Planning first DL trip - a little overwhelmed.....

[mommyof2boys1girl]

Hi everyone,
Hoping someone here can help me out a bit. I'm planning our first family trip to DL this coming spring, and I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of info out there. Hoping someone more experienced out there can help me out.
I am basically looking for answers to every question: Where to stay, when to go, how much to budget for daily spending, etc....
Here's a few details of our family and what we want out of our holiday:
Hubby and I will be travelling with Ds1 - 5 yrs, Ds2 - 3 yrs and Dd - 1.5 yrs. We are really looking for a 2 bedroom suite hotel, since at least 2 of the kids will need naps in the PM. Fridge and microwave are a necessity (late nite snacks and bottles for baby). We are thinking a 'good neighbor' hotel is probably our best option, but not sure which hotels have suites and how close they really are to the park - long walks with 3 little ones won't be much fun, and we won't have a car.
We are also wondering about timing - we can go anytime from March to May, but not sure when is best for less busy times, good weather (not too hot with 3 little ones!), etc...
We are also condsidering a day trip or two away from the park - Sea World and Legoland are two possibilities (a car rental would be involved, I guess).

I also have a really dumb question - we've never flown with the kids before, and I am wondering how to deal with the issue of carseats. Do we have to tote the carseats with us in order to get from the airport to the hotel in a cab, or do cabs work like busses in that you don't have to strap down your kids? (I know, a ridiculous sounding question, but 3 carseats will weigh us down just a bit!)

Any advice/help would be appreciated - I've already gotten some great information from past posts on this site.

Everyone says our kids are still too young to enjoy it, and we are "wasting" our money and time, but we are all so excited!!!

Thanks so much,
Carmen

 

[Beth76]

I also have a really dumb question - we've never flown with the kids before, and I am wondering how to deal with the issue of carseats. Do we have to tote the carseats with us in order to get from the airport to the hotel in a cab, or do cabs work like busses in that you don't have to strap down your kids? (I know, a ridiculous sounding question, but 3 carseats will weigh us down just a bit!)

This is the only part I can help you with. Yes, you will need carseats in a cab. On the plane your 5yo and your 3yo will not need carseats. You can take them if you want them, but they need to be a 5-pt harness. If your 3yo is particularly wiggly, you may want to bring one to keep him/her contained, but my kids were fine at that age. The 1yo can sit on your lap if you want. If you want to buy a seat, I would imagine you would need a carseat for that one.

So as for the seats that you need to bring with, but don't need on the plane, you can check those with the luggage. When we flew America West, they put it in a clear plastic bag for us and it didn't count towards our alotted luggage. When we flew Airtran, it counted as a peice of luggage and they just threw it in without a bag. You can buy carseat bags though.

 

[pumpkin5156]

Don't be overwhelmed! I am sure tons of people will chip in their bits of wonderful info and then you'll have a perfect trip

I have never flown with a child, so no help there I'm afraid. You say you want a day trip to Legoland or SeaWorld, but make sure you have a "down" day. Both of these parks are going to be a lot for 3 itty bitties, and the 1 and 3 year old are very limited at Legoland (depending on the 3 yo height). Legoland is about 45 minutes closer to DL than SeaWorld. Legoland is also only open to 5pm.

As for where to stay: it all depends on your budget! I've stayed both on and off site with young ones and prefer off site for two reasons: cheaper and closer walks to the parks. Not sure about suites though. You could get two connecting rooms and leave the door open

Weather: Chance of rain anytime between March-May. March and April will be colder than May, but it really can rain anytime. I would say March would be the least crowded of the 3 months.

When to go: Stay far away from Spring Break. Maybe someone else knows when it is. My annual pass is blocked out the last 2 weeks of March, so I'm guessing that's when it is. Stay away from weekends if you can. If you must go on a weekend go Sunday. Fridays and Saturdays are busy, busy!

Tickets: If you buy 3 or more day park hoppers, you get Early Entry for one day (enter Fantasy Land and a few other places one hour before the general public). If you stay on Disney Hotel, you get Early Entry for as many days as is available. This may be worth it to you to pick an on-site property.

Totally not wasting your money. We just went with my 16 month old son and he loved it! He would run up to all the characters and hug them. He waved hi to Pooh and Tigger in the parade. He LOVED PlayHouse Disney Live at DCA (this is a "must do" in my opinion for your aged kids but will be closed Feb 12-March 13 for refurb. Try to do this!!)

You guy will have a blast and here's my #1 secret for antsy, squirmy little ones who don't like to wait in lines: bubbles!!