First Family Vacition to Disneyworld ?

[Troy Henley]

This is my first time i am going to Disneyworld w/family and i'm traveling with my wife and two sons ages are 2 and 10 months with grandma and niece and nephew 10 and 7 yrs old. My first question is should we bring the double stroller with us on the plane for the parks, and what advise any you may have taking brakes? We are staying offsite and plane to park hop.

[NH Disneyfan]

Here's my advice on taking kids age 2 and 10 months.

1) Stick to one park per day
2) Is your double-stroller side-by-side or front/back? Side-by-side may be very hard to maneuver around.
3) Pick your family's best time of day - Morning or Evening and go with that. When the kids have had enough, end the day and enjoy your hotel, pool, hot tub, dinner.
4) Don't try to do everything, especially with a first visit. You will want to do everything, but with those ages night shows are probably a bad idea where daytime parades can be exciting. Find the things appropriate for the kids and make the best of it.
5) If you like thrill rides, pick a few you want to go on since you'll likely leave the kids with someone. Maybe an hour, then get back with the family.
6) My favorite memory of the first time I took my son @ 10 months old was sitting at a random table in Magic Kingdom outside @ The Plaza restaurant at about 9 or 10 am feeding him a banana we had packed. Honestly. It wasn't dumbo, or animals, or playhouse disney, or any ride. It was just us, hanging in Magic Kingdom, doing what we do everyday - having a snack and relaxing for a few minutes. Sometimes the most simple things make memories that last a lifetime. The funny thing is I can't ever remember another time he's had a banana in his life. Doesn't like them now....so makes this memory even better.

Have fun!

[faline]

Disney World can be quite stimulating for little kids so the advice offered above is good.

Will your kids naps in their strollers? If so, find a quiet place in the park for the little ones and let the older ones and 1-2 adults go off for fun. Seek out some of the playground areas and other areas that will allow the little ones to run off some steam.

[GottaLvDisney]

Last time we went our DS was 10mo old - he did great. We tend to be more leisurely due to having younger kids (DD12, DD12, DD9, DD7) and found that getting to the parks earlier and heading back to the room after lunch worked great. The ones who needed to could nap (DH & DS the rest of us would hit the pool for awhile. That left us ready to do another few hours at the parks in the evening.

This year it'll be the older girls plus DS2 and DD1 so we'll just follow the little ones lead. THe OP gave great tips, especially about not trying to do it all - pick a few must do's and then just enjoy it all at whatever pace works. No advice on the double stroller - we'll be taking our this time around out of neccessity.

[NJGIRL]

to INTERCOT!

I would bring your stroller with you so you don't have to rent one everyday.

As far as breaks go it is really up to each family and the time of year you go. We have been taking my son since he was 18 mons old and we have never taken breaks, we feel it wastes too much time in travel. We were lucky to be able to do this because if my son was tired he would just sleep in his stroller. I know not every child is able to do this.

As far as park hopping goes. I know I am not in the majority here but we don't do it anymore. We did it our first few trips and thought it was also a waste of time and money. We find enough to do at each park to last us the day and found that the time to travel from park to park wasn't worth it.

[Disney-4-Me]

We always just brought a couple of cheap umbrella strollers with us. If my boys fell asleep, I would find a bench, get myself a cool drink and tip the stroller back so they could take a short nap and I could rest me feet!

[lovinmesomedisney]

We have been going since my kids, 4 of them, were all very small. We took our own strollers, because waiting in line everyday to rent and return wasn't going to happen! We, like NJGIRL, do not believe in breaks! My kids, when tired, will pass out anywhere. The stroller was always good, and if I knew they were getting tired, while at Magic Kingdom, we would go on the train and let them take a nap there. Just stay on until they wake up! It depends on your kids. We also have only park hopped on one trip and never did it again, ESPECIALLY with little kids, and even now that mine are all teenagers, they have no desire to park hop. There is plenty to do in each park to spend an entire day. Saves money and especially saves time and aggravation of transportation. Just have a great trip! Don't try to do everything, then you will have an excuse to go back again. If you're like us, you will be addicted after that first trip and go back each year, sometimes twice a year! We love it!

[Tygger7]

I noticed from your post that you plan to stay offsite....keep in mind that you will have to pay for parking. Also, there are numerous offsite hotels that offer shuttle service, but I've never had a good experience going that route. Generally those types of shuttles only run a few times in the morning and a few times at park close.

All that being said, I would at least recommend pricing your trip at one of the Disney resorts....especially since you're traveling with little ones & extended family. If you've never been there, it's really hard to fathom how BIG Walt Disney World is and how long it takes to drive to the parks. Remember, it's roughly 44 square miles...comparable to driving around an area about the size of Manhattan.

My suggestion: talk to the folks at Magical Journey's about your trip....at least get a quote. They can really help you with your trip planning and offer excellent advice. Best of all, it costs you nothing to use their services. Personally, for a first-timer I would NEVER recommend staying offsite, especially with small children.

Hope this helps..and welcome to Intercot!!

[NJGIRL]

If you've never been there, it's really hard to fathom how BIG Walt Disney World is and how long it takes to drive to the parks.

I have to disagree with this. We always stay at timeshares. Of course, it depends on which one you are staying at, but there are so many that are within 5 miles from the Disney enterance. It has never taken us more than 10 mins to get there and in fact most times it takes us less than 5 mins. We have stayed on property before and taken Disney transportation and by far it has taken us longer to get to the parks than driving directly. Driving in the Disney area and on Disney property is very very easy. Everything is so well marked it's hard to get lost.

The other advantage to staying at a timeshare especially when you are traveling with extended family is the space that you have opposed to a hotel room. While I love the themeing of the Disney & Universal hotels we feel more comfortable and relaxed at the timeshare were everyone has some personal space. It really is a personal choice, but I wouldn't be afraid to stay at a timeshare instead of on property.

Most of our trips are 10 days, so we split the time, 7 days at the timeshare and 3 days at a Disney or Universal hotel.

[Ramblingman]

We always try to plan on a mid afternoon break back to the room for a quick siesta and recharge. It helps little ones get through the night without so much fussing. There are always plenty of things to do at the hotel - pool, video room, nap, late lunch, nap, watch TV, nap, etc.

As for strollers, I would highly recommend the umbrella strollers that fold up and are easy to carry. Large full-size strollers are so cumbersome and cause a lot of traffic.

Get maps and note where all the air conditioned rides/exhibits are in any area you are in. You'll reach the point sometime during the day when everyone just wants to cool off, and that is when you ride Carousel of Progress or something similar. You would be amazed how helpful a 5 minute respite from the heat can be.

Make general plans but don't get bogged down in details. Allow for spontaneity. Make sure everyone has cell phone numbers.

Mostly, enjoy your trip! You are all going to love it.

[steamboat willy]

First of all, welcome to Intercot. This site has boundless information and folks that know their way around the world, time and time again!
My two cents:

1. Bring the double stroller or two smaller strollers so you do not have to RENT/Wait/Pay for strollers.
2. Check into Magical Journeys to see if they can put you up onsite.
3. Value Resorts, Free Dining are now available...Check it out!
4. Staying onsite, you can return to Your Resort for naps and dips in the POOL!
5. No big drives back to where ever.
6. Free Parking
7. Wake Up in the World. It's Magical!
8. Disney Movies at night by the Pool.
9. NOT sure if Park Hopping is the best for your First Trip?

I would stay onsite, go to ONLY one park per day. Go back to your Disney Value Resort for the kids to nap, parents to chill in room or pool and back to park if possible. Don't try to do everything.....come back for another trip when your ready and do what you didn't do before!
Then when you're having your 25th anniversary, you kids will be old enough to walk and push their kids for you!

ENJOY YOUR SELVES!

[Cinderelley]

My youngest is 17, so I will leave the young child advice to the others. You do need to be realistic about how much grandma can do too. If she has mobility issues, I would suggest a guest assistance card. I've done an extended family trip before, and grandma gettin' tired easily wasn't something we had planned out.

A nice sit down meal every day for everyone to unwind is nice if you can swing it.