didn’t go 100% according to plan, but life seldom does. We had fun, he had fun and we did it together. He might not remember this trip a few years down the road, but I can assure you that DW and I will and the memories will be fantastic.

I agree wholeheartedly. We had the BEST time taking a toddler, and are so glad we didn't decide to wait until he is older like we had been planning to do. I'm happy that you & your DW had the same experience.

We also had some concerns about going on this trip with DW being pregnant. She wasn’t sure she would be able to have fun if she couldn’t ride all of the rides. I knew if she didn’t have fun, I wouldn’t have fun. I told her we could put the trip on hold and just save the money to go in a couple of years, but she wanted to go anyway. It turned out very well. Even though she couldn’t go on the thrill rides, there was plenty for her to do, and she wanted to spend a lot of time resting and napping anyway, so I didn’t feel very guilty about going off to ride on my own.

Although I was a little further along and we went at one of the hottest times of the year, I agree with your wife's sentiments about doing Disney pregnant as well. It was a different kind of trip than we were used to, but still a lot of fun. And we did a lot of things I don't think we might have done had we never taken a trip where one of us couldn't do thrill rides.

Some of the things we learned:

• Touring plans are useless. You have to have a strategy, but when you have a toddler, you WILL do what they dictate.
• An expectant mother can have fun at Disney World. Rest, regular meals and plenty of water are a must.
• Christmas decorations and themes at the parks are totally worth it if you can ever get there.
• I’ve always been a fan of Disney Transportation, but driving to the parks with our stroller was so much nicer. Use of a Disney bus will be rare for us in the future. I loved the boats though.
• Beverly is really not as bad as some people lead you to believe.
• Le Cellier and Via Napoli really are as good as some people lead you to believe.
• Pushing a stroller around Disney World isn’t all that bad. I hit exactly ZERO ankles over the course of the week. Not that I didn’t want to…
• If you have a toddler who doesn’t like loud noises, hearing protection is a lifesaver. There is no way we would have seen Illuminations or Fantasmic! without our earmuffs.
• If we make an ADR for a character meal in December, it will be at the end of the week. That way we can have time to gauge his interest and cancel if necessary.

to all of these! The only ones I can't say for sure would be Beverly and Le Cellier since I've never tried either one. Everything else is right on the money!

[*]We fully intended to make use of the baby care centers in the parks. In case you didn’t notice, there was no mention of them in the TR. We always ended up changing diapers in the nearest convenient restroom. I’m sure we’ll make use of them during our next trip.

You will probably find more of a need for them with DD around on your next trip. At Paxton's age they were great because he was still mostly on baby food and needing his milk warmed. At Landon's age, I can see where they would be nice but not necessary. It will be nice for Landon to have a place to unwind and play a little bit too while you take care of little DD's needs.

With that, I think I’ve said about all there is to say here. As I mentioned, we’re going to be returning to the World in December for an extended family trip with my parents and sisters. This trip is being planned by my mom, but since we’ll be preparing for a trip with a toddler and an infant, I’ll probably go ahead and write a PTR. I might need a sounding board just to keep me sane and reassure me that we’re going to be ok. Additionally, Mom wants my sister and I to figure out ADR’s for the trip, so there will be a little bit of planning to write about. If you’re interested in following along on another PTR with me here it is.[/COLOR]

Heading over there now.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

As far as doing Disney with a toddler goes, I’ve seen arguments for and against it. Personally, I’m glad we took him and I’d do it again.

Glad you feel that way. I used to be part of the "never take a baby to Disney" crowd, but then we tried it...and it was great! I figured it wouldn't be worth it since he wouldn't remember it. Then I realized he was free, so I didn't care if he remembered it or not.

[*]Christmas decorations and themes at the parks are totally worth it if you can ever get there.

Already on the bucket list.

[*]Beverly is really not as bad as some people lead you to believe.

Or your taste buds are malfunctioning.

[*]Le Cellier and Via Napoli really are as good as some people lead you to believe.

[*]We fully intended to make use of the baby care centers in the parks. In case you didn’t notice, there was no mention of them in the TR. We always ended up changing diapers in the nearest convenient restroom. I’m sure we’ll make use of them during our next trip.

Or just use the Hall of Presidents.

I’d like to thank all of you for following along with my sometimes rambling updates. I thoroughly loved reliving our trip through this medium.

You did a great job, Andy! I loved reading about your trip. You've got a sweet family and a great sense of humor. Thanks for bringing me along. Virtually speaking. I mean, if you want to actually bring me along on the next trip, that'd be awesome. But that's up to you.

 

[afwdwfan]

Awww, I'm so sad that it's over!

I really enjoyed reading all about your family's vacation. I think y'all did a great job with having a toddler on this trip & I have no doubt that y'all will do just fine with an infant added to the mix this December!

I love your final thoughts! I agree with everything you wrote, especially about being glad y'all took a toddler. Even if he doesn't remember everything, you'll always have pictures to show him & you & your wife will have some wonderful treasured memories. But DS may surprise you by what he remembers. Reid talks about both of his trips, even though the 1st one was when he was 2. He remembers things I don't! And I'm so glad I learned from you about the earmuffs for fireworks. Since Reid won't let me use earplugs on him, I'm definitely going to invest in these before we leave in September!

Thank you again for sharing your memories with us!

Now, I'm headed over to check in on the PTR!

I'm sad that it's finished. It was great to relive the trip through writing this TR. I'm glad that we took DS along, and I wouldn't trade this trip for anything.

Thanks for following along!

Great recap, Andy. I thoroughly enjoyed your TR and looking forward to following along on the PTR.

I never believed those who said not to take "toddlers" to Disney World. We took both of our boys when they were first 18 months old, and they both still remember a few stand out things (Andy remembers "getting lost" with Mickey and Markie remembers being scared to death of Goofy!).

I think you did great on what you accomplished having a toddler and a pregnant wife on the trip.

I definitely remember some things from the trip when I was 3. I loved Figment and actually got to meet him and Dreamfinder. That's one of my first Disney memories (and explains my love for the little guy, even though his current attraction stinks... in more ways than 1).

Nice job Andy! Great recap and summary of learnings you had along the way.

Heading over to join the new PTR!

Thanks for the encouragement and for reading along!

 

[afwdwfan]

I've really enjoyed reading your TR, and I think you guys did great taking a little guy to WDW.

Heading over to check out the PTR now, and looking forward to the next trip!

Thanks! I really hope the next trip goes as well as this one.

Stellar work, Andy!

High praise, coming from the pun master.

Thanks for letting us come along on your trip, I've already headed over to the PTR and can't wait to hear more! I'm assuming there will be baby pictures over there shortly

Thanks for following along and I'm sure there will be some baby pictures.



I also have to say a thank you to you and Captain_Oblivious for writing a couple of the first TR's I ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and seeing how much fun you guys were having writing them and interacting with your readers. It really encouraged me to check out other TR's and encouraged me to write my own. Thank you!

 

[afwdwfan]

Can't believe this TR is over!! Seems like we were just planning our November trips...

I'm just glad that I actually have another one to plan for now!

I agree wholeheartedly. We had the BEST time taking a toddler, and are so glad we didn't decide to wait until he is older like we had been planning to do. I'm happy that you & your DW had the same experience.

It's great... Definitely a different kind of great, but I wouldn't trade it.

Although I was a little further along and we went at one of the hottest times of the year, I agree with your wife's sentiments about doing Disney pregnant as well. It was a different kind of trip than we were used to, but still a lot of fun. And we did a lot of things I don't think we might have done had we never taken a trip where one of us couldn't do thrill rides.

Good point!

to all of these! The only ones I can't say for sure would be Beverly and Le Cellier since I've never tried either one. Everything else is right on the money!

You need to try them both.

You will probably find more of a need for them with DD around on your next trip. At Paxton's age they were great because he was still mostly on baby food and needing his milk warmed. At Landon's age, I can see where they would be nice but not necessary. It will be nice for Landon to have a place to unwind and play a little bit too while you take care of little DD's needs.

I assumed that would probably be the case. I still thought we might use the facilities for a diaper change and a chance to relax while DS was confined, but it just never happened that we were in the area when we had any use for one of them.

 

[afwdwfan]

Glad you feel that way. I used to be part of the "never take a baby to Disney" crowd, but then we tried it...and it was great! I figured it wouldn't be worth it since he wouldn't remember it. Then I realized he was free, so I didn't care if he remembered it or not.

I'm a convert too. That was pretty much the same exact thought process I had as we decided to book the trip.

Already on the bucket list.

Or your taste buds are malfunctioning.

Nah... it really just didn't have much taste to it.

Or just use the Hall of Presidents.

Are you saying a poopy diaper should somehow be used as a political statement?

You did a great job, Andy! I loved reading about your trip. You've got a sweet family and a great sense of humor. Thanks for bringing me along. Virtually speaking. I mean, if you want to actually bring me along on the next trip, that'd be awesome. But that's up to you.

First of all, see the end of my reply to Barry ^^^.

Secondly, if I win the lottery, I'll keep you in mind. I think we could have a lot of fun together. My only concern is that the one place in the world I really don't want to be banned from is Walt Disney World, and I'm not sure what kind of trouble we might get into.