Surfside upgrade to HR club level?

[liamthompson]

If transportation is your major concern, please consider posting on the Transportation forum. You'll get plenty of help there.

I posted, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[The Gatekeeper]

I can totally relate to being apprehensive about transportation. We went to WDW with our 4 and 6 year olds. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary to be as close as possible to the Magic Kingdom, and I still left there a little bitter about the whole experience. It cost a FORTUNE, and the only really great memories I have of the trip are Hoop De Doo and the character dining.
At three, there is plenty to do at UOR, and it is so much more relaxing and easier on the parents, physically, mentally, and budget-wise. We went to UOR 13 months later when they were a year older and it was SO much more fun and easier than WDW and SO much more budget friendly. We became annual pass holders and 5 years later have no plans to return to WDW, especially since word is it's now so much WORSE than 2019.
I know I'm in the minority here, but the play areas at UOR are so great for little kids. Yes, there's more rides for them at WDW, but that entails lines, planning, criss-crossing the parks and/or added expense. The playgrounds are there for them instantly, with no lines. My kids still LOVE the spray guns at Camp Jurassic and spend at least an hour playing with them each trip. We have to drag them away.
If you want a lot of rides for littles AND easy transportation, my advise would be to research Disneyland. Our experience at DL was far superior to WDW except for the character dining. It is so easy to get around DL and the other visitors are so much more chill than at WDW. Everyone is so stressed out at WDW, trying to have the BEST DAY EVER, lol. The locals give DL a completely different vibe. And Cars Land at DL is AWESOME if you have a little Lightening McQueen fan.
Good luck with whatever decision you make. You know what's best for your family. I just wanted to let you know you're not crazy for wanting to make this trip as easy on yourself and your kid as possible. You will be knocking yourself out for this kid for decades to come. It's okay to sacrifice a few dark rides he won't remember to have a balanced trip everyone enjoys.

 

[davidsonmark]

It sounds like you’ve got an exciting trip ahead! We stayed at Universal’s Hard Rock for a couple of nights, and it’s a great hotel—super convenient and the club level perks are awesome, especially if you’re looking for easy meals with a 3yo in tow. As for getting back into CityWalk in the evening, it can get a little crowded, but it’s usually not a huge issue unless it's peak dinner time, so you might have to be patient if you're coming back around 4-5pm. Regarding Express Pass, it might be worth considering for the big rides like VelociCoaster and Mummy, especially with a kid since it’ll save you some time and let you hit your favorites without stressing over long lines. If you’re worried about the buffet-style meals, I get it—after a bad experience on a trip, I’d probably be cautious too.

 

[liamthompson]

I can totally relate to being apprehensive about transportation. We went to WDW with our 4 and 6 year olds. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary to be as close as possible to the Magic Kingdom, and I still left there a little bitter about the whole experience. It cost a FORTUNE, and the only really great memories I have of the trip are Hoop De Doo and the character dining.
At three, there is plenty to do at UOR, and it is so much more relaxing and easier on the parents, physically, mentally, and budget-wise. We went to UOR 13 months later when they were a year older and it was SO much more fun and easier than WDW and SO much more budget friendly. We became annual pass holders and 5 years later have no plans to return to WDW, especially since word is it's now so much WORSE than 2019.
I know I'm in the minority here, but the play areas at UOR are so great for little kids. Yes, there's more rides for them at WDW, but that entails lines, planning, criss-crossing the parks and/or added expense. The playgrounds are there for them instantly, with no lines. My kids still LOVE the spray guns at Camp Jurassic and spend at least an hour playing with them each trip. We have to drag them away.
If you want a lot of rides for littles AND easy transportation, my advise would be to research Disneyland. Our experience at DL was far superior to WDW except for the character dining. It is so easy to get around DL and the other visitors are so much more chill than at WDW. Everyone is so stressed out at WDW, trying to have the BEST DAY EVER, lol. The locals give DL a completely different vibe. And Cars Land at DL is AWESOME if you have a little Lightening McQueen fan.
Good luck with whatever decision you make. You know what's best for your family. I just wanted to let you know you're not crazy for wanting to make this trip as easy on yourself and your kid as possible. You will be knocking yourself out for this kid for decades to come. It's okay to sacrifice a few dark rides he won't remember to have a balanced trip everyone enjoys.

To be honest, I think I've fallen into the FOMO trap...our original Disney trip had no park days and now it's blown into 3 park days with hour by hour itinerary. Your post here (and your previous one with the comment about wrangling your stroller for the bus) kind of encapsulates my frustrations - a park day is not cheap, and then you have to contend with the crowds, and the difficulties navigating a property of Disney's size. I am a little afraid I'm going to lose sight of the Disney "magic" and hurry my kid on a pace that would result in a meltdown. So thank you for this post. It's a good reminder that my goal should be to make things as easy as possible! We're going on a trip to spend time together, try some new and fun things together, not to run a marathon

My one reservation about universal (and especially if we stay at Aventura) is that it seems like a much more "adult" space than Disney. We recently stayed at a nice Hilton and after being stuck in the car for 3h, my toddler just went crazy bouncing around in the lobby, climbing all over the furniture. We ended up going outside for him to do laps around the building so he could calm down. The staff was extremely nice and understanding but it was the first time since I've became a mom that I was aware that I had a kid in a very adult space. So that is also part of Disney's appeal - if my kid has a meltdown, he'll be one in a thousand that day. But at universal, I would be worried that he would be bothering other guests.

I do have a Lightening McQueen superfan so thank you for the tip about Disneyland. That might be a better fit for us down the road.