Trip length with a 2 yr. old??

[Bluesky481]

DH and I are getting close to booking our trip for early Dec. 2012. This will be our first trip with DD who will be almost 2 1/2 at the time of travel. We are SO excited about initiating her into our little Disney bubble.

Problem? We are totally stumped on how long this trip should be.

We realize this trip is going to be completely about DD and what is going to work best for her. All children are different and have various tolerance levels, but I'm wondering what those of you who have traveled with little ones have found to work best in terms of trip length? We're looking at anything from 7-10 nights. Our logic with a longer trip is that we could take a total day off from the park every couple days and enjoy the pool, resort, etc. Of course, even on park days, we have no intention of going "full-steam", and are probably looking at 1/2 days in the park with lots of naps/rest/play at the resort. Worried 7 days will feel too quick/rushed.

If it helps, we will be staying at POR (planning for a princess room), and traveling via airplane. DH & are are very familiar with the parks and are used to 10 day trips. Also, after this trip, we will most likely not return for another 3 years or so.

Thank you in advance for any personal experiences you can share with us!

[Mickey'sGirl]

I agree that a longer trip is a very good idea. A mid day break, and shorter stints in the parks is a very very very good idea!

[Strmchsr]

If you can afford a longer trip, it's definitely easier.

As for the trip being completely about her, keep in mind that she might not care very much about stuff around her. One of my boys was fascinated coming to WDW at 3, the other one couldn't care less. He liked the monorail but otherwise wasn't even slightly interested so I would say plan what Mom and Dad like, too, she how she responds to the various things. In general it seems the "magic" for kids doesn't start until closer to 4. I think 4-7 is the "butter" age for WDW in terms of getting that magic feel from them. So, would it be better to wait until 2013 when she's one year further along and will probably enjoy it even more? Plus, Dec 2012 might be super crowded due to all of the new Fantasyland stuff opening. Of course, since the world will end on Dec 21, 2012 I guess it doesn't make sense to wait an extra year.

[Jillirose]

It's great that you can plan a longer trip (even 7 days is longer in my book), that way you can really relax and plan to see all that you want to too - over time. I agree with your point about all children being unique and just following her lead.

That's what we did when our kids were little and it made the trip less stressful. They were more about the pool than anything! LOL We planned half days, which seemed to work well - we got in, rode key rides, left when it was getting hot and lines were getting long. Most importantly, the trip was relaxing and enjoyable, leaving us to look forward to the next trip!

I will add that I agree with Chris about the age of remembering/appreciating the magic - my kids had very few specific memories until about 2nd/3rd grade. They did ,however, have pictures to remind them of all the fun times.

[RBrooksC]

We went for eight nights in May with a five year old and a two year old. We got up early, took a mid-day break to swim and enjoy the CR, and then the evenings at one of the parks.

We were tired but the kids were usually in a good mood and they only breakdowns we had were when we were leaving a park for the mid-day break.

We got more done and enjoy ourselves much more than if we commando-toured like we used to do.

However, a two year old can do much if you have a stroller and take mid-day breaks for naps and swimming.

Having a car also helps. Actually, with young kids, I would ALWAYS rent a car.

[Bluesky481]

Hey guys, thanks for the helpful responses so far! Your comments are making me feel better about our choice to go with a longer, relaxed trip. Maybe 9 or 10 nights isn't such a crazy idea, after all!?

Strmchsr, your Dec 21 comment cracked me up! The primary reason we won't be going for a few years after this next trip is that we'll be thinking about baby #2 around that time , and traveling with an infant just isn't something we see ourselves doing. Otherwise, we would totally wait an extra year to take DD.

Thankfully, she should be about 5 or 6 on the next trip--REALLY looking forward to it. DH and I are excited for all the different ways we will see Disney through the eyes of our children as they grow up. Exciting times!

[Wrigley]

We took our DD to the World when she was 2 (turning 3 on our trip), and we were there for 10 days. We thought that this was the perfect length for us. We were able to take our time and go about things at the pace that worked for her. We were to the parks when they opened, left at lunch to head back to resort to swim and nap, and then at dinner time we went back to a park. This worked well for us. We did spend alot of time at the pool-which she loved!

[sixshot19]

We took our twin 2.5 year old boys last year. Yes it is all about them.

Everyday at lunch we would go back to our room and the boys would have a nap. Then one of us would sneak out and do some of the parks or shop by ourselves, then switch up the next day.

We found seven nights was just about right for all of us.

If your little one still naps like ours did, and still do (Thank You nap king), we booked our flight right around their nap time, both ways. They both slept the whole way through both flights. That was the biggest stress we had about the whole trip. They will suprise you.

The big thing that help us as well was we had a DVC 2 bedroom suite, so the boys had their own "place" away from us. And we didn't have to go to bed with them, or sneak around quietly during nap time.

It was a great time and we made so many great memories, the boys still ask to go back to their Disney House.

Have fun.

[January-2007]

Lots of great advice here. We're going in January with our 2 year old son and we're staying for two weeks. I think 9-10 days sound great for your trip. Take your time and enjoy yourselves. It's best to have extra time because there will be times when the little one just wants to sleep or just wants to play in the playground for hours, and having extra time for other things like, say, rides, makes letting them have their special fun times a lot easier for everyone.

[BigRedDad]

As long as you want. DD will love it. If your DD was like mine when she was almost 2.5, she loved the resort and pool as much as the parks. It is hard to plan because you do not know what she will like or what may scare her.

Have a blast!!!