Questions That I'm Sure I've Seen Before But Can't Find Now...

[TotalSnowWhite]

We'll be in WDW in May/June with a 5 turning 6 and a 2 turning 3. How have you/do you suggest dealing with spending money? I've been buying "souvenirs" little by little to try to cut down on our souvenir spending, but I am a chronic shopper, and so is my niece (the ). They'll both be getting at least $200 Disney Gift Cards as pre-birthday/pre-trip gifts from us plus anything anyone else gives them. I liked the idea of only having to keep track of two (or combining the cards to make one) cards, but I thought Disney Dollars (or even dollars we make) would let them know when their money is running out. So, suggestions??

Also, double stroller or two singles? We have the Jeep side by side, but it's a little heavy to be lugging around. We'll have a car there, so we may not even use the Disney transportation, but you never know. Also, stroller suggestions on models that won't tip over due to inevitable bags hanging on the handles/good storage/easy handling/taller handles (I'm 5'10 and always feel like I'm hunched over to push our current Jeep single)?

Last one, promise. Those of you who've stayed on property, did you have your purchases taken to your rooms? We're staying at the Poly, and I thought it would be nice not to have to carry our purchases around for the day or possibly lose/damage them.

Thanks!!

 

[Colinsmom]

We just got back with a 5yo boy and a 22mo boy. I was actually surprised at how little they asked for at the stores (and we did wander DTD a couple of times, so it's not because we avoided the stores)! I'd say that we spent well less than $200 on both, and that includes purchasing a couple of Xmas ornaments for them and a couple of Mission Space souvies for DS5 that Santa left under the tree. If you can put off the buying to limited times (say, 1-2 trips to DTD), that should help you keep track of their spending. It will also keep them from running out of money halfway through the trip!

We did two single strollers and it worked out nicely. DS5 didn't always need a seat. We only took one stroller when we went to the parks in the morning, but took both when we returned later in the day (and DS5 was more tired). How many adults will you have? I would do less strollers than you have adults; I wouldn't do two singles with only two adults. We took a Peg Perego Venezia and an Inglesina Swift. It was a good combo for us.

If staying on property, you can have your purchases sent to the gift shop at your resort and pick them up at your convenience. I believe that concierge guests can only have purchases delivered to the room nowadays. I'd highly recommend this to limit the stuff you are juggling when folding the stroller, reduce the likelihood of theft, and reduce the possibility that anything breaks.

 

[inloveindisney]

First of all, I think you'll want to use Disney Transportation. It is so much easier than driving yourself, not to mention fun.
It is nice to have packages delivered but just keep in mind that it takes about a day to get there. It won't always be there when you return to the resort.
I can't imagine spending 200 on each. Having hte Disney dollars might be neat, but I might suggest only giving them a certain amount of dollars per day just in case they lose it. Plus it helps them with knowing how much they can spend each day.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

We did two single strollers and it worked out nicely. DS5 didn't always need a seat. We only took one stroller when we went to the parks in the morning, but took both when we returned later in the day (and DS5 was more tired). How many adults will you have? I would do less strollers than you have adults; I wouldn't do two singles with only two adults. We took a Peg Perego Venezia and an Inglesina Swift. It was a good combo for us.

We'll have four adults. I bought the double specifically for this trip, but I'm thinking singles might work better if the kids want to check out different things, etc. How were your strollers on the tip over factor and storage?

First of all, I think you'll want to use Disney Transportation. It is so much easier than driving yourself, not to mention fun.
It is nice to have packages delivered but just keep in mind that it takes about a day to get there. It won't always be there when you return to the resort.
I can't imagine spending 200 on each. Having hte Disney dollars might be neat, but I might suggest only giving them a certain amount of dollars per day just in case they lose it. Plus it helps them with knowing how much they can spend each day.

We have a couple of ADRs before MK opens, so is it still faster just to hop on the monorail from the Poly? Or is the parking decent that early? WDW Dining said we can get in as early as 7:30 to make our reservations.

Is a day the longest it will take? So, we could send them back the day before we leave, but not the day of?

I know that's a little extravagant, but I just spent $200 twice at The Disney Store and The Disney Store Outlet. I know I'm a shopper, and I think my niece is following in my footsteps. How are the prices compared to The Disney Store? I know each of them would like to have a snowglobe and probably a new costume of some sort. DNiece already has a Cinderella costume from this Halloween, and I just bought her a super cute pink and gold Aurora outfit at the Semi-Annual Sale!! I also got DS a little Peter Pan outfit at the sale. They were both an extra 25% off their clearance prices!!

Thanks!!

 

[Colinsmom]

Our Venezia was great for storage - huge basket, and not at all tippy with a bag on the handles. The Swift basket is small and hard to use, but it is not as tippy as our Maclaren when there is a bag on the back.

If you are at the Poly trying to get to MK, you'd be nuts to drive. You'd drive across the road, park at the Ticket & Transportation Center, and take the monorail to the park. Just hop the monorail at the Poly and skip the driving step; you'll be there much faster. Disney transportation was one of my younger DS's favorite part of the trip - he loved the busses more than anything, I think!

Disney park prices are much higher than Disney Store prices, plus you don't get the sales and discounts that the mall store offers. You cannot have purchases shipped to your resort on the day that you leave. I'm not sure about the day before you leave - I think that they may recommend against it, but am not sure as we didn't use this service on this trip.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

If you are at the Poly trying to get to MK, you'd be nuts to drive. You'd drive across the road, park at the Ticket & Transportation Center, and take the monorail to the park. Just hop the monorail at the Poly and skip the driving step; you'll be there much faster. Disney transportation was one of my younger DS's favorite part of the trip - he loved the busses more than anything, I think!

Duh! I don't know what I was thinking!! Haha!! What about the other parks? We plan on hitting all four at some point during our week there.