trip tips please!

[mrshey]

Hello! we are going to WDW in mid June. We are traveling with ten people total but I have a 2 y/o and a 5 month old . Any suggestions on how we can make sure we still have a magical time traveling with little ones.( there is also a 2y/o and a 4 y/o in my husbands family that are going!)Any ideas would help A LOT!!

 

[ABCMom]

Tip #1 Spend hours and hours a day until your trip memorizing all info on the DIS

Just kidding, I don't think it would be humanly possible to take in all the info the DIS has to offer I am sure you will find pleanty of tips and advice here. Have you also tried the Families Board? There is lots of info over there about traveling with little ones.

 

[my3princes]

I've seen a lot of good threads out there. What bag to pack for a 3 yr old comes to mind. Read some of the threads on the family board and you'll be fine.

 

[buckeye]

My best advice (although I've never done Disney with an infant) is to make sure you don't try to over-do. I would try to be among the first people to enter the parks in the morning. Get to the gate a half hour before they open. You can get a lot of rides in by 11:00 am, then eat lunch early (before the majority of the crowds eat), and then go back to your resort and rest, swim, relax. You'll be better able to handle your evening if you do this.

Make sure ALL your little ones have a stroller to ride in.

Bring plenty of rain gear--we went once in mid-June and were rained on ALL day EVERY day. It didn't stop us from having a BLAST, but we were glad that we had brought rain ponchos to the parks with us everyday. We bought the ponchos at the Dollar Store, 2 for a buck. They are very small and easy to stick in a fanny pack. You'llwant to throw them away after one use, though, so buy enough for the whole trip. You can also use them to make a tent over a stroller to keep your child and the stroller's interior dry.

I'm sure there are many more tips, but those are some for starters!

Have a great trip! We'll be there in June too!

 

[HeatherC]

I don't know if you are staying onsite or not, but what worked well for us was to make priority seatings for early lunch. We booked the Crystal Palace one day for 11:30 or so and it was great. By that time the kids were getting hot and tired, but we were not ready to leave so we went to the air conditioned character buffet to rest and relax for an hour or so. This really recharged all of us for the rest of the day. In fact, we never went back to the hotel during the day.

Another good little break was to ride the Magic Kingdom train around the park.

We also kept feeding ours and making them drink!!! I think it was like every half hour I would hand them a snack or drink of water. Because it is so humid you lose so much water and kids don't know enough to say "I'm thirsty" a lot of times. This helped to avoid a lot of breakdowns.

Another thing my little ones loved were the spray bottles with the fans attached. That kept my then 2 year old entertained for an hour at a time. We just kept filling it and let her ride in the stroller misting herself.

Oh yeah, one of those really big popsicles they sell is another way to keep them happy for a long time. Just bring lots of wipes!!!

I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip!!!

Heather C

 

[DisneyMomx7]

1. Bring your own umbrella strollers, or lightweight stroller that's easy to fold.

2. Always take an afternoon nap/swim break.

3. Make PS's so you won't be roaming around with hungry kids looking for a place that doesn't have too long of a wait or line. Plus there is an advantage eating in air conditioning with kids who are hot and tired.

4. Remember you won't be able to do everything, so try to read the guidebooks the figure out what are the things you want to do most and concentrate on them.

5. If at all possible stay on site. It's better to not have to worry about traffic (someone else driving) and nothing beats the Magic of Disney properties.

Most importantly RELAX AND ENJOY!

 

[rejobako]

Originally posted by buckeye
I would try to be among the first people to enter the parks in the morning. Get to the gate a half hour before they open. You can get a lot of rides in by 11:00 am, then eat lunch early (before the majority of the crowds eat), and then go back to your resort and rest, swim, relax. You'll be better able to handle your evening if you do this.

Right on. I realize it's tempting to want to maximize your dollar by staying every possible moment in the parks, but if your children are anything like ours then they tend to get cranky after 4-5 hours of the sensory overload they get in that kind of environment. (I distinctly recall our 2 year old going postal while we were in line to meet Mickey in the kids area in MK. She couldn't understand why she couldn't cut in front of the other waiting families to go give him a hug. She was so inconsolable that we actually had to skip seeing him altogether; we went back later that evening and she got her big hug from the Mouse.)

Our kids aren't the type to just sack out in a stroller for hours during mid-day, blissfully sleeping. We've worked out a great system where we show up early, and leave just when it gets blistering hot around 1:00 pm. Then we go back to the hotel/resort, have a nap, maybe a short swim in the pool, and a good meal, then go back in the late p.m./early evening for some more rides, fireworks, etc. That way the kids last until later at night, and they're really enjoying themselves, instead of on the brink of a tantrum at any given moment.

On the other hand, I know parents with little kids who do quite well by being in the park for 12 straight hours. That's not for us, however. To tell you the truth, I enjoy the nap as much as the kids do.

 

[my3princes]

We always bring our very comfortable and not at all lightweight double tandem stroller. We never leave the parks during the day as my kids will happily take a nap whenever and wherever we happen to be. We rarely make PS because we eat when we are hungry, wherever we happen to be. We also always plan 2 week trips and spend at least 7 full days in the parks plus another day in a water park. My kids do great and are always asking when our next trip will be. I find myself laughing as these threads go back and forth over strollers, PS and leaving the parks in the afternoon. We used to always have PHPs so we felt like if we left during the day we would not be getting our money's worth out of the tickets. Last year we went with APs and still ended up not taking afternoon breaks as we were busy and all were happy. I think that all of the suggestions are great and work for individual families. You will find out on your first day what will work best for you. Taking a heavy stroller may seem silly, but it is very comfortable, pushes easily and it is what my kids are used to. We only fold it up to get to and from the park so it isn't much of a hastle. Good luck.

 

[Amirah95]

Get a Palm Pilot! It's small, compact and doesn't weigh much of anything but it stores a lot of information and it's easy to retrieve if you file it in a way you'll remember. I don't leave home without my Palm and everything that I learn here that will benefit me I put in in my Palm...from tips, to website, to how to purchase meal vouchers, etc. It's all in the palm of my hand...invest in one.


I have the Tungsten E.

 

[anditoo72]

Two years ago I traveled with my five month old, a two year old and a four year old. The best tips I can give you: Bring your own stroller we took a double stroller the 5 month old used the back and the other two would swap when they wanted a rest we took it on the plane with us and checked it at the gate no prob. another idea with the stroller is get an insulated backpack you can put it on the back of the stroller and use it to store drinks since its insulated if you put a ice pack with it you could I suppose put your formula in there too, but I used to make mine as I went to avoid spoilage.
Some kids won't drink water (my daughter does, but my son refuses) so what I do is use a funnel and pour some Koolaid mix in the water bottle (presweetened of course). I didn't make it according to package instructions I made it very watery, but enough taste to satisfy him.
I would bring a mini first aid kit with you and pack some diaper ointment, infant tylenol and gas drops you would rather be with than without. Oh and don't forget the tylenol for yourself
A lot of strollers out there are very dark in colors that makes the babies hotter, so what I did is put the shade over the stroller and bring a white towel and drape it over the shade so the sun reflected off the towel and then you have a towel if you happen to need it comming off a water ride or something. I would also wet the corners and wipe the faces and necks of the kids to cool them off.
Don't forget the disposable ponchos because no kid wants to sit in a wet stroller (I can't blame them) If it looks like its going to rain before getting in a ride or show cover it so you wont have to worry about it when you get out.
Listen to the kids when they are getting cranky take a break,
Don't forget the breaks, We never went back in the parks at night the kids would have gotten to exhausted so we made a plan of what we wanted to see and made sure we added in where to eat for lunch and where the break attractions were- Hall of presidents (its cool and they always fall asleep) Train around MK the breeze is nice and again they fall asleep- if you plan it out and get there when the parks open important- if you want to do some of the big rides using baby swap- and you are not going to be going out of the park for rests, you will have a great time!!!!

 

[mrshey]

Thank you very much for all of your great tips and advice! We are staying on site so that will help a lot. We are staying at Coranado Springs, has anyone ever been there?

 

[minnie1928]

I travelled with my 3 month old last August. I did the same thing that anditoo72 mentioned. Bring the big stroller with the big canopy and cover it with a white towel. We used one of the hotel towels each day. Also, buy a fan for the infant. I found a battery operated fan that clipped to the stroller. Between the shade and the fan, many of the adults in our party wanted to climb in the stroller with her! One note about the fan, mine ATE batteries!!!! Come prepared with either lots of rechargeables or even more disposable batteries. All in all, she did just fine.

For the 2 year old, if you bring your own stroller make sure it has a large canopy on it. If not, purchase a umbrella that clips on to the stroller. The last thing you want is to be at the park with a hot, sunburnt child. Also, before you leave for your trip, try and find a squirt bottle. Some have fans attached, or you can just pick up a regular squirt bottle at WalMart. These are great! My son loves to squirt me in the legs and I think I enjoy it more than he does! Then you get to squirt the kids and every one's a few degrees cooler.

Most importantly, follow your own intuition. If your bodies are telling you that you need to rest, go back to the hotel and take a nap. I think you will enjoy WDW much more if you are not exhausted. Try not to make it a marathon, or you will need a vacation when you get back from WDW. Alot of people try to "see it all" while they are there... it's impossible. Do the things that are most important to you and everything else will be a bonus!

Have fun!

 

[buckeye]

mrshey,
When I mentioned earlier that I was going to be in WDW this June too, I didn't realize that we will be at the same resort. We'll be there from June 7-16.

I haven't been to CSR before, but am looking forward to it. I've heard lots of good things. You should go to the Resorts Board and look the CSR thread. There's a link to a great CSR webpage by Buzz2000 (It's Buzz "something"--his name is Mario.) You'll see lots of pictures and get good info.

Good luck with your quest for info!

Buckeye

 

[mrshey]

Originally posted by buckeye
mrshey,
When I mentioned earlier that I was going to be in WDW this June too, I didn't realize that we will be at the same resort. We'll be there from June 7-16.

I haven't been to CSR before, but am looking forward to it. I've heard lots of good things. You should go to the Resorts Board and look the CSR thread. There's a link to a great CSR webpage by Buzz2000 (It's Buzz "something"--his name is Mario.) You'll see lots of pictures and get good info.

Good luck with your quest for info!

Buckeye

Thank you very much for the info. We will be there the 15-23. I am very excited I havent been since I was 10!! And when I went we only went to MK. This time we are going to every park. So everything will be new to me. I am a little upset because "Its' a small world" will be closed on our visit, that was my favorite ride and I was excited about my daughter going on it but there is always next time I guess.:thewave: