Traveling w/ extended families that include 3 littles (ages almost 3)

[bigsis1970]

Hi - I hope this is the right spot.. I have not traveled with littles in a LOOOONG time, but this trip we are traveling with my hubs cousins who both have littles .. family 1 - is 2 adults and 1 little boy age almost 3, family 2 - is 2 adults and twin little boys age almost 3 as well, then family 3 - is 2 adults me and hubs.. I am not really sure how to attack the planning - I did steer them away from Christmas week !! now it's looking like Sept.. I have traveled at the end of Sept but just wondering how the crowds are the rest of the month. Any good tips for traveling with 3 little boys? things to not forget that might be out of the ordinary? tips on scoring a few character meals for 6 adults and 3 under 3 and oh my how do FPs work with a larger party.. TIA.. Michelle

 

[unrequited23]

Work the play areas into your plan so the little guys can have some unstructured time. Dumbo, under Splash Mountain, Casey Jr. splash pad, fenced in grassy areas by the hub, Tom Sawyer Island come to mind off the top of my head. The Boneyard in AK is another awesome spot for the kids. There is a shaded sand pit where my boys spent an hour while the grown ups took turns on EE with FP. Under 3's don't need FPs, so the scheduling isn't as daunting as with a group of 9.

Don't be afraid to split up. Some families are early birds and some are night owls. There may be times when the kids are begging to go back to the pool. Let them.
I would book the character meals later in the trip, so the kids have sometime to get used to how huge they are. Start off at a distance-parade, opening show, walking past a meet & greet- and see how they do. Some kids at that age love the characters, some are terrified.

 

[bigsis1970]

Work the play areas into your plan so the little guys can have some unstructured time. Dumbo, under Splash Mountain, Casey Jr. splash pad, fenced in grassy areas by the hub, Tom Sawyer Island come to mind off the top of my head. The Boneyard in AK is another awesome spot for the kids. There is a shaded sand pit where my boys spent an hour while the grown ups took turns on EE with FP. Under 3's don't need FPs, so the scheduling isn't as daunting as with a group of 9.

Don't be afraid to split up. Some families are early birds and some are night owls. There may be times when the kids are begging to go back to the pool. Let them.
I would book the character meals later in the trip, so the kids have sometime to get used to how huge they are. Start off at a distance-parade, opening show, walking past a meet & greet- and see how they do. Some kids at that age love the characters, some are terrified.

These are great tips! I appreciate this soo much, thank you! Michelle