Toddler-friendly trip

[scarlettosarah77]

I had trouble using the search forum box on my phone, so pardon if this is a duplicate and direct me to another thread.

I am planning a trip with my family for next year and will have a 3 year old. I have read a few articles on the subject but would appreciate any advice. Is there a toddler - oriented itinerary? Best on-site places to stay with a toddler? I also have a 16 year old who has his part of the trip mapped out. Ideal Length of stay too.

I'm planning this in advance so money and time are flexible, thanks. I will be there starting the last week of October so we can enjoy weather and Halloween. My first ever trip was three years ago for a wedding so most of our trip was involved with that, and I'm looking at this trip as my first trip to enjoy for myself and my family.

[Pirate Granny]

Most resorts will work for toddlers, so I would go with pricing rather than theming. Once you decide that; there are resorts within value, moderate and deluxe that are good for toddlers...for example pools with zero entry or splash areas. Close to MK? Then stick to those on the monorail (pricey) or wilderness Lodge. Naps are a good thing unless you plan to be back in your room before toddlers normal bedtime. Early riser? Then plan to hit the parks when they open. I normally do DTD or a water park on party days, as you need to purchase a special ticket and I arrive at 4 pm (they will let u enter that early on party days). We've had much success taking our kids and now grand kids when toddlers...they are the most fun, young enough to be thrilled with everything and not old enough to complain. make sure you use baby swap to your advantage for the thrill rides for the older child.

[faline]

It's a bit more complicated when you have such a wide range in ages as the 16 year old will likely want the more thrilling rides. I've been with my brother and his family when our nephew was 2 and, again, when he was 4. It was a bit difficult at 2 as there were a few melt-downs. Things were much better when he was 4 and he even went on a number of the more thrilling rides - at least the ones he was tall enough for. One of his favorites at the age of 4 was Splash Mountain!!

What seemed to work well with him in planning was that he would watch the ride(s) on video (Youtube was quite helpful) and then decide if the ride was something he could/could not handle. You might also check out the required heights for rides so you know in advance of the trip which rides might be off limits due to height restrictions. Kids typically handle this better if they know ahead of time which rides they can't go on instead of being disappointed after arrival!

You know your child best and can determine how much park time can be handled before a rest is needed. Even if your child does not normally use a stroller any longer, you might still consider bringing one for a Disney World trip. My nephew was still using the stroller at Disney on his last trip (at age 6). Also, if fireworks noise bothers your child, you might consider purchasing headphones ahead of time that can be used to buffer the noise.

Mid-day breaks are a good thing when you have a 3 year old. Perhaps that would be the time of day your 16 year old can explore alone and hit the rides the 3 year old can't?

3 year olds typically love the Magic Kingdom so, if budget allows, you might consider staying in a resort in that area.

[lawgirl]

I have had so much fun taking my kids (now 4 and 2) the past few years. We've been taking my son since he was 6 months old. And my daughter's first trip was when she was 3 months. Anyways, one thing that has worked well for us with the little ones is staying in the DVC villas. Having the kitchen and washer dryer and extra space has really made our trips so much more relaxing. We tend to spend alot of time at the resort just relaxing and enjoying. Our last trip was the 2 bedroom villa at SS, which was perfect for us. My kids loved the playground there and there was so much space to run around. It's not as "themed" as some of the other resorts, but it was great for us. They also really like the AKL villas. It's pretty cool for them to see the animals at their hotel. And Kidani has the best splash area. One thing I've had to do with the kids is slow things down and go at their pace. My son loves the resort playgrounds and splash areas, and also he is obsessed with the bus and monorail system. So we can make a day of playing and riding the bus (for free).

I guess alot depends on your budget and what you have in mind. We are taking my son to Bay Lake Towers this Sept for the Halloween party. I'm looking forward to being able to walk to the MK from the resort. We visited the AoA resort and let him "tour" the cars area and had dinner. It was a really fun resort. I prefer the serenity and upgrades at the deluxes, but have heard good things about AoA and POR too.

He loves MK, but really Epcot is his favorite. I think its more spread out and less congested, so there is more space for him to run around and he LOVES the Garden Grill. I think the character meals we've taken them to have been great. Ohana brunch, Chef Mickey's, Garden Grill have all been great fun with the kids.

I love taking them to WDW. I've been going since I was a baby, and it's just so much fun and very magical to be able to experience it through new perspective with my little ones!

[lawgirl]

You know your child best and can determine how much park time can be handled before a rest is needed. Even if your child does not normally use a stroller any longer, you might still consider bringing one for a Disney World trip. My nephew was still using the stroller at Disney on his last trip (at age 6). Also, if fireworks noise bothers your child, you might consider purchasing headphones ahead of time that can be used to buffer the noise.

Yes! We made the mistake of not bringing a stroller last April (he was 3 at the time) and OMG...I had to carry him everywhere. And the park strollers are so hard, he wouldn't ride in it. And yes to the headphones as well. I bought some kids Peltor protective ear muffs on ebay for about $15, and he still uses them. That way we can all enjoy the fireworks.

And this past time I thought he was tall enough for Soarin' and he was just a smidge short, so they wouldn't let him ride. Thankfully he didn't really know what it was, but I would definitely check height req, especially if the 16yr old will be riding them.

Another thing is to try and keep a somewhat normal schedule. We aren't really ones to rush to the parks at the crack of dawn. My kids sleep late, so i try to let them sleep as long as possible, get a good breakfast, and also come back mid-day for naps.

[scarlettosarah77]

Thanks for all the ideas! I'm hoping to stay at one of the resorts close to MK, and was hoping for Polynesian to be through with remodeling by our trip next October. The older son is more interested in Harry Potter at Universal and Star Wars at DHS, but with the 7 1/2 hour line for the new ride, I'm hoping the line is shorter next year.

[spoiledraf]

The sand bottom shallow pool at the Beach Club was a hit for our grand kids (if its warm enough) and its close to the Studios for your older son and a short walk to Epcot as well. We made an effort to do charActer meals and meets. Cape May cafe has a great character breakfast and there is are really good character experiences at Epcot. And they are a little less crowded than MK opportunities. I also like being able to walk back to the resort after Illuminations. It's a little tougher getting back from MK after Wishes no matter where you stay.

[scarlettosarah77]

I got a great deal on the week of Christmas at Wilderness Lodge so with some actual planning on my part, I might survive the trip. I'm making all of my dinner reservations now through My Disney Experience, and have reservations set up for a table service meal a day and the Candlelight Processional at Rose & Crown so that we can see the 645 show. At first I had it booked for 5pm and that show isnt until 8pm, which is past toddler bedtime. This board is so helpful, thanks for all the tips,

[RBrooksC]

We went back when my son was 18 months old. My wife and I mapped out the days and stayed at the WL so we could go back easily to rest, etc.

What we discovered is he made his own timeframe and it never matched up with ours.

We had a stroller and we would fall asleep on his own. We decided it was better to let him sleep in the stroller and would many times stay at the parks all day and make our way back around dinner.

Then we would swim at the resort in the evening.

Also, I got to ride what I wanted to ride and, if my wife wanted to ride something that we couldn't ride as a family, we did the baby swap but those were few and far between.