How old was/were your DC? Has anyone gone with more than one child (especially if there was a few year age discrepancy between the kids, and both kids were between the ages of 2-6)? How did it all pan out?
We had planned to do Disney this Spring, but I'm having second thoughts and thinking of postponing it one more year. I'm just curious to hear how others' experiences were before we make our final decision!
Thanks!
Re: For those who have done Disney World...
Well, I can only speak from our personal experience but we took K at age 3.5 and it was THE PERFECT AGE! She was just 40 inches so she could ride most all the "big rides" (Splash Mountain was her very fav--she rode this 13 times! Soarin' was another favorite of hers!).
Would it have still been fun for her at a younger age, sure....but for us, we wanted her to get the maximum benefit out of the trip so we waited until she was tall enough. There was nothing there that she was too big for.....and only 1-2 rides per park that she wasn't yet big enough for.
We're already tentatively planning another trip for sometime in 2010 because we had such a wonderful time.
One word of caution, if your child is still of nap-taking age when you go--and doesn't nap well in a stroller (mine has NEVER fallen asleep in a stroller EVER), then I would highly advise you stay somewhere on the monorail, or you'll be spending a LOT of time riding back and forth on those darn shuttle buses (the wait times plus the ride times will start adding up--and every minute at Disney is valuable)!
Also, if you are staying for an extended amount of time (more than 5 days):
1- you won't need the park hopper option, just plan your days strategically
and
2- build a day in during the middle of your trip to just relax and NOT go to any park, you will appreciate a day of rest to just relax, swim at the hotel, and not have to be in a constant state of rush, rush, rush!
Also, check out the tourguidemike site. We paid the $25 and found his info to be quite useful!
CallMeKel - Thank you SO much for this post! You pretty much confirmed my every fear/concern. Maren is totally ready at age 5, but at 2.5 - I feel Blake just isn't there yet. He still naps (and NOT in a stroller!), isn't fully PT'd, and I know there will be major drama when he can't do everything Maren can do. He really looks up to her and would be heartbroken if he couldn't participate in the same things.
3.5 was the 'magic' age when Maren became much more flexible and independent, so I'm holding out hope Blake will follow suit. I think we'll definitely postpone one more year to let him grow out of naps (or close to it), get PT'd, and grow a few more inches so he can participate in everything that Maren can.
I felt so guilty to consider pushing back the trip another year, but it really sounds like the best thing for us and will really allow us to maximize our time there. It's so costly and I want to make sure we get the most bang for our buck (and not end up overly stressed out in the process).
I really appreciate the tips/hints as well. I'll bookmark them for when we start planning our 2011 trip! Looks like 2010 will be the Riviera Maya and San Antonio instead!
Thanks again!
We took Lucas when he was 2.5 and it was a lot of fun. I was 7 mos. pregnant at the time which presented its own challenges.
My friend takes her three children and it works out well. She recommends the boards on Tour Guide Mike. There is a fee to access the site but the tips and tricks were helpful for our planning purposes.
I found that it is important to plan well, not take on full days at the parks, and be ready for your plans to change.
Lucas loved the rides like Dumbo that go in a circle. He was reluctant about Small World at the beginning of the week but was an advocate for riding it multiple times by the end of the week. He rode the Barnstormer roller coaster and liked it. He hated anything dark and confining - the Tiki Room made him cry.
We stayed off site in a vacation rental with a pool. It was a five minute drive to parking and was nice for days off. Parking is expensive so count that into any budget for off-site rentals.