wwyd- disney with just one adult? (trip planning, transportation, etc)

[d-man's mom]

I need some advice from the Disney experts here!

We are going to WDW in December for my son's 5th birthday. We are going to stay at ASMo because he's a huge Toy Story fan and will be there for 4 nights. Arriving on Tuesday, leaving on Saturday.

This hotel isn't my first choice because I feel it's too far away from MK (where we will be spending probably 2 days of our trip) but am staying there because of his whole Toy Story obession.

Because of food allergies, I am planning to have one breakfast and one dinner at a resort daily. The only day I don't plan on doing this is our full day at MK.

Is there transporataion between the hotels? I'm trying to determine if it's worth it to rent a car just to zip around to get to our meals on time, or if I should just change hotels and visit the ASMo so he can have photos taken with Buzz and Woody.

It's just the two of us going on this trip, so if he's exhausted, I am the one that will be carrying him from the bus stop back to the hotel room. He's not even 4.5 years old yet and weighs 46lbs- he should be about 50lbs by the time we go on the trip.

If you had a 3 day park hopper pass, where would you spend your time with a 5yo? Would you skip Epcot? The only thing I have determined so far is that we will be spending Thursday at MK. His birthday is the Friday- which park is the best for little boy birthdays???

Thanks!

 

[Colinsmom]

You can get between hotels, but not directly. You need to catch the bus from your hotel to a central point (a park, ticket and transportation center, or downtown disney) and then catch another bus to the other resort. This process can take as long as an hour, so if you are doing it twice a day (four times, actually - two round trips), you'll probably wish that you had a rental car.

 

[KristinU]

I second the vote for a rental car...you will still need to keep an eye on the clock and factor in transportation time (like the monorail or ferry to the TTC or the trams in the other parking lots if you use them) but certainly not as much as if you were utilizing Disney transportation alone.

 

[d-man's mom]

Thanks! Any thoughts on where to celebrate his birthday?

 

[KristinU]

My immediate thought is Chef Mickey's (we celebrated my DS's 1st brithday there and had a blast)...but since your DS in so in to Toy Story, I'm not sure. I'm fairly sure there isn't a character meal with Woody and Buzz but you could eat somewhere at MGM then go meet them. Otherwise if it doesn't *have* to be Toy Story go for Chef Mickeys, they'll make him feel super special!

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I would go for a resort on the monorail route if possible. The toy story building is cool but just a building. Never seen or heard of Buzz or Woddy being their either. I think it would be so much easier to be close to MK and the resorts on the mono rail. You can see Buzz and the gang at MGM. They have their own hangout. A bus ride over to the All Stars would not to so hard just one time to see the place.

Jordan's mom

 

[tjmw2727]

Personally I would not pick my resort based on a few large statues of characters. I have done WDW as the solo adult with my girls many times starting when the oldest was 3. Given the choice I would go with a monorail resort if you can afford it, especially with that short a stay.

If your son likes Toy Story then you can take him to meet the characters and ride buzz. MGM is great for character greetings, you can see the gang at Al's Toy Barn. V

When my girls were in the 3-6yo range I chose the monorail resorts because you can monorial or even walk (CR) to MK and monorial to Epcot. I would consider bringing a stroller from home since you are the lone adult. You won't even have to fold it for the monorial unless it is very busy.

If you stay with ASMo you would be better off renting a stroller at the parks, meaning you may have to carry a tired toddler back to the room. I just found the logistics of getting the kids, stroller and stuff on and off the bus not worth it, renting worked better for me.

My fav is the Poly but we often got a great discount on the garden rooms at CR. Sometimes the price is about the same as a moderate, rooms are large and the resort is great. From the CR you can also use the monorail to get to the GF and the Poly for your meals as well as the boat to get to ft wilderness.

We like to celebrate birthdays at Chef Mickey's - lots of fun and pretty good food with Mickey and the gang. 2nd choice would probably be Crystal Palace at MK, Pooh and Friends.

Have fun and if you have more questions about traveling as the lone adult I would be glad to help.

TJ

 

[d-man's mom]

Thanks! I priced out a rental car, which will be about $120 a night not counting gas or parking fees, so it might be worth it to look into the monorail hotels if they are going to cost the same amount as the rental car.

 

[Colinsmom]

Thanks! I priced out a rental car, which will be about $120 a night not counting gas or parking fees, so it might be worth it to look into the monorail hotels if they are going to cost the same amount as the rental car.

That sounds awfully high - we paid about $90 for a one week rental in December.

 

[bobcat]

I wouldn't rent a car. If you are planning on spending most of your time at MK you will have to park and then either take the monorail or ferry to the main gate. The disney transportaion is great and very convenient for ging back to the room for afternoon naps or a swim. Also don't discount how cool those giant statues are for your 4y/o. It's a hotel just for them. I suggest you use an umbrella stroller. It is great to have so that you don't have to carry a tired sleepy child. My DS used a stroller at this age even though we didn't use one at home. We also had some place to put all of our stuff. Make sure to stop at City Hall and get him a birthday button.