- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
South Florida Babies
CesEve99
member
disney
CesEve99
member
we went to go do our taxes yesterday - and hallelujah we have a little wiggle room coming in.
by that i mean some $ back in savings for a rainy day and enough for a much needed mini vacay for our 1st family trip to DISNEY!
i was so excited yesterday at our tax figure that i swear i almost cried when i saw our number...its been a real tough year for us.
so i have a couple of questions for you regular disney visitors. we're thinking of a 3 day trip
1. we were thinking of going for mady's 1st bday (which is next month) and actually leaving on my bday which is 11 days after her...that way i get in free and we only pay for dh's entrance. i know she wont remember much but she's very observant and i'm positive she will enjoy the magic kingdom! ouor second option would be to go for dh's bday...but that's july 4th and im scared of the crowds and heat but by then she will be 15 months. HOW DOES DISNEY WITH A 1 YR OLD SOUND? WHAT IF SHE'S NOT WALKING BY THEN? HOW OLD WERE YOUR KIDS WHEN YOU TOOK THEM TO DISNEY?
2. WHAT ARE THE MOST KID FRIENDLY HOTELS WITH TRANSPORTATION TO DISNEY? i can imagine the allstars but are there anymore on nearby disney grounds?
3. DID YOU GUYS DO A CHARACTER BREAKFAST OR LUNCH WITH YOUR KIDS? IS IT WORTH IT AT THIS AGE?
4. WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS? (AS FAR AS $ SAVERS, FOOD TO TAKE ALONG, MUST TAKE TO THE PARKS TO SAVE MONEY) ETC...
5. IS 1 PARK ENOUGH AT THIS AGE? i was thinking magic kingdom 1 day and maybe MGM or animal kingdom 1 other day
6. WHAT ARE THE BEST TIMES TO TRAVEL? at night when she's sleepy or in the early morning like 5am to leave the house?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: disney
sorry one more question...
WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK OF 1 DAY TO MAGIC KINGDOM AND 1 DAY TO SEA WORLD? i'm just trying to look at all our options for parks with most attractions for kids.
thanks girls!
I have no advice for you (obviously), but I am eager to hear the responses... I'm planning on making Nadia's 1st birthday celebration a trip to Disney instead of doing the whole big 1st birthday party...
I also think a one year old won't remember, but YOU will remember (and there will be pictures to show her whe she's older) and I really think she will enjoy it!
Can't wait to hear how it goes!
thanks mari! i should mention that we are still having her 1st bday ballerina party - this is just a get-a-way vacay for us (which has been long over due) so what better way than to spend it with mady? my parents took me to disney when i was just 3 mths old for the 1st time, and every yr after that. granted everything was cheaper then and frankly i remember very little if at all from the pics they have of me...but im sure they're memories of those trips are alive and vivid!
1. HOW DOES DISNEY WITH A 1 YR OLD SOUND? WHAT IF SHE'S NOT WALKING BY THEN? HOW OLD WERE YOUR KIDS WHEN YOU TOOK THEM TO DISNEY?
- It sounds wonderful, she won't remember much or know whats going on at first but Disney is Disney, who can get tired of it? LOL. My stepson was 5 years old but I have been when my nephew was 10 months and it was still cute to see his face light up.
2. WHAT ARE THE MOST KID FRIENDLY HOTELS WITH TRANSPORTATION TO DISNEY? i can imagine the allstars but are there anymore on nearby disney grounds?
- I love the allstars but I'm sure there are others that are just as nice and not Disney
3. DID YOU GUYS DO A CHARACTER BREAKFAST OR LUNCH WITH YOUR KIDS? IS IT WORTH IT AT THIS AGE?
- I would wait to do this later unless you have the money for it, its a cute time to take pics!
4. WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS? (AS FAR AS $ SAVERS, FOOD TO TAKE ALONG, MUST TAKE TO THE PARKS TO SAVE MONEY) ETC...
- Bring your own lunch
5. IS 1 PARK ENOUGH AT THIS AGE? i was thinking magic kingdom 1 day and maybe MGM or animal kingdom 1 other day
- One should be enough, again unless you have the money but MK is the BEST one out there still.
6. WHAT ARE THE BEST TIMES TO TRAVEL? at night when she's sleepy or in the early morning like 5am to leave the house?
early morning that way you can go straight to the park and start the day instead of wasting a night
We just took Maia for the first time in January. We travelled at night cause she gets really frustrated on long trips in the car. She fell asleep halfway there. We stayed at the All-Star Movies resort and it was great. It's not a five star hotel but it's clean and it's close to everything. They have a bus that will pick you up but we took our own car b/c with a tired baby you don't want to wait for a bus. The great thing about staying at a Disney property is that they give you a parking pass and you don't have to pay for parking anywhere on the property. We didn't have to pay the fee to park at Magic Kingdom.
As for tips, call and get a reservation to dine at one of the character breakfasts, they fill up quick (we called a month ahead and couldn't get space at Chef Mickey's, we went to the one at Cape May Cafe. It has Goofy, Minnie and Donald). Even if she's not old enough to appreciate the characters, it's an awesome breakfast. It costs like $20 per adult (the baby's free). It's a buffet and it is really very good. Now you might think that's a lot for a breakfast, but if you eat at the cafeteria at the All Stars they charge you per item and it comes out almost the same. We ate there the second morning and wished we had gone to the buffet instead.
We went to Magic Kingdom after breakfast with the idea that we would only stay as long as Maia was happy. Once she got tired we left. We let her go to the Mickey town area, she rode the carousel, Dumbo, and It's a Small World and that was about it before she started looking a bit kooky. It was a lot of fun and I think being flexible about the scheduling really helps.
Anyway, hope that helps. Have fun planning.
I'm obviously not a mom yet but I just went with my cousin and her baby boy (he's 2 though) and we took DH's little brother when he turned 1 and on many other occassions. Anyhow, based on my personal experience I'll give you these pointers:
- I don't think hotel matters when they're that small. Now DH's youngest brother is 5 years old so he enjoys the Nickolodeon hotel a lot but before he never really cared.
- I would try breakfast with the Characters, I enjoy those regardless but the look on kid's faces is priceless when they see those characters! Chef Mickey's is the best one I've been to.
-MIL just took the kids in November to Sea World and they did a character breakfast there (I had no clue they had one). Apparently they do a full out show and it's everyone from Sesame Street (no Disney characters though), I just don't know if you have to go to that park in order to go to the breakfast or not. Either way she said it's VERY affordable.
-The best parks I've been to with kids are: Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. And if your daughter likes princess things now she can meet the princesses and fairy's in a big store they have right by Mickey and Minnie's house in Magic Kingdom. Supposedly MGM has the Wiggles now though so that might be good if she likes that (we found out too late and my cousin's son is OBSESSED with the Wiggles, but we didn't get to take him
).
-My cousin took fruits, water, and juice for her son. When we go with DH's little brothers I usually just take water and we buy them food in there.
That's pretty much all the expertise I have on that! Good luck!!
1. Disney with a 1 year old is awesome. We took Mikey at 9 months and at 13 months (and just got back at 16.5 months). Going there with your child is just soooooo different than going on your own. Seeing them get excited about what they are seeing is just awesome. Honestly I'd pay Disney whatever they wanted to get to see Mikey interact with Pooh. Every time I see him give him a big hug it just melts my heart.Mikey wasn't walking on our Nov. trip and honestly it was MUCH easier to travel with him when he wasn't walking. On this last trip when he was out of the stroller he wanted to take off and he'd go FAST. So walking isn't always a good thing at Disney. And I'd definitely avoid July if you can. If you can't its not the end of the world. We went last year towards the end of July. It was HOT but we went back to the hotel mid-day for a pool break to cool off. Plus we had a misting fan to help cool us off while at the parks. It's not THAT bad, but if you can avoid it definitely do so.
2. I think any of the Disney hotels would be great. The most kid friendly would probably be one of the monorail resorts since its easier for YOU. The all stars are great but she'll be too young to get the themeing. We've stayed at both Port Orleans resorts and just came back from Animal Kingdom Lodge (we got a 40% off deal). Stay where you can afford, you'll make everything else just work out.
3. We have done character breakfast's at Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom twice and LOVE it. The food is great and they have Mikey's favorite characters (Pooh and his friends). We've done Chef Mickey's for dinner and I thought the food was mediocre, I'm anxious to try breafast there though to see if its better during that time. I think a character meal is great even at her age. But it can be pricey!!!
4. Bring your own water into the park. Have Mady eat off of your plate at all meals. Buy kid's meals for both you and your DH to eat. You get the most bang for your buck with kid's meals and in my opinion they are just the right amount too. Plus you wanna save room for some yummy Disney dessert. If you are staying on property expect to spend about $25 for just breakfast at your resort. Plenty of people bring breakfast type foods to their room and just eat that instead, so that's another way to save money.
5. I'm a big fan of park hopping with kids. It's easier on the kids and on the parents. We hit one park in the morning, head back to the hotel mid-day for a nap and pool time (if its warm enough), and then hit another park later on. If you can't afford park hoppers then I think 1 park is just fine. If you can do two I'd opt for Animal Kingdom over Hollywood studios.
6. Early morning is best. It gives you a chance to get to Orlando around mid-day and you still have time to hit a park. I would leave around the time she wakes up instead of at 5am though that way you aren't disrupting her schedule too much. Plus if you get to your hotel too early your room might not be ready.
I have a 3 month old but I'll probably be doing her 1st birthday with Mickey as well. My reply is more towards hotels. My husband and I usually go to Priceline.com and we do the "name your own price." We end up paying at least 50% less than what the regular rates are. The only catch is that you won't know the hotel name until they accept it. TRUST ME, IT IS WORTH IT.
Let me know if you need any help. Enjoy!