NEW TO *EVERYTHING*

[acvels]

Looking to start planning a trip and honestly don't know where to start.
-Booking a Disney resort vs off site,
-booking a studio vs room with a full kitchen,
-booking a car vs not (how easy is it to get around without one?)
-How easy is it to get groceries to either on or off site resorts?
Hoping to be eating our own breakfast in the room before heading out, have a 6 and 2 year old.

 

[2Lunds]

I would start by watching Vlogs on YouTube. Off the top of my head: allears.net and touringplans have great comparison videos that will help with most of the questions on your list. After a few of those, you'll start to see other suggested videos, and you can watch/follow other channels with more personalized content. You can also search with some of the keywords in your post and you'll get great results.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

A lot depends on your budget.

 

[bababear_50]

Hi Hon
Just a quick note re your thread title.

Typing in all capitals in electronic communications means: you are shouting.

Kind regards
Mel

 

[acvels]

Hi Hon
Just a quick note re your thread title.

Typing in all capitals in electronic communications means: you are shouting.

Kind regards
Mel

This genuinely made me laugh. Don't worry, I'm not new to "electronic communications", just WDW lolol
THANKS FOR THE CONCERN

 

[acvels]

I would start by watching Vlogs on YouTube. Off the top of my head: allears.net and touringplans have great comparison videos that will help with most of the questions on your list. After a few of those, you'll start to see other suggested videos, and you can watch/follow other channels with more personalized content. You can also search with some of the keywords in your post and you'll get great results.

Thank you!

 

[igrsod]

There are a lot of decisions to be made.

Here is what I did when my kids were little.
Stayed onsite at a value resort... no kitchen but we made toast and cereal in the room for breakfast.
We took the included magical express at that time, but now we would just uber to and from the airport... no need to rent a car if you are spending all your time at WDW.
Some of our best/worst/funniest memories are from Disney transportation... for us it's part of the experience.
As for groceries, we usually just put cereal, bagels, english muffins etc. in our luggage... sometimes we would get groceries delivered by Garden Grocer... never had any issues with them.
I would only do delivery if you needed quite a bit of food.
Good luck with the planning. It really is information overload, even for Disney veterans.

 

[acvels]

There are a lot of decisions to be made.

Here is what I did when my kids were little.
Stayed onsite at a value resort... no kitchen but we made toast and cereal in the room for breakfast.
We took the included magical express at that time, but now we would just uber to and from the airport... no need to rent a car if you are spending all your time at WDW.
Some of our best/worst/funniest memories are from Disney transportation... for us it's part of the experience.
As for groceries, we usually just put cereal, bagels, english muffins etc. in our luggage... sometimes we would get groceries delivered by Garden Grocer... never had any issues with them.
I would only do delivery if you needed quite a bit of food.
Good luck with the planning. It really is information overload, even for Disney veterans.

This is so so helpful, thank you so much.

 

[musika]

Our first trip was with a 6 year old and 2 year old so I feel uniquely qualified to respond

- We chose to stay onsite at Pop Century. For us it was a great choice because while it cost a bit more, we didn't have to worry about bringing car seats on the plane.
- You don't need a full kitchen. We did an instacart order with common breakfast items and snacks and had breakfast in our room every day. That plus mickey bars plus dinners in the park/hotel were enough!
- We booked a car that first trip for one night only so DH could take DD to Blue man group at Universal. It was honestly more hassle than it was worth. Unless you're planning to stay offsite or leave the bubble, you don't need a car. See previous comment about carseat!
- Groceries are easy peasy - any number of delivery services available. We used Instacart/Publix but there's lots of options if you search the boards.

And not that you asked, but I'm going to give some unsolicited, highly controversial advice (don't believe me, check the family forum) - get a double stroller. Your 6 year old might be the most independent active little soul at home, but trust me when I say that it's not worth the fight over the stroller with the 2 year old who definitely will need one. Our 6 year old napped in it during fireworks alongside her brother. It was worth its weight in gold that first trip to us!

One more piece of advice - seriously, don't try to do it all. We went for a week and had 5 park days - it was too much. We had very over stimulated cranky kids. Don't worry about getting on every ride. Pick your top 5 and everything else is gravy. And have so much fun!! Age 2 was magical because the character is very much "real" to them!

 

[acvels]

Our first trip was with a 6 year old and 2 year old so I feel uniquely qualified to respond

- We chose to stay onsite at Pop Century. For us it was a great choice because while it cost a bit more, we didn't have to worry about bringing car seats on the plane.
- You don't need a full kitchen. We did an instacart order with common breakfast items and snacks and had breakfast in our room every day. That plus mickey bars plus dinners in the park/hotel were enough!
- We booked a car that first trip for one night only so DH could take DD to Blue man group at Universal. It was honestly more hassle than it was worth. Unless you're planning to stay offsite or leave the bubble, you don't need a car. See previous comment about carseat!
- Groceries are easy peasy - any number of delivery services available. We used Instacart/Publix but there's lots of options if you search the boards.

And not that you asked, but I'm going to give some unsolicited, highly controversial advice (don't believe me, check the family forum) - get a double stroller. Your 6 year old might be the most independent active little soul at home, but trust me when I say that it's not worth the fight over the stroller with the 2 year old who definitely will need one. Our 6 year old napped in it during fireworks alongside her brother. It was worth its weight in gold that first trip to us!

One more piece of advice - seriously, don't try to do it all. We went for a week and had 5 park days - it was too much. We had very over stimulated cranky kids. Don't worry about getting on every ride. Pick your top 5 and everything else is gravy. And have so much fun!! Age 2 was magical because the character is very much "real" to them!

You are exactly my people. Like you read my mind! I was thinking about what to do with my 6 year old, because as active as he is, it is so much walking. I was wondering if I should do a double wagon or a glider board to my Baby Jogger but it looks like a 2nd seat is what I need for the Baby Jogger. Thank you for the unsolicited wisdom lol

 

[acvels]

Our first trip was with a 6 year old and 2 year old so I feel uniquely qualified to respond

- We chose to stay onsite at Pop Century. For us it was a great choice because while it cost a bit more, we didn't have to worry about bringing car seats on the plane.
- You don't need a full kitchen. We did an instacart order with common breakfast items and snacks and had breakfast in our room every day. That plus mickey bars plus dinners in the park/hotel were enough!
- We booked a car that first trip for one night only so DH could take DD to Blue man group at Universal. It was honestly more hassle than it was worth. Unless you're planning to stay offsite or leave the bubble, you don't need a car. See previous comment about carseat!
- Groceries are easy peasy - any number of delivery services available. We used Instacart/Publix but there's lots of options if you search the boards.

And not that you asked, but I'm going to give some unsolicited, highly controversial advice (don't believe me, check the family forum) - get a double stroller. Your 6 year old might be the most independent active little soul at home, but trust me when I say that it's not worth the fight over the stroller with the 2 year old who definitely will need one. Our 6 year old napped in it during fireworks alongside her brother. It was worth its weight in gold that first trip to us!

One more piece of advice - seriously, don't try to do it all. We went for a week and had 5 park days - it was too much. We had very over stimulated cranky kids. Don't worry about getting on every ride. Pick your top 5 and everything else is gravy. And have so much fun!! Age 2 was magical because the character is very much "real" to them!

Is it feasible to do MK, HS, and Epcot at one park per day. I don't know how many rides we can do with the little one anyway, and she's not one to want to wait around for her brother while he waits in lines. This is the part I'm worried about IN the park.

 

[musika]

Is it feasible to do MK, HS, and Epcot at one park per day. I don't know how many rides we can do with the little one anyway, and she's not one to want to wait around for her brother while he waits in lines. This is the part I'm worried about IN the park.

Are there two parents going? We did a lot of divide and conquer that trip. My DH rode It's a Small world more times than he'd care to admit with our 2YO who was fascinated by it. Keep in mind we were there pre Genie+ so YMMV, but ride swap at the time was super easy - we'd just take the younger one to a nearby attraction that was more suitable for them. The play area at Thunder Mountain RR was a hit, as was Tom Sawyer Island for our smallest.

We did all 4 parks without park hopping (IMO, it's a waste to park hop at that age, they're so young and it's all so huge, just seeing one a day is fine). Our schedule was 1 park per day and an extra day at MK because it had the most amount of attractions for our wee one. You won't see everything going one park per day so you'll have to prioritize what's most important to you. We did not do a great job of that and had some definite cranky times when everyone was tired and done with life.

Depending on where you stay, you'll also have to factor in whether you need a mid day break. Our kid was good at napping on the fly, so we just rolled with whatever park we were in. One of our MK days we took a nap break so we could come back for the fireworks. This is where I'd recommend Pop/AOA as a place to stay because the Skyliner is definitely a game changer on your Epcot/DHS days - so easy to come back for a break if needed.

Re: Stroller: I would also recommend renting one if you don't already have a double at home. That's what we did as we rarely used a stroller at home. If you check the family board there's lots of good suggestions for reliable rental companies. You pick up and drop off right at your resort (Or at least you did) which was super duper handy.

 

[acvels]

Are there two parents going? We did a lot of divide and conquer that trip. My DH rode It's a Small world more times than he'd care to admit with our 2YO who was fascinated by it. Keep in mind we were there pre Genie+ so YMMV, but ride swap at the time was super easy - we'd just take the younger one to a nearby attraction that was more suitable for them. The play area at Thunder Mountain RR was a hit, as was Tom Sawyer Island for our smallest.

We did all 4 parks without park hopping (IMO, it's a waste to park hop at that age, they're so young and it's all so huge, just seeing one a day is fine). Our schedule was 1 park per day and an extra day at MK because it had the most amount of attractions for our wee one. You won't see everything going one park per day so you'll have to prioritize what's most important to you. We did not do a great job of that and had some definite cranky times when everyone was tired and done with life.

Depending on where you stay, you'll also have to factor in whether you need a mid day break. Our kid was good at napping on the fly, so we just rolled with whatever park we were in. One of our MK days we took a nap break so we could come back for the fireworks. This is where I'd recommend Pop/AOA as a place to stay because the Skyliner is definitely a game changer on your Epcot/DHS days - so easy to come back for a break if needed.

Re: Stroller: I would also recommend renting one if you don't already have a double at home. That's what we did as we rarely used a stroller at home. If you check the family board there's lots of good suggestions for reliable rental companies. You pick up and drop off right at your resort (Or at least you did) which was super duper handy.

You're my best friend, for real

 

[Love2Cruise2015]

There are a lot of decisions to be made.

Here is what I did when my kids were little.
Stayed onsite at a value resort... no kitchen but we made toast and cereal in the room for breakfast.
We took the included magical express at that time, but now we would just uber to and from the airport... no need to rent a car if you are spending all your time at WDW.
Some of our best/worst/funniest memories are from Disney transportation... for us it's part of the experience.
As for groceries, we usually just put cereal, bagels, english muffins etc. in our luggage... sometimes we would get groceries delivered by Garden Grocer... never had any issues with them.
I would only do delivery if you needed quite a bit of food.
Good luck with the planning. It really is information overload, even for Disney veterans.

How much would Uber be from the air port to Disney?

 

[youngdeb12]

Our first trip was with a 6 year old and 2 year old so I feel uniquely qualified to respond

- We chose to stay onsite at Pop Century. For us it was a great choice because while it cost a bit more, we didn't have to worry about bringing car seats on the plane.
- You don't need a full kitchen. We did an instacart order with common breakfast items and snacks and had breakfast in our room every day. That plus mickey bars plus dinners in the park/hotel were enough!
- We booked a car that first trip for one night only so DH could take DD to Blue man group at Universal. It was honestly more hassle than it was worth. Unless you're planning to stay offsite or leave the bubble, you don't need a car. See previous comment about carseat!
- Groceries are easy peasy - any number of delivery services available. We used Instacart/Publix but there's lots of options if you search the boards.

And not that you asked, but I'm going to give some unsolicited, highly controversial advice (don't believe me, check the family forum) - get a double stroller. Your 6 year old might be the most independent active little soul at home, but trust me when I say that it's not worth the fight over the stroller with the 2 year old who definitely will need one. Our 6 year old napped in it during fireworks alongside her brother. It was worth its weight in gold that first trip to us!

One more piece of advice - seriously, don't try to do it all. We went for a week and had 5 park days - it was too much. We had very over stimulated cranky kids. Don't worry about getting on every ride. Pick your top 5 and everything else is gravy. And have so much fun!! Age 2 was magical because the character is very much "real" to them!

Are there two parents going? We did a lot of divide and conquer that trip. My DH rode It's a Small world more times than he'd care to admit with our 2YO who was fascinated by it. Keep in mind we were there pre Genie+ so YMMV, but ride swap at the time was super easy - we'd just take the younger one to a nearby attraction that was more suitable for them. The play area at Thunder Mountain RR was a hit, as was Tom Sawyer Island for our smallest.

We did all 4 parks without park hopping (IMO, it's a waste to park hop at that age, they're so young and it's all so huge, just seeing one a day is fine). Our schedule was 1 park per day and an extra day at MK because it had the most amount of attractions for our wee one. You won't see everything going one park per day so you'll have to prioritize what's most important to you. We did not do a great job of that and had some definite cranky times when everyone was tired and done with life.

Depending on where you stay, you'll also have to factor in whether you need a mid day break. Our kid was good at napping on the fly, so we just rolled with whatever park we were in. One of our MK days we took a nap break so we could come back for the fireworks. This is where I'd recommend Pop/AOA as a place to stay because the Skyliner is definitely a game changer on your Epcot/DHS days - so easy to come back for a break if needed.

Re: Stroller: I would also recommend renting one if you don't already have a double at home. That's what we did as we rarely used a stroller at home. If you check the family board there's lots of good suggestions for reliable rental companies. You pick up and drop off right at your resort (Or at least you did) which was super duper handy.

I second both of these! Our first trip to DL was with a 5 and 2 year old. I had high expectations because I had never been and wanted to do all the things I felt I missed not being able to go as a child. Take it easy and go with the flow. Take a break back at the hotel if you need. It can get busy and overwhelming and sometimes the kids are happy to have a break and play in the pool! Our first trip to WDW was with a 6 and 3 year old and we did a day in each park with an extra day in MK. We made sure to have an off day as well where we slept in, did a late character breakfast, and then spent the rest of the day at the pool. It was a nice break. My kids will be 10 and 7 on our trip in October and it will be the first time we won't be bringing a stroller. Even on our last trip, our almost 8 year old still sat on the front of the stroller from time to time. It was a lifesaver for so many reasons!

 

[acvels]

I second both of these! Our first trip to DL was with a 5 and 2 year old. I had high expectations because I had never been and wanted to do all the things I felt I missed not being able to go as a child. Take it easy and go with the flow. Take a break back at the hotel if you need. It can get busy and overwhelming and sometimes the kids are happy to have a break and play in the pool! Our first trip to WDW was with a 6 and 3 year old and we did a day in each park with an extra day in MK. We made sure to have an off day as well where we slept in, did a late character breakfast, and then spent the rest of the day at the pool. It was a nice break. My kids will be 10 and 7 on our trip in October and it will be the first time we won't be bringing a stroller. Even on our last trip, our almost 8 year old still sat on the front of the stroller from time to time. It was a lifesaver for so many reasons!

Still trying to decide on hotel, but looking at maybe renting DVC points. We'll see. It's crazy how much you need to know and plan for an amusement park.

 

[bababear_50]

You are exactly my people. Like you read my mind! I was thinking about what to do with my 6 year old, because as active as he is, it is so much walking. I was wondering if I should do a double wagon or a glider board to my Baby Jogger but it looks like a 2nd seat is what I need for the Baby Jogger. Thank you for the unsolicited wisdom lol

Hi
Disney has changed their rules over the years re: wagons ,stroller size and food/ice brought into the park.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/faq/parks/strollers/https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/park-rules/
Tie some ribbons/bandana on your stroller that identifies it because when you leave it while you are on rides and return a CM might have moved it and in a great big sea of strollers it will be hard to identify.

We also took breaks over at Tom Sawyers Island,, great place in MK to let the kids stretch and run about for awhile.
They don't do the paint brushes anymore but the last time I was there I made up a treasure map and planted a treasure on the Island for them to find ,,,prize was Mickey ice cream bars.(I just made up a homemade coupon).



Have fun planning

Mel

 

[peacefrogdog]

Looking to start planning a trip and honestly don't know where to start.
-Booking a Disney resort vs off site,
-booking a studio vs room with a full kitchen,
-booking a car vs not (how easy is it to get around without one?)
-How easy is it to get groceries to either on or off site resorts?
Hoping to be eating our own breakfast in the room before heading out, have a 6 and 2 year old.

When our kids were young, it was a different time re: how busy Disney parks were. But in response to your questions:
- Can't beat staying on site when doing disney stuff in my opinion. Plus I find the Disney resorts treat kids really well. During our first trip (kids were 5, 3 and 3) we did a few days on site for 3 days of Disney, and then off site house rental for other orlando stuff (e.g. Sea World). Being in a house was more relaxing, and gave us a change to recharge from the work of doing Disney.
- Studio vs full kitchen: STudio should be fine if you just want breakfast stuff like cereal, pastries, toast etc. The benefits of having full kitchen depends on whether it is worth your time as adults to prepare food while on 'vacation'. For us, having a full kitchen helped with costs but only when we were not doing parks every day. So rather than eat at a restaurant, we just made cheese mac, grilled cheese, or hotdogs in our villa that our kids were totally ok with. They would have ordered that anyway from a disney restaurant.
If you want a full kitchen suggest looking at renting a 1-BR or 2-BR DVC villa which is much more economical than booking direct through Disney.
- Car vs no car : if theme parks are your priority, prob no need. Having said that, up until the pandemic rental cars were pretty cheap so we always liked having one for flexibility reasons, including the option of dining outside of Disney property which was often cheaper.
- Groceries : many good options out there with Instacart, Dizzy Dolphin, Garden Grocer that deliver on-site or off-site.

You didn't ask this, but I suggest not aiming to do everything in one trip - it's just not possible without having to take a vacation from your vacation. I realize opportunities to return to Disney may not be possible, but if it is, try to incorporate some non-theme park days to spend at the resort, go to Disney Springs etc.

 

[mort1331]

BE FLEXABLE,,YES YELLING IT MEL,
now I say that since your 2 are the same as mine,,but now they are 15,11
You will not do everything, and no need to push to try, mid day naps are the king. Yes they take a couple of hours out of the day, but better than a melt down at 3pm in the heat after trying to wait for a parade for the last hour,,,,lots of this.
You did not mention where your coming from, a few of us drive from the GTA area,,,,but Canada is kinda big so not sure for you.
Having no Magical Express sucks when you have little ones,,that was great, but lots of car services now and Mears has their own now too.
Save money on the hopper pass, with little ones, 1 park per day is enough.
AK is great for little ones, ( and big like me) , the shows and the safari are the best.
Yes to renting a double stroller if not bringing your own,,,and the rental companies all know the new size restrictions.
Not sure when your planning,,but just after labour day is a great time as the crowds are very low,,compared to all other times,,,and everyone has their own opinion on taking kids out of school,,but under grade 5 I never worried too much for our kids.
Ask all the questions you want,,,very friendly group here.

 

[peacefrogdog]

If you have a car, and time, buying a cheap foldable stroller at Target saved us the hassle of having to pack it on the plane to and from. We just ended up leaving it at our resort at the end.