Disney World/Land Thread

lifesabeach85 · June 2018

I wanted to be a total AW and ask everyone's advice about Disney in the spring (which I'll do below), but I thought I'd start a more general thread for everyone to ask questions or give advice about their own Disney trips or Disney in general. I know we have a lot of Disney lovers and World/Land experts in the group!!!

lifesabeach85 · June 2018

So here's my SS issue:

We went to Disney World for a long weekend in February (when I got my BFP!) and had a blast. We are going to FL in early March again this year (my parents have a time share condo near Fort Meyers), and were considering tacking on another long weekend trip to Orlando at the end. Obviously this year we will have a 4ish month old baby in addition to a 3.5 y/o. So, has anyone done Disney with an infant? Obviously she won't get anything out of it, but will it just make it too hard? Or are they easy enough to have nap in the stroller and lug around in the ergo at that age? Can you take an infant with you on any of the rides or will one adult always have to sit out?

offtoneverland · June 2018

Yessssss! I'm loving this thread already!

@lifesabeach85 I haven't done Disney with an infant, but I've seen lots of infants there. We're planning to take a trip to WDW next August or September. My parents live in Ft. Myers!

As long as you go without any huge expectations, I don't see any problems with it. By that I mean, don't go expecting to go on every single ride and stay in the park all day long. Taking a long break in the middle of the day to go back to the hotel and nap is good for everyone and is really relaxing. The only time I see parents/kids having a bad time at the park is when the kids get too tired and grumpy; that's why breaks at the hotel are a necessity. Heck, even I get grumpy at the parks because it can be really overwhelming and so exciting!

All of the Disney parks have baby care centers with the following:

Private nursing room with rocking chairs (but moms are allowed to nurse anywhere in the park)
Changing room with tables and a unisex bathroom
Feeding area with highchairs
Kitchen with microwave, oven and sink
Main room with television, table, chairs and sofa
On-site shop offering formula, baby food, juice, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, over-the-counter medications and clothing for purchase

I haven't used those myself, but imagine it's super helpful and a great place to relax while the older kid goes on rides with one of the parents, while the other feeds the baby/rests.

You can take infants with you on tons of the slower kids rides. There's a list on this website (it's very long, so I don't want to post it here). I might be a bit wary of the noise on some of them, but I doubt anything would be loud enough to damage the baby's ears. They also have a parent swap thing for some of the bigger rides. So if both you and YH want to ride a roller coaster, you can both wait in line together, and one waits to the side with the kids, then you switch when the ride is finished.

I think it sounds like a blast and I'm so excited to (hopefully) go next year. It might be harder with an infant, but still a ton of fun worth it.

kamahina9 · June 2018

I'm so far from a trip to Disney anything but I am loving the info already! We are trying to figure out how old would be a good age to take this baby for their first Disney trip. Of course Disney is expensive in general but since we have such high airfare costs as well, we wanna make sure it's worth it. What do you all think?

offtoneverland · June 2018

@kamahina9 It kind of depends. Since it is such a long trip for you, would this be your one and only trip for a long time? Of so, I'd probably wait til 3 or 4 so your kid will interact and remember it. But if you could go every few years, you coud go earlier than that. But with such a long trip, going with a really young kid might not be worth it. Tickets for kids under 3 are free though!

Do you have any thoughts on whether you'd go to Disneyland or Disney world? I guess Disneyland is easier for you to get to.

MojieJo · June 2018

We normally go to Disneyworld every year for 10 days for my birthday and to go to the Halloween/Food and Wine events.

It's making me so sad that we're not going to be going back for a few years minimum.

We've stayed at Riverside, French Quarter, Caribbean Beach and Beach Club if anyone has questions about those resorts.

We've gone to all the parks, including the water parks, attended the Not So Scary Halloween Party twice and use the magical express transportation to and from the airport each year, so I can answer questions about those.

I've not been any other time if the year but mid to late October since I was little and we haven't been with kids, but I'm happy to help with other things if I can!

lifesabeach85 · June 2018

@MojieJo did you bring your twins when they were infants?

MojieJo · June 2018

@lifesabeach85 I feel terrible admitting this and will probably be judged for it, but they stayed with my mom and dad while we went. My parents live with us (for now, anyway), so it wasn't a huge change of pace for them (they were with people they were extremely familiar with and were in their own house...the only thing different was that we were gone for a while and they were much too little to really understand that).

I know a lot of people probably think it was a very selfish thing to do going without them and maybe it was, but they were in good, familiar hands. I actually feel pretty guilty about it (and did at the time, too) but there's no undoing it now.

We're holding off for a few years now because they're old enough to understand that we're gone and we don't want to leave them behind or deal with the difficulties of two toddlers and an infant and only two sets of hands to wrangle them. It would be nice to go back sooner, but it would be way too selfish, no matter how much they like Grandma and Grandpa.

If we can go with family to help wrangle them, we might go back sooner. Our current plan is to go back in 2021 for the 50th anniversary.

pink_polkadots · June 2018

Ahh I love this thread already!

SO. We go to Disney every year. We started going in 2011 before kids, and have continued since having DD. I took DD for her first trip when she was 8 months old. It ended up being a really magical trip. It took a bit more preparation than our trips with just the two of us, but that made the whole trip go very smoothly. I imagine with a 4 month old, it would be even easier than an 8 month old cause she won’t be on food yet aside from breast milk or formula. I was worried about sleep for DD, but she ended up just falling asleep in her stroller or the carrier. All she need was a pacifier and we draped a muslin blanket over it to give her even more shade. Make sure if you do that, it’s a thin, breathable blanket so they don’t get overheated. We also bought a stroller fan off of Amazon for the hotter days.

There are tons of rides you can take an infant on as well. Anything that doesn’t have a height requirement. You can easily look up those attractions on google. Rides like Peter Pan, Small World, Little Mermaid... you can easily take baby on those and she can sit in the carrier or your lap. There are a few I’d avoid even though they don’t have height requirements such as Toy Story Midway Mania, Kilaminjaro Safari. IMO they’d be too jerky/bumpy for a 4 month old. For the other bigger rides, be sure to take advantage of the rider swap option. It allows the parents to switch out so each can get a turn to ride.

Also, like @offtoneverland mentioned. Definitely take advantage of those baby care centers. They are amazing. Nice and cool, lots of supplies, a nice quiet retreat from the parks. I definitely preferred changing DD’s diaper in there as opposed to the regular bathrooms.

also, if you are traveling by plane, you can have diapers and wipes and such shipped to your resort through Amazon. It definitely saves a lot of packing room.

kamahina9 · June 2018

@offtoneverland - we would probably test the waters at Disneyland first but wouldn't be able to go very often. Maybe we can aim for when he/she turns 3. Thanks for the advice!

tessiesmom26 · June 2018

THIS IS THE BEST THREAD EVER!!!

So I have Disney World info for mostly adults since I don't have a LO yet. The youngest child I've traveled with was 3ish at the time, so I'm not much help there.

I have been to Disney 11 times, in the past 12 years. I have stayed at all the All Stars, Port Orleans Riverside (in a Royal Room), POFQ, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I personally will always stay on-site for convenience reasons. We also always get the dining plan and memory maker. I have traveled to the "dark side" (Universal) a few times as well so I can give advice on that.

Our next trip is planned for when baby turns 1. (489 days roughly, depending on exactly when baby arrives). I want to stay at either the Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge for their location to MK so we can do mid-day breaks. Also depending on how much I am able to pay down my student loans between now and then, I want to buy DVC points, too.

pink_polkadots · June 2018

@tessiesmom26 ugh I would looovvveee to stay at the Poly one day, but it’s so expensive... so I always have this battle like... I can stay at the poly for a few days, or I can stay somewhere cheaper and extend my trip. We are also interested in buying DVC as well. Everyone we’ve talked to who owns it says if you go as much as we do, it’s so worth it. Recently we have been renting DVC points to stay in a few deluxe resorts and it’s been really nice!

Eveinshock · June 2018

Well thank you for making my afternoon at work completely unproductive while i plan my imaginary Disney trip....

I used to live 5 min from Magic Kingdom and I have been craving disney so much! I have a 16 month old and I don't care what anyone says about him remembering anything, I know he would absolutely love it right now. I would consider going next year with both babies but my husband insists we go to Greece to see family. I know boo-hoo poor me but I'm really missing it!

tessiesmom26 · June 2018

@pink_polkadots I know the Poly is so expensive, but I have to stay there at least once! I'm thinking baby's 1st bday is as good a time as any LOL. I am going to try to rent points for this trip, so hopefully that helps!

MouseMama817 · June 2018

@MojieJo I don’t think that’s selfish at all, though I can see why you feel guilty. DH and I’s first date away from DD was to go to Disney on Ice and I felt like crap about it. I just asked him the other night if it would be terrible to go to Disney on our own without the kids. I feel like WDW is so much more fun with kids but I do miss being able to go just the 2 of us.

@lifesabeach85 I don’t have much to add to what @offtoneverland said. I think you’ll have a great time and it won’t be too difficult, especially since you’ll be man on man. The baby centers are amazing btw. Epcot’s isn’t so great but the one at MK is really decked out and comfortable. We just lowered the stroller flat and let DD nap right there in the parks. Buy a stroller fan though, it’ll help with that. The only thing that would give me pause in taking LO is germs and the chance of exposure to unvacced kids, but LO will have had at least their first round of vacs by then. And I’ve seen tons of fetuses at MK so it’s not considered crazy lol.

@tessiesmom26 I really love that you know the exact number of days to your next trip. A girl after my own heart! And we loooooove the AK resort. It smells so amazing, among a thousand other reasons it’s awesome. We love the giraffes right outside our hotel window and the pool. They have the most amazing restaurants downstairs. I miss it so much!

ETA Our next trip is DD’s bday in August. It’ll just be a day trip because we live so close by. In a perfect world we would get a hotel for the weekend so we could go back for a break and be able to head back to the parks for the new fireworks show. I cannot wait to see it in person (obviously I live streamed it online when it debuted

). We’re renewing our passes this year though so we can always do a nighttime trip one day. I’m nervous for the heat because the heat index is already 110 here, but I’ll just have to take lots of breaks. We haven’t been in over a year and I just cannot wait for the parades and the food and the music! We’re also going to do our social media announcement there (we still haven’t told people outside of family and close close friends) so tons to look forward to!

lifesabeach85 · June 2018

@MouseMama817 Are you going to Toy Story Land???????? I was thinking about just sticking to MK, but then I thought DD might like Toy Story Land. But I need some reviews on how toddlers handle it before deciding if it's worth the trek to Hollywood.

MouseMama817 · June 2018

For her bday trip we’re just going to stick to MK, but we will for sure have been there before your trip in March and I’ll update you! I’m dying to see it but at the same time not in too much rush because I know it’ll be insane and I can’t stand heavy crowds. Be Our Guest opened 6 years ago, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 4 years ago, and reservations/fast passes are still hard as heck to get. Crowds just stay nuts for new Disney attractions. January will probably be a good time to scope it out. I’ll update in this thread when we do go!

edited for spelling

pink_polkadots · June 2018

@tessiesmom26 have you rented points before? If not, if you’re interested in Poly, make sure to start the process about a year out. I think the booking window for dvc owners is 11 months, so that’s when they can start renting points, but Poly is so popular, it sells out SUPER fast. Last year we started booking a trip about 8 months out and almost every deluxe was gone for October except Animal Kingdom, Saratoga and Old Key West.

@MouseMama817 please update us after your August trip and give me alllll the tricks you used to stay cool. I need them for September. We already have a misting fan, im wondering if we should try one of those cooling towels or something too.

MouseMama817 · June 2018

@pink_polkadots I should look into cooling towels! That’s a great idea. I was just planning on drinking tons of ice water, taking major advantage of the indoor attractions, and making sure I spoke up when I needed to sit or take a break. I hadn’t thought of actual gadgets yet lol. I’m too used to grinning and bearing this FL heat I think.

pink_polkadots · June 2018

@MouseMama817 with you living there I’m sure you can handle a lot more heat than I can! I’m a big whiny baby when I get too hot/sweaty. Add being pregnant on top of that? It’s gonna be interesting, that’s for sure!

MouseMama817 · June 2018

I can handle heat better than cold. DH gets grumpy in the heat; I get grumpy in the cold (ie 50 degrees

offtoneverland · June 2018

@MojieJo October/November is the best time of year to go to Disney World! We've been there during that time frame twice and loved it since the crowds are so much smaller. We went near the end of October after the Food and Wine Festival was over though, so I'm not sure how that would affect the crowds. I've heard great things about the Not So Scary Halloween Party and would love to go some day. One of my friends told me it was way better than the Christmas Party.
I agree; I don't think you should feel guilty about leaving your kids so you could go on a trip! I know how mom guilt is though...it can be really difficult to deal with sometimes because I make myself feel guilty for everything.

@pink_polkadots I had no idea you could ship stuff to the resort through Amazon. How do you do that? Do you just put your name on it with the hotel's address?

@tessiesmom26 We love the dining plan! It's so convenient and I love feeling like it's an all inclusive trip.

@pink_polkadots @tessiesmom26 I would love to buy into the DVC some day. It's on my bucket list for sure! We rented points through a company for a trip a couple of years ago and it was really easy, but the only resort with availability was Saratoga Springs, and we didn't love it. There was nothing wrong with it really, but the theming didn't do much for us.

General tip for any military members on here--The Shades of Green resort on Disney property is amazing! It's only for military members, retired military members, and some government employees. We stayed there when MH and I were both in the military and were so surprised at how nice it is. Since it is a "military resort" we didn't expect it to be very nice, but we loved it. Plus, it's right across the street from the Polynesian, so you can hop on the monorail really easily!

MojieJo · June 2018

@offtoneverland The Food and Wine festival is my favorite but it's so, so crowded during it. I could easily spend the entire time at Epcot eating, though.

The Halloween party is fun if for no other reason than that the lines are pretty short for most rides (other than the Haunted Mansion) and you can do things that you can't easily do other times. It's kind of silly, but last time we climbed to the top of the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse during the party and there was no one up there. We had this amazing view of Cinderella's castle all lit up for the party and got some very good pictures. It was so nice just to sit up there away from the crowds and admire the views.

I'd like to go to the Christmas party (or at least go for the Christmas season decorations) at least once, but it's so hard not to go at my favorite time of year for my favorite holiday.

CopperBoom86 · June 2018

I have no advice.... but I was just in Disney World on Sunday and it was magical. Be jealous!

Image: https://media.giphy.com/media/kolvlRnXh8Jj2/giphy.gif

lifesabeach85 · June 2018

What is Disney Vacation Club? Is that like a rewards system or like a time share?

pink_polkadots · June 2018

@lifesabeach85 it’s Disney’s time share program

@offtoneverland I’ve never done it personally. I wish I would’ve known when I took DD when she was 8 months old because I had to pack food pouches, formula, diapers and wipes plus her clothes and other necessities in 2 suitcases. That was a nightmare! I know you can do it, but I am unsure of the exact process. I’m sure a quick google would be helpful with that. I have recently heard conflicting reports that some resorts are starting to charge to hold packages, but I haven’t seen confirmation of that, just hear-say.

tessiesmom26 · June 2018

@pink_polkadots @offtoneverland I have heard that they are charging $5 a box to hold at the resort if you order through Amazon. I have never done Amazon, but we've done Garden Grocer twice and loved it! Granted we didn't need baby supplies, but we got like protein bars, fruit, beer, and waters and it was much cheaper that way. We order it all from home a few days before we leave and schedule it to arrive the day we do and it's always worked for us!

tessiesmom26 · June 2018

I just caught the Facebook Live opening ceremony for Toy Story Land. Tim Allen was there and standing right next to Buzz. I am currently sitting at my desk wiping away tears. I CAN'T WAIT TO GO SEE IT!!!

pink_polkadots · June 2018

@tessiesmom26 MH and I were watching ride videos of Slinky Dog and the Alien Saucers last night. I’m so sad I won’t be able to ride Slinky Dog when we go! Also... (don’t quote me on this) with the quick little research I did last night, it looks like they put Slinky Dog, Saucers and Toy Story Mania all in the tier 1 fast pass group. Which means you can only pick one from that group initially. How am I supposed to choose between those?!? I love TSM, my MH wants to try Slinky, and I know my DD would love the Saucers. WTH Disney. Wth.

lifesabeach85 · June 2018

It’s not even 9am and there is 3.5h wait for slinky. There is no way it’s THAT cool.

offtoneverland · June 2018

@pink_polkadots It's disappointing, but I get why they made them all tier 1 rides. At least it will give others the option to hopefully get on some of the new rides without having everyone book them for fast passes.
@lifesabeach85 hahaha there's definitely no way it's worth a 4 hour wait. But it always happens with the new rides, no matter what it is! Can you even imagine trying to keep your kids occupied for 4 hours in line??? Ugh.

MouseMama817 · July 2018

I was reading that there was a line to get into Toy Story Land itself, nevermind the lines for the actual rides. Yikes! And yes, I saw that freaking Tim Allen was there and am cursing myself for ALL OF THE AMAZING THINGS Disney has debuted during the one year we didn't renew our passes!

pink_polkadots · July 2018

Need some opinions. Our fast pass window is coming up for Disney World. I know that most rides without a height requirement are typically deemed safe for expectant moms. There are a few Im a little wary about. They dont have Expectant Mother warnings... but Im not sure about the bumps and jerkiness of some of them, and then with Soarin, one site I looked at said to skip it, while another said go for it. Can I get some of your opinions on if you would ride these rides while 31-ish weeks pregnant?

Kilaminjaro Safari
Soarin'
Toy Story Mania

Thanks!

wildrainbow · July 2018

@pink_polkadots I would do Safari, I didn't think it was that bumpy, but it was possibly because I was so distracted by all the animals. I hated Soarin'. That is mostly because of my ridiculous fear of heights and it definitely feels like you are flying. I will never ride it again. I know nothing about Toy Story Mania, sorry.

MojieJo · July 2018

I don't think I'd do Toy Story Midway Mania myself. It's tame since there's no drops or anything, but the car jerking back and forth as it swivels can be kind of rough.

It's probably not dangerous, but I'd find it uncomfortable for sure.

offtoneverland · July 2018

@pink_polkadots I would do all 3 of those while pregnant! I don't think Toy Story would be any different than riding in a car. It's really not that jerky, I don't think. Soarin' is really smooth and you sit still the whole time. Not sure why someone would recommend to avoid it!

iheartbooks · July 2018

Following! Before DD I had no interest in Disney but she loves all the characters and I think it would be so fun to take her! We live in Nor Cal so are driving distance to Disney and I’m thinking of taking a trip for DD’s bday next March instead of doing a bday party. We spent like $500 on her party this year and I was like, um... we might as well have put that toward a vacation. Loving all the tips on going with an infant!!

MouseMama817 · July 2018

I personally wouldn’t waste a fast pass on the Toy Story mania ride. I feel like the queue is way better than the ride itself. Kilimanjaro safari isn’t that bumpy in my opinion and is super fun. Why no Soarin? It’s just sitting in a chair up close to a video screen. I would choose either Soarin or Safari!

offtoneverland · July 2018

@MouseMama817 Whaaaat? Toy Story Midway Mania is one of the best rides!!

MouseMama817 · July 2018

@offtoneverland Toy Story is one of my favorite movies Disney or otherwise and I adore the queue, but I just am not that into the carnival game theme once you get on board. Plus I really suck at it so maybe that’s a factor lol

edited for spelling

MojieJo · July 2018

I assume it's probably not still the case, but the last time I was at Disneyworld (October 2017), they were having trouble with larger people not being able to get into the seats on Soarin' and get the harnesses latched after the reboot and revamp they did. They were turning people away who couldn't get the seats latched after waiting in line and it was causing a fair number of angry disputes.

I'm not sure if that was a width issue or a "projection" issue (so I'm not sure if it would be a problem for an average sized pregnant lady or not).

Surely they've fixed that issue by now, though?

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