Hi all -- I need some advice. My daughter loves Mickey and the gang. We thought about taking her this winter (she will be 2.5 then) to Disneyworld because (a) she likes Mickey, and (b) we need some kind of fun vacation.

I have a few questions that I know have been covered here, and I've read some of the responses, but I've also read horror stories elsewhere about children at this age.

(1) Are we crazy to take a 2.5 year old? Our thinking is that, even if we just spend an hour or two at the parks, and the rest at the pool that will be okay with us (we're not concerned about admission costs -- silver pass).

(2) What's a good place to stay? We're considering:

(a) the Beach Club - my wife thinks our daughter will like the beach, the pools look great, and there appears to be playgrounds (?? anyone know of any pictures on the net?)
(b) Polynesian - on the monorail, beach, fireworks from the beach...
(c) Caribbean Beach - does this actually have a beach?

(3) should we get a suite? Our daughter still takes naps - we're just worried about how to handle her sleeping while we are still awake.

(4) any other advice????

Thanks in advance!
Kaz

You'll have a great time with your daughter!

As far as CB, it has nice beach areas, but it's a huge resort with an internal bus system. If you don't pay extra for a preferred building, it's possible for your room to be quite far from the main pool, food court, and gift shop. Having to use the internal bus is an extra step that might become annoying with a stroller since all WDW bus transportation requires that children be taken out and the stroller folded. Also, CB has a separate building for check-in, Guest Services, and Bell Services, which means an extra stop upon arrival and an internal bus ride if you need Guest Services (though they were testing a satellite services desk near the food court last year). CB is still a nice resort, but with a toddler, it would probably be worth the additional $ for a preferred location.

Poly is a beautiful and wonderful resort, but since it's been years since I stayed there, I'll leave it to others to chime in (I've only visited BC, so I'm even less help there).

For resort info and pics, take a look at allearsnet.com under Accommodations.

Another vote of no for the CB. I really liked it, it was the first time I'd stayed/been to WDW and I thought it was great. However we were in the Barbados section and it seemed miles away from anywhere! Personally I would try Port Orleans, in the French Quarter they have a great pool which a young child would probably like:)

(1) Are we crazy to take a 2.5 year old?
Not directed at you, but I think the question "My child is x years old. Should I take them to DL/WDW" has got to go under the "most asked" list. (Please read that with humor.)

Its a fine age for a child to go. But then again - only you know your child best. And dont be shocked if your little one has a huge amount of energy as a result of the enviroment. You may end up not spending much time at the hotel. Then again, GusJr tends to nap right in his stroller, so going back was never really necessary. Your mileage may vary on the napping thing. Besides, if your child naps now, their napping schedule may get messed up from being on vacation.

Personally, I don't think you will really need a suite unless your child needs a planned nap in a real quiet enviroment. Besides, the cost jumps up quite a bit just for a napping place.

The hotels you mentioned are all very good choices. The BC is a great choice with awesome pools. Also, the Boradwalk is a good choice if you want pools, kids pool area and play area in the same location. Then again, we always liked POR because of the pool and play area for the kids as well.

As for other advice... just take your time, relax, and remember that the baby care centers can really be your friend. :)

(3) should we get a suite? Our daughter still takes naps - we're just worried about how to handle her sleeping while we are still awake.

How does she sleep at home? Does she nap easily? Will she nap with other people in the room? When you go out with a stroller, will she fall asleep in the stroller? Have you ever stayed in any hotel before?

My experience with my kids is that unless I'm willing to sleep when they sleep, (or sit in the dark for 45-60 minutes until they get to sleep,) we get adjoining rooms or a suite. I know other people whose kids just poop out and fall asleep. Unfortunately, unless you know what kind of kid you have, it's a hard question to answer.

Adrienne

(3) should we get a suite? Our daughter still takes naps - we're just worried about how to handle her sleeping while we are still awake.
Kaz

Since we've had our son we've almost always had a suite. He doesn't take naps that often anymore (he's almost 3) but just for sleeping in general. I think both our son and us both get a better sleep if we aren't waking each other up everytime one of us makes any noise. Obviously, it's totally up to your situation and what you can afford...but if you can, I'd get the suite.

My brother and sister in law took my 2 and a half year old niece to Disney and she loved it. They took it slow, didn't try to do everything, and had time for afternoon naps at the hotel. I think it is great at that age because it is truly magical for them. However, if the kid is whining and crying and you are getting stressed, stop, slow down, take a break!

Thanks for the advice all.

We are now considering the Beach Club Villas, as a 1 bedroom there is cheaper than a 1 bedroom suite at the Beach Club.

We think a seperate bedroom will work best for our daughter's sleeping. And that way, if we convince a relative to come along (swap a free trip for some babysitting time), we'll be able to accomodate them.

Thanks again!
Kaz

ps - feel free to keep the advice coming!

We are now considering the Beach Club Villas, as a 1 bedroom there is cheaper than a 1 bedroom suite at the Beach Club.

While we haven't stayed at the Beach Club Villas, the rooms should be similar to the 1-bedroom units at the other Disney Vacation Club resorts. We stayed in a 1-bedroom at the Wilderness Lodge Villas on our last trip (when our son was just under 2) and it worked out extremely well. The DVC units are larger than a typical hotel suite with better ammenities. With a young child, you will probably particularly appreciate that there is a washer and dryer in the room. The full-sized kitchen is also very nice to have, although I admit that breakfast was the only meal that we typically had in the room.

I'm assuming from your posts that you are not a DVC member. If you haven't already, you might want to do some research into the possibility of renting points from a member instead of booking the room directly with Disney. You could save quite a bit that way.

-Jeff

You will have a great time. The neat thing is, as the kids grow, every trip brings new delights. One thing I noticed was that, even though my toddler liked to watch shows and videos with the characters, confronting them in person was quite a different experience. She was fine with human characters, particularly princesses, but any non-human character, no matter how sweet and gentle, scared her. Winnie the Pooh, Mickey, etc. are all very big, when compared to such a little person, and it was very intimidating to her. She was OK at a character meal at the Crystal Palace, watching them from a distance, but as soon as a character got close, and wanted to hug her, she would get frightened. Sometimes the animal side-kicks appear without the main character of the story. When Meeko approached her, without Pocohantas, she freaked out-from her perspective she was being attacked by a giant raccoon. I would not avoid character interaction, but if she seems shy, respect that. Look out for the quiet play areas at the Magic Kingdom, there is also a very nice merry-go-round, and the train ride is a lot of fun for the whole family.

We just got back from a trip with our 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 year olds. They LOVED it. We basically went on everything and geared their reaction to what we would go on next. We never did the baby swap, although, I would not hesitate to do it.

If you are going when its warm, be aware that the temperature could really affect the energy of your kid. We just came back from a trip last week, and I was surprised that my kids got so tired so easily - from the heat. They needed long naps.

I would also recommend planning a down day after your travel day - just to orientate and get used to being on vacation. We did not do this and our kids had a hard time adjusting to vacation schedule.

One thing we did that they really enjoyed was have an evening swim before bedtime. We only spent maybe 20 minutes in the pool, but they loved the water, and it was a nice wind down time for them. They slept better!

Also, I would not plan too many sit-down dinners. Our kids are generally pretty good in restaurants, but we planned far too many sit-downs, and they just couldn't take it anymore! They were fine at counter service - even better was eating in the hotel room.