My trip alone with a 3 year old!

[GEM]

I'm finally getting around to reporting on my September trip. It was just me and my little guy (age 3 1/2 - just barely 36 inches tall) for 10 nights - 3 at All Star Music and 7 at Coronado Springs.

We had a GREAT time. I wouldn't hesitate to take him alone again, as we did really, really well. The bus situation at Movies was AWFUL and I would never stay there again, just for that reason - especially alone with a small child. Coronado Springs, however, was just about perfect in every way!

We spent lots of time at the Magic Kingdom, but he really enjoyed the other parks and places as well - especially Epcot and Blizzard Beach!

Some of his favorite things on this trip (his fourth):

-The Haunted Mansion (This was his absolute number one ride this trip. We must have done it 50 times!)

-Pirates of the Carribean (He hasn't seen that movie, of course, but he is still interested in Pirates and is a big Captain Hook fan, so this was a huge hit!)

-Other favorite rides: Barnstormer, Tea Cups, Astro Orbiter, Buzz Lightyear

-Renting a Sea Raycer boat one afternoon

-World Showcase at Epcot (This was a bit of a surprise, but he LOVED our days here! He really, really enjoyed all the entertainment and he loved seeing all the fountains in the different countries. And, the miniature trains in Germany were (for the second trip in a row) just about his favorite thing in all of Disney World.

-The Festival of the Lion King (He loved this last time, and it was an even bigger hit this time!)

-The Halloween Party (since he loves ghosts and all things spooky)

-The Wonderland Tea Party at the Grand Floridian (He had so much fun doing this!! He loves other kids and is a big fan of Alice and the Mad Hatter, so this was perfect for him. He had an absolute blast!

-The number one highlight: Breakfast with the Little Einsteins at Hollywood and Vine!! He is the biggest LE fan in the whole world, and I thought that his head was going to explode. He is totally in love with June, and he got to spend probably half an hour dancing and playing with her. It was GREAT!! A truly magical experience for him. He's still talking about it ALL THE TIME.


Some magical moments from this trip:

-Riding in the front car of the Barnstormer with Goofy!
-Riding Dumo with Stitch!
-Riding the tea cups with Alice!
-Playing "Red Light/Green Light" with Peter Pan and Wendy!
-Getting to be a Junior Conductor on the WDW Railroad!
-Getting picked to perform at the end of the Lion King show!
-And so many more that I can't name.

Anyway, that's a quick run down. I'll be glad to answer any questions.

 

[SusanMomOf2]

Awesome trip! I'm glad you had a great time!

Did you miss not going on any thrill rides? I have 2 daughters, and probably won't get a chance to go on them since my husband is in Iraq and I'll be the only adult.

 

[mom2my3kids]

That is great.. Glad you had a great time with your little guy. I just hope mine is as good as well..

 

[GEM]

Did you miss not going on any thrill rides?

Well, maybe just a little bit, but not really. I'd been on them all many, many times before and I know I'll be on them again, so I didn't really care. This trip was all about doing what Paul would enjoy. He's only 36 inches tall, so he just barely made the requirement for Barnstormer and he was too short for anything else with a height requirement.

 

[tanyaandallie]

That sounds awesome!!! I am going in a few months with my 18 mos and 3 year old and was not planning on going to Epcot. But, I'm really second guessing that after reading this.

 

[GEM]

That sounds awesome!!! I am going in a few months with my 18 mos and 3 year old and was not planning on going to Epcot. But, I'm really second guessing that after reading this.

Paul has always really enjoyed Epcot. He's loved World Showcase since his first trip, really. He really enjoys the entertainment - especially the acrobats in China, Morockin' in Morocco, and Fiddlers Joy in Canada. He was crazy for those! And, as I mentioned, he loved the fountains. What can I say, he has a real thing for fountains. He also loved Illuminations. It was his favorite thing on our last trip, and it was a HUGE hit again this time.

In Future World, he is absolutely NUTS about the Living Seas. I should have mentioned that. He's a huge Finding Nemo fan and he loves fish in general. We probably spent 3 hours just at the Living Seas. Turtle Talk was definately a highlight for him! And, he was crazy about the Fountain of Nations - especially at night all lit up. He loved watching it "dance".

I wouldn't dream of skipping Epcot with him, as he really did enjoy it almost as much as the Magic Kingdom, and he always has.

 

[robinb]

Some magical moments from this trip:

-Riding in the front car of the Barnstormer with Goofy!
-Riding Dumo with Stitch!
-Riding the tea cups with Alice!
-Playing "Red Light/Green Light" with Peter Pan and Wendy!
-Getting to be a Junior Conductor on the WDW Railroad!
-Getting picked to perform at the end of the Lion King show!
-And so many more that I can't name.

Wow! Were the character interactions during the Little Ones EE?

 

[GEM]

Wow! Were the character interactions during the Little Ones EE?

Yep, during one Little Ones morning he rode with Stitch on Dumbo, with Alice on the Tea Cups, played games with Peter Pan and Wendy for probably 20 minutes, and then managed to be the first one to Barnstormer so he could ride with Goofy! It was quite a morning!

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
It sounds like you had a great trip!! I took my 3 1/2 year old DGD this past August and she loved the Living Seas. How was Coronado Springs? Did you think it was too large a resort? I was thinking of staying there or POFQ next year. It looks really beatiful, but didn't know if it seemed kid friendly enough. I know I would love it, but didn't know if it would be as much fun for my DGD. Thanks!!

 

[bjakmom]

Wow, GEM, sounds like a wonderful trip !!! Thanks for the reassurance - I'll be taking my DGrD (just 3) next month for 6 days (just an "Oma and DGrD trip" - my DD is soooo awesome for letting me have her to myself since she can't take any more time off of work herself ) and it's been a loooooong time since I've travelled alone with a 3 year old. I am so excited to hear that your DS loved HM - it is DGrD's favorite song - she begs to listen to it whenever we're driving in the car and knows every word (a little strange, I know ), but I am a little worried that the stretch room may throw her off before she even gets on the ride.
How did you handle naps? My DGrD still takes a 1 1/2 hour nap every afternoon - we will be staying at CR so I can easily get back for naps, but I am seriously considering trying to let her just nap in her stroller - I'll play it by ear, just wondering what worked for you. How late into MNSSHP did you make it? I'm thinking of trying 2 MVMCPs during our week, but don't know how late she'll last past her usual 8 PM bedtime (although I will still love just walking around the park if she falls asleep comfortably in the stroller). I have always taken trips 'alone' with each of my children and it is so special to have that one-on-one time - DH joins us every few years - that's all the WDW magic he can stand !

 

[GEM]

We went back to the resort each afternoon for a nap and a swim. We both needed it due to the heat! Also, we've been before and will be going again, so we didn't feel like we had to be going all the time. We took lots of time off to enjoy our resort. He has napped in the stroller well on past trips, but I don't know that he would do that anymore at this age. He's too interested! Besides, like I said, we both needed the cooling down time. Usually we went out at park opening, stayed till just after lunch, went back for a nap and a swim, and headed out back out for dinner followed by an evening activity. We actually made the entire Halloween party with no problem. We just took it easy that morning and afternoon. We went to Downtown Disney that morning and then spent a long afternoon relaxing at the hotel and we both had a very good nap. I will say, though, that my guy is a little night owl. He never has any problems staying up late and he's never been one of those kids that needs a constant sort of routine. Having his bedtime totally thrown out the window for 10 days didn't affect him in the least. I just made sure an early morning never followed a late night, etc.

As for Coronado Springs, it was a dream! The bus situation was a thousand light years better than at the All Star Movies. There were NO crowds for the busses. We got a seat every single time and never waited for more than 10 minutes or so. I can't say enough good things about the transportation here. The Dig Site pool area is incredible for little ones. Paul would have been totally happy spending the whole vacation there! He loved playing on the steps in the big pool and he adored the incredible sand box area and the really amazing playground that they have. It's definately the best pool and playground area we've seen at any of the Disney resorts. Overall, I thought it was a great choice for a kid that age. I definately didn't think it was too large. Our room was all the way in the Ranchos section. We were close to the Dig Site and a bus stop, but about as far as you could get from the Pepper Market (which we LOVED by the way) and the front desk. Still, it took us no more than a lovely 10 minute walk to get there.

It really was a great trip! Just being on our own was wonderful. Such special memories!

 

[all4fun]

Hi Gem,
Rembember me? our guys are about the same age... It sounds like they like a lot of the same things. We were at WDW in Sept 17-23rd, and stayed at Movies. I thought the same as you about the bus situation. After hearing your report about Coronado, really makes me wish we had decided to stay there instead (we considered it but decided to save money instead). Oh well, LOL.

Brennan is 40" now believe it or not, and so we were able to do Stitch's Great Escape, Splash Mtn, BTMR, Kali, and Test Track. He loved them all...he's such a little daredevil. Just thought I would share as I'm sure you're looking forward to Paul being able to do those things. One good thing about him not "qualifying" for those now is it gives him a little more time to mature and hopefully there will be no doubt if he's "ready" for them or not (if there's any doubt now). I admit I was concerned about a few of the rides, especially the big drop on Splash, but thank goodness, Brennan loved it.

I was curious about the Sea Raycer...I read somewhere that there was a minimum age of 12 to ride that but I guess that is wrong since you rented one. I think Brennan would really like it. How did Paul do? Did you ever feel like he wasn't secure enough in the boat? That is my main concern - Brennan is tall for his age, but he's still only 30lbs so he's light as a feather, lol.

Anyway, it sounds like you had some really wonderful magical moments. Thanks for sharing!

 

[GEM]

Hey! Of course I remember you guys. Brennan and Paul were just about the same size when they were born, but it doesn't sound like Paul has done quite as well in the "catch up" department when it comes to size. At 3 1/2 years old, he's just barely 36 inches and about 25 pounds. They had to get out the stick and measure every single time we rode the Barnstormer, because he was so close to not being tall enough. Meanwhile, we saw all these kids who were SO much younger, who couldn't even talk, just sailing through without even being checked. I won't complain though, since he's actually well ahead of his age developmentally, and we so easily could be dealing with so much worse than small size!

You have to be 12 to drive the Sea Raycers in some places (and 16 in others) but there is no minimum age to ride along. Paul LOVED it. I kept one arm around him and didn't go all that fast (but fast enough for him to get a big kick out of it), so I wasn't worried about him falling out. As for the other rides, I have no doubt that when it comes to bravery, he's totally ready. Nothing scares him or ever has! Now, we just have to wait for the height to catch up to the attitude.

 

[all4fun]

That's great that Paul is doing so well developmentally. I wish I could say about Brennan - but things could definitely be much worse so I'm not complaining. He's in special ed preschool now - qualified because of his speech delay, has oral aversion and some minor sensory issues and he's catching up quite well with his motor skills. He'll get there, it's just taking a little extra time is all. He loves going to school (rides the bus and really likes that too, lol). I love this age actually. As for his height, he takes after his daddy, who is 6'2". So he comes by that honestly. I love that he is proving his Neonatal doc wrong. HE said Brennan would never be very tall.

 

[GEM]

Maybe we'll be there at the same time someday. It would be fun to get the two of them together. Our two little miracle guys who beat the odds!

 

[all4fun]

Yes that would be fun!