Questions on being at BWV with 11 month old and other questions...

[HeatherPage]

Yay! I can finally start planning my baby's first trip to our "home away from home" - BWV. He'll be about 11 months old when we go down (Oct. 5 - Oct. 11). I've reserved a one bedroom and it will be myself, husband, mother and baby. What kind of crib if any do they provide (pack-n-play, portacrib, etc.). Also how big exactly is the whirlpool tub (big enough to comfortably fit two people? How is the kitchen set up, is it like a galley kitchen or a decent size? Our view is preferred and the DVC rep asked if I wanted to request BW view, which I said yes, would that be good for viewing any fireworks nearby. Any hints, tidbits or advice for traveling with a baby my age that time of year would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[HeatherPage]

That would be traveling with a baby his age at that time

 

[CarolMN]

The crib in the closet is the portable Pac N Play variety. You can request a "full size" from housekeeping if you need to. I put full size in quotes becasue it really didn't look like a full size to me (smaller). My DSIL requested one for her 16 month old, but when she saw it decided he could just sleep on the sofa bed with his brother. Not sure why.

Not sure what you mean by "galley" size, but I thought the kitchen was a good size. It had a refrigerator, full size stove, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, double sink and dishwasher. IMHO, it would be a little crowded for more than one person to be actually working in, though.

I thought the tub was big enough for two. My 16 year old niece and her girlfriend had a great time soaking in it together (wearing swimsuits, of course, LOL) and they are both adult-sized.

If there isn't a high chair in the room, be sure to request one.

Enjoy the trip!

 

[HeatherPage]

Thanks Carol! Glad you mentioned the highchair, I didn't even think about that - I guess because Justin isn't using one yet.

 

[CarolMN]

Forgot to mention that we were very glad that DB & DSIL decided to bring their own stroller along rather than rent them at the parks. Their own stroller looked comfortable, reclined, had a nice size "storage" compartment for the diaper bag (and other things we didn't want to carry anymore, LOL) and it had a nice sun shade. DN took several naps in it and we were very glad to have it outside of the parks. Those little people can get very heavy at the end of the day. We did occasionally rent one for the 5 year old - he did a LOT of walking with those short little legs.

The stroller was a bit of a hassle on the bus, but it was well worth it. DB & DSIL said they wouldn't even have considered this trip without extra adult help (that would be my DH & me). At times, it took all four of us to keep track of the two boys and all the "stuff" that is required when you travel with a baby. I'm sure you will be equally glad to have your mother along!

FWIW, we bought groceries, laundry supplies and diapers when we got there (diapers take up a lot of room in suitcases, LOL), Since we had a car seat and stroller to manage, we tried to pack as lightly as possible. As it was, we barely got eerything and everyone in the rental minivan. You will be so grateful for the washer/dryer right in the room.

The only other advice is to just let your baby set the pace. We had lots of fun just watching the baby's reactions. He loved the parades and the characters.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[JVL1018]

We stayed t BW when my daughter was 13 mos old. It was great. The 3 of us actually all fit in the jacuzzi comfortably. The cib is a pack & play-but they give you a king size sheet to use. ??? Bring your own Pack & Play sheet. The kitchen is big enough to turn around in<g> but the table isn't in there anyway, it's about 2 steps away. LOL There's also a breakfast bar. You can request a highchair for your son. Absolutely take your own stroller. If you are flying and rent a car, it's very easy to just buy the diapers down there. If you are flying bring at least 2 extra outfits in your carry on(I needed both!) We were delayed 9 hours coming home, so I was very happy I had plenty of diapers and snacks, along with the extra clothes.
My poor deprived son isn't going to WDW until October(he'll be almost 14 mos), my daughter had been to WDW 3 times by the time she was that age. LOL

Anyway, the entire trip was a piece of cake.

 

[JonHM]

So shoot me, this *one* post I'm making is not *entirely* DVC related. Since your baby is not yet using a high chair, please allow me to recommend what we had DS using for many, *many* months, and which *greatly* increased his enjoyment of eating out with us. It is a chair which clamps onto the table at a restaurant - it is very well padded and comfortable from the baby's standpoint, *and* has them up at a good height relative to the table, so they can see everything, and they feel more like part of the meal. This is the one that we have, or the newer model of it, anyway:

http://www.estyle.com/ Do a search at the main page for Planet Hook-On Chair.

For the next few days, there's supposedly an online coupon good for $15 off of $50 or higher puchase - so it winds up being $45 instead of $60. For all of the use that we got out of it (he's now 20 months, and we *just* started using high chairs a lot more than this clamp on, it was well worth it for us. The coupon code for the $15 off can be found at:

http://www.dealcatcher.com/deals.asp?view_type=8&merchant_id=759

You know, this sort of *is* dvc related, because this chair is very easy to travel with, folds down very small, and would work very well for the kitchen table in a Villa if the child is not yet old enough to really like a high chair... So ha!

 

[cswans]

Hi, just one thought for you--the Boardwalk view is very fun for people watching, lake watching, and sometimes you can catch fireworks, depending on your location. But we found it to be very noisy for our 19month old. You can really hear the boat "horns" (or whatever they are) and depending where your room is, you can also hear alot of nightlife. This wasn't good for us as we are all light sleepers used to quiet nights. So just make sure you (and baby) won't be bothered by background noise. . .

 

[EROS]

We brought our infant down to BWV at 12 months and had a GREAT time. We did choose to bring our own pack 'n play crib rather than use the one provided; my DW is a pediatric nurse practitioner who felt uncomfortable placing our baby in a crib used previously by multiple infants. The Whirlpool was definitely of adequate size for 2 adults. The kitchen is fully functional but compact; we always enjoyed a continental breakfast there but ate the balance of our meals at WDW or on the Boardwalk.

Have a great time

 

[JonHM]

Well, I've been in '2 person' whirlpool tubs, and this one (Boardwalk view villa at BWV) was *definitely* not one of those. It was a large garden tub, but whether 2 people can fit really depends on the size of the people. I think my wife and I could have fit, but not comfortably like in those 2 person tubs.

I was *really* worried about the noise from the boardwalk at night, but our 19 month old, whose pack 'n play was *right* by the window to the boardwalk, slept like a log through all the noise. I guess he had really exhausted himself playing in the parks!

 

[HeatherPage]

Thanks everyone for the replys, Jon I'll have to check that site out Right now loud noise doesn't really bother my baby while he's sleeping. He was asleep in his swing one time in the living room and and I was running the vacuum and ran it under his swing a few times and he hardly noticed, so I don't think having a boardwalk view will bother him-but I guess a lot could change in 7 months. We'll probably bring our own pack-n-play when we go or portacrib if he still fits in it by October. Now I just have to start showing him videos of the characters so he'll be used to them by October or am I wasting my time?

 

[cswans]

I think it would definitely be worthwhile to let your child see video footage of the characters greeting other kids. ( Videos like the planning video are perfect for this.) Keep in mind that your child may still FREAK OUT when a real live character approaches. But the Cast members are so incredibly sensitive to children's varying responses. They back right off when a child is afraid, do encouraging things from a distance is a child is unsure, etc, etc, etc. My favorite thing a cast member did was to provide my Pooh-crazy child with a straight 2 minute hug because the cast member was able to see that this kid was crazy-in-love with Pooh. We have it on video and it is hysterical. good luck!