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Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
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lynnd126
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Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Just curious what you guys would do- I don't have many irl Disney expert friends!
We went to Dutch/other area attractions this week for 4 days. I have 2 ds- a baby and a 2 1/2 yo.
I learned a lot from this trip. My older ds will not nap without a car ride. I mean, we would do 6 hours of activities and he wouldn't fall asleep laying down. He no longer naps at home, so I guess that's why. His non napping would throw the whole day's "schedule" off (bc then he would crank out). So, I learned that 1. the "schedule" has to be loose and built with leeway to change things/ time to fit things in that were missed. 2. We need to rent a car in Disney to induce nice long naps, or ds1 will be miserable (this may be true for ds2 by then too- he'll be 15 months- but hopefully this kid will have a better nap schedule in the first place- I know that is mostly my fault for never instilling it.
I also learned that ds1 may not stay still much at a dinner table. At home we don't take him out to eat often, but when we do he is usually good about it. I think it was a mix of being on vacation and also b/c we went to a couple of buffets- he kept wanting to get up b/c other people were (us included obviously). It was very difficult. One night he was VERY difficult and we actually got our food to go  This behavior is NOT reflective of how ds usually is at home. He is 2 1/2 and maybe has had 5 or 6 tantrums total- only one or two bad ones. On this vacation he had like 3 bad ones. I know I need to do a better job of making it less stressful for everyone (we did have a great time over-all though- don't get me wrong).
So, now for my question.
We HAD booked for Disney a deluxe resort (Wilderness) thinking we would use the boat to get around and to the monorail and also thinking we would get free dining (it is always recently offered for our dates) and we planned out one table service/restaurant meal a day. The day was basically gonna look like three blocks- park/nap/meal- then other activity not necessarily back to a park.
I am thinking of changing everything. I realize now that we need to rent a car and drive and also that I don't want to do a sit down meal every day. I just don't want the stress of both hoping the kids behave and also hoping our schedule that day is working out just right so that we make it to these meals and make it to them with toddlers in fresh good moods. I want to be a lot more flexible than I planned.
If we are not taking Disney transportation and not using the dining I am wondering if we should switch resorts. The one I picked is like $300 a night for a small room. I found these really nice and very close off property suites for less than half the price. We also will not likely get much out of the extra magic hours, since we aren't very early bird people (although we might make an effort to try- it's not 100% out).
My other possible thought was switching to a value resort- the new one. Then we could drive, have free parking, still have access to extra hours etc, and get free quick service meals if the free dining does come out for our dates (which again, I hear it very likely will). But the con to that is the room is so small. Well, compared to the off site. It's not really that much smaller than the original room we have booked at Wilderness. The other positive is there is more for my kids to do at the hotel if we stay at Art of Animation- like kiddie pools and a playground (although we are going at the end of January so swimming will likely be out).
I also was intending on NOT getting park hoppers but now I think we will. Without the dining it's gonna leave a larger block of time in the evenings to fill.
Thoughts on the hotel? I just keep looking at that off property and thinking you get so much more luxury room for your buck- but you lose the disney magic-especially the theming, you know?
As far as my DH is concerned he thinks keeping the room at WL is silly if we're not gonna use the transportation or want to do sit down meals with our free dining.
tia
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Posted 6/22/12 9:47 AM  |
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saraH
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Would they sit for character meals?
We took my oldest when she was 2 and she totally surprised me at Disney. She sat for just about every meal, she was busying watching everybody and everything around her.
I would schedule them for breakfast and leave the rest of the day loose for meals and such. My dd napped in the stroller because she was just that tired, I pushed her around while the rest of our group did the rides. I was pg anyway so no space mountin for me. 
Disney is exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. We keep our days pretty flexible. We don't go back to the hotel to take breaks, but we def have down time.
Hth
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| Posted 6/22/12 10:37 AM |
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Wendy
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Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
WL is out favorite place and I would never stay anywhere else when we go.
We also always rent a car but never take it when we are going to MK - boat only. We drive to all the other parks.
It's completely possible the pool will be an option at the end of January.
Again, I'm no help because WL is the only place we stay and we love it there. We also had no issues with napping or meals with DD (she was 18 months and 2.5yrs the two times she's been).
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| Posted 6/22/12 10:41 AM |
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Lillykat
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Does it have to be a car? What about a stroller and taking a LONG ride on the monorail?
My older DD would only crash IN the stroller - so we would just walk her around until she crashed - often in the stroller on the monorail on the way back to the hotel. The boat to MK from the WL I am pretty sure you would have to fold your stroller so a quiet boat ride would probably be out. But there is a ferry from TTC to the MK that you can roll your stroller on if you think you could get him to sleep that way. The WL is hard because they only have smaller boats and then buses. You could still rent a car from there.
Have you considered a moderate?
Well I can tell you my last trip - DD#1 was almost 3 (one month from turning 3) and DD#2 turned 1 on the trip. DD#1 at the time was not a good sitter - travel does through off kids schedules which does make it harder. We did dinners - I chose sit down dinners because the girls would come back to the hotel and nap in the stroller or whatever and we would swim. This would relax them so we could do an early dinner. I didn't do sit down lunches (other than sci fi drive in) so that they wouldn't be cranky. Keep in mind not sure where you ate at DW but the restaurants while family friendly might not be very "exciting" for the kids. I chose places that had some sort of activity or entertainment to occupy the girls in case they were antsy or cranky. We did character meals, biergarten (has a band and dance floor that the kids get up and dance on), ohana - (coconut races and hula lessons etc). Meals at WDW go very quickly and they are filled with young kids and are good about getting them food quickly to keep them happy and entertained.
We stayed at the Poly just so that when we wanted to take the afternoon break or they crashed in the stroller that we didn't have to wake them to put them into the car or the monorail. My girls while very active were stroller nappers - I wouldn't have easily been able to take them to the room and have them lay down - they probably would have run around - so each child is different. So I understand about having to find the right environment to get them to nap. Would your DC nap in the stroller if you went for a good long walk NOT in the parks where there is little excitement to want to look at? There are many places in WDW you could go and walk around and take a long walk if you think that might work.
As far as staying at the table - I got some small figurine and bath figure toys down there (WDW has a TON) and would throw them in a zip lock and pull them out when they got restless. If you choose your restaurants well there will be some sort of entertainment where they CAN get up and dance, or move around for a little while which helps get the restlessness out.
Having a car is definitely a nice perk but it CAN be more work - something to think about. If you stay on property you get free parking at the parks - if you stay off property you pay $14 a day to park. Something to think about. Also when you go to the parking lots at the parks you very well may have to take a tram to the entrance. This means when you get out of your car you pack up the stroller, put the kids in etc. Walk down a LONG row and then have to unpack everything and fold the stroller to get onto the tram. Which might be fine going- but if your DC falls asleep then it is a real pain. You still have to do this on the buses but you don't have to pack and unpack over and over again. The other thing to consider is when you go with the WDW transportation (magical express) you get off the plane, maybe take a bathroom break and head straight for the ME area. Get in line and board a bus where you are whisked to your hotel (might stop at 2 others but it isn't a bad ride). When you drive. You have to get off, lug kids to baggage claim - maybe with a car seat for your baby. Stand around for your bags to show up, collect everything, walk it across the street to the parking garage or get a shuttle depending on the company you use. Get the rental car, install 2 car seats, drive to the hotel etc. Return trip, you can check your bags at the airline check in desk at your hotel - But you still have to get to the airport, return the car AND you will have your car seats so you have to carry them to the gate or wait until you get to the airport to check in and check your bags. We used to rent cars - until our last trip when we did ME and with 2 little ones it was so much more relaxing - plus our bags were just waiting in our room a few hours later. No stress. We just made sure to carry on a few things like a change of clothes etc for the 1st few hours until our luggage arrived.
BTW we also use a service called gardengrocer.com which is like peapod. We get breakfast, bottled water, juice boxes, snacks etc for the room. We save money that way and it is nice to have the items you normally use.
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| Posted 6/22/12 10:45 AM |
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nycgirl
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Your kids sound like mine.
I've been to Disney many times with my family... but not my kids yet (I just booked a cruise from NYC to over there, but that's another story).
I've stayed in MANY resorts off of Disney. They are quite nice & much less $$. I've stayed in really nice ones for as low as $60 per night with huge pools & tropical gardens. They usually offer free shuttles to the parks. As a family, we used to stay at these resorts, go in the AM, go to the pool in the afternoon, & then go in the PM to the park.
If you are not going to take advantage of the early hours & transportation... IMO, it's not worth it to stay at Disney. So... I guess I agree with your DH. IMO, the hotels themselves are not THAT special for the cost. (note: I have not stayed at Wilderness Lodge) They are useful if you like to take the transportation (but lots of hotels do anyway) & will do early hours...
Another option would be to stay at Universal (i.e. Hard Rock, which has a great "beach" & is comparatively less $$), where the park is a short walk away, the "night life" is close by (I remember Margaritaville) & gives you a special pass (cut to front of all lines). BUT, I didn't see too many young kid rides at Universal.
With a car, you'll also be able to go to lots of the nearby restaurants, minigolf, etc. in Kissimmee. It should give you lots of options.
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| Posted 6/22/12 10:47 AM |
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Wendy
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by Lillykat
The boat to MK from the WL I am pretty sure you would have to fold your stroller so a quiet boat ride would probably be out. The WL is hard because they only have smaller boats and then buses.
There are two types of boats that run from WL to MK. The smaller type you do have to fold up strollers and step down, the larger boat you can roll on.
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| Posted 6/22/12 11:11 AM |
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JennP
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Jenn
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Others will have a lot more detailed advice for you because I'm not an expert at all.
However, I just went in November with my then 19 month old DS. While we had a great time, part of the reason we might be going again soon is that I would like to do a do-over for several reasons, some of which aren't really relevant to your question. Anyway, here are my thoughts.
I definitely think making sure your son naps is a priority. Mine napped in the stroller, and it's hard to imagine how it would have went if he didn't, so I feel for you. It's too bad that is the only way to get him to nap because it sounds like you'll lose park time driving around. If you are counting on your rides back and forth to meals or activities to constitute DS's nap, then that is a point in favor of staying off site. (He won't nap long if you're traveling within Disney property.)
I won't comment on the DDP because I don't know enough about it but my DS is decent at restaurants and we did not - and nor would we have wanted to - eat at a sit down restaurant every day. This is a very personal choice, though, and many will tell you that they liked the break from the heat. Our reasons were not so much DS's behavior but we prefer quicker, lighter meals to maximize park time. We're not really interested in heavy meals during such active days. Also, if you go at the of January, the heat most likely won't be an issue. I know that can go either way, though. So, I know what you mean about wanting decent quick service options. (See my below post about the mods v deluxes for more info on that from other posters.) When we go back, we plan on scheduling one or two character meals and that's it. We'll play everything else by ear. (We like to hit Cracker Barrel and other off site places that are sit down with no reservations needed.)
I'm not sure what you mean by late start in the morning. 10? 11? (One of the reasons I want a do-over is because I preferred an earlier start but by the time certain family members moved their butts it was almost noon.) Anyway, if it's later than 10-10:30, I'm not sure it's worth it to do the park hopper. By the time you do the first park, get in the car so DS can nap, eat, swim, shower, etc. I'm not sure they'll be time for a second, especially if you stay off property. Then again, DS's nap will naturally divide up your day anyway.
As to whether or not to do off or on site, I am torn on that as well. We stayed at my in law's time share and next I'd like to try on site. However, I think my problem was more with the place itself and not the fact that we were off site. I didn't feel like I was missing out on any of the "magic" so I disagree with that portion of the argument.
Actually now that I think of it what I didn't like about the place we stayed at seems to also apply to some on site resorts: everything was very spread out. You needed a car to get to a lot of places within the resort. While we spent most of the time at the parks (and also visiting family) anyway, the set up of the resort totally discouraged us from using any of its amenities because we didn't feel like getting the kids into and out of the car. So that is something I would watch for whether you stay on or off site.
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| Posted 6/22/12 11:25 AM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by Wendy
Posted by Lillykat
The boat to MK from the WL I am pretty sure you would have to fold your stroller so a quiet boat ride would probably be out. The WL is hard because they only have smaller boats and then buses.
There are two types of boats that run from WL to MK. The smaller type you do have to fold up strollers and step down, the larger boat you can roll on.
That is great to know! We had friends who stayed there a couple of times and they always had to fold their stroller on the small and the large boats. Is that a new thing?
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| Posted 6/22/12 12:59 PM |
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Wendy
Wheeee!
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by Lillykat
Posted by Wendy
Posted by Lillykat
The boat to MK from the WL I am pretty sure you would have to fold your stroller so a quiet boat ride would probably be out. The WL is hard because they only have smaller boats and then buses.
There are two types of boats that run from WL to MK. The smaller type you do have to fold up strollers and step down, the larger boat you can roll on.
That is great to know! We had friends who stayed there a couple of times and they always had to fold their stroller on the small and the large boats. Is that a new thing?
I think it's the luck of the draw on which boat. Maybe seasonal or even time of day???
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| Posted 6/22/12 2:20 PM |
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BargainMama
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Have you priced out the Art of Animation resort? I have read it's not typically included in any discounts, and it's $$$ for a value resort IMO.
I have stayed off site, near DTD off Palm (Marriott Residence Inn on Marbella), and it was GREAT! Free breakfast, they even had Mickey waffles. We had a family suite, which was HUGE! It was literally a 2 minute drive to DTD, and like 10 minutes to MK. I had no issues other than parking at the MK is a pain in the butt, but it was worth it for the space, etc.
There are so many resorts close to Disney that get you much more bang for your buck. If you aren't going to utilize the perks of staying onsite, why bother? Wyndham Bonnet Creek looks FABULOUS, and you can rent points from someone on Ebay. There are so many others as well.
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| Posted 6/22/12 4:44 PM |
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lynnd126
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by saraH
Would they sit for character meals?
We took my oldest when she was 2 and she totally surprised me at Disney. She sat for just about every meal, she was busying watching everybody and everything around her.
I would schedule them for breakfast and leave the rest of the day loose for meals and such. My dd napped in the stroller because she was just that tired, I pushed her around while the rest of our group did the rides. I was pg anyway so no space mountin for me.
Disney is exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. We keep our days pretty flexible. We don't go back to the hotel to take breaks, but we def have down time.
Hth
They sat decent for breakfast. That would probably be my best bet for any scheduled meals. I just hate to really eat and run when I'm paying so much, kwim...
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| Posted 6/22/12 6:25 PM |
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lynnd126
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Member since 3/11 2630 total posts
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by Lillykat
Does it have to be a car? What about a stroller and taking a LONG ride on the monorail?
My older DD would only crash IN the stroller - so we would just walk her around until she crashed - often in the stroller on the monorail on the way back to the hotel. The boat to MK from the WL I am pretty sure you would have to fold your stroller so a quiet boat ride would probably be out. But there is a ferry from TTC to the MK that you can roll your stroller on if you think you could get him to sleep that way. The WL is hard because they only have smaller boats and then buses. You could still rent a car from there.
Have you considered a moderate?
Well I can tell you my last trip - DD#1 was almost 3 (one month from turning 3) and DD#2 turned 1 on the trip. DD#1 at the time was not a good sitter - travel does through off kids schedules which does make it harder. We did dinners - I chose sit down dinners because the girls would come back to the hotel and nap in the stroller or whatever and we would swim. This would relax them so we could do an early dinner. I didn't do sit down lunches (other than sci fi drive in) so that they wouldn't be cranky. Keep in mind not sure where you ate at DW but the restaurants while family friendly might not be very "exciting" for the kids. I chose places that had some sort of activity or entertainment to occupy the girls in case they were antsy or cranky. We did character meals, biergarten (has a band and dance floor that the kids get up and dance on), ohana - (coconut races and hula lessons etc). Meals at WDW go very quickly and they are filled with young kids and are good about getting them food quickly to keep them happy and entertained.
We stayed at the Poly just so that when we wanted to take the afternoon break or they crashed in the stroller that we didn't have to wake them to put them into the car or the monorail. My girls while very active were stroller nappers - I wouldn't have easily been able to take them to the room and have them lay down - they probably would have run around - so each child is different. So I understand about having to find the right environment to get them to nap. Would your DC nap in the stroller if you went for a good long walk NOT in the parks where there is little excitement to want to look at? There are many places in WDW you could go and walk around and take a long walk if you think that might work.
As far as staying at the table - I got some small figurine and bath figure toys down there (WDW has a TON) and would throw them in a zip lock and pull them out when they got restless. If you choose your restaurants well there will be some sort of entertainment where they CAN get up and dance, or move around for a little while which helps get the restlessness out.
Having a car is definitely a nice perk but it CAN be more work - something to think about. If you stay on property you get free parking at the parks - if you stay off property you pay $14 a day to park. Something to think about. Also when you go to the parking lots at the parks you very well may have to take a tram to the entrance. This means when you get out of your car you pack up the stroller, put the kids in etc. Walk down a LONG row and then have to unpack everything and fold the stroller to get onto the tram. Which might be fine going- but if your DC falls asleep then it is a real pain. You still have to do this on the buses but you don't have to pack and unpack over and over again. The other thing to consider is when you go with the WDW transportation (magical express) you get off the plane, maybe take a bathroom break and head straight for the ME area. Get in line and board a bus where you are whisked to your hotel (might stop at 2 others but it isn't a bad ride). When you drive. You have to get off, lug kids to baggage claim - maybe with a car seat for your baby. Stand around for your bags to show up, collect everything, walk it across the street to the parking garage or get a shuttle depending on the company you use. Get the rental car, install 2 car seats, drive to the hotel etc. Return trip, you can check your bags at the airline check in desk at your hotel - But you still have to get to the airport, return the car AND you will have your car seats so you have to carry them to the gate or wait until you get to the airport to check in and check your bags. We used to rent cars - until our last trip when we did ME and with 2 little ones it was so much more relaxing - plus our bags were just waiting in our room a few hours later. No stress. We just made sure to carry on a few things like a change of clothes etc for the 1st few hours until our luggage arrived.
BTW we also use a service called gardengrocer.com which is like peapod. We get breakfast, bottled water, juice boxes, snacks etc for the room. We save money that way and it is nice to have the items you normally use.
Thx for all the info! I'm thinking ds1 needs the car to nap but maybe WDW is soooo exhausting he will prove me wrong. The car does seem like a hassle in a lot of ways. This whole thing is annoying bc I thought I had it all figured out already! Ahhh
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| Posted 6/22/12 6:32 PM |
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lynnd126
LIF Adult
Member since 3/11 2630 total posts
Name:
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by JennP
Others will have a lot more detailed advice for you because I'm not an expert at all.
However, I just went in November with my then 19 month old DS. While we had a great time, part of the reason we might be going again soon is that I would like to do a do-over for several reasons, some of which aren't really relevant to your question. Anyway, here are my thoughts.
I definitely think making sure your son naps is a priority. Mine napped in the stroller, and it's hard to imagine how it would have went if he didn't, so I feel for you. It's too bad that is the only way to get him to nap because it sounds like you'll lose park time driving around. If you are counting on your rides back and forth to meals or activities to constitute DS's nap, then that is a point in favor of staying off site. (He won't nap long if you're traveling within Disney property.)
I won't comment on the DDP because I don't know enough about it but my DS is decent at restaurants and we did not - and nor would we have wanted to - eat at a sit down restaurant every day. This is a very personal choice, though, and many will tell you that they liked the break from the heat. Our reasons were not so much DS's behavior but we prefer quicker, lighter meals to maximize park time. We're not really interested in heavy meals during such active days. Also, if you go at the of January, the heat most likely won't be an issue. I know that can go either way, though. So, I know what you mean about wanting decent quick service options. (See my below post about the mods v deluxes for more info on that from other posters.) When we go back, we plan on scheduling one or two character meals and that's it. We'll play everything else by ear. (We like to hit Cracker Barrel and other off site places that are sit down with no reservations needed.)
I'm not sure what you mean by late start in the morning. 10? 11? (One of the reasons I want a do-over is because I preferred an earlier start but by the time certain family members moved their butts it was almost noon.) Anyway, if it's later than 10-10:30, I'm not sure it's worth it to do the park hopper. By the time you do the first park, get in the car so DS can nap, eat, swim, shower, etc. I'm not sure they'll be time for a second, especially if you stay off property. Then again, DS's nap will naturally divide up your day anyway.
As to whether or not to do off or on site, I am torn on that as well. We stayed at my in law's time share and next I'd like to try on site. However, I think my problem was more with the place itself and not the fact that we were off site. I didn't feel like I was missing out on any of the "magic" so I disagree with that portion of the argument.
Actually now that I think of it what I didn't like about the place we stayed at seems to also apply to some on site resorts: everything was very spread out. You needed a car to get to a lot of places within the resort. While we spent most of the time at the parks (and also visiting family) anyway, the set up of the resort totally discouraged us from using any of its amenities because we didn't feel like getting the kids into and out of the car. So that is something I would watch for whether you stay on or off site.
We're that family that legitimately shoots for 8am but ends up at 10am, lol. It's a good point that without a really early start it might be hard to split the day into so many segments. I wonder how it would be if we got like 11am starts, back to the hotel at like 5, quick food/bath, bed? Nah, I think at like 4 my kids would have breakdowns, haha.Plus if they went to bed at like 730 they'd wake up really early. So hard!
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| Posted 6/22/12 6:37 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by lynnd126
Thx for all the info! I'm thinking ds1 needs the car to nap but maybe WDW is soooo exhausting he will prove me wrong. The car does seem like a hassle in a lot of ways. This whole thing is annoying bc I thought I had it all figured out already! Ahhh
Do you think he might nap on the monorail or a bus (think like a city bus not a coach one - ME is a coach but the ones for the resorts and the parks are like city type buses). You "could" just go for a VERY long bus ride and let him curl up in your arms. Not the best approach but another option
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| Posted 6/22/12 8:07 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by lynnd126
They sat decent for breakfast. That would probably be my best bet for any scheduled meals. I just hate to really eat and run when I'm paying so much, kwim...
Keep in mind with all meals at disney they go VERY quick - think 1 hr or LESS - The character meals could be long or short depending on when you sit in the character rotation.
But since they are busy and cater to families they tend to be more here is your food, now get out type places. If you want to have a longer meal you REALLY have to try - like order a drink, read the menu, then order an app, read the menu THEN order your entree etc and you might still only be there an hour. I forget where I read that they like meals to be around 30-45 mins. Of course there are always exceptions - like when we ate at Kona on DD#1's 1st trip our arrival night. We waited 50+ mins for our table and they kept forgetting DD existed - we asked for her food right away and they brought our drinks and forgot hers, then brought my father's salad and forgot her food - then brought OUR entrees and she got HERS like 15 mins or so later when we were almost finished. That was one of our longest meals at WDW when it wasn't just DH and I.
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| Posted 6/22/12 8:11 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
Name:
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by lynnd126
We're that family that legitimately shoots for 8am but ends up at 10am, lol. It's a good point that without a really early start it might be hard to split the day into so many segments. I wonder how it would be if we got like 11am starts, back to the hotel at like 5, quick food/bath, bed? Nah, I think at like 4 my kids would have breakdowns, haha.Plus if they went to bed at like 730 they'd wake up really early. So hard!
Starting at 10 will kind of shoot you in the foot and hard to then take the afternoon break. DH is very slow sometimes and the girls take forever but they are excited to get to the parks that they actually hurry.
I found it is MUCH quicker to have breakfast in the room. We order from gardengrocer.com (like peapod) they deliver to the hotel and bell services will keep the food cold for you if you aren't there when it arrives. I ordered yogurt, milk, snacks, bottled water, cheerios, juice boxes etc. We would sometimes get one breakfast platter (eggs, bacon or ham, and potatoes and maybe a tonga toast - banana stuffed french toast or a mickey waffle and split it 4 ways - and have some fruit or cheerios). Quick and easy - people could shower while others are eating or getting dressed etc. It took SO much longer the one time we tried to go to the quick service location and tried to eat there. You don't have to worry about changing a child who spills on their shirt at breakfast or getting everyone together, getting them TO the place, having one person get the food etc. I shower and wake the girls while DH goes and gets the food - they eat quickly and dress and we are out the door. They DO get a little less sleep at night which might be why they were okay crashing in the stroller. We tour until we lunch or we see that they are fading. I found that I had a touring plan in place but we were VERY flexible. We would start out on it and if it worked for us great if the girls wanted to ride x ride 2 times and y ride 3 so be it. You have to kind of have a different perspective when you go with young ones. You can't easily do commando touring like before kids. Also there will be things you think they will love and they will surprise you with something else. When I was little my parents took me and the ONLY ride I was scared of (around 3 yrs old) was snow white - I was terrified by it. Not of haunted mansion (which I just laughed at) or pirates but snow white because the witch just kept coming over and over. But you know what - that was one of my DD#1's favorite rides on that trip and she was almost 3. The girls made us ride that several times in a row. So you can plan and plan but you can't always predict what will be loved and how much time you will need or how they will act until you are there. We ate at chef mickey's on our 2nd full day (3rd night) at WDW of DD#1's 1st trip - she was 15 months. She has NEVER been scared of any character before - we even took her to the disney store in NYC so she could meet Mickey and Minnie to see how she would react. She would yell hi and wave and run and hug them. Well she was TERRIFIED of them at the meal. She loved the dinner - but the characters learned that she liked them from 3 ft away - so they would stand next to DH or I and talk her in while she stayed in the high chair. By the next day she wasn't scared and was kissing Minnie's nose and sitting in their laps when they got down on the floor for her at Crystal Palace. On the other hand DD#2 was a terribly shy infant. She was a child that would say 6 word sentences (mommy I would like some apple juice please) at 15 months but was SO shy she would bury her head when people spoke with her - and people would ask me if she had any words. BUT we took her and she turned 1 on her 1st trip. You know what the CM would talk to her and she would hide but she would giggle and rush at minnie etc and hug them and bounce in excitement. She was NEVER scared of the characters. So we learned to do character meals a couple days into the trip and not right at the beginning and you have to just be patient because you really never know how they will be. You might find that a child who takes forever to get ready might rush if they think they are going to see Mickey.
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| Posted 6/22/12 8:27 PM |
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lynnd126
LIF Adult
Member since 3/11 2630 total posts
Name:
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by BargainMama
Have you priced out the Art of Animation resort? I have read it's not typically included in any discounts, and it's $$$ for a value resort IMO.
I have stayed off site, near DTD off Palm (Marriott Residence Inn on Marbella), and it was GREAT! Free breakfast, they even had Mickey waffles. We had a family suite, which was HUGE! It was literally a 2 minute drive to DTD, and like 10 minutes to MK. I had no issues other than parking at the MK is a pain in the butt, but it was worth it for the space, etc.
There are so many resorts close to Disney that get you much more bang for your buck. If you aren't going to utilize the perks of staying onsite, why bother? Wyndham Bonnet Creek looks FABULOUS, and you can rent points from someone on Ebay. There are so many others as well.
I'll check those out thx. For aoa I was looking at the standard rooms which are like 100 when we r going-also not to be a gender role pusher, lol, but they ARE little mermaid and I have two boys- so that's a slight consideration as well.
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| Posted 6/22/12 8:55 PM |
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saraH
happy birthday sweet kate!
Member since 5/05 16555 total posts
Name:
I know that God exsists, I held her in my arms...
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by lynnd126
Posted by saraH
Would they sit for character meals?
We took my oldest when she was 2 and she totally surprised me at Disney. She sat for just about every meal, she was busying watching everybody and everything around her.
I would schedule them for breakfast and leave the rest of the day loose for meals and such. My dd napped in the stroller because she was just that tired, I pushed her around while the rest of our group did the rides. I was pg anyway so no space mountin for me.
Disney is exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. We keep our days pretty flexible. We don't go back to the hotel to take breaks, but we def have down time.
Hth
They sat decent for breakfast. That would probably be my best bet for any scheduled meals. I just hate to really eat and run when I'm paying so much, kwim...
I totally get it. We had the most luck in the am, but it was hit or miss some days.
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| Posted 6/22/12 9:17 PM |
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bella
LIF Adult
Member since 5/05 1871 total posts
Name:
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Well, I am not sure how much my insight will help you but figured I'd post to give you something to think about. I just returned from a trip to Disney, DS is a little older and we went last year as well when he was 3.
We have never stayed on property for a few reasons:
1) DS would never take advantage of the meal plan as he is a bit finicky. We wanted to be be able to make meals in our room and wanted a kitchen- we would not go to sit down restaurants and stress about him acting out, even though he is great now in restaurants, there is just no telling with my tired child ;)
2) DS would NEVER last all day at a park and quite frankly either would we. I'd say our limit is about 8-9 hours, especially in Florida heat We are not early morning people anyway so getting there early would serve us no purpose.
3) we really like having a car so we can do things on off days of the parks, even if it's just to go for rides, plus we do mini golf, trips for ice cream at Friendly's, etc.) We've found some AMAZING deals on rental cars on Hotwire!
We stay at an offsite property in a villa, check out Sheraton Vistana or Marriott Grande Vista- they have an INCREDIBLE amount of activities for kids and you have the benefit of a kitchen in your room and a good amount of space. They are also definitely under $300 a night and are beautiful resorts. I know a few folks on here have stayed in them.
We also determined going to one park a day was enough for us, ESPECIALLY at Magic Kingdom if you stay off site. By the time you take the tram to the monorail and get in the park, I can't imagine then leaving to go someplace else. WE also find waiting for characters or on line for rides could take anywhere from 10-60 minutes depending on where you want to go and how busy the parks are when you go, for us, we would have been EXHAUSTED and had a REALLY cranky child if we then thought about going someplace else.
There are a ton of things to do in Orlando for kids outside of the parks if you are cocerned with timing in the evenings.
Again, this was just my experience and I know plenty of folks love to park hop and spend a great deal of time in the parks with young kids but for a first time visit I would have loved some insight before we went last year on the parks. We crammed FOUR full days in the parks and it was WAY WAY too much last year. This year we did two and filled our days with pools trips and family time and really had a much better and relaxing experience. Just a differing viewpoint. Good luck and enjoy your trip. :)
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| Posted 6/22/12 10:16 PM |
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lynnd126
LIF Adult
Member since 3/11 2630 total posts
Name:
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by bella
Well, I am not sure how much my insight will help you but figured I'd post to give you something to think about. I just returned from a trip to Disney, DS is a little older and we went last year as well when he was 3.
We have never stayed on property for a few reasons:
1) DS would never take advantage of the meal plan as he is a bit finicky. We wanted to be be able to make meals in our room and wanted a kitchen- we would not go to sit down restaurants and stress about him acting out, even though he is great now in restaurants, there is just no telling with my tired child ;)
2) DS would NEVER last all day at a park and quite frankly either would we. I'd say our limit is about 8-9 hours, especially in Florida heat We are not early morning people anyway so getting there early would serve us no purpose.
3) we really like having a car so we can do things on off days of the parks, even if it's just to go for rides, plus we do mini golf, trips for ice cream at Friendly's, etc.) We've found some AMAZING deals on rental cars on Hotwire!
We stay at an offsite property in a villa, check out Sheraton Vistana or Marriott Grande Vista- they have an INCREDIBLE amount of activities for kids and you have the benefit of a kitchen in your room and a good amount of space. They are also definitely under $300 a night and are beautiful resorts. I know a few folks on here have stayed in them.
We also determined going to one park a day was enough for us, ESPECIALLY at Magic Kingdom if you stay off site. By the time you take the tram to the monorail and get in the park, I can't imagine then leaving to go someplace else. WE also find waiting for characters or on line for rides could take anywhere from 10-60 minutes depending on where you want to go and how busy the parks are when you go, for us, we would have been EXHAUSTED and had a REALLY cranky child if we then thought about going someplace else.
There are a ton of things to do in Orlando for kids outside of the parks if you are cocerned with timing in the evenings.
Again, this was just my experience and I know plenty of folks love to park hop and spend a great deal of time in the parks with young kids but for a first time visit I would have loved some insight before we went last year on the parks. We crammed FOUR full days in the parks and it was WAY WAY too much last year. This year we did two and filled our days with pools trips and family time and really had a much better and relaxing experience. Just a differing viewpoint. Good luck and enjoy your trip. :)
I appreciate the perspective and your family sounds like mine except our park limit our probably more like 5 or 6 hours, lol. My ds is also picky and would probably only eat french fries at the parks There are definitely a few things I try to always have on hand (like peanut butter and apples) but it would also be nice to have at least a kitchenette to cook a few things for him even if it's just a grilled cheese or pasta portions bag. I'm not really the cooking on vacation type but it's so different with kids, they'll sit through dinner without touching a thing and then at 9pm say I'M HUNGRY! The way you planned your last trip sounds nice and stress free. I don't know why I feel so compelled to fit some activity in every second.
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| Posted 6/23/12 10:00 AM |
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JennP
LIF Adult
Member since 10/06 3986 total posts
Name:
Jenn
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
Posted by lynnd126
Posted by JennP
Others will have a lot more detailed advice for you because I'm not an expert at all.
However, I just went in November with my then 19 month old DS. While we had a great time, part of the reason we might be going again soon is that I would like to do a do-over for several reasons, some of which aren't really relevant to your question. Anyway, here are my thoughts.
I definitely think making sure your son naps is a priority. Mine napped in the stroller, and it's hard to imagine how it would have went if he didn't, so I feel for you. It's too bad that is the only way to get him to nap because it sounds like you'll lose park time driving around. If you are counting on your rides back and forth to meals or activities to constitute DS's nap, then that is a point in favor of staying off site. (He won't nap long if you're traveling within Disney property.)
I won't comment on the DDP because I don't know enough about it but my DS is decent at restaurants and we did not - and nor would we have wanted to - eat at a sit down restaurant every day. This is a very personal choice, though, and many will tell you that they liked the break from the heat. Our reasons were not so much DS's behavior but we prefer quicker, lighter meals to maximize park time. We're not really interested in heavy meals during such active days. Also, if you go at the of January, the heat most likely won't be an issue. I know that can go either way, though. So, I know what you mean about wanting decent quick service options. (See my below post about the mods v deluxes for more info on that from other posters.) When we go back, we plan on scheduling one or two character meals and that's it. We'll play everything else by ear. (We like to hit Cracker Barrel and other off site places that are sit down with no reservations needed.)
I'm not sure what you mean by late start in the morning. 10? 11? (One of the reasons I want a do-over is because I preferred an earlier start but by the time certain family members moved their butts it was almost noon.) Anyway, if it's later than 10-10:30, I'm not sure it's worth it to do the park hopper. By the time you do the first park, get in the car so DS can nap, eat, swim, shower, etc. I'm not sure they'll be time for a second, especially if you stay off property. Then again, DS's nap will naturally divide up your day anyway.
As to whether or not to do off or on site, I am torn on that as well. We stayed at my in law's time share and next I'd like to try on site. However, I think my problem was more with the place itself and not the fact that we were off site. I didn't feel like I was missing out on any of the "magic" so I disagree with that portion of the argument.
Actually now that I think of it what I didn't like about the place we stayed at seems to also apply to some on site resorts: everything was very spread out. You needed a car to get to a lot of places within the resort. While we spent most of the time at the parks (and also visiting family) anyway, the set up of the resort totally discouraged us from using any of its amenities because we didn't feel like getting the kids into and out of the car. So that is something I would watch for whether you stay on or off site.
We're that family that legitimately shoots for 8am but ends up at 10am, lol. It's a good point that without a really early start it might be hard to split the day into so many segments. I wonder how it would be if we got like 11am starts, back to the hotel at like 5, quick food/bath, bed? Nah, I think at like 4 my kids would have breakdowns, haha.Plus if they went to bed at like 730 they'd wake up really early. So hard!
I hear you. I am not much of a morning person myself, it's just that my son always naps in the afternoon. On the trip, he was getting up at 7am. By the time my in laws were ready to leave the house, it was close to 11am - sometimes later. I had been chasing DS around for four hours and he was ready to fall asleep. Granted, the trip was geared towards my 10 year old SD since DS was very young, but still.
I told DH NEVER again. And I really love my in laws. But NEVER again.
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| Posted 6/23/12 12:55 PM |
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DancinBarefoot
06ers Rock!!
Member since 1/07 9534 total posts
Name:
The One My Mother Gave Me ;-)
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Re: Our trip to Dutch W. has me seriously rethinking our WDW trip- esp. staying on or off site. Thoughts please!
I am by no means a Disney expert - but I have a child who does not nap. By that I mean since the age of 21 months I can count on both hands the number of times she has fallen asleep anyplace other than the back seat of a car - EXCEPT for our trip to Disney the week she turned 4.
We left NY on a 6AM flight out of JFK. She went to bed at 10PM because she was so excited, and woke at 2AM and wouldn't go back to sleep. She slept for maybe 20 minutes on the car ride to the airport and then remained awake in the airport and on the entire plane ride, and the entire ride on the Magical Express to the hotel. She FINALLY conked out on the monorail in her stroller on the way to Epcot. We woke her in Epcot so she could meet her favorite princess. She fell back asleep in her stroller after dinner around 6:30 PM. She woke up regular time in the morning. All but one of the days we were in Disney (her actual birthday) she fell asleep in the stroller. As a result we never bothered to go back to the hotel room for a nap b/c she was well rested. She always fell asleep on the monorail unless it was first thing in the morning.
For us it was worth every penny to be at a deluxe resort on the monorail. We're headed back and staying at a value resort because we can't afford to stay at a deluxe hotel again. However, given how often she napped in the stroller, I'm not too concerned.
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| Posted 6/23/12 7:17 PM |
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