WDW: Before and after kids

[vettechick99]

I've always gone to WDW as a couple, never a family. Our days are filled with sleeping late, leisurely lunches, random park-hopping, PI at night, etc.

Now that we are thinking of starting a family, I was wondering how our Disney vacations are going to change.

So if you have kids now, how is your strategy different from when you were just a couple?

 

[MrsKreamer]

I'll let you know when I get back from our first trip with the baby in October!

 

[grimley1968]

It is vastly different. Better in some ways, worse in others.

a) No Pleasure Island until our DD's are at least teenagers
b) Nap/pool breaks back at the resort are a must in the afternoons
c) No really fancy restaurants
d) Child swapping so both of us get to ride the thrill rides
e) You get to see Disney through your children's eyes
f) Character meals actually are interesting to you
g) You create shared memories with your kids you'll never forget

 

[birdiesunshine]

I've always gone to WDW as a couple, never a family. Our days are filled with sleeping late, leisurely lunches, random park-hopping, PI at night, etc.

Now that we are thinking of starting a family, I was wondering how our Disney vacations are going to change.

So if you have kids now, how is your strategy different from when you were just a couple?

Let's put it this way, our DD is 2 1/2 yrs old and she's been to WDW with us 6 times!!!! Life is what you make of it NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE DOING. It's definitely more challenging having a little one with you but we make it work everytime. You can still booze around the world, you'll just need to wait until they fall asleep in their stroller first If you want it to work, trust me it will. I have a friend who acts like her life is over cause she thinks everything she does with her dd is a hassle, they won't even go out to dinner with her. DH and I are doing everything we would have done if we didn't have children. We go to expensive restaurants all the time. Sometimes we have to bring DD out for a few minutes if she starts acting up but she doesn't like missing out on things so she usually behaves for the rest of the meal. (the above tip doesn't work with all children )
You will have just as much fun with children, it will just be a different kind of fun and yes you can still PARTY!!!

 

[Bride2Be0705]

This was a great question!! I am getting married in 9 days, going to WDW for our Disneymoon, and we are thinking of starting a family fairly soon.

I always wondered how WDW was different for my parents with us (my sibs & I), than without us! And now, I know!

Thanks!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Your vacations will mimic the rest of your new life: life revolves around the needs of the baby/children for quite a while. It sounds scary now but you'll be so in love with your child it will actually be fine. You'll get a real thrill out of seeing your child at Disney, and instead of going out late at night you'll probably get a resort with a patio or porch and sit out there quietly after the kids go to bed.

In January we took our twins who are now 7, soon to be 8. It was a far cry from the days of pushing around two sleeping children after Illuminations. They stayed up for all the EMH hours and still wanted to go swimming when they got back to the resort! So although we can't yet go off to PI, we can have fun as a family without worrying about naps or early bedtimes.

 

[ksoehrlein]

Congrats on the decision to start a family!

Your trips to WDW will never be the same again, but neither will the rest of your life. We currently have DD5 and DS2. Haven't been to Pleasure Island in about 8 years. Haven't ridden the thrill rides as a couple in a long time either, except for the time DH's parents joined us and "baby sat" while we rode Mission:Space.

But if you can believe it, the trips with kids have been the best. There's just something so magical about watching your infant/toddler/preschooler interacting with the characters, seeing their eyes light up at the sight of the castle, and just drinking in the whole experience. Leisurely lunches are no more, but taking a longer lunch (maybe even with characters) is still a great idea. Gives the kids -- and us -- a much-needed break. Park-hopping still happens, but it gets a little harder with a stroller in tow. If you're lucky, you'll be blessed with a stroller-napping child, so you won't need to go back to the hotel at nap time unless you want to. And you and DH can stroll the park and just reminisce while Junior sleeps.

Sleeping late? Well, that probably won't happen at home, either (sorry). You can sleep late again when you have a teenager. (I know I'm counting the days 'til mine want to sleep in!)

 

[ncbyrne]

I'm a grandma.....there was no WDW when I was first married with no kids. Now that we are empty nesters I take both types of vacations...with the grandkids, and without. I usually go twice a year. Once with DGKs (two girls ages 8 + 11) usually for a week or less, and once with just me and DH for about two weeks. The two trips are vastly different and I love them both for different reasons. When going with kids - it's all about them and making sure they do things geared to their interests AND stamina - takes a lot more planning and strategy, but worth every minute. The DIS helps tremendously.

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

The biggest kick will be seeing Disney through a whole new set of eyes!

 

[bags6490]

I had to respond to your question because my husband and I would talk about this exact thing during our many visits before we had kids. So here are just a few observations from a mommy of 3 girls. No more sleeping in (little ones get up early), so we always go to the early EMH. Always go back for mid-day naps! We spend TONS of time in fantasy land. We do lots of character meals (no waiting for your food to be fixed and kids stay entertained so mommy and daddy get to eat). We feel like we have really accomplished something if we get 3 or 4 rides in before nap time. We have 3 girls that are almost 1, almost 2 and 6 years old. Daddy usually takes the 6 year old swimming while the babies are napping, since she doesn't nap any more. If you plan to have more than 2 children, seriously consider disney vacation club. A regular room just doesn't work for a large family. We haven't been to pleasure island since the 6 year old was born. We don't really miss it though. Your attitude about what is fun will change. Seeing Disney through your child's/children's eyes is priceless!

 

[MinnieMe67]

I think this is an excellent question! I like to think positively... so here are the pre-children positives IMHO...

-late nights at the parks, enjoying rides, fireworks, etc...
-sleeping in and taking your time, never much need to rush anywhere...
-nice meals in relative peace and quiet, just the two of you...
-rides, rides and more rides (if that is your thing, it is mine )
-a romantic, leisurely stroll through the EPCOT World Showcase at night

I am sure there are many many more! And I see from your OP you enjoy many of these activities as well...

The post-children (we have a DD5 and DS3 who have both been twice and we are going again in Dec.) positives, IMHO, are many too..

-early mornings at the parks, enjoying your kids enjoying their rides...
-naps and/or down time at your resort and pool, which really makes you appreciate staying onsite
-fun meals, including the character meals, where you can be a kid with your kid
-parades, shows and character meets, oh my...
-visiting each and every country in the World Showcase with your 4 year old to get her mask decorated. (We had never set foot in some of the buildings in many couples trips, so it was pretty cool to see some new sites!)

And of course, the most important post-children positive, having someone to share your Disney obsession, no questions asked! It is so much fun, passing my love of all things Disney to my kids! Seeing the "World" through their eyes is truly special!

So thank you, vettechick99, for asking and making me appreciate my children that much more!

 

[bigbabyblues]

1st trip, no kids

--went only with a resort package ressie
--didn't know about PS, EMH (if it even existed),
--slept in
--went to whatever park we wanted to, no plan or schedule
--only one sit-down meal the whole trip
--nap/swim break in the afternoon
--stayed at parks until closing

Trip two, now we have 2 kids (almost 4 and 15 months old)
--at the park at opening, or before most days, because of early character meals
--all PS made 90 days out (I found the Dis, lol)
--loose schedule, we went to the park where our PS was early for breakfast, if we wanted to hop later, we did. If not, we stayed.
--No itinerary, just did what we felt like doing in the park
--afternoon break for nap/swim (for all of us, not just the kids)
--stayed at the park till closing for the fireworks

Our trips weren't really that different. The main differences were because of the planning we did, not the kids. BUT, my boys are VERY easygoing, they just go with the flow. They will eat most anything, most anywhere, most anytime. They went on all the rides they were tall enough for, no tears, no problems. DH and I didn't get to have any romantic meals alone, but we did sit outside our room with adult drinks a couple times after the boys were asleep. We went to all 4 parks, spent 2 days at Epcot and they didn't complain about anything, didn't say they were bored at all.

We had an awesome trip with the kids, it's so much fun to see it through their eyes! There were things we missed, that they weren't tall enough to ride, but that didn't bother me, because I didn't want to ride them anyway! The things they missed that they would have liked, they are too little to know they missed them. DH rode a couple things by himself, and he took the oldest one on Test Track with him. We stopped to do things like play in the fountains and look at the little things they saw that we didn't. I'd love to go again with just DH, but that will happen eventually. We are very blessed that our boys are so agreeable though, I know of a few kids that would have had a fit over some of the things we ate or did.

Steph

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Keep the responses coming...this is realy interesting as we are expecting our first Disney baby in less than 8 weeks. This has been a topic of discussion in our house recently!!

 

[PratersloveDW]

Trips are very different once you have kids - except for those trips that you take with just the two of you! DH and I still like to take one trip a year, just the two of us!

When you get to bring along the kiddo(s), however, it makes it all the more magical. While they are still young, you and your hubby won't be able to get on all the 'big' rides (at least not as a couple) but you'll be as excited as your child to get that picture with Mickey, or to ride Dumbo one more time, that you just won't care - and there is always child swap!

No, you won't be able to sleep in with a child but at Disney, that's a good thing. You can get to the parks early, get on the things you want, and then get out before the crowds AND before the heat of the day. This is also a great time to take the kiddo back for a nap - and a little rest for y'all - or to swim. Then, you'll all be refreshed to head back to the parks. By the end of the day, you and hubby will most likely be so exhausted, you won't mind not being able to hit PI. Besides, as I said earlier, you can always take trips just the two of you and head to PI then!

Best of luck on starting a family; children are the most rewarding gifts, even though, at times, a bit of a challenge!

 

[welovedisneyx4]

Just a quick reply that not all kids are early risers! Our 2 kids will sleep to 9:00 or later, so don't loose all hope about being able to sleep in a little!

 

[benjyt]

As a former CM (just one summer), I've been lucky enough to spend time at WDW alone (I mean really alone, before opening), with my DW, and last August, with our then 16 mo. old DS! I agree with the earlier posts here, and wanted to add something - when we visited last summer, I think the most fun my son had was running back and forth over the bridge in the lobby where the springs begin! Just watching his smiling face as he ran back and forth, looking down at the magic of the water coming out from the ground... It was (at least I hope) just the beginning of numerous moments of magic for him as we keep visiting WDW.

Now, keep in mind that we spent more time in our Polynesian Resort room watching Elmo videos than we did doing anything else... However, just being at WDW is great, and the relaxed pace that's kind of forced on you makes you slow down to appreciate new things about WDW.

My DW is pregnant again, and we'll be going back in October (she'll be 6+ months by then) - I can't wait...


(P.S. vettchick99 - We married in Savannah, too! Also to avoid planning a large wedding...)

 

[Aidensmom]

The big differences I see are getting up and going to bed earlier, and doing a lot of the more child-oriented attractions (like Dumbo) that we didn't do before having a child. You really see everything in a new light also when you are seeing it with a child. Things we wouldn't really notice before can become the highlight of our trip when we experience our sons joy.

Besides that, we haven't really changed. We have never been big "planners" so the flexibility that you need with a child we already had. We never did a lot of fancy meals before, and so that didn't change either. When we do have the occasional sit down meal, our 3 year old enjoys it and for the most part is well behaved (every once in a while I may have to take him outside for a few minutes). We also still enjoy are "adult" beverages, you just have to be responsible about how much you have.

 

[Karibeth19]

I've been to WDW 8 times in my life, and I consider the absolute best trips to be the last three with my DD. Taking your children to WDW just increases the magic a thousand times over.(See my sig. pictures! Those scenes capture it all for me. ) It may mean you have to re-arrange your schedule, pack more heavily for the parks, and miss some of the wilder attractions, but what you will experience with your little ones will more than make up for what you have to change or give up.

 

[Daxx]

When you're childless, you run around Disney like a kid.

When you have kids, you run around Disney with your kids and act just like them!!!

Disney is def. better w/kids!!!! For all the reasons posted and more!!!!

 

[chrisn]

I for one can't wait for the added bonus of reading trip reports about the skinny, kinky haired girl, her man and the rugrat. Get busy chickie!

Sorry, onto your question and to put this as simply as I can. NOTHING compares with trying to blink the tears out of your eyes while trying to snap a priceless picture of your little one diving into the arms of their favorite character with the light of love and life shining through their eyes and straight into your heart....

And yes, you can still have FUN!