Reality Check...

[Tara D]

You seem really sure your girls will nap in the hotel. How old are they?? I have better luck with DS taking random stroller naps during the day. Otherwise he will fall asleep on the way back to hotel and ruin nap, or just want to play or go back to the park. He is a really good sleeper at home but at Disney apparently it's a waste of his time

I'm just saying it seems like a lot is banking on these kiddos super nap schedule... So be prepared to be flexible!!

 

[marlynnp]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the feedback -- and thanks for letting me know the animals aren't viewable from Boma!

My daughters are definitely not stroller nappers so we will be going back to the hotel for a 2-3 hour nap every day. I was hoping that that would cushion them against the late nights but it is very true that an early morning following a late night could spell disaster! We may have to play things by ear a bit...

My issue with the evenings is that, due to way my Mom has acted since her memory loss, it is very difficult for her to get going before the early afternoon (which is, of course, naptime). So I see the dinners/evening activities as being the main time when the whole family will really be together. And I'm putting all sorts of pressure on this issue mentally as this is likely the last "big" family vacation that my Mom will go on given her condition. I probably need to give some more thought as to how I am balancing things. In the end, my daughters will have the chance to go to Disney again so I think it is fair to weight things a bit more to my parents' needs while making sure the girls have enough rest to avoid meltdowns, etc., etc.

In terms of transportation my Dad and my husband have been pushing just using the Disney transit system but I feel that in light of our frequent "back and forths" that we should spend the money on a rental car. I think we just need a lot of flexibility given our various limitations here. Any thoughts?

Get the rental car!!! It is well worth the time you will save.

Overall I think your plan sounds good, you've got a lot of down time built in and it sounds like you're prepared to change things if needed in order to make the most of your time with mom this trip. Good luck and I hope you make some wonderful memories.

 

[kohlby]

Illuminations could be tough since it's so late. It was 9/9:30 I think when we went, so we skipped it. I'd only schedule it in if it's your last day, due to the late time. I'm not sure of the hours when you're there, but Fantasmic was 6:30, electric parade 7 and Wishes 8. So, "late" for a 3 year old actually wasn't too bad - but I'm very glad I planned an off day after Wishes at our last trip.

Everyone told me our kids would nap at Disney, so we tried going back to the room, and it didn't work. With all three of my kids, I learned it was best to not worry about nap and get them to bed at time at night. So, my advice to have a plan B in place, in case naps don't happen how you expect. (One child had trips at 3 and 3.5. Another one had a trip at 3.5. And the third at 2.5. And no naps -even with lots of active park days).

*Did I read correcly that you're going in May?? I wouldn't plan your days yet past dining - and plan that early enough. It's impossible to know if you'll still have good nappers by then.

 

[SueM in MN]

Sounds like a solid thought out plan to me. You have alloted for some down time each day which is good considering your mom. I would check into renting an ECV for her too. I think you can find more information about that on the DisAbilities board. My kiddos were/ are stroller nappers so there was no need for the mid day nap for us but we would always stick their regular bed times which will make all the difference for getting to the parks when they open first thing. Anywho, i hope you have a magical trip and i wouldn't change a thing. Take care.

You can follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Post 2 has information about renting wheelchairs and ECVs.
I would not recommend renting an ECV for someone with memory issues. The driver of an ECV really needs to be alert to what is going on around them and ready to react by stopping or steering out of the way. I have seen people in the parks who have gotten into trouble because they could not remember how to stop (all they have to do is take their hand off the control, but they get flustered and end up in trouble).
I would suggest renting a wheelchair from an off-site rental place; you can find those in post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the feedback -- and thanks for letting me know the animals aren't viewable from Boma!

My daughters are definitely not stroller nappers so we will be going back to the hotel for a 2-3 hour nap every day. I was hoping that that would cushion them against the late nights but it is very true that an early morning following a late night could spell disaster! We may have to play things by ear a bit...

My issue with the evenings is that, due to way my Mom has acted since her memory loss, it is very difficult for her to get going before the early afternoon (which is, of course, naptime). So I see the dinners/evening activities as being the main time when the whole family will really be together. And I'm putting all sorts of pressure on this issue mentally as this is likely the last "big" family vacation that my Mom will go on given her condition. I probably need to give some more thought as to how I am balancing things. In the end, my daughters will have the chance to go to Disney again so I think it is fair to weight things a bit more to my parents' needs while making sure the girls have enough rest to avoid meltdowns, etc., etc.

In terms of transportation my Dad and my husband have been pushing just using the Disney transit system but I feel that in light of our frequent "back and forths" that we should spend the money on a rental car. I think we just need a lot of flexibility given our various limitations here. Any thoughts?

I would suggest being ready to pull back on some of the planned activities if they seem to be too much for your mom. You may very well find that she is the one having meltdowns if there is too much activity, stimulation or change for her (speaking as a Registered Nurse who has cared for patients with Alzheimers and other similar conditions).

I noticed you are not staying on Disney property, so will not have use of the WDW buses to get back and forth to your resort. I don't know what the transportation is like for Wyndham, but I would probably get a car in your situation. If the shuttle buses are not very frequent, you could end up having to rush to make a scheduled bus time.
And, little children and people with memory issues do not rush really well.

Thanks for the thoughts Figment! We are going the week of May 12th so I hadn't resolved on times for anything yet as the calendar hadn't been posted to the Disney website yet.

However...thanks to these boards I just found the travel agent calendars for May (yay!) and unfortunately things are running very late while we are there. MK's Electrical Parade is at 9 and Wishes is at 10 every night, Epcot has Illuminations at 9 every night and Fantasmic is at 9 every night.

A family member has given us their Wyndham points so we will be staying in a three bedroom condo at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek and will not be able to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours. Given that is the case, my general plan is to avoid a park on the day it is having EMH -- my schedule will need to be updated to reflect that now that I have the information.

After giving it some more thought, I am thinking about having Wednesday be a totally "off/pool" day, with my Mom and I hitting a spa while the girls are napping Wednesday afternoon. I would then make sure our flight on Saturday was for something like 6 pm so we can have a last morning at the MK... Not sure if that is a great last farewell or too stressful.

In terms of memory loss conditions - it's difficult to tell how they will progress. Considering that your planned trip is quite a long time from now, be prepared in case her condition deteriorates between now and then.
Also be aware that many people with memory issues are able to hold things together fairly well in their familiar home environment. But, a trip to an unfamiliar place (or at least one she may not remember well if she has been there before) may be enough to push her memory issues or behavior in ways that you may not expect and may have some difficulty dealing with.

If your mom already has issues getting up, going to WDW the last day may be too stressful.
Also many people with memory issues have difficulty with transitions. So, it may be best to have the last day very low key.

Illuminations could be tough since it's so late. It was 9/9:30 I think when we went, so we skipped it. I'd only schedule it in if it's your last day, due to the late time. I'm not sure of the hours when you're there, but Fantasmic was 6:30, electric parade 7 and Wishes 8. So, "late" for a 3 year old actually wasn't too bad - but I'm very glad I planned an off day after Wishes at our last trip.

Everyone told me our kids would nap at Disney, so we tried going back to the room, and it didn't work. With all three of my kids, I learned it was best to not worry about nap and get them to bed at time at night. So, my advice to have a plan B in place, in case naps don't happen how you expect. (One child had trips at 3 and 3.5. Another one had a trip at 3.5. And the third at 2.5. And no naps -even with lots of active park days).

*Did I read correcly that you're going in May?? I wouldn't plan your days yet past dining - and plan that early enough. It's impossible to know if you'll still have good nappers by then.

My kids never napped at WDW either. They were tired and we would go back to the room, but by the time we got there, they were revived and could not get to sleep. We did 'rest', but 2 'resting' children often ends up meaning no one getting any rest.
And, I agree that it's too early to tell if you will have good nappers by then.

 

[Lydia91]

My Dad, my husband and I have continued to discuss the plan and we all agree that flexibility will be key.

The schedule is a "best case" scenario and I do not expect it all to come off. I imagine that, at most, Mom will be joining us for 2 mornings in the parks. If she isn't interested or not up to it at all, that will be absolutely fine.

If she is at a point that she needs to have someone familiar with her when she wakes up, we three other adults can rotate through spending the morning at the room while the others take the girls out to the parks. She is not at that point yet, but may be by the time Disney rolls around.

She does not sundown and tends to be better as the day gets later, so I am hopeful she will be able to enjoy the shows and dinners on the schedule.

We have had some discussions around the economics of it, and my dad's directions are that I am to make the reservations (once we have reached a final plan) and if there is money lost due to needing to back out, he has very kindly offered to make us whole for it. He (and we) have accepted that there may be some money spent on activities we do not get to participate in the end.

I am trying to approach this like I did my wedding planning -- I planned everything down to the littlest detail (because that is how I get comfortable with things) but then totally let go of any expectations or emotional investment in how the plan worked out. My sole expectation on my wedding day was that I would be married by the end of it. This allowed me to view those things that went well with pleasure and ignore or shrug my shoulders over everything else.

I am working to keep that attitude in place for Disney -- so that my expectations are that we will be in Florida, safe and together as a family and anything else is a bonus.

Sue -- thanks for your thoughts on the ECV vehicle and my mom. My Dad has been pushing using an ECV as Mom can get crabby about his steering with a regular wheelchair. My husband and I tend not to get any "front seat" driving instructions from her, so if necessary we can push the wheelchair and Dad can take charge of the girls' stroller.

I might suggest to Dad that they go to Target or Home Depot and test drive the ECVs they have there and see what their reaction to that experience is...

My girls are excellent nappers and have been since about 6 months old. They are also good nappers on vacation. We see sleep disturbances when we get home and back to the regular routine rather than on vacation itself. Obviously, they may have dropped the nap by the time they are 3 -- if they do, we may just add another day or two "off" to the schedule for full down time if needed.

I promise, my plan is not to re-enact the Bataan Death March in search of the "perfect" Disney experience!

 

[snoopy5386]

If you are staying at Bonnet Creek a rental car is a must. Their shuttle schedule is limited and very specified, so if you miss a bus, you may be out of luck for an hour or several hours before the next one comes along. Honestly I can't even imagine trying to do all that resort dining relying on the Bonnet Creek shuttle and Disney transport. You are talking about hours of bus time. Just to eat at Boma you'd need to take a bonnet creek shuttle to a park, then take a resort bus to AKL, then eat, then take a resort bus from AKL to a park, then pick up a Bonnet Creek bus home and remember they run on a set schedule. You'd have to set aside probably 2 hours each way just for transportation.

My only other comment is that with all the naps and nighttime shows there isn't really a lot of time left for park touring, rides and meet and greets. If you want to be out of a park by 12:30 that means starting to walk to the bus by 12 which only leaves 3 hours for rides and you have to fit lunch in there too. I have a 2.5 year old and what works best for us is to tour until the late afternoon and have her take a late nap either in the room or at the park, then she wakes up for dinner and is good to go for the evening activities.

 

[snoopy5386]

And PS chances are your room won't be ready by 11 am, probably closer to 3 or 4 pm.

 

[capeseal]

Your attitude that it is okay if everything doesn't go as planned is great and you have already amended your plan to add what I thought was the most important thing missing from your schedule, a rest day. With the little ones you will be thrilled to have a day built into your schedule with no commitments.

The one thing that surprised me on our most recent trip was that my children (4 and 18 months) who are usually excellent at restaurants, had struggles at some of our sit-down meals. Though you are down to 1 Disney sit-down per day, I might still consider cutting one or two more of the sit-downs with the kids in favor or QS or take out. (Though you can always wait and see how the first few go and then cut something later.) I would also add that no matter how wonderful our kids were on the flight and transport to our hotel, we have never had a good arrival day. Within an hour of arrival, the overwhelming, overstimulating nature of the trip catches up to my normally easy-going kids and we have lots of meltdowns to contend with. While you are only attempting dinner that night, I might consider getting some great take-out instead and hitting MK fresh Sunday morning. We no longer plan for ANYTHING on arrival day aside from getting to our room, swimming, watching a movie in our room, and exploring our immediate area.

We've always had good luck with room naps at midday with my daughter though it takes everyone about an hour to calm down after we arrive in the room. My son (18 months on most recent trip) did not do as well with naps in the room and stroller napped instead when we headed back to the parks in the evening most days of our trip.

I think you have a thoughtful plan and the right mindset to have an exceptional trip.

 

[princesskimberella]

When we took our first family trip my kids were 3,4 and 6 we tried the midday nap thing and it was a big waste. I know you know your children best but Disney is a whole new experience. We found that the girls would fall asleep on the bus ride and then by the time we got to our room they were up and ready to go ! When we were at MK we would hop on the train and it was a nice relaxing ride around the parks while my 3 year old slept on my lap.
Epcot it was The Land Ride to catch a quick nap!

I would also recommend a car with all the different places you have planned, even with Disney busses sometime we only had to wait a few minutes for a bus to take us to the park and other times it was a good 20 minutes and pray it wasn't full. We plan at least an hour ahead.

I would also be sure to give yourself enough time for character meals.

 

[Lydia91]

"My only other comment is that with all the naps and nighttime shows there isn't really a lot of time left for park touring, rides and meet and greets. If you want to be out of a park by 12:30 that means starting to walk to the bus by 12 which only leaves 3 hours for rides and you have to fit lunch in there too."

I've been playing with the personalized touring plan application at touringplans.com. We have, right now, 4 mornings at Magic Kingdom.

According to what the application is telling me (and assuming it has any relationship to reality), one morning should be sufficient to accomplish what I think the girls would be most interested in at Fantasyland and another morning should be sufficient to accomplish what they are most interested in at the other lands.

Depending on how that goes, that gives us two mornings to either take an "off" day, do certain rides again, do character stuff (honestly, I am doubtful of their interest level on those, but I might be wrong) or, if things have gone extremely well, try some slightly more intense rides if they are interested.

Also, given the description of the Epcot rides and activities and the girls' ages, we may end up ditching our Epcot morning for a day off or another day at Magic Kingdom, if necessary.

Evidently our family member has some sort of "elite" status with Wyndham, so we are promised a 1 pm check in, but we probably shouldn't put too much stock in that actually happening.

Capeseal -- I hear you on the difficulty of transit day. My husband and I have been batting around the idea of us and the kids flying down on Friday, springing for Friday night ourselves and then having all day Saturday to just hang out at the pool and de-stress from the flight and be well rested for Sunday. Sounds like it might be worth it!

 

[Lydia91]

"I would also recommend a car with all the different places you have planned, even with Disney busses sometime we only had to wait a few minutes for a bus to take us to the park and other times it was a good 20 minutes and pray it wasn't full. We plan at least an hour ahead."

Thanks for this -- I am pretty sure that this is one of the places where my planning is falling flat. I know I am underestimating transit times and "settle down" times. I am hoping that by mostly having lunch back at our condo rather than at the park, it will save park time and also act as a settling down opportunity before we put the girls down for their nap.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

The only thing about the car is, it's a pretty long schlep from the TTC to MK. That's the one place where a bus or shuttle can really come in handy, because they get sooo much closer to the park gates than a car can.

We typically stay off-site, and have done a couple of split stays (1 week onsite, 1 week off). We always use the buses for MK (and drive everywhere else). But, if you have one car/van for all of you, this might be fine--use the shuttle for your MK morning, then go elsewhere as a group after nap time.

Beyond that, you seem to have reasonable expectations, some flexibility, and a good sense of humor, so you should have a marvelous trip!

 

[Lydia91]

Thanks BuzznBelle's mom! Out of curiosity -- do you know if that is true about parking at MK even with a handicapped sticker?

 

[kohlby]

Also, given the description of the Epcot rides and activities and the girls' ages, we may end up ditching our Epcot morning for a day off or another day at Magic Kingdom, if necessary

I would not skip Epcot. Epcot is my kids favorite park - more than MK - and that was even at 3 years old. My kids like MK, but EP takes us far more time and they really enjoy it. Also, EP is easy to do without hitting rope drop, which could be a huge plus for you.

 

[t_daniels]

Still glancing the thread. You mentioned Boma in the Animal Kingdom. Just making sure you know its at the Animal Kingdom Lodge resort.

 

[t_daniels]

Oh! You'll be arriving the day we leave!

 

[Lydia91]

New and Improved:



Pre-Day (leave day before the grandparents)

Depart for Florida Friday morning.
Check into the Polynesian for 1 night.
Beach time Friday afternoon/early evening, nap permitting
Early dinner and usual bedtime at hotel.

1st Day (Saturday):

Saturday morning at beach.
Lunch at Polynesian.
Check in to Wyndham Bonnet Creek as close as possible to nap time.
Put girls down for nap. Ken and I run errands (grocery shop) for the week while g'parents stay with the girls.

See the 5:00 Hoop de Doo Musical Revue.
Usual bedtime at hotel.

2nd day (Sunday):

Breakfast in room, leave room no later than 7:45 and arrive at Magic Kingdom no later than 8:30
Tour Magic Kingdom, lunch at Be Our Guest Counter Service
Home by 2:00, put girls down for nap.
Have dinner at hotel or get take out.
Bedtime at usual time for girls.
[Contemplate husband and I going out to Blue Man Group or other evening activity while g'parents stay with girls.]

3rd day (Monday)

Breakfast in room, leave room no later than 7:45 and arrive at Magic Kingdom no later than 8:30
Tour Magic Kingdom
Leave for hotel by 1:00, put girls down for nap.,
Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table at 6:30, Electrical Parade at 9 and Wishes at 10. Consider reserving the boat tour for Wishes.

4th day (Tuesday)

Beach/Pool Morning
Lunch at Chef Mickey's [or other character meal]
Girls nap at usual time. Mom and I hit the spa or shopping at Downtown Disney while they sleep.
Dinner at hotel, babysitter arrives and adults leave see the 9 pm La Nouba.

5th day (Wednesday)

Breakfast in room, leave room no later than 7:45 and arrive at Hollywood Studios no later than 8:30
Lunch at the Brown Derby (Fantasmic Package) around 1.
Return to hotel after lunch for nap.
Let girls nap as long as they like.
Dinner in hotel.
Return to Hollywood Studios no later than 7 pm for the 9 pm Fantasmic.

6th day (Thursday)

Morning either: morning at Epcot or beach/pool morning, depending on how everyone is feeling.
Evening either: dinner outside the world or dinner at Epcot and Illuminations, depending on how everyone is feeling.

7th day (Friday)

Breakfast in room, leave room no later than 7:45 and arrive at Magic Kingdom no later than 8:30
Tour Magic Kingdom
Leave for hotel by 1:00, put girls down for nap.
Evening anniversary celebration for my parents. Either dinner with the girls early (like 5 pm) at some place like Seasons 52 or The Venetian Room. Or get babysitter and adults go to Narcoossee's for a late dinner and to see Wishes.

8th day (Saturday)

Breakfast in room, leave room no later than 7:45 and arrive at Magic Kingdom no later than 8:30
Tour either Magic Kingdom or Epcot depending on earlier schedule
Leave for airport.

 

[pooh4evr]

Handicapped parking for MK is with the regular parking lot, it can take at least 25-30 minutes just to get from MK gate to your car. You have to either take the boat or he monorail...it can be less if you happen to catch one just at the right time but by far MK is the longest trek to your car. Basically, if you want the girls in bed by 2 you need to leave MK no later than 1, giving you just 4 hours total that day in MK. For us I just wouldn't waste so much time going back and forth, and I couldn't stand being at the poly, seeing the castle, and waiting for 2 days to get there. Then again we are the type to go from rope drop to the 2 am EMH with our kids. So maybe it is hard for me to imagine going all that way, spending all the money and not being in the park the majority of the time.

Go to EPCOT! My kids have always loved it, Living Seas, The Land, touring to countries is just about their favorite thing to do. AK is also worth at least half a day.

 

[SueM in MN]

Handicapped parking for MK is with the regular parking lot, it can take at least 25-30 minutes just to get from MK gate to your car. You have to either take the boat or he monorail...it can be less if you happen to catch one just at the right time but by far MK is the longest trek to your car. Basically, if you want the girls in bed by 2 you need to leave MK no later than 1, giving you just 4 hours total that day in MK. For us I just wouldn't waste so much time going back and forth, and I couldn't stand being at the poly, seeing the castle, and waiting for 2 days to get there. Then again we are the type to go from rope drop to the 2 am EMH with our kids. So maybe it is hard for me to imagine going all that way, spending all the money and not being in the park the majority of the time.

Go to EPCOT! My kids have always loved it, Living Seas, The Land, touring to countries is just about their favorite thing to do. AK is also worth at least half a day.

Agree with pooh4evr about the Handicapped parking at MK.
It is closer than the regular parking, but still a long trek to the TTC. The regular lot has parking lot trams, which Handicapped parking does not.

Once at TTC, you still will need to take the monorail or boat to get to the MK turnstiles.

I also agree with pooh4evr about EPCOT. Many of the rides may not be something kids that age will like, but Living with the Land, everything in the Living Seas (especially the Nemo ride and Turtle Talk) and the countries are quite popular with little kids. They have Kidcot stops at all the countries, where kids can sit for a while and color.

 

[Lydia91]

"Go to EPCOT! My kids have always loved it, Living Seas, The Land, touring to countries is just about their favorite thing to do. AK is also worth at least half a day."

When I first started traveling to Europe in my late teens, I did a couple of those "20 countries in 15 days" type tours. By the time of my last visit (just before having my girls) we spent 12 days in Paris, with an overnight to the Loire valley.

I guess I'd rather see a more limited amount of stuff enjoyably and well. After all, "we will be back" [cue Arnold S.]

"So maybe it is hard for me to imagine going all that way, spending all the money and not being in the park the majority of the time."

I totally understand that. However, I can't think like that because if I did, there would be no point in our going at the current time -- with two three year olds, a 75 year old woman in the early stages of dementia and with degenerative disk disease and a 78 year old man.