Feasibility of visiting parks with toddler.....and staying offsite

[gobstoper27]

Hi there,
Here's a bit of back story...I was planning on visiting the world last September for my 30th birthday ; hotel room was booked (at Universal though ) and we were finalizing our itinerary when I found out in May that I was preggo with my little monster. We decided to cancel, (my husband did more than I... I tried so hard to convince him otherwise but alas, I lost that battle) Cancelling my hotel reservation was so difficult. We had gotten a great deal at the then newly opened cabana beach resort...but with newly acquired baby finances and Zika we just had to.

I had the coolest Monsters Inc. baby shower...

We're thinking of going next October because I really want to go for halloween since we've done the Christmas thing before. We always stay offsite because we do other things besides Disney and are only at DW for 2 days. The baby will be 21 months next October. Is it feasibile to stay offsite with a toddler? Are you allowed re-entry in the parking lot once you've paid or do you have to repay.. has anyone ever not stayed on property, what was your experience like? Thanks on advance.

Here's a pic of my little guy from 2 weeks ago, he was 8 weeks

 

[gobstoper27]

As a previous poster said, much will depend on the personality of your child and what their needs are in terms of sleeping. From the day she was born my child never needed a quiet or dark room in order to fall asleep so consequently when she was still in a stroller it was fairly easy to be out all day provided I had enough food and diapers; and while she needed to hold a stuffed animal to fall asleep, it didn't matter which one until she was nearly two, and even then only for going to bed at night. I've had conversations with other parents whose children couldn't fall asleep unless the room was completely dark and sound proof, or who absolutely needed to have the same stuffed animal or blanket.

The advice I'd give, since it sounds like you're not looking at a "once in a lifetime" trip, decide in advance what attractions or shows or pictures you'd be disappointed to miss, make sure to find the time to do those early in the day so that if you need to leave mid afternoon because he's just had enough (or maybe you have!) you will still be satisfied with your trip.

(He's a really cute little monster!)

Thank you! You are correct about this not being a once in a lifetime trip, I think that will come in a few years when he is a little older.

 

[monykalyn]

Adorable lil guy and what a cute baby shower!
My daughters' first trip was when they were 6 and 16 months. Offsite in our timeshare (very nice to have separate sleeping/living spaces!). Having young kids forced us to go slow, enjoy the atmosphere, see shows (perfect for a quick nap for the baby). Offsite obviously you will have a car, so being able to pack snacks, breakfast in condo etc were awesome. My husband wasn't sure about taking the baby that young but it was one of our best trips ever.
We didn't find being offsite that big of a deal (still don't, actually). We did mostly go open to close without breaks in between- note that trip was in February without crowds, hot temps, or long park hours though

 

[gobstoper27]

Adorable lil guy and what a cute baby shower!
My daughters' first trip was when they were 6 and 16 months. Offsite in our timeshare (very nice to have separate sleeping/living spaces!). Having young kids forced us to go slow, enjoy the atmosphere, see shows (perfect for a quick nap for the baby). Offsite obviously you will have a car, so being able to pack snacks, breakfast in condo etc were awesome. My husband wasn't sure about taking the baby that young but it was one of our best trips ever.
We didn't find being offsite that big of a deal (still don't, actually). We did mostly go open to close without breaks in between- note that trip was in February without crowds, hot temps, or long park hours though

Thank you!! We are definitely looking to avoid hot temps and crowds. I don't think staying offsite is a big deal either, I just second guessed myself reading some comments in the forum.

 

[buseegal]

Thanks, that was reassuring!!

if you are planning on AK remember no straws and that includes drink box straws plus sippy cups that the straw comes out of

 

[gobstoper27]

if you are planning on AK remember no straws and that includes drink box straws plus sippy cups that the straw comes out of

Really? It's been so long since I've visited AK, (we tend to skip that one) that I totally forgot. Thanks for the tip, I definitely plan to visit next year. We went in May a few years back and it was sooooooo hot, I've been traumatised lol.

 

[buseegal]

Really? It's been so long since I've visited AK, (we tend to skip that one) that I totally forgot. Thanks for the tip, I definitely plan to visit next year. We went in May a few years back and it was sooooooo hot, I've been traumatised lol.

I have heard from people who had straws taken from juice boxes got to bring in the boxes but not the straws which made boxes useless as you could not drink from them. also includes sippy cups where you can remove straw