- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
September 2011 Moms
Disney Advise
Next week I'm going to look into planning our trip to Disney. I want to take D In March or April of next year and I know you can book them about a year out.
I was hoping to get some help from Moms who have been.
Do you stay at a Resort?
Do you get the meal plan?
Do you take your stroller or rent at the park? (we'll be flying in from PA)
Any other advise you can think of. TIA
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Disney Advise
Thanks Panda. I appreciate that and I've heard other say that too.
She'll be 2 1/2 and from what I've read on it there is no wrong age to go to Disney. I understand she'll remember more when she is older but we want to build memories as a family not just for her. We'll go ago in a few more years. Most likely when she is 5 or 6.
I'd really like to get ideas on the stay from Parents who have been. There are so many options and scenarios. Thanks.
I know Disneyworld is WAY different than the land, so my advice might be much help. We stayed offsite and brought our own stroller. The rental strollers looked nice though, the had storage below and sun visors. But for us it wasn't worth the extra cost. We stayed very flexible, no reservations, and it worked great for us.
I agree with this but if Disney is great for everyone so the choice is yours. I'd rather spent the few thousand dollars for when Disney will be appreciated and rides not as limited.
That said, I have stayed twice. Once at Caribbean Beach Resort, it was nice and has a couple pools - one huge one in the middle and a smaller one off to the side of the building we stayed in. The other time we stayed at the Hilton in Downtown Disney. It was a typical hotel and still had a shuttle but it stopped at several hotels not just the one we stayed at. We also learned that you cannot have food delivered to any of the hotels. if you do you have to meet the delivery guy down on the street. They are not allowed on the properties.
My favorite parks are Animal Kingdom and MGM (or whatever it is called now). I recommend a park hopper pass otherwise you can only do 1 park a day. With the park hopper you can do as many as you want in a day.
I have gone to Disney and stayed off the Disney property and also on the property at a Disney resort. Both were wonderful trips. I would choose to stay at one of the Disney resorts again for the next time we go. For us, it just kind of added another layer of Disney-ness to the whole experience. The disney resorts that we've stayed at all had great food, very cool themed decor and activities at the different ones, and depending on which resort you stay at (they are located near different disney parks), then you have the option of taking the buses, a water ferry, or the monorail to the them parks.
The Carribean Beach resort is an awesome moderately priced one that we have stayed at multiple times, and will probably stay there when we go next year. It has a very chill vibe, lots of bright colors, very little kid friendly.
We've also stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and the ANimal Kingdom Lodge. They were both wonderful, but I would still choose the Carribean beach over them if you have little kids. This is just my opinion though.
We plan to get the meal plan when we go, just because we will be eating on-site anyways, so might as well pay ahead and not worry about it there.
If you go and don't stay at a disney resort, you'll still have an amazing time!
We took Rylee to Disney World in November. Worst time of year to go crowds were crazy. April/May will be much better as long as you avoid Spring Break...
Resorts Ive been about a dozen times and stayed in a lot of places. You really should stay on their property unless you are on a major budget. The transportation alone was worth it. This past trip my dad paid for everything [16 people] so we stayed at the budget friendly All Star resort... It was a lower end hotel but worked just fine. We loved the Caribbean, but the swan and dolphin aren't age friendly for your LO, Wilderness Lodge is great, the campground is super fun, etc etc. The Boardwalk was our favorite resort because of the location. It was the most centrally located place and you could walk to Epcot from there. Plus the entertainment at night for kids on the boardwalk was awesome. Magicians and tricksters.
Food... We did the meal plan the last three trips we've taken. Personally I would do the middle plan. The big one is too much. We had so many meals and snacks left over it was a waste. The middle plan includes quick service meals snacks and a sit down meal.
MAKE DINNER RESERVATIONS ASAP. A month prior even.
Rides... Even at 14 mos, Rylee went on a few rides including dumbo, small world, magic carpet ride, etc and she liked them all but she really liked the shows and parades most. The people watching kept her entertained the entire trip. She LOVED Disney and best of all, she was free admission and free on the flight [lap baby].
Spending money.... Since we went together as an entire family, I bought Disney themed outfits ahead of time at Old Navy and Target...Also found a Cinderella dress at The Disney Store on clearance ahead of time. I'm normally not a fan of character clothing but I knew once we got there we'd be sucked into it all and want to buy her Minnie Mouse shirts, princess dresses and such... By buying them ahead of time at home, we saved moocho bucko. And the little girls were coordinated, so it was adorable. Disney is expensive. Haha. We spent very little money on food since we had the meal plan and only bought trinkets and a few Xmas gifts for her.
Stroller... My sisters and brothers have always brought their own stroller and we did the same for Rylee. It saved us in the airport, it saved us walking around the boardwalk, and it was much easier to find in the sea of rented strollers wen you get out of a show and go looking for yours. Plus, way more cozy for napping.
Hope this helps. Have a blast!!! And eat a turkey leg for me! Love those things!