Your Stories: What to be aware of or things that can go wrong.

[Tinker1111]

I have not been to WDW in many years and wanted to learn from your mistakes or tragedies. So please share anything you think would forewarn others of your bad trips.We are traveling with a 2 yr. old also if that brings anything up in that department .

[Fangorn]

First off, the enjoyment of your trip will almost entirely depend on your attitude going into it. If you focus on all the things that "could" go wrong, you'll end up expecting the worst and probably find it.

That said, there are things you can do that will reduce the potential frustrations and confusion - which I assume is what you're asking for :mickey:

Rule #1: Be flexible. You cannot possibly do everything, so figure out the 5-10 things you really, really want to do, and work to make those things happen. If you get 8 out of 10, your trip is a success.

Traveling with a 2-year old means you need to take it easy - no commando-style trip. Take time to stop, sit and rest. Your 2-year old will find just as much joy in playing in a small fountain at Animal Kingdom as going on rides or interacting with characters. Try to enjoy the parks through their eyes. You want to avoid a meltdown (either the child or you) at all costs.

Familiarize yourself with how things work. If you haven't been for a few years, there have been a lot of changes into how things work. You'll want to learn about the new FastPass+ system, the baby swap options, where the baby care centers are in the parks, etc. etc. There are a lot of threads here on Intercot about these topics - just use the search feature and learn what you can.

Check out the dining options and decide if there are some places you'd like to try out. If so, make reservations. There are a few places that are very difficult to get a reservation, but most places are not a problem. You will want to make reservations, even if it's the day of, just so you don't end up waiting for 45 min to get a table.

Others will add to this list, but a positive attitude, coupled with knowledge of how things work will go a very long way towards giving you a great trip.

Have Fun!

Steve

[lawgirl]

We honestly have never really had anything truly "bad" happen on a WDW trip that ruined the trip. That said, we've had "roadbumps" and we have always tried to stay flexible and be open minded. I went once for just a day trip and there was a power outage at MK so the park was closed. We were disappointed, but headed to Epcot and had an awesome time. Last year, we stayed at AKL villas, and around 3 am our last night, there was a terrible issue with the pipes in our room making a tremendous hammering noise for 3 hours straight. It was pretty bad, and after dealing with maintenance for a while I was frustrated and exhausted, but I calmly called the front desk and asked to speck with the manager, and we got 1 night refunded, at the rack rate, which was way more than I paid for the room. So keeping a good attitude when faced with issues really makes all the difference.

I think alot of it has to do with your attitude and expectations going into it. Especially with a toddler (I have a 2 and 4 YO so speaking from experience) you have to stay flexible and try not to expect a perfect vacation.

Go ahead and make reservations for whatever restaurants you want to go to, plan out some fastpass + and park itineraries, but be open to the fact that your toddler may be exhausted and sleep through "important" magical stuff or be grumpy and not want to meet the characters. We always plan a rest time each day to either find a quiet spot in the park and nap, or go back to the hotel room. And we don't keep them out super late at night.

I think no matter what, don't expect it to be perfect, and try to be open minded and positive. You'll enjoy it so much more! And if you have an issue with your hotel or at the parks, try to stay calm, and speak to the manager. I hope you have an enjoyable, trouble free trip!

[Jimmy Thick]

When my children were around that age I remember a lot of quick trips to the parks, back to the resort for naps, then more quick trips. The heat really tuckered them out pretty quick. Bring lots of water.

As for bad things happening, I have not experienced anything of the sort. The closest thing I can thing of was guests using foul language in front of my children, and there was a time a older woman just lost it in front of a cast member, but that's about it.

Be positive and enjoy your vacation.

[mdricks]

Having done this myself I would offer the following advice. Probably obvious but nonetheless....

Your two year old will not change because you are on a trip. If he/she gets fussy at 2pm or doesn’t do well in a restaurant for dinner etc etc plan on that being the same if not amplified.

I would not make many plans as (in my experience) flexibility is key. Reservations that require credit card holds are asking for trouble. If I needed to make plans they would all be in the morning as the unexpected tended to happen to us after 11am.

Consider an early breakfast with Pooh and Friends at crystal palace before the park opens. Get in when the park is empty, get that great picture in front of the castle without all the crowds, see Pooh get the rides you need to get on early without huge lines. Then head home for a break and pool time once the crowds/heat sets in.

Consider your stroller arrangements (BYO full size/BYO umbrella/ Rent) and make a decision. Each choice has its pros and cons.

Unless the vacation is short I wouldn’t do a park a day. The resort is fun as is down town Disney (Lego!)

At the risk of being forward don’t look for problems. You will not control this vacation, it’s going to happen the way it (and your 2 year old) want it to. Instead repost and ask what made people’s vacations special or unique. This board is a treasure trove of insider info on ways to make your vacation at WDW magical.

:number1:

[texas211]

It will rain, and sometimes a lot. Plan ahead. Bring rain coats (panchos are junk). Bring water proof bags and backpacks for electronics and gear. Plan ahead of time to have a rainy route through the park, staying under shelter as much as possible.

[MrPeetrie]

One of our best trips was when our daughter was only 17 months. I'll never forget how big her eyes were as she watched Festival of the Lion King.

The following year, she was excited for everything. Too excited in fact. My advice is to keep your child hydrated!!! My DD was so excited she wouldn't eat or drink. She quickly became listless, which is very unusual for her. We took her to the First Aid and they quickly hydrated her and her wonderful personality came back. He explained that happens a lot.

On all subsequent trips, we made sure our kids were well hydrated at all times.

[tundramom]

Bring Post It notes to cover the sensors on the auto flush toilets, they scared my DD at that age. I would just cover up the eye, once she was all done and dressed, I would drop the note in and flush away!
We also used cooling neck bands (Walmart) as little ones don't regulate heat as well as we grown ups.

[Arielfan98]

I do not have children myself but have experience with taking care of children.

From my perspective, it would be a good idea to map out cool off spots in case of a melt down.

MK-the restroom areas in Main Street, Columbia Harbour House (upper level), Tomorrowland bathroom area, etc.

EPCOT-Morocco, futureworld restroom area, etc.

AK-area near Kilamangaro Safari, courtyard outside of the Dinosaur entrance

HS-Streets of America, outside of Planet Pizza/Muppets 3D Vision Show

These are just a few suggestions. Since you have a 2 year old, it might be a good idea to head to the parks early since little ones have more energy in the morning. Then you can head back to the hotel early and if you're staying at a Disney hotel, they'll typically feature a movie. For example, I always stayed at AsMusic and they feature a pool movie every night.

[Terra]

I agree with all the above posts.

You dont' have to see it all for sure. I've been going to Disney [we live an hour away] with my 2 sons since their births.
Both boys were 4 weeks old on their first visits!

I agree with being flexible. Don't be afraid to go back to the resort and nap. Or find a shady spot and let your kiddo nap in a stroller while you two enjoy a cool beverage.

I think when they are younger it is actually a good time to explore more with in one thing instead of rushing through to say we did it all.

I know in Animal Kingdom there are so many things to do. My children love the petting area. Instead of hurrying through it, we spent a lot of time there. Exploring both inside and out.

I honestly wouldn't do any Character dining but perhaps some meet and greets. You just never know how they will do with characters coming up to them while eating and it's such a short time that you see them that it doesn't really warrant the extra money on the food for it.

Take your own snacks. Especially for your 2 year old. Disney is so wonderful about letting you bring that all in. I found at that age it was so much cheaper to feed them food I know they will eat instead of spending $6 for a child's meal that they only took a bite of.

Just enjoy the moment. Take lots of pictures.

I know it makes me kind of sad to see families yelling at their young children when the children are just saying "Hey I'm tired." I've heard it before. A young child [maybe 4-5] said "I just want to go back to the hotel and sleep." And it was in the late evening. And the parents were just so mad and said "I didn't pay all this money for you to sleep."

That really struck me. I understand the money part, but a child doesn't understand that. So then they had a whole unhappy family.

So all that to say, as previous poster's have said, it's all in the attitude going in :)

Hhave a greate trip.

[kbean]

Toilet paper! Toilet paper! Toilet paper! Preferably Charmin. Disneys TP is very.... Villainous.

[whitney37354]

We've had two family trips so far, with only one snag, and it took a couple of trips to the front desk to fix. Be sure that your credit card is attached to your KTTW/MB for charging purposes.

I tried to buy a water at EPCOT and couldn't because "you have reached your credit limit". We hadn't used the KTTW to charge anything yet. Had to borrow cash from a friend to buy a water. How embarassing.:-o We went to the front desk the next day to have that fixed.

Leaving AK, we wanted to buy a few pins & lanyards. We were in the front of the line & the same thing happened. Two CM's later, we finally used our Disney Gift Card & our credit card to buy what we wanted.

We went back to the front desk that afternoon, the problem was corrected, & we were given a FP for our entire group & a smores kit for the campfire/singalong (stayed at Ft. Wilderness).

Otherwise, just take it slow, probably go back to resort after lunch for a nap, & don't look for problems.

Besides that one snafu, we've had awesome Disney vacations!

[Figment104]

One of our best trips was when our daughter was only 17 months. I'll never forget how big her eyes were as she watched Festival of the Lion King.

The following year, she was excited for everything. Too excited in fact. My advice is to keep your child hydrated!!! My DD was so excited she wouldn't eat or drink. She quickly became listless, which is very unusual for her. We took her to the First Aid and they quickly hydrated her and her wonderful personality came back. He explained that happens a lot.

On all subsequent trips, we made sure our kids were well hydrated at all times.

This exactly!!!! We took my DS last year at 18 months and normally he is great about drinking water all the time, and one of our first days in the park we noticed he wasn't acting like himself and it was because he was already dehydrated and at that point he wouldn't drink water. He had never really had any juice before that trip, but apple juice was the only thing he would drink, so that's what he had for a lot of the trip just so he would be hydrated. It just happens so much faster than you think it will down in that hot Florida sun.

Also, if you're flying down mail a package to the hotel with diapers and any snack/food items (unless you'll have a car and can go to the grocery store). Having that box of stuff worked so great for us, that I totally plan to do it again for our trip this October.

Like others have said, we just took it slow and really just enjoyed what was going on around us, and watching DS experience everything. We took breaks during the day, we let him sleep in the stroller in shady areas at the parks, and we also did character meals. It turns out for us the character meals were a big hit since apparently my DS loves characters. But if you're unsure who they'll react to the characters, book a meal for later in the week, and once there you can always tell them to have the characters skip your table if the 2 year old ends up not being a fan. Just try and go with the flow as much as possible, and have a good time!

[Janmac]

One "wrong" thing was the trip I thought we could still write a personal check to our room account to charge against. Policy had changed; we got it worked out. I have since learned to ask ahead of time what policies are in effect.

This is doubly true of fast passes as they seem to be changing frequently.

I really like to call and chat with a CM. I can get my questions answered - sometimes the CM has to ask someone else - and often I get spontaneous tips from the CM. We like at least one sit down meal a day - which nowadays pretty much have to have a reservation (ADR) - and I can spend an hour easily on the phone with a CM chatting while making ADRs. I like to call either mid-morning or late afternoon/early evening.

We have never changed our dining plans because of a 2 year old. We have eaten at Teppan Edo, Restaurant Marrakesh, Biergarten, as well as the character restaurants. Often, tho, the toddler or even a five year old, decides to sleep through a meal. We let them sleep.

We like character meals for toddlers because usually our toddlers (three of them over the years and hoping to bring two more in 2016) are wary of the characters in the parks. At the table, being approached by a character instead of the other way around, we have always had great photo ops and better interaction.

When your two year old finally falls asleep in the stroller is also a great time to browse the shops. :D

Kids melt down. Don't be embarrassed. As others have posted, try to identify, either ahead of time on maps, or as you're touring, quiet out of the way bench spots to retire to when your child needs less stimulation.

And be aware of the First Aid locations. We never utilized one until the five year old on one trip became sick on the way to a park in the morning. Wonderful places. Quiet and helpful.

As a corollary to this, we never start at Magic Kingdom. Usually Animal Kingdom. We usually plan at least 2 mornings in each park. With a two year old I'd skip Disney Hollywood Studios altogether. The first morning at Magic Kingdom we have done Adventureland and Frontierland. The second morning we go to Fantasyland. The now veteran toddler really enjoys the attractions there. Also small children love to revisit a place - the more familiar the more they enjoy it.

Our toddlers were early risers, so we were at the parks at rope drop. We usually left about 11:30. Parks are getting crowded by now and the sensory overload is getting worse. Hardly any of our toddlers took a regular afternoon nap the first few days but just splashing around in the water at the resort was restorative. We always brought any kid to Epcot every late afternoon/evening for one or two Future World pavilions and two or three World Showcase pavilions.. All of them have preferred Epcot to any other park, with the possible exception of Animal Kingdom.

Epcot has wider walkways so bigger crowds are not as over stimulating.

Bring your own stroller. We've done both - brought and relied on renting a park stroller. For a 2 year old I prefer a good lightweight one like the MacLaren Triumph we had with an under basket and that would recline somewhat. (Definitely bring the rain thing - what's the word? - for the stroller - see below) This way you can wheel a tired or asleep child through your resort.

Our other worst thing that happened was on a September trip when a hurricane was coming ashore in Mississippi and one of the arms was sweeping across Florida just when we were trying to go to supper in Epcot. Despite having rain coats we were drenched and in hindsight probably should have cancelled and just absorbed the cancellation fee.

We also learned to leave the diaper bag at the resort. We were only going to be in a park for a few hours. We put a couple of diapers, wipes and a change or two of clothes in a zip lock bag in the stroller basket along with a few snacks. Having some dry clothes to change into is great when your little one wants to take advantage of one of the many fountain play areas.

The more you know the more flexible you can be. And flexibility is the key. Thank goodness for digital, cuz now you can take all the cute photos as they appear.

Oh, heat - we like either the small cold packs you can buy at places like Walgreens or small packets of wipes called Cool Off.

Enjoy and be sure to let us know how your trip went!

Jan

[lawgirl]

I agree with all the above posts.


I know it makes me kind of sad to see families yelling at their young children when the children are just saying "Hey I'm tired." I've heard it before. A young child [maybe 4-5] said "I just want to go back to the hotel and sleep." And it was in the late evening. And the parents were just so mad and said "I didn't pay all this money for you to sleep."

That really struck me. I understand the money part, but a child doesn't understand that. So then they had a whole unhappy family.

.

I have seen / heard this so many times, and it really breaks my heart for the kids, little ones and older ones as well. Doing the parks is exhausting, and sometimes the best thing is to just call it a day and relax! I think the better prepared with that mindset, that yes it is expensive and there is way too much to see and do in one trip, the more magical it will be. For us, the most important thing is that our kids are enjoying it, and that we are having a magical time. Which has meant in the past, that we skipped fireworks to go back to the hotel and relax, we've missed rides and characters b/c the kids weren't up for it. Which is ok.

And a big yes to staying hydrated. I've noticed with my son, that he gets very lethargic, and doesn't know that he needs a break...so I have to be pro-active and stop us all for break time. Which can be sitting down somewhere peacful for ice cream and water at the parks, quiet time at the baby center, or going back for a nap. It really make everything so much enjoyable.

You've gotten some really great advice...it's going to be a great trip!

[wdwcarrie]

We are gearing up for our third trip with our little guy, who was 2 (almost 3) the first time we took him. Some tips that worked for him...

--It helped a lot that he was familiar with a lot of characters ahead of time. He had seen some movies over and over, read many stories, and knew all the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters well. He was thrilled to interact with them!

--We were willing to do some things over and over because he enjoyed them. We were there at rope drop and could get on rides like Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh a few times in a row. He loved these rides and starting off with something he liked built a lot of confidence.

--We found we couldn't get him to nap at a hotel, but a swim, a few books, or even a quick cartoon really helped. We also went to Epcot frequently at night for a ride or two and a counter service dinner.

--Finally, I think it really prepared my son a lot that we looked at You Tube videos of different attractions and of other kids interacting with characters. He had a positive attitude about several rides beforehand and saw kids roughly his age having fun with the characters.

Have a WONDERFUL time! Our Disney trip has become the highlight of our year!

[Main Street Jim]

Attractions/shows/parades are mechanical/electrical/pneumatic. :) Most have a few years on them. Don't be *upset* if a ride breaks down. Simply pick another :) If you have a FP for said attraction, the CMs will 1) let you come back later in the day with your FP or 2)....you know, I'm not really sure how this scenario plays out with the new FP+ :blush:

Anyone had any experience?

[Capt_redshirt]

Attractions/shows/parades are mechanical/electrical/pneumatic. :) Most have a few years on them. Don't be *upset* if a ride breaks down. Simply pick another :) If you have a FP for said attraction, the CMs will 1) let you come back later in the day with your FP or 2)....you know, I'm not really sure how this scenario plays out with the new FP+ :blush:

Anyone had any experience?

I did with voyage of the little mermaid... they actually did 2 things they gave us a free pass to come back later in the day (happened at 4 told to come back at 8 or so) plus they gave us a free fp to use as well but that being said most experiences may vary per day of the trip

[IloveJack]

We've taken each of our kids at their first birthday, and then subsequent trips. My ODD loved the characters on her first trip and was scared to death of them on her second (2 weeks past her 2nd birthday) trip. By the next trip. she loved them again.
MY YDD has been three times now (at 1, 2.5, and 3), and has never once been scared of a character.
Be aware that every kid is different, and even though our child watched a lot of Disney, she didn't so much like that her favorite characters were now 5 feet tall. If you plan a lot of character meals, and your child is scared of characters, it could cause problems. We had two planned on the "scared" trip, so we changed ADRS for the second to a face character meal, and all was good.
Someone above mentioned that DHS isn't worth it with kids, but our kids love the Disney Junior/Toy Story aspect, and there are many characters there that you can't meet elsewhere.
Other than that, the only snafus that come to mind all revolve around transportation. Leave at least 45 minutes before you plan to be there, if you're using Disney transportation. It never failed that if we had a reservation, or needed to make a FP time, or were returning to the parks for a parade time, etc., that the busses would take 30 minutes to even show up, and we'd be racing to get there on time (or even reasonably late). Of course, if we didn't have a set time, there'd be a bus waiting on us. :)

[lawgirl]

Another thing is to be flexible with transportation plans. I read a recent blog post about a family who stayed at one of the monorail resorts planning on jumping on the monorail for meals and MK, and they had no idea until they got there, that the monorails were mostly "down" that week. So they had to take the bus or boat to get around, and she sounded upset about it as they had booked the resort based on the monorail. It can take a long time to get around, and it always seems to take longer when you have ADR's somewhere. I always try and plan way more time than needed to get to a meal.

And check for ride / restaurant refurbishments as well.

[Mary Chase]

For some reason, almost every year we go to Disney, someone in my party is sick when we go or gets sick when we are there. For this reason, I try to make sure I pack various pain relievers/cold remedies (we go in the winter - sickness is usually respiratory). I also go out of my way to make sure to pack and use hand sanitizers for my whole party to reduce our risks.

One other thing comes to mind. When my son was almost 2 (my other son was 6), we got caught in the worst storm ever at Animal Kingdom. I would definitely recommend taking a stroller cover for an event such as this if you are going at a time when you think storms like this may happen (we went in November). It was an all day rain/storm and we were all soaked to the skin as well as our stroller - I think we ended up having to rent a stroller for at least the next day b/c the stroller was that wet.

[taleasoldastime]

I think that it all comes down to flexibility. Going into your vacation with an open mind can make or break how things go. Never expect a perfect trip because it will never happen and it is the imperfections that sometimes make the best memories. My last trip, i got VERY sick and ended up spending a few days at the hotel but I didnt let it get me too down. Instead i just tried to relax and got to know the resort. From now on I plan on being careful about what I eat at Disney World. I am going to try to not stray too far from my typical diet. No stuffing candy and turkey legs down my throat for a week because then bad things happen.

[baldburke]

There are no tragedies at Disney! Relax and enjoy! :twocents:

[DonaldDuckUSA]

Toilet paper! Toilet paper! Toilet paper! Preferably Charmin. Disneys TP is very.... Villainous.

HAHA! YESSS! DBF and I don't have kids, but we may embrace this tip too.

My suggestion. Some people mentioned dining reservations, which is fine, but if you make too many it can be hard to be flexible. In our experience, EPCOT, MK, and AK have always had a lot of good options. HS, however, was frustrating. We have found a lack of unique and delicious TS, CS, and snacks all around the World, but we've had a really hard time at HS. If we make ressies anywhere, its there.

ALSO, you may want to consider your little one's pallet. Do you need to bring snacks? Should you budget for his/her meals? Would he like the things on the kids menu?