some disney questions

we are thinking of doing disney next fall. october time. I will have a just over 4 yo, just over 2 yo, and 6 mo.
1. is it ridiculous to go when the kids are so little? should i wait? will it be really tough with the 3 little ones
2. where would you stay? i know the moorail hotels are supposed to be the easiest, but are they $$$? ideally, i'd want a suite, i think it woudl be really rough to have all 3 in one room
3. roughly, how much would it run us?
4. other advice?

eta: how long would you go for?

Message edited 12/30/2010 10:47:39 PM.

Re: some disney questions

I am a Disney junkie...I think those ages are great. Won't pay for the 2 youngest to get into the parks! We took DS when he was 5 months old....We loved it and I am pretty sure he did too. We stay off property at a rental house. We also drive down, but car/van rentals are cheap down there. We get a 3 bedroom house/condo for about 100 dollars a night. Even less sometimes...And it saves a ton of money on eating out. We food shop for the week and pack lunch for the parks.. I haven't stayed on the property in a while but checkout this website...AllEars.net..

Re: some disney questions

We are also going down in October. DS will be 2. We are going down for the Halloween stuff they have and we are staying long enough for the opening of Christmas time in Disney...

Re: some disney questions

The monorail resorts are the best if you want to go to the MK or EPCOT - you can roll your stroller right onto the monorail and go - you don't have to fold it up like you do on the buses - you would have to rent a car OR use the buses to get to the AK or HS though.

Otherwise you could simply stay at another resort and rent a car - with 3 at those ages it might be easier to do that than try the buses. We stayed at the poly last May when the girls were almost 3 (34.5 months and turned one on the trip). The bus was fine in the morning (we went really early) but one night we were stuck at EPCOT (the monorail was hit by lightening and we had to take a bus back to our hotel) and it was a nightmare - standing room only - long lines to get onto the bus) and then you have diaper bag, double stroller and 2 young kids. If you can work it to go before the crowds want to get onto the bus it is a bit of a pain but perfectly doable when you get seats. We had to stand that trip which was tough.

I know a mom who has 3 kids (3, 4 and 7) and they stay at either the contemporary or the Poly and love it - they do not get a suite. The poly has 2 queen beds and a day bed (you can get bed rails) and you can easily fit a pack n play or small crib in there with no problem.

Otherwise - the moderates and the values do not have queen bed rooms they have double beds (if that makes any difference for you). Port Orleans Riverside has some rooms with trundle beds which would be good for a smaller child (2 or 4 year old). But I think they get a bit more tight spacewise if you have a pack n play open.

The values - btw have suites which I have heard have decent room. You could try staying in one of those (I believe the cost is about the same as staying at a moderate resort) and then renting a car so you don't have to worry at all about getting on and off of the buses. If you stay in a WDW resort you can park for free at any of the parks. If you stay off site and rent a car you will have to pay to park at the parks -something to think about.

You could also stay offsite and probably have more room - but you lose the perks of being onsite.

If you stay onsite - you get:
Free transportation to and from the airport (great if you don't rent a car)- you put tags on your luggage in NY and they collect your luggage and put it in your room. Then when you arrive at MCO you just walk downstairs to the magical express (ME) area and board a bus and they take you to your hotel. It is a free service.

You get extra magic hours - which we always use. My girls get up early anyway - so we take advantage of going to the extra magic hours in the morning (you get into the parks on certain days 1 hour before official opening or up to 3 hours after closing at night). It can make that park a bit more crowded BUT if you have park hoppers and young children you will probably want a mid day break and that is when it gets crowded so you will be gone from the parks anyway. We get a lot done those mornings before the crowds start.

Not as important - but if you do any shopping in the parks you can have them deliver your packages to your hotel so you don't have to lug them around the parks for the day.

When are you thinking of going? There were some great deal out - but I think you had to book by mid December to get them. There is a room only deal out now that I think you have to book by today to get the better discount (you can add tickets and dining - to it - but you can only add dining IF you add tickets - but you would still get the room discount). My advice is to go to Mousesavers.com she lists all of the discounts available to the public. (You can always book rack rate and if a discount comes out they will always apply it to your booking so don't worry too much about that). You can sign up for her newsletter (email) and there are some extra discounts there. The site also has codes for car rental discounts if you need those. Then you can go to WDW's site and price out some trips to get an idea of cost. There is no disadvantage to booking yourself - the cost is the same whether you book directly through WDW or through a travel agent.

AAA has some package and room only discounts available if you are a member - but depending on what time of the year you are going you might do better with one of the codes that WDW is offering. AAA is clueless though so don't rely too much on them for information - just use them to book only if it is the best deal.

As far as too young. They can go on any ride without a height restriction and honestly there are only a few of those rides - so they can basically ride everything. You will see TONS of families with small babies (even as young as 1-3 months old). You might want to consider a baby carrier to make it easier to get on to rides.

I can tell you that my now 3.5 year old is STILL talking daily about our trip. She remembers details about the rides and what characters she met on the trip even though we went this past May. My now 19 month old remembers meeting mickey and sings its a small world and some of pirates. So they do remember a lot.

I won't say it is an easy trip - b/c it was work - BUT it was one of our favorite trips. The minute you see their faces light up, dancing and singing on the rides, hugging the characters and just overall being so excited it makes the work all worth it.

Feel free to FM me if you want any help planning.

Oh and under 3 they are FREE. You only have to pay for them for certain meals. You pay if you eat counter service and order them a meal, if you go and eat at an a la carte type sit down where you order off the kid's menu. If you eat at a buffet OR a family style restaurant (i.e. Ohana, liberty tree dinner) then they eat free. But they don't need park tickets which is a nice saver.

Message edited 12/31/2010 9:07:23 AM.

Re: some disney questions

The one thing I will say is that October is my all time favorite time to go to Disney

Definately get the tix for Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween party ! There are literally no lines and the same park that you would need 2 days for can practically be cleared in a night if you wanted to ! We literally would get on a line and move right to the front and get back on again....

I think any age is great...

The 1st year we took DS he was 2
2nd year- DS was 4, DD was 9 months
3rd year -DS was 5, DD was 21 months

We own a time share type thing, and if you are looking for a suite I highly reccomend the Sheraton Vistana if you are not dead set on Disney property....We like to have our own rental car...

Also, from a $ standpoint, going now with your kids ages what they are is in your favor...2(or 3) and under are free (and they have never asked for proof of age )...tickets for Disney are !

Message edited 12/31/2010 9:12:41 AM.

Re: some disney questions

We took Aiden at 18 months and are going there again in April - he'll be two and a half. It is totally doable with three young children. We stayed at one of their moderate resorts - the Beach Carribean and it was wonderful. Pool early in the morning -- park in the afternoon and evening. Disney is very affordable late summer and early fall. They also have the value meal plans which are great.


We definately took advantage of the extended hours - most of the time we didn't get back to the hotel until 11 - 12 am. Once the parks close to the crowds it is so easy to go on all the rides. I would do the hotels with the monorail if you can - definately easier than unpacking and folding up the stroller for the bus ride -- although the bus was also a big hit with Aiden.

Enjoy

Re: some disney questions

thanks so much for all the responses. expecially lillykat, that was some typing .

we probably would not be doing dining/food from disney, ande woudl need to rent a car anyhow ,to get to supermarket/grocery. do you think that tips the favor as far as staying onsite?
also- how much is parking a day? i didnt realize we had to factor that in. i think we are going to do the trip, we jsut have ot decide whether ot stay on site or not. if we dont, we may stay at the vistana or a friend recently stayed at bonnet creek- which is actually ON disney property, but nto a disney hotel.
my kids are generally beasts if they are kept up past bedtime- you think the extended hours are worth it?

Re: some disney questions

Posted by sal79

thanks so much for all the responses. expecially lillykat, that was some typing .

we probably would not be doing dining/food from disney, ande woudl need to rent a car anyhow ,to get to supermarket/grocery. do you think that tips the favor as far as staying onsite?
also- how much is parking a day? i didnt realize we had to factor that in. i think we are going to do the trip, we jsut have ot decide whether ot stay on site or not. if we dont, we may stay at the vistana or a friend recently stayed at bonnet creek- which is actually ON disney property, but nto a disney hotel.
my kids are generally beasts if they are kept up past bedtime- you think the extended hours are worth it?

Re: some disney questions

haha we should have an LIF GTG in Disney!!!

I'm going the last week of Oct so we can celebrate Halloween there and see the park turn over to Xmas.

We have gone a few times and usually stay on ‘campus’. Altho its been great, we are going to try for a ‘house’ this time. It will be us, another couple and possibly one more so a 3bd makes more sense financially. Some of the places I looked at included pools etc. Rental car will be easier for us considering the car seat, etc. Though I do like not having to ‘think’ while someone else drives me home. I don’t like the walk to the room and can’t imagine trying it with an exhausted/sleeping/sleepy/cranky/etc toddler.

I always buy the Disney Dining plan. For me it always makes sense. Lets hassle than packing and the sit down service is really good.

AJ will be 3. There will be other children with us aged from 8mo and up. I think any age is good.

For us its going to be a 7day trip with a 5day hopper. Coming in on a Saturday, chilling out that day then Sunday through Friday at the parks with a day off in between to see Sea World. Then leave on Saturday

I am waiting for an aunt to go through surgery in January before any plans are finalized but I know for a fact *I* WILL BE THERE! Haha

Re: some disney questions

Posted by sal79

thanks so much for all the responses. expecially lillykat, that was some typing .

we probably would not be doing dining/food from disney, ande woudl need to rent a car anyhow ,to get to supermarket/grocery. do you think that tips the favor as far as staying onsite?
also- how much is parking a day? i didnt realize we had to factor that in. i think we are going to do the trip, we jsut have ot decide whether ot stay on site or not. if we dont, we may stay at the vistana or a friend recently stayed at bonnet creek- which is actually ON disney property, but nto a disney hotel.
my kids are generally beasts if they are kept up past bedtime- you think the extended hours are worth it?