Newbie Deciding on Dates/Parks

[lisagavin]

So I have 3 kids which will be 2 years 11 months, 4, and 5 next year when I want to go to Disney. I have never even been to Disney myself and know nothing! So, after reading tons of info, I need some help.

We know we want to go next February to take advantage of my youngest being 2. With that said, I am trying to figure out if we should go at the BEGINNING of February or the END of February. Basically, I am trying to miss the busy President's Day weekend but need to know if there is an advantage to go before or after (ride closures, IS SWIMMING AN OPTION AT ART OF ANIMATION AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, weather, etc).

Also, our kids don't use strollers at all anymore. We don't even HAVE one anymore and they are currently 2, 3, and 4. But there is so much talk about strollers that I am wondering if I NEED one for that crew?

Also, with these ages of kiddos, which parks would you repeat if you had 6 days total?

Thanks!

 

[plutoloversmom]

So I have 3 kids which will be 2 years 11 months, 4, and 5 next year when I want to go to Disney. I have never even been to Disney myself and know nothing! So, after reading tons of info, I need some help.

We know we want to go next February to take advantage of my youngest being 2. With that said, I am trying to figure out if we should go at the BEGINNING of February or the END of February. Basically, I am trying to miss the busy President's Day weekend but need to know if there is an advantage to go before or after (ride closures, IS SWIMMING AN OPTION AT ART OF ANIMATION AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, weather, etc).

Also, our kids don't use strollers at all anymore. We don't even HAVE one anymore and they are currently 2, 3, and 4. But there is so much talk about strollers that I am wondering if I NEED one for that crew?

Also, with these ages of kiddos, which parks would you repeat if you had 6 days total?

Thanks!

I went to WDW for the first time by myself with my DD, then 4,DD, 9, and DS, 8. The weather at the end of February was Beautiful! I believe the coldest day we had was still in the mid 60s. I tried to check for ride closers, but the listings for 2015 aren't out yet. However they are saying that a lot of the referbs should be complete by 2015.

Swimming is always an option, because all of the Disney world pools are heated. However air temps might be chilly.

The stroller question is based solely on what you think. When we went we didn't have one and my children were fine. However your kids are still very young and there is a lot of walking. I believe I read somewhere that the average is 10 miles a day. Little legs can get awfully tired, so a stroller might be a good idea. They also become handy as a carry all for any bags that you bring in or accumulate threw shopping.

Your kids being so young will probably be very excited at MK. It has all of the characters and rides geared towards them. I would definitely plan two days there because there is so much to see and do.

Remember it is a big place and with your kids being so young, you might need to take short breaks through the day for a little rest.

Enjoy your trip! I'm sure you will be fine and that your family will have a blast.

 

[MandiC]

We went early February and most of the weather was beautiful (80s, our coldest was also in the 60s). However, it's very unpredictable in February. Ride closures were kind of a bummer. We would have really liked to do Barnstormers and Splash Mountain, both were closed.
Resort pools are open (unless they are closed for refurbishment, Port Orleans FQ was when we were there) in February and they are heated so swimming isn't too bad, we are from Wisconsin so maybe we are a little more cold tolerant

Strollers, I'd either bring one or be prepared to really take the parks slow and take breaks to rest/nap. There are rental companies where you could rent one as opposed to buying another since you don't have one anymore.

 

[lisagavin]

Thanks! This really helps...I will keep checking the closures list and we will pack our swimsuits (even though us Texans aren't as cold tolerant and expect swimming pools to be similar to bath water

I think I definitely need a stroller...I will be asking to borrow one or get from friends...

 

[jezebel73]

Unless there's something going on with a specific ride, I think most seasonal refurbishments are done in time for President's week, so late February is better on that side.

You can definitely swim at any time, but I'd say the later part of the month has a slightly better chance of being warmer.

You can always rent a stroller at the parks if you need one. It's not the cheapest, but for the first day, you can try it and gauge if it really is necessary for your family.

If you have 6 days, 6 parks, I would definitely recommend a second day at Magic Kingdom. The other one will depend on your children. Epcot really has a TON to do for little ones, with the Kidcot stations and lots of street entertainment and princesses/characters to meet plus it's huge. It maybe a good one to split into two shorter days. If they're majorly into animals, Animal Kingdom is another god one. It has inherently shorter days based on the park hours and if they really enjoy it, fun to do twice. Hollywood Studios is probably the lest likely for them, although there are a lot of activities geared toward the younger crowd (Disney Jr.) there. I just think it's doable in one day either way.
The other option is to take a day "off" and just explore resorts or have a pool day or do Downtown Disney. Your kids are pretty young and might appreciate the break!

 

[MandiC]

Also, forgot the parks question. With those ages, definitely repeat Magic Kingdom. Epcot is huge so if you have any interest in touring the World Showcase and taking your time there it would be worth a second day.
Personally we finished Animal Kingdom in less than a day which was kind of nice for some resort down time. Hollywood Studios has a lot of 'shows' but I wouldn't need a second day there at all.
So with 6 days you could do (what we did with our 6) 2 Magic Kingdom, 2 Epcot, 1 Hollywood Studios and 1 Animal Kingdom. OR you could do 3 Magic Kingdom and 1 at each of the others. There is enough to do at Magic Kingdom and you could always repeat rides. Magic Kingdom definitely has the most 'no height restriction' rides.

 

[ateam79828592]

Mom of 4 here...our kids have been little on each of our 4 trips (youngest at 4 mos has yet to go).

I would look into renting a stroller. You may find you park it in sections and walk and then use it only to ride between sections and to/from buses...but you'll likely be glad you have it with those ages.

Personally I would probably do 3 days at MK and 1 at the others. My kids have always LOVED MK...enjoyed AK..and found a few things as HS & EP they liked.

I would also recommend getting in some of the other parks BEFORE you do MK. The temptation is to do MK first...but then the kids aren't as interested in enjoying the other parks...they just want to go back to MK.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[JillShari]

#1: Check crowd calendars and weather calendars which you can find on either easywdw.com, I don't remember if Undercover Tourist or Touring Plans had that for free or not... but both very helpful sites with helpful apps too.

#2: I would totally get a stroller... unless you want to end up carrying one everywhere you go. We didn't get one our first day at HS, and I did quite a bit of carrying my 4 yo. My kids at 8 & 4 had a double and it was great because we would hustle to the area of the parks we were spending time in, they park it and walk around the area until we needed to move a lot again. There is plenty of standing and walking (even just from the bus stop), so it was lovely not to have to have whiny kids complaining about their feet and also know that I could just have them jump in and I knew where they were in a crowd. Especially in EPCOT.... it's so much walking!

#3: Parks to do: We skipped Ak totally since my kids don't really like animals at all. We started at HS because it has a Disney feel, and Disney Junior show and plenty of stuff to see and do and it's not over the top. Then we did EPCOT. Then 2 days in MK. I had read years ago, that if you take them first to the MK, they expect all the other parks to be the same way.... but MK is all about the characters and stuff and the others are not as catered to the tiny kid crowd. So, going to MK first, they won't be interested at all in the others? It's what I read and I've always stuck to it with my kids and it's been a good workable theory.

 

[happymommy]

I definitely recommend a double stroller!

It is so much walking.

Swimming - hit or miss. I'm thin skinned (lived in Hawaii for a time, and wouldn't go in the ocean in the winter there!). We just got back a week ago, and we never swam once (but we also didn't have time, different plans although we brought suits).

Late Feb would be better than early. We've gone Christmas to New Years and I've also gone for my mid-January birthday with my mom and sometimes the low is in the 30's.

To us, AK is one long day. Epcot we go to every day - really. MK I can handle early then it gets nuts. This trip, though, DD and her friend (staying at same resort) went back twice till midnight to MK with her friend's mom and little brother. DHS we do one or two times. Really depends.

I'd look more into what you really want to do, rather than stress about doing it all. You won't. I haven't. I don't care to, it's vacation!

 

[set1208]

Another stroller vote. My youngest DD was 3 when we went in October and though she hasn't used a stroller since before she was 2, it was a life saver. It also gave my boys a place to sit. I think they used it more than she did and they were 5 and 7. We only had a single heavy duty umbrella and quite often I'd have a boy in there and he'd have his sister on his lap.

We really liked MK. Like other posters have said, there's lots to do. We took advantage of the train a lot on previous trips to get off our feet, catch a cool breeze and a quick ride across the park. When we went in October it was down so that was a big bummer.

I felt that Epcot was not worth it as far as entertainment for my little guys so we skipped it. Maybe you and your other adult can skip the kids tix for that day, hire a sitter, and go alone to Epcot? My DH and I took a night out and left our then three kids with a sitter. It was so nice!

You may also find that taking a day off from parks is a good way to recharge.

Enjoy your first trip. I've been so grateful for all the knowledge that I've found on these boards. I didn't feel so lost when I went for the first time.