Seeing "the world" with twins

[Dalpal]

I get to take my 5YO twin Granddaughters to WDW next June 05!

The only thing is I have never taken TWO 5YOs before.
I have taken their older sisters, but I think this will be a whole different can of worms.
Any info and tips?
I dont know if we should even do MGM. Is Epcot boring for that age?( I love it )

Because we will be at MK most, we hope to stay at the Poly. Our first time there.
I also thought that It might be more affordable to split our stay 3-4 at Poly and 2-3 some place less expansive. I will have APs for myself and DH.

I was thinking of 5 nights, but now I think maybe 6 would be better, so we can go slow.

Anyone with either Twins or 5 YOs out there? This will be there first time and I would like to make it Really REALLY fun for them!

 

[Dalpal]

Oh well,

Maybe Ill try on the Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies board.

 

[michmouse]

I have twin 2 year old boys that I will be taking for 4 nights in December. Last year I took my then 2-1/2 year and 4 year old daughters (I left the twins with grandparents) for 3 nights. They did terrific. I went with the idea we would not see everything and would not ever try to. The vacation was for them. I will be taking all 4 this December and I am going with the same idea that we will not be able to do and see everything.

On our last trip, MK and AK were the big hits. We went to Epcot almost everynight for dinner and fireworks. The girls did great at all the resturants. At MGM, other than a few of the shows, there was not much else to do for there age group. The back stage lot tour was a little scarry for them (the tanker truck exploding). Some of the shows they did not like because of the unexpected sprays of water in the dark. However, they did love Playhouse Disney.

I would stongly suggest renting a double stroller. The kids were able to last all day. I plan on renting 2 doubles in December. It just makes it so much more pleasurable to go at an adult walking pace, and the kids get a little rest at the same time. My mother read on the boards that you can buy a multiple day stroller rental pass and you do not have to stand in the lines to get the stroller.

Last year we stayed at WL, and we will be staying there this year too. We loved the inside corridors. The girls loved the boat ride from WL to MK. Nice and relaxing. The buses were great too.

Hope this helps a little.

Michele

 

[Dalpal]

Thanks so much for posting.
I am alittle worried that they will get homesick for their sisters and parents, but we have our cell phones so they can call anytime they want. Hope they are having too much fun to think about it though.
I dont think we will do MGM. I plan on MK for the most part.
They say they cant wait to give Cinderella a hug.! every time I see them they ask if its time to go to see her house and give her a hug.
Renting a double stroller is on the top of my list!
Thanks again for the tips.

 

[Mommaof3]

We took our twin boys when they were 6. We also had an eleven year old at that time. We had no real problems. We stayed 7 days and did all four major parks. The boys walked the entire time and loved all the parks. Certain things at each park were of no interest so we just skipped that attraction and concentrated on the things that were of interest. We got up early everyday for early entry and went until they were getting tired, then we went back to the resort to swim or rest. Leave before they are "worn out". We tried to be organized so we wouldn't waste time, but allowed repetitions for things they fell in love with. (I think I rode Buzz around 10 times) When they were tired we just left and relaxed until they were recharged. We were in bed as early as possible each night. Often we ate a sandwich or hamburger in the room while they watched Disney on T.V. and then off to bed.

 

[zagafi]

We're taking our 6 year old son and our twins (they'll be 15 months) to WDW next June, too. We're staying at a studio at the Swan. It's gonna be interesting...

 

[MomG]

We visited WDW last fall with our 4 1/2 year old twin daughters. They did fabulous! We were there for 6 nights. We visited MK the first afternoon and the next day (I highly recommend seeing the afternoon parade - my girls were invited into the parade to "meet" cinderella); went to both water parks - they were a little young for it, but still enjoyed it; loved Animal Kingdom; did MGM - they really enjoyed all the shows, believe it or not; and did make it to Epcot on the last day -wish we had more time because there was a lot for them to see that we missed.

Good luck finding Cinderella, though - there are so many other characters they might not be disappointed if they don't see her.

I strongly recommend bringing/renting a stroller. We are going back this fall and will still be using a stroller even though they will be 5 1/2 - it's so much walking.

Consider visiting parks in the mornings, come back to the hotel for a little pool time or rest, and resume in the evening. I can't believe how well they did!

Have fun.

 

[Dalpal]

Thanks for the replys guys.
I am really looking forward to seeing them see the castle for the first time.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Our 6 y.o boy/girl twins have been to WDW three times, the first trip when they were 3. They are our only children but somehow I think maybe it's actually easier than having kids of different ages, desires and abilities (and even different genders in our case - think Space Mountain vs Small World)!

I definately agree on those who suggested stroller rental. Bringing our own umbrella strollers worked pretty well because the kids could sleep without being woken up to give the stroller back or for cat naps while DH and I continued to walk. I would try to find the type that has a storage basket on the bottom. (We like having two strollers also so we can "split up"; it's also much easier to maneuver those through the crowds than the larger double strollers). It's also very worthwhile to stay on the monorail, you can be back in your resort in a short time relaxing by the pool. We've always felt doing that we could cut back on a day or two of our trip since not having to travel eliminated a lot of wasted time and justifies the expense. You may consider staying at WL since the prices are lower than the other MK resorts but you are still close by (though the monorail resorts are so magical). I hear the boats going from WL to MK are excellent - we'll find out later this month!

Our kids were pretty adventuresome early on so we stayed together pretty much and did most of the rides for which they were tall enough. They also very much enjoyed all the kids shows at MGM (Playhouse Disney, Muppets 3D, Beauty and the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, etc... favorite always is PD) and last year we spent a lot of time at Epcot. AK always seemed so hot and long to walk, it's not our favorite. We did do both water parks and found plenty to enjoy there, particularly the lazy rivers.

Doing the character BF is really fun at that age. We had our kids' 5th birthday celebration at Cindy's Castle - DD loved it, DS hid under the table when the cupcake came out and all the princesses sang, LOL. He liked Chef Mickey's better and also the Ice Cream Social at the Garden Grill at Epcot. We like to watch the fireworks from the Contemporary Concourse deck where the music is piped in but there are no crowds and you can be ahead of the mass exodus from MK (watching from the beach at the Poly is fun too sans music). Our kids love the Electric Water Pageant too and could watch it every night.

I personally think 5 nights is plenty, that's the most we've stayed and we were all definately ready to come home at that point. You will have a great trip, they are lucky girls and adorable too!

P.S. The cruise is awesome also!! 6th birthday was on the Wonder; going again later this month!!

 

[ladyelle]

Hi,

I have 6 year old twins and 4 year old triplets. We went on our first family vacation to Disney in May 2004. I did alot of research and planning and we ended up having a wonderful vacation. My husband and I have been pretty stressed out the past few years with all the kiddies and we wanted a stress free vacation. We did not have unrealistic expectations that we would see and do everything. We enjoyed the moment.

We stayed at the Polynesian for 6 nights and we absolutely loved it. We enjoyed our resort. The kids loved the volcano pool and squirt zone and the resort boat ride to Mickey's Castle. My husband and I enjoyed a couple of evenings out while the kids had a ball at the Never Never Land Club.

We went to Magic Kindgom for two days, Animal Kindgom , and MGM. We usually went to the park for 3-4 hours and then had lunch. I made priority seating at a fun sit down restaurant to give the kids a break from the hot sun and to color. After lunch they were refreshed and ready to see a couple of more attractions. Then it was back to the resort to the volcano pool. A couple of nights we headed back to the parks and the other nights we did Chef Mickey, Ohana Restaurant or just ordered pizza and watched Disney movies.
We all left our trip relaxed and we can't wait for our next trip to the Polynesian for 8 nights in May 2005.