Trip with our 3 year old, please help!

[SD449]

We took our daughter just before her 3rd birthday and done the same as you have done. We took her to our local theme park and it was such a nightmare. We left thinking what an awful holiday it would be if it was anything like that. Obviously we went anyway, and I can honestly say we all had the most amazing time. There were so many things she could go on, and we didn't miss out on any rides either as used the parent swap while she rested in her buggy.
We went again just before her 4th birthday, and are going again in November just before she turns 5 (yes I can see a pattern emerging )
I would agree with some of the other comments, go with what your little one is feeling. Saying that though, we had a touring plan for everyday and most days followed this. We were at the park for rope drop most days and there at closing on most too. BUT we always left to have a nap in the afternoons at the hotel. This worked well for us, just have a think of what will work for your family and stick with it.
Oh, and I don't think we have ever waited longer than 20 mins for anything, and we have done all the rides. Make sure you use the app to check wait times etc and take snacks and drinks for little one for when she's hungry/thirsty etc.

 

[Courtney6682]

Hi everyone, first off, this is really long so I apologize in advance. I am looking for advice regarding a trip we currently have planned for our 3 1/2 year old daughter.
About a year ago, my husband and I starting talking about planning our daughters 1st trip. In our initial discussions, we were actually leaning towards Disneyland. It's smaller, less overwhelming, and we liked the idea of our hotel room being a quick 10 minute walk away (compared to WDW where you wait for a bus for 20 minutes, take 30 minute bus ride etc)
So last summer, we took a short 2 day trip to a local amusement park & stayed over night in a hotel. Our daughter was 2 1/2 at the time and she did AMAZING. She loved the rides, was great waiting in line and we had the best weekend. After that, we decided that she probably could handle a trip to WDW. We booked a trip for this November, our daughter will be almost 4.
Fast forward to this past weekend. We took a trip with our now 3 1/2 year old to the same amusement park. This time, she did terrible. The whole weekend was one meltdown after another. The biggest issue we had was after waiting 15 or 20 minutes for a ride, if she didn't get the color car she wanted, or didn't get to sit where she wanted, she threw an all out, yelling & screaming fit and refused to get on the ride. This happened several times despite us explaining that she did not get to choose. The whole weekend was just one disaster after another.
Needless to say, we are now regretting our Disney trip. I guess I am just looking for advice or encouragement. Our last Disney trip was 5 years ago so we are not one of those families that can afford to go every year. This is a special event that we have worked hard for. Our deposit is paid & our flight is paid.
Our choices are- stick with the plan & hope it goes well. Try to change our trip to Disneyland and hope the smaller scale will be less stress for all of us. Or, try to push the trip back. I'm really stressed & worried. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

My now 14 yr old daughter...who is obviously an angel sent from the heavens was 17 mos old her first trip...never a prob with her lol...now..my step-daughter who was 7 her first trip last yr was a NIGHTMARE!!!! She was awful the whole freakin time...I really felt like she ruined the trip...looking back I'm sure she was overwhelmed...it was HOTTTT and she wasn't used to waiting in line for 20-30 mins at a time, and also didn't like the fact that sometimes it was a 5-10 min walk to whatever we were doing next...anywaayy...our sanity was SAVED by the Neverland Club. We dropped her off at 4pm and picked her up at 11 on 2 diff nights and she LOVED IT!!! Didn't want to leave...it gave us time with the older kids and it gave her time to relax and see other kids her age. good luck!!!

 

[DaisyStrudel]

Bit late to the party, but I thought I'd chime in anyway because I have been in your shoes. Adding to stevehouse’s excellent suggestion, you might consider making a picture book that talks about some of the things your daughter might encounter that make her anxious (“The ride cars come in different colors, they are all really fun! Sometimes we’ll ride a purple car, sometimes it will be yellow…” etc.). Maybe even add a checklist of all the different colors you get to mark along the way, if she likes that kind of thing. Our boys do so much better on trips to Disney when they know what to expect. We even put a photo of our car on the road (“Today is a driving day!”) and a photo of the hotel we would stay at along the way (“Tonight we will sleep at a hotel!”). Do your best to do the busiest attractions first thing in the morning and get fast passes for favorites later in the day, too. Try to find quiet spots for breaks because the overload of everything can be exhausting for little ones! A quiet corner in the back of a restaurant during off peak hours can be a really rejuvenating break. I hope you have a wonderful trip!!

 

[kimberlymautz]

I agree with the others. Luckily the majority of the rides have cars that are almost identical to the others or you'll be jumping on so fast she won't notice it's the wrong color.
My biggest suggestion is to use the lines to distract her so that once it's your turn she won't have any idea what car she wants to get in, she'll just want to get going!
Also, remember to stick with what you say. One trip my parents told us that if we kept complaining we were going back to the room and wouldn't be allowed back until we were good. Kept complaining. Bam. Went back to the room and weren't allowed back to the park for the rest of the afternoon. Once it was getting closer to dinner they gave us the option of either being good for the rest of the trip so we could go back or we could spend it in the room. Needless to say we were little angels for the rest of our vacation. I had just turned four on that trip so maybe the same scare tactic will work.