Please give feedback on my itinerary with a 1-year old

[Jenna319]

We will be heading to the world with our 1-year old daughter Norah, arriving on Halloween this year and staying for a week. This will be our 1st time as a family of 3, and I know the pace will be different than we are used to. My husband and I have been many times so we don't need to see and ride everything. I just want to get the most out of the vacation as possible. I think I will buy us 5-day base tickets to allow 2 days for just pool time and maybe the beach one day. I also don't plan on spending HOURS at the park, a few hours in the morning hopefully for rope drop since (so far) my daughter is an early bird, head back to the hotel, and go back to the park for a few hours for dinner. We were able to rent dvc points and are staying in a studio at the Grand Floridian; I am so happy to have the convenience of the monorail! So here is what I am planning on:

Saturday, October 31:
Arrival day, probably just take it easy at the resort and swim during the day, Ohana for dinner, I had originally planned on doing MNSSHP this night but being that Norah will only be 1-year old and typically goes to sleep around 7, I want her schedule to remain similar on vacation and don't see her being up for a MNSSHP.

Sunday, November 1:
Magic Kingdom, try for an ADR at Crystal Palace before park opening to get some nice shots of Norah in front of the castle, head back to the hotel around lunchtime to rest, and dinner at Chef Mickey. Maybe go back to MK if baby feels up to it. FastPass + = Princess Hall (anna and elsa), seven dwarves mine train (for us - baby swap! ) Peter Pan

Monday, November 2:
Animal Kingdom, Yak and Yeti counter service for lunch, back to hotel for rest, downtown Disney for dinner, Fast Pass + = Expedition Everest (again for us!), Lion King, and Safari

Tuesday, November 3:
Hollywood Studios, Hollywood & Vine Disney Junior character lunch, dinner quick service at either GF or Poly, FastPass + = Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Wednesday, November 4:
Back to Magic Kingdom, 1st haircut at Harmony Barber Shop, Be Our Guest Lunch reservation, dinner quick-service at hotel or downtown Disney, FastPass + = Dumbo, Enchanted Tales with Belle, and perhaps parade?

Thursday, November 5:
No parks, Kona Cafe for breakfast, maybe drive to Clearwater Beach for the day, 1900 park fare dinner

Friday, November 6:
Ohana for breakfast, photoshoot at the Poly, rest at the hotel, swim, Epcot & dinner at Garden Grill, Fastpass + = Test Track and Soarin (for us!), and Character Spot

Saturday, November 7:
Head home...

Any suggestions? My only regret would be not a lot of time at Epcot, as it is mine and hubby's favorite but not too much for a 1year old.... Any other restaurants recommended with a 1year old? Any rides that we should do for Fastpass rather than the ones I selected?

 

[ah1126]

I would go ahead and go to Epcot one day. You could do the Seas with Nemo and Turtle Talk with Crush, Living with the land, and there are great Character meets in Epcot too. In the World Showcase, your daughter can get a Duffy Bear (or whatever the current activity is) she can get it stamped at every country. My kids enjoy Epcot. I'm sure there are other things I'm not thinking of too.

 

[limpy]

Does your daughter sleep well in a carrier or stroller after bedtime? You could walk around Epcot while she is sleeping, if she will transfer to bed easily. If not, I think you have a lot planned for the evening that might not go over well with older baby. My 1 year old enjoyed Nemo, etc., as mention above, in Epcot, so I wouldn't count it out.

 

[kcpinwdw]

I think epcot with a baby is not a bad idea. We went at 15 months and Nemo was a big hit. Loved strolling around the world during nap too. If your beach day falls through!

 

[Jenna319]

Oh i definitely plan on going to Epcot, just only have 1 day scheduled for it. Were used to having park hoppers but don't think it's worth it with having a baby with us. I plan on being back at the hotel by 7 so not really planning any late nights. I really don't know if she will sleep in a stroller, she sleeps in the car now but here in the cold of Chicago, I haven't had much opportunity to take her out in the stroller too much.

 

[msmama]

I actually disagree that Epcot isn't good for the littles. In fact, I think it's the best park for the littles.

The other parks are a lot of passive entertainment for them - watching things happen, riding things, etc. Epcot has lots of places for them to get down and explore!! There are tons of nooks and crannies throughout World Showcase for new walkers to stretch their legs. My son would've crawled around Innoventions for HOURS if we would have let him (he's still a big fan of the firetruck and house next to it). The Seas is great for little ones to walk around as is the area after the Figment ride (and my son thought jumping water was HILARIOUS as a baby, and still does).

Also, there were be A LOT of changes between now and October so I wouldn't worry about planning too much now. My son would always fall asleep on me if I put him in a carrier (Babyhawk was my carrier of choice, personally) though I only pushed it until Fireworks one night when on his first trip. If it were me, I might try for a party (wearing baby) and then plan on the next day being a resort day (in case it backfires horribly).

 

[Jenna319]

I would LOVE to do a party bc I think she would love the dance parties and parade, but the only party we could go to is on Halloween (or nov 1) and id have to buy tix asap, and I just don't know if she would be awake, Halloween would be our travel day too so already a hectic day and if her bedtime stays the same, which im assuming it will... she would be mighty crabby the minute the party started.

 

[pigletgirl]

Yes, skipping MNSSHP is going to be your best bet. We went this past fall with our DD who was 15 months at the time and she barely made it through Wishes and Illuminations.

And we love Epcot so it's a must for our family!