new here with LOTS of questions

[mom2my2princesses]

HI! Dh& i are taking our DDs to WDW for the 1st time ~ they are 5 & 18mos & we leave in 2.5 wks. i have read more disney info than i ever imagined existed LOL but i am looking for all & any advice you have on traveling & visiting the parks w/kids. we are flying down & staying in a house. (know of any good grocery store?)we plan our bringing our double stroller (yes/no???) any info would be great! TIA
betsy

 

[mudnuri]

The best thing you can do is perform a search....thankfully the search feature is now running, just click on search at the top of this page, type in what you want to check for and hit find.

You'll find more information than you could possibly use!

Welcome to the Dis- and have a great trip!

Brandy

 

[CluvsJ]

Hi,
I would recommend Publix grocery store. They have a website so it should be easy to determine if there's one near where you are staying.

My DH and I are also going with our soon-to-be one year old in May. This will be our first trip with our ds. We are buying him an airline seat and bringing the stroller. We plan on gate checking it. We feel that our stroller will come in handy and the airport and more importantly be more comfortable for him if he decides to nap while we're still in the parks. I think the WDW rental strollers are fine for older kids that are past the "napping" stage and are more likely to stay awake the whole day.

Another thing that DH and I like to do is go to the bookstore and look through the WDW books in the travel section. They have books specifically targeted and parents traveling with children. We have gleaned a lot of information while only spending the cost of a cup of coffee (Isn't Barnes & Noble great!) I personally think the "unofficial guide" books are very good, and of course Burnbahms (sp?) is a good source of info too.

How far from the parks is your rental house? We are staying off property this time too. We prefer on site, but it wasn't possible this time :-( . The one thing I haven't figured out is where we are going to take a mid-day break. With ds along, I think this will truly be necessary for all of our enjoyment. Maybe someone else here could make some recommendations about that?

Anyway, I hope this is helpful to you and you have a great trip!

~C

 

[moinab]

We go with DS (3.5) and DD (13months) at least once a month. We always stay off-site in the Maingate area, and have no problem going to the hotel for naps and then returning to the parks. It's not that much farther than if we stayed at the All Star resorts.

We bring our single stroller because we carry DD in the sling a lot. The double stroller is a little more difficult to get on the trams, but it's not that big a deal.

 

[BevS97]

we stay off site as well, and we generally have dd nap in her stroller while we browse, but we do shorter days, either arriving early and leaving round 3, or arriving after lunch and staying out late.

we have always used which ever grocery store was closest, last time it was a Winn Dixie, and it was fine.

and I would take the double stroller - if you are offsite then you must have a car, so it will be no big deal. I would recommend forgetting the tram and walking to the gate, 90% of the time it's as fast as taking the tram anyway, and it's a lot less hassle then folding the stroller, we do this with our single stroller.
Last year, we had a single stroller and a 3 month old and a just 6 year old. The 6 year old walked virtually all the time, but late at night we put the baby in a sling and the 6 year old had a ride - this might be another option for you. After the MVMCP this worked brilliantly, the 6 year old would not have made it back to the carpark on foot, but was able to fall fast asleep in the stroller while we waited for the ferry.

Bev

 

[moinab]

Skipping the tram is a great suggestion. It really isn't that far, especially considering how much walking you're going to be doing. We've skipped the tram a few times, when the lines were long, but we take it most of the times because it's one of DS's favorite "rides."

 

[callaghan]

We went with a 14 month old and a four year old last year and I have two tips.
Take a break. We saw so many meltdowns- the worst one was from a mom. Her toddler spilled a drink and she just lost it. My four year old started crying because of the mom's reaction. It wasn't pretty, it was an accident.
And go to the store, Babies R Us by me, and buy disposable plastic toddler silverware. It saved us. There is no toddler silverware anywhere and because it was disposable, we didn't care if it got lost. Made every meal great for us. As did the disposable sippy cups. There is no stopper, so they spill, but they fit right into the cup holder, and we would fill the cup with fruit or cheerios so she could sit in the stroller and eat. They worked as both a cup and a bowl.
Ok, maybe I have more than two. Also if the little one can use a straw, bring some bendie oes, they helped too.
Bring the double stroller. All the kids stuff you have to cart and the kids, you'll be grateful that you did. If you have any questions about our experience, just PM me and I'll answer them
callie

 

[mom2my2princesses]

thanks so much for all the advice!! we probably wont be going back for quite a few years so i want to make it special! thanks again!
betsy