We're taking the family in about 3 weeks... have a 3 and 5 year old. I'm a little concerned about them being so young and keeping up with their dad! Days are going to be a bit long for the kids and I just hope we don't overdo it.
Wonder if any of you with young ones who've taken this sort of trip have any advice for me??? 
We were there in November and our children are close to your children's ages. We decided to focus on one park per day, probably a little slow paced for some but I just didn't want Disney overkill. Worked great we got there at around noon (drove in that day and packed lunch for the kids which they ate in the car) and left at almost 10pm. We had a great time - the weather was great because it wasn't a million degrees with 100% humidity. The next day we picked another park and spent most of the day there always got back to the hotel early - we would get to the park early so the kids were usually spent by 4. The Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are the ones that are best for our children's ages - in my opinion. I guess my advise is don't think that you have to see everything in the same day - I am betting this won't be your only trip to Disney. Hope it helps.
You have come to the right place! I used to work there, and still visit about once a year b/c my sister lives in Orlando.
My best advice for going with young kids is to arrive at the parks as early as possible, and do what you can until about lunch time. Go back to your hotel, take a nap, then be refreshed and ready to hit the parks again in a couple of hours. That way you won't be too tired to catch the evening parades/shows/fireworks.
We have also brought either breakfast food or lunch to eat in our room. That way we save time and money. Also, if you stay at a Disney hotel, they have days where you get in the parks before the general public and also free transportation to each park.
If you have any other questions, just let me know!
Your "Official" Cake Central Mouseketeer 
We were there in October of last year. We have a five year old. I agree with pink panther. That is what we did.
We stayed at the contemporary hotel which was nice to be on the monarail. Easy for naps! I even needed a nap. It seemed also by going when the park opens and leaving around noon. We missed the busiest part of day. And same when we went back at night. Not sure how spring/summer will be though. Check the schedule though some nights each park was open later if you were staying on disney property.
How fun. I hope you guys have a great time.
Also find Autographs book ASAP. We miss a couple of character because we did have our books bought.
Are you doing any character breakfast? Or any other dinners. We did the breakfast charaters at the contemporary. And we did lunch at Cinderella's castle. They were fun for the kids. And us too. I loved Disney. I hope we get to go back sometime.
Have fun!!!
Mara
We did our family reunion there and would do the morning touring, etc. and then leave before it got to hot and then return when the sun went down. Our hotel provided bus service so we didn't have to worry about traffic.
My favorites were MGM Studio and Universal (even through it is not Disney owned).
Have fun with the Mouse, the Duck and the Dog 
Thanks for the information everyone! We'll be there for about 10 days total and do plan on taking it a park at a time. I think it will be fun, but guess my biggest concern is pushing the kids too hard. I like the idea of breaking at lunch to eat and take naps. Makes sense to me to do it this way, then go back out when the kids are rested. Don't want them to miss parades and fireworks!!!
Does anyone know if there are laundry facilities on any of the Disney properties? My husband tells me not to worry about this, but 10 days and two young kids, kinda feel I have to at least think about it! We're staying at one of the value hotels... so won't be anything fancy, the All Stars Sports hotel to be exact. Maybe next time around we'll go for the fancier hotel, but couldn't swing it this time around.
My mother and father-in-law are coming up the second half of our trip and are staying at the Animal Kingdom resort, so the kids will probably spend a couple nights there... I'm sure it's a pretty cool place.
Pinkpanther, I'll definitely keep you in mind if I have any big questions! Cool to have such a great source!
God bless!
I just checked, and the All Star Sports does have laundry services available. Here is a link to their website.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortLanding?id=AllStarSportsResortLandingPage&count=20
I think your kids will love the Animal Kingdom resort as well. Lots of great view of the animals! Hope you guys have a great time! 
we went about 11 years ago so i am sure things have changed a bit but i was 17 and my brother was 10 it was nov. so the weather and the lack of crowd was great. my dh wants to go but we are going to wait till my youngest turns 10 in 5 years. i too would say take one park at a time. if you take one to two weeks you will have plenty of time to see it all. have fun!
We went in November, as well. I think October-March is the ideal time to go...if for no other reason than to avoid the intense heat & humidity...LOL. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom...expensive, but completely worth it! It's such a beautiful building, alone, and there's so much to do just on the resort property itself. We, too, took it one park per day. My kids were 5, 3 and 14 months. The one thing I recommend over anything else, no matter what...TAKE ONE STROLLER FOR EACH KID YOU HAVE, NO MATTER HOW OLD THEY ARE! OR BE PREPARED TO RENT ONE!!! You don't want to be carrying A 5 yr old around...lol. I went back with the 2 smaller ones for naps, then back out to meet up with everyone else. Disney at night is sooooo magical! We had so much fun that we tried to plan another trip in February, but couldn't swing it due to school/schedules. 
But we're going back this November!!! YAY!! 
Our baby girl didn't really have the best time because there's just not much for a baby to do there, really...but it'll be different for her this fall. If you're staying on Disney property, I highly recommend looking at the meal plans they offer...especially if there's a big group of you. I know...most people automatically think they would spend MORE $$ doing that...but I can tell you that we spent LESS $$ than if we'd bought our food as needed. We had a plan that covered all 3 meals and one 'snack' (1 drink OR ice cream, and something else, but only one item..not a drink AND an ice cream, does that make sense 
) for 7 people...for 4 days...and it cost us like $850-900. Now, I know that sounds like a lot, and you think you'd spend less by taking your own food, etc. If we'd paid for each meal separately at the time we ate, it would've been about $500 more...my DH kept track...LOL. Plus who really wants to try and make meals for 7 people in a hotel room?? It would've been chaos. We did take plenty of snacks and stuff to carry in our backpacks while at the parks...those snacks are way too costly at the stands. With the meal plan, we had dinner each night at a different restaurant on the property...wherever we wanted...just had to call and make sure we could get a reservation...many of which we did before we even drove down. We ate at the Polynesian restaurant (can't remember the name)...they had a coconut rolling contest/race for the kids, a singer..very entertaining and wonderful food! Ate at Boma one night...the African buffet style restaurant @ Animal Kingdom..YUMMY! Not, your average buffet...superb! Then at the 'Nicer' restaurant at the Continental...can't remember the name...excellent steak!! There were linen tablecloths, etc. and their plates were all 'artsy'...like high-end cuisine, or something. Also had a character breakfast at Cinderalla's Table...or whatever it was called. With the plan we had you could eat ANYWHERE on Disney property that you wanted...even the Boardwalk or Treasure Island or the Marketplace(Shopping district place?). This also included all tips for your servers!!! We had some friends who were there just a couple of days before us and they have 3 kids too...just for the 5 of them, they spent almost $1500!!! 
And they only ate at the counter service and fast-food type places on Disney property. We spent much less than them and fed all 7 of us...had a sit down dinner every single night, character breakfast, etc. We had a few 'credits' left on the plan on our last day...so we used them up before we left and took the food with us for our trip home!! Sorry to be so long, but it really was a great deal and well worth it...thought I would share! And even if your trip is already booked, you can call and add it at any time, or even after you arrive at Disney. Good luck and have a BLAST!!
Sorry...just thought of a couple more things...lol. If you have one in diapers or pull-ups...take PLENTY with you...like waaay more than you think you would need, just in case. Diapers and things like that are insanely overpriced on Disney property...and even at the local stores. We had to make one trip to Wal-Mart while we were there for diapers and they were $6 more than at home...same brand, etc. And even their food prices are inflated...we were going to grab a few things for extra snacks and for the trip home...we didn't...just way too expensive...food and everything. I think it just must be because they're in a highly active tourist area. So, if you want to save $ by taking your own food, I suggest really stocking up at home, otherwise, you might as well eat on Disney property and not have to cook it OR clean it up!! lol 
My kids are 6 and 3.5 and we've been twice already! And once was for a wedding - talk about nightmare's from packing. I completely agree about the early morning-hotel for nap-back to the park schedule!!! Just set your clock because it seemed that all four of us took extra-long naps! No, your husband CANNOT rush them. There are times when they'll want to ride things 5 times and then won't be at all interested in what you think they might. WHen they're little, even trash cans can be interesting.
Maybe sign your husband up for some of the behind the scene's programs they have? I sent my husband on the "Keys to the Kingdom" tour and he was gone all morning, and the kids and I have a great time in Magic Kindgom. Does he golf? There are lots of things you can send him off to do.
Ten days is PLENTY of time to do everything, and no need to rush at all. At those ages, you MUST do character breakfasts/princess breakfasts. My husband enjoyed the princess breakfast as well because "Jasmine is HOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTT!"
i LOVVVVVE disney world and land.... SOOO much.. favorite places in the WORLD for me.. i went there in 2002 for a make a wish thing for me... SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We're taking the family in about 3 weeks... have a 3 and 5 year old. I'm a little concerned about them being so young and keeping up with their dad! Days are going to be a bit long for the kids and I just hope we don't overdo it.
Wonder if any of you with young ones who've taken this sort of trip have any advice for me???
we are going on the 14th until like the 21st.... but my oldest boy has been there like 9 times.... we used to go every year.... and I don't think he was ever too tired or pooped out.... besides when he would take a nap.... but I think things will go ok..... just tell your hubby to keep close and hold your hand..... sometimes the older they are the worst they are...
JennT, I was wondering what you do with the strollers when you're on a ride? Do you leave them in a designated area? My husband and I were talking about this and weren't sure how that worked. Thanks for all the great information! Wish we could have reserved a nicer resort like the one you did, but maybe we'll have a little more money next time around.
So much great info from everyone! Do any of you think I should pack things like granola bars to keep in a backpack at the park? I don't want to buy overpriced snacks in between meals.
My husband and I honeymooned at Disney World in 1999 and we always put food in our backpacks each morning... saved us a lot of money, but we were light eaters during the day anyway. Usually had one really good meal each night. This probably won't work quite the same with the kids, I want them to eat regularly, but still between meals they're bound to want something to nibble on.
Have any of you share the Giordano's addiction that we have? They're a pizza place that to the best of my knowledge are only in Florida and Chicago. AWESOME pizza! Best I ever had. We're looking forward to a few pizzas while were there... found out they deliver to the hotel my in-laws will be staying at! Yummy!
JennT, I was wondering what you do with the strollers when you're on a ride? Do you leave them in a designated area? My husband and I were talking about this and weren't sure how that worked. Thanks for all the great information! Wish we could have reserved a nicer resort like the one you did, but maybe we'll have a little more money next time around.
So much great info from everyone! Do any of you think I should pack things like granola bars to keep in a backpack at the park? I don't want to buy overpriced snacks in between meals.
My husband and I honeymooned at Disney World in 1999 and we always put food in our backpacks each morning... saved us a lot of money, but we were light eaters during the day anyway. Usually had one really good meal each night. This probably won't work quite the same with the kids, I want them to eat regularly, but still between meals they're bound to want something to nibble on.
Have any of you share the Giordano's addiction that we have? They're a pizza place that to the best of my knowledge are only in Florida and Chicago. AWESOME pizza! Best I ever had. We're looking forward to a few pizzas while were there... found out they deliver to the hotel my in-laws will be staying at! Yummy!
the strollers are usually safe outside the rides.... I never had mine taken and we were there alot...but they also have their own strollers as well and noone usually worries about them either..... also if you and the hubby wanted to switch out you can do that... for instance you both stand in line and when you finally get up to the ride one of you go on and the other is directed to an area to stand when your spouses cart comes back they put you on as soon as he or she is off.... I used that alot..... it's kind of hard for mom and dad both to ride together with little ones, unless they are the required height for the ride.... but it all works out.... and by the way every park down there does that swap out thing.... I always used it.... and a friend of mine just came back and said it's still going on....
as for snacks I packed a little...but some times the gate people wont allow too much outside stuff inside, but with smaller children they dont see to mind. I packed fruit snacks, Gerber bars water, etc etc and if they asked I just told them it's for the baby.... they will check your bags by the way.... safety reasons.... but you will have a great time.....
Wendy - with the strollers...at every ride there's a designated area for stroller parking. But whether you take your own strollers or rent them, there's one tip I learned that saved a stroller mix-up...MARK YOU STROLLER! I used a lime green ribbon around the handle of both our strollers (we took our own) along with the Disney luggage tags that we were given at check in...at one ride we saw someone about to take ours and were able to point out our ribbon to them immediately...simple mistake because ours was just like theirs! lol And of course, don't leave anything on the stroller that is really important...not that it would be stolen...but you just never know...and someone could honestly mistake your stroller as theirs and if you've left anything important, then it's gone...but not if it's marked somehow as yours. I saw others who used luggage tags, sticky labels with their name & phone # in large, bright print, etc.
And yes..take snacks! lol We took granola bars, trail mix, water, whatever the kids like to munch on. They can work up a pretty good appetite with all that excitement...and so can you and DH with all that walking and juggling the kids around, etc. LOL Flayv is right...they'll check your bags at the entrance of each park...but they never questioned our snacks and water, etc. Once they saw that my DH, FIL & MIL and 6 yr old left me behind to have my bag checked with a 3 yr old and a 13 month old...they pretty much felt sorry for me and just unzipped/re-zipped it...went through the motions...lol.
Yeah..Animal Kingdom resort is really great...but to be honest...with small kids, I kind of think I would've liked staying at a less expensive resort. There was sooooo much for them to do there that, unless we were staying for 2 weeks or something, it was almost too much. I would've liked to have focused more on the parks themselves than the time we spent just on resort grounds...KWIM? There were arcades and lots of activites for the kids all over the place at the resort. I would've been happy with just our little room and the pool in the evenings at a place like the All-Stars...lol. And I think with the cartoon characters plastered everywhere, like at All-Stars, it's more about the kids. At Animal Kingdom it's very grown-up oriented...does that make sense?? Wilderness Lodge is another good one for kids, I hear, though it's a 'deluxe' resort, I think. We didn't pay for the whole stay there, though...MIL & FIL paid for a lot of it. I wanted to say no, but that probably would've come across as ungrateful to them...lol.
Another thing I don't care for at the deluxe resorts...the housekeeping coming into the room when we're not there...just a pet-peeve of mine...lol. I know, I know...why would I NOT like coming into the room with a nicely made bed and all the towels I could ever need?? LOL Welll....at a spa resort, or something, for just DH & I that would be great, probably. But with all the stuff that comes along with 3 kids, I felt like I had to clean up every morning before we left just so they could do their job...lol. We asked twice to NOT have any housekeeping services, but they just kept coming anyway...
Gosh...you have me 'jonesing' to go do some more Disney planning...I think I mentioned we're going back in November, but nothing's booked yet! Now where's that credit card? hmmmm.....
Edited: Forgot to add a GREAT website that I used to plan our first trip...SOOOOOOO much valuable info, and some stuff that just fun to know, too! http://allearsnet.com/
And yes..take snacks! lol We took granola bars, trail mix, water, whatever the kids like to munch on. They can work up a pretty good appetite with all that excitement...and so can you and DH with all that walking and juggling the kids around, etc. LOL
Flayv is right...they'll check your bags at the entrance of each park...but they never questioned our snacks and water, etc. Once they saw that my DH, FIL & MIL and 6 yr old left me behind to have my bag checked with a 3 yr old and a 13 month old...they pretty much felt sorry for me and just unzipped/re-zipped it...went through the motions...lol.
Yeppers.... they probably won't say anything about your bag and snacks ... especially with the kids with you... and yeah I didnt think about the marking of your stroller.... that is a great idea........
JennT,
Good idea to mark the strollers. I think I can manage that one!
We're 13 days to takeoff and here I am panicked because I don't have a swimsuit, need a fannypack (even though I hate them), need some shorts, kids need just about everything! Ugh! When will I get everything done? The swimsuit thing is especially frustrating. I can't believe how expensive they are. I just want one for the trip and everyone wants on average of $60-$80. Just can't afford that right now. My weight is in a constant state of flux, so any suit I already own is out of the question. If anyone knows of a great online site that has reasonable prices please share the link!
I have a prayer request for all of you.... my little boy has come down with something, probably just a cold, but his birthday is Thursday and I really don't want him to be miserable on his birthday. He's already done that one other year!
Thanks everyone!
We are going to be down there the last 2 weeks in May We used to live down there and hubby worked for Disney so we are skipping that and going to Universal Studios for 5 days....we got a pretty good deal on tickets. It would have been even better if we were going this month because the tickets we got were 2 days for $99 and you get a free kids ticket for 10 and under plus 3 days free!!!!! Well my son turns 10 this month and he is 5ft so I can't squeeze him in 
but hey we still have 5 days and the little one was free!!
Check out Marshall's or TJMAX for a swimsuit. They have good deals.
We just went this fall and we hhad so much fun.
I am sure you have everything booked already, but my advice to anyone going is to #1 get the meal plan... it is awesome!
#2 stay on Disney resort- there was no need for us to rent a car this way.
#3 we brought oatmeal packets for the mornings ( hot water from coffee maker) and brought those little packets you can mix into water to make tea or lemonade.#4 Bring your own stroller for little ones ( it was a life saver in the airport, my child was able to take his naps in it during the day, and we could hold all of our junk in the basket.
#5 DO NOT MISS the Fantasmic show at MGM if you go there.... it is AWESOME!
I alos saved money on signature books by buying cheap journals at home and decorating them with a Mickey Mouse iron on patch.
Have fun!!! i am so ready to go back!
Speaking of going back...LOL...I HAVE been doing some planning since I last posted in this thread...LOL. Wendysue - my DH (while grinning) says 'Thanks alot!'...LOL...he really wants to go back as much as me & the kids too.
We're thinking about staying at the Wilderness Lodge, but not in the lodge itself...at one of the cabins at 'Ft. Wilderness'. Because it's more than the All-Star lodging, DH said I'd have to give up my gourmet coffee drinks that I get a few times a week and no pedicures!!!??? AAGGGHHH!!! 
LOL Seriously, we figured that we'd need to cut back on some of those little extras that seem to add up over a few months time...but that's totally cool with me! 
The cabins look really cool...and you can opt for no housekeeping up front!! YAY for me! LOL Here's a few pics of the interior/exterior...there's a murphy bed in the living area, a kitchen, double bed plus bunks in the bedroom.... http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/ftw31.jpg , http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/ftw28.jpg , http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/ftw33.jpg , http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/ftw25.jpg , http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/ftw24.jpg , http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/ftw20.jpg . I think I really like the idea of having all that room...and being able to go right outside...especially with 3 kids! lol Much better than a small hotel room. Oh..and the car would be right outside your door!! I can't tell you how many times we forgot something in the car while we were down there last year! LOL Down the hall to the elevator, down to the exit, out to the parking lot and then have to remember where the car was parked...grrrr...lol. They have campfires at night and Chip & Dale are supposedly there all the time, too...lol. It costs more than a Value resort, but a little less than the Deluxe resort lodging. Same transportation system to the parks, etc. We're gonna think about it for a few weeks to be sure we don't want to stay somewhere else.
BTW- Wendysue...how's your little boy doing? Hope he's all cleared up and doing well!! Are ya'll getting excited yet??
JennT,
Thanks for the photos and info! Looks like a cool place to stay! As for making you want to go back... well, I'm just glad I could help! lol
Yes, my son is feeling a lot better, now it's just my husband who's battling the cold. They always go to his chest, so hopefully he's over the worst of it soon.
New question for everyone... what do you do about car seats? When traveling from the airport to the hotel, when on buses or monorails, or other community transportation... we wonder how that's handled.
Continued thanks to everyone for all the great info! We leave on Monday morning, so not much time to research the details of the trip!
My little girl was 14 months old when we went back at the end of October/beg. of November. There aren't car seats on the Disney transportation...not the buses, monorail, etc. We just held her on our lap on those rides. It made me a little nervous, but they won't let you leave your stroller up with or without your chlid on it...you have to fold it down and put it under the seat or on the floor....we tried to just leave Audrey in the stroller once and the driver came back to us and explained that it wasn't allowed and apologized...they are very strict about that. It bugged me a little because I thought she would be safer in the stroller, with the wheels locked, than in my lap...should there be a wreck or something.
Since we're only about an 8 hr drive from Orlando, we didn't fly, just drove. So we had our car w/car seats any time we wanted to go off Disney property. They may have car seats that they rent...I'd give them a call now and see if they do...if so, then maybe you can reserve one or they could just make a notation on your reservation/account that you'll be needing one when you check in. I never thought to ask about that, I guess since we had our own in the car. But now that I think about it....I don't remember seeing any child/infant/toddler in a car/safety seat on any of the Disney transportation...so it may not be something they even offer.
Glad your DS is better...hope your DH is on the mend soon! I'm getting excited for you...wish I could tag along! lol
I'm Back! We had a great time, but are all a little tired. The stroller rental worked out great and the kids did well with all the running around the park. We all picked up a cold while we were there, but not surprising considering how many thousands of people you come into contact with, also teaching your kids not to touch mouths, noses, and eyes is a major challenge in itself. Anyway, overall the trip was a success and we plan on going back in 2007... probably in the fall.
Thanks again for all the helpful tips! They were very useful to us!
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