1st trip w/ 14 month old twins!

meganwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I am so excited b/c DH and I are planning to take our twin daughters to WDW for the first time in May. They'll be a little over 14 months at that time. I have no idea how to plan a trip around them! I know we will take it a lot slower and won't get to do a lot of the things we normally do, but we think it will still be a blast. We are planning on taking advantage of the babysitting service that Disney recommends so we can go out one night for dinner and EMH! My question is, how do I plan our meals? Should we just do breakfast and lunch at our favorite spots and do something small at the hotel? Will it be unrealistic to think that after taking an afternoon break for naps and rest that the girls will be able to handle dinner or a couple extra hours at a park?
 

ddbowdoin

Well-Known Member
I hope you had this trip planned out before they were born... at 14 months they arent capable of remembering a thing from this trip... sorry to be a downer but it is true
 

mickeysshoes

Well-Known Member
I hope you had this trip planned out before they were born... at 14 months they arent capable of remembering a thing from this trip... sorry to be a downer but it is true

just my opinion...but at this age yes the kids will not remember the trip but the memories it makes for the parents are priceless!!!!!
 

KerrriK85

New Member
DVC member's advice

i took my daughter, now 3, for the first time when she was about 8 months old, and we've been taking her abooout every 6 months since...she always asks us when we can go back to our "florida home" and has so many memories she always talks about. i recommend bringing a video camera so it helps keep those memories and triggers memories they may forget. mine loves watching the videos over and over, some of the stuff she does forget but when she watches herself experiencing it, the smiles and conversations about it are priceless.

when she was first starting to eat solids, and off formula, we went to fantasyland for lunch one day, i think it was pinnochios??? it is connected to the small world ride, so you can watch the boats go by. also, the quick services places have a toddler meal. when we went, they had mac & cheese with apple juice and apple sauce for one price so that is a great idea for something in the park. we also took her to cinderella's royal table in the castle for dinner (thats when the fairy godmother and the mice came out for entertainment and pictures), then when we got out, it was time for fireworks. breakfast you can go two ways...get a reservation now for breakfast in the park before the magic kingdom is even open, then you are already there for when the park is open for you to go in...or have breakfast at your resort...they have so much to eat in the disney resorts.

when my daughter was 8 months, she would take a nap in the park (just fall asleep in the stroller no complaints) and this is when you can just relax and do the big rides where you can get a swap pass, so one can ride and the other can skip the line after. we would also go to the shows during this time, so we could relax and wind down for a bit. if you wanna go to the resort for a nap, remember about the extra magic hours...take advantage of that and plan your trip around what will be open later at night. you can go to the disney calendar and it will show you the days and times you can plan around it.

we never used the child care so i cant say anything about it.

one thing that is really fun is to go to downtown disney during the day...it is not chaotic, and you can walk around and just enjoy it. they have a place where you can buy potato heads my little ponies and play doh...and fill boxes witht the accessories of your choice, its really fun for them. afterwards you can all go to ghiradellis and share a sundae together, what kid wouldnt love that?

MAKE SURE TO MAKE ALL YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!!!
 

counselorgc

Member
My wife and I recently took a trip with my then 14 m/o son, my sister-in-law and her three year old daughter. Here are a few of my observations.

1. The baby care centers are a lifesaver. Each park has one and they are staffed for almost every hour that the park is open. These centers are a great place to relax, change diapers, have a snack, play for a little bit. Believe me, they are worth it after your child has been in a stroller forever.
2. My child loved the characters, yours may not, but, if they do, try to meet as many characters at once as you can this saves time later. Camp Minnie Mickey in AK is great for this. You can usually meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy all at once. Pocahontas also makes appearances there sometimes.
3. Sidewalks and streets are very crowded for parades. My son loved them. We had to arrive to our spot at the latest 40 min prior to the parade to make sure we had room for the stroller. If you move at all someone will take your spot.
4. Try watching MK fireworks from the area near Caseys on MS in MK. This gives you access to the baby care center if the fireworks aren't working for the kids. Sometimes they are a little loud.
5. Rides - the best part. You can take your kids on every ride at the MK except for Splash, Space and Big Thunder. If you would like to ride them then use rider swap, just ask the cast member at the entrance for a little ID badge. You'll ride the ride then come back and then while you watch the kids, your significant other can go ride the ride in the fast pass line. Great system.
6. Stroller parking - When you park your stroller, expect it to be moved to a different location. The CM do this so that more strollers can fit in a defined area. They're not trying to be mean, just trying to make more room.
7. Unless your kids really love animals, AK is a waste of time since there is not a lot of rides available for them. The shows are great but can be a little long for little ones. Camp Minnie Mickey saves this park. Don't plan on doing much here. Your kids can ride the safari but the end might be a little fast for them. My son did fine but it was not his favorite by any stretch of the imagination. They may like the petting zoo at Rafikis planet watch. They get to pet a cow, goats and sheep.
8. At HS, there isn't much to do there either. There is the little mermaid show, a little long but not too bad, Playhouse Disney - a must do for your little ones. Your kids can ride Toy Story Mania but actually doing the game will be very difficult for them or for you. The backlot tour is too long for small kids. The great movie ride is kind of relaxing and the kids may like it or not. There are some loud scenes and a couple of scary scenes. Fantasmic - if they can manage some loud noises then this show is great. RNR and TOT will have to be rider swap.
9. Epcot is largely snore territory for toddlers. The seas is a great pavilion for little kids. Talk Turtle and the nemo ride are both great. My son did not like imagination mainly because of the air blown in his face. There is not really anything else that they can do except for Ellens Energy adventure which is quite long.
10. Magic Kingdom - the absolute greatest for little kids. Ride Dumbo first thing if you think that your kids will like it. The order of everything else really doesn't matter. If you are there for breakfast one day, I suggest a pre park reservation, then ride Dumbo as soon as it opens then hop over to Peter Pan, then Winnie the pooh. These are the rides with, typically, the longest waits in Fantasyland.

Adventureland -
POTC - great but a little boring for most little kids
Magic carpets - they tend to like them but a snore for adults, a lot like dumbo
Jungle Cruise - a must do, my son loved the animatronics
Swiss Family Robinson - I'd stay away, there is a lot of climbing and lugging twins around would not be fun with all of those stairs

Frontierland -
Splash - kids cant ride
BTMR - kids cant ride
Country bears - kids like animatronics, what can i say

Liberty Square -
Haunted Mansion - can ride if they arent afraid of the dark, scary sounds or images
Hall of Presidents - great place for a nap
River boat - boring for most little kids

Fantasyland - the best area for little kids
It's a Small World - great
Peter Pan - great but really short
snow White - a little scary, not sure if it is still going to be open when you arrive
Philharmagic - great great great must do
Dumbo - great for little ones
Carousel - well, its a carousel
Winnie the Pooh - easily my sons favorite ride, we rode it, he cried to get back on. Pooh and Tigger were standing outside the ride so we met them there.
Mad Tea Party - Unless they are really steady I would stay away.

Toontown - going to be closed

Tomorrowland -
Space mountain - height requirement
Indy racers - height requirement
Stitch - height requirement and i wouldn't recommend it anyway
Monsters Inc - great
Buzz Lightyear - great
Carousel of progress - great place for a nap
Astro orbiter - very high up, a little scary for a spinner ride
Peoplemover - great place for a nap

11. Make reservations but not for every meal. Counter service increases your time to enjoy the park. Since you will be with your family all of the time, family time isn't the issue.
12. I would suggest a midday nap somehow. There were several days that my son did not want to nap, but we stopped for a rest anyway. This was a lifesaver, especially later at night.

Hope you find this helpful. If you have questions just ask. It is nice to know that someone is bringing their children, the exact same age as mine. My son enjoyed himself, especially the characters. I suggest buying each of them a large stuffed Mickey or other of the Fab 5. This gets them used to what the characters look like.
 

njDizFan

Well-Known Member
As a father of now, 1 month old twins, I am anxious to read a trip report. I don't think I will try and take them to the world for a least another year or so but I would love to hear about your experience. I know my wife would be extremely hesitant about the babysitting but I would like to hear how that went.
 

meganwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for all the advice! I'm a WDW veteran, but it will be a whole new experience w/ my girls!! I especially like the tip about watching the fireworks near Casey's Corner so I can run into the childcare station if the noise frightens them and I totally forgot about the petting zoo at AK. I've already made our dining reservations and any table service meals we are having are during breakfast or lunch except for the one night we plan on using a sitter!! I hope the characters don't frighten them! We're already trying to acquaint them w/ the "Fab 5". They have their little plush Mickey and Minnie I bought on my last trip and a friend gave us the Pooh gang for Christmas. Thanks again everyone!
 

meganwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
As for "Debbie Downers" comments, we were planning on going in December of 2011, but thanks to the sweet military promotion we decided to go in May. I do not expect my little ones to remember a thing from this trip. It's our first vacation as a family that I am looking forward to the most. We will have tons of pics and videos to share with them when they are older. After all, this is only their FIRST trip to WDW and certainly will not be their last.
 

OurDailyGruel

New Member
I hope you have help with TWO babies. :) Congratulations!

The only thing I liked about a class trip to the zoo was getting to feed the baby lambs. I kept going back to purchase more milk bottles. I could have done that all day. It was one of the only things I liked about my class trips - maybe it was the only thing. I thought about staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge with a new baby for the view but I agree that the animals might not make an impression on a baby that young.
 

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