Crazy, we are. I know. Let me begin by saying our first trip 8 months ago was booked in the middle of the winter duldrums. In a desperate moment of "when the heck are we getting out of here!". So we booked Disney for May 2011 and it was magical! Then this January one of my sisters had been planning to run in the 1/2 marathon and we needed to book a winter vacation anyway so we decided to bring everyone along!
With a 2.5 year old and an 8 month old last May our expectations were actually pretty low and it blew our minds how fantastic it was for all of us! This trip our expectations were, well, different. We knew even though it was 8 months later we were going with two very different kids. A being 3 is much more opinionated than she was at 2 and N being 16 months is quite...energetic. But some how we succeeded again it keeping everyone happy, tantrums at a minimum, and focusing on why we went there to begin with: to have FUN.
So I'm writing this because everyone alway asks for "tips" after we get back. Being that I don't consider myself a Disney expert I can tell you what we did to keep our trip magical. I can not tell you which character breakfast is the best or which hotel had a better pool. Our rules both trips were keep it simple, and most importantly, how do we make it EASY.
1) Book a non-stop flight -- Its easier to push through than have to get off and do it all over again.
2) We chose to rent a 3 bedroom condo offsite. HIGHLY recommend it. Its the
Floridays and its
#1 on tripadvisor right now. The place was perfect for our needs and super close to the parks. 10 - 15 minute drive. Here's why we chose it, especially with such young children:
- It didn't break the bank like many villas at Disney do. We booked on expedia and orbitz.
- THREE bedrooms!!! I know this seems extreme for a family of four but my kids don't share a room at home so we wanted to recreate their home experience as much as possible. Also, if one of them did end up having trouble sleeping at the new hotel, they wouldn't wake up the other. (on our second trip our oldest had a fever and had trouble sleeping one night- this is why we have them in separate rooms)
- Layout - Kitchen, livingroom, dining room, patio. Master bedroom and bath off the living room. Kids rooms and their bathroom down a LONG hall. This means mommy and daddy got to hang out, have dinner and cocktails after the kids went to bed. We wanted this to be vacation for US too!
- WASHER AND DRYER IN THE ROOM - 'nuff said.
- Zero entry pool - perfect for two toddlers or a baby and toddler. So.much.fun!!!
- Also, the staff here is amazing. So helpful. My kids sleep with white noise. They gave us a full size crib for N and box fans for all bedrooms.
3) We stayed within their routine as much as possible. This meant we were back at the hotel every afternoon. If our older child didn't nap, she rested and then got in some pool time. We never kept them out late. Every single night they had dinner, bath, story and bedtime just as they would at home. I did not want to be the mom at the park with a screaming, exhausted toddler wondering why they weren't having more fun! Of course this means we have yet to see any of the night stuff at Disney but my kids go to bed at 7:30. When they are older we have something to look forward too!
4) Make a plan but BE FLEXIBLE! The most important thing is to pick out the 3 or 4 most important things you want to see that day and if you get to those, great. If you squeeze in a few more, awesome! On our first trip for the first couple of days I kept saying to my husband, there is still so much to see! But we had to keep it in perspective. There would be more trips ahead. More time. They'd be older someday and wouldn't need naps. And think about it, when in your real life do you squeeze in the equivalent of The Children's Museum, The aquarium, 3 Rides, and 2 Broadway-esque shows into one morning? You don't. If everyone stays in their happy place you get your money's worth with young children even if you've only seen 1/4 quarter of what there is to see.
And the kids love the pool at the hotel the most anyway :-)
5) Make a reservation for a sit down, full service lunch every single day. Worth the money! All members of the family need an hour to sit, regroup and be waited on. Especially if you are there during a hot time.
I will post again about the rides that my kids liked the best this time around compared to last time because like I said, we had two different kids for each trip. That's how much they change in 8 months!
I have about 3 "Disney" tips too that I will pass on.
Would we do it again? YUP!!!
