What sounded like a great tip...but wasn't!

Threeandme

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 7, 2014
Messages
25
We leave Friday on our first Disney trip with kids (2 little girls - 3 and 10 months)! I'm so excited...and a little panicked. I have read so many neat tips on here...what a great resource! So many things sound like a good idea right now (packing kid outfits in ziplock bags, bringing a popup hamper). I'm just wondering what tips sounded like a great idea and just didn't work so well once you arrived at Disney!?! :)
 
No tip is one-size-fits-all. We were WDW vets, but the first time we went with our son (then 10 months), everyone suggested going back to the room for a break. That's just about a commandment on Dis. But DS was uncomfortable in the hotel, and no resting took place. We found it better to stay in the parks and let him nap in a stroller. I try not to pack too much, which can become a problem if you read too many "What Do I Pack" threads. Ziploc bags and a pop-up hamper are two things that I take. But there's no reason to take any first aid supplies, for example. You can get Band-Aids and pain killers at first aid in any park, so no need to pack them.

Have a good trip.
 
We took our daughter when she was 10 months old (now 27 yrs). She was a kid that could sleep anywhere once she got tired enough so we never went back to the room. We just found a bench in a nice shady spot and let her sleep. Good places are Tom Sawyer Island in MK, the park area behind the UK in Epcot, etc. Try not to do too much, get out of the heat when you can, stay hydrated, etc. There are a number of cool off areas with sprinklers/misters and the kids love them. There is also a baby care station in the parks that was very helpful, especially if you run short of supplies. Be careful with the characters - my daughter loved them from the beginning but her cousin was absolutely terrified when she went at age 5.
 

Wi th young kids, Follow your kids leads.... Each is different. Don't be afraid to make adjustments in plans. If you have a well thought out plan,know that at some point you may need to change it. We have had the best days spending shorter times in the park I.e. 9-1p and them having afternoons of relaxed activity.
 
I never used the "over the door shoe organizer" thing. Either I am a very efficient traveler, or the resorts/hotels we've stayed in have big bathrooms, because I've tried on 3 different trips to bring it, and never needed it.

We have gone to Disney in December so I never sweat enough to need the moleskin or anti-friction stuff.

Never needed clothespins to hang up bathing suits, with just 4 of us, there is plenty of room on the line just thrown over the line.

Never used a sharpie, esp. now that they have magic bands, no photopass cards to write on anymore.

We always used the zip lock backs, and now we use them every time we travel. We always bring 2 pop up hampers for a week's vacation, and love having a place for dirty clothes.

And we always take naps. Even this past weekend in NYC we napped, so we could, in my son's words "party all night". And we did party all night long!! Well, if 11PM is considered all night, LOL. But, I'm a napper, DH is a napper, and my kids are nappers only on vacation, not at home anymore.
 
I also agree that knowing your kids is the best tip. Our first year we had late reservations for dinner so we took the kids back to the room in the afternoons. DS would not nap and I wasn't a fan of the later reservations. So the next time we went, we did earlier reservations and stayed at the parks for the afternoon. Hated that and I should have put more thought into how DS would do with that schedule. DS wouldn't nap in the stroller and by 4:00 was on overload and even fell asleep while eating at Via Napoli. Made for some cute pictures though. :rotfl: Ended up changing our plans in the middle of the week. Last half of the trip went much smoother with going back to the room for some down time. :thumbsup2
 
If you're really trying to cut down on what you take, why do you need a pop-up hamper? Why not designate a drawer for dirty laundry? Or put it in your suitcase in a clear garbage bag?
 
I always pack and lug around an umbrella but have never used it, even in the rain. We have used the ponchos though! Those FL showers are just a good excuse to cool off or do a little shopping.

I do bring the ziplocs for keeping things dry (like the autograph book) or containing wet items (like the kids swimsuits), have done garbage bags for a hamper in the past but am trying a popup this year, and I pack a small baggie of first aid supplies - just a few tylenol, immodium, bandaids, etc. It's not a large size or burden. Also looking for a nightlight for the bathroom area and a swimmer's towel for this fall to save space. I used to throw a hotel towel in the bag every day but it takes up a TON of room. We now skip bringing old light up things but do pack Mickey ears. And I bring way less snacks than I used to. It's so different for each family and experience is the best teacher, but these boards can be a big help. :thumbsup2
 
I've never always brought along ponchos and never used them! I had a little umbrella that I've used. But since we go in August, we enjoy getting a little wet. Or even a lot wet. If you forget ziplocs, you can run into any store and ask them for a bag. I also never used hampers-- I use the laundry bags given to me in the room-- if you run out, just ask housekeeping for another.

I think tons of people over-pack based on these little tips they get, without realizing that not having something will not be the end of the world. It's not like you're vacationing in Siberia... you can make do. Relax about the packing, and you will enjoy the planning and your trip more.
 
We always bring a small noise machine, crashing waves, white noise or rainforest can be very soothing after being the park all day and will block out all outside noise. My children like to sleep with a night light, I bought a small one at the dollar store. I bring a kitchen garbage bag for our dirty clothes and clothes pins. I always do laundry on vacation and hang It to dry on the patio or balcony. Medium size ziplock bags for snacks, left overs and electronics. Hand sanitizer, the little bottle you can clip onto your bag. The most important item we bring is our touring plan, this saves us lots of time and frustration. Bon voyage!
 
The afternoon break hasn’t really worked for us, but it works for a great number of people. It’s something different with each child. My son didn’t nap. He would usually fall asleep on the bus and wake up as soon as we got off the bus. Only twice did he stay asleep, and one of those times we were coming in for the day. It was 5pm on our 5th day after me unsuccessfully trying to get him to nap in the room and in the stroller on all of the other days. He was talking about his day and then asked to sit on my lap. He woke up the next morning 14 hours later.

With my daughter you have to get all your touring in for the day at once. She can stay in a park 8 hours as long as she is kept as cool as possible and hydrated and gets periodic breaks, but once she gets back to the resort that is it. I’ve been able to get her back to the park if we just came back to get cleaned up and she had a BBB appointment in the afternoon, but as far as going back just to do the park in the evening, it was a no go. I ended up missing Wishes and MSEP last trip because I waited until the last day and we took an afternoon break. She was apologetic later, but even though my reasoning for doing so was sound I really should have known better than to leave something that important to me until the end of the trip.

I’m hoping this changes at some point as I found out on our first trip in November 2010, I so enjoy the parks after dark. We’ve gone in June since then and of course it gets dark much later. But my main goal is to keep everyone from getting over stimulated and over tired. I go at their pace and follow their cues, especially those of my daughter who is light years past stroller age and has to walk everywhere.

I do bring a first aid kit with me; but if something happens I’d rather find a spot to sit and deal with it than to try to find a first aid place. But then I’m used to packing mine because we go on various outings (zoo, touring farms, parks, museums with outdoor areas, nature walks).

Along with a change of clothes, I have learned to toss a towel into the bottom of the stroller for the water play areas. My stroller will still fold up completely with the towel and a change of clothes in the bottom. My daughter can get dry in the sun, but my son gets soaked to the bone in that Epcot splash pad. A towel is also good for blocking out the sun if someone needs some quiet time in the stroller.

Packing has been an exercise where I learn a bit each trip I take. I love to travel so I started each child traveling pretty early in life. By the time my daughter was 3 or so, I learned not to over pack. Then I got pregnant with her brother when she was six. I still shake my head at the picture of all of our stuff by the door before my son’s first vacation. But again over time I learned. Comparing my packing lists over time and my garden grocer orders from our first Disney trip to this one show it.

Both of your children are still in the Garanimals stage. I love that line of clothing from Wal-Mart and it is great for travel. The pieces are inexpensive and comfortable and (as I found out on our first trip when my then 10 month old son had a massive blow-out in MK), because they are so inexpensive, it doesn’t hurt if there’s a piece you just can’t save.

I have done laundry on our trips and I just use a laundry bag from the hotel.

My daughter and I have personal fans around our necks and we travel with 1 or 2 misting fans; but, having a fan to clip to my son’s stroller was great. He also now has Peltor ear muffs so we can watch the fireworks. He loves to watch them, but the noise made him a bit uncomfortable. I got them for sporting events we go to and he has been so much more comfortable I’ll be packing them for Disney. I bring 2 different size zip lock bags. I have gallon size for various things like electronics autograph books and extra clothes. And I have smaller ones for snacks we bring from the room. My son also uses those snack trap cups. They are the ones with the lids that have splits in them so the children can reach in for the snack, but it won’t spill. Great for finger snacks.

All in all I just remember that even though it would be inconvenient and even costly, pretty much anything except prescription meds can be replaced easily during the trip. I have lists and usually there are categories. One category is “Must not leave these things behind” and that’s generally my son’s ear muffs and any prescription medications we might have, which currently is just my son’s breathing meds. He has reactive airway disease and has a nebulizer, inhalers, spacer and mask and the breathing solutions. I find that as long as I have everything in that “must not leave this behind” category, we’re okay.
 
A) Mid-day breaks are a must in Summer.

B) MK simply cannot be done in one day.


I'm wondering if the people who claim B are also doing A and that's why they can't get it done :rotfl: Now granted, trying to do every MK attraction in 1 day probably won't happen. But, we had no trouble doing everything WE wanted to do and even repeated some rides AND that was with a TS lunch.
 
I know this is probably more of a tip than a "Not tip" but I think it belongs in this thread ;)

Disney does a great job of making you feel very isolated. But things (including offsite) are very close to each other. Worst case scenario, you are a quick taxi ride from a Walmart/Target/Drug store/Liquor Store ::yes:: etc. You are not going to the middle of nowhere in a foreign country :thumbsup2
 
We're also leaving Friday (whoo-hoo!) and I'm finding that I'm running into the same thing. I keep thinking, "I need this thing that I might use, maybe!" and then remembering that Walmart is like 10 minutes away and obviously anything you might forget from home can be purchased there. I am glad I checked out this thread though because, per the usual, I forgot the nightlight! I always seem to think, "Oh man I wish I had brought a night light!" because my kids are usually sleeping in another room. So thank you fellow travelers, a night light is now on my must-pack list and won't be forgotten this trip!
 
I've always heard to plan an ADR at O'Hana around 8:30 so you could catch the fireworks. A couple of years ago, we did just this. I had an ADR at 8:30 the night we arrived - I was tickled pink! WELL, we got to the Poly around 8 and checked in. We were starved! We finally got called in at 9! We were seated at a table beside the window - with a huge pole right beside us. It was so late by the time we started eating that I had a bad headache and did not enjoy the meal at all. Also, it seemed the servers were ready to go home - couldn't get refills on anything. We were there for the fireworks, but we were so hungry and aggravated that we simply did not enjoy it.

So, unless you are used to eating very late, this is a plan that sounds great in theory, but not so great in reality!
 
The cake thing: We got an awesome cake for my son for his birthday on our first night there. It was delicious and expensive (but no more expensive than I would have paid here in Philly for the same type of cake). Anyway, naturally, we wanted to take it back to the room. We did, shoved it in the mini fridge at the WL.

Guess what, we had nothing to eat it with all week? Finally we started taking some forks from the food court. We were like savages digging into this cake -- we each had a "section" but we didn't want to waste it.

We did end up throwing about half out and it broke my heart but we were just full and when we came in from the parks, too tired to eat.

If I was to do it again, I'd get fancy cupcakes for everyone or just do the piece of cake with dinner.

ALSO -- don't pack everything under the sun. My husband loves to tease me since last time (same trip) I packed my son's snowboots FOR FLORIDA!! He didn't have rainboots, so I packed the next best thing.

I also ordered 5 (yes 5) cases of water from staples and a power strip. When that power strip box showed up, I thought my husband was going to lose it from laughing. He could not control himself.
 
For our family, Park Hoppers!

I did a lot of research before our first trip and it seemed like everyone insisted you NEEDED to park hop! You can't see it all otherwise! You'll miss things! You have to do morning here and night there. You'll need it for ADRs. Etc., etc., etc.

So we spent the $200+ and got them. NEVER USED THEM ONCE! One park a day is more than enough for our family. If we take a break, we go back to the same park. We make our ADRs for the park we have planned for that day or a nearby resort. For us, it actually took away a ton of stress. This is where we are today, period. We'll find plenty to do and when we're done it's the pool or DTD. No worry about getting here, there, and everywhere. No decisions about where to go next. Just easy for us.

We've gone four times now and haven't wasted one more penny on park hoppers! And my best suggestion to EVERYONE is if you're not 100% sure you'll use them, at least wait until you get there. You can always upgrade and it doesn't cost any more. I still kick myself over that wasted money!
 
These are just us- different things work for different people:

1. The afternoon break- When DD was 2, I was convinced by everything I read on here that we absolutely had to leave the park for a break in the room, so we dragged a kicking screaming 2 year old out of MK on the first day of her first WDW trip. This resulted in nothing but a VERY angry toddler who refused to nap for 2 or 3 hours and mostly stood behind the curtain in the room and sulked because she was too mad at us to even look at us. We finally gave up after a few hours and went back to MK and she got a huge smile on her face and climbed into her stroller and went to sleep for about an hour. After that it was parks pretty much open to close and stroller naps for her. She had no problem going to sleep in the stroller when she was tired, and DH and I would use that time to take turns riding the thrill rides- works out well for EE, RNRC and TT that all have single rider lines (or at least it did before FP+- not sure how bad that has impacted the single rider lines). That worked for us for the next several trips until the stroller was history. At age 6, she was going the entire day from open to close without a break in the parks just fine. We just aren't break people.

2. The pre-park opening breakfast. Absolutely great in theory, not great when you have a kid who is by nature not a morning person, and you are also dealing with even a small one hour time change. Getting to rope drop every day was doable. A pre-park opening breakfast resulted in a very grumpy child. Pre-park breakfasts are fantastic for a lot of people with "early riser" kids, not great for us. Much better for us to go to rope drop, get a bunch of stuff done and then go to a TS lunch and recharge- especially since we are not break people so the TS lunch is basically our sit down break.

3. Bring ponchos from home- we've tried that with the extremely cheap ones, and with a little more expensive (somewhere in the $4-$6 range) from Target or Walmart. Neither went well. The cheap trash bag type ones ripped after about 5 minutes- I'm pretty sure it was getting on and off the first ride we did after putting them on. So, we pretty much immediately trashed them and bought the DD ones. The more expensive ones, for DD the hood wouldn't stay above her eyes- and for me the water was running down the neck and the hood wouldn't stay above my eyes without water getting in them either. So, once again, those got thrown in a WDW trash can and we bought WDW ones. We love the WDW ponchos, and we keep them and take them home with us and use them at home for years. We never bring them back though- we just get new ones if we are there when a down pour happens!
 
Don't assume all kids / families behave the same way. Our large-group touring plan looked great until we realized that we needed to have more planning around meals.

Touring around World Showcase with our group, the kids were getting hungry, so I bought some shrimp and rice, grabbed a fork and handed it to DD3 in her stroller. My travel companions were surprised that I would do that, and flabbergasted that DD3 ate the whole thing. Their children (similar age) could not eat that way, their entire family needed to sit down in a distraction-free place to eat lunch. They were also very particular about when meal-time should occur -- they had a half-hour window of opportunity before their kids would go into total meltdown, so they had to line up when restaurants were busiest.

So while our touring plan included "lunch", each family in our group had a slightly different take on what that actually meant. Table service, counter service, snack cart, pre-packed lunch in a backpack... We quickly learned to compromise. (And also took advantage of some family alone-time separate from the group.)
 





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