The New Family Tradition PTR About This Page:

[daddyof2princessess]

We have gone to WDW every year. However, we are not stuck on that. We do Disney every year, but there is a lot of Disney. Talking about doing DL followed by a DCL this year. Not "World", but still Disney!

[jennie622]

You are not crazy for going with an 18 month old! You already sound like you are willing to adapt to travelling with a baby and being in tune with his needs so that's a huge step. Back in 07 we did a huge family trip and my niece was 18 months. Here's a brief review:

Ava had only been on one vakay before then and it was a nightmare. As soon as they got to the hotel, she started crying and never stopped. Total days on vacation? Less than one.

Disney:
Flying: Ava's first flight. No seat, Mommy's lap was fine. She had toys & snacks so she was fine. She did great on DME too.

Hotel: We stayed at Poly. I don't think the resort mattered to her, just being on property and having so much to do was enough. The crib was more than adequate and she took naps on the bed. It was also her first time in a pool and she loved it!!

Transportation: Monorail was as cool to her as anything else she saw that week. Busses, not so much. The stroller they brought was the size of a Hummer and it was difficult getting on and off. She did fine (first bus ride)

Parks: She was a little leary of the characters and basically gave them the look of death so we didn't push her. She liked Stitch at Ohana's breakfast (who doesn't like Stitch?) We took afternoon breaks for her nap. We went slow, taking in all the little things we always seemed to miss. We didn't do any dark rides or loud movies. She flipped over Dumbo and probably would have gone in a teacup if my Sister said ok.

Dining: we did oop but had two meals at Ohana (dinner and character bfast). We ate in the room alot.

Best time of the trip for me was when she had a meltdown in the room and I took her for a walk around the resort to explore and we hung out in a hammock for awhile. It was so relaxing to just wander around a watch what was interesting to a toddler.

Best piece of advice: Take pictures. ALOT of pictures. She may not remember the trip but you will and you'll want to show her pictures later on and tell her about the trip. I suggest pre paying for a photopass cd so you can get lots of pics of the family together. We didn't do that and there's always someone missing from our pics.

Her favorite thing was the Safari at AK and the carpets. She was fascinated by the carpets. It was so nice to slow down that trip - my parents were frustrated because they just wanted to go go go and get on all the rides and do everything (their first trip as well). So we let them go do there thing and just enjoyed Disney thru the kid's eyes.

[Colexis Mom]

Great cast of characters and plans!

[lazanya]

Great start! Can't wait to hear more!

[emilyandlogansmom]

Great start!

People told us that our babies were too young when we took them...they were just shy of 2 and 3 on our first trip. I am amazed at the things my daughter who was almost 3 remembers. My son doesn't remember anything...but I've got the most adorable pictures and memories from our first trip to WDW. It's good to remember that this is something you do for YOU and to start creating lifelong family memories for your son.

With your husband's fondness for the outdoors, you should try a stay at WL or the cabins at Fort Wilderness someday...maybe that'll be what converts him! Or at least schedule a meal at one of the two.

We had free dining on our first trip and it was TOO much. I remember wandering up to concierge cancelling half of our reservations midway through the trip. It worked out really well for us to get the QS dining plan and then pay OOP for a dining reservation every other day. We definitely ended up with LOTS of extra snack credits, but we just loaded up and brought some Mickey goodies home...the way it worked for us is that, basically, our snacks were free.

Looking forward to hearing more!

[MikeL]

Here I go dating myself but when I read Jennie post all I could think about was one Sun at Poly brunch Little girl maybe 2 yrs old scared to death over every character that came by her except PLUTO she couldn't get enough of him and he made sure to pay her plenty of attention Most of the ADULT only tables near the family would wave him off their table and over to her
Wilderness lode Is another great choice for compromise in terms of rustic v not so much so

[stardust190]

Originally Posted by jennie622

You are not crazy for going with an 18 month old! You already sound like you are willing to adapt to travelling with a baby and being in tune with his needs so that's a huge step. Back in 07 we did a huge family trip and my niece was 18 months. Here's a brief review:

Ava had only been on one vakay before then and it was a nightmare. As soon as they got to the hotel, she started crying and never stopped. Total days on vacation? Less than one.

Disney:
Flying: Ava's first flight. No seat, Mommy's lap was fine. She had toys & snacks so she was fine. She did great on DME too.

Hotel: We stayed at Poly. I don't think the resort mattered to her, just being on property and having so much to do was enough. The crib was more than adequate and she took naps on the bed. It was also her first time in a pool and she loved it!!

Transportation: Monorail was as cool to her as anything else she saw that week. Busses, not so much. The stroller they brought was the size of a Hummer and it was difficult getting on and off. She did fine (first bus ride)

Parks: She was a little leary of the characters and basically gave them the look of death so we didn't push her. She liked Stitch at Ohana's breakfast (who doesn't like Stitch?) We took afternoon breaks for her nap. We went slow, taking in all the little things we always seemed to miss. We didn't do any dark rides or loud movies. She flipped over Dumbo and probably would have gone in a teacup if my Sister said ok.

Dining: we did oop but had two meals at Ohana (dinner and character bfast). We ate in the room alot.

Best time of the trip for me was when she had a meltdown in the room and I took her for a walk around the resort to explore and we hung out in a hammock for awhile. It was so relaxing to just wander around a watch what was interesting to a toddler.

Best piece of advice: Take pictures. ALOT of pictures. She may not remember the trip but you will and you'll want to show her pictures later on and tell her about the trip. I suggest pre paying for a photopass cd so you can get lots of pics of the family together. We didn't do that and there's always someone missing from our pics.

Her favorite thing was the Safari at AK and the carpets. She was fascinated by the carpets. It was so nice to slow down that trip - my parents were frustrated because they just wanted to go go go and get on all the rides and do everything (their first trip as well). So we let them go do there thing and just enjoyed Disney thru the kid's eyes.

Thanks for the info! It's nice to get feedback on what it's like to take a little one. It's something I've never done so I want to know what to expect. Although every kid is different.

Originally Posted by emilyandlogansmom

With your husband's fondness for the outdoors, you should try a stay at WL or the cabins at Fort Wilderness someday...maybe that'll be what converts him! Or at least schedule a meal at one of the two.

We had free dining on our first trip and it was TOO much. I remember wandering up to concierge cancelling half of our reservations midway through the trip. It worked out really well for us to get the QS dining plan and then pay OOP for a dining reservation every other day. We definitely ended up with LOTS of extra snack credits, but we just loaded up and brought some Mickey goodies home...the way it worked for us is that, basically, our snacks were free.

Originally Posted by MikeL

Here I go dating myself but when I read Jennie post all I could think about was one Sun at Poly brunch Little girl maybe 2 yrs old scared to death over every character that came by her except PLUTO she couldn't get enough of him and he made sure to pay her plenty of attention Most of the ADULT only tables near the family would wave him off their table and over to her
Wilderness lode Is another great choice for compromise in terms of rustic v not so much so

The thing about WL and FtW for me is that we live in MN. We have resorts and campgrounds all around. And WL looks just like most of the resorts in our area. Cabin-y. Which is fine, but I don't want to go to Disney to just stay somewhere that is just like home. I want to stay somewhere different! But maybe for my DH that is what he needs to "get used to" the idea of a Disney trip. I'll see what he thinks. Thanks.

[Cam22]

Great start, Missy!

[stardust190]

So my next post was going to be about what to pack when bringing an 18 month old to WDW, but I didn't get around to it. I've started a list of what to pack, but after last week I think I've got a thing or two to learn about packing for a baby (and about traveling with a baby) (and let's face it having a baby in general )

So last week was our first "test trip" with DS. I believe I mentioned before that DH wanted to make sure our 2 summer vacations went well before we actually booked a WDW trip for Jan 2012. I was OK with that as Disney wasn't letting me book my 2012 vacation online until August anyways. And then Disney released pricing in June. Grr... So I really wanted to book, but my DH still wanted to wait until after our summer trips.

Our first summer trip was last week. I won't bore you with all the details, but I will list some of the things I learned as they will apply to our Disney trip. We took a full week off from work, but spent 4 days in Duluth, MN - about 2 1/2 hour car ride from our home. And then just hung out at home for the rest of our week. I made very little plans for our little vacation, but learned a lot:

1. I have no idea how to compactly pack for DS.

We were only gone for 4 days yet the entire back of our Subaru Forrester was FULL. Plus part of the back seat. Between diapers, food, clothes and activities for DS we would have hit our baggage limit for the plane. Maybe by January it won't be so bad as DS will be off formula and the bottle, but still there is TONS of stuff I feel I need to pack for a baby. And honestly I used most of what I brought. Maybe I wouldn't have missed it had I not had it, but I definitely used it.

2. DS is terrified of water parks.

We hadn't planned on getting water park tickets for our trip so this fact just confirmed it for me. He loves the bath and when I spray him with the shower, but the water park was not a good place for him. He didn't scream, but he tried to climb me just to get out of the spraying water and seemed just miserable.

3. To DS nothing was better than the hotel room.

DS absolutely LOVED the hotel room. Everything we did he was just kind of "along for the ride" and showed very little interest. Then we would get back to the hotel room and he would go crazy and had the best time walking between the furniture (he's only been walking for like 2-3 weeks so maybe that was fun) and bouncing on the bed. Apparently it's the little things that are amusing. Must look into subtle Disney activities for the small child.

4. Naps in a hotel room are nearly impossible.

Originally I thought that we would head back to the hotel room for naps when we go to WDW in Jan., but DS does not nap in the room. He just cries when you try to put him down. We had to go on car rides to get him to sleep. Or on the lazy river - he napped on that really well and was the most content he was in the water park. Not sure how we'll handle this one in Disney, but maybe a nice relaxing monorail or bus ride will allow DS to nap. Or maybe by Jan. he will magically turn into the kid who can sleep anywhere. Wishful thinking - I know.

5. When DS goes to sleep at night there is NOTHING to do.

DS has a 7:30 PM bedtime. And for good reason. That's the time he turns into a pumpkin - and not a cute pumpkin, but a crabby, screaming, hitting, hair-pulling pumpkin. He went to sleep at night without problems in the hotel room, but it left DH and I with NOTHING to do for hours. We'll have to bring books or the laptop (which I don't really want to lug down there) to keep us busy after bedtime. Or we'll have to have a plan where we each take a night alone in the room with DS while the other goes to a park and rides some adult rides or something.

6. Kids can get sick even when on vacation.

DS ended up with a fever our 2nd night out of town. Luckily I had his Tylenol. We had a sleepless night and DS eventually ended up with a cough, but it went OK. Not sure how being sick and having to FLY home would go, but I guess we'll see.

7. DS gets stir crazy after 2 hours.

And that's with napping for 1 hour in the car. DS was screaming by the time we were 1/2 hour from our destination because he wanted out of the car seat. Luckily in a car you can stop and get out. And we happened to be close to my grandmothers house so we did just that. But on a plane you can't get off when your son is crabby. I need to come up with a game plan for this one. Otherwise I'm going to be "one of those people" and you will all hate me if you end up stuck on a flight with me and my little angel.

8. Vacation does not equal good weather.

We had planned TONS of outdoor activities, but it was rainy and cold the whole time we were out of town. Luckily, I had warmer clothes so we didn't freeze. We didn't get to do any outdoor activities which made me sad. We'll bring the poncho's and stroller cover to Disney when we go and hope for the best.

9. Umbrella strollers are NOT the way to go.

Because we had the trunk packed full we decided to save space by bringing the umbrella stroller instead of the nice travel system stroller we have. BIG MISTAKE. You could not recline this so DS wouldn't nap in it. And there is no where to store the diaper bag so I had to lug it around myself, which wasn't fun. And it didn't have a cup holder for me to stash my much needed caffeinated beverage. I think it would have been much better to bring his full stroller and I'm starting to question if we should have even bought an umbrella stroller. Maybe it will be better when he's just a little older.

10. We survived...

Although there was sickness and DS hated the water park our vacation went OK. We can have fun as a family of three. And DH said we can book our trip to WDW!!! I just need to pick the week. And find airfare.

[buzzspal2]

I was there last January. The weather was all over the place. Cold and rainy. But it is Florida. So you never know. As for packing, you could sent a box of stuff ahead of time.
Another option is order what you need from Garden Grocer. Alot of Passporter have taken babies to WDW. Ask I bet you will get lots of good advice. Have a great trip. Happy Planning.

[Cheyenne]

For your stroller, if you don't mind carrying DS through the airport I would look into renting from Magic Stroller Rentals. We did this last month and the strollers are awesome!! They are City Mini strollers and you can store items in your basket and when you go to fold up the stroller everything stays in your basket!! It was awesome! They are clean and light weight; dropped off and picked up at concierge. It's $15 the first day and $8 for every additional day so after I did the math I was saving $25 compared to renting one from Disney. Check into it!

You'll get the packing down and it will help that DS will be off formula then. Also, if you only want to bring food for the flight, look into buying food from a grocery store once you arrive at Disney or at any of the Baby Changing Stations located at all 4 parks!

[shnewell]

All caught up and enjoying your PTR! I learned many of those same lessons the first time I traveled with my kids!

My children would not nap in a hotel room, no matter what. The first time we took them to Disney, they had just turned 4 and 2. The 4yo had dropped his afternoon nap already, but the 2yo had not. He wouldn't nap in the hotel, so after a few days, we finally gave up on that idea and just let him nap in the stroller (we rented from Disney) or on someone's shoulder (thank goodness for grandpa!) while we continued touring.

My kids still love to get out the scrapbook from that trip to look at it. I've asked my younger one if he remembers the trip at all or only what he sees in the scrapbook. He said he doesn't really remember much on his own, but looking at the scrapbook shows him what a good time we had and what fun things we did. So even though your DS will not have specific memories of this trip, I think he will develop positive associations with WDW.

And, if he grows to love it like you do, I think it will be fun for him to know his first visit was at such an early age. In talking with MIL just the other day, DH and I discovered that he actually took his first trip just after WDW opened in 1971, when he was still an infant! We looked at each other and said, "Well, that explains a lot!" (my DH loves Disney even more than I do).

[stardust190]

Originally Posted by Cheyenne

For your stroller, if you don't mind carrying DS through the airport I would look into renting from Magic Stroller Rentals. We did this last month and the strollers are awesome!! They are City Mini strollers and you can store items in your basket and when you go to fold up the stroller everything stays in your basket!! It was awesome! They are clean and light weight; dropped off and picked up at concierge. It's $15 the first day and $8 for every additional day so after I did the math I was saving $25 compared to renting one from Disney. Check into it!

You'll get the packing down and it will help that DS will be off formula then. Also, if you only want to bring food for the flight, look into buying food from a grocery store once you arrive at Disney or at any of the Baby Changing Stations located at all 4 parks!

Thanks for the info! Was there a reason you didn't bring your own stroller? We're looking at bringing our own as it's my understanding that it is free to gate check it. I figure why not just bring our bigger stroller and not pay for rentals. If there is a reason to rent I'm not opposed to it either.

Originally Posted by shnewell

My children would not nap in a hotel room, no matter what. The first time we took them to Disney, they had just turned 4 and 2. The 4yo had dropped his afternoon nap already, but the 2yo had not. He wouldn't nap in the hotel, so after a few days, we finally gave up on that idea and just let him nap in the stroller (we rented from Disney) or on someone's shoulder (thank goodness for grandpa!) while we continued touring.

My kids still love to get out the scrapbook from that trip to look at it. I've asked my younger one if he remembers the trip at all or only what he sees in the scrapbook. He said he doesn't really remember much on his own, but looking at the scrapbook shows him what a good time we had and what fun things we did. So even though your DS will not have specific memories of this trip, I think he will develop positive associations with WDW.

Glad to know I'm not the only one with a child who will not nap in a hotel. I'm glad you were able to work it out and still tour the world. Gives me hope for our trip! I also like hearing that your DS doesn't remember, but enjoys WDW and likes looking back on the trip. I hope the same is true for my DS.

[Cheyenne]

We had a few reasons: 1) The first time we brought our big stroller it gotten beat up going through security and when you're at your gate they take it from you and put it down below, which is fine, but then it came back with black skid marks on the top canopy. No idea if it was thrown underneath and something else was laid on top of it? 2) Our daughter is now 3 and she can walk through the airport fine so it was also not a hassle to bring one with us and to rent once we got there just worked better.
Do whatever you feel comfortable with! Again, my reason this last trip was because my DD is older and it just made more sense and less for us to carry to and from the airport.

[stardust190]

Originally Posted by Cheyenne

We had a few reasons: 1) The first time we brought our big stroller it gotten beat up going through security and when you're at your gate they take it from you and put it down below, which is fine, but then it came back with black skid marks on the top canopy. No idea if it was thrown underneath and something else was laid on top of it? 2) Our daughter is now 3 and she can walk through the airport fine so it was also not a hassle to bring one with us and to rent once we got there just worked better.
Do whatever you feel comfortable with! Again, my reason this last trip was because my DD is older and it just made more sense and less for us to carry to and from the airport.

Thanks for the info. We'll probably bring our own as DS will only be 18 months and I don't really fancy lugging around him and our luggage. Maybe I'll look into getting one of those gate check bags for the stroller so it doesn't get damaged.