WWYD? Family Trip Planning

[QueenIsabella]

While I agree that the PP was exaggerating, it is true that you're going to have to keep on eye on your kid and make sure she's doing okay with the pace/style of your trip. NBD--I assume you're a reasonably involved parent who would be willing to take your child out of a restaurant if she was having a meltdown, or alter your plans if need be.

You're fortunate that she'll nap in a stroller--I have 4, and not one of them would sleep in a stroller. Ever. Anywhere. Not that I'm bitter. And while my first was a sweet, easy child, #2 had the charming habit of passing out and seizing if he got overwhelmed. #3 hates sitting through long, drawn-out meals, even now (she's 15). Even when I took her to Italy--freakin' ITALY!!!!, she preferred grabbing a quick bite to sitting through a multi-course meal. And of course, she was 14 at the time--too young to be left to her own devices in a foreign country, so when she missed fancy meals, so did I. And #4 is almost 13, he's 5'8", and he still eats like a toddler. If it were up to him, it would be mac and cheese, grilled cheese, or cheese sticks. He runs screaming from anything resembling a vegetable.

Reading all that, you're probably wondering why I'm giving parenting tips (ha ha). Really, it's about knowing the child you have, and working with that. WDW restaurants are used to dealing with children, and most have distractions/amusements that will keep them entertained. They're a great way to try new foods without being overwhelmed. If you had to cancel reservations for whatever reason, that's a lot easier than trying to add them last-minute. I actually think it would be easier to do a food-centric trip with one placid toddler than it might be in the future, when she's older, your parents are older, and you might have another kid or two. So, enjoy it now. Good luck, and enjoy your vacation!

 

[AllyReggie]

While I agree that the PP was exaggerating, it is true that you're going to have to keep on eye on your kid and make sure she's doing okay with the pace/style of your trip. NBD--I assume you're a reasonably involved parent who would be willing to take your child out of a restaurant if she was having a meltdown, or alter your plans if need be.

You're fortunate that she'll nap in a stroller--I have 4, and not one of them would sleep in a stroller. Ever. Anywhere. Not that I'm bitter. And while my first was a sweet, easy child, #2 had the charming habit of passing out and seizing if he got overwhelmed. #3 hates sitting through long, drawn-out meals, even now (she's 15). Even when I took her to Italy--freakin' ITALY!!!!, she preferred grabbing a quick bite to sitting through a multi-course meal. And of course, she was 14 at the time--too young to be left to her own devices in a foreign country, so when she missed fancy meals, so did I. And #4 is almost 13, he's 5'8", and he still eats like a toddler. If it were up to him, it would be mac and cheese, grilled cheese, or cheese sticks. He runs screaming from anything resembling a vegetable.

Reading all that, you're probably wondering why I'm giving parenting tips (ha ha). Really, it's about knowing the child you have, and working with that. WDW restaurants are used to dealing with children, and most have distractions/amusements that will keep them entertained. They're a great way to try new foods without being overwhelmed. If you had to cancel reservations for whatever reason, that's a lot easier than trying to add them last-minute. I actually think it would be easier to do a food-centric trip with one placid toddler than it might be in the future, when she's older, your parents are older, and you might have another kid or two. So, enjoy it now. Good luck, and enjoy your vacation!

Yeah... I definitely know I am blessed! She has been to Rodeos, All day festivals, Hockey Games and long car rides in her short time so far on the earth and she loves it all and handles the difficult parts of travel and events much better than I anticipated. I am always prepared for the blow outs, the melt downs, the emergencies and everything, but so far I have been pleasantly surprised at her willingness to stay with us and just experience everything.

I think whatever happens will happen and we will just roll with the Disney that we get!

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I think whatever happens will happen and we will just roll with the Disney that we get!

That is the best way to go about it! You are very blessed to have an easy-going baby. Have a great trip!

 

[blistex]

Pretty much exactly this.

My daughter isn't a "napper" and if we took her back to the hotel room for an hour all we'd accomplish is... getting to ride a bus for 2+ hours so she could see the hotel room for awhile?

I've budgeted in downtime into my mock itinerary just in case it is necessary (you never know) but honestly at Rodeos and Carnivals and Hockey games or other big events (Cider festivals, Beer Festivals, Ren Faires) she tends to prefer to just cat nap in her stroller for awhile while we eat and then get right back to the playing, people watching and having fun.

But really, everyone agrees that the relaxation you get from being in an AC filled restaurant is just fine for us.

Just throwing this out there for your consideration - how your daughter is now may be very different from how she is 9 months from now (nearly twice her current age!). Both my kids were extremely easygoing laidback travelers as babies and one of them became a terrible travel in the 18-24 month range, with things eventually improving by the time she turned 3, but for my kids who are super used to restaurants and going out and such I still wouldn't count on being able to do that many big long TS meals. It just takes too long for a toddler to enjoy and many by the time they're 18 months old or so are terrified of characters. If you're pretty sure and it's a huge cost-savings to use Deluxe, go for it, but if it's a similar cost to use regular and pay extra for extra TS meals that's the way I'd go with a toddler, since you can't really predict!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

OMG your trip looks like SO MUCH FOOD. There will not be much time for actual DISNEY with all that eating.

Plan at least 2 hours for each meal, which sucks up a lot of time that you could be in line for rides or doing anything else, really. Add in a small person who is going to need a break/feed/diaper change at least once an hour... with the washroom lines... plan at least 15 minutes for each potty break... Account for the fact that your parents are not spring chickens and can't sprint down Main Street (and you said, they'll leisurely wander...) and WDW is so massive....

Do you have any goals for the actual Disney part? Rides? A show? A Meet and Greet?
Disney is just SO EXPENSIVE to pay admission and then spend 90% of your time sitting down in a restaurant! From what I can see of your itinerary that's what it looks like you'll be doing - spending all your time getting from one meal to another.

And shouldn't that be her choice for a Disney trip? Everyone visits Disney for their own reasons. Nobody else has the right to tell them otherwise. Period.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

And shouldn't that be her choice for a Disney trip? Everyone visits Disney for their own reasons. Nobody else has the right to tell them otherwise. Period.

An instance I can think of is when the poster asks for "critique my trip" or "give me some advice", etc. If the poster advises food is important to them and is a main component of the trip that helps others out when those types of threads are created. Otherwise usually the case is people do respond with "that's too much time sitting down and eating", etc. In this case the OP wasn't going that route but that is a case where people are telling/advising/giving their opinions regarding food and time consumed (no pun intended lol) eating it.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Just throwing this out there for your consideration - how your daughter is now may be very different from how she is 9 months from now (nearly twice her current age!). Both my kids were extremely easygoing laidback travelers as babies and one of them became a terrible travel in the 18-24 month range, with things eventually improving by the time she turned 3, but for my kids who are super used to restaurants and going out and such I still wouldn't count on being able to do that many big long TS meals. It just takes too long for a toddler to enjoy and many by the time they're 18 months old or so are terrified of characters. If you're pretty sure and it's a huge cost-savings to use Deluxe, go for it, but if it's a similar cost to use regular and pay extra for extra TS meals that's the way I'd go with a toddler, since you can't really predict!

This point is well taken. I will say--with kids, it's a crapshoot, regardless. My oldest was a sweet, easy baby, and a placid, independent toddler. I can't say we never had issues with her, but by and large, she was also an easy child, and easy teen, and now, at 23, she's an independent, confident adult. I haven't always been so blessed--all my gray hairs are named after kid #2--but the OP may have a wonderful trip as she's planned, or she may be saying, "What was I thinking?" by Day 3. There's no way to predict. She might as well plan for the trip she would like, with the full understanding that she might have to scale back if it turns out that her child won't nap in the stroller, is afraid of characters, or some other glitch. On the good side, it's very easy to cancel reservations if needed--much easier than adding stuff in at the last minute. And the good news is, even if the OP is stuck with a toddler who will only ride Small World over and over and over until her ears bleed, is that the child will eventually outgrow that stage.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

An instance I can think of is when the poster asks for "critique my trip" or "give me some advice", etc. If the poster advises food is important to them and is a main component of the trip that helps others out when those types of threads are created. Otherwise usually the case is people do respond with "that's too much time sitting down and eating", etc. In this case the OP wasn't going that route but that is a case where people are telling/advising/giving their opinions regarding food and time consumed (no pun intended lol) eating it.

I absolutely agree!

time CONSUMED eating it!