:confused: I was just wondering if anyome had any feedback on how it is at WDW with 2 small children, my oldest is 4 and the youngest is 21 months old. I am going to bring lightweight strollers for both of them. any advise on what time to go the the park?:confused:

Howdy,

Just back from our first trip to WDW last week. I have 5yr old twin girls and a 20 month old son. Very similar to your ages. I don't know if you have already made plans on length of stay, hotel etc... so I just give you general advice on what we just learned.

1) As you can see from my city we flew cross country and this really hit our kids hard. We slept in the next day but decided to hit EPCOT for half a day. Mistake on our part, we should have just relaxed at the resort and swam and got to bed early to help them adjust. Next day we spent entire day at the MK. They were wiped out. We had a rest day the next day but that wasn't enough. If I were to do it over again it would be rest on arrival, theme park all day, rest day, theme park all day, rest day...and so on. Trying to do theme parks two days in a row from open to close was too much for them.

2) Strollers: We brought an umbrella type stroller (upgraded version of the $15 Wal mart special) for the young one and gate checked it when getting on the airplane. We used it everywhere for him. We rented the Double strollers at the parks for the twins. Worked great and we didn't have to worry about bring other strollers for the twins. They are old enough where they can handle walking to/from the parks/restaurants etc...

3) Nap breaks: We are DL vet's so we are used to being able to walk to a hotel around the DL resort within 20 minutes and taking a little one for a nap. We quickly discovered that aint happening at WDW. We stayed at PO-R which means we needed to take a bus to get back. I don't care what anyone tells you, plan on an hour to get anywhere if you have to use the bus system. We thought we might be able to take kids back for a nap, but logistically it just didn't work. Again, I don't know where you are staying etc but it would be feasable and quick if you were staying on one of the Monorail hotels and you were at EP or MK. But short of those, don't plan on taking kids back for a nap, 2 hours worth of travel plus nap time takes a very big chunk out of your day. Our 20 month old would nap in his stroller but only for an hour or so, he usually naps 2 - 3 hours when he is at home.

4) Don't overplan: Expect that you are not going to move as fast as two adults travelling alone. Most people will tell you that you can do MK in a day, EP in 2 days, MGM and AK in a day. Not with little one's you're not. Again, not knowing your experience level at WDW but the following is what I believe to be ideal for kids and parents to enjoy themselves: 2 Days at MK, 2 days at EP although the kids are going to get bored at the World showcase. 1.5 days at AK, if they love animals and the zoo they will love this place, take your time and let them watch the animals for a while. 1 day for MGM and that would just for hitting the highlights of that park. We planned everything to the hilt and found that we tried to stuff to much into our trip and we had to cut some things out. I did research for months on this trip and thought I was being very conservative with time in parks/things to see etc trying to be mindful of the kids stamina but we still didn't do everything we hoped. No biggie, we'll catch it next time. We found that if we got to the parks at opening and followed the touring plans found in the Unofficial guide up to about midday it worked GREAT!!! We hit all the major attractions and everything we wanted to see and do within the park but skipped a lot of the minor stuff that we'll catch another time.

5) Food Issues: We were on the DDP and that worked well for us. Our plan was to have the 20 month old share the twins food. That didn't work for us as the twins were hungry so the inhaled all of thier food so we ended up buying meals for the youngest. Counter Service is not very efficient for adults with kids who can't carry thier own trays. We would have to have one adult stay with the kids while the other 2 adults (see next point, we had some help) went and got the meals. Not very fast/efficient, especially if you were at a buffet style restaurant.

6) If you can, bring a helper: We were fortunate enough to have my mother in law come with us and she was a great help. If you can afford to bring some help, do it, it helps with potty breaks/meal time/getting ready in the morning.

7) Plan to have an early dinner at the park your in for the day: We made the mistake of making dinner resi's at hotels or other places other then the park we were in or waiting until a park closed then going to eat. As stated earlier, plan on an hour of bus time anywhere you want to go and even longer if you're leaving at park closing. If you have to leave the park to go eat somewhere else that cuts down on your park time and makes for a long evening. This is an example:

You are at MK and you have dinner resi's at BOMA at the AKL at 6:30, you have to start walking out of MK by 5:15 to make it to bus stop by 5:30. Of course, murphy's law will kick in and as your walking up to the bus stop an AKL bus will have just left, so you wait 20 minutes. Bus shows up, 20 minute ride and your at AKL in time for your 6:30 resi (reality is you won't be seated till 6:45). You have a wonderful meal, leave 7:45, now you have to get back to your resort, let say, Port Orleans Riverside. No direct bus service so you take a bus to Downtown Disney and then Transfer to a bus (or boat) back to POR putting you in 8:45 - 9 ish. Essentially 3.5 - 4 hours for dinner.

That was typical of what we did and what a lot of people do on the DDP. I suggest eating at a Table Service Rest within the park between 5 - 6pm. By the time your done eating, say 7 pm at the latest, you can play it by ear if you want to stay at the park longer or head for the hotel, depending on how tired you and the kids are.

We had a great time and there were a ton of positives versus the few negatives that we had no matter how much planning we did. No matter how much you plan, be flexible and build in rest for the kids, nothing will make you cranky faster then your tired and cranky kids.

Take care

We first took our kids when they were 2 and 5. We always stay on-site, and we always take a break, mid-day, usually to go swimming at the hotel, or other quieter activity. We get to the parks early, before the crowds hit, and usually leave after lunch. After 4 or 5 hours, the kids would start to get overstimulated, tired, and cranky, and once that sets in, it does not get better. Pushing the kids to stay, would usually lead to a meltdown. The same sometimes applied to my husband. Consider sometimes making your table service meal at lunchtime, rather than dinner, especially for a character meal. The kids will be fresh, interested, and hungry, and we have had better restaurant manners at lunch. My kids are a little older now, but we still take mid-day breaks, if not to swim, just to do something quieter. Last Thanksgiving it was too cold to swim, but the holiday decorations were up, so we spent a couple of hours checking out a couple of hotel lobbies, which we all enjoyed. It does take time out of the day to return to the hotel, but it's worth it, to get a break, and also to your baby supplies, so you don't have to carry so much. When the weather is really hot, it also feels good to change your shirt and freshen up in the room.

Thank you so much for the wonderful advice....i truly appreciate it. We are staying at the AS Movies, we are also bringing my mom with us. her intentions are to bring the youngest back to the room for an afternoon nap for her and herself(she is 67). Our 4 year old, i think will just sleep in the stroller. We went to Disney back in 2005 when i jsut had her and that worked out fine. I am just going to have to get my husband to understand that they are just kids, we can't oush them through the day as it were just us at Disney by ourselves. It will be hot of course(going June 2-8th) and we live in Louisiana, so we are use to the heat. We are driving to Florida and leaving a day early, so the girls will have time to rest before the excitement begins!!!:D

We took our two and one year old last September and stayed at Wilderness Lodge.

The one thing we did not count on was how the heat would affect our kids. We're from San Francisco, and the heat just wiped them out. What they could do normally was cut in 1/2. So, instead of being ready for a nap at 2, they were ready at 12. And they slept longer. If your kids are not used to the heat, plan the bulk of your time during the times of day when the heat is the least, and the height of the heat in an air-conditioned activity or at the hotel.

We also brought a portable dvd player which hooked into the t.v. at the hotels, which was nice because they could watch Disney movies for down time when they were too hot.

Try to make early lunch reservations and late dinner. We found that the kids got hungry much earlier than lunch and were usually asleep during our planned dinners.

Definitely do Playhouse Disney live and Turtle Talk. Our kids just DIED over those!!!

Finally, if your kids are not used to the characters, I found that holding them and introducing them to the character, with "Pluto, this is Joshua, he's never met a Disney character before!" usually prompted the character to be very gentle and patient with them - - and my kids were character pros by the very end.

Just a thought...one poster mentioned doing a park day then a rest day...not a bad idea.

Perhaps something similar would also work...just doing mornings or afternoons in the parks? (I know it all depends on particular children and the number of days in a pass, etc.) Just a thought. :)

We just came back, with "only" our 4yr old. No naps. We rented a double stroller since we went w/ another couple and their 5yr old son. Strollers have limited stroller space, and will tip over when kids get out if too much stuff in the stroller pockets.
We went a couple years ago and brought our full stroller, which was a pain to carry around (especially on buses & trams), but very helpful for cameras, water bottles, merchandise, etc. Expect to carry all of this with any rental stroller.
We did 3 parks in 3 days, which was admittedly a lot. We arrived on Monday (2-hour flight from MD) very early, and spent the day exploring the hotel (Animal Kingdom Lodge) and going to the pool. The next day we did MK open to close. We slept in a bit on Wednesday, and did AK until 9pm close (EMH). On Thursday, we went to US Islands of Adventure from near-open to near-close. We were wiped, but everyone had a great time.
The nice thing about staying on WDW property is that we could drive from Park to Park without paying the parking fees. On Friday, we also went to the Contemporary to take a round-trip on the monorail (he's way into trains, so getting to ride up-front on the monorail was very cool).
It is supposed to be a vacation, so I agree that the Park - Relax - Park - Relax pattern is recommended.

I took my then 20 month old last year. I think the park - relax - park - relax is even too rigid. We took one rest day in 7 days there. But we almost always came back to the resort for naps. Also several night we were back in the room by 5 or so. It just depends on the kid. Mine could never go from open to close. But at the same time would be fine going every day for a reasonable amount of time.

We took our son twice last year..he was four when we went in September, then we took him for his 5th birthday in November. We stayed at WL in WDW in September, and PC in November. If you stay at WL or one of the "deluxe" resorts, you can do the nap in the middle of the day, because I swear, the buses and such run quicker for those hotels. PC we couldn't, because it took FOREVER to get anywhere.
We found that letting our little guy do something that let him burn off energy helped. Like the dinosaur boneyard dig and slide area in AK, the Honey I Shrunk the Kids set in MGM and the stuff after the Figment of Imagination in Epcot. We tried to alternate between rides and stuff like that.
We also found that he needed more to eat, so we kept granola bars and pop tarts in the room, so he could have something to eat as soon as he woke up, then we would get dressed, go to breakfast, then hit a park. Early lunch, then swim at the hotel, then back to the park. Late dinner at a park, then park again if it was open. If not, we would do the arcades.
There are also tons of things for "rest" days that you can do. There is a petting zoo at the campground, as well as camp fires and movies at the camp ground in the evening. You can call and ask what movies are playing. This is a ton of fun, and great for a little "down" time.
Bring snacks and juice boxes in a back pack to the parks every day, even if you are on the dining plan. We brought them every day, both times, and never got questioned. Keep the kids full and hydrated, and that is half the battle.
At the first sign of a meltdown, get somewhere quieter and think "How long has she been in her stroller? Does she need to run? When was her last snack/drink? When did Mommy or Daddy last give her a hug/kiss? Is she tired?" She will most likely calm down after some quiet, and she may be able to tell you what the problem is. Bring an activity from home, like a favorite book or a video game like GameBoy (call us bad parents, that thing saved us in lines) or V-Smile pocket for lines and waiting for tables in restaurants. For the second trip, one of my son's birthday presents was the FP Kid Tough Digital camera, and he was tickled with it...he took pictures of everything! If that isn't in the budget, pick up some cheap one time cameras, and keep them hidden and whip them out when your little one seems bored/cranky. Worked wonders for our son. We also always hit the dollar store and buy a bunch of little stuff for every trip. It goes in The Invisible Octopus Magic Bag (don't ask), and we lug it everywhere. We use it as a reward for good behavior, and sometimes just to divert from possible bad behavior. (We never use it once bad has started in full force). Most cast members have stickers on them, and will give you some if you ask. I never understood the fascination with stickers, but my son LOVES them, and they will usually change a cranky mood around in a heartbeat.:D
My last piece of advice...love your kids, and let them be kids! This is supposed to be fun!!!

any advise on what time to go the the park?:confused:


If your kids will be "OK" with it (ie--if you can wake them up early enough), I highly recommend getting to the parks at opening (or even before). During crowded times of the year, you can prob'ly do a whole lot more during that first hour or two than you can the entire rest of the day.

Then, make sure to take breaks during the day. We've always stayed on-site & found the Disney transportation very convenient to get to & from the resort mid-day for a nap/swim/etc. The first time we took our kids they were 6 & "not quite" 3, so that mid-day break was very important. As they've gotten older, we've taken breaks less frequently, but still from time to time (see, as they get older, so do I, and I may be the one who needs the break now more than they do ;)).

One thing I really like about the Disney transportation @ Walt Disney World, even when you leave the parks, you're not leaving "Disney." The busses play Disney music; and you still have views of the other parks & resorts as you drive along--Space Ship Earth from Epcot, Tower of Terror from The Studios, Summit Plummet from Blizzard Beach, Expedition Everest from Animal Kingdom, etc. And when you get back to your resort, you're still surrounded by Disney theming. So with the all encompassing environment of WDW, even taking a break from the parks is not taking a break from "Disney." :D

Being serious DL folks and having just returned in March from 8 days at WDW, I have to disagree with the advice to return to the hotel mid-day and go back later. We traveled with another family and had a 3, 4 and 5 year old with us. Getting back to FW and returning to the park would have added 2 to 3 hours of travel time to the middle of the day. When the kids were beat, I did NOT want to try to get on a bus or wait in line! At DL, we always go back mid-day and nap but it's quick and easy. Even with the good WDW transportation, it was too much.

Instead, we scoped out a very nice, quiet shady spot at each park when we walked in. I carried two small trashbags in my backpack in case the ground was wet. We'd get a snack, sit down and just talk, draw, listen to stories or rest for an hour in the afternoon. It was a good break without taking up too much time. Several parks had places to play in the water too (we spent a good 2 hours in Ariel's Grotto at MK one day just relaxing)

We also planned a resort day in the middle of the trip that we did nothing but swim, hang out and relax. It helped get the kids energy level back up again.
Someone else commented on Playhouse Disney- we sat through it and other air conditioned shows just to rest.

Being serious DL folks and having just returned in March from 8 days at WDW, I have to disagree with the advice to return to the hotel mid-day and go back later.

Well, it kinda depends on what you're looking for. If you're just wanting a 15-min power nap, it prob'ly doesn't make sense to leave the park either place. But if you have a little one (or anybody;)) who seriously needs a nap &/or break, we've found it to work fine, many times, on many trips, using WDW transportation. And having just come back from a 9-day trip a couple weeks ago, I can say that it still works. We didn't take a break every day this time 'cause the kids are older, but the days we did go back to the resort to rest or swim or whatever, it was very convenient. :)