The countdown is on. Our Disney trip is just around the corner.
We have dining reservations (too many, actually. I need to narrow it down). We have a (fairly loose) itinerary—a plan for which days we’re spending in which parks. We have our Fast Passes (wasn’t able to get Elsa and Anna. booooo). Our Magic Bands came in the mail.
(Image Source: Disney Parks Blog)
I’m starting to panic a little. I’m so, so excited, but also kind of nervous.
Vivienne is the wild card. She’s what I think is a typical toddler with wildly unpredictable moods which can change at the drop of a hat. Typically, she’s a pretty good kid but if she’s hungry or tired or wants something she can’t have… watch out, world. Our pediatrician used to tell us that Nora was a “spirited child,” but now that I have Vivienne… no way. Nora has her moments but she is quiet and reserved and mostly well behaved. Vivienne is the definition of spirited child—loud and vocal, stubborn and determined. Nora observes and proceeds with caution. Vivienne flings herself into the world with reckless abandon.
I cannot imagine her falling asleep in the stroller the way we used to get Nora to do, at least for cat naps. CANNOT.IMAGINE. She is just not that kind of kid. If it happens, it will be some sort of miracle.
To say I’m nervous about traveling with Vivienne—on the plane, in the parks, in the restaurants, in the hotel—is a little bit of an understatement. Who knows what she’s going to do. Michael and I have discussed it at length and we are going to try to roll with the punches. Go at their pace. Go back to the hotel for naps if we must. But the problem with all of that is that we don’t have just one child… we have two. Vivienne isn’t our only consideration. We have Nora, who would likely be fine to be out and about having fun most days. We hate to ruin her fun for the sake of her baby sister. But I suppose there’s a life lesson to be had in there. We’ll do the best we can.
Side note: What were we thinking getting a standard hotel room? We’ve all slept in the same room before—in the Poconos and even this summer in the Outer Banks—but in those instances, we had other places to hang out if we weren’t ready to sleep when they were sleeping. We were only ever in the room all together to SLEEP. This should be interesting. I guess Michael and I will be seeing some early bedtimes. LOL.
I know people do this all of the time and we made the decision to go now for good reasons. We’re going to have fun. It’s just that when we made the reservations, Vivienne was nine months old and I had no idea what kind of toddler she would actually be. Now I know, haha. To be fair, when we spent a day at Disneyland with Nora when she was about 2.5, she presented her own set of challenges. SO… rolling with it. Relaxing. Breathing. Woo-sah.
Moving along… packing and preparing. I could definitely use any last-minute tips that you all might have. What to bring, what to leave at home. What to buy in advance, what to buy on site, etc.
We are staying at Coronado Springs.
Instead of lugging ours, we are renting a double stroller in Orlando, which will be delivered to our hotel before our arrival. But then for the airport, we’re wondering—do we bring our umbrella stroller? Carry Vivienne in the backpack carrier? But if Michael is carrying Vivienne in the backpack carrier, then we lose a backpack for carry-on “stuff” (since he won’t have a free back to carry it on). Thankfully, we are flying an airline that offers a free checked bag for every ticketed passenger, so we get to dump three suitcases at the ticket counter, freeing up valuable arms and hands. Suggestions on all of that?
We’ve already received some good advice and have some ideas, but what about keeping a 15-month-old busy on the plane? We have a direct flight, so it’s a little over two hours. Vivienne likes electronics as much as the next toddler, but she isn’t quite “into” apps and movies yet. She will busy herself for a while by pressing Apple devices’ “Home” button a million times, but I’m not sure that’ll cut it for long.
Speaking of cut… thanks to a few readers who suggested it, I scheduled Nora’s first-ever haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop in the Magic Kingdom. I get a pit in my stomach whenever I think about someone taking scissors to her curls, but as I mentioned in my post last week, the ends of her hair are really not healthy right now. Dry and frizzy. Something needs to be done and a cut is in order. I know it’ll still be beautiful regardless of whether the curls stay or go, but there’s also something really weird about them cutting off the hair that was on her head when she was a baby. And the curls are leftover from that babyhood, too. It hurts my heart a little.
(Image Source: Disney Tourist Blog)
We’re debating about whether or not to go to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. It’s an extra expense that I’m not entirely sure is worth it, but mostly we don’t want to spend the money and then have Vivienne turn into a beast at the party start time—7:00 p.m., which is usually her bedtime. We’ve wrestled with it, and are even contemplating me taking Nora and Michael staying back at the hotel with Vivienne. But then maybe we just take our chances with the cost of Michael’s ticket (Vivienne is free) and see how it goes. I don’t know.
Anyway, I’m all (Mickey) ears. About anything. Everything. Except for things we can’t really change at this point (like hotel, dining reservations and Fast Passes). Share your wisdom, my friends. If I survive this, I’ll be sure to pay it forward when I get back! :)
15 Responses to Countdown to Disney
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About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
– Keep checking for those A & E fastpasses, they do magically open up sometimes (although you could end up having to have only Nora + 1 parent instead of all of you together).
– I wouldn’t waste the money on the party at this point, I’ve found them to be expensive and so crowded and usually my daughter is beat by the time it is “party time.”
– Be at the park at rope drop. You can accomplish SO MUCH in those first few hours. When you start to feel the crowds build head back to your resort for some rest time. My daughter is 3 months younger than Nora and dropped her nap a long time ago, but ALWAYS needs a nap at Disney (we vacationed there 3 times this past year).
– If your kids are not afraid of characters, I find that the Memory Maker is very well worth the expense. We got over 400 pictures from our September trip because we do so many character visits and a lot of the pictures are great!
– The stroller rentals are great. Not sure where you are renting from but we usually order a case of water to be delivered with our stroller and find that we go through that in a week.
You will have a great time!!!
Hi Andrea! Thanks for all of this.
For the Christmas party, we were thinking of maybe going Thursday night, and having the early part of that day be a “rest day.” Thinking we wouldn’t even go to the park, maybe just hit up Downtown Disney for a bit, go swimming if it’s warm enough, etc. Then just head to the park at 4:00 when we can get in with our party tickets (and after a good afternoon nap for all!). But we’re still hesitant.
Nora will definitely need naps, at least on some of the days. She never naps during the week anymore, but by Friday the sleep deprivation has built up and she is a mess. We almost always have her nap on the weekends when she’s home with us. :) So naps sound good! One of my main concerns is the Magic Kingdom closing time… 7:00pm! I just worry about having enough time, I guess. Get there in the morning, head back to the resort after lunch for a nap… would we even have time to really get back and do anything other than eat dinner?? I don’t have a good grasp on how long going back and forth is going to take. Given we’re staying at Coronado Springs (not exactly close to MK), I am guessing we’re looking at an hour each way. No?
We did opt for the Memory Maker! I’m not sure how many character visits we will do, but hopefully enough to make it worth it. We figured we’d rather be safe than sorry with that one. :)
We are renting from Kingdom Stroller rentals and we did add on a case of water as well. Seemed convenient!
We usually try to do one marathon day at MK so that we can watch the Festival of Fantasy Parade (it is WORTH IT). If we take a break in the day for naps it would be difficult to get back in time for the 3 o’clock parade. If you opt out of the party I would plan on being at MK at rope drop and staying through lunch, etc. The parade is at 3 pm and by the point that the parade ends everyone is beat and ready to go back to the hotel so it doesn’t even matter that the park closes at 7 pm. Plus around 4 pm there is a huge influx of people coming into the park bc they have party tickets.
The length of time to get to the parks really depends on how lucky you time it with the buses. If you get to the bus stop and a bus pulls up, it will only take 20 minutes or so. If you wait 15 minutes for a bus that adds a lot of time.
We went last year with our three year old and almost one year old and will be back next week (staying at Coronado Springs) with a now four year old and almost two year old. We didn’t find it worth it to leave in the middle of the day for a break, especially the days when the Magic Kingdom closes at 7:00pm. I’d say you’re looking at at least a good hour by the time you get to the front of the park, wait for a bus, ride back to the resort and get back to your room. Our younger child was great about napping in the stroller last year. We’re hoping for the same luck this year.
As far as sharing a room with the kids, we had the same concern last year. We ended up tucking the Pack and Play for the younger child next to the sink in the vanity area (it fits perfectly between the counter and wall), which gave her a darker and quieter space. Honestly though, the days were so exhausting that we were pretty much ready for bed soon after the kids were.
Have fun!!
– If you’re willing to spend the extra money you may be able to change your reservation to a hotel that has suites like Art of Animation. It NEVER hurts to ask. I learned that at my time working at WDW, we gave guests a lot of give when it came to their reservations of any kind.
– The Christmas party is not particularly worth it especially at their age. If you make the trip when they are older & they can better handle the longer days go for it!
– Rope drop is a hassle getting out that early but so worth it. Lines aren’t as long & you can take a break mid-day without feeling like you’re missing out on so much.
– Move It Shake It Celebrate It is Kira’s FAVORITE parade at Magic Kingdom. SO MUCH FUN.
– In regards to reservations- there is SO MUCH FOOD. Don’t feel bad cancelling a reservation because the kids are too tired. They’ll be more appreciative you cancelled than no showed.
…seriously, the list I have is endless haha Insider tips ;) you have my e-mail, get in touch with me about anything!!
Have fun!
Tara
-We just got back from WDW, 4 adults, an 8-month old, an almost 2 year old and an almost 3 year old and we survived :) It was way hotter than we expected for September.
-The Memory Maker package is awesome. I think before we started editing and adding borders, etc we had like 300 pictures. Totally worth it. We ended up downloading like over 500. Definitely do not hesitate to seek out the photographers and ask for family photos when you see them walking around. Also the tinkerbell pictures they do are adorable.
-I would not worry about having everyone in one room. Our kids were so exhausted by the time we would get in at night, they pretty much crashed the second they hit the beds and no amount of noise was waking them up. I was up washing bottles and prepping the stroller and backpack for the next day and no one (including my husband) moved.
-We rented from Kingdom Stroller! Absolutely loved them. The stroller and case of water were waiting for us at check in. We did opt to bring a small umbrella stroller for the airport as a back up. It’s definitely not a bad idea to do that and just gate check it. Even it you only use to stack carry on luggage in. Also, the rain cover they give you with the stroller are seriously a life saver. Make sure to keep those with you.
-Definitely keep checking the A&E FP’s. Also, if you do decide to go the parties, you could do stand by during the party and it’s usually a short line. During the Halloween party we were at, it was only 30 minutes stand by.
-My best advice with little kids is go with the flow! The one day we spent 45 minutes letting our 3 year old play in the Epcot dancing water fountain while my husband and I sat on a bench with the baby. We usually did one park in the morning and one at night, but we were hit or miss if the kids would actually nap during the afternoon at the hotel.
-If you can do the Princess Breakfast at Epcot’s Akerchus it was the highlight of our trip. They have dinner and lunch too, but the food is a little weird. The breakfast food was awesome and my daughter had the best time. We did an early breakfast there then we were able to sneak right over and meet Mulan a few countries over.
-The disney app will be your best friend in the park. Use it to the greatest extent. When you are in the park and trying to find a character, it will show you where they are. If you get to a ride you have a FP for and they isn’t much of a line, use it to switch your FP for a different ride and hop in the standby line.
Have a great time!!
Make sure you look into the Rider Switch Service!
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/
Hi Heather
So we visited Disney in September for our daughters 4th birthday—originally, we were staying in Florida for the week and taking our son , who was just about 9 months with us. We decided to leave him home with his aunts and uncles and Mom Mom and Pop. Best decision ever. It would have been a much different trip had we taken him. We got to enjoy some precious time with our 4 year old who was star struck by Disney. We ended up doing two days at the park. We did Magic Kingdom only. We figure with multiple kids, we will be going back many times so we focused on what would make her time there special. The first day was long 9-5. Many character greetings and some rides., We went with her pace. She loved meeting the characters, really sweet! We had no dining reservations on that day. Ate at the hotel for breakfast and snacked for the rest of the day–so many options. There are certain areas that we breezed through and others that we were in for awhile–Fantasyland especially.
Day two was spent at the hotel in the morning and then to Downtown Disney. Had lunch at T Rex cafe (daughter loves dinos) and then to the Bibbidy Bop Boutique in Downtown. Daughter loved it! We had no idea if she would embrace it, but it turned out to be magical for her! Headed to Magic Kingdom after that. We did some more rides and character greetings that day. We stayed for the electrical parade, wishes spectacular and fireworks. So Awesome!! Favorite part was seeing her on her Daddys shoulders listening to Jimminy Cricket during wishes and then her amazement when fireworks started! Disney puts on a good show! It may be tough with Vivienne, but try and stay for that. And people start claiming spots early–around 7 when we were there for an 800 parade followed by wishes and fireworks. If you do, claim a space in the castle forecourt–really nice view!
You will need stroller. Take a cooler if you can. We had a collapsible one we brought with us. Best decision.
Pack ponchos-$9 in park.
character signature book-great for little ones!
We did the pressed pennies too–daughter had fun finding machines, picking design and cranking wheel.
Fast pass is really great. We used it for character greetings mostly and a few rides.
The Buzz light year ride–if she was ever into Toy Story, its a good family ride.
Get the Disney park app on your phone–hugely helpful! Will show map of park, character and ride wait times. Lifesaver.
You will have a great time!
If airline allows you to check stroller at the gate–take it. We did. Really didnt need it on flight down but we were delayed coming home and stroller was convenient in airport with a 3 hour delay.
IFor Flight-ipad, snacks, a small new toy that she hasn’t seen before, stickers, and Disney coloring books might be helpful.
omg! so exciting! No helpful tips for Disney since we only went for the one day and it downpoured. Still fun for Mila, we definitely do as much as I thought, but she still found it magical :)
Can you wear Vivienne on your front in the Ergo? I wore Mila on my front in the Ergo and backpack on my back when we flew with her at 21 months. Didn’t bring the Ergo when we went to Florida when she just turned 2. That helped us through the airport. We bungeed her car seat to the liteway and got through the airport like that. Steve pushed the stroller since I had Mila/backpack on me. When she was tired of being worn, she rode in the car seat, strapped to the stroller. Gate checked the stroller and used her seat on the plane. I’m guessing you won’t need a car seat at Disney since you’re staying on the property…
I recommend the party, doing it just as you have planned…a low key day with naps and then head to the party. On a Thursday it won’t be THAT crowded, or as crowded as it could be. We did the Halloween party, and I am glad we did. We took our boys at 4 and 2 and honestly it was perfect for both of them. My younger took stroller naps, something he never does at home, and my older was nonstop all day long. We did all of the parks except Epcot and honestly I wish we had just done the Magic Kingdom, although we were only there for 5 days.
Skip the stroller since you have a direct flight, although it can be a schlep down to the transportation center at the airport…I just hate going through security with it. We rented a double stroller from an offsite company as well, and while I loved the city mini double I HATED having to unpack the basket, fold it up, and manage to get it and the kids onto the bus for the ride back to the hotel. Unless we stay at a hotel on the monorail, we’ll opt for the uncomfortable Disney stroller next time so we can just pay by the day and drop it off before getting on the bus. (But stroller naps cannot happen in the molded plastic Disney strollers.)
Have fun. It will be perfect no matter what. Really the best vacation we did with our preschooler and toddler.
Does your hotel have a decent common/lounge area? What about using your cell phones to “monitor” the girls when you put them to bed. Leave 1 phone in the room and take the other phone to the lounge. Something like that?
Hi Heather! We flew with my son to Florida when he was 18 months old- and like you I was very worried. He never sat still and he was a VERY busy boy. He amazed us on the flight. We were able to occupy him with books and snacks on the flight (Not even the I-pad!!)
Best advice is to take a break during the day. Both the kids and you will need some rest from the stimulation, especially since this is your first trip. Grab lunch on the way out of the park or back at the resort and just take a break. If Nora is sleep deprived by the end of a normal week at home, she will be really tired in Disney on the go everyday.
Pack lots and lots and lots of snacks. It will help in the lines if the kids get bored or whiney or can save the day if they need a distraction. Strollers aren’t allowed in many of the lines so you will need something to keep them busy.
It can take up to an hour to get to and from a resort, but you might get lucky with the busses. If you stay at the Magic Kingdom until the very end, it probably will take close to an hour just to get through the bus lines to your bus.
I would check to see which terminal you are flying in to in Orlando and which terminal the Magical Express is at. It can be quite a distance without a stroller, 2 kids and a load of carryon. We are bringing ours with us (only a single though) and gate checking it so we have it just in case.
The Christmas Party isn’t worth it, in my opinion. Those days are really crowded in the Magic Kingdom and it’s really expensive for some “free” cookies and a few rides. I have never done one of the parties, but I can’t see myself spending that much extra money.
I remember you saying you have the Dining Plan and it IS a lot of food, so just try not to cram too much in, especially with little ones. Maybe use some of your credits at the 2 Table Service places so you aren’t sitting and eating everyday. We won’t do the Plan anymore, even as adults, because it was too much time spent in restaurants (not what we want to do in Disney), and too much of a schedule to be tied to.
We are staying in one room with our toddler too in a few months and are a little nervous. But I am pretty much banking on us being exhausted too and wanting to go to bed early so we make it to rope drop/breakfast reservations/etc., without having to rush.
I know you have made all of your FP+ and park days schedule, but I find the Easy WDW Crowd Calendars to be great with planning (http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/11-november-2014-crowd-calendar/), disboards.com, and allears.net to be great planning tools.
Have a GREAT trip!!! It will be so much fun no matter what. I can’t wait for ours and am looking forward to learning from your experience with kids.
I say go for the Christmas Party. I did the College Program at WDW in 2004 and I loved the Halloween and Christmas Party. The parade alone is worth the extra money!