Two toddlers: Am I overly ambitious?

[LuLuO]

I know I need to slow down my marathon vacation style for my spirited kids. They will be 3 and 18 months at the time of our trip in September. I figure they will be good for 4-5 hours each day so if we get there at rope drop (they are early risers) then we'd leave around 1-2 most days and eat in for dinner and they'd go to bed at their regular time with the possible exceptions of Sun and Wed. Of course if they want to be marathon vacationers like their mom there's room for that too.

WDYT, Am I still being overly ambitious?

Sat - arrive in Orlando by car

Sun - EP - Akershus for lunch - Visa card meet n greet - midday retreat to the resort but head back around 7pm to catch Illuminations if the kids are doing okay. If they're tired we'll skip it.

Mon - MK - Crystal Palace for lunch - first haircuts

Tue - DHS - Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre for lunch

Wed - CM for breakfast then back to the resort to rest and relax in the day - MK in evening for Wishes

Thu - Universal Islands of Adventure primarily for Harry Potter (selfishly) and then whatever else we can do until the kids get tired.

Fri - MK - I'll probably push them to stay for the parade this day if we haven't already been able to see it.

Sat - AK - a farewell Tusker House breakfast - hang out in AK for a while then homeward bound.

 

[puffkin]

Why don't you want to take them back to the parks at night? That is my favorite time to be in the parks!

We usually do rope drop to lunch. We try to do all the big attractions in the morning. Then we take an afternoon break. At Disney, DS will usually sleep a good 2-3 hours in the afternoon. Sometimes we hit the pool too. Then an early dinner either at the resort or at the parks. Then we just take it easy for the night. We do a lot of the less busy attractions then and just really soak up the disney magic. We usually make it to fireworks, but not always. He is out like a light when we get back to the room and we risne and repeat the next day.

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

You'll be fine.. as long as you let them go at their own pace and stop and literally smell the roses etc. I see soooo many parents practically dragging their children away from the water fountain features, flowers etc and racing them toward a ride or so that "they" feel the child will love and they probably will. I know my girl has little legs and enjoys everything she sees at her eye level and we let her. Oh well if we don't make it on Dumbo...(which you will) I just totally know we need to be on the toddlers pace and page. If you have a mid-day break and naps, the children will be refreshed for the evenings at the parks. We love September because the crowds are much lighter at that time of year. I have to say last year was extremely hot ..so keep hydrated and enjoy. We will be there this September too!

 

[sk!mom]

Your plan looks fine although, I also love the parks in the evenings and would plan on going back after an afternoon nap.

Where are you staying? If it's a hotel, then I would definitely plan on heading back out at night. I found hotel rooms to be very difficult with toddlers and wanted to be in them as little as possible- sleeping only. If you have a house or condo then maybe time in would be better.

 

[Fall1]

Your plan looks good! You'll be fine. We took two 2 year olds in October and did rope drop til 1ish then hotel nap then dinner reservations and maybe a bit of a park before 7:30 back in the room.

They were great and really stuck to their schedule!

 

[LuLuO]

We are staying offsite at grand beach and will have a 3 br condo. That said, I would love to go back to the parks in the evening with the kiddos but I'm not going to get my heart set on it. Returning to the parks with the kids will be a bonus.

DD who will be 3 does not nap anymore. She has never been a good napper even as a baby. Maybe she will nap from exhaustion at Disney. DS does nap in the afternoon but if we are out and about too long (with either of them) then we tend have major meltdown problems.

Tired DD and DS + too much stimulation = bad news.

I'm glad that if anything you all think I'm being too conservative with our time. I think we will plan for cranky, out of control toddlers but if the opposite happens we will be more than willing to extend our time at the parks. Heck, I'd love to say open to close every day. I doubt that will happen but returning in the evenings would be lovely.

Thanks so much for your input! I'm so excited!

 

[2shortpeopleruleme]

Last September our DD's were 23 months and 3. They did great. We took time everyday (except for the last day) for naps, and just went at their speed. Shoot we missed two whole parks! But ODD still talks about what we did do everyday. I think these are the best ages to take them!

Have a great trip!

 

[kiddisney]

my advice is to go at their pace - and start your day after they get up naturally - if they are up early - go for rope drop - if they are tired - then wait - and then during the day take a rest when they are ready for it - we've been taking the kids since they were 18 months old (we went w/an 18mo & a 3yr at one point) - and found that if we tried to anticipate their needs we were always off - when they were getting tired we tried to make it back to the room - they fell asleep on the bus and when we were getting off the bus they were awake again - so we just let them sleep in a carriage whereever we were and the days went smoother - and relax - and enjoy the little things - having kids that age makes watching the bands, parades, and other activities more fun