Two kids under 2 or under in the same room as mom and dad.

[natnelliesmom]

Been there, done that! Until we began renting DVC points and staying in 1 Bdrm villas, we always stayed in regular rooms with two little ones.

My DH and I would sit in the bathroom with our books, or laptop! It worked for us for many years. It's not that bad!

We also find that at WDW we are usually getting back to the room so late that we are all ready to go to sleep anyway.

-Sarah

 

[lolafrances]

One room would be fine with us. In fact now we fit five of us (2 adults and three kids, ages 4, 2.5, and 3 months) in a camper at Fort Wilderness! Save the money on the second room and spend it on something fun!

 

[deva]

Looks like I am the lone dissenter. Since you mentioned budget being important to you, you should probably go with one room.

When we took our DD2 and DS6 months, there was no way in H*** I was going to stay in the same room with them. DD snores like a freight train, and DS was still nursing once or twice a night. I knew that one of them would wake the other, and I really wanted everyone to have a good night's sleep. (Me included!) We were lucky enough to have a suite. We rented two cribs from ABBF; DD was in the living room to sleep and DS was in the vestibule between the living room and bedroom. When he needed to nurse, I brought him in my bed to eat then put him back in the crib. Everyone slept well and we had a great trip! I know we're in the minority, for sure, about not having the kids in the room with us. I hope you have a great trip, OP!!

No longer are you the lone dissenter. No way I'd stay with my kids either. We stick to our schedule at Disney, including naps and a reasonable bedtime. My kids are used to sleeping by themselves and DH and I like to watch TV, stay up later etc. I know people hide in bathrooms, put the TV on low, move to the balcony etc., but this is not my idea of a relaxing vacation and I want my kids to have a good night's sleep. I know it works for some people, but not for us. With adjoining rooms, you can close both doors almost all the way without actually latching them closed. A baby monitor makes hearing them easier, but not necessary.

We also rent a full size crib (Orlando Crib Rentals) so the little one gets a comfy place to sleep. The resorts will tell you they have cribs, but it's really a pack and play (there are a few resorts that have actual cribs, but they are hard to come by and Mousekeeping called PNP a crib when they brought it to our room at POFQ).

It probably depends a lot on your kids. If they are used to falling asleep anywhere and can handle the background noise then it might work, but if they like their own space, I'd spend the money on the second room.

 

[Carolina_Ggirl]

Well, I have to admit that I'm in the same corner as Deva & frtchr in terms of spending the extra $$ to allow for additional room for the family (whether it's 2 rooms, a suite etc.)!

I too have heard of people huddling on balconies, bathrooms etc. while the kids are settling in for bed. That's a way to certainly make some memories , but definitely not my idea of winding down after a long day in the park.

For us personally, separate sleeping areas is a must. We have attempted to share a room with our son (now 2 1/2) on a handful of occasions with limited success. For one, as a younger baby he was (& kind of still is) a total wiggle worm. When he was in the Pack'N'Play his wiggling kept me up part of the night.

Also, he is simply accustomed to his own space. He has been traditionally a great sleeper from early on. I have found being in the same room has been disruptive to us both! When we shared a room at a friend's house this summer, he woke up around 1 AM & saw me. He proceeded to start talking to me, asking to get up, asking why his dad was hiding under the pillow etc....

I do think it really depends on your family, past experiences etc. Many people have made it work. Others, not so well!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Well we are a family of 6 and we stay in one room. We always have. We don't hide in the bathroom at bedtime or turn the tv down either. We tell the kids to get in bed and they are so exhausted they barely bat an eye at us. I would not rent a second room especially at that age.


FTR- For those wondering our stays were completely legal- Deluxe resort with a child under 3. (didn't want to start a fire here)

 

[kevschickee]

I can not imagine having to stay in the bathroom while they sleep lol Thank god my babies can fall asleep with noise and light

 

[tigger51276]

Well this is my first year going down with 2 kids, my youngest who will be 15 months wakes up at the slighest noise so I am staying in a 1 bedroom suite at Animal Kingdom Villas. If your kids don't wake easily then I'd say to just go with the one room, if they wake easy then you may very well want to do two rooms so that everyone gets a good night sleep.
The resorts have pak n plays and bed rails available for guest use free of charge so you shouldn't have to rent them elsewhere. There are even a limited number of full sized cribs on property that you can request to use (free of charge also) but they are limited.
There is also the possibility of renting points off a dvc member and staying at one of the timeshare resorts on property where you can get a bigger room or a 1 bedroom villa. You will often pay the same price (or less) as the value and moderate resorts. You can get more info on that over on the rent/trade board under the dvc section.

 

[tigger51276]

Also, he is simply accustomed to his own space. He has been traditionally a great sleeper from early on. I have found being in the same room has been disruptive to us both! When we shared a room at a friend's house this summer, he woke up around 1 AM & saw me. He proceeded to start talking to me, asking to get up, asking why his dad was hiding under the pillow etc....

OMG this made me laugh...my DD5 used to do that to me all the time! Too funny.

 

[Willow25]

I am with the others that say get another room or look at renting points through DVC. I have trouble sleeping in the same room as my children and I certainly need lots of sleep while at Disney. Plus we are fairly routined and we try to stick to their routine as much as possible even while on holidays.

 

[ogreenlee]

my little girl, 6, could actually sleep if a real freight train rolled through.

she's had to adapt to my husband blasting the surround sound for movies after she's gone to bed.

 

[tzolkin]

We all just go to bed at the same time at Disney, so we have no issue with the kids being in the same room. DH and I are usually exhausted and have no problem going to bed early. Last year we even ALL took a nap every afternoon.

I would not feel comfortable with my young children sleeping in a separate room, so I would actually get less sleep if we had two rooms.

 

[frtchr]

Also, he is simply accustomed to his own space. He has been traditionally a great sleeper from early on. I have found being in the same room has been disruptive to us both! When we shared a room at a friend's house this summer, he woke up around 1 AM & saw me. He proceeded to start talking to me, asking to get up, asking why his dad was hiding under the pillow etc....

That totally reminds me of our first WDW trip with DD! She was 11 months old, and we stayed in one room at the WL. She was in a PNP, and she kept standing up to look at us. She would babble to us every time she stood up. It got to the point where I told my husband not to move so maybe she wouldn't see us. That thought cracked us up, so we kept giggling which gave us away. NO one slept that trip, and that's why we always get a suite or a villa now. LOL