need trip advice, traveling with little ones

[lochness]

First time poster here. Have some questions that I hope you all could help answer.
Planning on going to WDW in mid to late april but am very flexible. Best time?
Kids (both boys) are 5 and almost 2.
Thinking of staying for about 5 or 6 nites.
Really love what I've seen of AKL because I can see my sons losing their minds watching the animals from the room but wondering if there is something better considering I can see me or my wife having to maybe go back to the room a bit because the kid(s) are just too tuckered to hang all day.

Which leads to to the passes; I can easily see us skipping the water parks entirely, but do want the ability to park- hop. I have read that it may be cheaper for one of us to just buy a season pass because the savings on the room may more than pay for the difference. Thoughts on this?

Also, am not a AAA member, but will get a membership if it gets me that much of a discount. Have not called Pam yet, will as soon as we get our dates together as it seems that she has been really great will many of you.

I know this is a long post but from the reading that I have done here in the past I know that there are some really informed people on this site and wanted to be as specific as possible. As you can tell I am the obsessive planner and my wife is a bit more spontaneous so our day to day plans could vary greatly. I am just trying to get the big stuff (resort, ect.) as good as possible and would appreciate anyones' advice.

thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[Master Yoda]

Ok for your first question. AKL IMHO is the best resort at WDW. It is the only resort that I have been to (Disney or otherwise) that I would go to just to stay there. The restaurants are great with a range from counter service to fine dinning. The resort is a little far away from the parks with the exception of AK but the bus is dedicated to AKL so travel times aren’t bad at all. If you can get a Savannah view room and you will find it’s not hard to spend hours on your balcony just watching the animals. As far as passes goes if you are an Fl resident the seasonal annual pass is the best value. If not I think your best option will probably be the MYW with a park hopper option. However if Pam can get you an AP rate on the room it can save you in the neighborhood of $100 a night at AKL. If that’s the case you only need 1 AP to get the discount. AAA will typically give you rates without being a member. I’m not sure what their discounts for rooms and passes but they did save us a ton of money on the Disney Cruise. Pam will probably be your best bet once you have dates locked down. I have heard nothing but good things about Pam.

 

[jesserin]

Animal Kingdom Lodge will be a wonderful option for your family - My parents are there right now with my little brothers! Be sure to get a Savannah Room though - those rooms make the resort worth staying at. The bus system is great so don't worry about being too far from your hotel - If you do go with a monorail resort, you're only close to the MK and the rest of the parks are bus rides away. So stick with what you love.

As for the passes - if you do the no exiration option, and no Plus pack (water parks, Disney quest, and Pleasure Island) and just stick with the park hopper option - you'll prob end up saving more than the annual pass. Although Master Yoda had a wonderful idea when he said just one AP pass would get you the dicounts - and everyone else could get the Magic Your Way passes - ultimatly that would save you bunches - but you'd just have to see if there's an AP discount out - I'm sure Pam can further direct you in that area.

As for your dates - the later in April the better - since Easter and Spring Breaks fall in March and the begining of April this year - you'll hit low crowd attendance if you go later in April... heck if you could stretch it out to the first couple days of May then you could even catch alot of the new rides that are opening!

Good Luck with your planning - hope everything goes well for your family!

 

[Disneytripper]

My wife and I just took our 4 year old son to Disney in October (but left our 1 year old at home; not brave enough to take her...maybe this September).

Anyway, my thoughts: AKL is great. Beautiful, new (!!), animals right outside your balconies. Get a savanna view and book at this resort immediately!! Your boys will love it!

You can probably go with just the parkhopper with your sons so young. If you get an AP, though, you're also eligible to get a Disney Dining Experience card for only $50; it saves you 20% on meals, drinks and alcohol at almost every restaurant on WDW campus. If you don't plan on any "serious" dining however you may need to assess this option...it might not be worth it right now.

Stay mid to end of April, beginning of May for smaller crowds. You'll be trying to avoid spring breaks (March to first of April) and Mother's Day (May 8). Make sure you stay as long as you can.. 6 or 7 days almost a must with little ones because you don't want to go to theme parks every single day. You need to break it up every two days or so to give them (and you) some time to relax and recuperate!! Make use of the pool, go to Fantasia Gardens or Downtown Disney, anything for a slower pace.

Plan out your meals with some you and your wife will like as well as character dining for the boys. We liked Chef Mickey at CR, Pooh dinner at Crystal Palace (MK) and Princesses Breakfast in Norway (Epcot). Try to get Cinderella's Table if you can; the boys will love eating inside the castle! In fact, for the MK alone, we did Liberty Tree for lunch (cool and quiet; couldn't get Cinderella) then Crystal Palace for dinner followed by the fireworks. It was great!

Finally, check out "extras". Buy a Birnbaum guide for kids to get some more ideas. Get a Pal Mickey for your five year old. Take advantage of every photo op with characters you see; my son acted like they were celebrities!!

Have a great time!

Disneytripper

 

[MickeyMark]

I'll join in here with praise for AKL. It was our first on-site choice also.
With little ones you'll need to get back to the resort and rest. Or if they are not up for a day in the parks you could easily spend the day at AKL and have a great relaxing time.
The bus transportation is good since you don't share busses with other resorts.
Have Fun!!

 

[Dwarful]

AKL will be a great choice. Two children that age with two adults shouldn't be a problem. Just remember your there to have fun. April should be a good time, no heats of the summer or the crowds either. strollers for that age will be a must. But at that age you might just want to rent at the parks,which you can rent for multilple days with a discount. Remember to bring along a pack or small backpack for childrens tylenol,adult tylenol, band-aids, sunblock, handiwipes etc., take advantage of package delivery where you can have your packages sent to your resort. Take lots of film and enjoy your trip!

 

[dixiegirl]

plan some rest and down time although you need it even if you don't go with little ones. we've always taken our children with us ( could never imagine visiting disney without either one) our daughter was 1 her first time and her sister years later same thing... i think you'd have a better time with them anyway, pace yourself your on vacation , disney itself is overwelming wether your alone or with family . we've never planned the whole day we just played it by ear....there have been many posts asking about going to disney with liitle ones on this site with some great feedback...do a search if not feel free to ask away!!

 

[lochness]

thanks a lot for the great advice. I think AKL is the way to go!

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I just stayed at AKL this past Dec. and loved it. It is an absolutely beautiful resort. I only had my youngest daughter with me and she went nuts for the animals.
I had a couple of friends from the WDWMagic meet come back to the hotel so that they could check it out and they loved it and will be staying there on their next trip.
Perhaps a savannah view bunk bed room for the kids?

Call me and we will get this going. I have packing lists for my clients that include pretty much everything.
If you decide to go with 1 AP, don't for get that we can get discounted passes for everyone else.
I've gone with my girls since they were quite young. (3 and 18 months) So I will be able to help you there. I have lots of tips...

Talk to you soon

Pam :wave:

 

[Gepettotrevor]

Animal Kingdom Lodge is the VERY BEST resort on Disney Property!!!




BE SURE to see "The Festival of The Lion King" in the Animal Kingdom!!! It is my favroite, and your boys will love it!

If your kids don't mind getting up early, you need to give this a try. Go to the parks at opening, do everything you want while crowds are small. About lunch time go back to AKL to rest for a couple of hours. Then that evening, you could go to the parks for dinner and stay for fireworks. This is what I normaly do, and you end up less tired at the end of the day!!!



Welcome to the threads lochness :sohappy:

 

[Pooh167]

My children were 5 and 2 (oldest was a girl youngest a boy) the best advice I could have gotten, Don't worry if you miss some things. Go by their "body clocks". They have very little tolerance for standing in long lines. There were several things that we ended up getting out of line. Double stroller is a must in my opinion. Ours was an Umbrella type easily transported on the Airline. Spend time in places like the Honey I shrunk the kids playground at MGM the boneyard at Animal Kingdom the shooting fountains at Epcot. The monarail was a thrill ride for mine we rode it several times. My sons favorite thing was swimming at the hotel pool. We stayed at the Yacht Club and had the benefit of Stormalong Bay. We timed it just right so on most nights we could see the fireworks from epcot while in the pool. Let them have their own pack filled with snacks so they can get to them whenever they want. Plus my children's favorite thing was the small battery powered fan that went around their neck. (we got ours at wal-mart) Main thing is when they start getting upset it's time to find just the right place and STOP!! We are just now going back with our children this May and they are now 13 and 9. :sohappy: Take lots of pictures and Video if you can, this is the only way my kids are aware that they even went. HAVE FUN! RELAX! and DON'T over plan!!

 

[Ellajoan]

We went last spring with a 6, 4 and newborn, and yes, get the stroller. We had the 6 and 4 year old in a double one and it made the trip much, much easier. My other advice is you may want to go back to the hotel during the day and rest, nap, swim, otherwise the kids will melt down very quickly. My last piece of advice, make sure you bring or buy an autograph book if your kids are interested in the characters. We didn't and my then 6 year old wished he had one.

Have a great time! :wave:

 

[lochness]

thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

Got an initial quote from Pam. Good God!
We will do it for sure, however, for this amount of coin I could be spending a week in Europe, planning the best spot to look over the cliffs of dover or trying to secure a tee time at St. Andrews or checking out some castles on the Rhine!
We will just have to save that for later!