OK..so I went last when I as 13 back in '93 my wife went when she was 9 in '89. We both loved it and I desperately want to go back.
We now have a little 2yr old girl. I would LOVE to go(to the pint where I am practically obsessing over it)..But we are trying to save for other things(like a home).....but I thought what if we just went for a few days(Mon-Fri.) and saw just a few things to just sort of introduce WDW to our daughter, maybe even skip a park... she already has an impressive movie/doll collection and knows most all of the characters already...so far Cinderella is her favorite along with Mickey. So I think she would understand what we were doing.

I am trying to look at the cheapest times to go..I thought maybe make this a X-mas trip(but really go in early Dec(8-12) when I hear its least crowded and less expensive(stay at Value Resort and not so hot. Is WDW already decorated?

My questions are....is it worth it..for just a few days...we would have to fly in so we would get there the earliest like noon on Mon and then 3 full days then leave Fri at 4?
We know we want to go more often then not as she grows up(we also want at least another child very soon) so maybe we should just hold off until she'll truly be able to grasp the trip and we can spend more time and $$...?

Only you know your finances and priorities.

BUT, if you can swing it and NOT delay getting the house, then it sounds like a nice plan for a TASTE of what WDW can offer. I agree, stay at a value (Pop Century is the newest and largest, and never shares a bus), use Disney's Magical Express (free!) to and from the airport, do a Mon-Thurs stay (cheaper) in early December (cheaper) when all the Christmas decorations are up.

Biggest advice if you do decide to do it - GO AT YOUR DAUGHTER'S PACE!!! You already know you won't be able to do everything - so do what SHE can do pace wise. You can use rider switch if you and your wife want to try some of the 'thrill' rides, but there's tons that your daughter will enjoy, even if she only remembers it from the pictures. Naps are going to take a chunk out of the middle of your day (unless she can nap in a stroller effectively), but that's ok.

Also, I would likely not do the dining plan at her age, but plan a couple of character meals and the rest do counter service. (I'm assuming she'll be 3 by the time next December rolls around).

OH, and VERY important for a recent 'graduate' to big girl panties (if she is by the time you travel) Bring post-it notes to cover the electronic eye on the auto-flush toilets while she's using them. Not too many things scarier to a little one then to have those very forceful flushes start while you're still exposed! (Just remember to remove the post it when you're done!)

I don't think you're going to like my advice, but here goes:

Wait. (It hurts just to type that.) If the choice is between travelling now or within a couple of years, I would hold off. Your daughter will get more out of the visit (as will you) if you wait to bring her when she's older.

Speaking from personal experience, I went down around my fifth birthday and while I have memories of having a wonderful time and seeing various characters and fun experiences, I believe now that I was barely of the age to appreciate it. As it was, despite my easy-going nature as a child (not my own opinion), I was incapable of surviving more than half a day of the theme parks.

Since this is the first trip back for both you and your wife, I would warn you that you may be setting yourselves up for dissappointment as there will no doubt be things that you will want to see and do. (Someone on these boards once described it best by saying that your first trip to WDW is when you decide what to do on your next trip.) It's quite doable with a two-year old (be sure to check out all the great advice on the Parenting in the Park section of the forums), but it's far more doable with a three, four, or five year old. The dilemna here for you is that if you have another child in the near future, the question changes to "Do I go with a 2-year old and a 4- year old?". The bottom line is that you know your child better than anyone and the addage "Your Millage May Vary [YMMV]" is never more appropriate than when it involves children.

I'm curious (not that it's any of my business), but why make it a Mon-Fri trip. If you're worried about fares, airline and hotel rates for the weekends won't vary much from Mon or Friday. (For example, they're exactly the same from BDL on Delta that week [not that I looked :rolleyes:].) It may mean two more days on vacation or two less days off used at work.

Wow..all excellent advice..
thnks for the(surprising never thought of that) toilet advice..

Well the trip wouldn't put off a house literally..but every time we spend lots of $$ at once we chant the mantra trying to save for a house(still years away).

Very true about the staying less days..if I know we can't see everything..I figured MK is a must as is AK maybe a little Epcot if possible...The no Meal Plan...Um I think you are right...she will eat anything..but gets a little fussy with how long she has to wait once she wants to eat...but would it save $$..I would surely bring somethings in but would need to buy some stuff as well..how expensive is food there?

You are right I was trying to save by going Mon-Fri...but if its comparable for a Sat-W then maybe that's better....
True also that we would want to do adult things...but I may just be able to convince Grandma and Grandpa to come along as well(actually I know that they would go(they go about every other year alone)) that might take off some pressure..

We started taking our son when he was 22 months old. He loved every minute of it. He has grown up with Disney and can wait til our yearly trip. So why wait. You could always find something more responsible to do with the money but what fun is that. I truly believe it is a great bonding experience with my children and I wouldn't trade my Disney memories wth them for anything. Go and have a wonderful time. Four days is better than no days!

So....now I need to figure out if this is truly doable..(and when do we want the next baby to be born..that also comes into play)...

If not this year then maybe next.....I hate to wait...

Cost will play a BIG factor...when else is a 'cheap' season...can you rent points from DVC...how much is that? Who would I talk to about that?

Go now, take your parents and stay in a value resort. Your child will love it. Who knows what will happen next year or the year after that. Your daughter may surprise you with how much she will remember, and if she doesn't remember much, you will!

As mentioned in a previous post, your first trip is when you decide what to do on your next trip. This was so true for us. We had 4 days on our first trip and my son was almost 5. We truly enjoyed it even though we had some trying moments! However, we returned the following summer much more relaxed and informed. You can research all you want but until you actually get there and see what works for you, you're never quite ready, in my experience. There are just so many options and everyone has different definitions of fun.

We are going again this June with my step daughter, her husband, and their almost 2 year old. (My son will be almost 9 this time.) They basically invited themselves along so we aren't going as babysitters, but we will help them out so they can all enjoy their vacation. So if your parents are eager to go, by all means take them along. I bet they will love being there the first time their dear granddaughter meets Cinderella!

Go now. go as often as finances will allow. and don't discount going to Disneyland! I know this is a WDW thread...and I'll be going (1st time) this august. But my experience (and it spans 48 years) is with DL.

My first time at DL I was 1 month old. We continued to go at least twice a year until my early teens when I went CONSTANTLY! I'm not sure when my earliest memory is exactly, but I do know that they did start VERY early and I cherish them to this day.

I also started taking my son when he was 10 months old. For his entire life (until 8 months ago) we lived in Alaska and I didn't hesitate to take him at least once a year. True...we went at his pace - still do. That's really the point of taking your kids - to see the park through their eyes. And what a wonder that truly is!

Why wait? Start making the memories now. And make sure you take plenty of pictures. Then when you are back home, make sure you share those pictures with your daughter. Relive the magic over and over. My son loves looking at his years growing up in the park. Each memory is sparked by the pictures and he is proud of being a child of Disney. Just like me. I can say my first Disney experience was during Christmas in the 50's. The best part of going when you are very young (especially if you continue the experience year after year) is that you can remember special events (historically) and tie them into park events. I could go on and on - but suffice it to say I wouldn't trade ANY of my trips to DL for anything.:p

I used to be one of those who wouldn't think of going to a Disney park with a kid less than 6 years old (coincidentally, the age that I first visited DL back in the dark ages). But a couple years ago I got the opportunity to host my brother, his wife and their 2 1/2 year old daughter. While I'm sure she doesn't remember the trip in detail, she sure had a terrific time seeing the sights and riding the rides and actually getting to meet Mickey Mouse (which she still talks about at age 5). So I've ammended my thoughts a bit. I still don't see the fun of taking an infant who can't walk yet, as that just seems to be an incredible hassle for the parents for not much benefit for the kid. But your 2 year old should get a big kick out of it.

And yes, all the Christmas stuff is out in full splendor throughout December. Make sure you catch the extended fireworks show IllumiNations in Epcot, as well as the phenominal Voices of Liberty in Epcot's American pavilion singing Christmas songs. Epcot also does a fun Christmas tree lighting show every evening (can you guess that I really like Epcot at Christmas?). All the parks are fully decorated for Christmas, especially the New York area of Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney/MGM Studios) which hosts the Osborne Spectacle of Lights, basically MILLIONS of computer controlled lights coordinated to music - very very cool!

Keep those questions coming, and go for it - you're gonna have a terrific time!

I agree, go now, even if you can't see everything. Heck, when I was a kid living in Orlando, we never went for more than a day and I always had a great time. Go, spend most of your time at MK, your child will enjoy this park the most, and then if time permits, go to Epcot and DHS. I would hold AK till later; it's such a big and HOT park -- even I get a bit grumpy when we go there.

I'm on board with everybody --if you can make it work financially I'd go for it. We've gone twice with a two year old and had fantastic trips both times. While it's true she likely won't remember the trip, she'll love the pictures and you and your wife will sure remember it. We've also gone with a 4 mos. old and when I was pregnant; I really think if you're going realistically prepared to travel with a little one you'll have a great trip, even if it's just a few days.
As far as budgeting for the trip I'd go with a value, we stayed at POP last June and it worked really well. Haven't stayed at the other values, but if money is tight I do think they're the way to go.

So I priced it out 3people from Dec10-13 at a Value resort with 2day hopper and dinning(1meal, 1quick) plus fly in for $1800....is that a good deal, maybe I should call my AAA.

a couple more questions....is there a Santa anywhere at this time, i never see one on any X-mas time stuff.....
Also what/where is a sit down meal and what/where is quick service.
Does this meal plan cover all 4 days, we would not be in Orlando till 1230 and I'm not sure how long a drive to property out flight would potentially leave @ 1 the last day..why would I want meals on the day I get in and the day I leave..I feel like it would be a waste??? I would wanta dinner the first day so OK that cool but the last would be just trying to get to the Airport...

And it says free service from-to Airport..do I need to schedule ahead or is it on a rotation like every hour first come first serve??

I would get three day hoppers, not 2 -- if your flight lands right after noon, you'll have all afternoon and evening in the parks -what else are you going to do?

You do have to schedule DME ahead of time, but they dispatch the buses 'as needed' so you might have a little wait.

Leaving, the buses leave each resort approximately every 1/2 hour, and they'll want you on the bus that's approximately 3 hours before your flight time.

The dining plan is tied to the number of nights of your hotel reservation. So if you fly in on the 10th, and out on the 13th - that's 10 - 11 - 12 - so 3 nights = 3 days of meal plans. You get all your credits at the start of the trip, so you'll have 3 table service, 3 counter service, and 3 snacks for each person - to use in any way you want.

There is a Santa in the American Pavillion in Epcot, one in Downtown Disney, and there MIGHT be one in the Magic Kingdom, but I'm not totally sure. There are also storytellers in each of the countries in Epcot, which your daughter might enjoy.

I chose only 2day hoppers because I figured that first day we could go to Downtown Disney, shop for X-mas gifts and have dinner..she'll be 3 then so after traveling all morning and early afternoon i figuered something slow is best....
I figured first day at MK, then second day around Epcot a little and then go see the light display at the Studios, she REALLY loves X-mas lights


Well thats good about the meals only on nights we stay..and if I have a quick service left on the day I check out could I use that for breakfast?

Yes, you can use the counter/quick service for any meal. You can use table service for Breakfast, lunch, or dinner - and many people use them for character breakfasts.

.can you rent points from DVC...how much is that? Who would I talk to about that?

Go here: www.disboards.com and scroll (way) down to DVC points rent/trade, or something like that. They'll give you all the info that you need to know about renting points. Bottom line bucks are probably cheaper at a value resort, but if you talk the grandparents into going, a one/two bedroom could be affordable instead of two rooms. Plus you'll have a kitchen and a washer/dryer combo (always handy). I vote go-go-go!!

:)We're headed to WDW exactly a month from tomorrow with my 3 year old! Yea! We cautiously ventured to DLR in October, when my son was 2 1/2 and just potty-trained, and braced ourselves for the worst. BUT, it was a great time and now we're headed to WDW!! We did just 2 days at the parks in Oct., with a "break" day in between -- he got a great nap, some down time, etc that day. This time around we'll do MK on Sun and Tues, and have a character meal + Downtown Disney planned on Monday. I agree with some of the previous posts, you have to go at the child's pace, but you will all have a great time!! Take lots of snacks, bottled water, and your video camera. My son LOVES watching himself with all the characters from our October trip. Have fun!!:)

Magical Express, the free transfer between MCO and WDW, is scheduled when you book your room or anytime after that. Once you arrive at MCO, you go to a Welcome Desk and check in, then you go out to the coach that brings you to your resort. You will meet your coach back to the airport roughly three hours before your flight back home.

On your admission media, you mentioned the 2-day Hopper. Look at what time your flight gets in on arrival day, on a Wednesday, allow ninety minutes from MCO to WDW and add an hour to check in at the resort. Then look at what time the parks will close that day. If you have three to four hours, you may want to experience a park. Same thing on your departure day, Magical Express will pick you up roughly three hours prior to your flight, so if you have three or four hours before Magical Express will be picking you up, you may want to experience a park that last day as well. On two adults and one child, the difference in price from 2-day to 3-day is $182 and the difference from 2-day to 4-day is $207. Also, look at whether you will hop or not, regardless of number of days, hopping cost $135 for two adults and one child. You can pre-purchase the 2-day Base and always add days and hopping at the resort during your course of your stay if you find you want to.

On the Disney Dining Plan, the meals are based on number of nights. On your three night stay, each person will get three snack, three counter service, and three table service credits. Counter Service credits are used at the fast food type places in the resorts and parks (places where you walk up, place your order, and take your food to your seat). Table Service credits are used at sit down places in the resorts and parks (places where you are seated and either order from a menu and are served, where the food is served family style from a set menu, or a buffet). Snacks are single serve items from the counter service or carts. On the dining plan, for Counter Service, you get a non-alcholic drink, an entree, and a dessert and for Table Service, you get a non-alcholic drink, an entree and a dessert or a full buffet or family style meal with non-alcholic drink. All credits include tax, but tip is not included on the Table Service. Depending on what time you arrive the first day, you may have lunch at the resort or a park, you'll have a lunch the second and third day, and you may have a lunch the fourth day depending on what time you catch the Magical Express back to the airport. You will have a dinner on arrival night and the next two nights. You will also eat three breakfasts. So, you will eat three breakfasts, between two and four lunches, and three dinners during your stay. We always eat breakfast in our room from grocieries purchased online at Garden Grocer. We plan what park we will be at each day, so we can figure out where we will be at meal times. We pick where we want to eat each lunch (counter service) and dinner (table service). Then we look at the menus on allearsnet.com and compare the cost of the cheapest meal (drink, entree, and dessert) everywhere with the cost of the dining plan. If it is cheaper, we buy the plan. It has always been cheaper for us to buy the plan, even this year with the 2008 changes. The list of DDP counter service and table service places is found on Disney's site at this link: http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw/images2003/languagespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/08Dining.pdf.

We usually do a Character Dinner with Mickey the first night and another Character Breakfast the last morning.

Hope that answers some of your questions.

Barb

I chose only 2day hoppers

it seems like you would be better off getting three day non-hopping tickets; for only a couple of dollars more, you can head into a park for an extra day - this would be lovely for your first day - head into DTD for lunch and shopping, then to MK for the parade and fireworks = a great way to start your holiday. It doesn't seem like you intend to hop, so why pay extra for it? Also, it might be worthwhile checking out menus and prices of meals - it may well be that you would be better off without the dining plan. If you bring cereal etc for breakfast in your room before you go, and if you are happy not to do the table service meals on such a short trip, it would probably be a fair bit cheaper to go your own way.

ETA: OK, so I just read Barb's post and it covers everything I meant to say, only better...

WOW..thank you to everyone for all the advice, I truly appreciate it....I only recently discovered th Online family of Disney fans and am amazed at the thoughtfulness and depth of experience....and alot of you seem to know each other...

Well I am convinced that we should go.....now there is one more major hurdle to overcome(convince my wife)......

Also, it might be worthwhile checking out menus and prices of meals - it may well be that you would be better off without the dining plan. If you bring cereal etc for breakfast in your room before you go, and if you are happy not to do the table service meals on such a short trip, it would probably be a fair bit cheaper to go your own way.


Just thought I'd echo this sentiment. Unless you're really wanting to do sitdown meals everyday (which may not be the case with a 2yo), it's much cheaper to do what emmah suggests. Also on such a short trip counter service meals take much less time so you have more time to enjoy the parks, they also let you be much more flexible about when and where you eat (another plus when you have a 2yo). I know for some people sit down meals are a big part of the trip, if that's the case, nevermind!

Good luck with the convincing :D

Yep-I too wouldn't do the dining plan for such a short trip. Maybe one character ts for your kiddo(and yourselves) to enjoy-the pictures(even the ones you take yourselves) are terrific mementos and the character interaction is great. But table service really takes a chunk of time out of your visit. And a 2 year old may not be amenable to spending all that time waiting anyway.

How about a character breakfast within the MK? Before the park opens if you can. Then you are through the turnstiles before the crowds; get some great pix of the Castle wo crowds and are ready to hit Dumbo asap when the park opens. Crystal Palace is one that comes to mind.

There are some good counter service options in every park and DTD has my favorite-Wolfgang Puck Express.

I would definitely go for it. In May of 2005, my DH and I took my 2 1/2 year old (I was 7 months pregnant also) and we were actually only there for 1 day. Let me say this, that 1 day had a drastic impact on her life. She loved being there and that was her first time going. She is 5 now and we have been back 3 times now, she wants to live there and oh how i wish would would too. She loves watching the Spectromagic Parade that we taped and looking at all the pictures and autographs that she got with the characters. If you can afford to go, don't hesitate to (you won't regret it)!!!!

I would also encourage you to go ahead and do a short trip, with one toddler. One advantage is that, because of her age, you will be focusing on rides and activities appropriate for her, and, by basically eliminating all thrill rides (unless you and your wife really want to do it, and don't mind going one at a time, in which case you can do a baby swap), and that scales back the range of stuff you would be doing, so you are not missing as much in a short trip. Assuming you do add onto your family in the near future, you would, likely decide to wait a few years before going back. The logistics of taking a toddler and an infant would be a lot more complicated, if only for the the amount of diapers and baby stuff you would have to take. Go now, stay at a value resort, mostly do counter service meals, and then save up for the next trip, after you have bought your house and a second child is old enough to appreciate the parks. If you rented points for a DVC studio, it would be closer in cost to a moderate. For such a short stay, a value would be fine.

There is a Santa in MK during the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, I am not sure if he is there the rest of the day but I would say no. MVMCP (http://allearsnet.com/tp/hol_mk.htm) info from 2007, this might be an idea for your arrival night if it is offered for that date. It is a ton of fun, we have been a few times and love it so much we are going again this year. Crowds are smaller, I think they limit it to 20,000 people(?).