NEW HERE, going to WDW end of Feb.

[GoofyG]

Hi everyone, I just joined and learning how this board works. We are going to WDW Feb 26- Mar2. 2007. We are driving from OK, with a 2yrold (3 the end of Mar) and a 10mos. old. We are alos staying at the Shades of Green hotel, so transportaion will be provided. I was wanting to find out about rides that will be good for the kids, and anything else. Also ideas for the road trip. This is are first family vacation, I'm really excited. My parents are going too. My dad promised the 2yr old he would take her when she got potty trained. She was trained last May, she has bothered him ever since. I have been to WDW a few times, and lived in San Diego, so I was always at DL.

Is size a problem with any rides? My DD's are very tiny. DD1 will be 3 and weighs 24lbs, and is 34in.


I also wanted to know about strollers. I have an Tandem stroller, a jogginf stroller, and an Eddie Bauer stroller that folds like an umbrella stroller (this I love, but doesn't ave a basket). All double strollers. I didn't know if any on these will work or should I find a side by side umbrella stroller. I looked at the chicco citta twin stroller. No one has it in a store, so I would have to buy it online. I don't know what will be good.
Any info will be great, I don't know what to expect.

We are doing a breakfast with JoJo the last day we are there. DD's favorite person (JoJo is her birthday party this rear). We are also doing the pirates and princess the first day we are there.

Sorry it's so long, I'm so new to this (family vacations)

 

[Desnik]

To the DIS!!!
Glad you found us! You will definately find all your answers here! My advice would be to read all you can on this board as well as the others! We have been taking our kids since they were 8 and 9 months old! They are almost 9 and 4 now. We have diriven many times so let's start with my tips for driving.

Not sure how long your drive is, but for us it is about 19 hours! I'm actually glad we fly now but driving was fun, most of the time. We would leave our house by 3-4am. The kids would be in their PJ's and asleep and we would get alot of peaceful driving in before they woke up!LOL I always had a small cooler packed with drinks, snacks and breakfast. We would stop for fast food for lunch. We ate breakfast and lunch in the car. We would eat at a restaurant along the way for dinner. Also at rest stops we would let the kids run around and let off some steam! We would make sure everytime we stopped for gas, everyone went potty! Well, with myself and DD, we would have to stop often for potty breaks!LOL DH and I would take turns driving and drive straight through to WDW. We would arrive late and stay at a value or mod the first night, then the rest of the week in a deluxe or DVC. We had tv's in the car which really helped keep the kids busy. Also I had a backpack for each with all kinds of stuff to keep them busy. Color wonder by crayola is a God send!! It only writes on their special paper and is great for road trips. They come with markers and they have character coloring books like Nemo, Blues Clues, etc... I also had coloring pages I printed out from websites, stickers and sticker books, handheld games, little dollar store items I had wrapped and would surprise them with along the way. The kids slept alot on the drive when they were young.

As far as the rides go there will be aton the kids can go on! The rides that have height and age restrictions have it clearly stated on the entrance. Here's a link to those rides:
http://allearsnet.com/tp/rr.htm
That is what's so great about WDW. There really is so many rides/shows/attractions that are made for the whole family to enjoy.

Strollers are a big topic for discussion on these boards and if you do a search you will find a ton of info and opinions. I do believe Disney does not allow jogging type strollers. I remember that being mentioned here before. I would definately take your own stroller because you will need one for around the resorts, DtD, and the walk from the car to your room with 2 sleeping kids will be easier with it! I would bring the one that folds like an umbrella stroller just so it's easier to handle. Why not buy on of those stroller tote bags like this one:
http://store.babycenter.com/product/gear/strollers/stroller+accessories/stroller+tote.do?asc=false
That would help since your stroller doesn't have a basket. I know Kolcraft makes an inexpensive side by side umbrella stroller, and so does Jeep. You can find them on the Kolcraft website. That might be a good option if you want them side by side.

Good luck and I hope you have a wonderful trip! Post back and let us know if you have any more questions!

 

[stacy6552]

Welcome! Ok let's see.....

Your children can ride anything without a height restriction, the baby too. And there are alot of them. You can do the kids switch for anythng they are too small for, which means you wont have to wait in line twice.

I don't reccommend the jogger, as they are too hard to steer in crowds. Bring whichever stroller fully reclines, has storage and cup holders are always a plus. Also bring a baby carrier, like the baby Bjorn (thmbs up from our two uses at wdw), because there are lots of places the baby can go that the stroller can't. Dont use a backpack because you will have to take it off. Our son rode rides and sat in shows in his front carrier. It was great.

Be prepaired for your kids to be frightened of the charactures. Both of them. And if the baby is scared but your tot isnt, let them know when you arrive. The Cm's are great and handling that so everyone is happy.

Bring a change of clothes in a ziplock bag. If you have an accident, it will be very expensive to replace everything. We had an accident, when our preschooler got stuck on Test Track and couldnt get off quick enough, once and it cost $60 to replace shorts, shirt, and underwear.

Find Table Toppers (I got mine years ago at Right Start). They are presterilized plastic mats that stick to the table. Priceless for those fingers foods the baby will want during meals, especially counter service places.

 

[GoofyG]

I'm trying to learn some of the codes, but what is CM? Sorry

DH me DD1 DD2

 

[jennybell]

A CM is a cast member which is a fancy Disney word for a disney employee.
I hope you have a great trip!
I always bring my umbrella stroller - it is so much easier to fold and travel with. I also tie a bandana or scarf onto the stroller, so it is easier for me to identify when we exit a ride or show. Disney is known for moving strollers around to avoid congestion.

 

[jtopp]

CM is cast member, and it refers to any disney employee that has public exposure.
We also drove a few times, and the dvd player is God's gift to parents on long trips We also packed lots of small snacks( grapes, raisens, chips, juice boxes) nothing messy or sticky. Lots of potty breaks at gas stops and meal breaks. We break our trip up over two days so it is not as taxing to constantly be in the van. I'm sure you will get lots of feedback about rides appropriate for your children, and any other concerns you may have. The members on this page are great, and have saved me time, money and misery time and time again. Enjoy your trip! Hope it is both safe and happy.

 

[mericletwins]

jtopp~
Waving hello from another southern NJ person. I was just reading your list of trips and I am totally jealous. My DH runs a restaurant on one odf the islands her and can never get time off in the summer and I am a teacher. I don't know what we were thinking, but trying to take a vacation is almost impossible in regards to time off. We have Christmas and Easter if we want to go for any length of time! Maybe one of us should consider a job change.....

 

[Mainebound]

Just want to welcome you to the board, and say that my sons were those ages on our first trip. We head out on our FIFTH trip in March and they are now big boys at 7 and 5. We have so many happy memories by now at WDW!

I cannot add much to the great tips above, but I'll note that at that age they have a GREAT time even apart from the rides. There is so much to see and smell and hear in the parks without getting on a ride. Also, we always loved our cheapo side-by-side stroller with the little hoods over the top. Worked great for us. We also always made advance dining ressies at the park for lunch, so we coudl sit and be cool midday. After lunch we would decide whether to leave and come back, stay for a few hours, or some other option.

Have a great trip!