Oct w/ 2yo twins

[violentlyserene]

We are planning our first Disneyland trip with our twins who will be 2 1/2 next Oct. I've been to DW once 16 years ago and husband went to DL around the same time so we have a vague idea of what to expect but so much has changed and the twins make a huge difference in everything. The crowds the last week look pretty good so I'm inclined to plan for the first week of Oct next year. What else should I consider in our date selection? We definitely want to go to the Halloween Party but I'd like to otherwise avoid big crowds where possible. The weather looks a lot hotter than I expected though, is that typical?


We should be able to have enough time to do whatever we want but I have to make sure that there's enough vacation time requested now for that. Currently the plan is 2-3 days for DL, 1 for CA and one for Universal Studios. I'm a planner anyway so planning the whole trip asap and then replanning later when it's a lot closer doesn't bother me. I want to get to know the park pretty well so we can change plans as needed.

I have a billion questions but the most pressing is about planning tools. What's your favorite? I like the tourplans.com app for iphone, is that generally the best or are there others?

What would suggest is a must do for 2 year olds? They are pretty adventurous and handle crowds well as well as being night owls but are still toddlers obviously.

In addition, what's there to do at night after the parks close? This won't be an every night thing for sure but I'd like to know options we have.

This is going to be an 18 hour road trip so that will add an extra layer of fun to the planning.

Any thoughts on all this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Aggiegrl]

I would post on the DL board too. This board tends to be a little more WDW centric. As a mom of 2 year old twins, I wish I could help, but I just don't know DL.

 

[violentlyserene]

Thanks, that was my intention but I must have gotten lost trying to get the right board.

Do you have any general thoughts on Disney with twins? Do you get comments on yours? They are pretty easy to take out and about but it's always the things I don't expect that turn out to be logistical nightmares because they are the same age.

 

[Raenstoirm]

I thought I would subscribe here. We have twins due in Feb, so I am trying to absorb as much knowledge from other twin parents as I can!

 

[JediBonas]

Thanks, that was my intention but I must have gotten lost trying to get the right board.

Do you have any general thoughts on Disney with twins? Do you get comments on yours? They are pretty easy to take out and about but it's always the things I don't expect that turn out to be logistical nightmares because they are the same age.

Have fun! We haven't been to DL but we took our twins to WDW last year for their 2nd bday and had a blast!

 

[kcpinwdw]

I am a twin mommy and planning our second trip this dec, they'll be 2 1/2. We went last October when they were 15m too. I anticipate some more challenges this time around with toilet training and everything but I'm sure it'll be fine. The first trip they napped like champs on the go. We are going to see how it plays out this time about whether to go back to our resort or not for naps. Are you looking for anything specific in regards to planning? We flew down, did stroller rental instead of lugging our own, and it worked so well we are renting again next time too. Oh, I know leashes aren't for everyone, but I bought the twins Mickey and Minnie backpacks where the tails are the leashes, so they can have a little "freedom". (B/g twins). Last visit we had their Mickey hats made and they love wearing them, definitely a must do!

 

[kcpinwdw]

Oh I was talking wdw but I'm sure the same applies in DL!

 

[violentlyserene]

Leashes are an absolute must. They have some reasonably secure ones that don't need to be taken on and off to go on rides. I'll keep the back packs in mind as potential bribery though. The girl twin is prone to wandering and has been to know get pretty far before she even realizes no one is with her (we've hung back and watched to test this).

What did your day look like generally speaking? I'm really not sure how much we can reasonably plan to fit into a day. We'll be staying offsite so the naps may get interesting but they are the sort to just keep going when we're out or just pass out despite the noise.

 

[kcpinwdw]

They really are just harnesses made out of Mickey and Minnie with a little zippered space, not real backpacks, but they sure love them! I don't think they'd need to come off for rides either. We are staying off site too, since we have 9 of us all together. But it's pretty close. Our first day is a 1/2 day at AK. We are doing the Tusker house character breakfast and leaving after lunch. Nap that day in the condo because we are going to a show that night in Orlando. Then we have two pretty full MK days planned including a Christmas party, and a day each at Epcot and HS, and one day with no plans but eating at 1900 PF and the spirit of aloha show. My son loves characters so we are doing a lot of character meals. My daughter used to shy away but she is warming up.

 

[mcjaco]

Father of 2 1/2 year old twin boys myself. We're headed to WDW in November. We went last year when they were 15 months. They loved it, and they keep telling us they want to see Mickey's House.

You'll have fun at DL with them. I like DL's Fantasyland better. It's quainter, and more classic rides. They'll probably really like Toontown as well. Lots to look at back there.

Not sure they'll get much out of Universal. I'm not a huge fan of that park. It really is more a movie studio park, then the Florida version.

We decided to forego potty training until after the trip. The thought of bringing a seat, extra underpants, and clothes was too much. Diapers are easier to carry around! Neither of them seem too interested right now anyway.

We didn't use a leash, etc. last year. Just stayed close, and we always insist on holding hands when in crowds. If we did okay in the midst of August crowds, I'm imagining we'll be okay with November's usually smaller attendance.

We also played the days by ear. Our boys love water, so we often went to the parks first thing in the morning, and went back to the timeshare around the middle of the afternoon for naps and pool time. I don't think we ended up back at the parks at night after the first night. It was just too much for them. This year we're going to try and see if they'll nap in the strollers a couple times.

Good luck! Going to Disney parks for almost 40 years, and it was a completely new experience watching it through the kid's eyes.

 

[Aggiegrl]

Here's my thoughts based on taking our twins at 11 months and last week at 35 months (plus their brother, 2 years their senior).

If you can possibly use two single umbrella strollers, do it! The first trip we took our double Maclaren and really disliked it. This trip we took two Maclaren Volos and it was GREAT. We took the connectors with us, but didn't use them once in 11 days. It was so nice to be able to take our stroller in the stores without worrying about fitting between racks. We could move through the crowds much easier, and it also was great on the buses. Our umbrella strollers can fit underneath the seats so we rarely had to hold them. I almost rented a double City Mini and I'm really glad I didn't. It folds easily, but it is still bulky and hard to hold on to, especially if you are standing (it's short, you're tall).

Animal Kingdom was a loser this trip. I love this park, but geesh, my twins could only ride Triceratops Spin so many times (while the bigger people did rides) before they wanted something new. Guess what, there isn't anything else. There are animals, but my kids couldn't be fooled. Everyone else was doing rides and they wanted rides too. I knew from previous experience with their brother that Nemo the musical was too long for their attention span. We did Festival of the Lion King, and even though it is my favorite attraction at WDW, they were getting pretty squirmy by the end. It's Tough to Be a Bug was uninteresting for my fearless child and scary for my timid child. That pretty much left us with the Safari and Flights of Wonder.

Our days were a mix of:

1) Rope drop opening 8:30am-2 pm, nap at hotel, then back around dinner.
2) 9:30 am-3 or 4 pm, then back to hotel for dinner and early bedtime

Both worked well. We never napped in the park this trip.

We brought snacks with us, but my kids rarely ate them. We had the dining plan and that was plenty of food for all of us. I would suggest something really special like cookies for bribes/the inevitable meltdown. Pick your battles here. WDW isn't the place to be a perfect disciplinarian.

We had the ever so recommended Frogg Togg cooling towels. This was our second trip in September, second trip with the towels. We never used them. I left them in the hotel trash can.

Character meal interaction this trip was just okay. I've like character meals in the past, but we probably won't do much in the future. Crystal Palace was the one exception. We'll do the lines from now on.

 

[JediBonas]

Here's my thoughts based on taking our twins at 11 months and last week at 35 months (plus their brother, 2 years their senior).

If you can possibly use two single umbrella strollers, do it! The first trip we took our double Maclaren and really disliked it. This trip we took two Maclaren Volos and it was GREAT. We took the connectors with us, but didn't use them once in 11 days. It was so nice to be able to take our stroller in the stores without worrying about fitting between racks. We could move through the crowds much easier, and it also was great on the buses. Our umbrella strollers can fit underneath the seats so we rarely had to hold them. I almost rented a double City Mini and I'm really glad I didn't. It folds easily, but it is still bulky and hard to hold on to, especially if you are standing (it's short, you're tall).

Animal Kingdom was a loser this trip. I love this park, but geesh, my twins could only ride Triceratops Spin so many times (while the bigger people did rides) before they wanted something new. Guess what, there isn't anything else. There are animals, but my kids couldn't be fooled. Everyone else was doing rides and they wanted rides too. I knew from previous experience with their brother that Nemo the musical was too long for their attention span. We did Festival of the Lion King, and even though it is my favorite attraction at WDW, they were getting pretty squirmy by the end. It's Tough to Be a Bug was uninteresting for my fearless child and scary for my timid child. That pretty much left us with the Safari and Flights of Wonder.

Our days were a mix of:

1) Rope drop opening 8:30am-2 pm, nap at hotel, then back around dinner.
2) 9:30 am-3 or 4 pm, then back to hotel for dinner and early bedtime

Both worked well. We never napped in the park this trip.

We brought snacks with us, but my kids rarely ate them. We had the dining plan and that was plenty of food for all of us. I would suggest something really special like cookies for bribes/the inevitable meltdown. Pick your battles here. WDW isn't the place to be a perfect disciplinarian.

We had the ever so recommended Frogg Togg cooling towels. This was our second trip in September, second trip with the towels. We never used them. I left them in the hotel trash can.

Character meal interaction this trip was just okay. I've like character meals in the past, but we probably won't do much in the future. Crystal Palace was the one exception. We'll do the lines from now on.

Thanks for the stroller info. We brought our double Maclaren last year and decided to take our two singles (Volos as well!) this year instead. I've been a little nervous about not bringing a double but sounds like we might be making the right decision.

 

[Aggiegrl]

Thanks for the stroller info. We brought our double Maclaren last year and decided to take our two singles (Volos as well!) this year instead. I've been a little nervous about not bringing a double but sounds like we might be making the right decision.

There was one point when I was stuck with two strollers by myself, and I sort of wished I had a double. But, it wasn't an issue. I just folded both strollers, threw them over my shoulder, and we all walked. We didn't go fast, but it was fine. Volos are great for that.

 

[kcpinwdw]

There is definitely a bonus to two strollers. Most trips we do this now too, but at disney we split up a lot so DH can do the "big kid" rides and with one it's easier for me to have both together.

 

[jotrudeau]

Is stroller parking really an issue? Did you find that marking your stroller with a balloon or something was necessary??

 

[Aggiegrl]

Is stroller parking really an issue? Did you find that marking your stroller with a balloon or something was necessary??

We never have marked our strollers like that. We do put a luggage tag on them as ID in case of mix up or if one ends up being moved so far we can find it. That's never happened to us though. Generally, if you parked it a stroller parking area, your stroller will be within a few feet of where you left it. The attendant usually just slides them down a bit or sometimes rotates them to the next row. A few times our strollers have been moved to the compete other side of the pack (notably, the parking between Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Disney Junior at DHS), but the attendant was usually there telling us where to look.

Our strollers are pink, blue, and green Maclarens though. We don't have a City Mini, which is the most common stroller at the park due to the rental companies using them. If I owned a City Mini, I probably would mark it for easier viewing. I think your mileage will vary on if a balloon is effective. Sometimes your stroller will be one of a few with a balloon, sometimes half the strollers will have one. If you want a balloon, by all means buy one. I personally wouldn't spend $8-12 on a balloon just for stroller identification purposes though. A funky colored $1 bandana from home would suffice for me.

 

[lucyddr]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3329925

You've probably already seen it and it was for WDW, but a lot of the points are the same. We didn't use our leashes the entire trip, so I guess it just depends on your children.

Have fun!

 

[violentlyserene]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3329925

You've probably already seen it and it was for WDW, but a lot of the points are the same. We didn't use our leashes the entire trip, so I guess it just depends on your children.

Have fun!

Thanks! It's still helpful to have the gist of things for me and it'll be more relevant for other twin parents reading.

I'm leaning towards either taking our double jogging stroller or renting one. Ours fits through standard doorways and can be steered one handed so if we have room, that will be coming with. We'll likely only want it while going around for rides but there are quite a few things we plan to split up so one of us can ride things with higher height restrictions and I don't want to be stuck in one spot or walking with two strollers and two runners.