Disney

picklesx

(Wow, I have been posting a lot lately. Sadly this just shows how bored I am staying at home 5 days a week!)

We are taking DS to Disneyworld in two weeks, at which point he will be 10 months old. Have any of you taken an infant there? I know that the experience will be much different than it would be with an older child, and it's not like I am expecting to be able to accomplish as much as we would if he was older. We are just really excited to bring him for the sights and sounds and the just overall experience of Disney. I was just wondering if you have taken an infant there, what was your experience, what would you definitely recommend, what would you do differently if you were to do it again, just any feedback in general I guess...and not just on navigating the parks with a baby, but vacationing in general too. Sorry, I know that I'm kind of all over the place with this.

We are driving there (from New Jersey, about 16 hours, stopping in SC on the way down) since I refuse to fly and we've never done a road trip with DS yet, either...so any feedback on road tripping with a baby is welcome as well

dlemon

I have taken my dd on a road trip once and the only advise I have is to make sure that you are not in a rush to get there or back. Just take your time and stop as many times as you need. Remember that if you forget anything you can always stop and pick it up when you need it. Have fun in Disney! I love it there and can't wait to take my dd when she gets a little older. 

JAP09-02

We went midOctober and to be honest it was horrible. My girls were nearly 3 years and 5.5 months at the time. My perception may be skewed because I literally threw up while standing in line for our first ride our very first day. I then proceeded with the stomach virus the entire trip!!!

Number 1: be prepared to carry your LO the whole time while standing in lines. I foolishly didn't realize that strollers weren't allowed in line. I did use the moby but man was it hot, plus I was so weak from vomiting and whatnot that it was a serious struggle. If you only have one child you're probably better off because you can take turns.

Number 2: be prepared to take breaks. We met our friends there, and she had a completely different itenerary in mind than I did. She wanted to go, go, go. Whereas, I would have been happy going back for an afternoon nap each day. Granted my kids are not the type to just sleep anywhere, and her 2 year old would just nap on her shoulder.

Number 3: take as compact of stroller as possible.

Number 4: stay on property. Utilize the shuttles so you don't have to worry about driving.

Number 5: realize this is all about you and your expectations. With my first I would always want to take her to do activities that I thought she'd enjoy. However most things she couldn't have cared less about, and I would end up disappointed. So please just realize your LO may not get all excited over the shows, rides, characters. In fact they might be scared.

Number 6: bring your own PNP. DD2 pretty much screamed the first two nights we were there. Maybe she would have slept better if we'd had our own PNP...Along those same lines I would pick a resort that has suite style rooms. That way you won't have to be as quiet if LO needs to go to bed early some nights.

Number 7: plan a park free day midtrip. Enjoy the pool area and take it easy.

Number 8: we enjoyed Animal Kingdom the most. Much of it is shaded, which was awesome! Also, many of the rides you can take a child on. Make sure to utilize the fast passes! The Lion King Show and Nemo shows were amazing!

Ok well, that got really long. Sorry so much of it sounds pessimistic. I would probably have a different perspective if we had done the trip on our own terms and I hadn't been sick the whole time.

Do you not want to fly because you think it would be a pain with LO or because you're scared to fly? I prefer flying because it is such a time saver. That said we moved from FL to IA when my oldest was 8 months old and the cross country drive went great!

Stacigirl413

I know this wasn't my board but I really appreciated the feedback!  DH and I were thinking about going to Disney this summer with my in-laws. Then we are doing 2 smaller trips with my family (1 to Seasame place and 1 to a beach resort in NC to visit my sister).

 

thugcutie595@aol.com

We went in Dec! It was awesome!! I brought my own stroller the big one and it was so convient. We never left the parks for naps LO was 6 months when we went n my daughter is 10. LO slept in the stroller and had no problems. I also had a carrier too which worked out great. They have the best baby care centers ever in every park that are so convient and clean. Just relax and enjoy. We are the type of family that has an itinerary and meal plans and sched dinners and it still went fine. They really cater to families and kids we go every year on property in a vacation club and rent a car. Have fun

hoping4sticky

We just went with a 2 yo and a 6 month old. I think a lot will have to do with your LO. With my first, taking her as an infant would have been awful. She never ever ever has slept in a stroller and does not sleep in the car. Fortunately, DS will sleep in a stroller, so the parks were doable, but honestly he did not care for it. My DD loved it, and I'm glad we went, but J had just learned to crawl and he was not a fan of being restrained that much.

I would bring a carrier and a stroller. Agree with PP, most of the time you have to park the stroller and carrying kids gets old quickly (I even wound up sticking my 2 yo in the Ergo for a bit). Strollers are great for napping though. You can use the baby swap to go on rides if you would like. And while the magic kingdom is thought of as the 'kid' park, you might actually find more that your really young one might like better in some of the other parks - fish tanks at epcot, for example. Honestly, I don't think there is a lot there specifically for your LO, so do what you would like to do. Oh, and my DD's favorite part was the hotel pool.

As to the drive - again, depends on your LO. DS is great in the car and sleeps, DD we had to stop a lot and she cried quite a bit.