MNSSHP with a toddler?

[rachael95]

I'm trying to nail down our travel plans and have decided either week of Sept. 22 or week of Sept 29, 2014.

MNSSHP should be going on at that time. Is it worth it to do with just DH, me and a our DS (2 years old?). Should we wait to do it until he's older?

What are the experiences of others with a toddler at this party?

If we decide to try it, when should we look to purchase tickets and what would be a good night of the week to do it? Since our dates are flexible, I'm trying to see if we could stay in Orlando for 8 or so days, but have a few down days for relaxing. We'd probably do a relax day if we did the party and then only go for the party if we did it, saving a day on tickets.

Thanks!

 

[nadira36]

We've done both MVMCP and MNSSHP with toddlers and would say the halloween party is by far the better one to do. For us there was more to entertain our LO even if in a stroller or on one of our backs in a carrier.

Be prepared for either a sleeping toddler, or an early exit from the party, but also be prepared to have fun. pixie dust:

However, if your LO is afraid of villains, fireworks, or the dark/night you may have a problem. Ours were all pretty easy going and loved the parade and fireworks. Though there was one trip with another family who's LO was terrified of fireworks. SO we did skip them. But there were so many things for the kids to do that we didn't mind so much. It is a different party with a toddler vs adults, but equally fun. (IMO)

This year we'll have a 1 yr old, 3 yr old, 6 yr old, and almost 8 yr old at the party.

Personalyl we try to go to a party on a week day that doesn't fall during school breaks. The farther from halloween it is, the less crowded (typically). And as soon as you decide, purchase the tickets. The price will go up closer to the party.

 

[rachael95]

And as soon as you decide, purchase the tickets. The price will go up closer to the party.

Oh wow, thanks. I did not know the price went up later. I need to get DH to agree on some dates then.

Good to hear your experiences. I'm not sure how he'll be around fireworks. He's normally not afraid of things, but he's been complaining lately about people/things being too loud. I'm not sure if it's really him thinking something is loud or if he's just been told so often he's being loud that he's enjoying saying something else is.

We plan on taking him to Dollywood and a few other places to get him more used to characters and rides. He's great whenever we've been to the zoo. I'll see about testing big noises though.

 

[esquared221]

We did MNSHP on our last trip when DD was 5 and DS was 18 months. DD got a lot out of it but it was lost on DS. Both kids fell asleep before the parade and slept through the fireworks and we left after that. My kids don't stay up late though so it was kind of a wash as far as whether it was worth the $. DH and I liked it though- the parade was my favorite I've seen so far

 

[dsneygirl]

Both my kids (2 and 7) fell asleep at the Halloween party, the little one around 10 the older one around 11. DH and I just kept going and getting more candy. We left about 12:05am. I never leave just because my kids are asleep it's the only quiet all day

 

[nadira36]

yeah, we leave when DH and I are tired - or now, once the big kids are done. But for a toddler or baby, we just keep on going.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

Oh wow, thanks. I did not know the price went up later. I need to get DH to agree on some dates then.

Good to hear your experiences. I'm not sure how he'll be around fireworks. He's normally not afraid of things, but he's been complaining lately about people/things being too loud. I'm not sure if it's really him thinking something is loud or if he's just been told so often he's being loud that he's enjoying saying something else is.

We plan on taking him to Dollywood and a few other places to get him more used to characters and rides. He's great whenever we've been to the zoo. I'll see about testing big noises though.

This isn't about the party, but I am taking a 2 year old this year too. When you said you were taking him to Dollywood to get him used to rides and characters, I have a suggestion. Last year to prepare my 15 month old granddaughter I would show her videos on you tube of other little kids meeting the characters. When we went she hugged everyone. The only time she cried was waiting in line to see Mickey because she couldn't get to him fast enough. I should have done this with Santa because she refused to meet him.

 

[usagibuffy]

We did MNSSHP at DL with DD at 2yo and she surprised us by staying awake the whole time. We did it again this year with DD at 4yo and DS at 19mo. DS fell asleep in the stroller around 11, while DD (whom we made walk) was awake the whole time. It was so much fun!

 

[rachael95]

Thanks all, and yes, definitely want to show him videos of the meet and greets. We went to Fairy-tale nights at Rock City recently and he was very shy around most of the characters in costume - though he did like one of the three little pigs.

This sounds like it could be a good amount of fun and if he fell asleep in the stroller, that would probably be fine for a bit - though I'd be afraid of him waking up once we got back to the hotel...

 

[jbscoggins]

Thanks for posting the question! I was just about to come here and post the same one. We are looking at the Sept 23 party with our boys will be turning 1 and 3 the next week. I keep trying to tell my husband that it will be worth the likely $120 extra, but he's not convinced.

I pulled up last year's Boo to You parade on YouTube and my now 2.5 yo was enthralled with it.

The only thing left (after reading these responses) that I have concerns about is (and so will add to this post about toddlers rather than start a new one): really the party doesn't start until like 7pm, right? So if my kids usually fall asleep by 8pm, will they even see much compared to what would usually be at MK that time of year?

 

[amym2]

Thanks for posting the question! I was just about to come here and post the same one. We are looking at the Sept 23 party with our boys will be turning 1 and 3 the next week. I keep trying to tell my husband that it will be worth the likely $120 extra, but he's not convinced.

I pulled up last year's Boo to You parade on YouTube and my now 2.5 yo was enthralled with it.

The only thing left (after reading these responses) that I have concerns about is (and so will add to this post about toddlers rather than start a new one): really the party doesn't start until like 7pm, right? So if my kids usually fall asleep by 8pm, will they even see much compared to what would usually be at MK that time of year?

Correct- the party starts at 7pm. Other than people waiting in lines to meet characters (no characters yet, just lines), nothing party-related starts before that. If your kids would be asleep by 8, I definitely would wait until they are older to do the party.

 

[amym2]

The party should be less crowded on a weekday than weekend, but the Tues in late Sept we attended a couple of years ago was very crowded. We were glad we waited until the kids were 9 and 7 and they could stay up later without being cranky. We really enjoyed the parade and fireworks, but the candy just meant lugging stuff around.

If you're going to do it, by all means do it on a rest day. We had already been to MK on that trip and ridden almost everything with low crowds, so we only rode a few things during the party.

Only you know what your kids can handle. Our kids weren't stroller sleepers and would have had meltdowns instead of just falling asleep in their strollers. That would have made DH and I cranky. We limited evening entertainment when the kids were little because they needed sleep to be happy kids, but some kids can manage just fine. Now that they are 10 and 12, we can do the evening entertainment and they enjoy it much more.

 

[mrsmomo]

When my dd and ds were toddlers they both went and loved it! I think we left @ 10 or 11 both times. Dd loved the meet and greets but ds hates characters. The party itself was very enjoyable relaxed and colorful.

 

[msjessey]

It's worth it. We went last year with our then- 4.5 year old. She got dressed up like tinkerbell at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique when we first got there. Even though the party officially starts at 7, they let you in at 4, I think. They have trick or treating set up at different rides all over. Her bedtime is usually 8, and she passed out around 10 in her stroller watching the parade. The parade was awesome. We are planning in going again this year and making it a tradition.

 

[nadira36]

Thanks for posting the question! I was just about to come here and post the same one. We are looking at the Sept 23 party with our boys will be turning 1 and 3 the next week. I keep trying to tell my husband that it will be worth the likely $120 extra, but he's not convinced.

I pulled up last year's Boo to You parade on YouTube and my now 2.5 yo was enthralled with it.

The only thing left (after reading these responses) that I have concerns about is (and so will add to this post about toddlers rather than start a new one): really the party doesn't start until like 7pm, right? So if my kids usually fall asleep by 8pm, will they even see much compared to what would usually be at MK that time of year?

For us, when ours fall asleep, we still enjoy the party, so we'd still think it was worth while at that age (they'd be free b/c they're less than 3). If they were over 3 and likely to fall asleep at that time, then I'd change my answer. If you would leave as soon as they were asleep and not do the party stuff yourself, then I'd change my answer.

But for us, DH and I may swap out to do our fav rides, and we still do M&Gs with sleeping kids, watch fireworks, parade, and go trick-or-treating so it's totally worth it for us.

But if they are not able to stay up passed 8 at all, not even by an hour,t hen yes, the children would miss most of what was special for the party.

 

[LindseyLou2222]

Good question! We plan on taking DD this September. Hopefully it's not too scary for her. We were at MVMCP last December and she couldn't have cared less about the parade, but DH and I enjoyed it!

 

[khertz]

We did the party last year with DS over the week of his third birthday, and we all three loved it! We made it a rest day and spent the morning at the pool, then had lunch and let DS take a nice long nap. We got to the park a little before 5 pm, had dinner, and rode a few rides before getting in line for the Rapunzel & Flynn side of Fairytale Hall. We spent the rest of the night doing party specific things...the parade & fireworks, Trick or Treating, character meets, dance parties, etc. DS is in bed by 8 pm every night at home, so I thought for sure he would crash out in the stroller sometime after the fireworks. He surprised both DH and I with how great he did! He stayed awake until we were ready to leave around 11:15 pm. In fact, he was meeting Mickey at 11 pm! Definitely didn't expect that when I was planning out our party night. We probably could have stayed later if we wanted to, but we wanted to beat the crowds out since we were staying offsite and had to get to the TTC via monorail.

 

[kruegeme]

We took our DD and DS to the MNSSHP when they were 2 yrs and 9 months respectively and they both loved it. We were staying at BLT so we returned to the hotel at lunch and had them take naps. Up until this point, naps were normally in the stroller at a park. We arrived back at MK around 5pm and did a few rides and a parade snack. After the parade ended, we went in to see the Princess's and Prince's as well as Mickey and Minnie during the fireworks. This also kept them awake long enough to go catch some of the other characters as well as a late night snack before we headed back to the resort.

 

[dsneygirl]

For us, when ours fall asleep, we still enjoy the party, so we'd still think it was worth while at that age (they'd be free b/c they're less than 3). If they were over 3 and likely to fall asleep at that time, then I'd change my answer. If you would leave as soon as they were asleep and not do the party stuff yourself, then I'd change my answer.

But for us, DH and I may swap out to do our fav rides, and we still do M&Gs with sleeping kids, watch fireworks, parade, and go trick-or-treating so it's totally worth it for us.

But if they are not able to stay up passed 8 at all, not even by an hour,t hen yes, the children would miss most of what was special for the party.

Same as us. We have a million character photos of sleeping toddlers in strollers

 

[Lupeix]

I'm trying to nail down our travel plans and have decided either week of Sept. 22 or week of Sept 29, 2014.

MNSSHP should be going on at that time. Is it worth it to do with just DH, me and a our DS (2 years old?). Should we wait to do it until he's older?

What are the experiences of others with a toddler at this party?

Thanks!

We went with our then 2 year old last year and are planning to go again in time for the MNSSHP, likely 2015
One thing that really helped with DS was getting the free Disney planning DVDs, he watched them over and over before going and still asks for it on occasion
Try to schedule a character meal early on, is a more relaxed way to meet them. If your son likes/ knows some character do that first, we did the Crystal palace, since he sleeps with Winnie. After that he couldn't wait to meet and hug any character he saw.
The only thing that scared DS on the trip was pirates of the Caribbean, and not the pirates but the fall in the dark at the start. On hindsight that is probably not suited for kids that age, but he begged to go after watching the planning DVDs and seeing the ride over and over.
He never made it to the fireworks, but if you take a good sleeping stroller with you you can stay and do it yourself.
We found we couldn't really do both morning and evening even with a nap break, so for the days we did evenings we stayed at the resort all day and he took an extra long nap, which helped DS stay up until later than usual. That maybe a good option for doing the party with a toddler.
DH favorite holiday is Halloween and last year DS had a blast trick or treating, so if your kid went trick or treating last year and wasn't scared of people in costume that's a good sign. Personally I wouldn't miss MNSSHP myself, but we are a Haloween obsessed family, we are looking forward to doing it next time.