Mother of twin babies survives Disney trip!

[2BoysMom]

Hi All
First, I want to thank the many people who answered questions and provided information to me when I asked about various topics involving my trip to WDW to celebrate my twin boys turning one. It was Wonderful! And if there are any new DIS-ers wondering if they should bring babies to WDW, my comment to you is - GO FOR IT! That's what a number of people said to me on these boards, and they were absolutely right.

We stayed 3 nights at CR and 2 nights at POFQ. Both were lovely for two different reasons. I initially booked the CR (with a great rate from Magical Journeys) for the convenience of the monorail. I had my twin stroller and really thought I would need it to get around. It was nice to have, especially on the days we went to Epcot, and the character breakfast at Ohana's in the Polynesian. But walking to MK from the hotel was actually easier than the monorail (I'm so glad someone told me about that).

I guess b/c it was my sons birthdays (& b/c I had a sweet CM checking us in) they gave us a wonderful room in the North Wing, very close to the tower (so easy to get to the shops, food, monorail, etc). It was room 7387 and it had a view of the Castle, Space Mtn. and Monorail. I started to tear up when I saw the view. We watched fireworks from the room everynight while the babies were sleeping. It was great.

The people at CR couldn't be nicer, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. However, I have to agree with some folks who said that the CR lacked a certain amount of Disney themeing. Even my au pair, who was from Ireland, who had never been to WDW before, noticed that. Although I loved my stay and would recommend it to anyone, I don't think I would go back to CR for that reason. I love all of the different kinds of themeing that you see at other resorts. It just adds to the "magic" of Disney for me. But that's just my humble opinion.

Speaking of "themeing" the POFQ is absolutely charming. The only other resort I have stayed at at WDW, is CS. LOVE that moderate as well. Probably b/c it was my first on-site hotel. I was struck by the beauty and attention to detail and all of the Disney amenities. After that experience, I was completely sold (as most everyone else is), and know I can never stay "off-site" ever again.

POFQ is absolutely charming, and I would definately stay there again. I love the small size of it compared to other resorts. It's quiet & peaceful
compared to others. The themeing is beautiful and I LOVE the boat ride that takes you to DTD. What a lovely change of pace from the parks(& the boat comfortably holds the double stroller)!
I was worried that the resort might be impractical with the twins and the twin stroller but it was not. I'm not the type that likes to "drive and park" at the resorts....but it was actually easy and pleasant. One of the nice things (which I did not know before the trip), was that parking at the parks is free when you stay at the Disney resorts. And it was nice to have the minivan right there for tired and hot babies when it was time to leave. They love to nap in their carseats so it was nice for them when I would drive back. Also, I took this time to drive around and look at various resorts (again, we have permission to do this b/c we are staying at one) and show my au pair all the different places that you can stay at, at WDW.

I won't go into details about how I cried when I saw the view at the CR. Or how I cried at the character breakfast at Ohana's for the boys first birthday. Or how I cried at the Barbershop in MK for their first haircuts.
But if anyone has any questions for me regarding those experiences, or anything related to taking babies (or MULTIPLES!) to the parks, feel free to ask.

The trip was wonderful, and I feel I have many of you to thank for that!

 

[Trinity721]

I'm so glad you had a wonderful trip with your boys. It sounds like you all had a magical time! Thanks for sharing.

 

[2BoysMom]

I guess they moved my thread b/c I have babies? I put it in the Resort topic fourm b/c most of my post describes the resorts and what I got out of them.

Oh well....

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

Glad you had such a great time!

We took our DD9months to WDW (17 years ago!) and she had a blast! It was so much fun watching her respond to the characters, how fascinated she was by the electrical parade, and of course the fireworks!

It was a memorable trip!

 

[krahema]

I'm so glad to hear that you had fun! My husband and I have been going back and forth trying to decide if we will vacation at Disneyland with our 10 month old twin daughters, and you have sold me on the idea! Do you have any tips that made it more manageable or anything you might do differently in hindsight? Also, how many adults did you have; was it just your twins or do you have other children?

Way to go for having the courage to undertake the trip with the twins, and once again, I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

BTW, I already get teared-up just thinking about our girls' reactions to everything at the park!

 

[Boodsadel]

What a great report! Thank you so much for sharing... I teared up reading your last paragraph!! This really hit home, as we are leaving on the 22nd for our son Eli's first birthday there as well. How did your boys handle the characters and rides? Any particular favorites? Or scary ones you'd stay away from?

Any pics of the first haircut?? I can't WAIT for this! How did they do with that? My little guy needs this haircut badly!

Dawn

 

[2BoysMom]

Well, I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can, but if I skip something let me know.
What tips or what would I do differently with hindsight?

I debated about bringing our expensive double stroller (Mtn. Buggy) or purchase 2 umbrellas for better maneuverability in the parks. Decided on the Buggy and I'm glad I did. It was the stroller they were accostomed to, they could take naps in, etc. I went in end of April, beginning of May, so the crowds were not bad at all. Now if this had been an August or Christmas trip.....the 2 umbrellas might have been a more practical idea.

I make alot of their baby food at home, so I brought my little food grinder which easily fit in their diaper bag. When we were at the Crystal Palace buffet (with the Winnie the Pooh characters), I was able to make their lunch right their along with ours. I tried to do that as often as possible, that helps to save on babyfood jars. (However, I did not pack enough babyfood jars or formula and had to buy some at the park. You can buy them at the Baby Care Centers, expensive of course, but at least it's right there for you if you need it).

Make sure you try out the Baby Care Centers (now I don't know anything about Disneyland...) but I'm sure they are there as well, and they are in every park at Disneyworld. Lovely, cool, quiet, comfortable place to take care of babies. Great changing table room (unlike some of the very crowded bathrooms), many highchairs if you want a quiet place to feed, etc.

My boys slept in pack-n-plays in the hotels (they only sleep in those when we travel, I personally don't own any). What I did was bring their mattress cover which they have slept on since the day they were born (washed of course ), so they would have the comfortable smell and feel when they laid down. I'm lucky, they always sleep well when we travel.

After reading some posts about going to the Dollar store for supplies....I did that before my trip and got a few really handy items. Rain ponchos cheap, that we definately needed our last night there. Watching fireworks in the pouring rain! A fantastic soft-sided cooler. It was kindof small as far as coolers go, but rectangular and the perfect size for holding about 6 bottles. Normally, I store my bottles in the diaper bag, but at Disney they all went in the cooler (with room for some back-up food jars), that fit in my basket below the stroller, and then there was lots of room in my diaperbag for other essentials (like an extra change of clothes). I also got a pump soap dispenser for the sink in the hotel room, instead of using the messy bar soaps. I got a big container of Wet Ones that are antibacterial wipes and had it in the basket in the stroller. They came in handy many times, aside from the diaper changes, and I still have alot left over.

About rides, we tried to take them on everything we could. I'll tell you the one they both got hysterical on. It wasn't a ride....it was the Country Bear Jamboree of all things! Absolutely terrified. And not at the singing bears....it was before the show started and the CM encouraged the audience to yell "YeeeHaaw". My guys were terrified! We took them out to calm them down, and then came back in gradually to see the singing bears. They were fine through the performance, until the end when the CM had the audience yell "YeeeHaaw" again. I guess I'm raising a couple of city-boys!

As the radical mother I am, on our last day we took them on the Haunted Mansion ride, which I remembered as pretty lame, but once I was there I thought it was scarier than I remembered. The boys were fine. So it goes to show you, you never know what they are going to react to at the age. One of my sons is more sensitive than the other, so he is really my gauge, but he liked most everything.

I'll tell you their FAVORITE ride was It's a Small World. We went there 3 times. I don't know if you have heard, but they changed it from the old '60's version, and it is just BEAUTIFUL. People have always joked about that ride, but I have always liked it and now I LOVE it. Wait until you see the detail and beauty that went into it. It's just lovely, and my sons just couldn't get enough of looking around at everything.

Another tip is zip-lock bags, small and large size. I packed a few, but wish I had packed a few more. I always found ways to use them. Holding toiletries, medicine, ice for the baby cooler, dirty clothes, etc. That was a tip I got on these boards.

One thing I learned (& I hope it's not "against the rules") is if you are staying in one of the Disney resorts, and you're driving to MK, instead of parking in the MK parking lot, where you then have to take other transportation to get to the park.....I wish I had thought to park at the CR instead. If you are staying at a resort, they allow you to go into the others. If I had been parked at the CR it would have been an easy walk to the car, at the end of the night, instead of dealing with the crowds, in the pouring rain, with two upset babies who just wanted to get into their carseats and sleep (yes, I pushed it that night ). But that's the only "trick" I didn't think of until ater the fact.

I hope these answer some of your questions, please feel free to ask me specific ones if this "lengthy" response didn't answer some of your questions. The trip was truly wonderful, they won't remember it, but now I will have special memories that will last a lifetime.

(Whooops..,.I thought of a couple more things...so I will do another post, so those who are reading and bored, can decide if they want to keep reading )

 

[2BoysMom]

I can think of three more recommendations.

One: b/c I knew we would have to park the stroller and hold the babies while on line and in rides/shows, that it would help to have baby carriers. My boys are too big to go into the Baby Bjorn type carrier, so I did a bunch of research (and trial & error) and found, what I think is the perfect baby carrier for children that age/size and especially for a trip to WDW. It's called the Cuddle Karrier and it's made in Canada. Not only is it a carrier to wear your baby on your hip, but it is small and incredibly easy to put on. It also has a zippered section, very much like a fanny pack. So I wore a carrier like a purse, which held my tickets, room key, camera and wallet, and it was always ready for when I had to pull a baby out of the stroller and on to my hip. What a lifesaver! I HIGHLY recommend this carrier. http:///cuddlekarrier.com

My second tip :
Is Tony's Town Square Restaurant, in Main Street, USA in WDW. At one point on our trip to MK, we were hot and tired and were really interested in a sit down restaurant for the airconditioning (mostly). First we stopped at the Plaza Pavillion but there was a wait, and more importantly, we would have had to park the stroller and carry the boys in. Normally, this is not a problem, however, both of them were sound asleep, and I really didn't want to disturb them if I didn't have to.

We walked some more, and honestly I had forgotten about Tony's b/c it's really not that obvious on the street. It is right at the beginning, when you first walk in to MK. We approached Tony's because they had some porch seating and we thought just "maybe" they might let us bring the stroller on to the porch. In actuality, they let us bring the stroller right into the airconditioned (and beautiful, by the way) restaurant, in the glass enclosure with a view of Main Street. It was so thoughtful and the boys got to sleep comfortably and we got to eat in a relaxed setting. The food was good and I would recommend that restaurant. I think it is not as busy as others b/c of its location, and therefore, can accomodate tired mother's of twins who need to bring in a double-wide.

Third tip:
If you want to get your child's haircut at MK, go right to the barbershop first thing in the morning. We got there when the park opened at 9am, we walked leisurely, but right to the barbershop, and a chair was available to handle my two boys (there are 2 barbers). By the time we were done, there was already a line. I got that advice from someone here on the boards, and they were absolutely right. The barbers are real pros, and neither of my babies cried (do I still get to call them babies if they have turned 1?). It was one of the highlights of the trip.

That's it. I hope you like my suggestions. Any other questions?

 

[Boodsadel]

Great info!! This is really really helpful... Thanks for posting! So, on the food topic, my little guy doesn't eat anything that resembles baby food anymore (I made all of his, too). Any suggestions? We are also switching to milk..almost done. Is milk available at all the food stands? I would hate to pack that formula if we didn't have to! I also just got a pouch sling (lucky-baby.com) for the same purpose, and we love it so far! Ah, only a week and a half now!!

 

[2BoysMom]

Well, if he doesn't eat baby food anymore...that's a good thing right? Doesn't that mean you can break off bits and pieces of your food to give him? That's what's nice about the various restaurants that have buffets. There is no charge for the little ones, and yet you can give them whatever small amounts they eat off of your plate. (We thought the food at the Crystal Palace with the Pooh characters was excellent, as was the Character breakfast at Ohana's. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality).

The only non-baby food items that mine eat are Cheerios and the Fruit & Veggie Puffs. If your child is as addicted to Cheerios as mine, make sure to bring plenty of those. They were not for sale at the Baby Care Centers. I've tried breaking off tiny pieces of other kinds of food, but my twins will have nothing to do with it. They will smoosh whatever it is in their hands, but don't ever seem to bring it to their mouths. We're still at the babyfood with a spoon phase. I'm envious.


This is another tip, but is only relevant to AP and FL Seasonal Pass holders I'm afraid. My travel agent recommended we get the Disney Dining Experience card for $50. With that, we got 20% off of every meal we had, at whatever park we were at at Disney. We broke even by the second day, and any meal after that was just gravy (pardon the pun). Now whenever I go back with my Seasonal Pass, I will continue to get 20% off automatically. It averaged out to about $10-$15 per meal. I felt that was quite a savings.

 

[2BoysMom]

I'm sorry, I missed your milk question. I honestly don't know, but I would assume yes, wouldn't you? When I was a kid, that's all I was allowed to drink (of course, that was 100 years ago now.. )
We are on mostly milk ourselves, but I use organic milk and I knew that probably wasn't going to be there, so we just did the Similac liquid formula (diluted with bottled water) for the trip, and then went back to milk once we got home.

 

[Boodsadel]

Hi... Thanks for all the answers. Actually, it would be much easier if he still was on baby food. I forgot to mention that he has gone from eating ANY baby food I give him to being the pickiest little eater on the planet. He won't TOUCH any meat.. so chicken fingers, hot dogs (Barf anyways!), hamburgers and such are out. Basically that leaves us with Mac n Cheese, grilled cheese, and Jelly sandwiches. I looked at menus on allears.net, and every place does have milk. Yeah, I figured so much. But a lot of places only have meat for kids meals. I'm actually sending a package down to POP today with diapers, wipes, etc. In there I have a box of cheerios, graham crackers, cracker sticks, a loaf of bread (well cushioned of course), and a squeeze tube of jelly. So I guess whereever there is mac n cheese, we'll do that, otherwise we're doing sandwiches and crackers and milk. Ah, there goes his healthy eating habits I've work so hard to instill!

Any other suggestions on that issue?

Oh, and where exactly is the barber shop when you are first walking into the park?

Thanks!!!!
Dawn

 

[2BoysMom]

I didn't see too many grilled cheese sandwiches on the menu, but I did see mac n cheese at every buffet we were at, if that helps.

I worried about not finding the barbershop, too, beforehand. But it is really right at the beginning of Main Street on the left. You will see the big red and white barber pole on the outside.

Have you ever been to MK before? Right as you enter the park, there is a sort-of "open area" and then it focuses itself on the main thoroughfare which is "Main Street" and leads you straight into Cinderella's Castle. The barber shop is in the "open area" to the left. The Tony's restaurant that I mentioned in an earler post is also in the "open area" to the right.

And you know what? If your son only eats jelly sandwiches the whole time, so be it! It's just a few short days in his whole life. It will just add to the story line when you tell him about his Disney trip in the future.

 

[2BoysMom]

Hi, me again. I thought I would be more specific about one of the buffets. We did the Crystal Palace character lunch (first seating at 11:35) with the Winnie the Pooh characters. They had a separate little buffet for the kids. I can't remember all of the items on it, but mac n cheese was definately there b/c I scooped some up for my kids. In fact, it was the first time they had mac n cheese.
We thought the food was great (maybe b/c we were the first seating so it was hot and fresh) and b/c it was a buffet, you leave full and then don't eat again until much later.
The Crystal Palace is also very beautiful on the inside. That would definately be one of my suggestions for you.

 

[Tink n Poohbear]

What a FANTASTIC first birthday!!! Sounds like you had a magical and very memorable trip!

Thank you so much for posting this...you've given me courage! We planned our upcoming trip (leaving in less than 2 weeks!!) about a year ago to take our DS3, then lo and behold, we had twins! So, we'll also be taking our DDs 4 mos. People think we're crazy, but I think we'll manage. I got some great ideas from your posts, thanks again!!!

 

[2BoysMom]

Hi Tink n Poohbear!
Do your daughters still sleep in the same crib? Do you swaddle? Mine were just coming out of the swaddling at that age, but slept in the same crib until 5 mos. If they are sharing a crib, are you familiar with the companies in Orlando that let you rent a real crib, instead of the packnplay's that the hotels provide? That's what I would have done if my two were still sharing. (I was told on these boards that if I ask, that CR would provide me with a real crib....but once I got there, I received 2 packnplays.)

I'm not worried about you. I think you will do great. They are still sleeping alot at 4 mos., so maybe that will be to your advantage. My mistakes (and they weren't that big in the grand scheme of things) were not bringing enough formula and back-up baby food. I know some people's children are very particular or fussy about the type they drink, not all brands/types are available at the Baby Care Centers, just to give you a "heads up." But there was a pretty good selection.

Also, you are from IL and will be going when the weather is going to be quite hot. One of the things that I do to help keep my boys hydrated is to put in about 2/3 of formula in their bottles and the rest water. They're still getting the nutrients they need, but they are also getting water (which they may not drink alone) to keep hydrated. I would also get one of those fans that hold water and cool you off with a moist breeze. You can buy them ahead of time at a discount store or at Disney (where they will cost more), but they are EVERYWHERE at Disney so they will be easy to find.

Good luck and have a GREAT time. Feel free to ask me anything specific.

 

[LisaGoeke]

From one twin boys Mom to another, hello!

Glad to hear you survived but I must say you are braver than me. Our boys will be four when we go and I'm still worried, but I'm sure if you can do it with younger ones then somehow I will survive. I'm actually mostly worried about how my boys will do sleeping together in the same bed, but I"m hoping they'll be so exhausted from the day that they'll fall right to sleep.

Glad to hear you survived and had a good time.

 

[Loops]

Just wanted to say Hi.....from another surviver of Disney with twin boys.

The first time we went to Disney the boys just turned 1. We went back last month, my boys are now 2 1/2. We did find it easier when they were 1 but age 2 1/2 was fun too. At this age they want out of the stroller more and didnt' nap as well.

(age 2 1/2)
(age 6)